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"I know too much about all of you." Ben, unimpressed, put himself back in the booth with retaliation in his gaze. "Plus, no one else will put up with your crap. What do you think, soldier?"
Peter had taken a swallow. He closed his eyes. "Hell, Ben. This is the shit."
"I beg to differ. It is definitely not shit." But Ben smiled, poured for himself and the other three men. When they lifted glasses and brought them together, for a while nothing further was said, each contemplating the whiskey and why they'd brought Peter here.
None of them would talk about it tonight. Nothing serious, anyway, because Peter wouldn't want them to. They worked together in Baton Rouge as the management team of Kensington & Associates, the manufacturing acquisition company Matt Kensington had founded and made successful through their combined talents, but an unshakable bond existed between them whether they were around a boardroom table or a poker table.
There were a lot of things that went into that--shared experiences, ups and downs--but the fact that every one of them was an experienced sexual Dominant, preferring to use control and varying levels of pain to bring a woman mind-boggling pleasure, was the one that would hold the upper hand tonight.
That bond had only grown stronger when the dynamic changed. Lucas and Matt were both married now, but Peter wore a St. Christopher's medal that Matt's wife, Savannah, had given him for his last Afghanistan tour. He always wore it, like a favor from his monarch's queen. No one at the table would laugh at the thought. It didn't matter that they were hell and gone from those part-fantasy times of medieval chivalry--there was a code of behavior they exercised in business as well as personal life. A female journalist for one business magazine had picked up on it, coining them the Knights of the Boardroom. Or Soul-Sucking Predators of the Bayou, depending on who wrote it. Suppressing a smile, he glanced around the table.
Matt Kensington was every inch their leader, with his hawk features, dark, piercing eyes and powerful build. Savannah, who of course was not present for this guys' night out, was a golden match for him, delicate as a princess but a tough-as-nails CEO herself, such that Matt had had to employ all their sensual talents to take her down and make her his. After he cut his heart out of his chest and offered it to her as a fair trade.
Lucas, K&A's CFO, was hell on wheels with numbers and identifying unprofitable acquisitions that could become moneymakers. He was also an amateur cyclist, which had stumbled him over Cassandra Moira on a cycling trip a year ago. He'd conducted her takeover as relentlessly as any Peter had seen him implement on their unfortunate targets, only his methods had been far more pleasurable and persuasive.
He envied both men their happiness, but was glad for them. Maybe the proximity of all that marital bliss was a contagious disease that couldn't help but make a man think about the possibility of permanence with a woman. But hell, you needed the right woman for that, and he believed in fate. He didn't worry about making it happen.
Jon would agree with that. He was the most spiritual of the crowd, into ancient history and philosophies, Tantra and meditation, despite their merciless male ribbing about stretchy shorts and yoga sessions. He would be amused to find Peter had such a Zen take on relationships, but there it was.
Recruiting a family wasn't in his immediate future, anyway, because being in the National Guard, seeking overseas assignments, was one of the ways he'd decided to give back. He didn't care if people thought it was old-fashioned or misguided honor bullshit. He liked bringing and enforcing the peace necessary for people to self-actualize. Having a front-row seat when and if they learned not to live in fear, seeing their kids play in the streets without being blown up . . . It made it all worthwhile.
He'd have time for a family or he wouldn't, but he was living the life he wanted to live. And Matt was more than supportive. Peter had no qualms about saying the men at this table were his family, Matt most of all. Peter's parents had died when he was in his teens. He'd had a rough time of it, but had entered the army young, done a three-year stint, and then, when he'd sought his degree, Matt had interned him at his burgeoning company, bringing a kid with blue-collar manufacturing aptitude and white-collar business systems understanding into this interior circle, an unconditional acceptance that he'd needed when the bottom fell out of his life.
Ah, hell. He hadn't drunk enough to be getting this sloppy sentimental. Shifting his thoughts, he focused on the prospect of comfortably slaking his lust on a willing submissive. As Ben made another smartass comment and Jon came back with unruffled transcendentalism, Peter lifted the Macallan to his lips with a smile.
***
Dana stood in the shadows to the right of the bar as Maria returned. When she glanced at the waitress, Maria gave her a smile, following the direction of her interest. "They're something, aren't they? Every one of them handsome as sin. Flew in from Louisiana to give their buddy a send-off. He's going to Afghanistan next week."
"The one at the end." Dana noted the military hairstyle, the way the dark blond man held himself upright, even as he enjoyed the male companionship.
"Appears so." Maria gave her a considering look. "They're all Doms, sweet. If you're looking for a hookup, you could do a lot worse. They wouldn't be allowed in here if they weren't decent guys, but my impression is they're a cut above decent. The two on the inside are married. Wearing the rings and everything, and made it crystal clear they're just enjoying the view and here for their friend."
Dana nodded. The waitress's reassuring tone suggested she saw how nervous Dana was. But it was stupid, because she'd blown a wad of money on a temporary membership to The Zone for her two-week leave. She'd looked forward to this night for a while. It had been her decision to come alone. Not really the smartest idea, going to a new fetish club by yourself, but The Zone's rep was untarnished. Security inside and out, an intense vetting process that had taken the temp membership a couple months in advance to be approved, and she wore a slim bracelet that told staff she was new, so they'd keep an extra eye on her, help her know the ropes. Her lips curved. A good metaphor for a BDSM club. Her newness might be another reason Maria was giving her the pep talk.
She'd been a sexual submissive since her teens, but of course it had taken some mistakes and tears to figure it out. Once she did, she'd discovered the scene and never looked back. Though unfortunately, accepting and exploring her own sexual nature hadn't led to the immediate relief of frustration she'd hoped. It was a lot harder to find a compatible Dom worthy of her trust than she'd expected. Ironically, the same thing that made her crave a man's dominance was the same thing that made her keep them at arm's length. Most didn't put off the right vibe, or left her lukewarm. Subs at her club back home in Atlanta had told her it was like dating. You had to try on a few Doms, see what worked, what didn't. You couldn't keep holding out for the perfect one, the one that would take command of her senses from the very fi rst second. You had to work at it.
So she'd tried harder, with fairly disastrous consequences. The Doms close to what she wanted were rife with those who could take it too far. Not because they were bad men, but because what she wanted was a lot like Goldilocks--rough, but not too rough. Her wants and needs were a moving target. She'd know it was right when it felt right. She couldn't describe it. She wanted to be completely taken over, but she resisted it at the same time. While she knew that was unreasonable, it didn't make it any less true.
Well, this was the freaking best fetish club ever, from what she'd heard. She had nothing to lose tonight. Because she'd chosen to come alone, no one knew her. What happened here would stay here, so she should stop skulking and do something, right? So--deep breath. She'd let her inhibitions go and . . . retreat while she still had a scrap of personal dignity.
C'mon, Dana. Get your shit together.
Her eyes went back to the soldier. When his hair grew out, did the sun lighten that wheat color? His eyes, thanks to the angle of the club lighting, showed storm-cloud gray, which might could become steel, like the line of his jaw. He was on the end, probably not only because he was trained to be readily mobile, but because he had the widest shoulders and longest legs. Not one of her absolute requirements for a good Dom, but man, it sure added to the fantasy. The white shirt he wore with his jeans had to be tailored for those shoulders. As Maria had said, all of them reeked of money. And a man who sat like that had to be an officer. But she wasn't after the boy's cash. Just one night of his time. If she ever got up the courage to leave the corner.
"Are you having a good time?"
She started out of her mental struggle to find herself facing another tall and powerful man. He had dark, close-cropped hair and intense amber eyes that fairly screamed Dominant, causing a shiver to run over her skin. She could tell he noticed, but he remained smooth, professional. "I'm Tyler Winterman, one of the owners here. I wanted to make sure we were treating you right."
"Yes, sir." Only hours with a drill sergeant made Sergeant Dana Smith manage not to stutter the response. The "sir" was an instinctive deference to his status here that he seemed to take as his due, which everything about him said he should.
"Good." He ran a light, reassuring hand down her arm. "You look beautiful. A fortunate person should be very happy to meet you tonight. Would you like an introduction to someone?"
"I . . . um. Well, he might not . . . I don't know him." Her gaze flickered, a brief flash. Still, Tyler shifted and determined exactly whom she'd been looking at.
"Hmm. Why don't I leave it in his hands, then? You chose well, Dana. Let us know if you need anything."
He moved onward, leaving her gaping like a trout because he'd known her name. That surprise didn't keep her from noting he had a fine, fine walk. Slacks fitted right, shirt tucked in, thank you, Jesus. As a rep of the female gender, she was obligated to watch that tight ass, the predatory grace of a sex-on-Gucci-soles prowl.
