Hostile Takeover (36 page)

“Cass,” she said, her serious tone bringing the conversation to a halt.

Cass twisted around. In the very next moment, she was up and moving. Marcie stood frozen, watching her come forward. Suddenly she
was
a little girl again, she couldn’t help it. Cass had always been there for her, the sister who’d become mother to them all, the one they all leaned upon when things became unbearable. Knowing that, seeing those keen blue eyes, the concerned set of her mouth, she couldn’t hold it together.

“I’m sorry,” she said brokenly. “I couldn’t…I needed you. All of you.”

I had an odd dream the other night. It was dark, I was running from something, but I ran smack into it. I screamed, but then it was gone and you were there, blocking the darkness. That wasn’t the weird thing about it, though—you know it’s not the first time I’ve dreamed about you when I get anxious about things. What was odd was that, this time, as I watched you stare out at that darkness, making sure it didn’t come closer to me, I thought: When he dreams of darkness, who saves him?

Letter from Marcie, first few weeks of college

I always want to be there for you, brat, but in your dreams, don’t you ever run. You stop and face that darkness, tell it to fuck off. Never let it drive you away from what you want. Once you show fear to something, it owns you. And yes, that’s also the answer to your question. Someone can save you from darkness once or twice, but only you can kick its ass and send it running.

Ben’s response

Chapter Twelve

The sobs burst out of her, everything she’d been trying to manage since it all started, all the pretense and bravado swept away on a violent tide. Her knees buckled, but Rachel was already there, helping Cass catch her. They let her fold down to the floor, Rachel stroking her hair as Cass closed Marcie in her arms, practically holding her in her lap.

“I’m sorry. He doesn’t want me…he hates me… I made him hate me.”

Cass’ hand whispered over her abraded wrist, then her gentle touch lifted her face, her thumb touching Marcie’s mouth. Something fierce and dangerous went through her sister’s expression. “Did he do this to your lip?”

“No.” Marcie shook her head hastily. “I hit it on the car when he shoved me against it.”

“Yeah, that’s loads better.” That tight comment came from Dana as she now crouched on the floor with Cass.

“We’ll worry about that in a moment,” Rachel said quietly. “Let’s get her to the other lounger, take a look at her. She’s not moving well.”

“Here, let her take this one. It’s longer, and I’ve warmed it up.” Savannah had made it to her feet, and was gesturing them to the six-foot-long couch.

Marcie tried to protest, but they were moving her over there. She was hobbling a bit. The level of pain from the CNC session had worked her over pretty good, and then she’d tightened up further during her argument with Ben. On top of that her knuckles hurt from hitting him. She’d used that same fist earlier in the day, and the security thug had a rib cage like a steel vault.

When they had her sitting, Rachel’s fingers moved over her, but Marcie shook her head, uncomfortable with the fussing. “‘It’s okay. He knew what he was doing, at least with the switch and the cane and…” She gave a hiccup, a near-hysterical snort. “That’d sound weird in the wrong crowd, wouldn’t it? I…it felt good and bad at once, you know. I’m okay. Just…tough session.”

Which she honestly might have loved if it wasn’t driven by something so wrong between them. If Ben had been seeing how much she could take because he liked to push his slave to that level for their mutual pleasure, it would have been ecstasy for her. Another sob caught in her throat, made her clutch Cass harder, where she sat next to her on the couch. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m sorry.”

“Sssshh.” Cass held her. “Just get it out, sweetie. It’s all right. We’re here. We’ve got you. Dana, can you find your way to my room and bring some warm clothes? I keep pajamas in the left top dresser drawer.”

“Flannels and bunny slippers coming right up.”

“She’s okay,” Rachel said, done with her cursory evaluation. “She’s right. Just sore and stressed. Do you have heat and ice packs?”

“Master bathroom closet. This is one of her favorite rooms in the house. Can you work on her here?”

“Yes, this is a good space. I’ll go get the packs and a warm throw for her to lie on while I work on her.”

“I’m sorry,” Marcie whispered. “I hate making you worry, making you have to do things for me.”

“Oh love.” Stroking her hair back, Cass kissed her forehead. “Do you know how long it’s been since you’ve needed me to do anything for you? I’m so sorry this happened, but I’ve actually missed being there for you every once in a while. You ask so little for yourself, always handling everything so well.” Marcie raised her head enough to see Cass smile through a sheen of tears. “I’m here for you, anytime.”

“We all are,” Dana said. She was back, and her fingers were loosening the laces of the pants. She’d been exploring them to determine their shape and workings. Now Marcie let out a combination sigh of relief and discomfort as they lifted her to her feet and removed them. She’d left the shoes where she’d crumpled and someone had put them neatly to the side of the couch.

When Rachel returned with a chenille throw, Savannah slid the tunic top over her head. Then her cool fingers caressed Marcie’s back, releasing the catch of the shelf bra, letting it slide down her arms. She took the leggings that Dana handed her, folded them up with the bra and put the clothes with the shoes while the others eased Marcie down to her stomach on the couch. She was now fully naked, but the warm throw felt good against her skin.

“No shame, sweetheart,” Cass said. “We’re all girls here. All the kids are gone for the night. Jon has them making robots in his workshop or learning how to shape bonsai. One of his usual activities.”

It made her smile a little, but she wasn’t ashamed to be naked with them. If Ben wanted to strip her naked on St. Charles, tie her to a trolley stop sign and sit on a nearby bench to read his paper and enjoy the view, that wouldn’t bother her. She was his. Because of the common elements that bound her to these women, particularly in this moment, she felt no more self-consciousness with them than she did with him. It might seem twisted to the rest of the world, but that was okay. It made sense to her.

Cass’ fingers whispered over the cane marks. “Okay, some ice for these areas should be good enough. I give him credit. He never breaks the skin.”

“Just every blood vessel beneath it,” Dana chuckled. “I remember.” She paused, as if realizing now might not be a good time to remind Marcie of that, but in answer, Marcie laced her fingers with the black woman’s, laying her head on her knuckles. It was different with Dana. She couldn’t really explain that either, but when you belonged to one of the Knights, in a peripheral way you belonged to all of them. Max’s words came back to her.

You’re one of theirs.

Dana stroked her hair, leaned down and kissed her temple, a soft nuzzle. “It wasn’t all Ben,” Marcie mumbled, wistfully passing her fingers over the St. Christopher’s medal, briefly hooking in the D-ring when Dana made a soft noise of sympathy. “Master L and Frank did the first part.”

Now there was a full stop. Cass squatted where Marcie could see her face. “What?”

“He wouldn’t take me to the club, so I went on my own. To Surreal. I did go to Baton Rouge to get info for Pickard, that wasn’t a lie. I just couldn’t tell you the rest.” It was important to let her sister know that, see Cass acknowledge it with a nod. “Master L and Frank invited me to play with them. They were going to work me over on top of my clothes, which was fine at first, but they were really good at it. Ben was at the bar with this…woman. I didn’t know he was going to be there, but when I saw he was, and he was with her…I just wanted it all to go away. Anyhow, Master L and Frank did a good job. None of them broke anything.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Savannah was sitting on a broad and cushioned foot rest pulled over near them. She exchanged a glance with a tight-lipped Cass as Dana chuckled. She tugged Marcie’s hair.

“Girl, you’ve got brass ones. Bigger than Ben’s even. Damn, I bet he was pissed.”

“Obviously.” Cass’ voice was frost. Dana quieted, but she reached out, found the older sister’s knee.

“Not like that, hon. You know what I meant.”

“I do.” Cass sighed, rubbed her temple. It made Marcie flinch, seeing her worry. “Rachel, do you think we should put her in the hot tub?”

“Good idea. That’ll help relax her, and then I can give her a full massage afterward.”

They helped her to her feet, stayed close despite her protest that she could walk. The sun porch’s annex held a hot tub that could seat a dozen people. There were a few wooden loungers around it, some of Jon’s tranquil maples. He should start a nursery, call it Peaceful Plants. Ben could run a bakery right next to it. Steamed Buns.

She must have said the first part, because Rachel gave one of her musical chuckles. She and Cass were helping her into the hot tub, one on each side. “I’ll suggest it as a retirement option for him. I think he has enough projects and ideas going right now to last him the next forty years.”

“He took me by surprise,” Marcie said. There was no filter on her mouth right now, no organization, just myriad thoughts drifting through her head. She remembered that breakfast, what he’d told her about touching Rachel. “One moment he’s this peace-and-love super genius guru, the next, he’s a Dom and he…”

“Turns the cartilage in your knees to jelly?” Rachel squeezed her waist carefully, brushed her cheek against Marcie’s. “Yes, he does. It makes kneeling to him very convenient.”

“For several reasons,” Cass said wryly. “Here we go. We’ve got you. Just take the steps slow.”

Marcie was vaguely aware of the front doorbell ringing and Savannah telling Cass she’d get it. When the heated water closed around her calves and Rachel pressed the control to start the jets, everything else was lost in the bliss and bubbling noise. She may have even moaned. She kept her wits about her enough to glance over her shoulder and watch Savannah move in a stately sway back across the sun porch, toward the front hallway.

“She doesn’t even waddle. Wow.”

“Yeah. But you should have seen her the night we got her to do Jell-O shots with us,” Dana said. “Before she was pregnant, obviously. Even Matt had never seen her drunk. We have some blackmail photos. Or at least, I’m told they’re blackmail material. She says if we ever share them she’ll hire an assassin to take us all out. I’m not scared. We’ll show them to you later.”

Marcie smiled, she couldn’t help it. Dana was just like that, the right combination of humor and calm assurance, with Rachel’s earth mother support on the other side. No matter what, it was going to be all right.

* * * * *

She almost fell asleep in the hot tub, Dana and Rachel watching over her, but after twenty minutes, they brought her back out. Rachel moved one of the loungers to the sunroom, and Marcie was so loose they poured her back onto it. They’d moved the chenille throw with it, which felt wonderful on her naked skin. Dana sat in a chair near her head, to give Rachel room. Savannah had pulled her foot rest close as well. Matt’s wife had a bowl of ice as well as prepared ice packs, which Rachel indicated would be used when she was done, to keep the swelling down where needed. Cass sat next to Dana, stroking Marcie’s hair with her fingers, soothing.

Marcie listened to the murmur of voices, not really focused on any of it, just floating in her head. There was no pain there, all the things that hurt or disturbed pushed behind a gray mist. She closed her eyes as Dana’s fingers twined with hers, the black woman’s thumb sliding over her palm, her wrist pulse, caressing. She bit her lip as one of the ice cubes made a slow glide over the marks on her thighs, her ass. She felt the tips of Savannah’s nails. It felt good, soothing…but a little more than that too.

The hot tub had loosened her up, but it had done something else. She hadn’t come tonight. What had happened at Surreal had been a roller coaster, physically and emotionally, and since the latter had claimed center stage for the past couple hours, she’d assumed the former had settled down, but their touch was reawakening it. Were they doing it…intentionally?

“Um…Cass…” Her cheeks were warming. In a moment, she was going to be making it obvious how those slow, sensual glides of ice felt, the teasing touch on her wrist pulse, definitely an erogenous zone.

“It’s all right. Let them take care of you in the way they know you need.” The two sisters met eye to eye as Cass knelt before her, stroked her hair along her temple. “You’re one of us, aren’t you?”

Just like that, the key to the city, to the secret clubhouse, to the place she’d always known she belonged. It made tears spill forth anew. “Oh Cass.”

“Sssh. It’s okay. I’ve known for a long time what you are, haven’t I? And I’ve never told you it’s wrong. How could it be, when I’m cut from the same cloth? But I worry. Because you’re young, reckless…and it goes so deep for you, deeper than me. Maybe more than any of us. There was a time I was afraid the life I gave you contributed to it, in the wrong way.”

Marcie was already shaking her head, but Cass pressed a hand over hers, showing she’d made whatever peace she needed to make with that thought. “It doesn’t matter. As long as this is what you truly want.”