Dalton (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (11 page)

They look at me like I figured out the launch code to a nuclear missile.

“One, the silent partner has to be someone who is close to you and fits in the club’s stringent rules.” I chuckle as I tick off the numbers with my fingers. “Two, you told me that the silent partner is a few months younger than me. Kids, that doesn’t leave anyone but Whitt. Third, you said he was male. Hence, the mystery silent partner is Whitt.
Don’t make me break out Scooby and Shaggy references.”
N
iel’s fingers type with lightning speed on his cell phone. I lay back and relax because I would
bet my two mafia syndicates that Whitt is within sight distance. I’m sure the whitest kids on the planet didn’t want to get
a suntan anymore than I do. We’
re here so we could be observed.
“Ya didn’t fool me with the park, kids. It was clever, Ava, but we might as well be vampires when it comes to the sun. I’m sure Whitt knew his cover was blown before he received the text message.”

I smile up at the man that makes my blood boi
l in so many different ways. I’
m thankful that I received my punishment last night or my mood would be drastically different.
“I wonder
ed
how they
’d
make it without me. I’m
in serious doubt of
their intelligence.”
He smirks as he stands above me.

“I give them props for trying. You can thank your nephew for ratting you out. He doesn’t know when to keep his trap shut.”

He cuffs the kid in the back of the head messing up his atrocious hair. Whitt drags his fingers through the curly mess trying to put it to rights.

“I would think
that
with all
the money the Whittenhowers have
that someone would take the child to a hairdresser.” I tease the pair of Whitts. 
“We have, it’s no use.” Niel shamelessly shrugs. Th
e light in Ava’s eyes says she’
s fine with it, so no reason to bitch.
“I hear you’re t
he one in charge even though I’
m older by a few months.” I
catch myself flirting with the older Daniel Whittenhower
and I don’t know why.

“Ah, that’s how you figured it out.” He smiles at me. “No, I’m in charge because I hold your leash,” he replies smugly.
I scowl at him because I didn’t want the young ones to know that about me.

“Let’s get the meeting started. Lunch will follow.” We all sit upright when Whitt addresses us. Ava hands him a computer tablet with what I presume is the minutes to the last meeting.
“I hereby call the eighth weekly meeting of Generation Next. We are the children that grew up within the lifestyle. We are the first generation of Masters who aren’t bound by the restraints of normal society. Our parents made the choice to live without boundaries. We now embrace our own choices and admonish the cowards that hide behind their money and sneak in their basements like cockroaches. Our hope for the future is a life without judgment.”

Whitt smiles at us each in turn, his eyes twinkling with the mischief that is all his own.

“I have news,” he teases us. “
Four more chapter of GN just opened up. Our network is growing. I know we worried about how this would impact Restraint, but it’s obvious that it is a worldwide organization. The publication will still be ours. The other chapters will supply us with fresh news and we will print it. I changed the membership requirements. We now charge a fee because the publication costs and websites are milking us dry. I know our subscribers pay a fee
for their subscription, but it’
s ridiculous how much it is costing to reroute IP addresses to avoid detection. We seriously have to think about going public. While I love the Robin Hood feel of GN it isn’t cost effective. I would help with the expenses, but my trust fund doesn’t mature unti
l I turn twenty-four
. Yours
d
oesn’
t either,
Niel
, Ella,
and Ava. That’s a long wait. My day job barely covers my living expenses since fat
her takes half for savings. He’
s insane since Adelaide’s breakdown.”
“May she rot in hell,” is chanted around the group. My eyes roam from one to the next trying to figure out what the he
ll that is about considering three
of the chanters are the woman’s closest relatives.
“Whenever the cunt
’
s name leaves our lips we say ‘may she rot in hell’.”
Whitt ruthlessly laughs about chanting his sister’s horrific demise- scary.
“I have sources I can tap into for funding,” I offer helpfully. It pays to be the
head of two crime syndicates. Too bad the competition put me on a hit-list when I turned state’s evidence on them
.

“Thank you, Dalton. As long as it doesn’t put you in
to
any danger we would appreciate the funding.
”

“Dad,” Ella says out of the blue. Huh?

“Whatcha
need,
sweetpea?”
Whitt asks her.

“If we tell Mom she’ll help us with the IPS addresses.” She shrugs and blushes.

“Oh, she already knows, but she has so much going on right now I don’t want to bother her.” Whitt half-hugs her and says, “That’
s all the new information we have. I open the floor for grievances.”
“I’m good, lately.” Niel answers quickly passing the question in Spyder’s direction.

“I want to meet my father, but my mother won’t allow it. She says he isn’t ready to meet me.
I am sick of playing hide-and-
seek when he’
s in the building. It hurts to watch Ava and the twins when I should be with them too.”
I reach over and pull my sister into my lap and bury my face into her hair. I rub her arms in comfort.
“Our mother is a h
einous, remorseless bitch. Don’
t take advice from her when it pertains to matters of the heart. If yo
u’
re worried about running a club
or punishment
she’
ll help you.
I know things I never wish for you to hear. I wouldn’t go to Marcus yet. Let him get all this business settled first. Marcus is a tough man, but he’
s fair. He has an endless amount of love for his family. You will join them when fate deems it. Until then please be content with my love and that of your new niece. Dexter will
be there for you as well. You’
re never alone in this world, Itsy Bitsy.”

“I missed you,
Mon
frère,
”
she smiles at me.
I kiss her on the nose and set her back in the circle.

“Home isn’t a very good place to be right now,” Ava starts. “My parents are oblivious. I hear and see things I shouldn’
t. It’s not out in the open. I’
m the one who goes looking for it.” She laughs humorously. “Cort attacked Marcus at dinner last night. I don’t mean the usual bantering. He flew across the table and tackled Pop. The chair broke under their weight. He punched Marcus and gave him a black eye. It’s not funny, but it was incredible to watch. Marcus stood up and walked out the terrace doors. I wanted to stop Co
rt when he went to follow, but D
ad laughed it off as if it were nothing. I waited for two hours for them to come back in
to
the house. I was scared they’d kill each other.”
I look across the circle to Whitt. We share a knowing smile. I have no doubt why Ezra allowed them to work out their frustrations.

“Ava, it’s called foreplay.” My sister schools Ava on the finer points of the male ego. It takes everything in me not to hysterically laugh.
“Is she right?” Ava asks with seriousness.
“
You have three dominant males and one female in a relationship. Two are fighting over who gets to be in charge. And if I had to venture a guess those same two haven’t came to terms with the fact that they are all in a relationship, not just with your mom. I know your
Dad isn’t with Marcus
.
It’s because Cort is having a hard time admitting he likes guys more than girls.
” Whitt makes a snap sound out the side of his mouth. “Someone needs to tell Cort and Marcus that they are in a relationship with each other. The constant foreplay is obvious at Restraint. A few weeks back Marcus
admitted
it
.”
“That was fucking wild,” Niel laughs out. “I was waiting for them to kill each other. I was there
when they tackled each other. It was a fight to the death or-” he cuts himself off when he sees his girlfriend. “Sorry, I apologize,” he says bashfully.

“So it’s normal?” Ava asks.
“Pretty much.
Cort says he’s straight, but that ship has sailed.” Whitt laughs hysterically fo
r some reason. “I assume there’
s a learning curve.”
“It’s been two years. I think they’d come up with something by now.” Her angelic face fills with anger.
“Ava, don’t kill the messenger. Cort and Marcus enjoy the game they play. Look at it as a game in the dungeon. They expanded their playing field to include everywhere, especially your yard it seems.” I bluntly say.
“You mean they were having-”
she cuts off and she looks like she has a sour stomach.

“Sorry, but parents aren’t asexual, especially those in the lifestyle. Hey
, you
bothered them with your antics. They looked sick by that thought as much as you do by theirs.” Hopefully that tidbit will give her pause before she jumps Mini-Whitt again.

“Thanks, I guess that’s my grievance for the week.” Ava politely ends her turn.

“My grievance is the same as usual. I want my family whole,” Ella growls at Whitt like he’s the one that can change it.

“Tick-tock… Tick-tock… Tick-tock…” Whitt clucks his tongue. His family shakes their heads like they understand it. Ava, Spy, and
me
look at them in confusion.
“You gonna elaborate on that, Dad?” I stress the dad because… What?

“I’m having an epic birthday celebration,” Whitt grins and his minis laugh excitedly.
“What are your grievances, Whitt?” Ava asks.
Whitt waves his turn away with his hand.
“Oh, your
charmed life has no complaints,” I tease. “Sorry Kids, mine is NC17 and not appropriate for siblings. Guess that leaves me without a group to hear my grievances.”
“Meeting adjourned,” Whitt announces and the
kids dive into the picnic basket looking for snack
s
. I lay back and gaze at the clouds floating overhead.
“I’ll listen to your grievances,” Whitt says as he lies next to me.
“I’m sure you would.” I arch a brow at him. “I didn’t peg you as one of the gossip-mongers. You had me fooled.”
“It’s been a pleasure to watch them all squirm. I think Dexter figured it out earlier
when the hate Marcus edition was published the day after he told the kids they couldn’t touch
. I came clean to
your
mother and Devlin. I think we’re avoiding Katya,
Ezra, and Cort for the fun of it. I can’t wait to see the shit-storm tha
t brings.” He laughs.
He
finger-
combs his hair and when he lowers his hand to the grass it touches mine- he doesn’t move it.
“Their entire life is a shit-storm brewing. It can’t be good for the kids.”
“They put the kids first. Ava snoops and fi
nds things she shouldn’t. That’s her fault, not theirs,
”
Whitt defends.
“I know what it’s like. She has a
big support system though. She’
s a smart girl- she’ll be okay.”

“Are you okay?” He turns his face to the side and his nose brushes my cheek.

“I don’t know. I fucking hate this.
I just want to be me and I want my mother to go home,
”
I grumble.
“Well, now you can use me and N
iel as fodder. We’
ll play
along with you. You could always get into a fight with Devlin.
That would rile everyone up.
”
“It’s a good idea for you and Niel.
I want the m
ole to tell your sister that I’
m on her team. If I were to target you both it may bring that faster. No fucking way am I testing Devlin.
Punishments in private are one thing. But he would have to punish me the way the membership thinks is appropriate. I have queue of people waiting to kick my ass.”
“
What’
s your plan anyway?”
“I really don’t care about the mole. I want an in with Adelaide- don’t do that creepy chant,” I say before his lips move. He chuckles and his breath tickles the side of my face.
“I
think I
alre
ady know who the mole is and I’
m close to figuring out why. I’m sure they are only doing it because of blackmail. I don’t blame them. I’ve done horrible things for the sake of my family.
We need to know who’
s pulling your sister’s strings.
”
“I agree.
It’s all I think about. I don’t really want anything bad to happen to my sister. It’s just a way for the kids to blow off some steam while we fight the unknown. I don’t like knowing that Ade’s name is on that book. She didn’t write it. She loves a few of the people it slandered,
”
he says softly.