No Reservations (22 page)

Master Venom sneered and nudged at her with his foot so she got up, but she kept her head bowed. He fixed his attention on Brandon and gave him a large smile.

He rubbed his hands together, too. What a cliche. 'What can I help you with?'

Just looking,' Leah said, as Brandon pointed to a braided leather bracelet woven with silver charms and said, 'I want to see one of these.'

Master Venom looked confused for a second, his beady gaze going back and forth between them. Then he looked at Brandon again, ignoring Leah, i can make these with any charm you want. Initials, or a bead symbolising something special for your slaves.

Whatever. I can show you what I have.'

Slaves. Leah hated that word. 'What about for someone who's not a slave?'

Master Venom turned to her with a sneer. 'Everyone's either a master or a slave. My name's Master Venom.

You'l address me as Master Venom, got it? Now, say,

"Yes, Master Venom.'"

Brandon took a step back. Getting out of her way, Leah realised. She set her jaw and stepped closer. 'You know, "master" only means something if it's given to you by the other person, not if you demand it. And I don't cal anyone master. Ever.'

A smal knot of people had gathered, watching, but Leah didn't care. She took a deep breath and faced down the man on the other side of the counter. He was every reason she'd never wanted to be part of the lifestyle and a few reasons she hadn't thought of before.

'Dude, not the best way to sel your products, bitching at the customers,' Brandon said.

Venom turned, his face getting red. He looked at Brandon from top-to-toe, then turned to Leah with condescension dripping inhis tone. You should leash your pet.' lslBrandon gave a low, angry noise and stepped in front of her. 'Don't talk to her like that.'

Pansy let out a smal peep and got the hel out of the way. She tugged at the chain holding her tight to the back of the booth. 'Oh, shit. Maurice, back off. This guy's big.' 'MY NAME IS MASTER VENOM!'

Leah put a hand on Brandon's arm to hold him off. She gave Maurice a long hard stare. I don't need to leash him to get him to do what I want.' Her tone made it clear what she thought of anyone who had to rely on chains to get obedience.

Master Venom sputtered. A couple of people in the crowd cheered and clapped. Pansy yanked the chain and ducked behind the curtain at the back of the booth.

Venom fol owed after a second.

Asshole,' Leah heard someone mutter from the booth next door.

'He real y gives us al a bad, bad name,' said a man wearing faded jeans and a plain white T-shirt, his blond hair in a ponytail. He gave Leah and Brandon both a smile. 'Look, if you want something to wear that's a little more mainstream than a spiked col ar, I've got some great pieces at my booth. Show discounts, too. I'm over there. C'mon and stop over.'

The crowd dispersed. Venom and Tansy didn't return.

Leah reached for Brandon's hand.

You know I said I'd never put a col ar on you.'

'I know. But Leah ... if there was something . . .' He hesitated, looking around, then waved a hand. 'Some people wear bracelets, or col ars, or get tattoos. Some people get off on wearing chains. I think it would be kind of cool to have . . . something. To wear when we're not together. Then when I looked at it.

He gave her the grin she never could resist.

'What?' she prompted, aware they were not alone, they were in the middle of a thousand kinky lifestylers who wouldn't think twice if she ordered him to his knees to eat her cunt right then and there. And that the thought of it made her clit pulse. 'It's like the lists,' he said. You know. I'd look at it and think of you.'

'Ah,' Leah said and looked towards the booth the blond guy had pointed to. 'Wel , then. Let's go see what there is.'

'Don't let this go to your head or anything but, muthafucka, you look hot in that tux.' Kate walked around Dix in a slow circle to take him in ful y. 'What?

Am I lying? It's OK, I won't hurt you if you answer. I swear,' she said, looking to the sales associate. Dix simply laughed and let her look. The salesgirl too, why the fuck not?

Al right, please thank Marcus for this. I'm sure it's not easy to find a tux to rent on New Year's Eve.' Kate, al business, handed the clerk a discreet tip while he paid for the tux rental.

Who is Marcus, darling Kate?' He nuzzled her neck as he fol owed her from the store, his tux in a bag over his arm.

'My lover.' She tipped her head back to look him in the eye. 'What? Oh was I not supposed to have a lover?'

Laughter spilt from her lips and he smiled before tipping down to kiss her quickly. 'Marcus is the guy who hooked us up with the room and the tickets for tonight. I told you, big legal trouble.' She shrugged and he shook his head, amused.

Clearly I made a mistake going into in-house work.'

We can't al have favours lined up from coast to coast.

It's difficult to be so respected.' She winked.

This needs to go in the room and then I want to watch you tiy things on. The first time she'd let him accompany her shopping, he'd worked his way into the dressing room. After a minute and a half, he couldn't keep his hands to himself and she never let him go with her after that. He found the intimacy of the secret world of women to be ridiculously sexy.

I'l wait down here. If I go up there with you, you'l get fresh and we'l lose hours of time. Not that I'm complaining that you take your time or anything. But tick-tock, others wil be last minute shopping too. This is already gonna cost a pretty penny so I don't want to spend a month's salary on some lime green atrocity.

You go on and I'm going to get a coffee. You want one?'

You sure you don't to come up with me? You know how hot it makes me when you get sassy and al girly at once.'

She grinned, tiptoeing up to kiss him. 'Insatiable. Now move that stel ar ass or I wil go without you. Maybe I'l pick up Dne of these leather boys and have them watch me try things on.'

The look in his eyes thril ed her right down to her toes.

Possessive, masculine, heated. Mtnmm.

'You'd break one in less than ten minutes. The sweet thing you wear is a total lie. You're a wolf.' He flashed a grin at her and she couldn't suppress a shiver of delight.

'I'l be back and, yes, I want a mocha.'

Smiling, she stayed where she was to watch him amble to the elevators. Hot damn, she was one lucky woman.

'Is he yours?'

Kate turned to the two women who'd also stopped to watch him. 'Yeah. Lucky me, huh?'

'He's delish. Are you here for the con? He's a Dom, right? You share?'

'Yes, no, not in the sense you mean it, and no. I take it you ladies are here for the con?'

The tal er one, a blonde about Kate's age nodded.

'Mara and I got into the lifestyle two years ago. It's hard to find a good guy, you know? They al come with baggage or lies. Mara's seeing a guy now, though, he's nice. I want that too. Thought I'd tag along with them to see if I'd get lucky. He's lucky.' Blondie tipped her head towards the elevators where Dix had disappeared.

Kate laughed. 'He is very lucky. But he comes with baggage. About five and half feet of baggage in the form of an ex-wife who plays helpless and uses their kids to try to break us up.'

'Bitch!' Mara said.

'Word.' Kate nodded.

So you're not letting her, right? Women like that don't deserve tasty bits like him.'

'He could be a total asshole for al you know. I could have been the secretary he was fucking on the side.'

Blondie looked her over and shook her head. 'No you're not. You don't look like the type to take any shit. And you're hot enough, but in charge, you don't need to steal anyone's man.

Kate shrugged and snorted a laugh. 'Good to know, thanks. And no, as a matter of fact, I'm done letting her get to me. Ladies, enjoy the day. I'm off to procure caffeine for me and my tasty bit. Keep your standards high, the right guy is out there. Even if he comes with baggage.'

Truer words were never spoken, she realised as she walked towards the tiny coffee bar in the lobby. He was, without being overly mushy about it, the best thing in her world. He got her. He respected her. He wanted to be with her and she saw how much he loved her in everything he did. Al that made him worth it. Made the work of accommodating his stuff"into a working relationship worth the struggle and the effort.

The Pickles thing would be a problem, but, while she was being honest and al , she was hotter, smarter and not Eve. As a woman, Katherine was far better suited to a man like Charles than Eve was. He needed a woman who would push back, who did for herself, but al owed him to do for her too. The doing was a gift, freely given, not expected or a burden.

It was his connection to Eve through the kids that Kate found so difficult to get over. Having children with someone was a mil ion times more intense than just about anything else you could do with a person.

Katherine couldn't compete with what Eve was on that level. She wasn't jealous of Eve romantical y or sexual y, but it was that level of intimacy and connection Eve would always have with him. For a while when she first got to know his daughters, al she could see was that they were a physical manifestation of Charles Dixon loving another woman enough to create life with her.

Kate wanted to have his children. So much at times it was hard not to blurt it out. It wasn't as simple as just going out and getting pregnant. She was very much aware, though, of the children he already had. And the part of her who wanted that with him also realised those girls needed a while to be used to the idea. And she loved them, not only because they were Dix's kids, but they were both pretty exceptional people. He loved them, and she respected that and held it in a place of deep importance. She had fears that Eve would attempt to turn them against her, knew it would most likely cause tension when they moved in together. As much as she wanted to avoid that, she wanted to be with him, and he continued to feel hurt when she put him off about it. Her priority was him and she had to make a choice and do her very best to do things right.

He didn't love Eve. Hadn't in a very long time. He did love Kate and she knew that quite surely. They would have children someday, there was time for that. There was no reason to feel threatened, and continuing to hold him off about moving in together and marriage only meant that bitchface won and he stil felt hurt and rejected.

And as for bitchface, Eve had a reckoning due and Kate had a few ideas on how to make it happen. Kate would not be outmanoeuvred by a cow like Eve Dixon.

No way. No how. It was like necessary for freedom, justice and the American way or something not to let that skank beat her.

His hands encircled her from behind, his body fit against hers as his lips found her temple. 'I'm not sure I want to know what you were thinking about just now.

That look often spel s trouble.'

She shrugged and handed him his coffee. 'Not for you, gorgeous. By the way, two hot women and I objectified you when you went up to the room. They asked if I shared. I had to decline. They thought you were a Dom here for the con.'

He laughed and the way his eyes crinkled at the edges made her al gooey. 'Awesome. Did you make out while you did it? Cause you can total y do it again, or describe it to me in great detail. As for the Dom thing?

You like it when I tel you what to do.'

'In bed. We didn't make out, but I can make up some salacious stories for you later on. They were both hot and told me you were a tasty bit. They're very right.

Doesn't mean I'm going to share you. With anyone.' She sucked down the rest of her latte and tossed the cup.

'Come on. I have a dress to buy.'

The street was busy, ful of revel ers not bothering to wait until midnight. He walked close, his arm around her shoulders and she felt good. Comfortable and loved.

Where are we going?'

'Leah and I hit the mal , I bought stuff, but not the right dress for tonight. I browsed the shops in the hotel, but al these big luxury hotels have boutiques now. I thought I'd check out a few.'

Wherever you go, darling, I wil fol ow. I need to escort you everywhere it seems, there are a lot of horny men in Las Vegas who like to stare at your tits. Now, I can't blame them, I quite like to stare at them too. You get my point, though.'

'Oh you'l spoil me with such flattery. Plus, you're good for carrying things.' She winked. 'Since my money wil now be going into two mortgage payments until I can sel my place in the city, I may as wel be frivolous before the year ends.' She walked through the doors of the swank, designer boutique in one of the nearby hotels. 'You could real y go broke in Vegas on the clothes. Fuck gambling, look at that dress.'

It was red. Bright, bril iant red and it cal ed to her like a siren. She had to touch it. Had to own it.

The sales clerk happily showed them to a dressing room and Dix eyed her while she shucked her clothes and got ready to get into the dress.

'I like it already,' he murmured when she tossed her bra aside.

She smirked at him over her shoulder as the material made her want to sing a song of thanks. 'Zip me up, please.'

Dix's fingertips brushed against the bare skin at the smal of her back as he zipped. What there was of a zipper. The little red piece of heaven was mostly backless and had just a wee bit more fabric in the front.

Enough to cover the indecent parts of her breasts and to make her thankful she'd been exercising regularly.

The cut would not hide any lumps or bumps.

'Christ almighty, you look ..." He met her eyes in the mirror of the dressing room and flicked a thumb over her nipple. It sprang to life at his attention.

Eve wouldn't wear this dress, she thought, looking at her reflection and then back to the man behind her. His eyes refocused and then he turned her around. 'Wait a minute. It just hit me that you said you'd move in with me. You'l buy a house with me.'

'Don't muss me. This dress is obscenely expensive.'

She smiled and he pul ed her close, hauling her up against him and taking her mouth in a kiss so raw she nearly came. His mouth was inescapable, his tongue sliding along hers, his taste bursting through her. His teeth caught her bottom lip, his arms held her tight. She sighed, letting him take whatever he wanted, responding to such raw sexuality she grew drunk with it.