NeedMe (12 page)

Sap.

He couldn’t even claim it was because he was satisfied. His
rigid cock proved that. He hadn’t come yet, but he’d worry about that later.

Which probably made him a dopey sap.

Smothering a sigh, he brushed a kiss over Marsh’s cheek and
told her he’d be right back. Getting some air sounded like a very good idea at
the moment.

After taking a detour to the men’s room, he dropped Marcia’s
special new glass friend off in the car then spent a few minutes contemplating
the star-speckled sky while a noisily kissing couple felt each other up in the
next car over.

He’d picked the wrong place to cozy up with his thoughts
apparently.

By the time he worked his way back upstairs, Marcia and Cale
were fully dressed and eyeing each other warily.

“What’s up?” Tony asked, perching lightly on the arm of the
sofa. He wasn’t too keen on sitting on most of the surfaces in this joint,
despite its relative cleanliness. Considering what went down here—literally—a
guy couldn’t be too careful.

“Ask him,” Marcia muttered.

Cale jerked a shoulder. “Just asked her what else she was in
the mood for tonight.”

“Right now, I’m the mood to catch my breath.” She rolled her
eyes. “Sorry if that’ll slow you down, stud.”

Cale’s lips twisted up. “Watching doesn’t take much energy,
now does it? Come on, let’s get some drinks.”

Tony and Marcia followed him downstairs to the bar. “What’s
his deal?” Marcia whispered to Tony.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Let me get you a drink,” Cale said to Marcia, ordering her
a shot of raspberry vodka before she had a chance to reply.

“Hey, you didn’t let me decide what I want.”

“Think I can handle ordering.” The hard kiss Cale gave
Marcia baffled Tony more than it annoyed him.

Cale had been fine upstairs. At first anyway. But as their
play had continued, he’d become progressively rougher and more aggressive. Was
it the atmosphere or what?

“Didn’t doubt it, but I can order my own drink fine,
thanks.” Marcia’s irritation rang out loud and clear.

“Wasn’t asking.”

Marcia frowned. “What’s your problem?”

Tony wondered that too but when Cale met Tony’s gaze, his
expression held a clear message.
Play along.

“No problem, just establishing some guidelines. We’re
capable of taking care of you the way you need.”

“I’ve already been taken care of in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Yeah, well, we say when that care ends, Blondie.” Cale’s
dismissive look at Marcia made her hackles rise so visibly that Tony nearly
grinned. Shit, his best friend was about to lose an arm if he kept it up.

“
We?
Since when? Last I knew I was Tony’s girlfriend,
not yours.”

“When you’re here with us, you’re ours to be shared equally.
Isn’t that what we agreed?”

Though Cale’s voice never lifted over his usual measured
tones, Tony didn’t miss the steel beneath the question.

Cale had dabbled in some things that bordered on the darker
edges of sex, at least by his own relatively vanilla standards, but Tony didn’t
know if that had anything to do with Cale’s sudden behavior change. Was he
trying to show Marcia a different side to him and his sexuality? Or was
something else going on?

“Yeah, we agreed. But we also agreed you were both mine as
well. I didn’t sign on for some submissive gig—”

Cale silenced her with one fingertip on her chin. “You
signed on for whatever we want unless you’ve decided to call things off. These
aren’t your rules. It’s either all the way or no way.”

Indignance flared in Marcia’s wide eyes. “So I have no
choice?”

“You just got your choices. So choose. And if you choose not
to agree, then this stops here and now.”

Tony started to speak but Cale’s quick, almost imperceptible
headshake cut him off. Above all else he trusted his best friend. This
threesome would’ve never happened otherwise. Whatever Cale was up to, it wasn’t
just some kinky sex game.

Marcia glanced at Tony. “Well?” she demanded, lifting her
voice above the laughter and noise of the crowd. “Is he speaking for you now as
well?”

Tony jerked a shoulder, caught between the proverbial best
friend rock and possibly-couch-sleeping hard place. “You heard the guy. Sounds
like a hard limit to me.”

“Oh really. What if I call a halt to everything with both of
you? How about that?”

“No,” Cale snapped. “This is my limit, not Tony’s. You want
out, you’re out.” Still using that single fingertip, he lightly pushed her face
away and stepped back to motion to the bartender. After ordering a neat
whiskey, he aimed one last meaningful look at Tony and stalked away from the bar,
then headed upstairs as if he knew exactly where he was going.

He probably did. They’d been there the night before and
checked out things pretty thoroughly. But Cale’s purposeful gait indicated so
much more than just that he had a particular location in mind.

He wanted them to follow.

“Can you fucking believe the power trip he’s on? What the
hell’s his deal?” Marcia whirled toward Tony and screwed up her mouth. “For
that matter, what’s yours? I thought you always had my back.”

“I do.” He stroked a hand down her hair and tried not to
rise to her bait. As far as he was concerned, this was way too much melodrama
just to fuck. They had a bed at home and enough toys to entertain themselves
for a week straight. Why go through all this? Just so people could gawk at
them?

Yeah, that had been hot. Before. Now he was just bored.

He already knew who he wanted. Even the thing with Cale
already seemed like it had reached its expiration date. Fine by him. He’d
happily go home with his girlfriend and do it ’til the sun came up in the
privacy of his own damn bedroom.

“What do you think he’s doing up there?” Marcia looked at
the staircase then back at Tony.

“No clue.”
Don’t care.
“But I suppose you want to
find out?” he asked when she continued to glance back and forth.

“He’s acting like a tool.” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you
put him up to this?”

“For what reason?”

She threw up her hands. “How should I know?”

“I didn’t put him up to anything, Marsh. Have you ever known
me to lie to you?”

She inhaled deeply. “No, you’re not a liar. I’m sorry for
accusing you. I just don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

“Me either. Guess it’s either go with the flow or go create
our own waves at home.” He pulled her close and brushed a kiss over her temple.
“Your choice.”

“Why are you so damn good to me?” The annoyance in her
question made him smile despite himself.

Because I love you.
The words were right there but
this wasn’t the place to say them. “You’re important to me,” he said instead,
tightening his hold. “Very important.”

“You are to me too.” She spoke against his Adam’s apple, her
mouth moving sensuously over his skin. “Tony, I—”

“Later, okay?” he murmured against her hair. Whatever she
was going to say, he didn’t want to hear it here. Good or bad, this wasn’t the
place for important revelations. “We’ll talk.”

She nodded before stepping away. The contemplative
expression in her hazel eyes wasn’t a look he’d seen her wear often. “Let’s go
see what he’s up to. Then we’ll go home. Okay?”

Home.
Theirs.
Would they ever share one? And how unreal
was it that he was considering that question while, two feet away, a woman with
a shaved head stroked her bare nipple and gazed adoringly at her seven-foot
companion?

“Okay,” he said as he nudged Marcia ahead of him toward the
stairs.

They made their way to the second level slowly, as if
neither was in a particular rush to see what Cale was up to. Or maybe that was
just Tony. He didn’t really care to know what had drawn Cale’s attention. Not
when he was less interested in getting laid than in laying his feelings on the
line.

Either he was getting old or growing up. Both possibilities
were a little frightening.

Once they reached the lounge, Tony glanced around. Cale
wasn’t anywhere in sight. The couch they’d occupied just a short while ago had
been taken by four girls in tight tops and minis who barely looked old enough
to drink. They giggled loudly, their gazes darting everywhere at once.

“Steam room?” he murmured against Marcia’s hair.

“Maybe.” She jerked a shoulder. “Or the dungeon.”

“You test me.” He slid his hand down her arm until he could
link his fingers with hers.

“It’s not my scene either,” she insisted as they crossed the
room.

“I thought everything was your scene,” he teased, opening
the door that led to the BDSM room.

“Me too but apparently—”

A sharp scream drowned out the rest of Marcia’s answer. She
clutched Tony’s hand tighter as they stepped into the darkened room. The door
clunked shut behind them.

There were a lot fewer people tonight, which somehow
spotlighted the action on the raised platform in the center. The brunette on
the spanking bench had been totally stripped except for her string bikini top
and thong panties. Bright red welts decorated the perfect white globes of her
ass.

“Shit.” Tony winced when the man at her side landed another
blow on her body.

“Yeah, ouch.” Marcia pressed closer to Tony. “That’s gotta
fucking
burn
.”

Still, the woman writhed and begged. She wore a black
blindfold that obscured half her face and her lean, pliable body flexed with
each strike. Her enthusiastic moans proved she wanted every bit of what was
coming to her.

The man handed off the implement to the guy on his other
side and stepped off the platform, giving his new pal room to take center
stage.

Jesus, the friend was
Cale
.

He looked completely in his element as he ran the tip of the
object between the woman’s sweat-drenched shoulder blades. Her skin gleamed in
the low lighting and her thighs trembled from the exertion of holding herself
still.

“Shit,” Tony muttered again.

Cale prowled around the bench, the long not-quite-a-whip
whispering over her from the base of her neck to her ankles. It was as if he
wanted to completely scope out her body before he started putting his mark on
it.

Or maybe he wouldn’t. Could be this was just some elaborate
ruse. For what, he had no clue.

The first crack against skin made Marcia let out a little
gasp. There was a terrible beauty to his movements, a sort of practiced skill
at knowing just where to hit and how hard to make his submissive moan.

“Quiet.” Cale’s command silenced both the crowd and the
woman under his hand, as if a switch had been flipped. Then he again began
landing blows.

Tony swallowed hard. For chrissakes, it wasn’t some stranger
up there. His best friend was the one doing the honors, his muscled forearm rippling
with each strike. And his face—

“Now that’s a hard-on,” Marcia whispered, her breath
whispering over Tony’s neck.

Tony managed not to grimace. The front of Cale’s jeans
protruded so far he could drill wood without benefit of a hammer. “Guess we
know what he’s into now.”

“Guess so.” Marcia rested her head on Tony’s chest, her face
still turned toward the front of the room. Shying away from new experiences
wasn’t her style.

Though it was silly, he wrapped his arm around her
shoulders. He didn’t need to shield her from anything, that much was clear. But
he wanted her to know she was safe with him, that if anything was too
overwhelming for her he’d gladly take her out of here and never come back.

“She’s loving every minute.”

“Sure is.”

Why
was the question. Why did someone get off on
receiving pain and why did someone else enjoy giving it? In this case, why did
Cale
enjoy giving it?

The whip-crop-whatever swung through the air, landing with a
noticeable
thwap
right above the brunette’s ass cheeks. She cried out,
her body shimmying to its own rhythm, but her gyrations weren’t what took
Tony’s attention. Faint black lines swirled in the hollow of her back, somehow
becoming more apparent with each crack of the whip. Dark curlicues, a shadow of
the large blue wings of a butterfly.

The woman shifted on the bench and flung back her curtain of
dark hair. Something about the curve of her jaw, the way she held herself even
while she was in the throes of—well, passion, Tony supposed, unsure if that
adequately described her current state—dinged a bell at the back of his mind.

Holy shit.

Tony pulled Marcia closer, hardly aware of her protest. He’d
apologize for crushing her later, but right now he had to distract her,
anything to take her focus from the front of the room. At least if what he
thought he was seeing wasn’t a mirage.

Other women looked like her. She wasn’t that unusual. There
were lots of pretty brunettes in their early forties.

But there was that tattoo, one she’d obviously gone to some
effort to conceal. Too bad her makeup was running off. Obviously it wasn’t
heatproof. Or crop-proof.

She again turned her head toward the crowd, her damp lips
parted in silent plea, and Tony sucked in a breath. Dammit, there was no
denying it.

The woman being whipped by Cale was Diana.

Chapter Ten

“Hey, flesh and bone here. You’re about to squeeze me to
death.”

“Sorry.” Tony loosened his hold on Marcia slightly but he
didn’t look at her.

Weird. Before tonight, she would’ve guessed bondage and pain
wasn’t his thing at all. Now he seemed oddly fascinated. Had their sex club
exploits finally gone too far?

Another scream rent the air as Marcia glanced up at the taut
lines of Tony’s face. Sure, he looked a little tense, but she was reading too
much into things. Her boyfriend wasn’t enjoying this and neither was she.

Obviously Cale had found a new playmate and that was just as
well, since
she
had no intention of getting up on that bench anytime
soon. There was a big difference between playful recreational spanking and a
public whipping, so big that she’d officially reached the end of the line with
Cale. And Kink too.

Actually she’d reached that line last night. Much as she
loved Cale as a friend, being with him had given her two things—multiple
orgasms and a crystal clear certainty of the man she wanted in her life.

If only they could just go home already.

“You know how I used to tell you my fantasies about being
doubly penetrated,” she murmured, sweeping a kiss over Tony’s jaw.

He barely spared her a glance. “Yeah.”

She looked over her shoulder at Cale, who coincidentally
enough was looking straight at them. He started to take a step forward but the
moans from his submissive grabbed his focus before he could. At once he levied
a succession of blows and more moans rang out, this time from the assembled
crowd. The brunette dropped her head to her folded arms, her body shuddering
and slick with sweat.

“Well, I’ve decided tonight’s earlier experience was
enough,” she said, squeezing Tony’s biceps. “You and that glass dildo are
plenty for me.”

His lips tilted upward but his gaze never connected with
hers. “Should I be worried you’re in love?”

She blinked, sure she’d misheard him. “With Cale?”

“No. With the dildo.”

“Ah, well, now that’s a good question. Only many more hours
of playtime can answer that question for certain.” She patted his chest, so
eager to be alone with him it was ridiculous. Nerves jumped like butterflies on
speed in her belly at the mere thought.

Cripes, she hated this tension between them. Odd how
sleeping with Cale had proven to her exactly how much she was in love with her
man—and exactly how happy he made her when they were one-on-one. Tony had given
her the experience of a lifetime but now she was ready to start thinking about
spending that lifetime with him.

She needed to tell him. Without leaving out any of the
grisly, gory details.

Antonio Marcus Griggs, I’m madly, hopelessly in love with
you. And so help me, if you’re not in love with me too, if your whole making
babies conversation was just the emergence of your inner hippie, I’m going to—

“Can you give me and Cale a couple minutes, Marsh? Alone?”
Before she had time to reply, Tony gripped her shoulders and carefully set her
aside. Not pushed, not nudged. Lifted her up and set her aside as if she were a
rather large, grimacing doll.

What the fuck?

Tony strode up to Cale and grabbed his arm. They took a few
steps away from the platform and bent their heads close.
Real
close.
Every few seconds they tossed glances at the writhing brunette. The instant
Cale left her she’d begun whimpering, the broken sounds almost painful.

Marcia dug her nails into her palms. Did Tony want to get
freaky with Cale and the pain junkie? What about
her
?

Well, she’d be damned if she stood around wondering. She’d
had a number of epiphanies over the last couple of days and if her lover didn’t
care to hear her conclusions, it was his loss. Either Tony was leaving with her
now or she would be leaving alone. Somehow. Without a vehicle. In extremely
high heels.

Taking a deep breath, Marcia strode over to break up Cale
and Tony’s little huddle. Cale’s jaw tightened when he saw her approach but
Tony continued his hush-hush convo as if he hadn’t even noticed her presence.

She was about to say something when Tony flapped his hand at
her. Did he think she was a dog he needed to teach to heel or what? “Give us a
minute, would you? I’ll meet you outside.” His tone was even more distracted
than the look he spared her.

“Excuse me?” Marcia crossed her arms over her chest and
wondered if Tony knew how close he was to taking part in his first public
scene. At least she assumed it was his first. If it wasn’t, it would be his
most ugly. “Did you say something?”

“Not right now.” He bit off the words, yanking Cale even
farther away as he turned his back on her. “Outside. Gimme a few. I’m sorry.”

Yeah, sorry he would be.

Enough was enough. First Cale had acted like a colossal
dick, now Tony was pulling some sort of power trip. Who did they think they
were? Who did they think
she
was?

“Tony, I’m leaving,” she said.

“Okay, great.”

With a
harrumph
no one seemed to hear, Marcia spun
around and rushed out of the pseudo-dungeon. She crossed the lounge with nary a
glance at any swinging penises or bouncing breasts. In fact, she didn’t look up
from her feet until she was at the exit and her cell started chiming in her
purse.

Saved by the chirpy bell.

She tugged out her phone and checked the caller. Adam.
Again. After a brief debate about which was worse—listening to her little
brother wax poetic about Leigh’s big gray eyes or walking home—she decided she
could always tune him out. “I need a ride,” she said in lieu of hello.

“I’m still on my date.”

“So why are you calling me?”

“Because she’s in the bathroom again. Do you think it’s that
time of the month or something?”

“I’m sure she’s inserting her sponge so she can bang you
like a drum. Now, seriously, I need a ride. Pronto.”

His smooth chuckle managed to make her grin in spite of her
mood. “Where are you?”

“Uh, at an undisclosed location.” She glanced around and
improvised. “But I might need the protection of my big, strong, ex-football
player brother.”

“Sure, pull on my protective strings. Gimme an address. And
where’s your car?”

She grinned again. Her brother might be a jerk of epic
proportions when it came to boasting about his own accomplishments but he was
also sweet and wonderful and probably way too good for Leigh anyway. “My ride
can’t take me home. You sure you can leave for a bit? I won’t keep you long.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. We finished dessert. She’s not talking
much. I was thinking she might just be the quiet type but when I asked her if
she was a Democrat, she—”

“Oh, Adam the magnate. You don’t discuss politics on a first
date.” Or ever, in her case. Her life was enough of a landmine without
introducing twisty topics like tax reform.

“I was just feeling her out. I’m starting to get the idea
that maybe she’s not into me.”

“What was your first clue?” Marcia asked innocently.

“Well, the bathroom thing. And she keeps looking at her
watch.” He blew out a breath. “Let me pay the bill and drop her off at the Nook
then I’ll come get you.”

“Thanks.” She rattled off the address then hung up. She
definitely owed the lugnut a giant hug.

She also owed her lover a phone call. Making him worry
wasn’t cool, even if she wasn’t certain he wouldworry, considering his
state of fascination with Cale and his sexual proclivities.

She called Tony’s cell and got his voicemail. So surprising.
After leaving a pithy message that indicated she was fine and had gotten a ride
home, she went outside and crossed the street to the tire place where she’d
directed her brother to pick her up. She wasn’t ashamed of hanging out a sex
club but she also didn’t feel like entertaining questions. And Adam, being
Adam, would ask plenty of them.

With a sigh, she sat down on the curb outside the front door
and contemplated the pack of smokes she habitually toted around in her purse.
It had been a long time since she’d lit up but every now and then, the urge
appeared. Like right now. If she closed her eyes she could almost smell the
smoke carrying on the wind.

Her fingers twitched but she tucked them under her other
hand. Nope, no cigs. No distractions. She was just going to sit here and think.

Heaven help her.

She turned off her phone, not wanting to be tempted if Tony
called—not wanting to know if he didn’t—and stared at the starry sky. It was
such a pretty night, and out here away from the noise and madness of Kink she
felt isolated, maybe even a little lonely. Definitely contemplative.

Her mindset had done a complete one eighty in just a few
days and she still wasn’t sure what that meant yet. Or who would be coming
along with her for the ride.

That she hadn’t pitched a scene at Kink showed exactly how
far she’d come. She’d walked away and now she was thinking things through rather
than making any rash decisions. God, growing up—even at almost forty—really
fucking
sucked
.

Adam appeared a short while later. As soon as she shimmied
into his pricey jockstrap of a car, she let out a laugh at the hair metal band
pumping from the speakers. “Eighties music? Really?”

“Yeah, well, there was no dirty talking tonight, that was
for sure.” He flashed her a wide grin then pointedly glanced out the
windshield. “Oh and by the way, sis? If you think I actually believe you’ve
been hanging out at a closed tire place all night, you’re wrong. Where’d you
come from? Been streaking in the woods or something?”

Again a flush crept over her cheeks. Twice in one night. How
disturbing. “Or something.”

“Not going to tell me?”

“Absolutely not.” She leaned over and kissed his baby-smooth
cheek. “I love you, you know that?”

“I do actually. You loved me so much you sent me a redheaded
hottie to sleep with tonight. And you know what they say about redheads.”

She barked out a laugh. “What’s that?”

He pretended to zip his lips. “Sorry, classified info.”

She snapped her seat belt into place. “So you’ve never
actually slept with a redhead.”

“You would be correct.” He shot her another grin.

Still smiling, Marcia settled into her seat. He’d cheered
her up without even trying. Started to anyway. Figuring out what was going on
with Tony would get her the rest of the way there.

She hoped.

“So where to, sunshine? Home? Or should we go drink to our
mutually sucky nights?”

“Bummed about the lack of action?”

“Among other things.” Though he shot her another grin, there
was no missing the sudden tension in his jaw.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing I can’t handle, sweets.” He took her hand, giving
it a quick squeeze before releasing her.

She frowned and stared at his profile. That was two-for-two.
Apparently the world had decided she didn’t need to know anything about the
people she loved. “That’s it? You’re not giving me any more than that?”

“Let’s just say I needed to impress a woman tonight. I also
really needed to get laid.” Such arrogance might’ve curled her lip if not for
the way he clenched the steering wheel. “Since neither of those panned out,
think I’ll spring for a couple strong drinks.”

“Vague much?” She rolled her eyes. “Sure you won’t tell me?
I’m a good listener.”

“Since when?”

“Ouch.” But since he wasn’t entirely wrong, she let it go.

Something else she would have to work on if she wanted to
become the queen of advice, of a sexual nature or otherwise. At least she’d
begun to make inroads there by listening to Leigh. And she hadn’t hung up on
either her or her brother, which had to mean she was learning, right?

“Sorry. Ignore me. Thanks for the offer. When I’m in a place
to talk, you’ll be the one I call.”

“Really?”

“You’re my best friend. Didn’t you know that?”

“That’s so cool.” For the first time in a few hours, she
grinned. “But doesn’t that violate some strict brother-sister mandate?”

“Does it?” He lifted a shoulder. “I suppose it’d be more
manly if I said it was Spencer, but he’s a tough nut to crack. That he even
bothers to return my phone calls shows the depth of our brotherly bond.”

“Fuck that. I’m a better best friend than he could be
anyhoo.” She snuggled closer and tucked her arm through his, making him laugh.
“Let’s go drink those strong drinks at my place. Fewer witnesses to our
subsequent walks of shame.”

“You’re on.”

* * * * *

Tony shoved down the rising tide of panic as he swung into
Marcia’s parking lot. She was fine. Hadn’t she left a message saying so? She’d
just needed some space to cool off.

Why she couldn’t have just waited a couple minutes like he’d
asked her to wasn’t the point. She’d gotten a ride home from someone—and God,
please let her be home—and now she was probably digging into a pint of Chunky
Monkey and curling up with reruns on TV.

She was smart and he had faith in her. Pissed or not, she
wouldn’t do something risky or break his trust by going home with some random
guy.

That didn’t mean she hadn’t fucking scared him shitless.

Kink just wasn’t the place for a gorgeous woman to wander
off alone. He didn’t doubt she could take care of herself but why should she
have to? That was his job. He loved her and dammit, he would protect her.

He dragged a hand over his face. If he didn’t get a hold of
himself, he wouldn’t be able to discuss things rationally. Tonight, of all
nights, that was vital.

No more screwing around. No more halfway. He loved her,
dammit, and they would both have to deal with whatever that meant.

He turned off the engine and got out of his car, so consumed
with his thoughts that he didn’t even realize he’d arrived at Marcia’s door
until he lifted his hand to knock. The moment his knuckles met the wood he
heard a loud feminine laugh. He scowled just as the door swung in and Marcia
leaned out, a bottle of Mudslide mix in one hand. “You’re—oh, hey.” Her eyes
went wide. “Hey,” she said again, more softly.