My Stepbrother's Rules: The Complete Series (Steamy Stepbrother Romance) (8 page)

I’d never seen a cat o’ nine tails this close up. The long, black leather braids had tiny, metal hooks on the end. It looked frightening and my new Dom was giving me plenty of time to get a look at it. Was he trying to scare me or warn me?

My chest felt tight. The leather braids moved over my face and around the stocks. The man was careful of the hooks. Still, they passed treacherously close to my face. I closed my eyes until the cat o’ nine tails was away from my head.

The man’s shadow loomed large on the stage before me. He was tall and muscular; his shoulders wide set; his waist slim. As the cat o’ nine tails moved away from me, I caught a glimpse of the man’s hand. A small, hook-shaped scar caught my eye. I recognized it instantly as belonging to Alex. He’d received the injury when we were on a family vacation years ago. While fishing, a hook passed through the skin between his thumb and index finger and become stuck. I’ll never forget watching the doctor remove the fishing hook with a pair of pliers.

I wanted to laugh. Alex. Of course. I suspected he’d be at the party, but he had a way of finding me that I found suspicious. Did Ivy tell him I’d be here? It wouldn’t surprise me. I should have known. Too late now.

The leather braids passed over my naked back. I could feel the metal claws graze my skin. I held my breath. They were sharp, but they didn’t break the skin. Not yet, anyway.

“Punish her!” someone in the dark shouted.

Laughter and whistles echoed the man’s sentiment. Alex wouldn’t like that. It went against what he believed was ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’ BDSM. He believed in building tension; BDSM was a seduction, not a free-for-all.

He ran the claws over my lower back. In spite of the abrasive crowd, I enjoyed his touch. I’d recognize it anywhere.

Gently, the leather braids slapped against my ass. It didn’t hurt; he was simply giving me a taste of what was to come.

The crowd settled back down. Alex moved to the side. I couldn’t see his face, but his presence was comforting. I could see the muscles in his thighs tense beneath his pants. It was then I knew he was about to start whipping me in earnest.

I held my breath. The first blow took me across the back of my thighs and ass. The whip stung, but the claws carried a bite unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

I was scared to move. If I took away an ounce of control from Alex, it could spell trouble. He wielded the cat o’ nine tails with perfect, measured discipline. If I moved, it might cause the whip’s metal claws to catch my skin the wrong way. I’d end up with deep gashes instead of deliciously painful cat scratches.

The whip cut through the air. I felt a rush of air against my bare skin then the sting of the leather braids. The bite of the claw followed on a delay. Three lines across my lower back screamed with fire. I knew then we’d begun in earnest.

A second blow followed soon after. This one caught me across the thighs and ass. Sparks of light flared in my vision; the pain was intense.

I inhaled sharply. I tried to stay still, but I couldn’t help squirming. My wrists were already raw from my previous encounter with Alex; the wood cut into my sore skin painfully. It was almost too much for me.

A third blow from the cat o’ nine tails hit me and was quickly followed by a forth. I moaned loudly. I was wet and achy all over. Could the men in the crowd tell? They may not have been able to see how wet my pussy was, but there was a shift in the audience. They were tense; their eyes wide. It was like they could sense my arousal.

I suddenly felt very small. I was surrounded by predators eager to pounce. Alex would protect me. Wouldn’t he?

His strong hands grabbed my hips. He pulled me towards him, straightening my back. I arched my back giving him a better view of my backside. Suddenly, his lips were on my lower back, kissing my sore flesh. Light and airy, his kisses were sweet.

A shiver shot up my spine. My senses felt heightened as if they were on a hair trigger. For a moment, the world came into focus. The room, the audience, the party, all vanished. Alex and I were alone.

“Do you want more, sweetheart?” he whispered.

“Yes,” I said shakily.

“Good girl.”

He kissed me again then stood. I could hear his footsteps walk across the stage and away. I assumed he was going to fetch a new toy, but he didn’t return. The Dom I’d met earlier jumped onto the stage.

Irritated, I craned my neck looking for Alex. He was nowhere in sight. What sort of game was he playing?

In a booming voice, the Dom declared that the whore had been punished. There were groans from the crowd; they wanted more.

“Thank you for attending. I’m sure you’ll find more sensational scenes of sinful delight throughout the mansion. Exit through the back. Be careful where you end up. There are some paths that once traveled can never be returned.”

The curtain closed just as the Dom wrapped up his dramatic speech. I could hear the partygoers shuffling and talking amongst themselves.

“Just when things were getting good…” one man said.

The Dom came over and unlocked the hinges. I sat back on my feet. My back screamed with pain. Not just from the whipping either; having to hold one position for so long strained my muscles to the breaking point. My back stiffened; my legs shook with fatigue.

The girl who’d dragged me backstage ran out holding a robe. She wrapped it around me. The Dom helped me to my feet. I started to speak, but he silenced me and motioned offstage. I sensed he wanted to wait until we were out of earshot of the partygoers. Once we were in the backroom, I turned on him.

“Where did Alex go?”

“Who? Oh, the man who rushed the stage?” he said with distaste. “Highly unorthodox. We encourage audience participation, but we like to know ahead of time. Problematic guests are easier to handle that way.”

“Why did he stop?”

“You’d have to ask him that,” he said with a grin.

“Why are you smiling?”

The Dom exchanged a look with the girl. They both smiled. I didn’t like the look they shared. It implied they knew something I didn’t.

“He wants you to chase him,” the girl said.

“What?”

“It’s a cat and mouse game,” the Dom said. “You are his submissive. It’s your job to come to him.”

“Don’t be so naïve,” the girl added. “I saw the way he was with you. He could barely control himself. Word of advice: be careful. When a client falls in love with you it can be a nightmare. They don’t understand it’s about money. The relationship becomes messy. On the other hand, if you fall in love with him, you won the lottery.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. What did she know about my relationship with Alex? Love? No way was Alex in love with me. A guy as hot and rich as he was could have anyone he wanted. I pushed the thought out of my mind.

“Which way did he go?” I asked.

“He slipped out the far right corridor.”

“You better hurry,” the girl said. “You leave a man like that alone for too long and someone will steal him.”

I made for the door.

“Wait!” she called with a laugh. “Your clothes.”

She held out the remains of my dress. The straps were torn; the fabric wrinkled.

“You can’t go out there like this,” the girl said, appraising my disheveled state. The robe I wore hung loose on me. I would stick out like a sore thumb at the party.

“Here- take my dress.”

The girl pulled her blue sequined dress over her head and tossed it to me. I stared at it dumbly. The girl was completely naked before me. She turned to the closet of BDSM clothes and picked out a latex dress.

“I’m meeting several clients tonight. They won’t mind if I’m dressed like this. In fact, I think they’d prefer it,” she said.

I looked around the room. There weren’t any private areas for dressing. The Dom had already seen me naked so it was more than a bit silly to feel shy now, but I couldn’t help it. This felt different. We weren’t in character. I wasn’t his submissive anymore.

I turned my back on them and let the robe fall to my feet. I slid the dress over my head quickly and went to the mirror. It was tight in the bust and the hips, but I thought I looked okay.

“You look stunning Olivia,” a voice said from behind me. I turned to find Ivy standing in the entrance to the room.

“Thanks. I-”

It suddenly hit me: she’d used my real name. She only knew me as Natasha. How had she discovered my true identity?

“That was quite the show you put on out there,” she continued.

“You were watching?”

“I saw it all. I’m impressed. Don’t suppose I could talk you into leaving your job at the newspaper to come and work for me?”

I felt as if my heart dropped into my stomach. How much did she know? How far would she go to protect her business? I took a step back.  A sly smile spread across Ivy’s face.

“You didn’t think I’d find out? I have quite a few resources at my disposal. You’re not the first person to come poking around looking for blackmail material.”

“I’m not trying to blackmail anyone,” I said defensively.

“No. You’re just looking for a story.” There was a catch to her voice as if she was talking to a child. “I liked your story by the way. Most journalists call us deviants and whores. They don’t get it, but you seem to understand intuitively.”

She took a step towards me. I backed up against the wall.

“And then there’s your brother…”

“Stepbrother,” I corrected.

“
Step
brother. What a strange little family you have.”

“You have no idea.”

Ivy laughed. “You know, I think you and I are going to get along very well.”

She ran a finger around my jaw and down my neck. I flinched as her touch moved lower along the curve of my breasts.

“Do your mommy and daddy know what you and your stepbrother are up to in my club? What about his business associates? How would they react if they knew he engages in such
deviant
behavior with his stepsister of all people? I’d hate to think what that would do to his business.”

I could see where this was going. She was going to blackmail me.

“I don’t have any money,” I said. “I live off my salary. They barely pay me a living wage.”

Ivy pouted with mock sadness. “Poor little rich girl.”

“I’m not trying to win your sympathy.”

“Then what exactly are you doing?”

“I know you’re protective over your business. I don’t want to destroy it- or you- or any of the girls you employ.”

“How generous of you.”

Ignoring her sarcasm, I continued on: “You can threaten me all you want, but I don’t have any money to pay you.”

“No, but your stepbrother does. This is what’s going to happen: you’re going to bring me a hundred thousand dollars monthly
or else I’m going to expose your stepbrother’s dirty little secrets to the world.”

“
Monthly
? Alex doesn’t have that kind of money and-”

Ivy laughed. “He’ll find it. He would never deny the love of his life whatever her heart desires.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Alex doesn’t see me that way.”

“No? Well, you better make him see you that way. If you don’t, I’m going to see that his life and your reputation are ruined. Kiss your future in journalism goodbye. It goes without saying of course that you will not be writing more stories about the club or its clients. Understood?”

My editor was too in love with the story. There was no way he’d just let it die. He’d put someone else on the case, someone with more experience. I cursed silently. Even if I was able to get Ivy her money, my career would still be ruined. I thought about calling her bluff, but what about Alex? I couldn’t let her destroy his life.

“Don’t speak a word of this to your stepbrother. Come up with whatever excuse you have to, but get me my money.”

Already she thought of it as her money.

“Oh, and one more thing,” she said, “You’re working for me now- full time.”

2

Ivy left me in a daze. I braced myself against the wall. I wasn’t feeling steady on my feet. She expected me to make my stepbrother fall in love with me then shake him down for one hundred thousand dollars a month?

Assuming I could convince him to give me that kind of money, could he even afford to? I had no idea what his financial situation was though Ivy seemed convinced he could handle it. And what was this business about me working at the club full time? It would mean spending time with men I didn’t know.

I turned to the Dom from the play. He was watching me closely. I’d enjoyed my time with him; maybe working in the club wouldn’t be so bad?

“You’re a spy?” he asked.

I didn’t respond.

“I thought you were… well, it doesn’t matter now.”

“You were trying to expose us?” the girl said.

I dropped my eyes to the floor. I knew if I tried to explain I’d only make things worse. They didn’t want to hear my side of things and I didn’t expect them to believe me when I told them I wasn’t trying to destroy them. I simply stood there and waited for them to attack.

“You don’t have anything to say?”

I bit my lip.

“Somebody ought to teach you a lesson,” the girl said, taking a step towards me.

The Dom pulled her back. “None of that,” he said. “Ivy’s going to teach her a hard lesson. You can guarantee it. She doesn’t need you piling on.”

I ran out the door on the verge of tears. I didn’t blame them for hating me. I deserved it. My article had put a spotlight on their lifestyle. Because of me, they would be scrutinized and criticized by the community and people on the internet. I didn’t name anyone in my article, but anyone who attended the club could discover their identities and harass them.

The room was empty now except for a man and woman I recognized from the club. They were on the stage examining the stocks.

“On your knees,” the girl ordered.

The man dropped down and placed his head and arms between the wooden blocks. She pulled out a riding crop from a holster she wore on her belt. Under different circumstances, my curiosity would have been piqued, but not now. I needed to clear my head.

Without thinking I ran to the far right corridor. It was the same hallway Alex exited through. I didn’t want to talk to him right now though. The thought of seducing him for money made me nauseous, but what choice did I have? If I didn’t get the money, Ivy would ruin his life. I wanted nothing more than to avoid him, so naturally I ran straight into him.

“I was just coming to look for you,” he said.

When he saw my face, his lighthearted expression changed.

“What happened?”

I shook my head dismissing his question.

“Did someone hurt you? I swear I’ll kill him.”

Alex brushed past me and headed back towards the stage. I grabbed him elbow.

“Nothing happened,” I lied. I tried to force a relaxed look on my face. “I was just upset when you left. I thought you were angry at me.”

Alex hesitated as if he didn’t quite believe me. “Why would I be angry?”

I shrugged. “You took off…”

“I didn’t want to continue in front of those people. I didn’t like the way they were leering at you.”

I dropped my eyes to the floor; my vision clouded with tears. I tried to hide my tears from Alex, but it was useless.

“Sweetheart, don’t cry.”

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. It felt nice to simply be held by someone. Alex ran his hand up and down my back. When his hand passed over the lash marks, I groaned.

“What am I doing?” he said. “I forgot about your…”

He trailed off as if he didn’t want to state the obvious. It was awkward to talk about outside The Red Room.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said.

I nodded and let him lead me away like a child. As Alex led me away, we passed the girl from backstage. She narrowed her eyes and smiled devilishly. It was a stark reminder of what I had to do.

I stuck close to Alex as we made our way down twisting corridors. We passed couples making out in the hallway like teenagers. We walked through a room where a woman wearing a latex mask whipped a naked man strapped to a riding saddle. It was such a strange sight that it brought me out of my depressed state for a moment.

The man was gagged and tied to the saddle. The woman wielded a whip high above her head, swinging it dramatically before bringing it down on his back. A sharp crack echoed through the room. A man sitting in the back winced, squirming in his chair.

I recognized his face; he was a personal aide to the governor. It seemed irrelevant now.

Alex scarcely glanced at the scene as if it was of little interest to him. I followed him out of the room and into a narrow hallway. A guard stood in the middle of the corridor. He nodded to us as we passed.

Alex opened a door and led me inside. The room was small. A daybed was pressed against the far wall. He closed the door behind us.

“Take off your dress,” he said gently.

The commanding Dom I’d become accustomed to had vanished. I slipped the dress off my shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

“Lay down,” Alex said.

I stretched out on the bed face down. My muscles ached with stiffness. I was in more pain than I realized. Alex opened a drawer and pulled out a tube of liquid and gauze.

“How did you know those were there?” I asked.

“Before the party, I requested a room. I asked it be stocked with certain supplies.”

Leaving me to wonder what supplies he requested, Alex started to apply a salve to my back.

“What do you think of the party so far? Did you find your story?”

“There is no story,” I replied. I couldn’t keep the bitter disappointment out of my voice.

“No?”

“No.”

I didn’t elaborate further. The less Alex knew the better.

He touched my cuts gently. The liquid was cold; it burned like battery acid on my scratches. I glanced over my shoulder. I was covered in red marks and bruises. To my surprise, I didn’t see blood. The cat o’ nine tails’ hooks had done a number on me, but they carried more bark than bite.

“Relax,” Alex said. “That’s an order.”

I let my head fall back down on the bed. One hundred thousand dollars. The figure kept randomly popping into my head. I sighed and closed my eyes.

“What’s wrong? And don’t say ‘nothing.’”

“Things have been stressful lately,” I admitted. “Work, home… you. It’s all a lot to take in.”

“Things have certainly… evolved between us.”

I laughed. “That’s one way to put it.”

“What’s been going on at home and work?” he asked. He was trying to change the subject. I didn’t blame him.

“Nothing... just money troubles.”

I couldn’t believe the words came out of my mouth. I had his sympathy and now I was laying the foundation for him to offer to help me out financially. I wanted to die. It was a horrible thing to do someone, but I had to protect him from Ivy.

“My apartment flooded and work has been, well, less than helpful. I’m still paying off my financial loans and my credit cards.” Once I started talking about my debt, I couldn’t stop. “Then there’s the medical expenses from last year.” I’d clumsily broken my ankle after tripping on the stairs outside my apartment. “I’ll be paying that off until I die.”

“Why didn’t you say something? You know I’d help you out- so would your mother if you ever talked to her.”

My mother… a momentary spark of hope was ignited and rapidly extinguished inside me. My mother didn’t have the kind of money I needed. Besides, she would have demanded a full accounting of every penny. It was a sad state of events when manipulating one hundred thousand dollars out of my mother felt like a better alternative.

“You know we don’t get along,” I said.

“You’re both stubborn.”

I ignored his comment. “Besides, she doesn’t have the kind of money I need.”

“How much?”

I paused. I couldn’t do this. I did not want to shake down Alex, but what if Ivy made good on her threats? He was well-respected in the corporate world. This could destroy him if it was made public. Who would want a Dom in a relationship with his stepsister to be the public face of their company?

“How much?” Alex asked again.

There was an edge to his voice. He was starting to lose his temper. He hated it when people danced around about what was really on their mind.

“One hundred thousand,” I blurted out. “That would cover most of my debt.”

“Done. I’ll write you a check when we get out of here.”

I flinched away from his touch as he applied another bandage with ointment to my back.

“Don’t act weird about it,” he said. “I know how you like to rail against ill-gotten corporate wealth, but I won’t hear it. You’re going to take my money and live comfortably. You’ve earned that much. You’re smart, you work hard and you always try to do what’s right. You deserve to live an easy life.”

My face burned so hot that I buried it in the comforter. I crossed my hands in front of me and rested my forehead on them. I couldn’t look him in the eye. It was too much.

I tried to tell myself that this was all Ivy’s fault. She’d forced me into this position, but I couldn’t avoid the fact that I’d made the choice to go along with her. Maybe it was best to just come clean with Alex?

I knew Alex well enough to know he’d rather ruin his life than let the bad guy win. Did taking his money make me a bad guy?

“Does that feel better?” he asked.

“What?”

My mind had wandered away from the injuries to my back. He placed the last of the gauze onto the back of my thighs.

“That feels nice,” I said.

“Listen, Olivia, there’s a lot we need to talk about. I never expected this to happen between us, but now that it has we need to talk about how we’re going to go forward. After that first night together, I thought I’d made a horrible mistake. I couldn’t get you out of my head. I kept running through the night over and over- the way your lower back curves, how soft your skin is…”

It never occurred to me until now that Alex thought about our time together. Apparently, he thought about it a lot. I held my breath as I listened to him speak.

“When I was inside you for the first time-”

The door handle started to shake as if someone was trying to open the door.

“This room is taken,” Alex shouted.

The door opened. I silently cursed the intruder. Alex was so close to revealing how he felt and this person had to ruin it. He jumped up and moved to confront the intruder.

“I said, this room is-”

A tall, skinny older man with long hair and a drawn face entered. He wore an ill-fitting suit and a somber expression. Alex took a step back.

“Sir, I didn’t know…” Alex said.

Sir? I’d never seen Alex look intimidated before, but this slight man had him stammering.

The man closed the door behind him.

“A serious matter has been brought to my attention,” he said flatly.

“What can I do?” Alex replied.

“I’ve come to learn that you are the target of a blackmail plot.”

I pulled the daybed’s blanket around me and sat up. What did this man know?

“No one has tried to extort money out of me,” Alex replied.

“No?”

The man’s chilly gaze fell on me. I pulled the blanket around me tight. Alex looked at me then back to the man.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong,” he said.

The man considered Alex out of the corner of his eye. His silence spoke louder than any word could.

“She hasn’t!” Alex protested. “If you have some proof, then present it. Until you do, I have no reason not to trust her.”

“Young lady?” the man said to me.

A slight accent gave his words a razor sharp edge. Alex’s eyes were on me defiantly. The moment we made eye contact I knew I lost him. The truth was written all over my face. I couldn’t lie anymore.

“It’s true,” I admitted.

“What?”

“I didn’t want to- she made me. I was trying to protect you. She said she would destroy your business unless I- I-”

I was starting to ramble. I knew nothing I was saying made sense to Alex, but I couldn’t stop. Once I started talking, I couldn’t stop.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt. She wants money and I know how you are. You would never willingly-”

“Wait- slow down. Who is ‘she?’ And what could she possibly know that would destroy my life?”

“Ivy. She knows that I’m a-”

I glanced at the man. He was watching our conversation very closely. If he knew there was blackmail scheme in play, then he probably knew my real identity too.

“She knows that I’m a journalist,” I said. “And she knows your real name and that you’re my stepbrother. She said she’d expose you to the public unless I convinced you to pay me one hundred thousand dollars a month.”