Cuff Master (21 page)

“What did I do wrong? I did everything you asked and more.”

“You got me hard without making an offering,” he answered.

“I wanted to please you. You enjoyed the blowjob, admit it.”

“It was sweeter than heaven. I don’t mind letting you have
your way, but you need to ask first. Have you any idea how much it pleases me
to watch you get yourself off?”

“Very well, I will be on my best behavior when we come home.
I can’t promise I’ll play nice tonight. For some reason, I’m feeling naughty.”

“As always, what we do is up to you. If you play nice, I
will. If you test me, I will respond. Make sure you take your medicine before
we leave. Take some Tylenol too.”

“I will.” She kissed him again, stood up and walked to the
bathroom to get her pills.

She was sore pretty much all over and her nipples ached from
his sometimes ferocious foreplay, although she wouldn’t complain. Soreness
would fade. The marks he’d made on her soul were deeper because he’d marked her
as his last night.

Each time he came in her, she’d wanted to trap his cum in
her pussy for a lifetime. Each time he bit her or sucked her skin, she
treasured it as much as his gentleness when he’d turned around and kissed the
spot with honest devotion.

She’d loved that he hadn’t been gentle last night. She’d
wanted hardcore fucking. She’d gotten it and she’d gotten it good. In return,
she’d given him a few scratches and crescent-shaped nail marks on his skin.

In fact, she’d loved knowing she was as much his match in
bed as she was when they were cooking or dancing or drinking a beer. They could
talk about anything. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye on politics and they
disagreed about meat in their diet.

But at the end of the day, being with Ethan was where she
wanted to be. She prayed she didn’t disappoint him or make him jealous due to
her friendship with Remy and Trevor Osbourne.

And while she was certain Trevor enjoyed being the most
eligible bachelor on the Alexandria Griffins right now, she never got the
impression that he was a player like some athletes on the team could be.

She’d touched his hand at the wedding, coming to believe
that his fame had come back to hurt him deeply and his flirty behavior was all
bravado to keep his friends from suspecting that he was more than a linebacker
who could manhandle QBs or spoil an offense.

Despite his recent heartbreak, Morgan was pretty sure he was
close to finding someone who could heal him. When he least expected it, he’d
meet his soul mate, a woman who may be a relative of one of his teammates or
someone he already knew as a friend.

Fortunately, she had Ethan. When they knew what really
happened to Jenna Bailey, she’d like to introduce him to her mother and
stepfather.

“Ethan?” she asked when she returned to the bedroom to see
him scratching Delilah’s chin.

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to meet my parents sometime?”

“Absolutely,” he agreed, coming over to meet her halfway
across the room. “Do you think I’d object?”

“Sometimes guys are weird about meeting a woman’s parents.
It’s a sign of commitment.”

He put his arms around her, drawing her in. “I’d be glad to
meet your mother and stepfather. I know you’ve some reservations about him and
I’d like to help you two reconnect. Remember, honey, no more condoms means
we’re committed.”

“My reservation comes from the fact that my stepfather sent
me to a shrink. He refused to believe in me, causing my mom to stand by her
husband instead of me.”

“Maybe if you sit him down and talk one-on-one, he’d listen.
He’s a cop. He thinks in facts and evidence. If he can’t see it, he won’t
understand.”

Ethan summed it up perfectly. “Yes, you’re right. Let’s do
that. He’ll listen if you’re with me.”

“You need to give him a chance and forgive. He was wrong to
doubt you.”

“It hurt so much that I left home. In the end, moving to
Salem to live with Grandma was the best thing for me.”

“Perhaps your stepdad knew that. Being a kid who sees ghosts
and touches things and knows all the secrets bottled up in that object had to
be frightening. He must have known that. In his own way, he was trying to
help.”

“Thank you for saying that, Ethan. You’re so good to me.” He
hugged her then and rubbed her back ever so gently.

“I’d do anything for you.”

She tightened her arms about him, loving how strong he was
and how nice it felt to be in his embrace. “Let’s go before I change my mind
and seduce you,” she said.

“Easy, temptress, later, when you’re not sore, we can get
back to seduction,” he reassured. “It’s Friday so we’ll head to Boston and have
the brownstone to ourselves for the weekend. Maybe we can get some Italian food
in the North End.”

“I’d love that,” Morgan agreed. “We can do some wash later.
I’m officially out of clean clothes and we need to wash the sheets on the bed.”

“There’ll be plenty of time.”

They broke apart and left the bedroom. The cats followed
them downstairs. They were fed and busy with a couple of ping-pong balls Ethan
had kicked in their direction before Morgan went to get her coat.

The plastic balls were Samson and Delilah’s favorite toys.
They made a lot of noise and skidded off every wooden surface without damaging
anything.

Ethan joined her in the hall, assisted her with her coat and
took his from the coatrack. He checked the inside pocket, found his wallet and
his car keys.

Morgan followed him outside to his Acura TL, enjoying the
way he assisted her into the passenger seat. “Aren’t you the gentleman today?”

“I’m going out with my lady, I want everyone to know how
much you’re appreciated,” he stated, buckling her seatbelt for her. He kissed
her quickly and went around the car to the driver’s side.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said when they were
heading to Danvers.

“Okay.”

“I realize Halloween’s a busy time for you, but Alex and
Ryan are hosting a three-day members-only event in honor of Samhain. I’d like
to book a room for us, if you’re willing.”

Morgan took her eyes off the road ahead of them and looked
at Ethan. “I’m willing and very curious.”

“For the record, members of Druid Creek Castle’s BDSM community
are always discreet. And unless you’ve a particular proclivity for being
watched or watching other couples, everything we do during the weekend will
take place in our own private dungeon.”

“Except for erotic photos and the occasional porn video, I’ve
never seen another couple have sex. The idea of it though, well, it is
exciting. What do you mean about a private dungeon? I thought they turned the
downstairs into a gigantic dungeon.”

“For those who like public displays, that’s true,” Ethan
answered. “Remember, dungeons are not always in basements.”

“So you said the other day. Your master bedroom at the
brownstone is your dungeon, am I right?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see tonight.”

“It’s hard to believe almost two weeks have gone by and the
cops still have no answers to what happened to me in the rest room.”

“They’re close to finding something, Morgan. Try not to
worry. As much as I’d like to take over for the officer in charge, I can’t. If
the witness doesn’t reveal much or the flashlight is bogus, it can take a long
time to find answers. Police work requires vigilance for that one small break
to blow things open.”

“I honestly think what happened was the result of someone
panicking and reacting without thinking. I upset Alisa. I should have thought
about it more before I told her about seeing Jenna. If it wasn’t Alisa or
Spencer Bailey, then it had to be someone they’re close to.”

“My guess is it’s the person Mrs. Bailey spoke to in the
doorway. There’s no video evidence of that person, but Alisa was visibly
arguing with someone. Spencer was giving a presentation.”

“Let’s hope we know something soon,” Morgan said.

“It’ll come together. If there’s a clue, the police will
find it. If not, I’m going to keep investigating, either with Sam’s help or
Phalen’s when he comes home.”

“I’m glad to have their help.”

“So what do you say about Samhain?”

“Spending a weekend with you no matter the reason is my idea
of heaven. I say yes.”

“That’s my girl,” he praised, releasing the steering wheel.
“I’ve special plans for you, Morgan.”

“I have to wait until Samhain?” That was ten days away.
Cassie and Phalen’s wedding seemed ages ago. When in reality, it’d only been
two weeks!

“Yes you do.”

“Will Taran be there? I’m pretty sure your partner won’t be
pleased by that. She’ll never say so though.”

“Sure. He’s likely not to participate in anything more than
socializing with friends because Sam isn’t ready for it. Not everyone who goes
to these things has sex. Sometimes members attend just for support from others
who are part of the lifestyle.”

“Phalen and Cassie will be there,” Morgan said.

“They’ll be home from Hawaii by then. Alex probably reserved
their room already. They’re always private unless they are giving lessons to
Doms on how to treat their subs and that’s something I really don’t want to
witness.”

“Thank goodness. I really don’t think I can watch Taran or
Phalen and Cassie doing anything close to what we do.”

Ethan laughed. “I’m grateful for Phalen’s tutelage growing
up. But if I saw him and Cassie together, I’d feel like the kid who walks in on
his parents when they’re having sex or catching some asshole making moves on my
sister.”

It was Morgan’s turn to laugh. “I might use that against you
someday. You called your older brother an asshole.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Sounded that way to me,” she teased. “Wonder what he’d do
to you if he knew?”

“Child’s play compared to what I’ll do to you if you spill
the beans. Phalen can be a bossy sonofabitch, but he’s my hero. If I can be
half the man he is, I’m doing all right.”

“You’re every bit the man Phalen is. Don’t doubt that for a
second.”

“I won’t,” he agreed and took her hand in his. “Anyone tell
you that you’re an amazing woman?”

“You certainly make me feel that way.” Morgan wrapped her
fingers around his, cherishing the rightness of it.

The drive to Danvers wasn’t too terribly bad. Most of the
traffic through Salem consisted of tourists. Soon the town would be jam-packed
with people taking in the Halloween experience or Samhain festivals. Getting
away, even if it was the next town over, would be a great occasion.

Ethan parked in the small lot, climbed out and came around
to assist Morgan out of the car. Instead of going in the front entrance, they
went to the doorway that they’d used the night of Cassie and Phalen’s wedding.

When there were wedding receptions, the doorway opened to a
hall that was meant for wedding parties to come and go without being seen by
their guests. When wedding receptions weren’t happening, overnight guests could
enter using their keycards.

Check-in was on the bottom floor through the entrance that
led to the pub and party room, occurring after three in the afternoon unless
special arrangements had been made in advance. Departures were supposed to be
done by noon.

It was ten o’clock in the morning by the time Ethan and
Morgan punched a button to gain permission to enter. It was relatively quiet
for a Friday.

The daytime kitchen staff would be cleaning up after
breakfast and the housekeepers would be tidying up rooms for departed guests.
It was a well-run organization.

After a minute, the buzz of the lock signaled they could
enter. Together they went through the hall to a back elevator that was so
old-fashioned the door had to be manually closed. They wound their way to the
penthouse floor, which featured Alex and Ryan’s enormous suite, storage and
business offices.

Ethan and Morgan stepped off the elevator into a foyer that
was locked. The only way to gain access was a keycard and a PIN number. Ethan
had a card in his wallet. He slipped it into a slot and punched the PIN into
the system. The doors slid open.

As old as the outer walls were, the inside of the castle was
modern, but it was decorated with antique armor, tapestries and Celtic statues
and paintings of Stonehenge, crosses and sunsets in Ireland, Scotland and
Wales. The top floor had previously been nothing but storage and wasted space.

Alex and Ryan had it remodeled after they’d purchased the
establishment from the previous owner. It was sad that Catherine O’Brien left
before her dream restaurant and castle became what it was now, but she’d laid
the foundations for a place that was already being featured in New England
magazines as a tourist destination.

Walking down the narrow hall toward the business office,
Ethan and Morgan held hands and knocked in unison when they reached the closed
door. When they didn’t receive an answer, Ethan suggested they try the
penthouse suite.

“Maybe Alex is at the diner today,” Morgan said. “He splits
his time between here and there. We should have called.”

“I agree,” Ethan replied. “It won’t hurt to try their door
anyway.”

“Okay.”

They walked a few feet farther to the door. Morgan knocked
this time, but the door wasn’t closed all the way and swung open, causing them
to fall forward and into the room.

It was kismet! The second they crossed the threshold, they
realized why Alex hadn’t been in his office. And Ryan wasn’t at work. He was
standing right there in the living room, naked from head to toe, with Alex
kneeling before him.

At first it took a second for Morgan to understand what she
and Ethan just walked in on. Alex was fully dressed. His head bobbed, sucking
noises echoed about the room. His big hands were busy stroking his lover’s
cock.

Ryan stood proud in his nakedness. He wasn’t angry or
panicked or anything other than enthralled by the man on his knees. It was the
most beautifully erotic sight Morgan had ever seen.