Independence: #4 Hayley (2 page)

Silence had taken the room. Until the robe stopped moving and rested just beneath the firm globes of her ass. The stockings had stopped half way up her thighs and were held in place with pure black garters, tiny coral stones shimmering beneath the overhead lights.

Complaints and groans filled the chamber. Along with the laughter from those others. Shouts of
‘HIGHER!’
echoed through the room and bounced off the walls.

Jack reached for the device Dane held clenched in his fingers and tapped in a number. The number immediately appeared on the board along with their initials. He didn’t have to look at his friend to know what he’d done was more than acceptable. He ignored the chuckles behind him and wove his way through the people standing around the stage, waiting.

Dianna laughed after the numbers came to a stop. She caught Bailey’s eyes and winked with a little nod. She turned to Evan and met his gaze with a silent gesture that had the robe inching its way higher.

Dane set his beer bottle on the polished bar and moved to stand next to his friend. If legs were an indication, the woman had to be almost five foot eleven without the heels. Then the globes of her behind came into view, encased in nothing.

It wasn’t that he was new to the club. Or the nudity. Definitely not new to the exposed ass cheeks that rested atop the phenomenal legs standing on the stage. But something about the staging; something about the slim sparkling silver chain that separated the cheeks and hugged her hips had his attention. It was obvious she was also wearing a thong, the strings on the side the same deep coral as her shoes.

“Tell us about your friend, Bailey,” Jack asked over his shoulder, a glance at the redhead with the deliciously pursed lips.

“She told you her name, Sir,” Angel said with a pair of dark eyes lowered to hide her amusement. “She works on a ranch south of us…actually, she’s part owner and a vet.”

“Bailey gave us her name. Interesting color choice,” Dane remarked absently when a coral colored corset began to come into view. It stopped short of her shoulders with some very thin ties holding her top in place at her back as the robe was raised a little more.

And it had an incredible form to hug. The woman straightened up very leisurely, her hands still in front of her as the end of the robe made it as far as her shoulders before stopping again.

“Well, Doms?” Dianna peered around at the men she knew had been bidding on what the sub was offering.

“A five way bidding war,” Bailey murmured with a deep chuckle. A tiny squeak came from her lips the next minute when a very warm, very familiar palm stroked over her ass and delved between her thighs. She groaned softly and pressed against him. There never really was a loser in their relationship, she thought with a sigh.

“Not for long,” Dane said, taking the controller and tapping in a new amount.

“We’re finished with all the preliminary work…the vetting process to qualify for the work with the resort took almost eight months,” Jack commented idly. “The offices are set up and we’re swamped with offers of work. Taking the renovation for Claire helped cement things for us. She’s doing an incredible job with that prison remake. So…we deserve a break.”

“Glad you’ve joined the reclamation,” Gabe said honestly. “They’ve been looking for another company with strong ethics to add to the construction boom here. I heard too many fell short on that score. They have to be willing to strictly follow the mandates and learn the structural differences we need because of the ground and earthquakes.”

“Thanks for the reference, it helped a lot.” Dane looked over at his friend. Very briefly before his gaze went back to the woman on the stage. “We were more than a little tired of international travel. Most of our employees are crazy about the relocation from the east coast, too. I have two of my engineers enrolled in classes on necessary structural differences for creating buildings for not only the type of soil but for earthquake prone areas.”

An unusual quiet filled the large room as numbers and initials changed on the board where the bids were registered as quickly as those bidding could tap in the numbers and hit the
‘SEND’
button.

The woman stood immobile, not a muscle moving. The brown robe still covered her from the tops of her shoulders to her head. Evan stood in front of her, holding the thick material in place, but his gaze was on his mistress, Dianna.

Dianna walked around the edge of the small staging area, the heels of her black stilettos echoing in the whispered quiet. She cast a glance to the board and nodded in approval.

“Very nice, Doms…very nice…so this is where we offer a little more information to…season…the pot,” she paused, taking in the soft laughter and murmurs of curiosity. “Our sub has no formal training. She is, however, very good friends with our own little sub, Bailey. Suffice it to say, Bailey has offered a crash course in protocols…which means the lucky Dom…or Doms…it will be up to you, to transform into your protocol system and perhaps…you just may have to administer some remedial training,” she teased with a wink at Bailey, who offered a little groan. “Something our volunteer is anxious to explore…with the right person.”

Dianna waited for the laughter to fall off. One of the owners was Gabriel Garrett and his sub, Bailey, had a reputation of being in trouble for verbal slips throughout the club.

“What she is offering, will be the very best of her ability for whatever weekend that is chosen,” Dianna continued with a nod of approval. “Evan and I have personally aided with a quick training session and will confirm that you will be receiving a top notch, very fast learning novice.”

Dianna looked at Evan, a slow wink offered for the next step.

Chapter Two

As the bidders and all those watching, gazed on, the dark brown robe was lifted completely from the woman’s shoulders and head. The robe was tossed aside, but no one noticed.

Low, masculine groans rippled through the room as waves and curls of very long, pale amber tumbled down her back to the very center. The sides were shorter, the center ending in a slight point. Standing upright, shoulders back and head high, she moved the long, slender arms behind her. They stopped at the rise of her ass and she clasped them securely there. The slender straps of coral rested on her shoulders beneath her hair. As she turned slowly to face the audience, the front of her ornate lace and satin coral corset was revealed, along with the woman herself.

Against the natural tan, the coral shimmered beneath the lights. The thong of the bottoms held a minute triangle covering her pubic mound; the corset had elastic lace that covered and clung to her breasts, just enough to hold the firm, rounded breasts in place. As stoic as her form was, the pebbled tips of each breast thrust against the peek-a-boo lace surrounding them, tempting the bidders to action.

The numbers on the board made another couple jumps. Dianna looked out at the growls she heard and laughed.

“Open your eyes, sub,” she ordered gently, reaching up and carefully adjusting the wide matching coral mask she’d chosen to wear for the event. “Beautiful. Don’t you agree, gentlemen? We’ll give you a few minutes to inspect the merchandise before I close the bidding. We’ll know the winner in a few minutes. Evan, please set the timer for three minutes.”

She watched the man who had been her partner and sub for several years do as he was told before he lifted the discarded robe and joined her at the side of the staging area.

“I believe you two may have ended the bidding,” Dianna commented with a low chuckle as she strode to the small group at the bar. She looked at Bailey with a nod. “Your friend knows how to stage a show. This beats what we thought we could pull. Congratulations.”

“You were working with her on this,” Gabe realized, peering down at the innocent, wide eyes his fiancée offered.

Dianna grinned cheekily. “I listened to the two of you make the rules. There was nothing there against collaboration. Us girls gotta stick together.” She laughed at the male growl from Gabe. “It doesn’t work on me.”

“She’s very good at the staging and I should have trusted her,” Bailey admitted with a half shrug. “She used to dance in Vegas when she was about nineteen.”

Dane cleared his throat. “A Vegas showgirl?”

“For a year…then she was a dealer for a time,” Bailey continued, very pleased at the check she’d be able to give the children’s unit. “That was another year. She did that while she was going to school to be a vet.”

“Fuck.” Jack took the bidding device from Dane and tapped in another set of numbers. “We’re being beaten out.”

Bailey frowned and watched the three men off to the side. She looked up at Gabe. “I don’t think that should be allowed. They pooled their money.”

“I’m not sure what they’re doing is quite right, either…” Dianna had watched three Doms who had never played together before suddenly talking with heads bent, their chatter very low.

“If they hadn’t played together before, then it isn’t acceptable,” Gabe looked at Colin, another of the owners, for a confirmation.

“Yes, I have to agree. Otherwise grouping like that isn’t fair to the sub. They don’t know each other well enough to benefit working with a sub.” Colin kissed Angel quickly and stepped to the side, long legs crossing to where the three men stood talking.

Gabe watched as one of the men turned on his partner with more than a little anger, but he also knew Colin could handle himself. Especially since he was also the legal representative for the club. Gabe placed a reassuring hand on Angel’s shoulder when she stiffened.

“He’ll be alright, Angel.” Gabe promised her soothingly. Their last month and a half together hadn’t exactly been smooth and Colin had been hurt in the process.

“That’s better,” Dianna agreed, the sound of the timer going off sent her back to the stage. She stepped up to the woman standing immobile and held her hand out to her and her voice soft. Both wrists were immediately placed in Dianna’s palm. She looked out at the audience and counted down aloud to zero before nodding to Evan.

He went to Jack and Dane, his voice low. He received a pair of crimson leather cuffs and carried them to Dianna.

“Congratulations, gentlemen. Your bid will help the children’s unit and hopefully, provide the three of you with an enjoyable, eventful weekend.” Dianna led the silent sub to the stairs, her voice low as she verbally guided her to floor level. While she walked to the waiting winners, people appeared and began dismantling the temporary stage.

“Problem resolved?” Gabe asked when Colin rejoined them, the disgruntled trio going off in different directions.

“Of course. Once I informed them that the management made the rules. That our auction sub was not a pass-around girl and that the fact that they had never been known to work together, disqualified them from bidding as a unit.” Colin eased Angel back into his arms, his chin resting on her head. “They tried lying. I told them give me the dates and I’d have computer logs verified.”

“Circulate their names,” Gabe said quietly. “Keep an eye on them. I’ll have Claudia check their membership and see how long they’ve been members. They might need a refresher about honesty.”

“Thank you,” Bailey peered up at him with a mischievous smile. “Sir.”

Gabe shook his head, his palm sliding down her back and onto the exposed ass with a firm slap that made her jump. Just enough.

“Excuse us, gentlemen, mistress,” Gabe applied a suitably grim expression. “I think I’ve been sorely lacking in my reward for the win my sub just accomplished. I’m incredibly proud of her. Enjoy…and congratulations on your win.”

Dianna looked at first one man and then the other before nodding.

“Jack…Dane…Hayley. Congratulations.”

Jack didn’t touch the set of cuffs they’d had made a few years ago when they realized how much their experience was enhanced when they played together. Neither of them was gay or even bi, but the act of sharing a woman, and especially a sub, had heightened their senses like never before. He walked very slowly around the woman wearing the coral mask.

Dane held out his hand when Dianna handed him a key to one of the private rooms on the third floor. He looked over the woman’s shoulder at Jack before placing his closed hand beneath her chin and tipping it up.

One part of him groaned; another part of him throbbed and the third part of him made him shake his head at the fire deep in eyes almost the same color as her hair. A deep, golden honey color with hints of red at the edges.

“Mistress Dianna offered her training to you?” He asked, holding her gaze without a hint of emotion on his face. When she nodded, he shook his head in response. “Always verbal.”

“Yes, she did,” came the low, flowing answer.

“Then I’m more than a little certain Mistress Dianna and Bailey explained the protocols for addressing your Dom, whether it be for a night, a weekend or a lifetime.” Jack leaned in from behind her, his hand on her hip and stroking along her bare side. His lips were beside her ear. He had to hand it to her. She never jumped. Never moved a muscle, though he did hear the tiniest of gasps.

“Sir,” she corrected immediately. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“There are two of us,” Dane mentioned casually, one hand rising to allow his fingers to stab into the long hair at the side of her face. He didn’t tug on it, just allowed the thick strands to flow over his hand.