“That’s a girl. Let’s go downstairs. The two up here are occupied and if we wait, you might change your mind, and that would be a shame.”
Sydney gave her a nod of encouragement and Tamara turned to follow Master Devin’s long-legged stride, her pulse jumping with both excitement and nerves.
Chapter 5
Connor followed his friend and now business partner into the parking lot of The Barn with little enthusiasm for socializing. Working out a deal with Greg on the purchase of several horses for trail rides at his and Devin’s dude ranch added to the perk of having Tam back in his life, even if he was unsure about how to define their relationship now. That one uncertainty had a lot to do with his lack of interest in coming out to the club tonight. He’d been itching to see her again, just to spend time with her and catch up on everything she’d been doing the past few years but didn’t want to push his luck since their relationship remained tenuous. She’d always had a way of keeping him tied up in knots, but in the past, he figured those knots were due to the scrapes he’d been around to help her out of. Now, his only explanation for what was causing them was the uncertainty of where he stood with her.
Greg beat him to the front door and pulled it open, raising a brow in inquiry as he said, “That frown is going to keep the subs at bay.”
“No it won’t. They like me no matter what my mood is,” he replied with a wry grin as he entered before Greg. Faint strains of edgy music seeped through the closed doors to the playroom, along with the hum of low voices. His pulse kicked up a notch as the two of them stepped into the cavernous space and he could now catch the high-pitched cries coming from happily tormented subs.
“Christ, I love this place,” Greg murmured on a deep inhale that lifted his wide shoulders. “I think I’ll track down my partner and see who’s willing to turn themselves over to the two of us.”
Connor’s grin widened. Greg and his longtime friend, Devin were new to The Barn but already enjoyed their reputation of preferring ménages. “Go on,” he encouraged with a nod. “I want to start with a drink.”
With a slap on Conno
r’s back, Greg sauntered off and Connor headed toward the bar. He spotted Caden bar tending and decided to take over for his brother early instead of waiting for his assigned time slot. He wasn’t in the mood yet to hook up with anyone. But his intended offer slid to the backburner as his roaming gaze landed on a spanking bench at the back of the room and he went rigid in disbelief. Slamming to a stunned halt as he reached the bar, he took a moment to confirm it was Tam’s slender, toned body draped over the apparatus, her long black braid hanging over her shoulder and her smooth limbs bound in leather cuffs.
Disbelief morphed into anger, his defense against the kernel of lust that gripped him, just like when he’d caught her spying on him. Wrong, that’s just plain wrong, he couldn’t help thinking. Tam, his Tam had no business being in his club. This was the young girl he’d taught to ride, the teenager he’d given driving lessons to and stood up for against her randy prom date. The same young woman he had cheered on at jumping competitions and praised for earning a college scholarship. The echo of her laughter reaching his ears from across the fields as she rode with carefree abandonment resonated in his head. That innocent, exuberant girl had no business bending over a spanking bench with her tight black skirt hiked up enough to reveal the sweet under curve of her buttocks.
Connor took two steps forward, intending to lay into both her and Devin and stop them before either could take whatever they were doing one step further, but found his path blocked by his brother’s large frame and scowl. “Get out of my way,” he snapped, his jaw tightening with frustration.
“Take a deep breath and think, Connor. She’s here as Nan’s guest and isn’t complaining. I should know as I’ve been keeping a close eye on her. Devin is just showing her the ropes.” Caden’s gaze turned sympathetic. “She’s not a kid anymore. Didn’t you learn that when she took off?”
Caden’s words hit him as sharply as a slap in the face. Knowing him better than anyone else, his only sibling had guessed correctly that the cause of Connor’s sour mood following Tam’s departure to Boise had something to do with her decision. He’d told no one, not even Caden about what happened at his stable that morning, but Caden had always enjoyed ribbing him about his close relationship and attachment to Tam and easily put two and two together, guessing they’d had a falling out.
Bracing his hands on his hips, he bent slightly at the waist and sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck, you’re right.” He couldn’t get angry with her again. The last time he’d blown up at her he admitted to being unprepared for seeing the desire reflected in her pewter eyes and on her flushed face. And nothing could have prepared him for the blunt force trauma of his instant, lustful response that had caught him off guard and without the shield he usually erected to keep from acknowledging her as a grown woman. He couldn’t lose her again, but sure as hell couldn’t stand by and watch her submit to masterful men he shared close ties to. Their demands would taint the fresh innocence that didn’t belong here, and he said as much to Caden.
“She doesn’t belong here, she’s not submissive and… fuck it, Caden, we both watched her grow up.”
Caden nodded. “Yes, but she has grown up and from the hint of excitement and curiosity I’ve seen on her face, she may have a streak of submissiveness. She’s certainly exhibited enough interest and courage to give bondage a try.”
One thing Tam didn’t lack was courage. “Fine. I’ll just talk to her.” Remembering the past, this time he prepared himself for whatever level of lust she might reveal when she saw him. Greg must have spotted Devin just then because Connor intercepted him before he could reach his best friend. “Wait up, will you? She’s a friend of mine. I want to talk to her.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks.” There was no way, no matter what Tam said, that he would let her indulge in a ménage tonight, not here where he would have no choice but to keep watch. With relief, he noticed Devin reaching down to her ankles to remove the cuffs as he approached. “Here, let me help,” he offered, moving to the side and reaching for her bound right wrist. He saw her jerk and then stiffen right before her head whipped up and she looked at him with round eyes filled with the same light of sexual awareness and need as the day he’d driven her away. Shit.
Heightened sexual awareness drew goosebumps along Tamara’s arms even as a slow, steady flow of warmth invaded her body upon hearing Connor’s voice. Her buttocks clenched as she imagined those blue eyes peeking at the lower part of her exposed butt. A frisson of unease had rippled down her spine when Master Devin first restrained her, but the longer she lay there with his hand running down her back in soothing strokes, the more relaxed she’d become. It was when he’d slid his palm down to her bare thigh and squeezed, asking her if she’d like to go a step further, that she’d balked. He hadn’t hesitated to remove his hand and reach to free her ankle, and she’d been contemplating whether to leave or return to the bar to continue watching when Connor’s sudden appearance delivered a jolting electric zap that puckered her nipples and dampened her pussy.
“I thought you weren’t coming tonight,” she managed to say as he helped her up and wrapped an arm around her when she wobbled. She didn’t mention her unsteady legs resulted from his presence instead of her first experience with sexual bondage.
“Well you thought wrong. We need to talk.” With a jerk of his head, he indicated the sliding doors leading to a back deck. “In private. First, thank Master Devin for his time.”
The touch of hardness he had injected into his light tone made her toes curl. Thank goodness what she could see of his face under the black Stetson remained calm and friendly. She didn’t want to fight with him, but she’d also decided she wasn’t ready to leave. Looking up at the other man, she smiled in gratitude. He’d been very nice and accommodating.
“Thank you, Master Devin.” Waving at the bench, she added, “It was different, in a strange way, but not off-putting.”
“Honest and pretty.” Devin bent down and brushed his mouth over hers. “If you return and want to try something else, look me up.” With a nod and knowing smile toward Connor, he pivoted and joined the man waiting several feet away.
“That was nice of him,” she said as Connor tugged her toward the doors.
Sliding one open, he ushered her outside with a hand on her lower back. “He’s not nice. No one here is nice. You need to remember that.”
As soon as he closed the door, she moved away from him, finding it too hard to concentrate if they were touching. The bubbling hot tub looked appealing, but she doubted she would get a chance to try it out any time soon. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wood rail with a sigh. “I disagree. Connor, are we going to fight?”
Reaching out, he tugged on her hair with a familiar, indulgent smile that helped ease her tension. “No, little one. Caden pointed out you’re a grown woman, and an invited guest. But you don’t belong here. You’re way too… naïve for what goes on in this place and do not understand what you’re subjecting yourself to. You need to go home.”