The Dom With the Perfect Brats (7 page)

The next time they came out, giggling and flushed, they wore matching
black PVC dresses with black studded leather collars. Gemma’s expression was downright naughty, and Izzy looked smug. Cross immediately imagined bringing them into the club like that, on a tandem leash, but freshly spanked and biddable. He stifled a hiss as his arousal evaded his control.

“So are you two a matched set now?” He arched a brow.

Gemma bit her lip then prowled over to him, dragging Izzy in her wake. “I think he likes these, Izzy. What is it, knuckle-dragger? The twin thing? The collar thing? Are we making you think bad thoughts?”

“I warned you I’m no gentleman.” Cross adjusted himself through his jeans without any attempt at being subtle.

They both looked amused. Not easily shocked, for vanilla girls.

“So if we touched you, would you fall at our feet and worship us?” Gemma looked at Cross speculatively.

“Maybe I should tie your hands together to avoid that,” he growled. Girls didn’t talk to him like this. They ducked their heads and did what they were told. He had to fight down mild annoyance. This girl wasn’t his... yet. If she was, she’d be clutching her sore ass by now, with fat tears rolling down her cheeks. His heart beat faster. This time he didn’t hesitate to get into her personal space as he loomed over her. Izzy got the same view. Now both of them looked up at him with wide eyes. Even vanilla girls understood this body language. Godfrey Cross was not a man to fuck with.

After a short silence, Izzy lifted her hands, giving him a sassy gri
n that paled compared to Gemma’s prior challenge. “I double-dare you.”

He looked down. Offering her wrists. Brat. Gemma snickered, obviously thinking she was safe.

Without pause, he pulled Gemma’s arms behind Izzy’s back. “Stay.” He grabbed Izzy’s wrists and put them behind her too, then zip-tied their same wrists together. They’d actually cooperated. He stepped back and admired his work. They were stuck with Gemma hugging Izzy, and Izzy unable to get away. Nice. He generally preferred leather cuffs or rope for real bondage, but the zip ties would do.

“Hey!”
Both girls protested briefly, testing their bonds. The sound of PVC sliding along PVC was sexy. And the collars. Nothing was hotter than a woman wearing a collar – except maybe for a woman wearing
his
collar.

“
Oh no! What’s to become of us, dear Izzy? Now we’re totally at his mercy.” So much sarcasm in such a little girl. They looked at him expectantly. Despite the brave words, Gemma seemed unsettled. “I bet he’s like every other straight guy I know and he’s hoping we’ll kiss.”

Izzy
laughed breathlessly. Though Gemma watched him, she was staring in fascination at Gemma’s mouth.

“A couple of straight, good girls like you? I wouldn’t put money on it,” he mocked.

Gemma’s brows shot up. “Good girl? You wish.” Her face swung to Izzy, who looked at her with trepidation and even flinched the tiniest amount.

As Gemma leaned toward her, pulling her closer, Izzy tried to squirm away. “Don’t,” she squeaked. Gemma ignored her and pressed her lips to the girl’s in a chaste way, then withdrew.

Cross laughed. “You’re a virgin, Gemma? That’s all that kiss said to me.”

She glared at him, not noticing the way Izzy’s tits heaved or her helpless look of arousal.

Gemma snorted and turned back to her new friend. Challenge accepted. She pulled Izzy closer, with the girl whimpering but not trying hard to stop her. Slowly Gemma leaned in until their lips almost touched. Her tongue tip traced the seam of Izzy’s lips, teasing, testing, like she wanted to see what Izzy would do.

Fucking hot. He resisted grabbing her hair and instructing. If the building had fallen down, he
might not have noticed.
This
was better than his daydreams.

Gemma
bit the girl’s bottom lip – he could see the tug of skin as she pulled. When Izzy gasped, she slipped her tongue into her mouth and started to kiss her in earnest. Izzy submitted, relaxing into her arms then kissing her back. When, at last, Gemma pulled away, Izzy mewled, trying to follow her and not let it end.

Now that
that
was fucking hot.

They were both pink and blotchy, breathing hard, looking at him.

Gemma exhaled shakily. “Happy now?”

He couldn’t stay out of this any
more – all of his Dom instincts were pacing the cage, trying to escape. Vanilla or not? Time to find out.

Drawing himself up, he towered over them and growled. “Again.”

“What?” Gemma whispered, brow furrowed.

He glowered down at her, almost touching them he was standing so close. He ran a finger under the collar she’d put on as a joke
, slowly, letting her feel the pressure. “I didn’t tell you to stop, girl. Do it again.”

Izzy backpedaled, almost pulling Gemma off her feet. He
stopped Izzy with a hand on her nape and steadied Gemma with a hand under her elbow.

“Stop trying to get away, Izzy. I know you like this
.” He waited a second to let the idea sink in. “Just let it happen. You can blame me later, if you need to.” He held her with thumb and forefinger wrapped around her neck, over the collar. He stroked gently with his thumb. Though trembling, she didn’t argue.

When he looked back to Gemma, she stared him in the eye. She didn’t want to like this, but
somewhere in there, deep down, she did.

“Do it. Now.”

He could feel the heat coming off of her. She liked this, even if she wouldn’t say so. And neither of them had told him to fuck off or untie them.

After one, long,
exasperated sigh, Gemma took up the kiss where she’d left off.

He placed a gentle hand on the back of
her neck too. She tried to jerk away but groaned into Izzy’s mouth. Small noises of pleasure gave way to frustrated moans from Izzy. Somehow his hands had entangled in their hair, and soon he couldn’t help himself and started controlling their movements. The writhing of their bodies, their sounds and the way they’d wrapped themselves around each other – fuck. His cock pressed hard against his jeans, not used to being denied for so long. He was surprised his dick hadn’t detached and gone stomping through the store like Godzilla through Tokyo.

As Izzy kissed her way down Gemma’s neck, the latter threw her head back, looking up at him with hazy, half-lidded eyes. Her lips were red and swollen. He didn’t mean to, but then he was kissing her, and Izzy started to kiss him too. Was it too soon to drag them off upstairs? If he didn’t get his cock into a girl soon, he was in danger of spontaneous combustion.

Whoa. Stop. He stepped back and drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm. Control. Without control over himself, he couldn’t master his submissives. And these girls were his, even if they didn’t know it yet. One of his mantras droned in his head, taking him all of the way back to complete self-mastery. Better to leave the two of them wanting than to rush them into bed, possibly to regret it later.

Gemma looked like she wanted to complain about him pulling away, but they both stayed silent, watching him.

It must have been getting late.

He pulled out his pocket knife and went behind Izzy
to carefully cut the zip ties. Both girls started rubbing their wrists as soon as they were free. Neither was used to being tied, he was sure. He’d fix that, soon enough.

Without a word
, he walked to the fitting rooms and started to pull out discarded store merchandise and hang it up. At first there was only silence behind him then the girls filed back into their fitting rooms and shut the doors.

“Leave the collars on,” he rumbled.

No protests? Good.

When they came back out in their street clothes, both girls had complied. He forced his satisfied smile down before they saw it.

They joined in and helped him tidy up the rest of the clothing. Seeming uncomfortable with the silence, Izzy started up a thread of chatter that made Cross fairly certain she was a bit of a mess. He suspected Gemma was too, considering she was no longer full of snappy comebacks. Once, he caught her sliding her fingers over the collar. She blushed fiercely when she realized he’d seen her do it.

Twenty minutes later, they were both back to joking around as they
got ready to leave although neither mentioned what’d happened. Their taxi honked out front. First Gemma, then Izzy, went up on their toes, kissing him politely on the cheek and thanking him for his hospitality.

“I guess now you just have to pick which one of us you’re interested in,” Gemma teased.

“No, actually. I don’t. And leave the collars on until you get home.”

They stared at him, wide-eyed, for a moment. Izzy tugged Gemma away.

Cross watched as they walked arm-in-arm into the night’s shadows and wondered if they’d eventually come back for more.

Gemma

Gemma took a deep breath and walked into the coffee shop. She spotted Izzy’s back though she was turned toward the coffee makers behind the counter. The apron tied at her waist accentuated her slender figure.

Bypassing the line, she stood at the counter where people received their drinks. “Your ankle itchy yet?”

Izzy spun around and greeted her with a smile. “Very. Please tell me that goes away. I keep wanting to grab a plastic fork and shove it down my sock.”

“It goes away. Just another day or so.”

“Good.” She shook something in a tumbler, set it down then poured a steaming drink into a small cup. How she could keep track of everything, Gemma had no idea. It looked harder than tattooing. “Were you sent as errand girl again?”

“No.” She chuckled. “I’m between clients and came to talk to you, actually. Do you take a lunch break soon?”

A billow of steam burst from one of the machines, blocking Izzy’s face. “Lauren, can I take my lunch now?”

The large woman with glasses at the register nodded. Izzy smiled and handed a customer the cup she’d just poured. “Thanks, Laur. I owe you.” To Gemma she said, “Let me punch out and I’ll be right back.”

Gemma nodded and walked to the window. April on the northeast coast was warmer than back home in Chicago. Though the afternoon breeze had forced the shops to close the doors they’d propped open that morning.

A familiar body appeared outside the storefront across the street. Cross’s large frame filled the doorway. He fiddled with the
open
sign that had blown around the wrong way then turned and caught her gaze. How did he know she was there? Or was he hoping to spot Izzy?

She smiled and gave a little wave. He nodded and smiled back. Such a pretty smile. It was a shame he didn’t seem to show it much.

“Ready,” Izzy said, startling her. “Do you want to sit here?”

“Could we walk?” She arched her
spine. “My back is killing me from being hunched over for the last hour and a half.”

“Fine with me. If I don’t get out of here once in a while, I think I’ll smell like coffee beans forever.” She laughed and headed for the door.

“Hazard of the job, I suppose.” Gemma walked outside while Izzy held open the door. “I feel like I always smell like ointment.”

“You smell good to me,” Izzy murmured
, almost too soft to hear.

Gemma turned to look at her. “Huh?” Maybe she’d heard wrong.

Izzy’s face blushed bright red, but she didn’t answer. She rushed ahead a few paces. “Toward the boardwalk?” she asked without turning around.

“Uh. Sure.” The breeze made her hug her arms around her and wish she’d grabbed her jacket. It was such an odd time of year. Standing in the sun with no wind felt like beach season. In the shade with a slight breeze from the ocean and it felt like winter again. But the fresh air was nice. And she was getting used to the salty smell of the ocean. She doubted it would ever smell like home, but maybe home for now.

“What did you want to talk about?” Izzy slowed her pace so they walked side by side.

“Oh. Well I wanted to ask you what you thought about last night.” Before Izzy could utter a word, she rushed to say, “First let me say I’m sooo sorry for kissing you. I don’t know what came over me. I think it was
’cause I felt like he was daring me to do it.” She looked at Izzy and chuckled. “I’ve never been very good at walking away from dares.”

“No worries,” she said, eyes glued to the ground. “It’s not like I put up a protest.”

“Right.” This was awkward. “Well, I’m not bi or anything. It was really just to... I don’t know. Shock him, I guess.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Izzy didn’t look any more comfortable than she did. “And I’m not either. Bi, that is. I’m not
...” She cleared her throat. “I’m not that either.”

Izzy’s kiss was almost too passionate last night to believe she didn’t have experience or didn’t at least enjoy it
, but that was none of Gemma’s business. It wasn’t like they were interested in each other that way. “So.” She exhaled a deep breath. “What do you think of him?”

A big grin stretched across her face and she
finally looked at Gemma. “He’s scary.”

Gemma laughed. “Yes, but yummy. And
, for some reason, the scary makes him all the more tempting.”

“I agree.”

“So what are you gonna do?”

She blinked then frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, are you gonna go for him? I didn’t exactly call dibs and you seem to have some chemistry with him.”

“Didn’t yo
u hear him last night? I don’t think he’ll choose between us. It’s share or nothing at all. I have a feeling he means it.”

She’d thought Izzy might say something like that. Honestly, she’d hoped between the zip ties and the kiss, she’d have been scared off
, but Izzy had more guts than she thought. Bungee jumping and tattoos? Yeah, she should’ve known better. Guess she needed to get used to the idea of sharing.

Would it be so bad? Izzy seemed cool, like some of
her friends back home. Besides, this wasn’t the start to a marriage or anything. Cross was a yummy rebound and that was it. A fling to clear her head. Involving another woman would be fun. An adventure. And that was just what she needed after the rough winter.

“Okay,” Gemma said slowly as the sidewalk ended at the boardwalk. “I’m game for sharing if you are.”

Izzy blushed again as she nodded. “Alright.”

Gemma stabbed a finger at her in jest. “But if you start stealing my clothes, it’s on, bitch!”

Izzy’s clear gray eyes went wide for a moment until she realized Gemma was joking. She chuckled then glanced down at where she dug the tip of her converse sneaker in a patch of sand.

“Actually,” Gemma looked over her shoulder toward his store in the distance, “I think Cross plans on making both of us his bitches.” And that thought sent a shiver down her spine.

The two turned around to walk back the way they’d come. The silence got to her and Gemma scrambled for something to say.

“So you just moved here?” Izzy broke the ice.

“Yes. From Chicago.”

“Why here?”

She sighed. Should she tell her? It was humiliating. Well, why not? Seemed like they’d be spending a lot of time together. “My fiancé cheated on me with a...a...” Words escaped her. How should she describe it in a way a normal person would understand?

“A what?”

“Um. Do you know what a Dominatrix is?”

Izzy’s brow creased. “Like a woman in leather, holding a whip?”

“Sort of. Sean was apparently into kink. Waaay more than I ever thought. He didn’t tell me just how much. Ugh! This is so embarrassing!” She stopped walking and covered her face with her hands.

A few seconds later, a soft hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged. “Come on. Don’t be embarrassed. I won’t judge.”

Gemma dropped her hands, sighing. “One night about a year ago, he asked me to take charge in the bedroom. Like tie him up and stuff. I loved him so I tried it.”

It had been a disaster. Both of them were left frustrated. They’d argued about it.
Sean had wanted her to try it again but every time she did, it just felt so wrong. Not that sex was ever mind-blowing for her, but bossing him, tying him up, twisting his nipples – it was the opposite of a turn-on. And she could tell he’d wanted more. It was something she couldn’t give him. Which was why he’d left her.

“So then what?” Izzy asked. “You didn’t like it?”

“No. I hated it. And I sucked at it.” She chuckled.

Izzy nodded sympathetically. “I’d have been so lost. At least you tried.”

“Yeah, well.” She sucked in a deep breath, pushed back the hurt, the anger, then she exhaled. “It wasn’t enough.”

“So
he found someone else who could do that in the bedroom?”

“Yes. But he didn’t tell me until he’d already had sex with her.” That part she could have handled. “The worst part was he fell in love with her.” Her voice wavered and Izzy grabbed her hand.

“Oh, that’s awful! I’m so sorry, Gemma. No wonder you moved away.”

“
Yeah, we had the same circle of friends. I couldn’t stand seeing him everywhere so I decided some change was in order. My aunt and uncle live in town. They hooked me up with a roommate in an apartment not far from here.”

Tina and Joe had been a godsend since she’d moved here. Joe had already made two repairs in the apartment and Tina had been bringing her at least one meal every week, sometimes more. And she had a standing invitation to dinner after church on Sundays. She knew they desperately wanted her to go to church with them and she supposed it was the right thing to do to oblige them. Not that she didn’t like the music and feeling close to some divine power – whoever it was.

“I’ve got to get back to work,” Izzy said as they drifted a few yards from the coffee shop entrance. “You going to be okay?”

She smiled. Sweet girl. “I’m fine.”

“Thanks for the visit.”

Gemma nodded. “I’ll see you around, right?” From the corner of her eye, she spotted Cross sitting on a bench just outside his store.

Izzy saw him too and slid her a crafty smile. “You should go tell him what we’ve decided.”

Her gaze snapped to Izzy and her mouth dropped open. “Me? Why me?”

Eyes alight with mischief, she taunted her. “You scared?”

“No.” Her palms felt sweaty already. “I’ll do it. It’s just kind of awkward.”

Izzy opened the door to the shop. “Right. Tell him I’m available Saturday for a date but not Sunday. See you later, Gemma.” She disappeared before Gemma could fumble for a reply.

Sly
bitch. With a sigh, she looked back at Cross. He resembled a statue, sitting still and peacefully, watching the passersby meander across the plaza. She almost didn’t want to interrupt him. Then he turned his head and looked at her.

Caught. She’d been caught staring. He smirked then raised his hand and gave a little wave. She waved back and willed her feet to move.
Nothing happened.

His friendly wave disappeared and he crooked a finger at her instead. Somehow he made the beckoning hand gesture look like an order. Finally, her feet moved and she glided toward him as if pulled by an invisible string.

On her way, she wiped her sweaty palms on her jean shorts. Why was she so nervous? She was never like this with guys. Something about him in particular didn’t just intimidate her, but thrilled her. She desperately didn’t want to mess this up. If she could snag him, even just for a short time, she was pretty sure sex with him would be life-changing.

“Hi,” she muttered awkwardly when she reached him. 

He looked up at her then plucked the ear buds out of his ears. She hadn’t even noticed the iPod attached to his shirt.

“What are you up to, girl?”

Girl again? Her stomach dropped. The title was becoming like an endearment. She shrugged. “Nothing.”

His gaze flickered from the coffee shop to her. “You and Izzy look like trouble waiting to happen.”

“She’s trouble for sure. She sent me here on a mission.”

“Oh, really?” His brows shot up as he leaned back against the bench, slinging one arm across the back. “What’s this mission?”

She shifted her weight and opened her mouth to answer.

“Sit.” His command caught her off guard.

Suddenly the bench seemed very small and he far too large. “I’m okay.”

He frowned “It wasn’t a request.”

No, she recognized an order when she heard one. It was hard to miss coming from him, with his deep, commanding voice. She’d bet he could make the most poorly behaved dog heel with just a look. What would he do if she didn’t obey? Was that what all the tying up was leading up to? Was he like that Dominatrix bitch that stole Sean away, only the guy version? What were they called again?

Whatever. She didn’t need one of those in her life.
She doubted they were monogamous by nature and even though she was only looking for a fling, her heart couldn’t spare another break. She’d just have to show him she had a mind of her own. Maybe she’d try kissing a girl again but no way was she getting bossed around by him.

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she told him, “You’d get
further if you asked nicely.
And
if you used my name.”

He stared at her in such a way that she had to fight the impulse to take a step back. Finally, his face relaxed and he chuckled. “You need to be put over someone’s knee.”

What? Before she could give an indignant reply, he gestured to the spot next to him.

“Would you please do me the honor of sitting beside me, Gemma girl?”

She took in the amusement in his dark eyes and, even though the tone was sarcastic and he still used “girl”, it would have to do. With a sigh, she took a seat.

“There,” he said, angling his body to face her. “Was that so hard?”

Her pointed glare only made him laugh. “Now what’s this mission you and Trouble are concocting? Or should I say scheme?”