CHAPTER 2 #4
“Of course.” Edge glared over at me, then motioned for Jamie to head toward the stairs.
If he wanted me to stay behind, he was likely disappointed because I was hot on their trail. If nothing else, I wanted to know what she had to say and what his response would be. No doubt in my mind, Edge had every intention of sending this sweet girl home alone tonight.
Again, another injustice he was doing her. She’d come here for a reason; she’d voiced it rather clearly. And still, Edge was practically keeping half a room between them at all times.
It was sad, really. And a bit depressing, to boot.
“We can go up to my office,” Edge told Jamie when we reached the second floor, which held the various themed rooms.
Edge motioned toward the stairs that led to the third floor, where his office, the training rooms, as well as the men’s and women’s locker rooms were.
Jamie stopped suddenly. “I would prefer one of those rooms.”
This sexy woman wanted to check out the theme rooms, all but handing herself to us on a silver platter.
I peered over at Edge, then back to Jamie. Back to Edge and smiled. This was fucking interesting.
“Those are—” Edge paused because she obviously knew what they were based on the gleam in her eyes. He swallowed hard. “Fine.”
When we started toward one of the private aftercare rooms, Jamie stopped once again. This time, she didn’t say a word; she simply walked in the opposite direction. I chuckled when she walked into the nearest vacant room. The Wild West room.
Yep. I liked this girl.
Edge was right behind her, grumbling something I couldn’t make out.
Not wanting to intrude too much, I remained at the door, leaving it open.
Jamie’s gaze shot to where I was standing, and a small, mischievous smile tilted her lips.
She probably thought she was hiding it well, but I could tell she was definitely working toward something.
Edge glanced over his shoulder at me, and I gave him an approving nod, encouraging him to ignore me.
A silent conversation, something that had been a thing between us since almost the day we met, ensued:
Edge: You do not know when to leave well enough alone.
Me: You’ve got that right.
Obviously realizing I wasn’t going away anytime soon, Edge turned back to face Jamie. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes,” Jamie stated simply.
While Edge appeared to have stopped breathing, I couldn’t help but be amused. Jamie was attempting to sound serious, but I could see the sassy gleam in her eye. She was pushing Edge’s buttons, and it was working.
“Hey, Cav. Could you give us a few minutes?” Edge phrased it as a question, but I knew it wasn’t.
I peered over at Jamie. “Would you like me to leave?”
“You can stay,” she stated firmly.
I saw the moment Edge’s dominant instincts rose up.
He would only allow this to go on for so long before he took control.
I was actually surprised at how much he’d allowed her to get away with thus far.
I knew the man often tried to put new submissives at ease, but he didn’t let them get away with being disobedient.
He was quite passionate about his lifestyle, for the most part exuding that distinct alpha persona from every pore.
Edge slowly turned to face Jamie again, his shoulders squared, hands clasped behind his back. His abs contracted, his pecs protruding. He had assumed the position that generally had submissives dropping to their knees.
The smile on Jamie’s face said she knew exactly what her tone of voice had done to him, but the grin didn’t last long.
“I’d like a minute to speak freely.”
“Fine.” He nodded. “You have exactly one minute.”
Oh, yeah. The Dom was definitely in the room, and to be honest, it was nice to see. I hadn’t had the opportunity to play with Edge in a while—and by play, I meant take a submissive between us—so I missed these moments.
Jamie’s shoulders relaxed, and a soft sigh preceded her statement. “I get that you’re doing this as a favor to my brother, but would it be possible for us to forget Zeke made the request?”
Even she had to know that was easier said than done.
“You’re treating me like I’m here to do an inspection, not here for the experience. While I appreciate you allowing me to watch the various scenes, it’s not quite the interaction I was hoping for.”
“What exactly were you hoping for, Miss Lautner?”
Oh, boy.
“I know I’m only here because you volunteered.”
Edge shook his head. “I did not volunteer.”
Jamie’s expression shifted from determined to … it could only be described as hurt. She seemed rather disappointed to know Edge hadn’t made the offer to give her the tour.
“I apologize then,” she said quickly. “That certainly explains a lot.”
“How so?” Edge probed, his eyes narrowed on her face.
She squared her shoulders. “Well, I mean, I didn’t expect you to be attracted to me just because you … were told you had to show me around.”
“I wasn’t told, either,” he clarified.
Jamie sighed. “Fine. Whatever. Zeke coaxed you into it. I don’t care. And like I said, I don’t expect you to be attracted—”
“No one said I wasn’t,” he noted.
I held back my grin. Edge wasn’t the sort who liked confrontation. I figured, because of his position as head Master of this club and the one we’d previously been members of, he didn’t get much of it. That didn’t seem to be the case here.
Jamie’s hands dropped against her thighs, a reflection of her frustration with this conversation. “Fine. I don’t expect you to be turned on by me simply because I’m here, but—”
Edge held up a hand, cutting her off. “First of all, this entire conversation is moot. Me being turned on by you has nothing to do with any request your brother made.”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Had he realized he’d just given himself away?
There was another gleam in Jamie’s eye. Clearly, she’d picked up on that, too.
“I’m doing a favor for a friend, Miss Lautner,” he clarified, his words flowing smoothly. “I agreed to give you an introduction. I feel as though I’ve succeeded. You’ve seen a variety of scenes tonight, as well as gotten a general feel for the atmosphere.”
“I agree. You have.” Jamie moved one step closer, and I felt the air in the room heat a few degrees. “But I have another request.”
Edge’s muscles tightened, his head tilting down slightly as he stared at her from beneath his lashes. “And that would be?”
“Since you know my brother, you can imagine what it took to get him to finally agree to let me step foot in the door here. Now that he has, I owe it to myself to grab hold of this opportunity as tightly as I can.”
“What opportunity would that be?”
Again, Jamie’s gaze drifted to me as though ensuring I was still there. Did she think I could protect her? Or maybe back her up?
I pressed my shoulder into the jamb, grinned.
She peered back at Edge. “I’m going to be honest.”
Edge nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”
“As I mentioned earlier, I’m working on my doctorate.
The basis of my dissertation is on human sexuality, relating to Domination and submission and the power play that occurs within.
More specifically, I’m looking to prove my thesis statement with substantial evidence showing that the utmost power in a D/s relationship is, in fact, held by the submissive.
“As of now, most of my discoveries are in direct correlation to the interviews I’ve performed, as well as the books I’ve read—both fiction and nonfiction.
However, I’m a long way from proving anything.
Now that I’m in the door here, I’m hoping to expand my interviewee pool dramatically, have more opportunities to prove my theory. ”
Edge’s hands lowered to his sides. Slowly. He looked angry. Enough that it had Jamie taking a step back and me standing tall. I didn’t know why I felt the need to protect her should he lose it, but that was where I was at.
“Before you get upset…” she said quickly.
“Too late for that,” he snarled.
“I’m not writing about the club or the members. There will be nothing that even mentions this place.”
That seemed to settle the big guy a little.
“However, I am looking to get more interaction with both Dominants and submissives. Specifically, I’d like to interview and observe.”
“No,” he barked.
When most people would’ve turned and run, Edge’s definitive response seemed to trigger her need to argue.
“Only with your permission.”
“No,” he repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I stepped into the room, decided to offer my two cents. “I have a suggestion.”
Edge’s eyes cut to me, slicing through me with barely restrained fury.
Ignoring his irrational response, I smiled. “What if Jamie was a submissive? Assigned to a Dom? Rather than observe from the sidelines, she could get a firsthand account. See what the power exchange is truly about.”
“That’s a great idea,” she said approvingly. “What do you say, Edge? Is there a Dom who would be interested in giving me the experience?”
Something shifted inside Edge. I saw it with my own two eyes as he took a step toward her. I watched in awe as his hand lifted, gripping her chin firmly between thumb and forefinger. “You’re pushing it, sweetness.”
I was captivated by the transformation in Jamie.
Her mouth opened slowly. Her chest began to rise and fall more rapidly.
Clearly, his tone and his aggressive response had turned her on, the way he’d taken the reins.
She didn’t back down, didn’t move away. No, this woman was submitting, and I doubted she even realized it.
“I don’t mean any disrespect,” she whispered.
His hand dropped as though he hadn’t meant to touch her. The disappointment on her face matched my own. For a second there, I thought we were moving in the right direction.
“I’m not looking to overstep,” she said more firmly, as though realizing she was not winning this argument.
“Cav’s idea could work, though. I would appreciate the full experience.
I’ll admit, I can interview as many people as I want, but that doesn’t mean I’ll truly understand.
I can’t get that from textbook education, either.
So, while I truly appreciate you walking me around and pointing out equipment, that’s not really the reason I’m here. ” Her spine straightened.
“If I don’t agree?” he prompted.
Her gaze slid to the floor. “Well, if you’re not willing to help, I can assure you I will get the experience somewhere.” Her eyes returned to his face. “After all, Zeke won’t be able to intimidate all club owners forever, and eventually I will get into a kink club to experience it for myself.”
Damn. She all but threatened the big, bad Dom. She certainly knew how to lay it on the line. I was torn between being impressed and wanting to throw her over my lap and paddle her ass. I figured Edge was, as well, because he didn’t say anything.
“I’m not asking you to be my Dom,” she said when he continued with the silent treatment. “I’m simply asking you to assign someone who’ll allow me to explore this world like any other submissive would.” Her eyes shot over to me. “Perhaps Master Cav would be willing.”
A low growl sounded from Edge.
I was fairly certain she knew what that last statement did to the Dominant in Edge. It brought out the possessive instincts that were a natural part of his chemical makeup. And though I tended to keep situations relatively light, I knew not to overstep in that regard, so I kept my mouth shut.
“You want to know what it’s like to be a submissive?” Edge asked, his expression hard, jaw ticking.
“Yes.” She paused, swallowed. “And I’d like you to be my teacher, but I understand if I’m not a suitable submissive for you.”
Ah, hell. Another challenge.
“Do you have any idea what you’re asking for?” Edge growled, his shoulders tense.
Jamie flinched, as though she hadn’t expected him to agree. I certainly hadn’t.
“Not exactly,” she admitted. “But I trust you.” Her eyes softened, and her tongue slid out over her bottom lip.
He seemed to consider that, then his eyes slid to me. “I need to talk to Cav.”
“Me?” Oh, just fucking lovely. “Why me?” I knew this wasn’t going to be a conversation I enjoyed.
“Look around,” Edge instructed, nodding toward the room. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Will you—”
“No more questions.” His voice was low, dark. “When I make a decision, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Understood.” The breathless quality of her voice had my dick hardening.
I hoped like hell Edge decided to include me in whatever plans he had.
Edge marched toward the door, and just when he was about to pass, he grabbed my arm and steered me clear before pulling the door shut behind us.
I could feel his tension, knew he was pissed.
At least he had the decency to release my arm rather than manhandle me all the way to his office.
He was giving me the respect I’d earned in this club, although I knew he wasn’t feeling it right now.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“We’re going to have a conversation.”
“Hmm. Talking. Just what this night needs more of.”
Edge growled but didn’t respond as he marched up to the third floor.
Once inside his office, he shut the door behind us with a little more force than necessary, then spun to face me. The move surprised me, which was the only reason he ended up with his hand around my throat, pinning me back against the door.
The tension escalated, but I didn’t look away from him. This was out of character for Edge. He didn’t put hands on people out of anger, so I knew this was serious.
“Why the fuck would you make a suggestion like that?” Edge growled.
My eyes narrowed, the Dominant in me standing tall. I would only tolerate so much, and he knew it. My hand slowly wrapped around his wrist, forcing his away from my neck. Our eyes remained locked, even as I dropped his wrist and glared back at him.
“You realize this isn’t a game, right?” he asked, his words laced with gravel.
“Isn’t it, though?” I smirked, knowing it would piss him off.
Realizing I’d pushed too far, I decided to retreat. Considering how easily Jamie had pushed his buttons, I knew the man wasn’t completely in control right now. Which said a lot about the woman currently waiting for us.
I needed to keep a level head, to help him work through this situation, to decide the best way to handle Jamie’s request.
But more importantly, I had to ignore the flames that licked at me, fanned by Edge’s fierce response. Jamie had ignited those embers, but it was Edge who would turn them into a conflagration.
If I let him.