Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
SILVER
“ I should probably stay inside so I can greet our guests.”
Lottie didn’t so much as pause on her way out the back door. “Please. It’s pizza and wine on the back porch, not a fancy dinner party. Besides, I need to talk to you.”
Stepping out onto the deck, Lottie sighed. “Oh, that view is stunning . I wonder if any of the other houses in this area are for sale.”
There were times Silver caught herself saying or doing something so out of touch with reality that it reminded her, very violently, how lucky she was to have the kind of success she’d had with Deviant Whispers. She couldn’t help but wonder if Lottie ever felt that way about her own wealth. Especially when she was casually discussing dropping a couple million on a second home the way most people talked about buying a new pair of shoes.
“What did you need to talk to me about?”
“Huh?” Turning around, Lottie looked confused for a moment before her nose wrinkled as though she’d smelled something distinctly unpleasant. “Oh, yeah. That. We need wine… and I forgot to grab a corkscrew and glasses. Dammit.”
“I’ll get it.”
Ice looked over from his spot by the island, his brows drawing together in concern when she stepped back into the house. “Everything okay?”
“We were outside for thirty seconds. Everything is fine, Daddy ,” she said with a deliberate eye roll as she made her way past him to where the wine glasses were stored.
Something flashed in his eyes, but she noticed it too late to avoid the arm that reached out to grab her and pull her back against him. Ducking his head, he dropped his voice to a low growl. “Call me Daddy in that sassy tone again and I’ll bend you over this island and fuck you in front of all of our friends. You’ll spend the rest of the night full of Daddy’s cum, without being allowed any release yourself. Understood?”
Need coiled low in her belly at his threat. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl. Now, what did you need?”
“Umm… the thing. To open the wine. And glasses.”
“Corkscrew?” Braden supplied helpfully, the tumbler of whiskey he lifted to his lips doing nothing to hide his smile.
“Yes, that thing. Thanks,” she added when Ice pressed the corkscrew and two glasses into her hands.
“I’ll send Frankie out with some more glasses when she gets here.”
A sharp smack to her ass sent her scurrying toward the back door, but not before she shot him a glare over her shoulder. Ice just lifted his glass of whiskey and laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him.
Lottie was where Silver had left her, leaning on the railing and watching the waves, a serene expression on her face.
“Got the corkscrew. And the glasses.”
“Perfect.” Turning away from the ocean, Lottie held her hand out for the corkscrew and made quick work of opening the wine.
“Okay, so,” Lottie said as she poured two generous glasses of the ruby-colored liquid. “What do you know about getting rid of crazy?”
“Ah… I’m going to need a bit more to work with than that, honey.”
Glass in hand, Lottie paced back and forth in front of the chair Silver claimed for herself. “There’s this group. They’ve been writing to Braden for months, telling him the club should be shut down because it—hang on.” Pausing her pacing, she closed her eyes. “It promotes sexual depravity and unholiness. That was one of the phrases.”
“Well, yeah, isn’t that kind of the point?” Silver asked with a laugh.
“That’s what Braden said, too. But it just doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for starters, how do they even know about the club? Braden’s so careful about who’s even allowed to apply, and you know how thorough the background check is. So how do they know? Did someone tell them? Do we have a spy at the club?”
“I do know how thorough the background check is, which is why I’m pretty confident there’s no mole inside Club BDE.”
“Then how do they know what goes on inside the club?”
“I don’t know that they do,” Silver replied with a shrug. “As far as the average person knows, it’s just a very exclusive nightclub, right? People like that, they see anything that isn’t literally ‘church’ as depraved and sinful. Have they actually said anything in their emails about it being a kink club?”
“Well… no. Just that stuff about promoting sexual depravity.”
“That could literally be something as innocent as people of the opposite sex dancing together, babe. It doesn’t mean they actually know anything incriminating.”
“I know. It just feels—I don’t know how to explain it.” Clearly frustrated, Lottie glared down at her wine. “Foreboding, I guess. We stopped by the club on our way over here so Braden could check on some things and I saw someone.”
That sense of foreboding Lottie had talked about crept up Silver’s spine. “Who?”
“I don’t know. A woman. She was standing across the street from the club.”
“Okay, well, the club is on a relatively busy street. There’s lots of people there all the time.”
“Dressed in beige, long-sleeved dresses in the middle of September? In South Carolina?”
Okay, Silver had to admit that did sound unusual. “Well… no, probably not. Did she say anything to you?”
“No. She was just standing there, watching us. Braden said he didn’t see her.”
“Okay.” Weird, but still not alarming. But it was clear Lottie was worried, and if Silver could do something to alleviate that worry, she was happy to do so. “What do you need from me?”
Lottie blinked rapidly, and Silver realized with horror she was holding back tears. “See? That’s why I knew I could talk to you. I knew you’d want to help and you wouldn’t just think I was imagining things.”
“Did Braden tell you that?” If he had, Silver had some choice words for the owner of Club BDE. Words that would probably end with her getting her ass busted in front of everyone, but that was a chance she was willing to take if he’d been that dismissive of his babygirl’s concerns.
“No.” Lottie shook her head, then dragged in a deep breath. “No. He believed me, and he said he’d talk to Holden about adding some extra security for a little while.”
Whew. Crisis averted. “Sounds like he’s taking it seriously, then. That’s good.”
“It is. And I’m grateful. But I feel like we should be doing something more proactive, you know? That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I figured you’ve had your fair share of run-ins with crazy stalkers over the years.”
“I have, but unfortunately, we didn’t do much more than what Braden is doing right now. We beefed up security and we were extra careful about the information we gave to the public after that. Unless they actually threaten you, there’s not really much more you can do, I’m afraid.”
“Well, shit.” Dropping down into the chair beside Silver, Lottie took a deep pull from her glass. “I was hoping you’d have some more suggestions.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I wish I did. Hopefully they’ll get bored and move on sooner rather than later.”
Before Lottie could answer, the sound of raised voices came through the glass doors.
“Uh-oh. That’s Frankie.” Hopping up from her chair, Lottie held out a hand to help Silver out of hers. “From the sound of things, we’re going to need more wine.”
“On it.”
She followed Lottie into the house, where Frankie was standing toe to toe with the Giant Silver Fox Daddy who’d carried her off the stage the other night.
“This is stalking. I’m going to call the police and have your ass thrown in jail.”
Holden merely crossed his arms, one silver eyebrow raising in challenge. “You’re welcome to try, Francesca, but I was invited here, by my friends, just as you were. If you’re really so eager to get your bottom spanked, we can skip the part where you waste valuable police resources and I can take you upstairs right now.”
“You wouldn’t dare .”
“Ah, Frankie?” Sounding both worried and amused, Lottie stepped forward. “I hate to tell you this babe, but he looks very much like he would dare. Why don’t you come outside with us? We have wine.”
Frankie spun around, her eyes flashing with fury. “Fine. But it better be damn good wine.”
She stormed past them out to the back deck, and Holden sent everyone an apologetic smile. “My apologies. I didn’t realize she was still so…”
“Pissed?” Ice supplied dryly.
“Yes. That.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Waving a hand as if batting away the negative vibes Frankie had left behind, Lottie grabbed two more glasses from the island. “Send Ivy and Delia our way when they get here, would ya? Thanks!”
They found Frankie pacing the same path Lottie had been a moment before, but with much more vigor. She looked up when they closed the door behind them again, a snarl on her face. “I can’t believe you invited him!”
Holding up her wine in surrender, Silver shook her head. “Don’t look at me. Ice made me take a nap and the next thing I know he’s telling me to get dressed for company. I had zero input on this whole thing.”
That brought Frankie to a halt, and Lottie took the opportunity to shove a glass of wine into her hand. “ Made you take a nap? Are you okay?” Frankie asked, her expression shifting from pissed to concerned so fast it threatened to give Silver whiplash.
“I’m fine.” But when Frankie and Lottie shared a look, she knew she wasn’t going to get away with just telling them that.
And for a moment, she was tempted to tell them about the texts from Ace. But it was her problem to deal with, and there was no sense in burdening everyone else with her issues.
She could tell them at least part of the truth, though. The part that wouldn’t drag the whole group down into the pit with her. “I promise I really am fine. I woke up this morning just feeling kind of off. Ice thinks I was dropping.”
“Poor baby.” Lottie’s voice was filled with sympathy as she skirted around Frankie to give Silver a hug. “Sub-drop sucks . I’ve only felt it a couple of times, after a really intense scene, but it’s hard to feel like you want to cry or scream or just lose your shit on someone and not really understand why.”
“Yes! That was exactly it! We had a great time last night and then this morning I woke up and just felt so… blah.”
“Well, you’ve got us to cheer you up. I bet that’s why Ice invited us over.” Pressing a hand to her heart, Lottie gave a dramatic sniffle. “He’s such a good Daddy.”
The description made Silver grin. “You know he never called himself a Daddy before he came here, right?”
Lottie’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Really?”
“Nope. I used to call him that as a joke when he was being a worrywart but none of his other submissives ever called him Daddy, and before now he’s never referred to himself that way.”
The concern in Frankie’s eyes gave way to curiosity. “So… just for you, then. He’s only Daddy for you?”
“Yes, but don’t read too much into that. It’s not”—Silver waved a hand in the air—“whatever you’re thinking it is.”
“Uh-huh.”
The back door opened and Ivy stepped through, looking even more fairylike than she had at the club in a dark-green dress that brushed the ground with every step she took. Silver could have kissed her for the distraction alone. “Hello. Your Daddies said I should join you.”
“You should.” Lottie held up her glass with a grin. “We have the wine. Is Delia with you?”
“She’s getting herself a glass of whiskey and then she might join us, as long as she doesn’t get too caught up in giving them all a hard time.” A ghost of a smile played on Ivy's lips. “Driving Braden’s blood pressure up is her favorite hobby.”
“Perfect.” Closing the door behind Ivy, Lottie peeked inside like she was checking to see if the coast was clear. “Okay, so, to catch everyone up: Silver is dropping, Frankie is pissed she didn’t know her silver-fox Daddy was going to be here, and the club has stalkers.”
“I don’t know why I shouldn’t be pissed, it’s not like Holden and Ice are—” Frankie cut herself off mid-tirade, her eyes narrowing. “What do you mean the club has stalkers?”
“Braden’s been getting emails from some religious nutjobs about how evil and depraved the club is.”
It was, to Silver’s surprise, Ivy who smirked as she sipped delicately at her wine. “Isn’t depravity kind of the point?”
“It most certainly is.” Silver raised her glass and they toasted. Frankie joined in, but Lottie just glared at them from her post by the door.
“I know it’s the point. But you guys haven’t seen the emails. And you didn’t see the super creepy lady standing out on the sidewalk just staring at the club. At me.”
“Oh, honey.” In full ‘protective bestie’ mode now, Frankie wrapped an arm around Lottie’s shoulders and squeezed. “Did you tell Braden?”
“Yes. And he said he’d talk to Holden about beefing up security for a while. He seems to think if he makes a big show of the club being ‘impenetrable’ as he said, they’ll just go away.”
“He’s probably right.” Silver smiled apologetically at Lottie’s pout. “I’m sorry, hon. I know you want to take action, but in my experience the best thing to do is to lie low and let the crazies get bored. It almost always works out that way in the end.”
“If you say so.”
Silver couldn’t help but think Lottie looked almost disappointed that she wouldn’t get to stir up some shit. But it was best for everyone involved not to invite trouble. Things like this had a way of working themselves out.
Usually.
Ice
Other than the glares Frankie kept shooting in Holden’s direction pretty much the entire evening, their night went relatively smoothly. Lottie and Braden were the last to leave, mostly because Lottie was doing everything in her power to delay the spanking she had coming for sneaking another glass of wine after her Daddy had cut her off for the evening.
But Braden, apparently at the end of his patience with his babygirl’s antics, had hauled Lottie up over his shoulder and carried her out of the house. Ice closed the front door on the sound of Lottie’s indignant squeal as her Daddy’s hand connected loudly with her bottom.
He turned to find Silver watching him, a wide grin stretched across her face. “Does that girl ever go more than a day without getting her ass busted?”
“To the best of my knowledge? Nope.” Closing the distance between them, he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close. “Some of you need your bottoms warmed more than others. Lottie needs it more than most.”
Need flared to life in her eyes as she looped her arms around his neck. “I seem to recall you telling me I need my ass beat on a daily basis.”
“A statement I still stand by. Speaking of, I never did finish your spanking for stealing Daddy’s shirt.”
“Umm, the way I remember it, you were about to reward me with an orgasm when the doorbell rang.”
“Was I?” Grinning down at her, he stepped forward, forcing her back a step. Again and again they repeated the dance until the backs of her legs bumped up against the couch. “That doesn’t sound right to me.”
Her eyes narrowed, but before she could respond, he had her spun around and bent over the back of the couch, his hand cupping her ass. “Are you sure I wasn’t going to spank you some more?”
“I’m positive!” Her voice pitched up to a very un-Silver-like squeal. “I don’t want another spanking!”
“Tsk tsk. What happens to naughty girls who tell lies, Silver?”
“I’m not lying! You already spanked me and then you left me on edge all evening!”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t want Daddy to spank you again.” Tugging her leggings down, he left them bunched around her knees to restrict her movements. “It’s very naughty to tell fibs, little girl.”
He brought his hand down on her bottom, not nearly hard enough to truly punish her, and was rewarded with a low moan. A second swat to the opposite cheek got him much the same reaction, along with a little wiggle of her hips.
“On second thought, I think you were right. We did finish your spanking. Guess we’re done here.”
“No!” As if suddenly realizing what she’d just said, Silver cleared her throat. “I mean, it was pretty naughty of me to steal your shirt. So I probably do deserve another spanking.”
“Well… if you’re absolutely sure.”
“I am. I’m so sure.”
Not even bothering to hide his laugh, he swatted her again, a little harder this time. Over and over again he peppered her bottom with playful spanks, until every inch of her ass was a nice pale pink.
Pausing her ‘punishment’, he slipped his hands between her thighs, grinning at the arousal that coated his fingers the second they slid into her pussy. “Naughty girl. You’re not supposed to enjoy a punishment, you know.”
“Says who?” she shot back, craning her head to flash him a cheeky smile over her shoulder.
“I don’t know. People, I’m sure.”
“Fuck those people. Better yet, fuck me.”
If his cock hadn’t already been straining against the zipper of his jeans, he might have made her wait. But as it was, he couldn’t get her leggings off fast enough, couldn’t get inside her soon enough.
Gripping the back of the couch, he forced himself to take his time pushing into her tight, wet heat. “Fuck, baby. You feel so good on Daddy’s cock.”
Her only response was a whimper as she pushed back against him, impaling herself further on his hard length. Sweat beaded on his brow as he rocked inside her, fucking her with slow, shallow strokes.
“Harder,” she gasped out, arching up, her already tight pussy squeezing him even tighter. “Faster. Fuck me like you mean it, Ice.”
Her words, and the hoarse, throaty voice they’d been issued in, shredded what was left of his control and he slammed into her, fucking her hard and fast just like she’d asked. No, demanded.
One of these days, he was going to teach her once and for all that she wasn’t the one allowed to make demands.
Except, there was no mythical ‘someday’ for them. Once they got back to California, he’d never get another chance to spank her, to tease her, to fuck her over the back of some stranger’s couch with the sun setting just beyond the windows.
Shoving those dark thoughts to the back of his mind, he focused on her. On giving her pleasure so thorough that when he filled her that final time, emptying himself deep inside her, she was an incoherent mess.
He carried her to the bed they shared, where she promptly fell asleep sprawled on top of him. While he lay awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering how the hell he was supposed to survive walking away from her this time.