United (Menage at Club Indigo Duet #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

KANSAS CITY, ONE YEAR AGO

Kate Williams lifted her hands and bumped hips with Paula as they went all out on the dance floor. Most Club Indigo submissives wouldn’t recognize her like this, but in addition to being a sadist and a formidable Dominatrix, Kate was also a passionate dancer.

Paula didn’t belong to the private BDSM club they all frequented, but otherwise she fit in perfectly with their group. Kate didn’t know if Paula was interested in becoming a member of Club Indigo, but she would welcome her if she did.

Kate wiped a strand of hair from her face and slowly perused the crowd, pleased at the happy faces and how many of her friends were here.

Center stage, at a long table, sat her best friend Laura with her new husband and Dom, James.

Beside Laura was her sister, Suzie, flanked by her groom.

Kate laughed soundlessly as she watched Captain Connor Carmichael.

The man rivaled her in the sadist department, but one wouldn’t know it from his loving expression or how he had a protective, possessive arm curled over the back of Suzie’s chair.

Like every other woman, Kate loved weddings, but she didn’t expect to ever be the bride. As a bisexual woman, she didn’t think she could settle for only one partner because part of her nature would be suppressed.

As Kate kept time with the beat, she couldn’t help but reflect on the crazy events that had led to this wedding.

Laura and James had met in a laundromat during a tornado, no less!

Although it had to be the least romantic setting Kate could imagine, love had sparked between them.

Well, it had become love, but her friends had a rough path getting there.

Suzie and Connor had their struggles, too, and Kate was secretly happy with her single status.

Maintaining a relationship is hard work.

Kate executed a well-practiced turn and stole another glance at the two couples. She melted when she caught James stealing a kiss from Laura, and Suzie laughing at something Connor whispered in her ear. Might it be worth the trouble?

The up-tempo song faded out, and piano chords signaled a ballad. Turning with the intention to sit down, Kate caught movement from the side of the dance floor.

Incoming, Kate signaled Paula with amusement.

The cool blonde paired her aquamarine dress with flat sandals.

The three of them had tried to get her to wear heels, but Paula had objected.

She didn’t wear heels, and no amount of cajoling had done any good.

Laura had eventually found sandals they’d all agreed on.

Kate suspected the stubborn detective would have worn her department-issue utility boots otherwise.

Paula turned her head in the direction Kate indicated. Sure enough, two young men stood beside their table, their gazes fixed on her and Paula.

Paula spun back to Kate with upturned lips, red cheeks, and sparkling eyes—a picture of delight. The second Paula turned, she froze, and her smile melted like a patch of snow in the sun—her attention riveted on something over Kate’s shoulder.

What?

Kate raised an eyebrow, but before Paula broke whatever spell had mesmerized her, a strong muscled arm wound around Kate’s middle and pulled her away. Every dominant fiber in her body flared to life, and she stiffened.

“Relax, Mistress Kate,” a man with low, seductive voice murmured in her ear, and warm air tickled her ear and her awareness.

The steel band of his arm loosened, and Kate sighed in relief.

She turned around in his arms and stared at Chris.

Even though she wore heels, Club Indigo’s enfant terrible towered over her but didn’t crowd her.

He rested his hands lightly on her hips, and he kept a polite space between them.

A beautiful man and an outrageous flirt, Chris Smith had caught her eye from the moment she joined Club Indigo as an aspiring Domme.

Chris loved women, and he didn’t make a secret of it.

He also liked her, but Kate had kept her distance from him.

Not because of his status as a womanizer, but because he was also a Dominant.

On instinct, Kate swayed to John Legend’s All of You, and Chris moved with her.

Not a shy bone in his body, he danced with panther-like grace, and she allowed him to lead—for the moment.

He had teased her repeatedly about submitting to him, but she would never surrender power.

Been there, done that, and I didn’t like it!

Kate loved BDSM, but only when she wielded the whip.

Dominant or not, Chris came close to her ideal man.

Not only was he devastatingly gorgeous but also kind, caring, and loyal. What a pity he wasn’t a submissive.

Kate enjoyed touching his body more than she should.

She stroked firm shoulders and biceps and closed the gap between them.

His arms surrounded her without being restrictive.

His scent hinted at the ocean, a touch of male under the light fragrance that promised leisurely lovemaking with ocean breeze touches, a maelstrom of sensations, and an orgasm as powerful as a tsunami.

“Don’t tell the brides, but you’re the most beautiful woman here.” His breath tickled her ear, and she could picture his face when his lips tipped against the rim.

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Just stating the plain truth.” Chris didn’t sound like his usual self, and she craned her neck to study his face.

Serious for once, he peered at her, and something inside her twisted and coiled.

The party vanished as her world narrowed to the tightness of his bunching biceps beneath her hands.

The air came from his mouth in short puffs that had nothing to do with the exertion of dancing.

Their eyes met, before his gaze fixed on her mouth.

Something inside her seemed to vibrate, and for once, she gave in to the lust. Kate lifted her hands and grabbed his face before claiming his lips in a fierce kiss.

Their mouths collided, and years of pent-up passion burst free.

Tongues tangled, teeth clashed, and lips meshed as they dueled for control before Chris relaxed.

His lips softened under hers, while at the same time his impressive length hardened against her thigh, and he moaned.

The wanting that had lived low and restless inside her for years surged to the surface.

Her hands stayed on his shoulders, and she felt the play of muscle beneath her palms as he moved with her.

He did not shift away from her grip or try to turn it into something else.

He stayed right there with her, matching her closeness, his breath warm against her temple.

The simple fact that he did not flinch from her taking space, from her touch, sent a dizzy, electric thrill through her chest.

They swayed with the music, bodies close enough that every step brought a new point of contact.

His hand settled at her waist, fingers spreading as he guided her through a turn.

The movement came smooth and sure, his timing effortless.

She followed, letting him lead the dance, her mind already wandering ahead.

If he moved like this here, in a crowded room with music thundering and people bumping into them, how would he move in a bed, with nothing to distract him and nowhere else to be?

She stepped back into him on the next beat, close enough to feel the firm line of him along her thigh.

Heat rolled low in her belly, slow and heavy.

She tilted her head, her lips brushing near his ear as she spoke, her voice low enough that it was just for him.

“Maybe we should stop pretending this is just dancing.”

His fingers tightened slightly at her waist. “Yeah?”

A small smile curved her mouth, her pulse fluttering hard in her throat. “Before I change my mind.”

The song faded out around them, applause and chatter rising as couples drifted apart.

They did not move back toward their friends.

They walked off the floor together, not touching much now, the air between them thick and charged.

At the coat rack their hands brushed as they reached for their things, and neither of them pulled away quickly.

A glance, a shared breath, and then they stepped out into the cool night side by side.

Kate looked around the masculine bedroom with a sturdy bed and a St. Andrew’s cross in the corner. Of course, the man would have BDSM equipment in his bedroom.

“Strip,” she growled.

She narrowed her eyes and studied the bed with its metal rings attached at strategic points.

A bondage bed, custom-made knowing Chris—all she needed was rope.

Her nipples pebbled, and a tingling sensation pulled at the apex between her thighs.

She drew a steadying breath to control herself.

After dancing around each other for years, she was going to have sex with Chris—in his bed—but on her terms.

Looking at him, Kate almost swallowed her tongue.

Chris was naked as a newborn, but that was as far as the comparison went.

He’d worked construction all his life, and it showed in his hard-muscled body.

That jagged scar on his front of his left shoulder was something she would explore later.

She gazed from his torso over the strong column of his neck to his—smirking—face. Cocky bastard!

“Where is your rope?” Kate kept her words brisk as she struggled with her desire to jump him and her need to control.

“Dresser, second drawer from the bottom.” Chris indicated to his right.

“Lie on the bed.”

“Yes, ma’am.”