A Thousand Yesses (8 page)

He
noted it was quiet upstairs, as he listened to Rodney. When they were done on
the phone, he’d go make sure everything was good, and lock up for the night.

“Dude.
They want us!” Rodney said.

Maverick
frowned. Who wanted what? “Huh?”

“CTB!”
Rodney responded. “The club said we hit record highs in our domming demos, and
they want us to come and do a weekly class at their club.”

Maverick
sat down heavily on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. “Come again?” he
said.

“I
talked to the guy in charge of demos at CTB. He said there’s been interest in
our
How to Dom
videos, and he knows
Celia, so he knows we’re local. He asked if we’d be willing to teach a weekly
class at the club. And Maverick, get this…” He went on to give details on the
payment plan.

Maverick’s
eyes widened. “All that just to show some guys how to hold a paddle?”

“Girls,
too.”

“What?”

“Well,
we can anticipate there will be some Dommes, too.”

“Yeah,
okay,” he said. “So, we go in and teach them how to hold paddles and give the
basics on rules and structure, and shit like that?”

“Yup.”

“And
they’ll pay us
that
much? For real?”

“For
real.”

He
paused. “What does Celia say?”

“Haven’t
talked to her yet. You want to call her?”

Maverick
nodded. “Yeah, I’ll give her a buzz. Gotta go check on Marianna and Mom, and
I’ll text you later.”

“All
right, man. Night.” Click.

Maverick
frowned at the phone. Really, what were the risks? CTB was known for discretion
and close monitoring of their clients. They had a good reputation with those in
the scene, and they were only asking for a once-a-week commitment. After the
brainstorming session over beers earlier, they had enough raw
material
to go for weeks. Plus,
the more
well known he became, the better his chances were of finding a submissive who
met his needs
.

And
his needs were high. He wanted a girl who was capable, strong, and intelligent.
It would be nice if she
were
gorgeous, and
put-together, and willing to bend to accommodate his high need for control. He
didn’t want play or part time, but full time, and what most would consider
hardcore. He’d been with a few girls who called themselves submissives, but had
begun to question whether he would ever find a girl who was looking for
real
domming. Like the girls who’d come to demo for the camera earlier, most of
the girls he met were in it for the kink, but not interested in truly
relinquishing control. He held his phone in his hand while he trotted upstairs.
Quietly pushing the kitchen door open, he entered the kitchen.

The
large popcorn bowl still sat on the counter. Rinsing it, he nestled it into the
dishwasher. He snagged the two drinking cups and placed them in as well. The
dishwasher was almost full, so he opened the cabinet and took out the
detergent, filled the tray, then closed the dishwasher. He set it on automatic
as he went to go check in the living room.

The
windows were still wide open, so he shut and locked them, and flipped the
deadbolt on the front door. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he sent a quick
text to Celia.

Babe,
you still up?

He
shoved his phone in his pocket as he went upstairs to check on his mom and
Marianna. Marianna’s door was shut tight, so he quietly opened it and peeked
in. It was dark, though she still had her nightlight on. He could hear her soft
sniffly snores as he closed the door.

His
mom always left her door open in case Marianna needed something in the middle
of the night. She, too, was fast asleep. Maverick felt the phone in his pocket
buzz, as he made his way back downstairs.

Yeah, mon. Whassup?

He
smirked.

Got
a call from Rodney. You got a minute to talk on the phone?
He texted.

Her
response came back right away.
Well, was just getting busy with a threesome,
but I’ll put it on hold for you and send these guys home.

He
growled at the phone. Celia!

Naughty
girl. You do that, and call me when the coast is clear.

He
knew she was joking. It wouldn’t have been unheard of that she’d taken a guy
back to her place, but still, she was a one-at-a-time kind of girl.

Why
did the thought of her with anyone make his fists clench? She wasn’t his.
They
weren’t
a thing
. Maybe it was
because she hadn’t found the right guy, and when she did... When she found
someone who could take care of her, but keep her in line the way she needed...
Maybe then he’d be okay with it. Yeah. It was just because she’d been hooked up
with losers that made him want to punch a wall.

And
before he could tap it down, the image of Celia, jean-clad and face down on his
lap, came into his mind. The paddle in his hand, her squirming, and the soft
yelps she made as he spanked her. He felt himself growing hard again at the
mere thought. What had he been thinking?

He
needed a spanking session. She needed a spanking.

And
she’d been fine the rest of the evening. But really, was she? He couldn’t get
the image out of his mind, and the more he thought of it, the memory played
out. But this time, they were alone. And this time, he bared her...

His
phone rang. He sheepishly answered it. “Pizza Hut,” he muttered.

“I’ll
take one large dominant pizza, one half sweet, the other half stern, well done
and delivered immediately. Hold the sauce. I have plenty.”

“Like
I take orders?”

She
sighed. “Shame. What’s up? I’m sleepy, dude, so keep it quick.”

He
frowned. If she were his, he’d so put an end to the way she talked to him.
“Please,” “thank you,” “yes, sir,” and “no, sir,” would become part of her
vocabulary or she would spend the rest of her life standing up.

“Got
a call from Rodney,” he said. “CTB wants us to do demos.” He filled her in.

“I
know Ranger,” she said. “He’s the one that schedules these things. He’s got an
idiotic sidekick he hired, Remy, a switch who’s in it for the kink. I swear the
guy’s not playing with a full deck. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw
him, but Ranger’s cool.”

He
didn’t like the idea of mingling with an idiotic sidekick, but he could handle
it if their main guy was straight up. “All right. Okay, then. We can do this.”

“We
so
can! We have plenty of ideas and that pay’s
good
.”

“Hell
yeah.”

“So,”
she said, clearing her throat. “You doing any more spanking demos?” she asked,
in a voice that even over the phone sounded tense.

“With
CTB at our disposal? Of course.” He chuckled. “You offering to take a role
again?”

To
his surprise there was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.

He
frowned. “Cel, you there?”

“Yeah,
I’m here,” she said, and her voice was strangely thick. She laughed. “I think
that spanking you gave me earlier will last a good long while. I’m sleeping on
my belly tonight. And anyway, you’ll have plenty of people offer that will
serve you better than I will.”

Damn
it. Something had changed, and he didn’t know what the hell to do about it. His
voice softened. “Maybe I will,” he said. “But let’s talk about this later.
You’re tired, and you need sleep now. Thanks for playing tonight. You were
awesome. But be good, babe, and go to bed now, okay?”

“I
will,” she whispered. “See you tomorrow.” The phone clicked. He stared at it
for a minute, before he shook his head.

She
was getting weird on him. He didn’t want her to go weird on him. The one
constant in his life was Celia, her wiseass mouth and dependability. She was
one of his very best friends in the world. He didn’t want to fuck that up, not
now, not ever. Had he made a mistake earlier? He frowned.

He
wouldn’t make that mistake again.

* * *

“Holy
shit,” Rodney muttered under his breath. “I had no idea we’d be looking at
standing room only. You ready for this?”

“We’ve
got this,” Maverick muttered. He glanced at the door, and still, no Celia. It
had been two weeks since he’d taken her over his knee in Rodney’s basement, and
he’d successfully avoided any personal contact with her during that time. He
knew it was in her best interest. He couldn’t get too heavily invested and
screw up what they had. She was better off this way.

Still,
what the hell? He, Rodney, and Louanne had met an hour earlier, setting up for
the night’s demonstration. They’d made a sort of template for the class:
lecture in the beginning, review of the basics, followed by a demonstration.
Tonight, he was going to go over the basics he’d covered in the intro videos
online. He would’ve felt nervous, but his sole concentration was on Celia and
why the hell she wasn’t there. He picked up his phone and sent a quick text.

Where
are you?

Nothing.

He
scoped the room. There were easily thirty different people here, some men, a
few women, and a few he couldn’t quite identify. Some wore masks, some hung in
groups, some sat and watched with folded arms. He wondered if they were really
here to learn, or had they just come for a cheap thrill? Time would tell.

“You
guys hear from Cel?” he asked Rodney and Louanne.

Louanne
nodded, but strangely, didn’t make eye contact. “Yeah, I talked to her around
lunchtime, and she said she’d be here. I thought she’d be here early, because
she had some of the supplies we’re supposed to be using tonight.” Louanne
shifted nervously, and quickly got up to go adjust some chairs.

Maverick
glanced at the clock again. They were supposed to start in ten minutes. Louanne
already had the filming gear set up at the back of the room, and the escort to
the club stood by the door with his arms folded, gesturing for people to enter
one of Chains That Bind conference rooms where they’d set up.

He
picked up his phone and dialed.

“Yeah?”
Celia answered on the second ring.

“Where
the hell are you?” he said between gritted teeth. Jesus, the girl was getting
on his nerves these days.

“Easy,
big boy. On my way in now.”

“You’re
not driving, are you? On your phone?”

“And
if I were, what the hell would
you
do about it?” she said, her voice
taking on a surprisingly sharp tone.

What
the hell?
Seriously?

He
felt his anger mounting. He growled into the phone, but before he could speak,
she continued. “I’m coming in now. Bye.”

And
he saw her. Gorgeous red hair, piled high on her head. A tight-fitting tee
shirt that said
Bite me
across her chest, jeans that hugged her narrow
hips, and knee-high black boots with a heel that made her two inches taller.
She had a silver shrug on, and a matching bag. She looked casual, and hot as
hell. Fuck.

She
wasn’t alone.

Behind
her, with his hand on her
fucking lower back
walked a man a good deal
taller than she was. He was built, Maverick could tell, thin tee shirt
stretched across his chest, bulging muscles and an armband tattoo that circled
his left bicep. He had a shaved head, and was clean-shaven. God, but she knew how
to pick ‘em. He gestured for her to sit down but she shook her head and walked
over to where the rest of them stood. The man put a protective hand on Celia’s
arm, as they walked over.

“Hi,
guys,”
Celia
said, effectively ignoring Maverick’s
glare. “This is Shane. We met here a week or so ago.” Rodney shook hands and
Louanne greeted him. Maverick glared.

Celia
shot him a look that plainly said,
Really?
as
she rolled her eyes.

“You
guys need me to shoot tonight?” she asked.

“Would
you mind staying with me?” Louanne responded. “I’ve got a pretty good idea what
I’m doing, but I’m not sure.”

“Sure,”
she said. “You mind, honey?” she asked Shane. He shook his head, and followed
her to where Louanne led them.

Honey?

Fuck.
He had to get his shit together. Their class was about to begin.

Rodney
stood in front of the room.

“Evening,
ladies and gentleman,” he began. “And welcome to our first... shall we say...
session.”
An appreciative murmur went up from the audience and Maverick snickered. He
was grateful Rodney was ready to begin, as he couldn’t handle it right now.

“First,
before we get to our demo, we’re going to go over the basics we’ve already
covered in other classes.” As Rodney began, Maverick’s mind wandered. He
glanced over at Celia. Shane whispered in her ear, and she was biting her lip.
Shit. Why did it never bother him before when she was with another guy? She was
always
with a guy. She was gorgeous, and guys practically fell all over
her. Why did it bother him
now?