The Plume: The First Anthology (23 page)

But that had only been a preview. When Rex had removed her from the closet and Mike had seen her all rigged out in black leather, he’d been sure he would blow his load at the sight.

Having her bound down right in front of him, her wet puss practically calling his name and her scent tormenting him was more than he knew he could bear. He struggled against his own restraints, knowing he had no chance of freeing himself, but unable to keep himself from trying.

He knew Rex would deny him even a touch of Joanna, just to prove who was in charge.

Rex was all about control.

But seeing Joanna like this, hungry and aroused and bound, clarified one thing for Mike. He was going to ask her out again when they got out of the Plume. He was going to court her and prove to her that he could make all of her fantasies come true.

Maybe he’d even manage to make her forget Rex.

Rex removed the nipple clamps as Mike watched, bending down to take each nipple in his mouth in turn. He ran his tongue over each peak in turn, teasing them to hardened points. Joanna liked this, clearly, because she leaned her head back and moaned, arching her back to be closer to his mouth.

Rex's gloved hand caressed her sex, pinching and stroking, and she liked that too. Whether it was the leather or the weight of his hand, the way he moved, or some combination, Mike didn’t care. He didn’t want to blink, lest he miss some sign of what Joanna liked.

Some clue he could use to his own advantage.

Even if he had to watch Rex fingerfuck her.

Even if he had to see her fight an overwhelming urge to orgasm.

She was wet and writhing when Rex stepped away. He crossed the room, leaving Joanna flushed and vibrating, and poured a glass of red wine. He sipped some of it, watching with that composure that drove Mike crazy, then returned to give some to Joanna. She drank, then licked her lips, the sight of her flicking tongue making Mike struggle again. Rex then offered the glass to Mike, then smiled when he apparently remembered that Mike was gagged.

Mike growled.

Rex grinned, and strolled across the room to put the glass back on the bar. Joanna was grinding herself against the ottoman, still desperate for satisfaction. Mike tried to leap free of his bonds, and was shocked when his hand came free.

He glanced back to find Red behind him, unfastening his wrist bonds from the chair. Rex smiled when Mike stared at him, incredulous, then gestured toward Joanna.

“All yours,” he mouthed.

Mike didn’t give Rex time to change his mind. He unfastened the bonds on his own ankles, and flung off the gag, dropping to his knees before Joanna. He inhaled deeply of her scent, then bent to kiss the inside of her thigh.

“Get the answer right, Joanna,” he said quietly. “I want to take you home tonight.”

Her mouth fell open in astonishment, but Mike didn’t want to talk. He dropped his head into her lap and ran his tongue over her sweet wet sex. He wanted to eat her alive, suck her dry, wring her out and leave her begging for more.

Of him.

Mike didn’t even notice Rex leaving the room.

* * *

Rex slid into the bar, despondent. All the thumping, pumping, sexual energy of the Plume on a Friday night had no effect on him after the evening’s events.

He’d lost Joanna.

No. He’d willingly given her away.

Rex stood in the shadows at the end of the bar, mired in his thoughts, unwilling to join in the festivities. Tony, the bartender, read Rex’s mood well enough to leave his boss alone. He just topped up the Scotch at regular intervals. Everyone kept their distance, although Rex heard a few whispers as people moved away from him.

Let them go. He was lousy company.

He would have been content to sulk for the rest of the night, but one person wouldn’t let him be. He wasn’t truly surprised to catch a whiff of Athena’s perfume, to feel her heat close beside him. She set down her own glass, her gloved fingers a striking contrast to the amber liquid. She was still wearing the emerald taffeta skirt, the one that rustled when she moved and looked so good on her.

“Your favorite single malt,” she said and he glanced up to see her lifting a second glass of the same in a toast to him. “Must be bad.” Sympathy glimmered in her eyes and for once, she wasn’t smiling.

“Misery loves company?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

She smiled ruefully. “Something like that.” Athena savored her own drink, turning to let her gaze dance over the members at play. She smiled a little more, obviously enjoying the sight. “Don’t lose sight of what we’ve accomplished, Rex,” she said quietly. “The Plume is marvelous, whether it’s made your dreams come true yet or not.”

Yet? Rex was sure his dream was shattered forever.

But Athena had been disappointed too. He studied her, then had to ask. “Haven’t you ever been in love?”

She laughed lightly, her eyes glittering as she looked back at him. “I’m in love all the time, every hour on the hour of every day of the year. I have loved or will love every single person in this room.” She arched a brow. “Even you.”

“You know what I mean. Real love.”

“Is that what it was? Did you love her, or did you love the idea of her?” Athena rolled her eyes and took a swig of her drink, her tone turning playful. “Listen to me. I sound like a philosopher. Or a shrink. You’re ruining me for good old-fashioned fun, Rex.”

“Is that what this is?”

“Of course!” Athena laughed. “Cheer up. There’ll be others.”

Rex felt his lips twist in an approximation of a smile. The Scotch burned all the way down, its richness lighting a fire within him.

Athena leaned her hip on the bar, her gaze still on the dance floor, her voice still so low that only he could hear her. “I told you once that you should fight in your own class.”

The reminder made Rex bitter. He couldn’t stop the words. “And what about Mike? Is he fighting in his own class?”

Athena pursed her lips and flicked a glance at him. “Maybe he loves more than her tits and her innocence.”

Rex turned away, disgusted by the suggestion. He was not shallow or superficial and Athena should know it. “I shouldn’t have told you that I knew her before.”

“That’s the point. You knew her before, before she was a woman, before she knew who she was.” Athena looked at him. “Before you knew what you were. Your fantasy there was about a lot more than sex and domination.”

“Is that why it didn’t work?” Rex asked, not really interested in the answer. “I like you better when you’re a slave to pleasure instead of an analyst.”

Athena smiled. “Me, too.” She finished her drink, swirling it around her mouth for a moment. “The thing is,” she murmured, “you love innocence. But innocence is fleeting, Rex. That’s part of its nature.” He glanced toward her, and was snared by the intensity of her gaze. “I have to wonder if that’s a deliberate choice on your part.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“A wise master told me once that the greatest orgasm comes from confronting your biggest fear.”

Rex knew exactly what master she was talking about. He looked into the depths of his glass, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Athena continued. “What if you’re afraid of love, Rex? What if you’re afraid of having more than a fleeting partnership? What if you deliberately choose people who can never truly love you back, or ones who will lose their appeal to you? What if you choose the fantasies that can never really come true?”

She straightened, well aware that she’d tipped his universe with her words, and beckoned to Tony. He refilled her glass and topped up Rex’s again, and when he’d moved back down the bar, Athena looked slyly at Rex. “What if you’re missing out on the biggest orgasm you could ever have?”

She clinked her glass against his as he stared at her, then sipped from her drink as she held his gaze. There was no hiding from Athena and her directness. She winked and strolled away, leaving Rex with more than a little bit to think about.

What if Athena was right?

What – if anything – could Rex do about it?

SEDUCTION

Chapter One

Joanna watched Mike as he drove her home after their first date, excitement bubbling inside her. It had been a perfect evening: a romantic dinner in a quiet restaurant, a walk through a busy neighborhood, snow falling gently all around. They'd shared dessert, talked about work, laughed and discovered a dozen unexpected things they had in common.

But running beneath their conversation was an electric spark of sexual thrill. The one thing they had in common that they didn't talk about was their respective experiences at the private sex club called the Plume.

Never mind that on Joanna's last visit there, the Master had bound her helpless and given her to Mike as a present.

And he'd accepted the gift. The sex they'd had at the Plume that night had been phenomenal. It had given Joanna a revelation – she hadn't wanted to choose between real life and the secret life inside the Plume. The Master was supposed to have a talent for fulfilling the secret desires of each member of The Plume and he'd delivered to Joanna: he had shown her that she could have both a normal life and erotic pleasure.

With Mike.

When they'd left the Plume the weekend before, Joanna hadn't been sure what would happen, but Mike had called her immediately to arrange for this dinner date. When she'd accepted, he'd sent her a gift that had nearly stopped her heart, because it had made his intentions so clear.

Did he want just sex, or did he want more?

She'd worn the thigh-high black leather boots with the stiletto heels for their date. When she'd opened the door to her apartment earlier that evening, Mike had given her a long slow perusal, met her gaze and smiled with approval. The heat in his eyes had been all she'd ever wanted of him.

And it had intensified as the evening progressed.

Joanna could guess that they weren't going to part after a sweet kiss.

And she couldn't wait.

Mike didn't even know yet that Joanna had chosen lingerie to match the boots.

Would Mike dominate her as the Master had? Would he demand her surrender? Or would he want her to command him? The boots made her wonder. She wore them without stockings, and they felt sinfully smooth against her legs, so tall and dark and wicked-looking that she felt everyone was gaping at them.

She'd never felt so sexy in her life.

Mike, of course, was as gorgeous as ever. His hair was a bit long now. A wave hung over his forehead and tempted her to run her fingers through it. He put her at ease, making conversation, joking and talking as he openly admired her. There'd been a mischievous gleam in his eyes more than once that evening, one that made her heart skip.

Mike was taller than Joanna, even when she wore the boots, his build powerful and utterly male. She remembered the resolute grip of his hands on her hips that night, as he'd held her captive exactly where he wanted her. She remembered the thick heat of him inside her.

Joanna was wet and her sex was throbbing with hunger and Mike hadn't even touched her yet.

The silence fell upon them as he drove, all the easy conversation quieted by the heat of expectations. Joanna was sure it wasn't just her heart that was pounding. She watched his hands, wanting.

Wondering.

"Thank you again for the boots."

"I knew they'd suit you." Mike took a deep breath, and flicked a glance her way. "Sexy women with tall boots. It doesn't get any better."

"Are you making me into your fantasy?"

"You always were." He granted her a sizzling hot look, one that curled her toes.

Joanna swallowed, looked out the window and yearned. Could she really be anyone's fantasy? She wanted to believe, but knew she was the kind of woman who was sensible. A partner. A co-worker. Absolutely. A fantasy? She wanted that to come true.

She asked what she'd been wanting to know ever since the Master had give her to Mike. "How long were you a member of the Plume?"

Mike smiled. "It seems like forever. It was so much a part of my life that I don't remember much else of those years. A decade, at least."

How many women in that time?

He must have sensed her uncertainty because he shrugged. "You have to remember that I left it, Joanna. Now, it seems like those times happened a lifetime ago."

"Then you don't miss it?"

"Yes and no." He frowned. "The Plume can provide pure sensation and that's pretty amazing stuff. For a while."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I wanted more." He spoke with conviction. "I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to have an emotional connection with my partner, as well as enjoy physical pleasure." He frowned as she watched him. "I thought that would push everything to the next level."

"You mean, one partner but many games."

"I mean one partner, many games, maybe other partners with mutual agreement." He turned to her, his expression serious. "I want it all, Joanna. I want to go in and out of the world of the Plume, maybe not even going to the club itself, but having its pleasures. The thing is that I want all the usual partnership and commitment stuff, too."

She smiled. "You just want everything."

He laughed, looking confident and sexy. "Pretty much."

Joanna knew that what he suggested was her fantasy, too. She wasn't quite as confident as Mike, though. Could she really be Mike's fantasy? For the duration? She had a feeling that he'd always be hers, and the fact that he wasn't afraid to push her a bit was probably a good sign.

Mike cleared his throat when she said nothing. "I think you and I could have it all."

"You can't know that. That's a lot more complicated than both of us liking to dip chocolate bars in peanut butter."

He smiled and her heart thumped. "But we can find out, Joanna. We can take the chance and know for sure."

The prospect was tempting. She didn't like failure, though. She tended to try things she knew she could do. She hadn't taken risks – until she'd gone to the Plume.