CHAPTER 2
EDGE
The scene I’d chosen for Jamie to observe took roughly ten minutes to play out. Nothing overly complicated or particularly unique. Submissive strapped to a spanking bench, Liam Murphy—a popular, unattached Master—using a crop and his fingers to bring her to orgasm.
Once Liam accomplished his goal, people began dispersing, but I hesitated. Since Chris Cavanaugh was standing not two feet behind me, I had good reason.
It’s only appropriate that he shows up. You’ve been thinking about him enough lately.
I ignored the voice even if he was correct. I had been thinking about Cav, wondering when he’d grace us with his presence.
For the record, he had the worst fucking timing.
As if I needed something else to deal with right now, Cav had to make an appearance tonight. The last time I’d talked to him—two days ago—he’d said he wasn’t sure when he would be back in Chicago. I should’ve known he’d pop in at the most inconvenient time.
For you, maybe. Looks like he’s got other thoughts on his timing.
While I could’ve easily acknowledged him, then come up with some excuse as to why Jamie and I had to go, I knew Cav would see right through it. Considering I’d known the guy since college, considered him my closest friend, not only would he see through my lies, he would call me on them, too.
Taking a deep breath, I prepared for the inevitable, then pivoted around with my hand on Jamie’s back, guiding her to do the same.
“Cav,” I greeted, my voice stern, ensuring he knew I wasn’t in the mood for his games tonight.
“Edge.” He shook my hand as his gaze slid to Jamie, then back to me.
“Jamie Lautner,” I said—stressing her last name—“I’d like you to meet Chris Cavanaugh. Here he’s referred to as Master Cav.”
“Or simply Cav,” he noted.
Jamie’s smile lit up the entire fucking room, and I could tell Cav was instantly taken by her.
Not that I blamed the guy. She seemed to have that effect on people.
Including me. In the few minutes I’d spent with her, I was almost certain I could feel her beneath my skin, burrowing deep, threatening my hard-won control.
To be clear, it was a foreign sensation, one that took me off guard. Almost as much as seeing Cav tonight.
“It’s nice to meet you, Master Cav,” she said sweetly.
“The pleasure’s all mine,” he replied, tipping his hat like a perfect gentleman.
The fucker.
Jamie’s dark eyes glittered as her attention bounced back and forth between me and Cav, clearly waiting for me to say something.
A million memories flashed through my mind, faceless women he and I had shared before.
None of them holding a candle to the woman standing by my side.
I had to fight back the urge to imagine how perfectly she would fit against us, how incredible it would feel to have her pinned between us, to taste those sweet lips—
For fuck’s sake. Undress her already.
Stupid voice.
Knowing I had to shut this down now, I glared at Cav. I doubted Jamie understood the silent conversation currently taking place between me and the cowboy plenty of submissives hoped would allow them to saddle up and ride. It went something like this:
Me: Don’t even think about it.
Cav: Too late for that. I’m thinking of nothing else.
Me: Too bad. She’s off-limits.
Cav: I think that decision should be up to her, no?
Me: No. It definitely should not.
It was as simple as that. Initially, my goal had been to keep my hands off the sweet woman who was a guest at this club. Now, my only objective was to keep both of us away from this one. There was nothing good that could come of a night with the three of us together. Certainly not here at the club.
Eh. Let it happen. See where it goes, you big, bad Dom. How bad could it be?
Bad. Really, really bad, I mentally scolded that annoying inner voice.
But it’s Cav. And you know how fucking good it’ll be.
Good, probably. Temporary, most definitely. I hadn’t seen Cav in three months, and I knew how the man operated. He would come back to town, spend a few nights sowing his wild oats until he hit the road again.
Which was the very reason it couldn’t happen.
However, the one good thing about Cav showing up was that it made it easier for me to dispel that stupid voice in my head.
I needed that tonight. I needed to remember I had a job to do, and the absolute last thing I wanted was to piss off Zeke.
The man trusted me with his kid sister, expected me to give her the dime tour of the club, let her get a feel for what went on here.
The least I could do was follow his instructions.
Easy, right?
Sadly, no.
Truth was, I’d never been attracted to easy, even if that was the way I lived my life. Uncomplicated was my preference, my objective, my overall end goal.
“I hear Edge is givin’ you a tour, Miss Lautner.”
I glared at Cav, willing him to shut up.
“He is.” Jamie peered up at me, and I fought the urge to growl. This was not how I envisioned this night going.
“What have you seen so far?” Cav asked.
Jamie motioned around her. “This is our first stop.”
“Thoughts?” Cav probed.
She cocked her head to the side. “While spanking is a clear indication of authority, it was rather tame for what I expected at a club of this caliber.”
I stared at her, baffled by the clinical interpretation. That wasn’t generally the response I received. I watched her for a moment, wondering if she had a hidden agenda for this visit.
“So, what’s next on the menu?” Cav asked, his light blue eyes glittering with far too much interest for his own good.
If you’re smart, you’ll say she is.
No. No fucking way.
“We,” I stated firmly, ignoring the voice, “are going to take a tour of the club, then Jamie will be leaving. You are going to … go elsewhere.”
Jamie laughed. “You don’t have to send him off on my account.”
“Yeah,” Cav said quickly, grinning. “I don’t mind stickin’ around for a bit.”
I wanted to argue, but I knew it was futile. Cav was one of the few people who had the ability to push me to my limits, and tonight I needed to keep a tight rein on myself.
“Perhaps Miss Lautner can lead the way.” Cav sounded far too excited to be part of this.
Jamie’s soft hand touched my forearm, and my gaze shot down to it at the same time heat slammed into me. I forced my gaze back to Cav’s and somehow managed to ignore her soft, smooth fingers on my skin. “I was taking her back upstairs. To talk for a bit.”
The look in Cav’s eyes said he knew I was lying, but he didn’t call me on it. That surprised me.
“Would you mind if I joined you, Miss Lautner?”
Before I could respond, Jamie said, “That would be nice.”
Then another silent conversation took place between me and Cav:
Cav: See, she’s game. Let her lead the way.
Me: You will pay for this later. I promise.
Cav: I’m looking forward to it.
Son of a bitch.
At what point had the submissive taken control of this situation? That wasn’t the way things worked in my club. Certainly not a submissive I was in charge of.
Ah. So, she’s a submissive now? Tasty.
No. Definitely not. Jamie Lautner wasn’t a submissive. She was merely curious. And we weren’t playing.
So what’s the harm in having a simple conversation?
For the first time tonight, the voice had a point. Talking would allow me time to clarify to Cav that this woman was off-limits.
Overstepping in a big way, Cav took complete control of the situation. He linked his arm with Jamie’s, then turned toward the stairs. I had no choice but to follow, all the while running through the reprimand I would be giving him later.
“So, what brings you to the club, Miss Lautner?” Cav asked as we made our way up to the main floor. His voice was deep and as commanding as it was rich.
“Curiosity, mostly. My brother thought it would be amusing to get me banned from the other clubs in the area.”
Cav’s gaze shot to mine, and I nodded, confirming her story. Back when Jamie first approached Zeke about checking out a kink club, her brother had lost his shit, threatening to do bodily harm to any club owner who allowed his sister entry into their club.
“Yet he didn’t have a problem with you comin’ here?” Cav asked, a mixture of intrigue and disbelief wrinkling his brow
Jamie grinned. “I wouldn’t say that. But he finally caved, so here I am.”
She had a nice smile. Pretty white teeth, perfectly plump lips.
Ready to undress her yet?
I mentally rolled my eyes, followed them.
Cav urged two single submissives to find another place to go and took the barstools they vacated, offering one to Jamie. Rather than sit on the other, Cav casually leaned against the bar, facing Jamie, completely engaged.
“What’s your pleasure, sugar?”
Sweet-talking bastard. Careful, or he’s gonna steal the girl right out from under you.
First of all, Jamie wasn’t a girl. And two, she wasn’t under me.
Yet. Night’s not finished.
Fuck.
“Sprite, please.”
“A Sprite and two waters,” Cav told the submissive working the bar, then turned back to Jamie.
“Would you mind me asking where you’re from?” she questioned.
That shit-eating grin lit up Cav’s face. “Born and raised in Texas. Houston, to be exact.”
Jamie smiled. “That would’ve been my first guess.”
“Yeah?”
She giggled sweetly, tapping a spot just above her temple. “The hat kinda gives it away.”
His eyes twinkled, and I fought the urge to punch him.
“Not to mention the drawl,” she tacked on.
For whatever reason, Cav seemed pleased by her acknowledgements. But that was Cav. Laid-back, casual. What you saw was what you got with him. Sure, he played a role in the club, but his sincerity and charm weren’t a facade.
“So what has you curious about a kink club?”
Jamie peered over at me, her eyes perusing my face momentarily before she turned her attention back to Cav. “I’ve read quite a bit about the lifestyle, and I wanted to get a feel for it, see what goes on firsthand.”
“Now that you’re here, what do you find most appealing?”