Club Shadowlands

“Oh, I’d almost rather be whipped than --” Maxie’s eyes turned to Lenora. “You tell her.”

Lenora sipped her drink then pointed with her chin to a tall, muscular redhead in a two-piece negligee who was sitting next to a thin male Dom. “Adrienne there was giving her Dom a bad time. She was basically topping from the bottom, not doing what he said, and creating a ruckus during their scene. Master Z went over. I don’t know what was said, but I’ve heard she smarted off to him.”

Lenora exchanged glances with Maxie, then continued. “His face… You know how he can look so deadly? Well, the Dom was pissed enough to tell Master Z to do whatever he wanted with her. Master Z picked Adrienne up like she was a doll, dumped her on her back on the end of the bar, and strapped her down with her legs V’ed up in the air. And he gagged her too, a good thing since she was swearing a blue streak.”

Jessica tried to imagine being treated like that. On the bar? “How humiliating. I bet she never smarted off again.”

Lenora shook her head. “Oh, it gets worse. He grabbed some vibrators and dildos, set them on the bar, and announced she was available to anyone wanting to practice getting a sub off. Anyone.”

Jessica felt her own eyes going wide. “You mean…?”

Maxie nodded and almost whispered, “I think every Dom in the place took a turn. Adrienne came so many times that she could only moan for the last few.”

Oh, God. Jessica wrapped her arms around herself. “He just left her there?” What kind of a monster was he?

“No, he wouldn’t do that. Master Z’s death on leaving a bound sub unattended.” Lenora glanced at the bar. “He sat right there at the bar, sipping a drink and watching. He stopped a couple of the Doms when they got too rough. When he let her free, she couldn’t even stand. But she sure apologized.”

Maxie snorted. “She’s been real polite ever since, you know?” Her grin faded. “But see, I don’t want Master Z mad at me for anything. Uh-uh. I’m staying here like he asked.”

Jessica couldn’t keep her gaze from the bar. She noticed that the heavy wood ceiling rafters had chains dangling from them. God, she’d thought the medical room was bad.

“I think I’d die,” she whispered with a shudder.

Lenora’s gaze was on a group of three Doms sitting at a table, and it took a second before she responded. “Well, Adrienne likes the whip and cane. She was acting out partly to get herself whipped, and that was the problem. But Master Z found a punishment she’d do anything to avoid again. He’s really scary that way.”

“But he’s sure something in bed.” Maxie sighed, her eyes half-closing.

Jessica’s head whipped around. He’d had sex with Maxie? A hard lump formed in her throat. “He’s…uh, enjoyed a lot of the women here?” Her face heated when Lenora gave her a knowing look. She nodded.

“Oh, he’s had a lot of us,” Maxie said, then pouted. “But he never takes anyone for more than a night. Neither does Master D.”

“And Master C doesn’t go more than two nights, so don’t get your heart set on him, dummy,” Lenora said to Maxie in a dry voice.

“Oh, I won’t,” Maxie said and wiggled. “He’s too intense for me long-term, but I’m wanting a little intensity tonight.”

Trying to get the image of Sir and Maxie together out of her mind, Jessica looked toward the back of the room where someone was shouting. Two of the dungeon monitors were dragging a man toward the front. Face cold, Sir walked behind them.

Screaming curses, the guy kicked and struggled and suddenly broke free of the monitors. He charged at Sir.

Jessica gasped and jumped to her feet.

Sir knocked a punch to one side, and buried his fist in the guy’s gut. The man folded like a jackknife, face purpling as he tried to get his breath. Shaking his head, Sir handed him back to the monitors, waved them off, and headed toward Jessica.

Considering the lethal expression on his face, she wasn’t sure whether to run and hide or just whimper. She glanced at her cuffs. Running wasn’t going to work. She tucked herself back into the big chair.

But as he approached, the deadly stillness disappeared. His eyes warmed when she tried smiling at him. He set a hip on the arm of her chair and pulled her close. And, oh God, that was just where she wanted to be.

“Lenora, Maxie, thank you for watching out for Jessica,” he said, his voice calm as if hadn’t just punched a man. “I see you did a good job.”

“Well, there was one little thing that happened,” Maxie said, a quaver in her voice as she visibly steeled herself to tell Sir everything. Oh, hell. What if he decided Jessica had been out of line? Or decided to go after Nathan and beat the hell out of him?

Jessica shook her head frantically at Maxie then realized Sir’s gaze was on her, and his gray eyes had chilled to silver. She froze.

His hand curled around her nape, holding her firmly in place. And damned if the feel of his hand on her, even the look in his eye, sent such potent need through her that she shivered.

“Continue, please, Maxie.” Sir’s voice was softer and much scarier.

“It’s just… Well, Nathan came over, and he didn’t bother Jessica, Sir; he saw she was chained, but he wanted me to go with him.” She gazed at Sir with trepidation and whispered, “I said no.”

“You have the right to say no to anyone here, pet. You know that.”

Maxie’s sigh of relief was audible and Sir’s lips quirked. “He grabbed me anyway and called me a name, but Jessica kicked him.”

The hand on the back of her neck tightened painfully before he loosened his fingers. Ruthless eyes pinned her in place. “Did he hurt you, kitten?”

“No. Daniel -- I mean, Master D -- hauled him away, and Cullen made sure we were okay. We’re fine; we’re all fine. Really.”

His lips definitely curved, although the chill in his gaze was slow to fade. He let go of her neck and stroked his knuckles over her cheek. “I think later we’ll discuss your need to shelter other women, Jessica.”

Oh, hell, that wasn’t a subject she really wanted to talk about. She frowned at him. Damn psychologist mind reader.

He tilted her chin up. “Did you just frown at me?”

She could hear Maxie’s gasp and Lenora’s hiss of concern.

“No. I didn’t.” She tried to smooth her face and ended up frowning at him anyway. “Really.”

He laughed, deep and full, and the two women simply sat there and stared.

“You know, I think it’s your fault that tonight has been so unsettled. I fully intended to have you pinned and squirming underneath me again, long before this, but Murphy’s Law shattered that plan quite well.”

Her mind played his words back twice before she realized what he meant. She felt herself turn red. And hot. And aroused at the image he’d set into her head: his body on hers, holding her down and --

“Z! Could you check this over?” One of the dungeon monitors who had been escorting the wild man beckoned.

Sir sighed. “Excuse me, ladies.” He headed for the group huddled around the bar, but had to stop when a woman knelt in his path. A gorgeous blonde with a golden tan, slender and toned, with a perfect figure that the skimpy blue nightie didn’t conceal at all. Sir spoke to her, said something, and the woman raised her face, gazing at him with a mixture of lust and appeal. No man could turn that down.

Jessica felt her heart thud into the ground at her feet.

Sir touched the woman on her head, stepped around her, and joined the men. Well, at least he hadn’t taken her up on her offer right there. At least, being a gentleman -- bondage and paddles notwithstanding -- he probably wouldn’t abandon Jessica for the woman tonight. Not tonight.

Her chest hurt, and she rubbed her sternum. She shouldn’t be surprised. And she’d undoubtedly enjoy the rest of the evening. Wishing for more than this night from Sir was stupid.

She glanced at the other two women and saw sympathy on their faces. Damn. She turned back to watch Sir, enjoying the way all the men listened when he spoke. Nobody interrupted Master Z, did they?

He turned to take a paper the monitor handed him, and Jessica gasped. His black shirt was torn across his shoulder, the skin underneath covered in blood. Below that the shirt sagged wetly, though the red didn’t show. “He’s hurt.”

And nobody was doing anything about it. Jessica pushed to her feet, tugged at the chain. “He’s bleeding. Let me free.”

Lenora’s brows drew together. “We can’t do that, you know.”

Jessica growled. “You let me loose right now!”

Maxie’s eyes went wide.

“You’re an idiot,” Lenora muttered as she released the chain, and Maxie unbuckled the ring keeping the cuffs together. Freed, Jessica ran for the bar, shoved her way through to the front, and slapped her hand on the top to get Cullen’s attention.

He turned, gave her an astonished stare.

“Sir’s hurt,” she snapped. “Do you have a first-aid kit?”

He glanced at the end of the bar where Sir stood, then pulled a box off a shelf. “Go for it, sweetie.”

Jessica grabbed the box and turned to fight her way out, only the people had moved aside, leaving a path between her and Master Z.