He leaned against a white Cadillac with the requisite longhorn rack on the front. If it played the Dukes of Hazzard theme when he honked the horn, I’d laugh and then make fun of him for being the biggest cliché this side of the Rio Grande, which was in Texas, I was sure of it. Another white caddy sat a bit behind and to the right of the Boss-mobile and a driver waited beside it.
Seeing Tate’s big Texas-sized grin, his comfort in being exactly who he was, cliché or not, and the relief in the set of his shoulders that I had gotten off the jet soaked into my battered psyche. He wanted me here, which was more than I could say for anyone back home in the city.
Time to get out of my head and into the fun and games. “Yes well, get used it, honey. I like to have people wait on me, hand and foot, and other fun bits.”
Yeah. Gray or no, I was here to ply my hand at being a Dominatrix. Starting right now.
“Ha.” That snort of derision came from inside Tate’s car and was too unladylike to be any sub of mine or Tate’s.
“Care to elaborate?” I said, finding my confidence somewhere between the burn in my cheeks and the car.
One leg, a bit too lean to be curvy and then another stepped out of the dark interior of the car, clad in fuck-me heels, a g-sting, a cropped corset, and nothing else.
“Lilly,” Tate growled, “behave or I’ll have you over my knee again.”
“I’ll behave when this stupid fatty does. What kind of punishment does she get for making us sit out here in the hot sun for almost two hours?”
One, ouch. I’d come a million miles in learning to love my curves, but that name calling still hurt. Two, I’d remember that sneer for years to come. Lilly was the sub who’d tried to kill me with her death glare while sitting at Foster Bennett’s feet at The Asylum. If Lilly was here, was Foster?
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Red Ranch
Coño. I was so not ready to have Foster in my life. He and I hadn’t exactly seen eye to eye, especially since his eyes were on my ass or boobs most of the time.
Sure, I’d had the cajones to tell him to fuck off when I knew Gray was at my back, but now? Those cajones were shriveled up like a deflated balloon.
I glanced over at Tate. Why wasn’t he doing something about this mouthy sub? He said he was going to take her over his knee. The only thing I could think that would stop him from acting was the power Foster held over all his underlings.
The frustration was written all over his face and down his neck, but instead of doing anything about it, he gaped back at me. What? Like I was going to do anything?
Get right back on that plane and fly home to... nothing. I had nothing waiting for me back home. Cade held down the fort, but it was a quiet, empty place sucked of any joy for me.
I had people to deal with this for me. Tall, dark, and Italian stood beside me, and taller, darker and imposing Dominic stood next to Ilario. I’d sic them on her.
“I don’t have to deal with this. Dom, Ilario.” I waved them forward.
Dominic crossed his arms and grew six inches wider taking on that bouncer-bodyguard stance.
“Mistress, allow me to deal with this filth.” Ilario spat on the ground and stepped toward Lilly.
Aww, I got a shiver from how adorable my sweet Ilario was being all protective. Who spit these days? Dominic blocked him with an arm and shook his head.
“Our Angelina can take care of this herself, Ilario. Little Lilly here will learn her place better from a Dominatrix than us.” Dominic said the words for Ilario, but he looked directly at me.
Uh. Crap.
Okay, I got the message. Set the precedent right from the get go. Lilly was a sub, and I was—or was going to be—a Domme. While dominating women wasn’t part of my plan, I couldn’t have her usurping my authority before I even had any.
I’d been surrounded by women like Lilly my entire life. Women who were arrogant and spiteful because the people around them were too stupid or too scared to take charge. So, they either had to take charge themselves or cower and whimper and hide behind low self-esteem like I had.
Either choice was fucking exhausting. I’d lived it and I could see it in Lilly’s resting bitch face. She wanted, needed someone else to take the reins for a while.
Maybe that was part of being dominant.
I smoothed the wrinkles in my black dress at my waist and thighs, making everyone wait to see what I would do. Then I struck.
“Lilly, why are you here?” I made sure to pose it as an actual question, not an implication or accusation.
She frowned and crossed one arm over her stomach, grasping her other elbow, shielding herself. “Tate brought me.”
“No. Why are you in Texas?”
She scoffed. “The same reason you are, I’m sure.”
I remembered Lilly at The Asylum, sitting at Foster’s feet, being petted like a puppy and protecting her master with looks that could kill. Foster doted on her. Was this a punishment? No. Lilly needed attention. That’s what this is all about.
I ignored her by examining my fingernails, which I knew would drive her crazy, while asking the next question. “I don’t think so. One more time. Why. Are you. Here?”
“Foster sent me to work with Tate at the Red Ranch.”
“With?” I raised one brow, but still didn’t look at her.
I could practically hear her eyes rolling. “For.”
I walked toward her, scrutinizing the get-up she wore. She was too thin, girl needed a donut. Probably wouldn’t fit into the tight corset she had on. “Doing what?”
“Helping Tate build his clientele. Subbing, showing other people who want to try subbing the ropes, so to speak.”
“And why do you think I’m here?”
“Foster said you made a deal to come train at the Ranch.”
“You’re right. Except,” I brought my gaze up to hers and bought on the bitch stare down. “I’m not here to train to be a sub.”
She laughed. “You’re going to be a Domme?” The “yeah, right” was implied in her tone. “I’ll bet Grayson will have something to say about that.”
Gloves off. We were going to the mats now.
I stepped right into Lilly’s personal space and worked hard not to hit her. Violence wasn’t the answer. I had Lilly’s number. She needed to please and she wanted attention. I’m sure she was more than a handful for poor Tate.
“I know you, Lilly. This might not be my country club, but you’re exactly like the women I left behind there. You’re tired and scared that no one in their right minds could ever truly take you on, isn’t that right? The closest you found was Foster Bennett, and he sent you away. You’re worried he needed a break from you and your antics.”
Kettle one, pot nothing.
Lilly took a step back. Anxiety darted across her face before she turned the bitch back on. “You don’t know me. You don’t know anything. You’re the one that lost Gray. He left you and you ran away.”
Score one for the pot.
“Tate,” I turned, ignoring Lilly and her assessment of me, “Put Lilly back in the car, and let’s go take a looksee at the Ranch. I think it’s time I get to work.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He tipped his hat and guided Lilly back to the car by her corset strings. He didn’t try to hide the grin on his face.
Before he could shut the door, I stuck my head in and found Lilly pouting. “Grayson couldn’t handle me. Let’s see if you and Texas can.”
I shut the door firmly and tapped the hood like I’d seen people do in movies to indicate they were finished with the occupants and the car could go.
Dominic’s smile said how he felt about the exchange, and Ilario had a hard-on tenting the front of his pants. Hopefully we’d have some fun taking care of that. “Come on, boys.”
I climbed into the back of the second Cadillac and asked the driver how long the ride to the ranch was.
“About thirty minutes, mistress.” Lust filled eyes ogled me in the rear-view mirror.
Oh,
I was going to enjoy working at the Ranch. First, I was going to enjoy the ride there. “Ilario, let’s see if we can have some fun in those thirty minutes. Ride in back with me. On your knees.”
Ilario did as he was told and loved every minute of it. Our driver had a hard time keeping his attention on the road, and by the time we got to the Ranch all three guys were in uncomfortable states of arousal.
A large plantation style mansion loomed in front of us on the road. Hay, Dios Mio, this was the Red Ranch? I expected a dungeon like warehouse or a stand-alone building in a not so nice part of town, not a frickin plantation. We pulled around the side of the house and parked in back next to a large wooden pergola that shaded a red door.
“This is the private entrance for residents only, mistress,” our driver said.
The door opened and Tate sauntered out. He popped my door open and offered his hand to help me out of the car. “Welcome to the Ranch, darlin’.”
I glanced around, trying not to gawk. Skyscrapers and expensive country clubs aside, this estate was breathtaking. “This is some ranch. Not exactly what I expected.”
Tate grinned and led me to the door. “Expect the unexpected is my middle name.”
“Pendejo.”
“That’s my other middle name.” He laughed and escorted me inside.
I signaled to Ilario and Dominic to follow. We could all use showers, naps, and fresh clothes. I needed some new panties ASAP.
“Let me show you around your new home. Mi casa es su casa.”
“Gracias, señor.”
He led us through a kitchen and swept his arm around the room. “The kitchen, pantry, keeping room, and the second floor are for me and my guests only.”
On each side of the area he called the keeping room, which I took to be a small eating area, were staircases. One going up and the other down. Tate pointed to the one going up.
“You can get to your rooms from that staircase there or the grand staircase in the foyer. I keep it roped off and staffed when the club is open, but we don’t really have problems with members trying to be where there’s no action.”
This was a lot of house. Even bigger than my estate and that was saying something. “Where’s the action?”
“You’ll see.”
He pulled open the door from the kitchen into the main part of the house, and yep, there was action all right. A party was in full swing and at the center was Lilly, standing on a platform, bare-assed getting spanked, paddled, and more by anyone and everyone.
I couldn’t tell if she enjoyed it or was pissed. Maybe both.
I elbowed Tate in the ribs. “A little warning would have been nice.”
“Well, you did take two hours to get off the plane. The party only started about a half an hour ago. So, uh, surprise?”
I sure would have liked to change into something more appropriate than the jeans and halter top I’d worn to travel in. It was my own fault. At least I had on cute shoes.
“I arranged this little meet and greet with some of our regular members for you.” Tate waved at a couple waiting for their turn at the paddle. “Lilly was a last-minute addition to the entertainment. Would you like to take your turn at her? She’s more than earned a good punishment from you.”
Yikes. While Lilly had been rude to me, there was no damn way I was ever going to give a spanking to her. The thought of it made my skin crawl.
I supposed if I was going to be a Domme, I’d have to learn to cater to the clientele, and if they liked some masochism in their lives, I’d deal with that. Later. I certainly didn’t want to look like a cabrón on my first day and in front of all these people. They were members and I knew better than most what high-priced membership got one. Giant eyeroll to myself for getting into these situations.
How was I going to get out of this one? Think fast.
“No. Let her wonder when my punishment is coming, that in itself will be torture.” I’d seen someone say that in a movie once. If I was going to do this, I needed to draw upon any and all resources.
“You have a devious mind, and that is damn sexy, woman. Let me introduce you around.” Tate took my hand and led me to a circle of people in varying arrays of undress. I prepared my nice-to-meet-you smile and followed his lead.
This was no average greet and meet, no shaking hands. That was far too vanilla for The Ranch crowd. One guy actually supplicated himself on the floor at my feet. I didn’t quite know what to do with that, so I patted him on the head like one might a good puppy.
No way I’d remember all the names or faces, but I liked the variety of people who made up the core of loyal members. Tate had fostered an environment that supported all shapes and sizes, bonus points for him that I wasn’t the only curvy woman in the room. So different than The Asylum. BDSM had a dark and secretiveness to it there, something to hide from the outside world. The faces of the members of The Ranch I’d met were open and held no judgement.
I’d have to both ask Tate how he developed and maintained this atmosphere and study it closely. When I finally opened my own club, this welcome feeling had to be part of the business plan.
God, I liked the sound of that. My own club. It was still a shiny new idea and I had no idea if I could actually pull it off, but the next few weeks would help me figure it out.
I tipped one foot to the side trying to stretch my ankles and relieve some of soreness. Travel and this insta-party were not the way to warm the cockles of a girl’s feet.
“You’re not wearing out on me, are you? The night has only begun. I haven’t even shown you the playrooms in the basement yet.” He pressed a champagne glass bubbling with sparkling water, raspberries and mint leaves into my hand.
“Thanks. If I don’t get off my feet soon, I won’t be any fun for the rest of the night.”
“I can fix that. Sit down.” He signaled to one of the male servers who brought over a tufted leather ottoman.
I sat and sighed. “Ah, that’s the ticket. Some Dominatrix I am, can’t even stand in heels for a few hours.”
“A Domme shouldn’t have to stand without her own needs being met too.” He waggled his eyebrows and knelt in front of me.
“The training begins.” There was no way I was ready to do anything remotely naughty, but I was fully ready to take advantage of my vague position of power. I kicked off my heels and placed one on Tate’s thigh. “You don’t happen to be into foot worship, are you?”
He laughed. “I can be into almost anything if given a chance to wrap my head around it.”
He began massaging my foot and I moaned long and low, rested my arms on the back of the ottoman and threw my head back.
“That is why I like to sub. Seeing how my service and actions can pleasure a woman gets me hard and hornier than a bull in springtime.”
“Mistress, may I be of help?” Dominic popped into my field of vision from behind and threaded his hands into my hair massaging my scalp.
“Oh God, yeah. This is almost better than sex.” I closed my eyes and let myself relax for the first time all day. The quiet hum of the room moved in waves where conversations ebbed and flowed. The heat of so many bodies, working to make each other hotter washed over me like a dry sauna, not too hot, but enough to allow my muscles to let go of some tension.
The clean scent of Dominic’s skin mixed with the musky scent of Ilario’s cologne. I recognized the feel of Ilario’s fingers playing their way down my cleavage.
After the day of traveling and this surprise party, I fully planned to have him in my bed tonight.
I sucked in a long bracing breath through my nose, planning on slowly blowing it and more stress of the day out my mouth like I’d been taught in more than one therapist’s office.
With the inhale I caught a scent far removed from this club, my life. Woodsy, clean, oh so incredibly alpha male. My chest burned holding the air in my lungs, my heart beat faster and faster, waiting for me to continue living.
Gray.
CHAPTER EIGHT
&nb
sp; Anon Dom
His scent, his presence was unmistakable. My body wanted to pop up, search, find him. My brain stalled out. I couldn’t quite seem to crack open my eyes to see if Gray was there, standing over me. They were glued shut like I’d been asleep for days.
The air in my lungs pushed against my chest fighting to get out and I finally released the breath on another moan.
It can’t be him. I wanted it to be, but I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing him. My soul still felt raw.
Open, eyes, damn you. I squeezed them tight and released, fluttering my lids until I could see again. Tate, Dominic, and Ilario surrounded me as if the world hadn’t been flip turned upside down.
I pushed their hands away and stood. I didn’t see Gray. But he was here. I was sure.
Too many people buzzed around us for him to have gotten away. I stepped up onto the ottoman to get a better view. The room spun as I circled around to find him. There were a lot of good looking men, talking to and pressing themselves to a lot of beautiful woman. None of them were Grayson.
Dominic grabbed my hand stilling my rotation. “Angelina, what are you looking for?”
“I thought–” One more glance to my left and another to my right. “It’s nothing.”
Apparently, I was hallucinating. My mind was playing tricks on me. It knew how much I missed Gray, even if I wouldn’t admit it.
Dominic assisted me down from the ottoman, my legs being shaky and all.
“Here, have some more water.” Tate handed me the drink. “I thought maybe we’d play tonight, darlin’, but maybe you should call it a night.”
I took several gulps of the water and then waved him away. “No, no, I’m fine.”
“Mistress, you are flushed and not from pleasures. Let me take you to bed so you can rest.” Ilario wrapped his arms around my waist and snuggled into me.
“Only if Tate promises we can get down to business tomorrow night.” Let them think I mean sexy times, I wanted to shake off the ache in my belly that always came with any thoughts of Gray.