Chapter Two
Zach closed the door to the privacy room and had to take a steadying breath. What the hell was this woman doing to him? They had stood in front of the main stage where Aidan and Tristan tortured their sub, but all the while his whole focus had been on the woman in front of him. They stayed toward the back since he needed to talk to her while they watched, and he hadn’t wanted to gain the attention of Gabriel Lodge, who was training a bunch of kid Doms who looked like they should be back in high school.
And when the scene was finished in perfectly filthy style, she’d suggested they go to a privacy room.
He’d asked her questions about how the scene made her feel.
Horny, she’d replied in that bratty fucking way that got his motor running.
He had not planned on coming to a room with her. He’d thought they might find a play space and he would spank her and probably get her off and deal with a righteously unsatisfied dick.
He turned and hoped he had his Dom face on and not the puppy-dog eyes he was kind of worried he had.
Everything about this woman did it for him.
“Are you worried about something, Sir?”
Devi sat on the bed, one long leg crossed over the other.
She liked to challenge him. It made him realize the subs he’d been topping were a little too…well, submissive for him. He didn’t even think that was some weird contradiction. If there was one thing he’d learned here at The Hideout, it was that figuring out what worked for a person and accepting it was important to contentment. He could absolutely run a scene with the subbiest of women, but when it came to engaging his emotions, he preferred someone like Devi.
Or he might just prefer Devi period.
“What makes you think that, sub?”
Yeah, that sounded like he was in control. Which he was. Body-wise he was totally in control. There was something going on that made him worry emotionally he was sliding off the deep end.
Which would be a terrible idea. This was a one-night thing.
“Well, you’ve been very circumspect, Sir. I don’t know if you noticed but a lot of the tops were touching their subs quite intimately out there. It was a hot scene. I was surprised you didn’t touch me. Are you worried about my brother?”
she asked, her head tilting sideways as though assessing him.
Did she think he hadn’t thought about cupping her breasts as she stood in front of him, practically leaning back against him.
“I’m not worried about your brother. TJ is actually a pretty reasonable guy. If I stepped out of line he would deal with me and probably be pretty mean about it, but I could say the same thing about your cousins. I don’t want Team Taggart deciding I’m fucking over their cousin and burying me six feet under. I’ve heard a lot about pools.”
Her lips turned up in a slightly evil smile.
“We were all taught that from a young age. Getting a body in right before the frame and gunite go in is chef’s kiss when it comes to handling your enemies. I will start to worry when the twins finally buy a place and talk about pools. So if you’re not anxious about my brother, then maybe you’re not attracted to me and we should call this what it is.”
She wanted to push him? She knew damn well he was attracted to her since his erection had pressed against her ass most of the night. He knew she felt it because she rubbed those sweet, round cheeks against him, making it hard to focus.
“What is it, Devon?”
A brow rose over her eyes as though she felt challenged by the deep tone of his voice.
“A miscalculation on both our parts.”
He thought about it for a moment. She obviously needed more from him, and not in a beg-for-your-attention way. Even though he kind of felt like it.
“If what you need is a Dom who reads your mind and is only involved in a scene for your good, then yes, you have miscalculated, brat. While we’ve known each other for a while, we don’t know each other well. Do you want a quick lay? I’m probably willing to do that. I was attempting to gauge what you like and what you don’t. You were busy teasing me and making sarcastic comments.”
She flushed slightly.
“I wasn’t.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling more in control now because she wasn’t exactly running from him. He was deeply attracted to her, but if the brattiness was all there was to her, then that attraction would fade quickly. He needed some balance.
“Your response when I asked you what you liked about the scene was all the dicks.”
That flush grew deeper.
“Well, it was weird. I’ll be honest, Sir. I’ve never watched a scene with a top before. No one’s ever asked me to watch with them. I’m not a newbie or anything. I’ve run scenes with Doms, but mostly in a training capacity. I was distracted by the scene and Gabe trying to keep the dumbass new Doms in line. And apparently I’m self-conscious in a way I’m usually not.”
Sweet honesty. There she was.
“And the teasing?”
“Well, that felt good, Sir,”
she admitted.
“We went over the rules before we watched that scene.”
He knew exactly where this was leading. He was going to take this night with her. Hell, he was here for at least a couple of days. If she wanted to play, he would be up for it. Literally, and in a painful way. But Zach welcomed it because it meant he wanted something. Someone. He utterly dismissed his previous puppy love for Tasha. It had been exactly that. An infatuation with a kind, lovely woman who belonged to a family he wished was his. He wanted to belong and Tasha would have given that to him, but there was a reason he hadn’t truly pursued her.
“Honesty is important. I told you how much I need communication, and you ignored that rule. I asked you questions so I could get to know what you like and don’t like. Now you’re going to find out what I do to pretty subs who try to manipulate me.”
“Manipulate you?”
This wasn’t the same situation as Tash. Devi was different. He didn’t care that her last name was Taggart. It was kind of a drawback since TJ might have a problem with it if he noticed. It didn’t matter. He was going to run Devi to ground and give her everything he had. Starting with the flat of his palm on her pretty ass.
“Yes. You haven’t been honest with me all night. Let’s see. First you act like a fainting virgin when I ask if you want to play.”
Her jaw tightened and she stood, head tilting up. She wore ridiculous heels, but he still had two inches on her. He liked that she was tall. A lot of women barely came to his shoulders, but Devi would be able to go on her toes and brush her lips against his with ease. She looked like she was going to spit bile his way, but then she backed off.
“That’s fair.”
Good. Another round of honesty. “Why?”
“I didn’t expect an invitation from you, Sir.”
“Why?”
He wanted to be fair.
“Not that I think you’ve been sitting around thinking about me. But you were standing there looking hot as hell in the middle of a BDSM club. You didn’t expect a Dom to ask you to play? Or you didn’t expect me to ask you? Is it because I work with TJ now?”
Her nose wrinkled, and she was the perfect mix of hot and adorable. He wanted to brush his lips over the freckles there.
“You give me the perfect excuse, and I can’t take it. I want to say yeah, it’s all about my brother, but I grew up in a stupid household that preached stupid honesty. Fine. Zach, I have thought a lot about you. I was attracted to you from the moment I met you. Don’t think I’m sitting around pining or anything. Just attracted. I had a rough week. A lot of rejection to process. So I walked into the club tonight planning on finding one of the new Doms to play with. Mostly for stress relief.”
“Stress relief or to get some of your confidence back?” he asked.
“Both, I suppose, but the stress relief was in there.”
He couldn’t help it. He put his hand under her chin, getting her into the right position.
“I like it when you’re honest with me, sweetness.”
“Good, then you should know I’m not that sweet.”
He doubted that.
“I’ll be the judge of that. Tell me something. Have you ever eaten out your own pussy?”
She flushed but she didn’t back down.
“I’m flexible, but I think that’s beyond me, Sir.”
He leaned over and kissed the bridge of her nose and all those adorable freckles.
“Then you have no idea how sweet you are.”
“You don’t know either, Sir,”
she replied in a breathy tone.
“Not yet, sweetness, but I will before the night is over. Now I thank you for all that honesty, but it’s not going to save you,”
he said, his mouth hovering above hers.
“Pull your pants down and lay over my lap.”
She groaned.
“You’re going to spank me when I did what you asked?”
“I’m going to spank you for disobeying the rules.”
He was well aware he was a bastard, but it didn’t matter. This was what she wanted. It was all play.
“I’m going to eat your pussy and make you forget about everything else because you were honest.”
“You the carrot and the stick, Captain?”
She was a quick learner.
“Only in here. Only when we’re playing. I think you’ll find I can be perfectly amenable to being a large lap dog at times, too. It’s been a while since I took care of someone.”
Hadn’t he said this was for one night? He was already pushing the boundaries.
She stepped back and for a moment he worried she would walk or at least try to reset those boundaries. Instead she stood there, watching him as she reached for the waistband of her boy shorts. He expected she would push them down those long legs of hers but instead she pulled, a steady, strong motion, and the shorts split at the sides with a Velcro sound.
He felt a smile cross his lips.
“They’re tearaway? Like I could pretend to rip your clothes off but I wouldn’t destroy them?”
She held them up.
“Yep. Cute, huh?”
He could see her pussy. Fuck. He was so hard he could barely breathe. This was what happened when he let it go for way too long. He hadn’t had sex in months, and it was making him a little crazy.
Or it’s about her, dumbass.
When had he started hearing Ian Taggart’s voice in his head? He had daddy issues.
“Is the corset?”
Her eyes heated up and the brat was back. The gorgeous fucking sexy brat.
“Why don’t you find out?”
He was not letting that invite go unanswered. He moved in and put his hands on either side of her corset. It was a gorgeous emerald green that made her skin glow and set off the natural red of her hair. It was beautifully made with laces up the back and hooks and eyes in the front. Or were they? He ripped the corset off her, and it split in two easily.
She was grinning even as those perfect tits of hers were perking up before him.
“I found this real trick with the Velcro. No one can tell. I use thin material but it’s strong. It looks like the hooks and eyes hold it together, right?”
That’s what she did. That’s right. TJ mentioned she was a designer. He hadn’t been sure if it was graphics or interior. Clothes. Fashion. It fit her.
“It’s amazing, sweetness. You need to produce a whole line of these. Doms love to rip clothes off.”
She was smiling so brightly and so comfortable with her nudity.
“I know. And corsets are expensive. I once overheard my mom talking about how many times she had to buy new laces for hers because my dad would get impatient and take a knife to them. I know. It was a weird childhood. But it got me thinking. Most of the time tearaways look like crap.”
He sat on the bed and held a hand out.
“You tell me all about it, sweetness, while we get the discipline portion of the evening out of the way. I want to play with you, Devi, but I think I want to fuck you more. I think I might need to get the fucking part out of the way before I tie you up and see how much edging you can take.”
He could actually see her nipples tighten. She was a little hard core. Good. He could be rough.
She nodded, her eyes a bit unfocused.
“Yes. I could use that myself, Sir, and I’ll take you up on the play, though I don’t know how much time we’ll have tonight. It’s getting late.”
“Then we’ll have to try this again tomorrow.”
“I thought this would be a one-night thing.”
He gave her a shrug.
“It might be. I could be terrible at this, and you might walk away.”
Her eyes rolled.
“Sure, you are. Tell me something, Captain, are you terrible at sex?”
“No, sweetness. You might think you were going to steal a night from me, but you’ll be in my bed tomorrow, too. Now lay over my lap. Your safe word is red.”
They’d gone over this before watching the scene. She had few hard limits. He wasn’t worried he would scare her. She was used to the lifestyle. He believed she would use that safe word if she needed to. He wasn’t going to give her a reason.
She took his hand and let him help her down.
“It’s been a while since I had sex, Sir.”
He stared at the globes of her ass. So fucking pretty. He cupped one, and a shudder went through her.
“Me, too, and the last time I had sex it was for intel. You should know that. I’ve fucked for intel before. I want to be honest with you.”
“I don’t know that I like the sound of that,”
she admitted.
“I don’t either. I did it because I didn’t have anyone who mattered to me. Not in that way. I suppose I really did it because I had a bunch of people who did matter to me in other ways. But I don’t think I want to do that again. I didn’t like how it made me feel.”
She sighed and relaxed.
“Well, I haven’t had sex in six months. I’ve been focused on getting the job I want. Which I didn’t get. Hence the need for stress relief.”
He stroked the cheeks of her ass, from the dip in her lower back to her thighs, learning her gentle curves.
“It sucks to work hard and not get what you want. I’m sorry to hear it, sweetness, but it still won’t save you.”
He brought his hand up and then down in a sharp arc, the crack sounding through the small room. Her skin immediately pinkened, and she gasped.
“I don’t want to be saved,”
she admitted.
“We both know this punishment is going to get me hot as hell and ready for you to do everything you said you would. Now ask your questions again and I’ll be honest.”
He slapped her ass again. And again. This was going to be fun, and he liked how fair she was. He had tried to get a read on her during the scene, but she’d been snarky and elusive.
“What do you like about D/s?”
Two more smacks.
A laugh huffed out of her, and though he couldn’t see her expression he was sure there was a self-deprecating smile on her face.
“The honesty. Which I know how that sounds. I like that I can ask for what I want and at least here, no one will make fun of me for it. I can be who I am.”
The irony was not lost on him, but he pushed the guilt aside. He wasn’t lying to hurt the team. Just to hopefully save his mother, and his secrets wouldn’t touch Devi. If he had his way, they wouldn’t touch anyone. He gave her another two smacks, and she hissed at the pain but almost immediately relaxed.
“Then why the walls?”
“You know why, Zach. I told you. I was way more attracted to you than I should be, and those hard slaps of yours are not helping. Damn Doms are always too soft. They think I’m fragile or something.”
She liked it rough. If he’d had worries she didn’t understand the word, they were overwritten now because he wasn’t holding back and she was taking it all beautifully.
“You’re not fragile, but you need to understand that there’s a place for sarcasm, Taggart. I know it’s your family’s love language, but I don’t want it here. Not when I’m trying to get to know you.”
“Yes, Sir,”
she offered sweetly.
The sarcasm was part of her DNA, but there was a well of sweetness in this woman that it seemed like no one had tapped yet, had been smart enough to wrap around himself and get warmed by.
“What did you like about the scene we watched?”
Another smattering of slaps across her backside. Her skin was getting a hot sheen to it and yet there was nothing but a restlessness to her slight movements. As though she wanted more, wanted to tempt him to give her everything.
“It was raw. It was real. They didn’t hold back. Well, Carys did at first, but then she went for it. I don’t know. It gave me some hope for them,”
she admitted. Her hand wound around his ankle, steadying herself for the blows she knew were coming.
He gave them to her. Hard smacks that had her stiffening and releasing, breathing unsteady gusts of air. He liked the honesty. All she’d been willing to tell him before was she found it hot. So he now felt better about asking the questions he was interested in.
“Did you like the ménage?”
Her hand moved on his leg. “Yes.”
Another smack and then he caressed her, tracing the red spots with his fingertips. So pretty.
“Is it something you’re interested in?”
“I don’t think that’s for me, Sir. I like watching it, but I’ve never wanted to participate. I think I’m a one-man woman. Unless you have someone in mind.”
Three smacks. He did not. Actually, the thought kind of made him violent. He’d spent a whole two hours with this woman, and he was already possessive as hell.
“I’m definitely a one-woman man. I can’t handle two subs, and I would struggle to share with another dominant partner. I’m not that patient or tolerant. I’m going to touch your pussy, sweetness. Spread your legs a little.”
Her hand tightened around his ankle but she did as he asked, her thighs spreading slightly so he could get his hand between her legs.
And then there was zero doubt she liked what he was doing to her. Her feminine flesh was soft and wet and practically begging him to take a taste.
Not how he’d meant his night to go. He’d thought he would maybe spank a sub and send her on her way and meet up with his brother in the bar after. Sometimes he went with Coop and Kala to get burgers or waffles after the night’s play. He hadn’t meant to spend the evening with a woman as intriguing as Devi.
But he was going for it. And fuck the whole one-night thing. He wanted more.
He stroked her pussy, lightly at first, and watched as her breath hitched and she moaned lightly, hips shifting to accommodate him.
“I’m here in Dallas for a couple of weeks. At least until we ship out again, but I’m going to be honest with you, I’m thinking of changing things up and living here in Dallas for a while. Coop has an empty room, so there’s space for me.”
“Really?”
she asked quietly.
He couldn’t read her yet, wasn’t certain that really was a good question or a damn, I thought I wouldn’t have to see you so often query. He found her clit and ran a finger over it, gently and then with more pressure.
“Really. So if you’re serious about the whole one-night stress relief thing, we should think about this. I’m worried if I get a taste of you, it won’t be enough. I don’t want to pursue a woman who isn’t interested in anything but one night.”
Who the fuck was he? This was insane. He should be running, but his whole body was focused on one thing and one thing only—her.
“Yeah, I work for more than one team, but Ian’s told me if I want to pull back, he can make it happen. If I’m only working for this team, then there’s no real reason for me to be located in DC. I like it here. And when I say here, I mean this club. I mean I like these people.”
He worked at her clit, gently pressing and rotating while she squirmed on his lap.
“I think that sounds nice, Captain,”
she replied.
He liked the way she called him captain. Even if he could lose it all easily, he liked the way she said it.
“So maybe we’re not bound by this whole one night of stress relief?”
He wasn’t sure he could walk away from her no matter what her answer was. He might take his chance and hope he was good enough in bed to bring her back at some point.
“I have a lot of stress,”
she said, her palm running up his calf.
“It could take you days and days to relieve all of my stress. Maybe weeks.”
He felt a smile cross his face and he withdrew his hand, smacking that pretty ass one last time. He had not started his day thinking to find a sub—a girlfriend—but he liked the thought. It was way too early, but he got the feeling this relationship was going to be intense. They would either burn out or maybe if they were lucky, find something lovely. Either way he was going with it.
“Then we should get started.”