Lifting her arm, he looked at her green wristband. “This band says you’re up for anything with anyone. You’re in luck. I’m anyone, and I’m willing to do anything. Especially with you.” He threw his heavy arm around her shoulder. “I can tell you’re new here. I’d be happy to show you how this all works.”
Well, that answered the question about the wristbands.
Junie’s heart started pounding. What was she supposed to do now? “Um, n-no, thank you. I’m not here to play.”
Instead of releasing her, the man tightened his grip around her shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart. Don’t be shy?—”
“I said no thank you.” Junie tried to push his arm off her shoulder, but the man didn’t release her.
“Just one little scene,” he said. “You look like you could use agood bare bottom paddling.” Then he started leading her away toward one of the spanking benches.
That was it.
Junie’s attempt to yank her arm back failed and her voice rose. “I said no. Let go of me!”
The man’s grip tightened even more. “Now come on, baby. Don’t be like that?—”
Junie’s voice grew louder, bordering on a shout. “I said no!”
Heads turned. The music seemed to dip. And a low, familiar growl rose above the music and the noise of the crowd. The sound sent both fear and relief rushing through her veins.
Tanner. The crowds parted before him and the two men he’d been talking with. And boy did he look mad!
Maybe a paddling scene with this stranger wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It was bound to be safer than whatever Tanner had in mind.
CHAPTER TEN
Tanner leaned against the bar at The Red Barn, Wilder’s only kink club. Downing the contents of his glass, a restless energy coursed through him. It did nothing to erase the irritation of not being where he really wanted to be. At least not with who he wanted to be with anyway.
Three different women had already approached him. All beautiful, all eager. Once, he would have taken at least one of them up on their offer. Now, he couldn’t even pretend to be interested. None of them was the woman he wanted. Not that he’d findherin a place like this. The very thought was so preposterous it was funny.
He scanned the room again, looking for trouble and wishing he was with Junie. But he wasn’t the kind of man who broke promises, and it was his turn to be a dungeon monitor. If not for that, he wouldn’t even be here tonight.
He was just signaling for another water when a familiar, overly sweet voice slithered up beside him. “Well, well. If it isn’t Tanner Daniels.”
Cherry slid onto the stool next to him, crossing her legs slowly so that her skirt rode up on her thighs. Her dress was tight, hersmile practiced, and her eyes held that same calculating gleam he’d seen in her since she was a mean little girl in pigtails.
“I was hoping I’d run into you down here,” she purred, leaning in so that her top gaped wide open, putting her boobs on display. “A big, strong Daddy like you all alone? That seems like such a waste. I’d be more than happy to keep you company tonight. I can be a very good girl when I want to be.”
Tanner didn’t even turn his head. His jaw tightened as he stared straight ahead, fingers drumming once on the bar.
“You’ve got some nerve, Cherry.”
She laughed, a light, practiced sound. “Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. I know how to play. I know exactly what a man like you needs. I can take whatever you want to give me.”
Tanner finally met her eyes. His gaze was cold, flat, and utterly unimpressed. The Daddy in him—the one that had already claimed Junie in his heart—rose up hard and protective.
“Let me make this real clear so there’s no misunderstanding,” he said, voice low and edged with steel. “I wouldn’t play with you if you were the last woman on earth. I know exactly what kind of person you are. The way you’ve treated Junie for years? The bullying, the rumors, the petty little stunts? That shit doesn’t fly with me. You’re mean, spiteful, and small. And I don’t want small anywhere near me.”
Cherry’s smile faltered, then cracked. Color rose high in her cheeks. “Why would you want to be mean to me, when all I’m offering you is a good time?” she cooed, totally unabashed, transitioning her expression from angry witch to wounded fawn in the space of about half a second. She trailed a finger up his arm. “You don’t want to hurt my feelings, now do you?”
Tanner’s expression didn’t change. “Woman, if I’m being honest, I don’t give a shit about your feelings. Now hear me. Stay away from Junie with your poison, or you and I are going to have a problem. Now get the hell away from me.”
Cherry stared at him for a long second, mouth opening andclosing like a fish. Then she slid off the stool with a huff, flipping her hair as she stalked away.
Tanner watched her go, jaw still tight. Good riddance. He had no patience for people like Cherry on a good day, and tonight he had even less. The only woman he wanted anywhere near him was a certain peach-haired baker who was currently driving him out of his damn mind and was safely at Rainbow’s Edge with Belle.
His friend Roman Midnight, owner of The Red Barn, leaned against the bar beside him and chuckled. “That was smooth. You know, Tanner, you always did have a way with the ladies. You should give lessons.”
