Chapter Sixteen
Under My Thumb was a lot classier than Jackson had anticipated. Compared to most of the clubs he’d frequented in Vegas, the joint was downright restrained. Gold-and-brown-swirled fabric adorned the walls of the main room, lending a cozy feel to the lounge area. Dozens of low tables and upholstered black-and-gold chairs surrounded the circular bar at the center of the room, and a waterfall on one wall all but eclipsed the music coming from the other rooms with the soothing sound of water tumbling over rocks.
If it weren’t for the glimpses of bondage equipment and spanking tables in the darker rooms to his right and left, and the scantily clad submissive chained to a revolving platform above the bar, he and Nicky could have been in just about any bar in L.A.
Well, any bar that allowed its patrons to bring their dates in on leashes.
Just ahead of them, half a dozen collared women and a couple of collared men knelt on the floor next to their dominant partners’ chairs, eyes downcast and secretive smiles on their faces. The sight immediately put Jackson’s mind at ease about the personality of the club itself. Safe, sane, and consensual seemed to be the rule. The laid-back vibe of the place revealed its patrons weren’t concerned for their own safety or anyone else’s.
In fact, many of the couples were laughing and chatting, the subs fetching plates from the hors d’oeuvres table and the dominants feeding their partners while they knelt at their feet. There was an almost. . . loving feeling in the main room. It was a pleasant surprise, and Jackson knew he would have completely enjoyed spending a night here playing with Nicky if they weren’t positive they would encounter her ex.
“Looks like I’m missing an important accessory,” Nicky whispered, glancing at the rhinestone-inlaid collar of a very young blond sub as they made their way to the bar.
“Do you think I should have found you a collar?” Jackson leaned down and breathed the words against Nicky’s neck, relishing the clean smell of her. She looked so beautiful with her hair up, her neck long and graceful. He could amuse himself for at least half an hour just letting his lips play up and down that smooth column of soft flesh.
“There’s a woman selling gear at one of the tables in the corner. It’s not too late to buy one. I’d certainly enjoy following you around on my hands and knees, sir.” Nicky angled her body closer to his, the tips of her breasts brushing against his chest as he ordered them each a snifter of brandy.
He could catch just the faintest glimpse of her berry-colored nipples through the white fabric of her lacy little top. It had been driving him wild since the second she stepped out of the bathroom and every male jaw in the hotel room had dropped to the floor. Even Christian, who had done his best to make his dislike of Nicky known, had gotten that wolfish look in his eye. Like he wanted to pounce on Nick and devour her whole.
It had been all Jackson could do to keep from driving his fists into the faces of the very men who had been generous enough to help him. Friends or not, he couldn’t stand to see anyone else look at Nicky with desire. She was his, and no other man should touch her, even with their eyes.
No, she’s not yours, bucko. She deserves a better man and you’re going to make sure she’s free to find him.
Jackson paid the bartender and took a deep pull on his brandy, wincing as the liquid burned a trail down his throat.
He’d seen the way Nicky looked at him since they’d returned to L.A. She wanted to pick up where they’d left off at the cabin. Hell, he did, too, but it wasn’t best for either of them. He needed to get his head on straight and she needed the chance to be with a man who wouldn’t do crazy things like threaten her daughter’s life or kidnap her and try to tattoo her against her will. He and Nicky just couldn’t have that second chance he craved with every cell in his body.
But they could have tonight. One last night that would have to last them a lifetime.
“So what do you say? She’s got whips, too.” Nicky sipped her drink as she traced soft fingers up his stomach to his chest, making him shiver. Even through the thick leather of his sleeveless shirt, he could feel the heat of her touch. “I want you to spank me in front of everyone. Isn’t that why the legs on these little shorts are so loose? So you can flip them up on either side and see—”
“Soon.” Jackson’s hand tightened reflexively on Nicky’s hip. He wanted nothing more than to find a bench and make her fantasy a reality, but they needed to take stock of their surroundings before they chose a place to play. His next words were even softer than a whisper. “Do you see him anywhere?”
Nicky’s wicked smile faltered for a moment. “Not in here. But he might be in one of the playrooms.”
“Then let’s take a tour.” They tossed back the last of their drinks.
Jackson put one hand at the small of her back and led her into the room on their right. Eyes followed them as they walked, but he wasn’t surprised.
Nicky was easily the most gorgeous woman in the room, and he wasn’t ignorant of the effect his own imposing bulk had on the average submissive. He and Nicky together were the poster children for the stereotypical fantasy BDSM— the tiny, delicate sub and large, muscled dom.
They were going to have their share of observers once they settled in to play, there was no doubt about that. It wasn’t the way Jackson would have preferred to spend their last night together, but drawing attention was what they were out to do tonight. If every tongue in the club was wagging about the new kids in town, there was no way Nicky’s husband could miss them.
“He’s not here,” she said.
It wasn’t a big surprise— there were only four or five couples active in the large room at the moment— but Jackson still felt his spirits sink. What if the man decided not to come? Not that he was in any hurry to see the sociopath who’d made Nicky’s life a living hell, but after all their planning it would be beyond frustrating if Derrick didn’t show. And Jackson knew Nicky would be devastated. She was so thrilled by the thought of seeing her daughter again.
Jackson was pretty thrilled himself. He couldn’t wait to meet the little blond-haired, brown-eyed girl he’d seen in Nicky’s pictures. Abby was the spitting image of her mom, a fact that made him love her before he’d even met her.
God, he was a hopeless case where this woman was concerned. And probably the world’s sappiest dom. If Nick knew half the thoughts running through his head, his “big and bad” rep would be out the window in seconds.
“Nope, no Derrick, but I really like that bench in the corner.” She ran her tongue lightly over her lips. “I mean really, really like it.”
“It’s called a Black Stallion,” Jackson said, letting his hand wander down to cup Nicky’s ass through the soft satin. “They’re exceptionally well built, made to support a lot of weight. I could position you at one end, spank you until your pussy is dripping down your thighs, and then climb up and fuck you from behind. It would support both of us.”
Nicky’s breath came faster, her breasts rising and falling in a way that made Jackson ache to get her tits in his mouth. “You think the boys in the van got all that?”
“No. I have the switch to turn on the cameras and mics right here. It’s a remote control built into my watch.” His fingers teased under the hem of her shorts, tracing the curve of her ass, making her shiver. “I don’t want any of them hearing or seeing anything but what they need to hear and see. Tonight, you’re mine.”
“Yes, I am.” Her eyes slid closed and her lips parted, an invitation Jackson couldn’t resist.
He captured her mouth with his, slipping his tongue between her lips, tasting the shot of brandy they’d each had and the sweeter, spicier taste that was pure Nicky. As his tongue tangled with hers, his fingers found their way between her legs. Pulling the scrap of fabric masquerading as her panties aside, he plunged first one finger and then a second into the molten heat of her pussy.
“You’re wet already,” he said, his own breath coming faster. “You little slut.”
“Dirty little slut,” she amended, contracting her inner muscles until they gripped his fingers. “Who can’t wait to get fucked.”
Jackson kissed her again, moaning against her lips as his cock thickened within the tight confines of his leather pants. God. Damn. How had he managed to go nearly three days without touching her? How had he resisted the overwhelming need to get his fingers, his mouth, his cock inside her sweet little pussy?
“Are you going to fuck me, Jackson?” she asked, her hands molding to his chest. “Are you going to take me in front of all these people? Show them that I’m yours?”
“We agreed no penetrative sex, Nick. I’m not going to change my mind about that. But I will make sure you’re satisfied. If. . .” His words trailed off as he drove his fingers in and out of her pussy one last time, making her eyelids flutter and her breath rush out on a moan.
“If what?”
“If you’re a good girl.” He pulled his hand from between her legs and brought his fingers to his lips. Holding her eyes, he sucked the two that had been inside her into his mouth, taking the taste of her from his own skin.
Nicky’s eyes grew impossibly wide and her nipples tightened until they poked through the thin fabric of her top. “I’ll be good. What can I do to show you how good I can be?” She licked her lips again, bringing to mind images of Nicky on her knees, sucking his cock the way she had that first night in the cabin.
“Soon. Not just yet.” With no small degree of effort, Jackson forced himself to get his mind back on business. It would be so easy to fall into a scene with Nicky, to get swept away in pleasure and forget the real reason they were here. But he couldn’t let that happen. Nicky and Abby were both depending on him being man enough, dom enough, to make sure this night went according to plan.
“Let’s check out the other room,” he said, unable to resist running his knuckles over her nipples through the gauzy material as he spoke. “Then we’ll find a place to play.”
“Yes, sir.” Nicky’s words were perfectly submissive, but the look she cast up at him through her lashes was tinged with defiance. They let him know she wanted more out of tonight than a confrontation with her ex, that she wanted him to stake his claim and there would be hell to pay if he tried to deny her.
Jackson turned back to her, nearly encircling her narrow waist with his hands and squeezing none too gently before leaning down to whisper in her ear. “I’m going to spank you, bind you, and make you scream my name as you come while all these people watch. Don’t doubt that for a minute.”
Nicky’s hands drifted up to cling to his biceps, but he stopped her with a word. “No. Hands at your sides. Keep your hands to yourself until I tell you otherwise. Show me you can be patient and obedient.”
“Obedient, yes. Patience, however, isn’t a virtue.” She narrowed her eyes, clearly not thrilled with the idea of waiting much longer.
“Give me another look like that one again and you’ll be punished.”
“And how would you punish me?” she asked, the arousal in her voice enough to make his cock twitch in his pants. She knew just how to play him, how to dance the edge between obedience and defiance, to arouse and frustrate him at the same time— both of which ramped up his own desire to a ridiculous degree.
“I think nipple torture would be most fitting,” he said, smoothing his hands up to capture her tits in his palms. He pinched her nipples between his fingers as he continued to speak in the same low, soothing whisper. “First I’ll touch you like this, until you squirm and your pussy drenches those little panties you’re wearing.”
Nicky sucked in a ragged breath, but didn’t say a word.
“Then, I’d find some real nipple clamps. Or, in a classy joint like this, they might have dual electrode attachments for breast play. Have you ever had electricity shooting across your nipples, Nicky?”
“I heard that could be dangerous. That it. . . could cause. . . a heart attack,” she said, her hands fisting at her sides as she fought to hold still despite the fact that he’d only intensified his attention to her nipples. “I think we have enough electricity already.”
“I agree. But above-the-waist electrical play can be completely safe. If you know how to do it the right way.”
“And I bet you know just how to do it the right way, don’t you?” Nicky’s words ended in a gasp as he pinched her nipples— hard— one last time and then pulled away.
“Of course I do.” He smiled down at her, not letting himself think about how stupid it was to keep demanding a true power exchange from Nicky.
It didn’t matter that this was their last night together. They had to make their relationship look like the real thing. Besides, he couldn’t seem to treat Nicky any other way. He behaved as if she was really his submissive, his girl, and they were learning how to be a pair, a dom-sub couple for life.
The thought filled him with a longing so fierce he felt like a jolt of electricity had surged into his heart. Maybe Nicky was right and they already had enough of that particular energy.
“Now why don’t we check out the other room?” He took her hand in his and walked toward the hall connecting the two playrooms.
The passageway was constructed so it appeared to be carved through solid rock and took patrons behind the waterfall located in the main lounge. There were several nooks and crannies along the way, perfect for a couple looking to hide in the shadows, but he and Nicky were the only patrons in the darkened tunnel. It was only nine thirty and most of the clientele still seemed to be in the drinking, snacking, and chatting phase. If Under My Thumb was anything like other clubs he’d been to, the real action wouldn’t start up until closer to midnight.
“Look, the backside of water. I always wondered what that looked like,” Nicky said, then laughed softly.
“You’re the dorkiest sex symbol I’ve ever met.” Jackson smiled at her over his shoulder.
“I know.” She laughed again as she turned back to look at the waterfall. “I really am such a dork, I—”
She suddenly froze, her hand going slack in his, the look on her face making his heart race.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked, twining his fingers through hers and pulling her close, as if he could protect her from whatever she’d seen. More like whomever. There was little doubt in his mind that it was the man who had inspired the fear and anxiety in Nicky’s eyes. “It’s him, isn’t it?”
“Yes. He’s sitting at the bar.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.
She sounded so much younger and weaker than the Nicky who had sassed him in the other room or joked about that backside of water a few seconds ago. And the bastard in the other room was responsible. He was the one who had done his best to break the spirit of the woman next to him. It made Jackson wish for the hundredth time that he was going to be allowed to break the other man’s face.
Instead, he moved behind Nicky, wrapping his arms around her chest as he pulled her back against his front. He dropped a soft kiss on top of her head before he spoke. “Which one?”
“The one in the long-sleeved black shirt. With the sandy blond hair.”
Jackson didn’t know what he’d expected, but the man seated a dozen feet away certainly wasn’t it. Derrick was amazingly. . . average-looking. Probably around five feet nine, average weight, average build, average California tan and light brown hair, even an average-looking profile with a slight bump on the bridge of his nose. The only thing unique about the man was that he was sitting with a gorgeous, if rather artificial-looking, blonde with enormous breasts wearing a white slip so transparent it made Nicky’s look positively modest.
“He’s with someone. I should have known he’d be with someone,” Nicky said. He could tell by the way she spoke she was nibbling her bottom lip. It was a nervous habit, and reminded him that, no matter how average-looking, this was a man capable of inspiring fear in the woman he loved. “What if this doesn’t work the way we planned?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Jackson hugged her a little tighter. “Just because he’s here with someone else doesn’t mean he won’t be pissed to see you here with another man. Besides, that woman has nothing on you. She’s an imitation— you’re the real thing.”
She laughed, but it was no longer a carefree sound. “Derrick likes imitation. He’s been trying to convince me to get implants and a tummy tuck ever since Abby was born.”
“He’s certifiable,” Jackson growled. “You’re perfect. Women pay thousands of dollars to try to look half as beautiful.”
“Derrick didn’t think so. He saw every line and stretch mark.” Her hands trembled as they moved to grip his forearms, her fingers squeezing gently before abruptly dropping back to her sides. “Sorry, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to—”
“Don’t worry about it, babe,” Jackson said, feeling like a complete ass for putting more pressure on Nicky. She didn’t need to be worried about obeying dom-sub rules when she was getting ready to confront the man who had threatened their daughter’s life.
“No, I want to worry about it.” She turned in his arms and lifted her troubled eyes to his. “I need you, Jackson.”
“I’m here. Anything you need. And I’ll be close by when you ask him to go out—”
“No, not that.” She sucked in a deep breath and nibbled her lip again for a moment before continuing. “Don’t back down. Don’t take it easy on me. Make me yours.”
“Nicky, I—”
“Control me. Dominate me.” She smiled, a sad little twist of the lips. “Even if it’s just for tonight.”
So she knew. She could sense that this was the end. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” The eyes that met his were filled with a longing so intense, Jackson felt like he’d been sucker punched in the gut. “Make me forget he’s here, and that he could be watching everything. Make me forget about everything. . . but you.”