Game On (The Morgan Brothers Book 4) (11 page)

Kip leaned with
is back against a door behind the bar and watched Nate stop a dark-haired woman who appeared to have been trying to leave. He couldn’t see her face but there was something vaguely familiar about her movements that caught his eye. Since he was standing almost directly behind where Nate had set her on the bar, Kip couldn’t hear their conversation, but it was obvious she being called out for trying to walk out.
Poor little sub, if she’s on Nate’s shit list, she’s in a heap of trouble.

Their body language didn’t seem to be sexual, but knowing Nate, that could change on a dime. The woman he was dressing down was likely going to end up handed off to Taz for punishment since he’d just joined the party. But as he watched, Kip became more curious about the little sub’s identity when she kept tugging on what he was convinced was a wig.
Why are you hiding your hair, little sub?
In his experience, subs wore wigs to the club for one of two reasons. Either they were role playing or hiding. Since she hadn’t actually been a part of tonight’s production, he quickly ruled out role play.

Kip moved to the side hoping to get a look at the woman’s face, but he was only catching fleeting glimpses. When he moved again, Kip didn’t miss Nate Ledek’s eye flicker to him. The man’s lips quirked but he didn’t actually smile.
What the hell is going on?
Before he could step forward, Kip heard Nate ask, “Master Taz, would you like to play with this pretty little subbie?” When Taz smiled, Nate returned his attention to the woman he was now lifting off the bar. “Caila, go with Master Taz. Be honest with him about your limits or you’ll be answering to me.”
Caila? Caila Cooper? What the holy living fuck is she doing in a damned kink club?

Taz led Caila away as Kip watched in stunned silence. He wasn’t sure it was
his
Caila, but he damned well intended to find out. Realizing he’d just thought of her as his, sent his mind spinning completely out of control.
What the fuck?
She might not be his, but she damned well didn’t belong in a sex club either. Pushing away from the wall, Kip found his path blocked by Master Nate, and the man was in full club owner mode.

“Where do you think you’re going, Kip?”

Kip considered telling Nate to take a hike, but as the youngest of five boys, he’d learned a long time ago that arguing with authority figures rarely turned out well. “I’m interested in the woman Taz just left with. There is something familiar about her.”
There. The truth without too much extra information.
Being the youngest sibling meant he’d acquired a wide variety of survival skills, including evasive answers.

Nate studied him for several seconds before nodding. “Be very careful how you handle this, Kip.” For several seconds he considered asking Nate to explain his comment, but again, experience kicked in so Kip just nodded again. In a lot of ways, Nate reminded him his oldest brother, Sage. The only part of their personality that ran deeper than their sexual Dominance was their mind for business—and questioning Nate on this point would be challenging him on both levels. Drawing on experience, Kip knew there were a lot of ways
that
could play out—and none of them were good.

Moving through the small crowd, Kip searched the room for Taz, rather than the woman he’d escorted away, simply because he towered over almost everyone else in the room. He spotted Taz by one of the exits, but the little brunette wasn’t with him. When he got close enough, he could tell from the conversation he could hear between the Dungeon Monitor and Nate that he was concerned about a security breach. Taz rubbed his hand over his face and turned to face Kip.

“I left my sweet, little charge sitting in the small alcove by the patio doors. I’ve got to take care of this.” Kip could read the reluctance in Taz’s expression—the man wasn’t happy to put her in Kip’s care and something about that annoyed the hell out of him. “I’m putting her in your care, Kip. Look out for her, Nate and I are both worried she’ll make a decision she’s going to regret. She isn’t as experienced as she wants us to think she is, and that makes her a lone sheep in a room full of very experienced wolves.” Kip knew his expression was probably reflecting his annoyance, but at this moment he didn’t care. Without responding, Kip turned on his heel and made his way to the secluded area.

He heard a muffled gasp as he stepped into the small alcove and was surprised to find a Dom he didn’t recognize standing over Caila Cooper. The man was clutching her wig in one hand as his other hand untangled the familiar long blonde waves of her real hair. She hadn’t seen him enter the small space yet, but the Dom had. “There might be enough left of this little doll when I’m done, but I wouldn’t count on it. Might as well find your own wench.”

Caila’s eyes darted to his and went wide with a look of pure relief before it was quickly replaced by embarrassment. He didn’t want to shame her, but he damned well wasn’t going to leave her here either. “What’s her name?” Kip would bet his interest in the ranch the Dom hadn’t even asked.

“Who the fuck cares. Look at her. I knew this was a wig, but it looks like it came from a thrift store. I’m taking her out back. I’ll introduce her to my cat and then fuck her ass. Stick around and you can have her mouth.” Kip didn’t doubt the man intended to leave with her, but the rest of the garbage he’d spewed sounded like he’d been reading from a damned script.

Kip could see the tears gathering in Caila’s eyes, damn it, if she cries I’m going to kick his ass. Caila’s tears had always had a powerful effect on all the Morgan brothers. Even when they were kids and annoyed as hell with her; they all melted at the first sign of her tears.
Fuck me, she can be a real pain in the ass, but she damned well doesn’t deserve this.

“What do you say, little subbie? You sign up for being whipped by this Dom?” He wasn’t going to give away the fact he knew her unless he had to, maybe she could salvage a little bit of dignity before he marched her happy ass out of there.

She shook her head vigorously before answering, “No, Sir.” There was a small part of him that was impressed as hell she’d managed to keep it together enough to use proper protocol, but a much larger part was pissed as hell that she knew it.

“You heard the lady. You need to let her go.”

“Fuck you. She hasn’t said her safe word. She’s just playing hard to get.” Knowing the man intended to take Caila outside in the cold night air to whip her was enough to fuel Kip’s nightmares for months. She was obviously terrified, and started shaking so hard Kip worried she was going to rattle apart. When she opened her mouth to speak, the man backhanded her. Kip was moving before the sound of the strike fell away. His fist connected with the man’s jaw sending him staggering backward and pulling Caila along by her hair. The second punch dazed the jerk enough to release her, and Kip was grateful she’d had the good sense to run behind him.

Caila wasn’t sure
whether to cheer or cry when Kip walked into the small alcove where Master Taz left her. She’d been shocked when the Dom holding her by her hair stepped into the small space once she’d been alone. Master Taz had assured her no one would bother her, so she’d assumed the patio doors were locked.
Remember what Pops always says about assuming?

She’d tried to tell him she was waiting for Master Taz to return, but he hadn’t seemed to care. Hell, she’d wondered if he even knew who Taz was because he hadn’t acted like he recognized the man’s name. He’d taken her by surprise when he yanked the wig from her head. She felt her hair fall against her back and saw him frown. Oddly enough, she understood his frustration with the unruly waves, they were the reason she favored ponytails and braids.

The man ripped the shirt she’d been wearing, exposing the bustier underneath and she saw his eyes widen. Well, well, looks like you’ve been holding out on me, captain.”
Huh?
Before she could ask any questions, he started talking about how he planned to use her to get what he wanted as he hustled her to the door.

Seeing Kip Morgan step into the small alcove sent a strong wave of relief through her, and Caila stumbled before the man dragging her to the doors caught her. Noticing Kip, the jerk holding her seemed to falter for a split second before he started talking trash again. Caila wondered if the man had any good sense at all.
Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?
Kip Morgan might appear to be relaxed to someone who didn’t know him well, but she wasn’t one of the uninformed.

Kip wasn’t a man you wanted to trifle with. Growing up in a house filled with boys, he’d learned at an early age to hold his own. She’d seen his strength and agility displayed many times over the years, his hard work on the ranch and their commercial grade home gym kept him in peak physical condition. When she saw the telltale twitch of the muscles around his jaw, a sure sign he was grinding his teeth together in frustration, she knew things were about to go over the edge.
Oh yeah, this is going nowhere fast.

Once, when Brandt had been home on leave, he’d teased her about her latest disaster. “Don’t worry, Calamity, it’s just another SNAFU.” When she’d questioned him about the acronym, he’d laughed as he explained, “Situation normal, all fucked up.” He’d leaned down and tapped her on the nose. “See, my little Mistress of Mayhem, even the SEALs have a term for you.” Even though she’d known he was teasing, his words had stung.

Another sharp pull of her hair by the jerk who’d yanked off her wig and torn her bustier made her stagger. The pain searing over her scalp was so sharp it blurred her vision for several seconds, and brought her attention back to her latest SNAFU.
Well, this sucks big green donkey dicks. I’m going to have to suck it up and admit Brandt was right.
The asshole holding her was yammering about going outside. She tuned him out, until Kip’s question about being whipped shocked her back to awareness.

The thought of this man whipping her was terrifying. She felt her eyes fill with tears despite her best effort to hold them back. Caila had always known how each and every one of the Morgan brothers reacted to her tears, but she’d never exploited their reaction. Even as a kid, she had wanted their respect, not their pity.

Caila knew Kip considered her an annoyance, but she was convinced he wouldn’t hesitate to make sure she was safe. Of course, right now that meant protecting her from the jerk manhandling her, not safe from him…and she didn’t even want to think about the
chat
this situation was going to initiate. Yes, indeed…she’d tumbled into another mess head-first without even trying.

Fuck a three-legged duck, this time, my fall might not involve broken bones or stitches, but it’s still going to be epic.

A
spen was floating
on the cusp of blissful oblivion and basking in the warmth spreading over the surface of her skin as the relentless slap of the flogger heated her all the way to her core. The first strikes were so gentle she’d wondered if she’d imagined them, but they’d increased in intensity quickly, before Phoenix whispered, “Let’s see how good your self-control is, sweet goddess. Do. Not. Come.”

She learned quickly how much more powerful the sensations were when the intensity was random. The anticipation was all consuming, she was completely lost in the moment. The blindfold didn’t keep her from knowing the difference between Mitch and Phoenix’s touches. Mitch’s was lighter…more about seduction, while Phoenix’s was firmer. She suspected he was the stricter of the two.

She’d read everything she could get her hands on about the lifestyle as soon as she learned her friends were sexual Dominants. The collection of BDSM books, both fiction and non-fiction on her e-reader, would make the Library of Congress envious. After meeting Mitch Ames, she’d re-read most of the titles and by the time she’d discovered Phoenix Morgan was also a Dom she’d been able to identify the clues in his messages.

Mitch’s dominance had been far more elusive when they first met, and she might have missed the signs if she hadn’t spent years dealing with Jax, Kyle, and Kent. Of course, having Doms as your best friends was a mixed blessing. It was particularly true when you were trying to earn respect among your Air Force peers and your friends were Special Forces legends with no shame when it came to micromanaging her.

Soft lips pressed against the sensitive skin below her ear. “If your mind is still
thinking
we aren’t doing something right. I think it’s time to step things up a bit.”
How did he know I was thinking?
Aspen wasn’t sure what Mitch’s cryptic words meant until the cross she was bound to started to move. Tilting forward, Aspen gasped when she felt her center of balance shift. She was suddenly grateful for the extra straps they’d used. She wasn’t sure what they had in mind until she felt cool lubricant drizzling down the crack of her ass.

Aspen felt her entire body tense as deft fingers slid over her rear entrance, rubbing the slick lube in circles over the tight ring of muscles. Gasping, she tried to move away from the intrusion, but her efforts were futile. “Is your mind still wandering, little sub?” When she didn’t answer, a stinging swat landed on the tender crease at the top of her thighs.