Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (42 page)

“Well.
What the hell are you waiting for?” he asked as I sat down, pulling down my
panties and starting to pee as my cheeks flared in humiliation. He just stood
there, staring at me. I couldn’t look back as I finished, dressing myself and
waiting for him to allow me enough slack to move to the basin. I washed my
hands before he led me back out to the party, and I realised quickly that
sticking close was my best chance for continued, comfortable breathing.

I
stood there silently as he engaged in conversation with a group of men I hadn’t
seen before, none of whom seemed to pay me any attention whatsoever as I caught
the surly glare of my sister from across the room. I fired a warning stare,
shaking my head as discreetly as I could, silently asking her not to come over
and inflame the situation. She’d have an opinion on this, of that I was
certain.

She
didn’t understand the relationship, convinced it was mostly about Lucas’s needs
and I wouldn’t be able to explain this properly. I barely understood it myself.
I could do without a lecture, and Lucas wouldn’t tolerate her calling him a
dickwad again, not here and not in this company. I watched her nervously,
weaving her way confidently through the crowd, tray in hand. She wasn’t going
to let this one pass without comment.

“What
the hell is that?” she asked, staring at the collar as I felt Lucas tense
beside me, pleading silently with my eyes for her not to go any further. “Why
is he leading you around like a dog?” she whispered, but I was certain Lucas
caught it. I wondered if the other men had heard, not wanting to
be
the only sub in the room causing her Dominant an issue.

She
wasn’t getting any answers and walked away eventually, shaking her head as she
made a beeline for Patrick. I glanced across at the other subs who were all
eyeing me curiously as the men discussed how wonderful the party was.

I
craned my neck to the ceiling, checking all the dancers were in position as the
fire eating demonstrations came to their close, mentally revisiting my checklist
and looking over toward the stage where the lighting equipment was being fired
to life. It all looked under control and it was just as well.

“Stop
fidgeting,” Lucas said sternly as I looked up at him. This was unacceptable; I
had a party to run.

“I’m
not fidgeting, Sir, I was just checking everything was on schedule and running
to plan. The collar is quite inhibiting,” I said as he shook his head, his gaze
darkening. I thought better of saying any more as Zac wandered across, looking
between Lucas and me as a deep frown knitted across his brow.

“You’ve
done an incredible job, Jess. The food is set up and it’s a real hit,” he
smiled as I laughed. “You must be very proud, Lucas. Your girl has got quite
the vivid imagination.” Lucas said nothing, the absence of praise like a punch
to my gut and for all the appreciation, the lips I longed to hear it from most
was my business partner and my Dom. I sighed as he led me away without
bothering to excuse us, straight back to the room as it suddenly hit me what his
problem was.

I
recognised the behaviour because I’d been like it myself, more than once and
somehow it made me feel better.

“You
don’t like the collar?” he asked, taking it off and throwing it on the floor by
the bed as I smiled up at him.

“I
don’t mind the collar, but you have no reason to be jealous. I would never so
much as look at another man, let alone another Dom,” I said softly as darkness
washed across his features and I had never seen him look so lost. I recognised
the frustration, the anger and the awful pain in the pit of your gut that takes
hold and won’t let go. I also knew that he was taking it out on the wrong
person, just as I had.

“You
think I’m jealous of Max?” he shouted in my face as I reeled backwards, staring
at the floor and not knowing what to say next. Until he admitted it, there was
little I could do, staying silent as his command came sharp and firm. “You have
no fucking idea what is wrong with me?” He looked as dumbfounded as he was
irritated.

“Kneel.”

“No,”
I said, intensifying his fury as he stared at me hard.

“Jess,”
he growled threateningly as I shook my head, knowing that I was committing the
cardinal sin of the good submissive, but nothing good would come from me
kneeling. He needed to face up to the fact that he was jealous and I wasn’t to
blame.

“Lucas,
I have a party to run. This is the first venture for our business and I trust
that you also want it to be a success,” I said defiantly as he stared at me,
saying nothing.

“I’m
needed out there,” I snapped, walking towards the door and hoping that he’d
stop me, say something and see sense, or just hold me like I was so desperate
for him to do. He did nothing as I hovered at the door, waiting for a moment
before I walked back to the bed, bending down to pick up the collar as he
watched me closely.

I
held his gaze, placing the leather around my throat, struggling with the
buckle. “You can’t collar yourself,” he mocked as I gasped, hurt and confused.
I wanted to wear it so no one else would approach me. I couldn’t afford to risk
angering him any further. Even now all I wanted was a kind word or an
affectionate touch, but neither was forthcoming.

“Fine”
I spat, throwing the collar at his feet and staring up at him, silently
challenging him and trying to provoke a response. Anything would be preferable
to this awful silence as he blindsided me, striding out of the room as I stood
there reeling.

What
the fuck?

It
took me a few moments to gather myself before I was fit to return to the party.
My eyes scanned the main room, searching him out and noticing he was standing
in a dark corner talking animatedly to Zac whose hand was resting on Lucas’s
arm.

I
knew what he was going through and I knew I could help him. I understood better
than anyone that intense feeling that was all consuming. Being on the receiving
end was no bed of roses either I thought, but at least he could punish me for
it. What the hell could I do?

Chas
wandered over, passing me a chilled glass of champagne. “You look like you need
it,” she smiled as I downed it in one, returning the empty glass to her tray as
she raised her eyebrows before they knitted into a serious frown as she glanced
at my neck.

“He
let you off your lead then?” she quipped as a flash of fear ran through me and
I wondered momentarily if I’d just been released permanently.

“Yes
and I need one of those,” I said, pointing to the purple ribbon at her throat.
If I couldn’t collar myself, at least I could let everyone know I was staff.

“Take
mine,” she smiled, undoing it and fastening it around my neck as she smiled
broadly. “I’m strictly
vanilla
, but I wouldn’t mind a
go of that,” she laughed, pointing to a female Domme who was barking orders at
a contrite looking male sub who was also on a lead. I couldn’t help but laugh
as she nudged me playfully. “No seriously, Sis. I can think of a few blokes I’d
like to do that to. It’s a shame Brad Johnson isn’t here,” she grinned and I
wasn’t sure whether she was joking or not as she waltzed off. I watched her
expertly doing the rounds with her drinks until my gaze wandered to the corner
of the room and my heart sank. Lucas was gone.

There
was only one other person I could speak to about this, and I made my way across
the room, through the throng of the buzzing chat, the music and the overhead
dancers, noticing the small smile on Zac’s face. He was sitting in a plush red
chair, relaxing and using Lily as some kind of foot stool to rest his legs on.
I was so preoccupied it barely even registered.

“May
I speak to you, Zac?” I asked politely as he nodded, patting the seat beside
him as I took it, fidgeting nervously and wondering if this wasn’t the height
of unprofessionalism.

“It’s
about Lucas,” I said tentatively as he nodded.

 
“I thought it might be,” he said as his smile
broadened and he leant down to pat Lily’s head. I was here to run a party, not
seek advice on my love life, but he didn’t seem to mind too much as the smile
continued to play around his mouth.

“I
wasn’t a very good sub just now,” I said as he arched an eyebrow at me, chuckling
softly as I wondered if he already knew.

“Lucas
told me. He’s stewing, Jess. I suspect that you’ve awakened feelings in that
man that he hasn’t experienced before. It’s interesting to watch,” he said,
turning to smile as my face fell.

“How
do you mean?” I asked, desperate to glean any insight that I could.

“I’ve
known Lucas for a long time and he is a Dom in every sense of the word. It’s
not something he does, Jess, it’s who he is and who he was a long time before
he even joined the club,” he said as I nodded. I knew that, but tonight had
been different. Lucas was always assertive in everything he did. He was
powerful, but not aggressive and tonight he had most definitely tipped over
into aggression.

“He
exudes control, Jess, but tonight he lost it,” he grinned and I couldn’t figure
out for the life of me why the hell he seemed to find it so funny.

“I
think I’ve blown it, Zac,” I said as he frowned seriously, touching my arm
reassuringly.

“You
did nothing of the sort. He’s got his knickers all in a twist about Max. He
over reacted and he needs to realise that and come to terms with what he’s
feeling. He’s not being logical or rational right now and from what he just
told me, that man has never felt jealousy in his whole life. It’s like an alien
concept to him. It’s tearing him up and he can’t cope with it. He doesn’t know
what to do, and that is not a feeling that sits well with Lucas Hunter,” he
laughed softly as I shook my head. My stomach was churning and I still couldn’t
find anything remotely funny about this whole thing.

“Why
did Max say ‘good’ when I told him that Lucas was my Dom?” I asked, wondering
whether it was the comments as much as the innocent touch that had riled him so
much and sent Lucas over the edge. Zac looked confused for a moment.

“What
else did he say?” he asked as I tried to explain.

“Just
that, and then told Lucas to let him know when he tired of me,” I said as Zac’s
face fell and he was no longer finding it funny.

“Christ,
I’m surprised he didn’t knock him out. Lucas has a reputation here, Jess. He’s
an extremely popular Dom and he’s in demand, but he generally only keeps his subs
for a week, two at the most. I’ve never seen him this attached to anyone and he
isn’t handling it well,” he said as I swallowed hard. Something was bothering
Zac and he seemed reticent to tell me as a slow, sad realisation spread across
his face.

“What
is it? Please Zac,” I urged as he took my hand in his.

“There
is a list of women who have requested to submit to Lucas,” he said eventually as
I stared at him hard.

“An actual list?”
I gasped
as he nodded gently, turning to hold my gaze.

“He
just asked me for it, Jess,” he said, concern etched on every feature of his
face as bile rose in my throat and I prayed that Lucas wasn’t about to do
something unforgivable as my heart stopped dead in my chest.

Now
I was the jealous one, desperately trying to hold it together in front of my
client, silently wanting to gouge out the eyes of all of those bitches who
wanted their hands on my Dom. Tonight was about the party and I had to remember
that, trying to force back the torturous thoughts of Lucas with another sub.

“Just
sit tight, Jess, he’ll come around,” Zac said, reading my mind and trying to
reassure me with words that seemed so futile. He knew no more what was going on
in that man’s head than I did. But at the moment all I could do was take that
advice and hope that my faith in Lucas hadn’t been misplaced all along.

I
stumbled through the rest of the night on autopilot, never seeing Lucas again
and fighting back the crazy urge to scour every one of those bedrooms, pulling
on the only thing I had left that would see me through – trust.

My
heart was telling me he wouldn’t let me down. He was frustrated and confused.
Whether I understood it or not, whatever had happened between him and Max had
affected him deeply. When I needed him, he was strong for me and I had to be
the same. Wait until he worked through the anger and let him know how I felt. All
he’d ever tried to do was reassure me and help me, and all I’d ever done was
hold back.

I
decided to let him cool off and tomorrow I’d tell him, making my final checks
on the party as the singer took to the stage and some of the guests began to
drift away for their own unique brand of entertainment. The night had gone off
without a hitch, and eventually I said my goodbyes.

I
heard nothing Chas said all the way home. “What’s up with you?” she asked as we
made our way up to the apartment and I shook my head, mumbling that I was tired.
I headed straight for my room and the comfort of my bed, wishing my son was
here for a reassuring cuddle.

I
lay back, checking my silent phone again and thinking about Lucas. He’d asked
for more, wanted into our lives completely. Surely that couldn’t have changed
in one night because of one chaste touch and a stupid comment I sighed to
myself, wishing I’d just said yes when I’d had the chance. I’d stubbornly
refused to budge, insisting we keep the damn contract and the
compartmentalisation. I had made a dreadful error, and I wasn’t sure now I
would ever get the chance to rectify it.