Leather & Lace: Trident Security Book 1 (13 page)

Kristen tried to get her breathing under control as Devon held her tight against his body. He must think she was an inexperienced wimp. She thought she could handle watching the Dom put clamps on his sub's nipples but as soon as the girl cried out in pain, something in Kristen flipped. It didn't matter that the girl was now moaning with pleasure. If Devon hadn't pulled her away from the scene Kristen was sure she would've vomited all over the place or at least passed out. Which was so not the way to make a good impression.

She let him lead her to a sitting area closer to the middle of the room. She was surprised when he sat in a winged back leather chair and pulled her down into his lap. The chair was situated so she couldn't see the scene which had upset her, and she knew he had chosen that one on purpose. He adjusted her hips until they were both comfortable before signaling a nearby waitress to bring him a bottle of water. Taking the bottle, he uncapped it and held it to her lips allowing her to take only a few small sips at a time. "Easy, Pet. Don't drink too fast or it'll make you sick."

She nodded before taking a few more sips as the bile which had risen to the back of her throat earlier subsided. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me and why I reacted the way I did."

"I think you do."

Her eyes flashed up to his then away again but he wouldn't allow her to hide. With a tender touch, he cupped her chin and turned her head so she had no choice but to look at him. She could tell he wasn't angry but concerned.

"Tell me, Pet. Tell me what happened to you."

She tried to shake her head as her eyes filled with tears but he was still holding her jaw. "I can't."

His concerned eyes softened in sympathy. His voice was deep–demanding yet kind. "You can, Pet. Trust me. There isn't anything you can say that I won't understand. Tell me, so I can help you heal."

Kristen blinked several times and took a deep breath. "I can't look at you when I say it. I've never told anyone and it's embarrassing."

He caressed her cheek before pushing her head to rest on his shoulder. He turned his head then kissed her forehead. "Don't be embarrassed. I've been in this lifestyle for over a decade and I've pretty much heard everything. Not much surprises me anymore. Close your eyes and take your time. There's no rush but you will tell me before we get up again. I don't care if your ass falls asleep, I'll just spank it awake again later."

She hiccupped then giggled as he'd intended and the tension she was feeling eased. She closed her eyes and settled deeper into his embrace. Taking another deep breath she began to speak. "I told you earlier I dated a guy in college before my ex. He was the one who got tired of me saying 'no' to actual intercourse but we still fooled around a bit." Devon didn't say anything as he continued to caress her shoulders and back while nuzzling his cheek again her hair. "We dated about three months and everything was great until one night we went to a party and Derek had a little too much to drink. Later we went back to his dorm room alone and we were making out and stuff. I had my shirt off and he'd pulled my bra down so he could...God, this is so embarrassing." Devon remained quiet, letting her tell him at her own pace.

She took another deep breath. "Anyway, he was sucking and licking my breasts when he started to get a little rough. He kept trying to get my pants undone. I'd never been afraid of him before but that night, I guess because of the alcohol, he got aggressive and I was scared. I tried to push him away and he bit my nipple, hard. I think if I hadn't screamed at the top of my lungs and hit him in the head, he would have bitten it off."

She didn't know when she began crying but the tears were pouring down her cheeks and she paused to catch her breath. Devon's hands never stopped as they caressed her back, legs and arms and the constant motions helped calm her. Despite being in a crowded club, she felt as if it was just the two of them, far away from anyone else. He was murmuring words of sympathy for her ordeal and praise for telling him about it as his lips brushed against her forehead. She felt the tension in his body with the obvious anger he had toward the man who'd hurt her, but he kept it in check.

"I grabbed my shirt and ran back to my dorm room. Thank God my roommate had gone home for the weekend. When I looked, his teeth marks were deep enough to make me bleed. It hurt so bad and I cried all night. I was in pain for almost a month. I couldn't stand to wear my bras because my nipple was super-sensitive but it was worse without them because my shirts would constantly brush against it, so I wore my padded sports bras until it healed, but it still hurt. And to make everything worse, Derek came to see me the next day when I wouldn't answer his calls or texts. He didn't even remember doing it. He said I must've been cheating on him because he didn't do it and he would tell everyone I was a cheating whore if I reported it."

"So you never told anyone? Never went to the doctor?" He spoke the words into her temple as he continued to pepper her with the sweetest touches of his lips.

She shook her head. "I know I should've but I was so scared and mortified. Anyway, I broke up with him right then. I was glad we didn't have any classes together but I still saw him on campus and three days later he had a new girlfriend. I never talked to him again. When Tom and I started dating and I wouldn't let him touch my breasts, he asked why. I told him they were overly-sensitive and he didn't push me after that. I can touch them and eventually I got to the point where I could let him touch them as long as he was gentle but I would freeze up if his teeth made contact. I guess it's one of the reasons I'm lousy in bed. I don't think I'll ever be able to relax enough to make a man happy."

Without warning, Devon grabbed her hair and pulled her head back so he could look her in the face. He was frowning, his eyes flashing in anger and this time it was aimed at her. He wasn't hurting her but a sliver of fear raced through her. "Pet, I'm only going to say this once and if I ever have to repeat myself, I'm going throw you over my knee and make sure you can't sit for a week. I will not tolerate you putting yourself down
ever
, especially because you're experiencing a version of PTSD. Do you know what that is?"

She'd heard of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but she thought it only happened to soldiers in combat or people who witnessed a murder or something just as bad. He was waiting for a response so she nodded her head the best she could while he still had a firm grip on her hair. "What happened to you was not your fault. It was not safe, sane nor consensual. No one, and I mean
no one
, should have to go through what you went through. You were violated by a man you should've been able to trust and he took your trust and destroyed it. I never want to hear you say you're lousy in bed or you can't make a man happy. What you experienced between those two cocksuckers may have buried your passion and your trust in men, but I've seen glimpses of your passion and I know it's there, waiting to come to the surface. The dick hurt you physically and mentally. And the fucking amoeba you were married to never took the time to learn about you–your body and mind. He didn't learn what pleases you and what frightens you like a lover should.

"When I'm with a woman, her pleasure, her desires, her needs and her orgasms are what matter to me the most. My need for sexual release is at the bottom of a long list. It's almost an afterthought and I will not allow it to happen until my sub is thoroughly and completely sated and she can't take anymore. My satisfaction comes after I've given her everything I can and I've taken everything she has in return. I want to be the man who can make you trust again. I want you to see and feel how good sexual play can be.

"Stay with me tonight...for the weekend. I want to be the man who gives you orgasms you never knew existed. I can't give you more than that. I can't offer you forever–it's not in me–but for this weekend, I can offer you the chance to learn what pleases you and how incredible sex can be with a man who places your needs, your pleasure, before his. I want to teach you what it means to feel cherished. If it's not what you want, tell me now and I'll take you home. But don't deny yourself the chance to explore your sexuality. Don't ignore what I can see in your eyes and body language that you crave. If it's not with me, find someone you can trust and make it happen."

Kristen stared at the man who held her captive, not only with his hands but with his words. She knew he was right. She was a passionate woman but it was buried deep within her and no other man had looked for it and put her before himself–until Devon. Did she want him? No question about it, she did. Did she trust him? She didn't know why but the answer was yes–yes, she trusted him with her mind and with her body. She only hoped she didn't lose her heart to him because she couldn't go through the pain again. This is what she'd told herself she wanted last week–a friend with benefits, nothing long term. And if he was willing to teach her and let her explore, she would take whatever time he offered her. And when the time came and they went their separate ways, she would thank him for everything he had given her.

Devon could almost hear her brain process everything he'd said. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted a woman, but this was her decision and he would abide by it, even if it killed him. She was looking into his eyes and his cock stirred the moment he knew she'd made up her mind. He knew what her answer would be but he needed to hear the words and he refused to proceed without them.

"Teach me, Sir."

Devon stood and set Kristen on her feet, holding her hips until he was sure she was steady. Grabbing her hand, he almost dragged her up the grand staircase, across the bar area and out the double wooden doors. He didn't say a word to her or anyone else on the way and several people barely managed to step out of his path before he ran them down. He wanted to strip her naked and he couldn't do it here, not with the rules they had in place. As they crossed the lobby toward the front door, he heard her say from where she trailed behind him, "Devon wait, I need my purse. It's still in your locker."

He didn't slow down but turned his head so she could hear him. "You won't need it. We'll get it tomorrow morning." He was too impatient to stop for anything. He wanted to spend hours proving his words to her. She would be satisfied many times over before he found his own release or he would die trying.

Throwing open the outside door he reduced his pace a little so she wouldn't lose her balance on the stairs while going down with her stilettos on. Instead of heading toward his car, he turned in the direction of the gate in the fence separating the club from the rest of the compound. As they approached, Beau, Ian's large lab-pit mix came running to greet them, happy to see someone who would play with him.
Sorry buddy
, Devon thought,
I've got bigger plans tonight and they don't include a rubber ball covered in dog slobber.

"Where are we going?" Kristen eyed the big black canine who was now bouncing his big body off the other side of the fence. "Does he bite?"

Devon placed his hand on the security scanner which would unlock the pedestrian gate instead of the drive-thru one. "My apartment is in the last building and he only bites when we tell him to or if one of us is being threatened." Before he pushed open the gate he addressed the excited mutt, "Beau, pfui, fuss," the foreign words being pronounced as 'fooey' and 'fooss.' The dog quieted and sat while the two humans walked into his territory and his favorite one closed the gate again. The dog's impatience was obvious and his stubby little tail twitched while the rest of his body remained still. As the two began walking across the compound, he fell in step almost attaching his furry body to his human's right leg.

Kristen was a dog lover and watched the animal in amazement as she kept pace with Devon. "What did you say to him?"

He slowed his pace a little when he realized she was almost running to keep up with his long stride. "Beau is his name. The other two words are 'no' and 'heel' in German. Ian found him as a pup and had him trained by a guy who specializes in protection and security dogs, and his commands are given in German. He only knows a few words in English from being around us and they're all harmless."

Kristen was impressed. "That's so cool. I'll have to remember it for one of my books, maybe." Devon stopped short and she almost stumbled past him before he grabbed her arm and steadied her. "What's wrong?"

His face was serious and borderline angry. "I want to make something perfectly clear. This thing between us, what we are about to do, is not research, Kristen, it's real. I don't want to be a story in one of your books. If that's why you're with me, tell me now, because if I find out later you're using me for that reason, I swear there'll be hell to pay."

Is that what he thought she was doing? Before she lost her temper, she took a moment and thought about it from his point of view. Yes, she had come to The Covenant for research but she came back with him because she wanted to. Because she wanted him. She brought her hand up to his cheek and she saw his stern face relax. "I can see how you might be worried and I can't say I won't subconsciously recall how you've made me feel tonight while I'm writing but I would never use you or anyone else that way, Devon. I swear to you, I'm here because I want you, and not for research for my books but to discover the woman I hope...I believe is hidden deep inside me."

He leaned down and took possession of her mouth, hard and fast. Clutching her hips, he pulled her to him until there was no denying how much he wanted her. When she moaned into his mouth and began rubbing her body against his, he ripped his mouth from hers, grabbed her wrist and began pulling her along again. "Come on, woman, before I throw you to the ground and fuck you right here. I wouldn't mind but I'm sure you'll be more comfortable in my bed."

She followed him into the last warehouse through a ground floor door which he also opened using a hand scanner. Again the exterior of the building belied the interior. There was a wooden apartment door a few steps in from the outside door. Brown carpeted steps to their left led to a second floor landing and another door. The sheet-rocked walls had been painted a soft beige.

Devon pointed to a much smaller door to the right of the first floor apartment door and spoke to the dog. "Beau, geh rein," he instructed the canine pronouncing it 'gay rine', the Germen words for 'go inside.' "Your boss will be home in a bit." The dog reluctantly but obediently approached the door and a red light on a small black box at the top of the door turned green. Ducking his head, Beau pushed open the top-hinged door and disappeared while the door fell back in place and the green light returned to red. Taking her hand in his, Devon led her up the stairs.

He stopped at the second floor door and used yet another hand scanner to unlock it. Kristen looked toward the floor and smiled when she noticed another doggie-door set in the sheet-rock. Devon opened his apartment door and gestured for her to go in first. Looking around his living room she couldn't believe they were in an old warehouse. The walls and ten foot ceiling had all been enclosed with sheet-rock and the spacious room was comfortably decorated. The walls were painted a pale moss-green while the furniture was made using dark-stained woods. A large, 'L' shaped, brown leather couch took up two of the living area walls with two recliners in a muted fabric completing the sitting area. The large framed pictures on the walls, a coffee table, end tables, lamps and throw pillows on the couch were well coordinated.

Two large horizontal windows were located high on the outer wall above the shorter end of the couch allowing plenty of light to come in but prevented anyone on the outside from seeing in without a ladder. Window treatments in the same fabric as the throw pillows framed the glass. Across from the longer length of the couch was a huge entertainment center which contained a sixty-inch flat screen TV, a complicated-looking stereo, a gaming system and an assortment of photos of family and friends. Beyond the large sitting area was a six-seat bar, although there were no bottles of liquor on the shelf.

Attached to the living room but still its own open space was a dining area with a teak wood table and chairs with seating for eight and a matching buffet table and china hutch. Two beautiful wrought iron chandeliers which looked similar to the ones in the club hung from the ceiling over the dining area and living room. Past the dining area was the entrance to a huge eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances, oak cabinets and black granite counter tops. The walls in there were painted ivory. Opposite the front door and between the living and dining areas was a hallway which led toward the back of the apartment where she assumed there were bedrooms and at least one bathroom. The entire apartment looked bigger than the three-bedroom cape she grew up in.

Turning, she saw Devon had been watching her. "Your place is beautiful."

His grin was sheepish. "Thanks but I can't take any of the credit. I mean, come on, I'm a guy who spent most of his adult life living on Navy bases and sleeping on the ground in places you couldn't imagine when we were on assignment. Can you see me picking out curtains or couch pillows? When my mom saw my card slash dining table and mismatched couch and folding chairs, she hired an interior decorator to come in and give it a major overhaul. The result is what you see and it finally got Mom's approval. At least Ian's place wasn't much better than mine at the time and he got the royal treatment too." He took a few steps toward the hallway and added, "Make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back."

As Devon disappeared into the back of the apartment, she continued to look around. Spotting the photos again, she approached the entertainment center to see them better. There were two pictures of the sexy-six pack. In one they were all dressed in military camo fatigues and holding some huge weapons while in the other they were playing a three on three basketball game. The photo looked like it was taken outside in the compound. There was a picture of Mitch, Ian and Devon dressed in their club leathers in the lobby of The Covenant. They looked a few years younger and she wondered if it was taken when they first opened the club. She moved to another group of pictures. The first one was of a much younger Devon in his Navy dress blues flanked by an older man and woman she assumed were his parents.

Behind her she heard him come back in the room and was about to turn toward him but something stopped her. Looking at the picture again, she focused on the older man who looked so familiar. Devon stopped next to her and she realized he'd changed into a pair of sweatpants and his feet were now bare. "Those are my folks, Chuck and Marie."

The names didn't ring a bell, so she moved on to the next photo which was of four boys, three of whom were in their teens. Two of them looked like twins and she thought one of them was Devon. She pointed to the boy on the left. "Is this one you?"

He nodded then took her hand and led her to the couch where they both sat down. "Yeah, that's me. Right before Ian left for basic training."

"What about the other two? I take it they're your other brothers."

Turning toward her, he ran a finger up and down her bare arm while the fingers from his other hand played with her hair. "John's the one who looks like me and Nick is the little guy."

He knew nervous tension was behind her questions, rather than curiosity. If he didn't take command of the situation, her brain might override what her body obviously wanted. When it looked like she was about to ask another question, he plunged his fingers into her silky strands before grabbing hold and pulling her mouth to his. "I don't want to talk anymore."

Then slammed his mouth down on hers and took what he did want–her.