The Dom Unites Wolf and Panther [Unchained Love 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

“If you mated her, you could protect her better.”

“I’m with you there, brother, and we’re working on it, believe me. We’d originally thought we could all live out at the studio. Build ourselves a nice bedroom set, use the lunchroom and bathrooms there, and so on. But after last night, we’re not so sure. It’s not the kind of place you can make really secure. Everyone who works there, including any extras just hired for the day, may need to be all over the set. It’s not possible to keep people out effectively.”

“So you want to move in here, too. I can’t see that’ll be a problem. You’re almost part of us already. You should pass the tests easily,” said Larry.

“Good, thanks. But that’s just part of it. Our vision is much bigger than that.”

Nicholas tried to read Larry but couldn’t. Larry simply raised an eyebrow, but Nicholas didn’t think he was opposed, just waiting for more information.

“We haven’t gotten it all planned out yet. The attack only happened last night. But we were thinking about that dead-end road and the land around it at the southern edge of Carnal Connections. We could move our studio out there. Maybe even use your people as extras in our movies when we want them.”

“I think plenty of our people would get a kick out of being in a picture. But back up a little first. How are you going to move the studio out here?”

“Almost everything is painted wooden panels. We pack them up and move them around all the time. The only difference is we’d be hiring a flatbed truck and moving them to the new studio is all. The timing would be a challenge to get organized, but I reckon we can do it.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking such a rude question, but how will you pay for all this? The land, the moving, the new studio.”

“Curtis reckons we could sell to a developer. Our existing studio isn’t far out of town. It’s an easy commute. A developer could put a hell of a lot of tract houses on that land, even though it’s not a very big plot. That’s another thing. It really is too small for us. We’re always having difficulties when we need a longer scene shot. We fake the endings with painted boards, but it’s beyond tricky at times.”

Nicholas could see he’d gained Larry’s interest now. They bent over the desk, Larry got out a notepad and pen, and they began talking in detail about the land and where buildings would be placed. “If our buildings were set up near the road, we’d have the entire length of the allotment for long shots. That’s at least twice the length we have right now, and the width’s about the same. It’s certainly not narrower, anyway.”

“I can see what you want and I think it may work. But I’ll need to consult a few people before I agree to let you move beside us. Our security is a touchy topic. As you know, David is staying with us already. Another panther, Galen, has just reappeared and has said nothing about where he’s been for the past three years. Then there’s the possibility of Sam wanting to come back when he gets out of jail. Some people are finding this all way too stressful and dangerous. To have unlimited strangers right on our fence may not appeal to them, you understand.”

Nicholas nodded. He already knew that was the weakest link in his proposal.

“Let me know how Curtis gets on talking to the county about the road and to the developer about the land. If he’s gotten everything sorted at his end, I’ll speak to the people here. I’m sorry, but that’s the best deal I can give you right now.”

“I understand. Thank you anyway, Larry.”

Nicholas still felt hopeful. David was turning out to be a model citizen and Sam was tucked up tight in jail. He knew nothing about this Galen person but would talk to Autumn about him later. Meanwhile, he could work on ensuring the fence to Carnal Connections was secure.
I wonder how much it would cost to make that length of it between our properties electric? And we could definitely cover it all with CCTV cameras. No worries about that.

* * * *

“Someone helped Jim break out of jail last night, and no one has seen Galen since lunchtime yesterday,” said Autumn to Nicholas and Curtis.

The three of them were sitting in the small communal room where she did a lot of her yarn work. Omar didn’t want any of the panther women to be left alone at the moment, and Nicholas and Curtis had jumped at the excuse to spend more time with Autumn.

“Jim’s the one you caught, right?” asked Curtis.

“Yes, that’s right. He’s no Einstein, but he seemed a bit smarter than the others,” she added.

“Well, that wouldn’t be hard,” said Curtis.

“I don’t know Galen at all. Tell me about him,” said Nicholas.

“In panther packs, the young women tend to hang around together and don’t mingle much with the young men.”

“It’s the same with wolves.”

“Humans, too, often. Haven’t you ever been to a cookout? All the men stand around the grill outside while all the women are inside in the kitchen.”

“All right. The point I’m trying to make is that I was barely twenty-one when he left. Just officially grown up and starting to look around at the men and think about potential mates. Now, okay, I’d had a few dates, but there was no one who I’d truly lusted after or anything like that. Not like Serena and Verity, who’ve both firmly gotten their gaze on certain men.”

“I hear you, but tell us what you know of him anyway. Did you go to school together? Kids learn a lot about each other on the school bus,” said Nicholas.

Autumn nodded and thought carefully. “He’s a couple years older than me. I guess quiet and almost secretive are the words that come to my mind. I don’t recall him causing trouble or anything like that ever. Even when Sam told him he couldn’t date Leticia because she was too young—which was ridiculous by the way, she was nineteen—he didn’t yell or complain behind Sam’s back. He just packed his things, loaded his car, told Leticia he was going, and left.”

“Hasn’t he said anything about where he’s been or what he’s been doing for the past three years?”

Autumn frowned, trying to remember exactly what Leticia had said. “He traveled down south for the warmer weather and said he found he missed the snow so came up north again. He went back to the farm, but of course we’d left there by then.”

“It’s impossible to know whether he’s just a quiet, private sort of person or whether he’s planning trouble,” said Curtis.

“But what if someone has hurt him? Everyone’s saying he’s helped Jim escape and joined the rogue panthers, but he returned to us, his own pack, not to them. What if he’s been in a car accident or something and no one has bothered to look for him?” asked Autumn.

“Wouldn’t Omar have thought of that? Omar seems to be mighty smart to me. For a cat, that is,” said Nicholas.

Autumn scowled at Nicholas. That was an unnecessarily rude comment, but she noticed Curtis trying not to laugh. Didn’t these men understand? One of their pack may be lying unconscious, needing help somewhere, and no one seemed to give a fuck.

“Fine. I’ll go look for him myself. Don’t you stress yourselves about a mere cat.” She stomped out of the sitting room and headed over to the barn. She heard Curtis say something to her, but Nicholas stopped him. Fine. Fine!
Fine!
They could all go fuck themselves. She’d talk to some panthers. People who cared about their pack.

Leticia had pulled two small tables together and spread out packets of seeds and a huge sheet of paper. Gaynor, Lucy, and Ramona were sitting with her. For a brief moment, Autumn wondered what Leticia was planning for the garden but decided finding out what had happened to Galen was more important. She slid onto the arm of the chair that Ramona was sitting in. “Ramona. Has anyone phoned the hospital to check Galen hasn’t been taken there because he’s hurt?”

Leticia looked up and smiled at her. “William said he and Tor would do a thorough check before they come off shift this evening. Galen’s a big man, bigger than average, so it’ll be simple to see if he’s there.”

Okay, at least someone had thought about that. “Did anyone check the parking lot to see if his car is still there?” she asked.

This time it was Ramona who answered. “Omar did, and it isn’t.”

“Who spoke to him at lunchtime yesterday? Did he say what his plans were for today?”

Again it was Ramona who answered. “He was working with JB and David on remodeling a couple of the rooms on the top floor of the main building. They’re making another bigger apartment there like Larry’s, but on the other side of the hallway. Nobody said anything specific, but JB’d just assumed Galen and David would continue working with him on that project today. David turned up, but Galen didn’t.”

Autumn was confused. “But how can we find him then? What if the rogue panthers have gotten him?”

“He’s a grown man who’s traveled the length of the United States. If he wants to leave, that’s his choice. If he was hurt, there would be signs. Nothing the rogues have done has been invisible. I’m not saying he’s helped Jim escape from jail, but it’s…interesting…timing,” said Lucy firmly.

Autumn felt her entire body slumping.
Oh fuck. What if he is another bad guy?

Autumn was confused and upset. On the one hand she kept denying Curtis was her Dom, yet on the other she had to admit they’d played a few very mild BDSM scenes and she was ready and willing to try something a little more hardline.

But no biting. She wasn’t ever going there.

The whole human-wolf-panther thing was making her mind itch. Just last night Nicholas had clearly demonstrated his low opinion of panthers compared to wolves. Yet it seemed everyone
had
been concerned about Galen, it was just that they’d run into a dead end, not that no one cared. And she knew both men cared about her. Hell, four orgasms in one night. She still found it hard to believe her body had achieved that.

And wanted it again. Wanted them again.

So…she was willing to try more BDSM, even go into the dungeon with the men. And she was more than willing to continue to stay with them for now.

For now. Not forever.

Almost as if her thoughts had summoned the men, her cell phone rang. “Autumn here.”

“Hi, it’s Curtis. Are you willing to try a dungeon scene with Nicholas and me? I can promise you we won’t do anything you disagree with and that you will definitely enjoy the scenes we play.”

Curtis’s voice was rich and enticing. She wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t really. Could she?

“Come on, Autumn, say yes.”

“I…Okay.”

“Awesome. You won’t regret your decision.”

* * * *

Curtis knew it was time for a full-on BDSM scene. Autumn was confused, tense, and upset. Some bone-shaking orgasms and some discipline was what she needed to get her heart settled again. Although Nicholas was his best friend and his business partner, in the dungeon he was also Curtis’s submissive. They really needed to get back to the dungeon and have a good workout. Curtis needed to remind them that he was their Dom and they should trust him more with their lives and to make—or at the very least help them make—decisions about their problems.

First, he texted Lucy to book the dungeon that had the piece of equipment he specifically wanted to use. Then he got out a notepad and meticulously planned every step of the scene they’d play out tonight. Finally, he texted both Autumn and Nicholas.
Dungeon 2. 7:00 pm. Naked.

At five before seven he was standing in the center of the dungeon wearing thigh-high black leather boots over skintight black jeans, his favorite birch in his hand. It was made of vinyl and had eighteen eighteen-inch rods held together with a clear plastic handle. Depending on his wrist action and the force behind his arm, this birch could do everything from lightly arouse a sub to inflict serious pain. Tonight he planned to use it in a variety of ways.

Just then the door opened silently, and Autumn entered. He frowned when he saw she was fully dressed, but it wasn’t yet seven, so she’d allowed enough time to be ready for him. She moved to a corner of the room and undressed, folding each item neatly as she removed it, making a pile of her clothes. For a brief moment he wished he could sniff her panties, suck on the crotch of them, but later this evening he would smell and suck the real thing, so he’d wait until then.

At one minute before seven the door opened again and Nicholas stepped into the room. He stood beside Autumn and opened his coat exactly like a flasher on the television news. Underneath the coat he was naked. Curtis forced himself not to laugh, but Nicholas had done that very well indeed. It was both clever and funny.

At seven o’clock precisely both his subs kneeled naked at his feet, and this time Curtis allowed himself to smile. They’d arrived as themselves, in different ways as suited their different personalities, but they’d obeyed him to the letter, which proved they wanted tonight as much as he did.

So much had been happening in their lives they needed this dungeon scene to unite them, to make them a single unit, three people who thought and related to each other in complete oneness.

“Stand. Face each other. Autumn, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Nicholas, place your feet outside Autumn’s but against them. Arms outstretched to the side.” Curtis cracked his birch in the air then laid it down silently and picked up his ropes.