Whip Me Up Tie Me Down Read online

  Not a scenario he wanted to ponder.

  “Relax, Jake. I will never intentionally hurt you. Trust me.”

  The slide of the whip along the floor sounded like the hiss of a monster snake tasting the air for prey. He pressed the side of his head into the towel and squeezed his eyes shut. The crack of her whip was close, ringing in his ear from just above him. Another sounded, loud in his head but without the fire he’d expected. The third caused a ruffle in the towel across his back.

  A clatter followed, and he hoped it meant she was done for the day. Hard heels closed in on his location and her hand stroked his cheek.

  “My brave man. How do you feel?”

  “Proud of you.”

  “Aw, aren’t you a sweetie. A few more times, and then we’ll be done.”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  Her hand slid under his body and found his nipple where it pressed into the floor. The sting of her pinch came a mere moment before she grabbed the towel and exposed his bare back.

  Fucking hell.

  Quick footsteps retreated and she gave him another reminder to lay still.

  The whip cracked and this time he could feel the air rushing across his shoulders with the sonic boom. Four times she swung the whip and four times he felt the air rush across his skin with nary a touch of the leather.

  Adrenaline poured into his veins, each sound adding more until he thought his cock might burst with the need to come while she let fly the weapon.

  In the silence that came after the last crack, he heard the whip fall to the floor and her steps move in his direction. She rolled him to his back and cupped the straining bulge in his pants, her smile radiant. Their mouths met in a flame of need and the sound of his zipper lowering filled the room.

  “Now for your reward.”

  He blinked at her still covered body and realized what she planned. “But—”

  “My world, darling man.” She tugged the towel into his lap and wrapped her hand around his hard as a stone cock.

  He hissed, the feel of her hand around him, moving in a perfect rhythm set him on a fast path to orgasm whether he was in her or not. “Oh, shit. This won’t take long.”

  “A few minutes, at least,” she said, a gloating smile on her lips. “Wait for permission, Jake. This is my choice for you in honor of your submission to me.”

  Behind him, he heard a door open and then close before he could turn to see who’d come in. With her hand on him and his balls getting tighter by the second, he didn’t have time to worry about visitors.

  “Excellent. You make me happy, Jake. Very happy.” Lizette’s tone deepened, her hand tightening around his cock. “Come for me, Jake. Come now.”

  Chapter 16

  Jake leaned back in the booth and laid his linen napkin on the table, to his plate empty. Across the cluttered surface, Mark chewed on his steak like it was tanned buffalo hide instead of the tender beef the club’s restaurant served every week. Conversation wasn’t happening and Jake knew why.

  Neither wanted to acknowledge the elephant between them.

  The scene in the practice room an hour ago hadn’t been as private as he’d hoped. While waiting for skin to be flayed from his back, Jake heard a door open and close. He’d thought Mildred had left. Instead, it was his good buddy, coming to watch the show. And he’d gotten an eyeful. “I have a question.”

  Mark’s eyes popped like a cartoon character and his gaze skittered everywhere but to Jake’s face.

  “Get over it, man. I know you were there.” No point in beating around the bush. They’d been friends for too many years to let one incident put distance between them.

  The high profile owner of Private Delights looked down at his plate and shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t expect it to end the way it did, or I would’ve stayed out.”

  “Yeah, well, what the hell. Water under the bridge. Besides, I remember sharing a coed or two with you back in the day. What difference is that compared to today?”

  “Forgot about that. How many times did we double time a girl? I can’t remember.”

  “Hell, Mark. I can’t remember that far back. Whatever. I need you to focus on right now. I need some advice.”

  “Want me to recommend a good salon to wax off your unsightly back hair?” Mark’s grin didn’t last long. “Ouch. Kicking isn’t necessary.”

  “You deserved it.” Jake matched his buddy’s smile. “Can we get serious here for a sec?” He waited until Mark met his gaze, all kidding aside. “We’ve known each other a long time. Did you ever think I’d be a submissive in this lifestyle? Did I ever make you wonder?”

  Mark picked up his unused desert fork and played with it in his hands for a few minutes, his eyes shaded while Jake waited for an answer. “Be honest, man. After today, I can take just about anything.”

  “I saw that. Respectable showing of strength and trust.” The fork stopped moving. “Honestly, no. I never suspected you’d end up with Lizette. She’s one damn fine Domme and a beautiful woman. The two of you together? It floors me.”

  Exactly what he wanted to hear. “Here’s my question. Is it possible for two dominants to have a lasting relationship together?” With a shake of his head, he tried to make sense of his own question. “I mean, hell. I’m not dominant or submissive. I don’t mind playing the part every now and then, but would Lizette be amenable to a compromise?”

  Mark leaned in and set his elbows on the table. “I’ve never seen it happen, but I haven’t seen everything this life has to offer, either. It wouldn’t work for me. What Kellie and I have is intense and intimate. I’d never change it or even try to make her into someone else.”

  That sounded like a no go for a true relationship with Lizette. Neither one of them could change who they were.

  “Have you asked her about it?”

  “No. What’s the point? I can’t ask her to be anything other than who she is.”

  Mark slid out of the booth and reached over to punch him upside his head. “Don’t be a jackass. Ask her. Don’t presume you know how a woman thinks. You’ll get it wrong every time.”

  “Words of wisdom from a bachelor. Great.”

  “Not for long,” Mark said with a wide smile. “I’m wearing her down. I expect to add a ring to match her diamond collar as soon as possible.”

  Jake managed a decent smile of his own and a backslap-hug for his friend. “Congratulations. If she puts up with you, she’s an angel.”

  ***

  The sun hung low in the sky when they returned to Lizette’s. A short stop at the grocery turned into a major shopping experience when she decided to cook for him. The thought of rubbing elbows with her in the kitchen enticed like no other idea could. Save one.

  He was banking on going to bed early and staying up late.

  They were loading the dishes in the washer when the lights went out.

  “Damn it. What now?” Lizette leaned against the counter and sighed. “Stay put until I get the dishwasher closed. Emergency lights will be on in a sec.”

  “Does this happen often? Power outages? I didn’t know they made emergency lights for residences.”

  “Gran had them installed when I was a kid. Right after Grandpa died. I’m not sure if it was for my benefit or hers. And no, not much lately. Usually in conjunction with a storm, but it hasn’t happened in a while.” She turned to the darkened window and leaned into the sill. “What the hell? The neighbors have power. I can see right into their living room and the television’s on.”

  “Your emergency lights are green?” Jake asked in a low voice she barely heard.

  “Why are you whispering?”

  “Sh. I’m listening. You armed?”

  Her breath caught. Sonova...she’d been so comfortable with Jake that she’d forgotten to keep vigilant. “Will be in a sec.” Squatting, she opened a bank of cabinets and pulled out a beat up metal popcorn tin. The faded snowman guarded her backup pistol and a stash of ammo, all wrapped in a thick towel. She slid the cli
p in place and handed Jake the gun and the extra clip. “I’ll get my Glock from the bedroom. Stay here.”

  He grabbed the tail of her shirt and tugged her back into his chest. “We go together or nowhere. I don’t want to take a chance at shooting the wrong target in this dim light.”

  Where in the hell was the analytical mind she’d been grooming for the last six years? Time to get her shit together for both their sakes. “True. Stay right behind me.”

  His hand moved from the bottom of her shirt to the middle of her back and he fisted the fabric until the shirt fit like a glove.

  Jake’s breath warmed her nape. “Go.”

  She stepped out, one foot after the other with his body heat the only cushion between them. Adrenaline flared, from his closeness or the situation, she couldn’t tell. They were still a long hallway away from her room and the gun safe when the patio door shattered.

  Jake’s arm slipped around her and her feet left the ground as he ran down the hall. Shots sounded in the front of the house along with the splintering of furniture and boxes being toppled. She flung her arms out to catch the doorframes before they fell into her bedroom.

  Something was wrong.

  Complete darkness instead of the calm green emergency lights and the scent of something sweet had her backpedaling, pushing Jake back into the hall where the noise of intruders was rampant.

  This threat was bolder.

  Her eyes finally made the adjustment and recognition dawned. Two men sat at the end of her bed, one she didn’t know. The other had cleaned up since the last time she’d seen him, but she knew his name. Could write it with her eyes closed. The same dealer she’d wanted to shoot a few days ago. Benjay Terry.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Terry didn’t make a move, deferring to the man next to him. The one who spoke.

  “Finding you, of course, Sargeant. Your presence is hindering my business.”

  “Then take your business somewhere else.”

  The glow of a cigarette tip flared and more of the sweet smoke permeated her bedroom.

  “Who’s your friend, Terry? And why is he smoking in my house?”

  The smoker stood, the lights from the hall showing her a tall man in a suit. “Ahmed Khalid. His solicitor.”

  “Right. So get both your asses out of my home.”

  Terry slid off the end of the bed and pointed his gun at her. She didn’t recognize it, so at least it wasn’t one of hers. The safe hadn’t been compromised. Behind her, Jake’s palm flattened against her back. She pressed against it and his retreated until one finger remained in contact. In slow motion, the single digit swung side to side as if he were shaking his finger in her face. She bobbed her head in acknowledgement and waited for his next move, remembering his prowess with a pistol.

  ***

  “Why are you here, Khalid?” Jake asked.

  He pressed his finger into Lizette’s back, hoping like hell that her intuitive mind would keep her still while he pulled info out of the young Arab in his own language.

  First time he’d heard the name, but the little pissant had been in his classroom that first day, sitting in the back and soaking it in. He’d been a background player more than once when Jake’d been hanging out on campus and had probably been at the restaurant the other night.

  First time he’d lost his head and his perspective over a woman and now they’d both pay the price unless he could come up with something fast.

  “I could ask the same of you, Professor.”

  “Visiting a friend. You’ve crashed our date and brought friends, from the sound of it.”

  “These Americans are a little enthusiastic. Not my fault, of course.”

  “But you’re paying them anyway.”

  Khalid smiled and took another drag from his cigarette. Watching the ashes fall into the carpet, Jake rubbed another not-yet signal across Lizette’s back. These two he could handle but he had no clue as to how many friends they’d brought to the house.

  A low frequency buzz permeated the house as the soft green emergency lights continued to offer their weak illumination. Between the eerie glow and the haze of smoke from the obnoxious cigarette, Jake’s head throbbed with a singular thought.

  He had to get Lizette out of the house.

  “It isn’t like you to be in the drug trade. But somehow I’m not surprised.”

  Again, the teeth flashed but the sentiment didn’t reach Khalid’s eyes. “Because of my race? My Culture? Bah. I’m a businessman. If these people want to foul their bodies, I will be happy to take their money.” His gaze flicked to Lizette. “And their women. This one will need a firm hand and I know someone with enough money and strength to get the job done.”

  Jake pulled her back into his chest when she strained forward. Every muscle in her body was tight, ready to take Khalid on. He couldn’t let that happen. The man wanted a fight and playing into his hand would be counterproductive.

  “She’s mine. I claim her as my right and as the grandson of Omar.” Jake pulled her even closer and leaned in to kiss the tender skin beneath her ear, an act of possession and desperation. “Get your whip and be ready to run,” he whispered and shoved her behind his body, one hand still on her shirtsleeve.

  “I don’t care about your claim. She’s worth more than your life and that of your grandfather.” Khalid shrugged. “With the money I make from the drug trade, I’ll easily pay the death tax.”

  Jake stepped back and leaned against the doorframe, his body blocking her from the other men’s sight. When he let go of her shirt, he fucking hoped she got the signal. Until then, he hoped she kept her mouth shut and followed his directions.

  “Do take his pistol, Terry. I’ve no desire to deal with him any more than I already have. And bring me the girl.”

  The tubby man stepped away from the dubious protection of his boss and waved his pistol in Jake’s direction. “Hand it over.”

  Jake shrugged, not a denial, exactly, but since the pistol wasn’t visible, he didn’t jump to hand it over. Instead of watching Terry’s overstuffed paunch lumber over the carpet, he focused on the man in charge and looked for a concealed weapon. All hell was about to cut loose and he needed to know where all the threats were.

  “Perhaps there’s another solution.” A gamble, but it might just work if he played it well. “I have contacts across the States. Valuable contacts.”

  Khalid blinked, sucked another drag and exhaled the fog in a slow stream. “What are you suggesting?”

  “A partnership, if the accounts are sound.”

  “What of your grandfather?”

  He tipped his head, making sure the hint of a smile was evident, barely noticed but visible. “He isn’t as aware of my activities here than he should be.” Jake let go of Lizette’s shirt and flicked his fingers like he’d toss a candy wrapper but the damn woman stayed behind him. Fuck. She hadn’t understood the conversation. One hand still hidden next to his hip, he waved her off again and stepped forward to put his body closer to the Arab. “I could use the money.”

  A dark laugh was Khalid’s only reply and Jake held his breath while Lizette decided what to do.

  Jake could sense her presence, her reticence at leaving him with the other two men. She wasn’t the sort to run when danger presented itself. She was more of a stand and fight type but he needed her to follow his lead. He switched to English and directed his words to his new partner. “I’ll take half your take, but only if the girl stays with me. I’ve learned to appreciate her, shall we say, attributes.”

  “Half? No deal. You have no worth to me.”

  “I have connections in college towns all over this country. Distribution will be simple and profitable with my assistance.” With a twitch of his chin, he addressed Liz. “Go back to the kitchen and finish preparing the food, woman.”

  “What the—”

  Jake turned and shoved her further into the hall, regretting every second, sure he’d feel her wrath when this was over. If they b
oth survived. “Do as you’re told, woman.”

  The narrowing of her eyes when she turned back to face him gave Jake hope. She was full out pissed and that just might save her life.

  Chapter 17

  “Do as you’re told” rang in her ears and pumped up her anger like nothing else could and she turned toward the kitchen with heavy feet. The urge to stomp like a little kid surged until the moment she laid eyes on her whip peeking out the top of her bag.

  Her heart paused and restarted at a daring pace.

  It made sense.

  Jake made sense.

  Grabbing her phone, she called her dispatcher and gave him the short succinct report and requested backup. The sound of uninvited quests had her leaving the open cell phone on the counter. She reached for the whip and froze, remembering Mildred’s warnings about using the whip.

  Anything could become a projectile.

  Grabbing a rubber band, she twisted her hair into a knot and secured it at her nape. Gripping the handle of her whip and sliding it out of the bag, she left the kitchen. A few steps took her down the hall and into the living room, the same space she’d used as a practice area. She rolled her shoulders before she strode into the room. Time to kick some ass and take some names when the dust settled. Or gather blood samples to determine names. Both options worked for her.

  Two men, roughly dressed in street clothes, stood on opposite sides of the room. Each had a hand in a box and were digging through the things she’d planned to donate to the women’s shelter. Both turned toward her and smiled, evil intent shining in their eyes. They had no idea of what she had to offer them. But they soon would.

  The one on the left dropped a small lamp and watched it shatter before looking at her. The other man laughed and moved in her direction and, even in the low light, she could see his anticipation. His intent to hurt her instead of her grandmother’s things. Raising her arm, she sent the fall of her whip into the man’s path, her aim sure and true. The sound of the fall’s mini sonic boom as it landed on the man’s wide chest a testament to her training.