Chapter Four
Stepping into theapartment atop the club, Fallon couldn’t hold back her gasp.The place was stunning.During the short elevator ride, Carson told her the Wests had moved out after their children were born.Tobi hadn’t wanted the kids raised in such a public setting, so their expansive apartment was used for visitors and new employees.Fallon looked around, amazed anyone would move out of such a beautiful home.
Carson gave her a quick tour of the open area of the apartment, pointing out the hall leading to the bedrooms and promising to show her the safe room before they went back downstairs.When she realized her luggage and boxes were already sitting on the dining room table, Fallon wondered aloud how anyone could have completed the task so quickly.
“You’ll find those working for the Wests are remarkably efficient.Some of them are former members of various branches of the military, but the truth is, they only hire the best of the best.Getting your things up here quickly wouldn’t pose any problem for them.”
“That sounds a lot like a warning, Carson.I might not have tended bar for almost a year, but I think it will come back to me fairly quickly.”She hadn’t intended for her response to sound snarky, but damn it all to happy hell, she was tired and sweaty, and Carson looked like he’d just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine.What’s with that?Don’t Texans sweat?When he raised a brow, clearly unimpressed with her tone, Fallon sighed.“I need a shower and a couple cups of strong coffee.”
The damned man simply grinned as he leaned back against one of the side tables.With his ankles casually crossed in front of him, he watched her closely.A shiver shot up her spine before branching out like lightning, traveling all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes.What was it about this man that made her skin tingle with awareness?The feeling had been equally unsettling with Silas, adding to her confusion.
“You’ll get your coffee.I’ll call it in while you shower.Now strip.”
Nothing about Carson’s body language or tone indicated he was joking, but she was still shocked to her toes.What in heaven’s name made him think she would strip in front of him?Fallon suddenly wondered if she’d fallen into another dimension.
“Fallon, I assure you, you do not have anything I haven’t seen before.The laundry room is behind us, so there is no reason for you to traipse through the apartment in sweat-soaked clothing.”
“We just met.I’m not in the habit of stripping in front of… well, in front of anyone, actually.”Her mind was racing when for the first time, she considered she was well and truly in over her head.Sure, she’d always thought dominance and submission was something she wanted to explore, but now she felt as though she was floundering.To her great relief, Carson appeared completely unfazed by her reaction.Standing stock-still, he watched her with an intensity that made her feel as if he was trying to listen to her thoughts.
“One of the things you’ll learn quickly working in the club is Doms don’t like repeating orders.Even the most lenient dominants will put you over their knee for making them give you a command twice.”
It took her mind several beats to process what he’d said, and she felt her face heat thinking about being draped over Carson or Silas’s knee, with her ass peaked high as the first handprint bloomed pink on her bare skin.A soft chuckle from Silas startled her out of her mini-fantasy and back to the moment.
“I’m not sure that was much of a threat, Carson.As a matter of fact, I’d say Fallon looked lost in the pleasurable possibility.”
Fuck a duck.How long had he been standing there?Obviously, one man was more than she could deal with, so how the hell would she ever survive being alone with two?
“She seems a bit dazed.If she isn’t capable of taking off her clothes, I’d say we have two options—help or insist she seeks medical attention.It’s always possible the spill she took into the ditch was more of a problem than she wants to admit.”
Fallon might be struggling to keep up with everything taking place around her, but she wasn’t so flustered, she didn’t recognize first-class manipulation when she heard it.She wasn’t as frustrated by the command to strip as she was at his blatant attempt to push her to comply.When she met his gaze, the challenge in his eyes was tempered by a look of desire, sending a wave of heat coursing through her entire body.
“I spoke to both Kent and Kyle downstairs, Fallon.I explained what happened and told them you’d assured us you were fine.Did I speak too soon?”
“I might have been an only child, but I had enough friends with siblings to recognize a dare when I hear one.”Fallon knew she should have been annoyed by Silas’s challenge, but the glint of mischief in his eyes held a boyish charm she couldn’t resist.Grateful the Wests were going to provide her fresh clothing for the evening, she grasped the bottom hem of her sweat-soaked shirt and yanked it over her head before tossing it in the direction of the laundry room.“I don’t know why you are so hell-bent on seeing me naked.Bumps and jiggles aside, I’m no different from any other woman.”She bent over to untie her sneakers when heat seared her right ass cheek, the crack of a palm connecting with tight denim following quickly after.“Hey!What the holy fuck a fairy was that for?”
“You are not to speak negatively about yourself.Words have power, so use them wisely.”Carson’s glare kept her from telling him exactly what she thought about his highhanded behavior.
“What happened tomy body, my voice?”She disliked the sullen tone she heard in her voice but was too lost in the rush of warmth between her thighs to do anything about it.Damn, she hated knowing her body was betraying her.
“Part of our job is to make certain you are ready for what you’ll encounter downstairs.Let me tell you what I see.”Silas stepped forward, cutting the distance between them in half.He wasn’t so close she had to strain to meet his gaze, but his shift in position sent a clear message.
Fallon had known she would meet Doms when she applied for the bartending position at a kink club but hadn’t known how quickly her own limits would be tested.Sure, she was interested in the sexual dynamics of a D/s relationship, and a ménage with two men who sent her pulse racing certainly wouldn’t be a hardship.Fallon’s real challenge was her own self-sabotaging habit of rebelling.Even if it was something she wanted to do, the minute someone told her to do it—all bets were off.
“Do you see what I see, Silas?”Carson’s voice broke through Fallon’s mental debate.
She made a split-second decision to head off whatever Carson was planning to share.Damn it, she was hot and sweaty.She wanted the shower more than she wanted to hide from two men who had no doubt seen women with better bodies.
“I love women with spirit—the ones who will push back and demand we earn their submission.”
Silas’s words made her heart swell.Fallon wanted to learn more about the side of her personality she’d always felt the need to suppress… until now.
“Might as well lose the bra, Cher.That little bit of lace isn’t hiding anything.Your rosy nipples are on full display.Those bits of flesh are peaked to perfection, and I can only hope whatever you plan to wear this evening gives us unfettered access.”
Flipping open the front clasp of her lacy bra, Fallon let it slide down her arms before Carson’s words registered.
“Wait.What?Isn’t there some sort of uniform for bartenders?It was my understanding I would still be on the clock tonight.Surely, that means I have to dress appropriately.”The twitch of Silas’s full lips and the small crinkling at the corners of his blue eyes were the only outward signs he was amused.
“Speaking from experience, I’d say it will be your definition of appropriate that causes a challenge.In answer to your question, no, there is no uniform for the bartenders.If you are a Dom, you dress in whatever you are comfortable wearing as a dungeon monitor.Submissives dress in whatever their Dom chooses.If they don’t have a Dom, they are free to choose.”Carson must have read her relieved expression because he shook his head and nodded to Silas.