Submission to Desire [Desire, Oklahoma 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5

  Brenna shrugged, not quite sure what he wanted to know, but from the way he kept glancing in the direction Ethan had gone, she knew he still thought about Donner and the note. “He was nice. I was the problem.”

  King scowled. “You just weren’t right for each other. I hope no one ever calls me nice. Hell, that’s boring. What’s your favorite color?”

  “Red. No, blue. I don’t know.” Their random questions kept her off guard, which she figured they did on purpose. She assumed part of their plan was to distract her—to keep her from thinking about whoever taped that note to her hotel room door. “I guess it depends on my mood. Sometimes, I love black.”

  Royce smiled and leaned closer. “You’d look like pure sin in black.”

  King nodded once and took a sip of his beer, his eyes steady on hers. “Those expressive eyes and those full lips scream sin already. She’d be devastating in black. Tell me you like pizza and beer.”

  Startled by the unexpected shift in conversation, Brenna laughed, nearly choking on her iced tea.

  “Love them.” She slid a glance at Royce, her face burning. “Sorry. I’m not sophisticated. I like wine sometimes, but usually I prefer beer.”

  King grinned. “Thank God.”

  Royce’s eyes moved over her face as he took a sip of his wine. Everything about him—from his clothing to his mannerisms, to his voice—screamed of cool sophistication.

  “Women are such complicated creatures. Layers and layers to peel away. Only when they’re peeled away does a man discover if a woman’s hot or cold at the core. So, Brenna, are you prepared to have your layers peeled away, and to learn what’s at the center?”

  Attempting to appear unaffected by his provocative question, Brenna took a bite of baked potato and almost choked on it. Shaken by the wicked gleam in his eyes, she swallowed, and took a sip of her tea before attempting to speak.

  “You sound pretty confident. Most men sound that way at the beginning, but it doesn’t last. I hope you realize that women know that. I’m sure you’ve spent a lot of time peeling layers in your lifetime.”

  Royce’s lips twitched.

  “None more important than yours.”

  Brenna smiled sarcastically. “Sure. You are slick, but I don’t buy all that crap.”

  Royce’s eyes narrowed. “So I see. What kind of job did you have back in Virginia?”

  The reminder of how Donner had gotten her fired angered her all over again.

  “I worked as a receptionist in a very conservative dentist’s office. He hated that I got phone calls all day from Donner. When I stopped trying to reason with Donner and just started hanging up on him, he started coming to the office and creating scenes in front of the patients.”

  Her face burned when she thought about the day she got fired. “I lost my temper and threw a box of toothbrushes at him. That’s when the doctor fired me.”

  King threw his head back and roared with laughter, drawing the attention of several other people in the restaurant. Making a scene didn’t appear to bother him a bit.

  “I’m sorry, but I would have loved seeing that temper, Red. I’m very much looking forward to dealing with it again, but in a much more intimate way.”

  Brenna bristled with indignation. “I’m tired of being accused of having a bad temper. Just because my hair is red doesn’t mean my temper is worse than anyone else’s.”

  Royce smiled and sat back, taking another sip of his wine. “I think that’s something I’d rather find out for myself. I didn’t see the scene when you first arrived at the club, but I understand it was quite a show.”

  Brenna glared at him and reached for her iced tea. “I had a right to be mad.”

  “Indeed you did.” Royce smiled. “You’ll be mad again, this time at us. I can’t wait to see it. There’s nothing like a truly passionate woman to make a man feel alive.”

  His smile fell.

  With careful deliberation, he placed his fork back on his plate. “Here comes Ethan. He looks upset.”

  In fact, the handsome hotel owner looked furious.

  At Royce’s gesture, he took the empty seat across the table from her, his jaw clenched tight as he tossed several pictures onto the table.

  “We tried every angle, but none of them show his face.”

  Brenna picked up one of the pictures, unsurprised that her hand shook. “This is the man who put the note on my door?”

  Ethan nodded, the apology in his eyes making them dark and mysterious. “Yes.” He shuffled through the pictures, choosing another and handing it to her. “You can see him tape it to the door in this one.”

  Shaking his head, he looked from Royce to King, who passed the other pictures back and forth between them, their expressions grimmer with each one they studied.

  “He had to know those cameras were there. When you watch the video, you can see how careful he is in avoiding them. I called Ace.”

  He looked at Royce. “He told me that you’d already called him, and that he’ll be here as soon as he checks something out. He wants the security disk and the note.”

  He paused, gesturing toward Brenna. “He also told me that she’ll be staying with you. If she wants to stay here, we’ll look out for her.”

  Royce nodded, not looking up from the pictures. “I know that, but Brenna will be staying with us. After we finish here and talk to Ace, we’ll get her things and get her checked out.”

  Ethan studied another picture. “Ace doesn’t want anything touched until he gets here.”

  Setting aside the picture she’d been staring at of the man standing in front of her room, Brenna fought the chill that went through her, and picked up another.

  “I haven’t unpacked. I just dropped my suitcase inside the door and headed to the club.”

  Frustrated at the inability to see the man’s face, she tossed the picture toward the center of the table. “Dark, hooded sweatshirt. Dark pants. You can’t see anything! This could be anybody.”

  Tossing aside the picture he’d been staring at, King picked up his beer. “Yeah, but why the hell would anyone but Donner send you a note like that? It doesn’t make sense.”

  A muscle worked in Ethan’s jaw.

  “I’m sorry this happened. I’m going to have Lucas take a look at the video and see what he can do about those camera angles.” He looked up, coming to his feet. “Here comes Ace now.”

  Turning in her seat, Brenna gasped at the sight of the giant crossing the room and heading straight toward them.

  He wore a sheriff’s uniform and looked coldly furious.

  She found herself leaning toward Royce as the huge man approached the table and held out a hand to King.

  “I understand we might have a stalker.”

  Royce folded Brenna’s hand in his, caressing the back of it. “One thing I admire most about you, Ace, is your habit of coming straight to the point. Have a seat and I’ll introduce you.”

  Ace frowned. “I get the point across, don’t I? I don’t want to interrupt your dinner. Has she eaten?”

  Brenna pushed her plate back, no longer hungry, and held out her hand to him. “Hello, Sheriff. I’m not hungry anymore. My name’s Brenna Nelson. I’m sorry to cause so much trouble.”

  Ace slipped into the seat Ethan vacated, his eyes darkening. “I’m sorry for all the trouble you’ve had with Donner. I wish I could have caught him sooner.”

  Brenna nodded, holding Royce’s hand tighter. “I understand he caused trouble here because he was mad at me. I’m sorry for that.”

  His eyes gentled. “You have nothing to apologize for. This is all his doing. Not yours.”

  Brenna smiled. “Or yours.”

  Royce lifted her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. “She’s got you there, Ace.”

  Ace’s jaw clenched, his eyes becoming hard and cold again. “I’m the sheriff. Women shouldn’t be getting hurt in my town.”

  King glanced at Brenna. “His wife was one of the ones who got hurt, and her busi
ness was destroyed. How’s Hope doing?”

  The change in Ace’s expression stunned her. His eyes gentled and darkened, the love and tender indulgence shining in them unmistakable.

  “Just as feisty and stubborn as ever. She’s been busy rebuilding the club, but not busy enough to keep her from trying her hand at matchmaking. She’s driving Beau and Charity nuts.”

  King laughed and looked at Brenna. “Charity is Hope’s sister. She and Beau have the hots for each other, but for some reason, Charity’s too stubborn to admit it.”

  King shook his head, chuckling softly. “Beau has more patience than I do.” His hooded gaze held Brenna’s. “When I see something I want, I don’t see any point in waiting.”

  Ace’s eyes sharpened. “So I see. Does this mean you’ll be watching out for her?”

  Royce nodded. “We will. We want to get her suitcase from the room so we can take her to the club. That’s where she’ll be if you need to talk to her.”

  Ace got to his feet. “She looks shaken. Why don’t we go now and I’ll question her on the way to her room. I’m sure you want to get her out of here and somewhere safe so she’ll settle.”

  As he stood, he pulled a pair of rubber gloves out of his pocket. “Linc’s on his way to check for fingerprints.”

  The big sheriff got to his feet, coming around to help her from her chair, leading her from the restaurant and leaving King and Royce to follow.

  “Miss Nelson, can you tell me what time you left your room today?”

  * * * *

  In an amazingly short amount of time, Brenna found herself back at the club, ensconced in a spare bedroom that screamed of decadence.

  From the pale, thick carpet under her feet, to the silk bedding on a bed piled high with pillows, the entire atmosphere was one of comfort and seduction. A huge chaise sat on one side of the room, one easily large enough for three or four people.

  She could imagine curling into it with a good book as easily as she could picture herself snuggling in it with Royce or King. Almost immediately, she dismissed both ideas as foolish.

  She doubted that she would have a chance to sit and read while she was here as every minute she had free would be spent looking for work.

  Eyeing Royce in his designer clothes and shoes, she reminded herself that he wouldn’t be the kind of man who snuggled.

  After setting her suitcases on the bed, Royce started out, pausing at the door. “If you need anything before one of us comes to get you, just pick up the phone. Sebastian will get you whatever you need.”

  “The man who answered the door?”

  Royce grinned. “Yes. He knows that you’ll be our guest. He has strict instructions pertaining to you, and where you’re allowed to go. Don’t leave this room until either King or I come to get you.”

  Surprised that he planned to just leave her here, she frowned. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Get some rest. Take a bath, if you’d like. When you’re done, put on the robe that’s on the back of the bathroom door.”

  Brenna wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilled. Trembling, she pulled her sweater tighter around herself.

  “Where are you going? Have you changed your mind? When are we supposed to start? You’ll really stop if I don’t like it? Why did you say one of you will be back later?”

  Royce straightened, leaning against the doorway.

  “King and I are going to set up some things in our playroom for you. No, we haven’t changed our minds. We start later tonight. Yes, we’ll stop if you don’t like it. The reason only one of us will be back later is because we have a business to run. Tonight will be just a brief lesson to go over the rules. Your lessons begin tomorrow—during the day when we’re not so busy. With Blade gone, King and I have to take care of the club.”

  He turned away, pulling the door closed behind him, pausing again. “Just for the record, the rules would be much harsher for you if you were here as our submissive. Since we’ll be showing you a bit of the other side, you’ll have a little more leeway. That doesn’t include looking around, though. If you snoop, you’ll be locked in.”

  She gasped in horror. “Locked in?”

  Royce’s brow went up. “Trust, remember. It works both ways. You’ll learn to trust us and we’ll have to learn to trust you. Besides, it’ll be a hell of a lot safer to keep you under lock and key until Ace figures out what’s going on. I know it’s been a rough day for you, but a little play might be good for you tonight.” He went out before she could reply, his absence giving her the chance to breathe easily for the first time all night.

  Staring at the closed door, Brenna again had misgivings. Unnerved that she understood very little about the lifestyle Royce and King lived, she couldn’t imagine walking away until she had some of her answers. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to stay, and understood that fantasy and reality were far too different things.

  In her fantasies, the man dominating her did what she wanted him to do.

  She had a feeling that reality would be far different, but she had to experience it for herself to know for sure.

  She sure as hell wouldn’t let a note taped to a door get in her way.

  In fact, she felt safer already. Royce and King’s attention and air of confidence had her thinking about things a lot more pleasurable.

  She wanted—needed—to satisfy the curiosity that had plagued her for years, the yearning for something more that consumed her thoughts since the night she’d gone to the club back home in Virginia.

  She’d lost interest briefly after the reality of dealing with Donner, but it had still been present, and the time she’d spent with King and Royce had reignited the fire burning deep inside her.

  Intrigued and curious to see what kind of things they would teach a Dominant, she found herself agreeing to their terms. She tried to convince herself that her desire for them, or her fantasies of submitting, had nothing at all to do with it, but she knew differently.

  They would be damned good at it.

  Hopefully, though, she would be able to keep the truth about herself hidden from them, a truth she wondered if they already suspected.

  She tried to ignore the fact that she shivered with need each time they looked at her in that certain way. She tried not to respond to the indefinable gleam in their eyes, one that made her feel they saw more than she wanted them to see. She tried to convince herself that it had nothing to do with the air of authority that seemed such an integral part of them, or the fact that she couldn’t look at their hands without wanting to know how they would feel on her body.

  She couldn’t deny that a simple dinner with them had aroused her, with barely a touch, or that even now, all alone in the room they’d given her, she shook with a need far stronger than it should have been.

  The anticipation of experiencing their intimate touch made her body hum with delight, a riot of sensation that wouldn’t settle even now that she’d been left alone.

  She didn’t want to believe that each step she took toward learning more about this kind of lifestyle fascinated her even more, or that she’d begun to suspect that she’d found the missing element that had kept her from complete fulfillment in her relationships.

  She yearned to find the key to letting go, and to do it without giving too much of herself away.

  Confident that she could keep her secret, and hopeful that she would learn that everything they’d said about handling Donner was true, Brenna headed into the bathroom, bubbling with excitement and trembling with nerves and need.

  Struck by the vast array of bath salts and creams she found, she sat on the edge of the large tub to sniff several of them, wondering if any of the scents would remind them of another woman. Eyeing the robe on the back of the door, she got to her feet again, her nervousness growing by the minute.

  To her surprise, instead of finding the seductive concoction of silk and lace she’d anticipated, she found a long thick, white terry robe, one so luxurious looking that she coul
dn’t resist reaching out to touch it. Unable to hold back a moan at its softness, she continued to fondle it, a wave of apprehension rolling through her as she thought about wearing only this while waiting for King or Royce to appear.

  Not knowing how much time she had before one of them came back, she dropped the sleeve of the robe with a sigh and moved to the tub and started filling it. Hoping a hot bath would calm her, she tossed in some of the bath salts. Breathing in the scent of blue raspberry, she smiled, wondering if King and Royce would find the sweet fragrance as mouthwatering as she did.

  Sure that none of their sophisticated women would ever use a scent so sweet and fruity, she added a little more.

  Laughing to herself at the thought of two such men taken in by the way she smelled, she slipped naked into the tub and leaned back, hoping the warm water would soothe her.

  Now that she had some time to think, the enormity of what she’d committed herself to started to sink in.

  Remembering the horror of being on the receiving end of Donner’s unwanted attention, she sat up, lifting her knees to wrap her arms around them.

  She didn’t want to believe King or Royce would terrorize her that way. No matter how much she wanted both of them, she knew that she wouldn’t tolerate being beaten.

  She wanted a chance to experience that something more that she’d heard and read about. The burning desire to belong to someone in ways she’d only fantasized about grew month after month, year after year, until it ruined every relationship she’d ever had.

  She’d read about it, talked about it, fantasized about it, but she needed to experience it.

  She’d be thirty-four on her next birthday, and had been proposed to twice, but the feeling that something was missing made it impossible for her to accept. As soon as she’d learned a little about this kind of lifestyle, something clicked for her and she hadn’t been able to shake it.

  Even though she’d faked indifference to her friends, the chance to visit the club in Virginia had seemed like a dream come true. She’d left there even more convinced that she’d found the missing piece in her life, the one thing that kept her from the closeness she craved.