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“Hey, I don’t lie.” Stretching her hand toward his, she ran a finger over his palm with a cajoling look that matched her tone. “Pretty please?”
Sliding his hand out from under her caressing finger, Reed pinched her chin. “I’ll think about it until my backup arrives. Until then, behave.”
“Isn’t that the girl Brett caught sneaking upstairs last week?” Jordon asked, stepping behind the bar.
Reed nodded. “The same one, back to request a tour upstairs.”
Jordon removed his hat and ran a hand through his wavy, chestnut hair. “I take it your brother’s refusal wasn’t harsh enough to deter her interest.”
Reed mixed a gin and tonic as he spoke. “Either that, or she’s got even more gumption than I thought. I’m thinking about walking her through. Just a sec.” He slid the drink down to one of the regulars, giving him a wave. “There you go, Dave.”
Jordon raised a brow. “I doubt Brett will care for that, not from his reaction last week.”
That was his first thought, Reed mused, eyeing Allie talking to the third man to join her at the bar. With a bright smile and waving an airy, bejeweled hand, she sent him packing after a few minutes of conversation. Last week, she hadn’t tried to hide her interest in Brett, which had amused Reed to no end. Since filing for divorce and battling Gina these past months, his older brother kept a stoic distance from vanilla women and limited spending his downtime with Kat.
Allie had two things going against her in her pursuit of Brett: her age and lack of experience in the lifestyle.
“No, but Brett’s surly mood this past week has tempted me to offer Allie a boost in his direction. Maybe a fling with someone of such irrepressible charm is what he needs to lighten up.”
Slapping him on the back, Jordon stated with a grin, “It’s your funeral. Go on, I’ve got this.”
“Thanks a lot,” Reed returned dryly.
****
Aripple of excitementdanced down Allie’s spine as Brett’s brother came around the bar and cupped her elbow. Reed assisted her off the high stool with a serious look and then steered her toward the hall that held the restrooms.
“If I regret this, you’ll owe me. A quick tour and answers to any questions you have, that’s all I’m offering. If you’re lucky, Brett will show up and agree to take over. If not, though, respect his wishes and be done with this. Deal?”
She nodded. That was fair. “Deal. Is it my age or his divorce?”
“Both.” Reed sighed as they reached the hallway. “Our father liked them young and in spades. Brett’s ongoing divorce battle is a bitter pill to swallow since the three of us have sworn we wouldn’t follow in our father’s footsteps.”
His explanation went a long way toward defusing that burst of anticipation his capitulation generated, a clue her interest centered more on Brett than his kinks. The alternative sex was just a bonus to having set her sights on the standoffish Kincaid. Reed opened the back door and led her up the outside staircase.
“Do you invite a lot of people up here?” she asked, entering the empty, quiet space.
Reed switched on the dim overhead lighting. “The few people we hold private parties with are long-time players we’ve known for years, people we trust to keep us out of the tabloids and are sure will adhere to the safe, sane, and consensual protocol.”
The dark edge to his voice held a warning Allie took to heart. She would never jeopardize their desire to live nonjudgmental lives out of the spotlight their philandering father hadn’t seemed to mind or tried to avoid.
Allie could see the room much clearer now and noticed they had carried the rustic lodge appearance from downstairs up here. The rounded log walls bracketing the stone fireplace facing plush leather sofas and chairs lent a homey atmosphere to the space. The bondage equipment lining the opposite wall dispelled that comfy, home-like feeling and gave her shivers of apprehension standing empty.
He must have noticed something in her expression because he said, “Picture someone naked, bound, an attentive Dom touching her however he wanted, and she has no choice but to accept the pleasure or say her safeword and end their time together, never knowing how far he can take her.”
She let her gaze settle on the large wooden cross and went with her imagination as he suggested. A warm flush suffused her face picturing herself up there and Brett standing before her naked body, those large hands kneading her soft flesh, his penetrating gaze focused on her face.
“Oh. I see what you mean,” she murmured.
“Once you let your head get into a scene, it will open endless possibilities for a woman who leans toward sexual submission. And no, that doesn’t mean they’re doormats for any man with abusive tendencies to walk all over. In fact, you would be surprised at the power a submissive partner wields over her Dom.” Reed tugged her toward the hallway. “There are private theme rooms this way.”
Allie let him lead her out of the main room, her mind already awash with the information he’d given her, things she’d never considered. As much as she enjoyed Reed’s company and was grateful for his tutoring, she couldn’t help wishing it was Brett giving her this tour, relating these things with an interest in showing instead of telling.
There were two rooms on each side of the hall, the first on the left labeled restroom. Next to that closed door was a window followed by another door. Looking through the glass, she went hot from a rare flood of embarrassment. She didn’t know what to expect in these rooms, but it wasn’t the gynecologist table with restraints added on the sides.
“Women really let themselves be strapped down in position on that table, in front of this window?” She couldn’t imagine why someone would subject themselves to such humiliation.
Reed smiled down at her. “A few are willing, for different reasons.”
