Gray’s hand went from my back to around my waist, holding me tight against him. He used his body to tell me to reign in my fight response. I did, but I left my ire written across my face.
Foster didn’t miss any of it. “Playing the switch, Angel? I wouldn’t have thought Grayson would be into that, but then again, he’s a man of many secrets, isn’t he?”
Oh, he was bringing it. “Not from me.”
Foster folded his hands in his lap, relaxed as can be. Except I could see the tension in his shoulders. It matched Gray’s. Both were ready to pounce.
“So, Gray has told you how he and I were once comrades in arms?”
“We are not doing this, Foster. What do you want?” I could practically hear Gray’s teeth grinding around his question.
“It’s not what I want. It’s what Angel here needs. I thought we’d celebrate her graduation and the renewed success of the Ranch with a soiree tonight. My people have made the arrangements. Some of the members are already here and enjoying themselves.”
Why the hell did he think I was finished with my training? Or that Gray was here? I might have guessed that Lilly was spying for him, sending him information, except for the way she had her arms wrapped around herself and kept scooching as far away from Foster as her lead would allow.
She’d changed a lot from the glaring witch at The Asylum or even from a few months ago when she’d tried to shame me and pick a fight upon my arrival here in Texas.
I had Hawk to thank for that.
So, who had been feeding Foster details of what was happening at the club?
“Here’s Tate now. Finalized all the details for the party? I want to be sure all your new members are here to witness the birth of a new Dominatrix.”
Tate didn’t look at any of us, only Foster. “Yes, sir.”
Sir? Shitballs. “Tate, vales verga.”
Tate’s eyes darted between Foster and the floor at my feet. “Angelina, I, uh...”
“Ah, ah, ah, Tate. You know the deal. Another word and you’ll be the subject of my next demonstration, not to mention the financial consequences.” Foster wagged a finger and Tate slumped.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Off you go then, make sure your members have everything they need.”
Tate skulked away. I’d find a way to corner him later and find out what exactly his deal with Foster was. If this was about the money, I could do better. Foster might think he was made of gold, but I had the bank accounts to prove that I was worth more than my weight in it. Maybe I would buy the Ranch. To spite Foster.
Gray didn’t let the tete-a-tete between Foster and Tate sway him from getting this done and over. “Don’t make me ask again. Why are you here? What do you want?”
“I told you why I’m here. Don’t spoil the party, Baker. I’m hoping to see some of the hard work you’ve done building up your curvy Dominatrix tonight.”
I didn’t believe for one second he’d come all the way down here to see me in action.
Foster ran his hand over Lilly’s hair, petting her. Lilly looked like she wanted to bite his hand off. Or throw up. Or both. “Why don’t you instruct her to have some fun with those playthings of hers?”
Gray’s arm around me tensed and then released. “Angelina can do whatever she likes.”
I didn’t know whether I liked that answer or not. It implied we didn’t have the kind of connection I thought we did. That kind of stung.
But we were new to this being a couple thing, and he was probably trying to show Foster I was badass. I’d go with that.
“Thank you, querida.” I touched his face and lingered looking into his eyes. I pushed Gray’s arm away and tried my best to send him mental telepathy to trust me. He was going to need a dozen massages to release the tension in his body when I approached Foster. “May I?”
I reached for Lilly’s lead hoping Foster wouldn’t make a scene and play along. He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t relinquish her to me.
I could see Hawk and Dominic out of the corner of my eye. Dom was clearly holding Hawk back from swooping in on this situation. Good boy. What would I do without him? Ilario waited opposite. They had my back. “Come now. You want to see me work? I know exactly what to do with naughty Lilly here.”
Foster fiddled with the chain while he considered me. I wasn’t doing a good job of persuading him.
“You wanted a party. Well, it’s not a party at the Ranch until somebody comes. And Lilly has been an awful pain in my ass the past few weeks, so it’s not like I’m going to make it easy for her.”
Foster raised an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
What did I have in mind. No idea. I was totally winging it. But whatever I pulled out of my butt had to entice Foster. Hmm. “How about a little predicament play?”
He grinned his creepoid smile again. “I like the sound of that.”
Good. I could just call Hawk over to join our little scene and then send Lilly off with him. Foster had fallen right into my hands. Ha ha.
Foster leaned forward and propped his head in his hand holding Lilly’s lead, tugging her along. “Here’s your predicament. If Lilly makes you come, I’ll release her from her slave agreement with me. She’ll be free to play with anyone she wants, take on a new master, or find herself a Dom. But if you make her come, I’ll leave the club right now and you and Gray will never hear from me again.”
Well, fuck a duck. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.
“That’s not exactly what I meant. I’m the Dominatrix, she’s a slave, I get to plan the scene.” Playing with women wasn’t my thing. Although, I guess I’d never tried it. Could be fun. But it wasn’t my plan.
Gray stepped into the space directly behind me and while he was silent, letting me control the situation here, I could practically hear the growl inside of him. Foster had me.
He knew it. “You still get to plan it however you like.”
The words – no deal – were on my lips, but Gray leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “Take the deal, then use that sly brain of yours to put together a scene that outsmarts him.”
Gray’s confidence in me was more of a turn on than I suspected, which played nicely into the new plan already forming in my head.
I sauntered, if one could saunter in three steps, I could, over to Foster and took Lilly’s lead from him. “Seems Gray is turned on by the prospect of me dominating dear Lilly here, so you have yourself a deal, mister.”
“One more requirement, Angelina.”
Great. “Yes?”
“I want you two on stage, so everyone can watch the scene. No hiding, only your skills against my training of Lilly.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-Three
All the World’s a Stage
A la verga. We were so screwed, and not in the fun way. I kept that thought to myself. “As you wish.”
Damn, I should have said something about that being my plan all along. I didn’t want to do anything that gave Foster any sort of upper hand. I needed to think a hell of a lot faster on my feet if I was going to outwit this master manipulator.
I glanced over to Dominic and Hawk. Dominic was the floor monitor tonight. Thank my lucky-ass stars. Because I was going to play Foster like a marching band tuba – loud and proud in front of cheering fans. I needed Dominic to help with the crowd control, and by crowd I meant Foster when he freaked the shit out.
One look and Dominic headed toward the stage. “This is my scene, so don’t let anyone I don’t bring on stage interfere, okay?”
He semi-bowed. “You got it, mistress.”
I led Lilly up the steps, grumbling under my breath the whole way about Foster’s assholeness.
I think Lilly may have chuckled once along the way. When I turned to look at her, she was as solemn as a French Princess during the revolution.
“I’m not going to guillotine you.”
Her eyes darted to Foster and she whispered, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m not a thou
sand percent sure yet, but I swear to Our Lady of Guadalupe, we are getting both of us out of this and away from Sir Asshat.”
“I’ll be the one punished by him if he hears your disrespect. Damn it.” The tears absent from her eyes after her punishment glistened in them now. Sadness and pure hatred flashed there until she blinked them back.
“If you hate him so much, why the evil eye and the attitude with me?”
“Seriously?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Her forehead wrinkled with her disbelief that I didn’t understand her. “You’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted. If I don’t hate you for it, I have to hate me.”
It was my turn to ask. “Seriously?”
Before she could answer Tate’s voice boomed across the room, “Ladies and gentleman, subs and Doms, babes and boytoys, please turn your attention to the stage for a very special scene from Mistress Angel and Baby Lilly.”
There was no applause, but a murmur went across the crowd as they moved to observe. Some sat alongside Foster, while other groups stood in pockets. Lights flicked on across the front of the stage and all eyes focused on me and Lilly.
Showtime.
“Tate, for goodness sake give us some fuck me hard music.”
A deep thrumming beat with sensual tones played over the speakers. If I was going to put on a show, I was putting on a god-damned performance.
I directed Lilly to center stage and used the rope binding her wrist to raise her arms over her head. My mind was going a trillion miles a minute trying to pull off this particular miracle. “Are you good with the standard red for stop and yellow for slow down safe words?”
She nodded and I couldn’t help but notice the wariness on her face. “I need to hear you say yes or no verbally before we start.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think we’ll need them, but we have not had time to negotiate limits and I’m thinking on my feet here, so we need to be clear. Are you with me in this?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to waste my time, are you ladies?” Foster asked from his chair.
I hadn’t noticed what a vantage point he’d set up for himself by sitting there. I did notice how he was still putting himself in the Dominant position.
I searched out Gray, who’d joined Dominic and Hawk. I needed some reassurance from him. I got it in the form of a sexy-ass wink.
Okay, I got this. “You’ll wait along with the rest of them, Foster, until I’m ready to let you watch.”
His scowl said more than words. I was getting under his skin, but he wasn’t doing anything about it. Could he possibly feel out of his element here?
I was going to bank on that.
I addressed the rest of the audience. “Because anticipation is half the fun, isn’t it?”
The nods and murmurs in the affirmative were exactly what I’d hoped for.
“If you continue to try to humiliate him, he’s going to make both our lives hell,” Lilly whispered.
“If I pull this off, neither of us will have to worry about him ever again.”
“Good luck.” Lilly’s reply was so deadpan I wasn’t sure if she was being sarcastic or sincere.
I’d seen the misery written all over her body when she’d been sitting at his feet. Something important had changed in her, just as it had in me, in the last few weeks.
“I’ll take all the luck I can get.”
Mostly because I had no idea what I was going to do. I hadn’t even considered dominating women. It didn’t turn me off, but I’d always been so focused on Gray and the guys in the harem, it never crossed my mind.
What in the world was I going to do with Lilly? All I’d figured out so far is that we both needed to orgasm at the same time and because the other had a hand in it.
Aha. Foster hadn’t given me any restrictions like that. He’d flip his shit, but I had the advantage of having the audience on my side.
Gray and Hawk were standing to my right, only a few feet from the stage. While Hawk was all pissed and broody, Gray had this look on his face that imbued all kinds of you-can-do-this confidence into me.
Idea number one. Oh no, oh bother, what’s a girl to do? The hooks I wanted to hang Lilly’s bound hands from were simply too high for me to reach.
“Hawk, come up and help me please.” I pointed to Hawk and gave Gray a return wink. I got back a grin that said he got where I was going.
“I never said you could include anyone else in this scene.” Foster’s voice had that touch of irritation like he was pissed but trying not to let the demons out.
I faced him, hands on my hips. “This is my scene and you agreed to let me dominate Lilly for everyone’s entertainment. I choose to include Hawk and maybe others.”
“You’re pushing the boundaries of our deal. I have the right to call the whole thing off.” The irritation was gone and his inner asshole was coming out now.
I looked to the members. “Ahh, that would be a shame to call the scene off wouldn’t it? We’re just getting started. You all don’t want that do you?”
I watched Foster’s eyes narrow into laser beams of death aimed at me as the ‘no’s’ went through the crowd.
He was pissed all right. I was wrestling his control away bit by bit and I planned to eviscerate him by the time I was done.
Nobody messed with me and my man or our friends.
Hawk jumped on stage, but kept his distance, waiting for my cues. Good man.
“Help me hook Lilly’s hands up there please, and then stand behind her. Don’t touch until I tell you to.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Hawk looked at Lilly with the hunger of a thousand wolves. He was also wary. I knew he wasn’t used to taking orders from anyone. It made him uncomfortable.
He took his sweet time lifting Lilly’s arms up and lingered over her skin, drawing the back of his hands down her arms before moving to stand behind her.
If he could play along I’d get us all what we wanted.
“Are you prepared to do exactly what I tell you to?” I asked Hawk.
Please play along. A ripple went across the muscles in his arms before he answered and mistrust flashed across his face. He knew the stakes. Gray and I were free and clear of Foster if I made her come.
I’d trusted him in the past, I hoped it would be enough for him to trust me now.
“Yes.”
Phew. “Good. Grayson, can you come up here please?”
Gray came up and stood in front of me. He said nothing, but the sparkle in his eyes and the grin playing at his lips told me all I needed to know.
This was turning him on.
My Gray. The one who always needed to have complete and total control liked watching me be in charge. “Please stand behind me so we’re facing Hawk and Lilly.”
He did and whispered into my ear, “You’re fucking hot when you’re in charge. I can’t wait to get you alone later and fuck you hard, because I have the feeling Hawk and I aren’t the ones getting off, are we?”
Nope. I turned my head and addressed the audience. Idea number two. “Welcome to the battle royale. Lilly and I have been given a predicament. If I can make her come, I win, if she makes me come, she wins. I’ve chosen Hawk and Gray to be our toys.”
The audience nodded and I saw smiles and maybe a bet take place. They were into it. Foster was not.
“Lilly, use Gray. Tell him exactly what you want him to do to me. If he doesn’t follow your instructions we forfeit and you win. I’ll use Hawk the same way.”
So far so good for making this all up seventeen seconds ago.
“Standard safe words apply, however we or our toys can use red for something that crosses a boundary. You may not use it to slow the game down. If either of us uses a safeword the opponent may choose another command. Agreed?”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Lilly choked out.
But Hawk did. He bit at her ear and whispered something quick and so softly only Lilly could hear.
“Don
’t you dare take liberties I haven’t granted you, Hawk. Do it again, and it’ll just be me and Lilly up on this stage.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Yes, Mistress.”
“Everyone ready?”
Nods all around.
Except Foster Bennett. He hadn’t moved from his seat, but his hands were hard fists. When this was over, he just might kill me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-Four
Come, My Baby
Lilly stared at me with the deer in the headlights of a semi-truck coming down the road at nine-thousand miles an hour we’re all gonna die look. Until Hawk whispered in her ear again.
I don’t know what he said, but suddenly, she was back. “Gray, strip her.”
What? Ah, damn it. Having the control had given me a layer of protection from my few lingering body insecurities. I was happy enough to flaunt my curves when and how I wanted to and with people I trusted. Visions of the less-enlightened members’ looks of disgust floated across my brain.
Lilly knew where to hit me where I was most vulnerable. Well played.
“Gladly.” Gray tugged at the top of my dress, the ultra stretchy slinky material easily fell down my shoulders exposing my bra. I sucked in my belly.
Gray pulled out the first of the stings. “Don’t hide yourself now, Angel.” Then the next. “You’re exactly what everyone here wants at the moment.” Another flick of his fingers and my bra loosened. His hands danced across the straps and pushed the bra down my arms.
“Fuck, I love your tits, baby. Remember how I said I was going to fuck you hard later? These are definitely part of that plan.”
Okay, now I was back. Screw what other people thought. I wasn’t going to lose all the hard-fought confidence I’d gained during this journey simply because people outside my circle of trust were going to see me naked.
I was a big, bold, beautiful, Latina woman, with an ass that didn’t quit, boobs to die for, and enough sexy confidence to spread around.
“Yes, that’s it, my love. Show them how fucking gorgeous you are. But don’t forget you’re mine.”