Page 25 of Theirs to Desire (Club M: Boxed Set)

FIONA

M y heartbeat speeds up as I look up and take both of them in. They’re in suits. Adrian’s wearing a blue-and-red striped tie, but Brody’s more casual, his cream shirt open at the collar.

“Hello,” I murmur, my cheeks flaming. The last time I saw them, I was bent over a table while Brody spanked me, and then I sat on Adrian’s lap and fingered myself to a climax.

I’m not quite sure what to say to them. Luckily, Kiera jumps in. “Mr. Payne, Mr. Lockhart,” she exclaims with pleasure. “It’s so good to see you after such a long time. Gin and tonic still, or something else?”

“Good to see you too, Keira.” Brody pulls up a barstool next to me. “Gin and tonic sounds perfect.”

She moves away to fill their order, and I remember, belatedly, the flowers they sent me this morning. “Thank you for the lilies. They were lovely.”

“You’re welcome.” Brody’s eyes rake over me. “Nice dress.” His grin turns wicked. “I’d love to see you out of it.”

Adrian snorts. “Does that pick-up line ever work?” he asks with a roll of his eyes.

Brody flashes me a grin. “I don’t usually need pick-up lines.”

I laugh. Kiera comes back with two drinks that she sets in front of the men. “Word’s got around about the demo, Mr. Lockhart,” she says to Adrian. “There’s a long list of interested women. Do me a favor and pick one quickly, would you? The cattiness is starting to get out of control.”

“What demo?” Adrian looks confused.

Oh, right. I was supposed to tell them. “Xavier signed the two of you up to do a pet play demo in three weeks.”

Adrian’s face darkens. “He did what?”

Brody shakes his head. “You know the parable of the camel’s nose in the tent? That’s Xavier Leforte for you. You give him an inch, and before you know it, you’re doing demos on the club floor. I’ll sort it out later.”

Another pair of men join the two already at the bar, and Kiera moves away to get their orders. “How are you, Fiona?” Adrian asks, placing his hand on mine. “Any nerves about being here?”

None that I’m going to admit to. “I’m fine.” Warmth snakes through me from that point of contact, and I feel myself start to flush. I don’t know how to pull my arm away without making my discomfort obvious.

Not discomfort. Attraction.

I drain the rest of my wine. Adrian raises an eyebrow. “Are you playing tonight?”

Are you asking? “No. I told you already. Today, all I want to do is watch.”

“Watch what? What turns you on, Fiona?” Brody inches his chair closer, his breath warming my ear. He swivels my bar stool, turning me toward the open club floor.

A couple is making their way to the Saint Andrew’s Cross.

As I gawk, the woman steps out of her red evening gown.

Underneath, she’s wearing a sheer lace bra and a g-string and nothing else.

The man says something to her, and she spreads her legs wide.

He buckles a pair of thick leather cuffs around her ankles and attaches them to the base of the cross.

I squirm in my seat. Some people are looking at the couple. Others continue their conversation, uninterested in what’s going on. “Who are they?” I whisper. “That’s not the rope demo, is it?”

“No.” Adrian turns around too. He leans against the bar, his drink in his hand. “I don’t know them. Do you, Brody?”

“Nope.” The woman’s hands are restrained now. The man trails his fingers down her front, saying something to her in a soft voice. She nods eagerly, her eyes bright even from this distance. He chuckles and says something to a black-clad staff member.

“What’s going on?” My voice is high-pitched.

My skin is prickling in a mixture of arousal and anxiety.

Raymond had enjoyed tying me up. When he was in a rare good mood, I enjoyed it too.

Most of the time though, I’d dreaded the feeling of leather around my wrists, knowing that it meant I was soon going to be immobilized, unable to resist.

Brody flashes me a concerned glance before lifting his hand to attract the bartender’s attention. The next thing I know, he hands me a glass of water. “Take a sip,” he orders.

“Thank you.” There are video cameras everywhere, Fiona. There are almost a hundred people in the room. What do you think is going to happen?

I take a sip of the cold water. The guy’s returned with a leather flogger.

The woman’s lips curl into a smile when she sees it.

He starts flogging her, and I hold my breath.

“She’s enjoying herself,” Adrian says, his voice low.

“Watch the way she strains toward each stroke. She wants this as much as he does.”

My breathing eases. Adrian’s right. Her eyes are following the man’s movements, and her expression is filled with anticipation, not fear. I take another sip of my water. “You don’t like being flogged, Fiona?” Adrian asks me, his voice casual.

His tone doesn’t fool me. “I like everything.”

“Do you?” He sounds amused.

If I were braver, I could reach out, grab Adrian by his tie, and pull him closer to me.

They’re dominants, Fiona.

“I do,” I reply, lying through my teeth. “I’m keeping an open mind. I want to try everything.”

Brody starts to say something, but before he can, we’re interrupted by a sleekly beautiful blonde woman.

She’s wearing a blue lace cocktail dress that hugs every curve of her body, and she’s smiling at Adrian in a way that sets my hackles rising.

“Adrian,” she coos. “I was hoping I’d see you here this evening. ”

“Hello, Cindy,” Adrian says calmly. “How are you?”

She puts her hand on his chest. Bitch. “I heard,” she says, her voice lowering into a sexy murmur, “that you’re looking for a pet for your demo, Sir. I’d like to volunteer.”

I’m not a jealous sort. Not normally. But the moment she calls him Sir, red rage fills my mind. “Sorry,” I tell her, baring my teeth in a smile. “You’re too late. They already asked me to do the demo with them.”

Her mouth drops open, and she gives me a disbelieving look. “You?”

“Yes, me.” I put my arm around Adrian’s waist. “Sorry again.” My voice drips with insincerity. “Maybe next time?”

She mutters something equally polite and insincere. The moment she leaves, the rage that floods my mind recedes, and common sense comes rushing in.

Oh. My. God. What the hell have I done?

“I’m sorry… I don’t know what…” I start to stammer, pulling my hand free.

“Stop.” Adrian’s voice is level. “No explanations. I don’t want to hear them. All I want is an answer.”

“Okay.” I drop my eyes into my lap, utterly, totally mortified. I can’t look at them. They must think I’m absolutely crazy. I have no claim to them at all. What the hell got into me? I had no right to chase Cindy away. I’m never going to be able to live this down, ever.

“Do you want to do the demo with us?”

“Umm…”

“Yes or no, Fiona.” Brody’s voice cracks like a whip.

A public display of dominance and submission in the middle of a sex club. Part of me shrinks away from the challenge. Another part of me pants in need. A pet play demo. They’ll put a collar around my throat. Attach a leash to my collar. I’ll have to obey their commands. Be their good little pet.

A shock of desire shudders through me, drowning my protests before they have a chance to form. “Yes,” I whisper.

“I have rules.”

“What kind of rules?”

“I like to scene with a submissive before I do a demo,” Adrian says. “I like to get a sense of her boundaries. Of her likes and dislikes.” His brown eyes rest on me. “If you want to do the demo, Brody and I will monopolize your time in the club for the next three weeks.”

Oh. My breath catches. Things are moving quickly, almost too fast to process.

“Still interested, Fiona?” Brody asks, his voice as smooth as silk. In the center of the room, the man has dropped his flogger and is now holding a riding crop. The woman’s skin is pink, and she jumps in her bindings each time the leather tip slaps her body.

I had fun with Brody and Adrian yesterday, but I’m not going to fool myself. If BDSM were a college major, yesterday’s session would have been Submission 101. I wasn’t restrained. I wasn’t gagged. Anytime I wanted to leave, I could have.

I suspect today’s session will be somewhat different.

But I want it. Vanilla sex is, to me, like restricting myself to black-and-white movies when there’s a full spectrum of color available.

Maria Dumonte is nowhere to be seen. Kiera is busy dealing with customers at the now-busy bar. I can’t do anything more about my case today.

I slide off my barstool. “Lead the way.”