Club Shadowlands

Chapter Twelve

For the next few hours, Sir didn’t try to take her into any of the scene rooms or do more than fondle her and take a kiss, as if he knew she wasn’t ready for anything more intimate. Not at this time. They wandered through the crowd, joined people here and there to chat, and avoided the more intimately engaged couples.

They were just like a normal couple on a date, she thought, trying to ignore the way her body felt when close to his and the way his voice could heat the air around her.

“Got a nasty problem in the dungeon, Z.” One of the monitors trotted up, his face flushed.

Master Z took two steps in that direction, then stopped and frowned at Jessica.

“Mmmh, not a good place for you.” He led her to a nearby sitting area occupied by a trim woman of around forty and a plump blonde about Jessica’s age. “Ladies, may I leave Jessica with you?” Sir asked.

“Of course, Master Z,” the older woman answered. “We’d be happy to stay with her.”

“I can go with you,” Jessica whispered to him.

“Not the dungeon, not if there’s trouble,” he said, pushing her into a chair. To her surprise, he hooked her hands together, then to a long chain on the floor, before giving her a hard kiss on the mouth. He glanced at the women. “Thank you, ladies.”

They barely had a chance to smile back at him before he strode away, moving deceptively fast.

Well. Jessica yanked at the chain that was long enough for her to stand and maybe take one step. “Dammit, what did I do wrong this time?”

“You’re new, aren’t you?” the brunette said.

Jessica nodded.

“My name’s Lenora. You didn’t do anything. The chain says you’ve got a Dom already, that you’re not available.”

“Oh.” As relief washed through her, Jessica leaned back in the chair, curling her feet under her. “Thank you.”

The blonde leaned forward, her nightgown longer than Jessica’s, but the top much tighter and lower. “I’ve never seen Master Z chain anyone outside of a scene before. He must really like you.”

Jessica laughed. “I should be complimented by being chained? I don’t think I’ll ever understand this place.”

“It’s pretty strange at first,” Lenora said. “But this is the best place in the area to learn. Master Z keeps his eye on stuff.”

It was one of the things she found so admirable about him. “So, maybe you can tell me -” She glanced up as a man in fancy red leathers walked up, smiling at her.

“Hello. I haven’t seen you before.”

His bearing proclaimed him a Dom, but he lacked that special something that Master Z and Cullen and Daniel had. He saw the chain attached to her wrist cuffs and scowled. “Already taken, huh?”

He turned toward the little blonde. “Maxie, come with me.”

Maxie shook her head. “I don’t want to be with you, Nathan, and I can’t leave here, anyway.”

His face darkened. “I don’t take back talk from subs, especially not cunts like you.” He reached down and grabbed her wrist.

Jessica jumped to her feet and realized with her arms chained, a punch wouldn’t go very far. She kicked the guy instead, right in the butt.

He dropped Maxie’s hand and whipped around. Majorly pissed.

As he advanced, Jessica backed up until the damned chain went taut. Balancing most of her weight on one leg, she got ready to kick with the other foot.

“Stop now.” Daniel strode up and yanked Nathan’s arm behind him, pushing until the guy went on tiptoe to keep his shoulder from being dislocated.

Nice job, Jessica thought; he made it look so easy.

“Time to call it a night, buddy,” Daniel said, his voice easy, his face angry. “Someone will be in touch about your membership.” He hauled the man away.

Heart thudding painfully, Jessica sank back into the chair.

Cullen appeared and knelt beside her chair. “You’ve got to stop beating up on the members, sweetie. For a sub, you’ve got a real aggression problem.” His smile disappeared, leaving his face hard as he scrutinized her. “Are you hurt at all?”

“No. I’m fine.” Jessica ran her hands up and down her arms, feeling chilled. She saw the blonde doing the same thing. “Are you all right?”

Maxie nodded. “I can’t believe you did that.” Her eyes puddled up, and she sniffled. “You could have been hurt. Nathan can be really mean.”

Jessica smiled. “Bruises heal. Watching someone get hurt when I could do something to stop it… That doesn’t heal so fast.” Like the guilt left from her sister. Her mouth tightened.

Cullen rose to his feet. “Maxie, why don’t you come and sit at the bar for a while; let me keep an eye on you.”

Maxie’s mouth formed an O as her eyes went wide. Then she shook her head. “I can’t, Master C. We’re keeping Jessica company for Master Z.”

Cullen’s smile was back. “Dedication to duty is a good thing. Come on over when you’re free.” His eyes glinted with humor. “If you want.”

Considering Maxie was almost drooling, Jessica figured the bartender knew quite well how much the blonde wanted. He strode back to his bar, his long legs a fine sight in tight brown leathers.

Maxie sighed.

Giving a cautious look around for any more overaggressive men, Jessica leaned back in her chair. Here was her chance at getting some information from the women’s side of the fence. “I don’t think Master Z would have been upset if you’d gone to sit with Cullen.”

Maxie’s eyes widened. “Defy Master Z? Are you insane? You don’t talk back to him, do you?” She added hastily, “Don’t ever talk back to him.” The blonde seemed more scared than when Nathan grabbed her.

What made Maxie look like that? “But, Sir told me he never… He only s-spanked -” The word was difficult to even say. “He doesn’t whip or anything.”

“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.

Intent on reading the paper, he didn’t even notice her until she seized his arm and tore the ripped shirt from the wound.

“Jessica, what -”

“Don’t move,” she ordered. A slash, deep and nasty. Her head spun for a second. Blood so wasn’t her thing. Then she set the first-aid kit on the bar, and ripped open a gauze packet. “You’re bleeding, dammit.”

He glanced down at his shoulder, shook his head. “Drugs and whips don’t mix well.”

“He whipped you?” Shock brought her eyes up to his.

“He tried. Considering he’s still heaving his dinner out in the parking lot, I don’t feel too badly about it. Serves me right for not being more observant.” He touched her cheek with gentle fingers. “You were worried about me.”

She dropped her gaze. Putting gauze on the cut, she applied pressure. “This probably needs stitches, Master Z.” She risked a look up at him, realizing it was the first time she’d actually called him Master out loud.

His dark eyes burned, pinned her in place. He knew. He ran a finger across the top of her breasts and smiled when her nipples peaked. “Cullen,” he said, without looking away from her.

“Master Z.”

“I’m going to let my little sub finish her bandaging job upstairs.”

Jessica’s heart gave a hard thud.

“Please take charge of the club,” Master Z finished, glancing at the bartender.

“es, sir.” Cullen’s grin flashed at Jessica.