Embracing the Fall (7 page)

“I kind of figured that out for myself, even without being a big scary detective.”

“Smartass. So, you know what he is. But do you know what it means to be what he is?
Do you know even half of what it is to be into that? I do.”

Shock snapped her mouth shut at that. How did her no-nonsense, raised in the ‘burbs
cousin, come by this knowledge?

“Brice is so fucking into it, he made it seem amazing and hot. So I tried it a couple
years ago. Fucking crazy ass shit, Z. Crazy. I am talking tied-up and hanging from
the ceiling while a guy, or two or three, whips and canes you and then fucks you in
every hole you got. No way are you going to tell me you or Cami are into that. No
fucking way.”

“No,” Z said as the mental picture that put in her mind caught and stayed. Much to
her shock, not in a bad way, either. “No, I’m not telling you anything. My sexual
preferences are my own damn business. And if I decide I want to see what all the fuss
is about, that’s my choice, not yours. And the same goes for Cami. Besides, for now,
this is just a dance. Just be here and be supportive, okay? Look, this is her business,
but I know you won’t let it go otherwise, so well, Cami has been looking into the
possibility that she is a submissive. If he likes her enough, he is going to help
ease her in. And, I am, too.”

“What the hell, Z! That’s why you wanted us all here?” He looked as if she’d just
sucker-punched him while he processed that. “Wow, I didn’t see that coming. I’m supposed
to be okay with that? Fuck me. No, close your smartass mouth. I know. I know it’s
not my place, you’re grown women and able to make your own choices and all. Just gimme
a minute, okay?”

Ziporah watched as the caveman part of his nature struggled with the reasonable part
and she almost felt sorry for him. He was a strong alpha-male and he saw it as his
duty to watch over those he deemed as his, and when his charges bucked his rule, it
was always a battle for him to rein it in and let them be. “You and her are both going
to go there, hmm? You? A sexual submissive? That’s all well and good I guess. I still
don’t like it. By the way, there is no ‘if he likes her’. He’s in, Z. I saw his face
when he looked at her. He’s in.” As the import of that sank in, Brandon added, “Just
so you know, I was watching him with you both. And he’s not only all-in on Cami, Z;
he’s all-in on you, too.”

She left me … She left me … I can’t believe she left me. The shocking mantra ran in
a loop through Cami’s brain, as she outwardly smiled and swayed to the beat. She fought
back the urge to laugh as she flashed on a scene from Jurassic Park where the jerk
lawyer left the kids to face the T-Rex alone. In this scenario, that scene was apt,
because she felt as small and defenseless as those little kids facing the man in front
of her. His gaze was like a tractor beam and never left her face. And the look in
that gaze was decidedly ravenous.

The music was upbeat and lively with a sexy undertone that the people around her were
picking up on as their dancing got more and more risqué. Her partner had some good
moves on him. He danced close, keeping her pelvis tight to his as he dipped and pulsed
in perfect rhythm, with a firm one-handed grip on her hip. He weaved her through the
other dancers as though they weren’t even there and Cami barely felt her feet touch
the floor.

If she got any more attracted to this guy, she would probably combust.

For what seemed like the dozenth time, Cami tried to smile and extract herself from
his hold and failed. It wasn’t that she felt he was
making
her stay, because that would scare her and close her down, it was more like he was
making her not want to go. She didn’t know how he was doing it, but it was freaking
her out. And if she were being honest, turning her on, too. And
that
was freaking her out as well. If this is what it felt like to be a sub, she was in
trouble.

“You got so much going on in your pretty head, I’m surprised there isn’t steam coming
out of your ears.” Oh God. He had a southern drawl. It was light but unmistakable,
and Cami felt her knees turn to jelly. She loved a man with an accent. He’d come in
even closer to speak directly into her ear and then, with a jolt, Cami realized he
was staying there. The hand on her hip slid up and around to press between her shoulder
blades, and now she felt every inch of him from breast to knees. Speaking of knees,
with the next step he smoothly inserted one of his between hers and rocked their bodies
with a pulsing grace that was primal.

She would have felt trapped and claustrophobic if not for the fact that he left his
other hand free at his side. It was like he knew she was ready to bolt if he pushed
her too far, so he left an escape hatch open for her in order to help her keep the
panic at bay.

“Sorry,” she finally remembered to respond. “I’m just distracted. It’s busy tonight
and I’m worried I don’t have enough people on staff. It’s a lot to think about, running
a business.”

“I bet.” There was something in his eyes that told her he wasn’t buying work as her
excuse, but he didn’t comment. “It’s a fantastic place. You should be proud.”

“I am.” As warmth seeped into her from the large hand holding her so securely in the
middle of her back, Cami finally found the presence of mind to move. “And I should
get back to check on things now.” Easing through the escape hatch he provided, she
half expected him to try and stop her, considering how tight his grip was. But he
didn’t. So, of course, as soon as she was free, she wished she could step back in.

It was a little surprising. This was her standard boyfriend material test, and he
had just passed. Whenever she danced with a man she was considering dating, she always
broke off before the end of a song. Although she never put it into words, even to
herself, she tested them to see who would let her go when she wanted.

Not too many had passed. And she did not expect a Dom to be one of the few who did.
Weren’t they supposed to be first in line in the control department? Also, most of
the men who did agree to stop before the end of the song usually tried to follow her,
but not this one. He stood in the middle of the floor where she left him and just
watched her walk away with a fire in his eyes that made her want to turn around and
march right back to him.

She was in trouble. But it was the kind of trouble she thought she just might finally
be ready for.

An hour later she was helping bus some tables since the two girls on tonight were
getting run ragged.
Note to self: hire more waitresses.
Maybe she’d see if Angie wanted to pick up some extra shifts.

Evan had spent most of that time at the pool tables with Brice and the other Doms.
She had felt the intensity of his regard the whole time, though. It was like his stare
had a gravitational pull and she was drawn by it. It was as exciting as it was terrifying.

“Sing for me.” Ziporah snagged the tray from her hands. “I’ll take over helping if
you sing.” Cami bit her lip and looked around. The place was packed and the energy
was upbeat with just a touch of sultry to it.

“Okay,” she told her, “but let’s sing together. What better way to let him know we
come as a set and show him exactly what he’s getting himself into? And only if we
can sing
Black Velvet
.” She laughed when Z dropped her head back with a groan.

“Why do you hate me so much, when all I want is to love you?” Laughing outright, Cami
took hold of Z’s hand and led them to the stage.

“Come on. Let’s play like we used to and see if we can light a fire in him.” Cami’s
giggle was full of mischief.

“Why, Camille! I’m shocked.” Z mocked her in a snooty drawl that only made Cami laugh
harder.

Black Velvet
had been their favorite song in college. For Cami it still was, but Z had decided
that she was done with it after singing it a million and one times. Z didn’t have
the passion for music that Cami did, but she had a fantastic voice and Cami was convinced
that Z could have been a rock star if she wasn’t so bent on the law.

Once they hit the stage, Cami signaled to one of the bartenders and the lights dimmed
until the two of them were spotlighted. She grabbed her guitar from its stand and
used the control panel at her feet to turn on the mic. She was going to go acoustic,
so she angled a second mic to catch the instrument and then handed a third to Z.

Cami wasn’t big on speeches or rambling on before a song unless she needed to get
the crowd’s attention. Since this crowd had already given them their attention as
soon as the lights dimmed, she just strummed the strings and started singing. “Mississippi
in the middle of a dry spell ...” The lyrics flowed out like warm molasses, sexy and
haunting. There were some songs that just hit her vocal abilities in their sweet spot,
and this was one of them.

On stage, she wasn’t shy. She wasn’t a small town girl whose hips were too big. And
most importantly, she wasn’t that girl who’d been attacked. On stage, she was a completely
different person and everything melted away but the music. Back in college it was
what had saved her sanity.

As she sang, she knew she was killing it. Each note perfect and crystal clear, and
the audience knew it, too. She had them eating out of the palm of her hand before
she got to the first chorus. When the chorus did come, and Z chimed in with her precision
harmony, it was like the stars had aligned and Cami wished she could freeze this one
perfect moment in time, because it just didn’t get better than this to her way of
thinking.

She winked at Z because she knew that her friend felt the charge in the air too, and
then looked out over the crowd to include them in on the magical moment, and that’s
when she saw him.

Almost like he had his own spotlight, Evan stood out from the crowd like a beacon.
As soon as her eyes met his, he stood from the table and made his way across the packed
room as though it were empty. He moved so fluidly it seemed as though he were floating,
but that wasn’t the right word for it. He moved too purposefully, too aggressively
to call it floating, she thought. He was like a stalking animal, all muscle and strength,
moving like water wrapped in a skin of stunning beauty.

The audience melted away until it was the three of them, alone in the universe. As
the sultry song poured from them like verbal crack, Evan stood at the front of the
stage and devoured every note.

Z and she always danced suggestively when they sang this one, but they had done so
tongue-in-cheek and made it playful rather than uber-sexy. This time there was nothing
playful about it. With Evan watching, every touch and shimmy and arch was a promise
and a tease, and Cami had never been so turned on in her life.

All the men she’d been with since college had been attractive to her on some level,
and she got excited plenty. She was working hard to take back her sexuality and despite
what Z and her therapist believed, she was not content with the way things were. She
had done her research and she had gotten very close to Zoe and Terryn, who had been
a tremendous help in her quest of self-discovery.

She wanted more than anything to experience passion; she was ready for this. Ready
for him. And even though it scared her to be this attracted to a man because it triggered
bad memories, she wanted more than anything to take him up on the promises his eyes
were making right now. With Z at her side, the fear of what was to come later was
fading and in its place was the passion that she dreamed of.

Z stepped close and the two of them started crooning into the same microphone, cheeks
brushing and breaths mingling. Cami knew the image the two of them made, with both
their mouths so close to the bulbous head of the mic. And when Z trailed her fingers
teasingly along it, she knew that it was a deliberate taunt to the man standing in
front of them. She watched as the skin on his face tightened with arousal and his
fists opened and closed at his sides like he was fighting to keep from reaching out
and grabbing them.