The Pleasures of Summer (12 page)

His eyes raked over her skimpy dress and Summer wasn’t sure if she should pull it up or down. ‘Something tells me that you’re a virgin.’ He gestured around him. ‘To this scene, I mean. But don’t worry, Robert will fix that.’

‘No!’ The exclamation burst out of her before she thought.

The highwayman’s eyes gleamed. ‘Well, if you are looking for someone else, I’d be happy to oblige you. I bet that pert little arse would wriggle a lot if I had you over my knee.’

Oh god. She had no idea how to get out of this. She needed someone to help Molly. If she promised the highwayman he could spank her, would he help? Even now, the thought of what would happen if she made enough of a fuss to attract attention made her shudder. She had to do this quietly, without calling too much attention to Molly or herself.

A new player had entered the room. His white pirate shirt was open to the waist, displaying tight abs and a V of
dark hair. A black leather kilt with a studded belt covered his thighs. Slung over his right shoulder was an arrow quiver. Dark stubble decorated his strong jaw. His mouth was set in a stern line that spelt danger for anyone who crossed him, but it was his eyes that caught and held her attention. The gold-flecked hazel was almost black with rage. It was Flynn.

Flynn was here.

Summer cringed, waiting for his anger to focus on her. She had lied to him, deceived him. She deserved every bit of it, but she didn’t care as long as she could get Molly out of here. Standing at the edge of the crowd, Flynn had the stillness of a predator waiting to pounce. His eyes scanned the room, taking in everything. Nothing escaped his attention. She knew that he had been a soldier. Was this what he was like before he went into battle? There was an aura of suppressed power about him that was incredibly sexy.

Others apparently thought so too. A Dom leading two white-shirted schoolgirls by their school ties approached him. Flynn politely declined before resuming his scan of the room. His eyes passed over her. He hadn’t noticed her. The hair. She had forgotten about her hair.

‘Come along, my dear, I promised Robert that I’d take care of you.’ Highwayman Peter took her arm.

Summer flinched. She couldn’t let him take her out of here. ‘I can’t. I’ve just seen my Master.’

Highwayman gave her a disbelieving look. ‘Your Master? And which one would he be?’

Summer glanced towards the doorway. Her change of appearance had only fooled Flynn for a moment. He was
striding through the crowd with an expression as dark as a storm cloud. Flynn inclined his head to Highwayman politely before shooting her a glance that would melt steel.

‘She says that she is yours,’ Highwayman offered.

Flynn’s eyes narrowed. ‘Aye, I’m afraid that she is. She’s new and untrained. I apologize if she’s been troublesome.’

‘That’s quite alright. She’s a pretty little thing, although I imagine that she needs a firm hand.’

‘Indeed,’ Flynn agreed. ‘She can be quite the brat at times.’ He reached into his sporran and pulled out a length of silver chain and a collar.

Oh, he wouldn’t. Flynn wouldn’t dare put a collar on her in front of all these people. She thought she caught a hint of a smile as he fastened it around her neck. He inserted a finger between the collar and her bare skin before attaching the chain to the collar.

She flashed him a mutinous glare but remained silent. It was her own fault that she was in this mess. She might have to put up with it now, but she would make him pay for this later.

‘She’s had enough excitement for one night,’ Flynn said. ‘Have you seen her companions? I’d like to say goodnight before I take her home.’

‘Robert and Molly? I’m afraid you’ve missed them. Two of Robert’s eastern European friends turned up and they left together.’

‘But was Molly okay?’ Summer asked.

Peter laughed. ‘She was barely warmed up. Molly has a remarkably high pain threshold.’

They left her? Molly and Robert had left her here alone? Summer swallowed hard. If Flynn hadn’t arrived when he
did … She didn’t want to think about that. This night wasn’t turning out as she had planned. She had to get out of here. Summer moved towards the door, only to be pulled up sharply by the leash.

‘Going somewhere?’ Flynn asked mildly.

Hell. She had forgotten that she was supposed to be his sub and Highwayman was still hanging around. ‘No … I …’

‘No, what?’ he said sharply.

The words stuck in her throat like shards of glass. When they got home, Flynn was going to suffer. Really suffer. ‘No, Master.’

‘Good girl,’ he praised her. ‘I’ve had a long, thirsty ride to fetch you. I need a drink.’

She followed obediently behind them, praying that no one she knew saw her. The ignominy of it. Summer O’Sullivan on a leash and chain. She would make Flynn pay for this.

Through an ornate pair of doors was another bar. This one was quieter, more formal. Groups sat quietly chatting. They could have been in the lobby of a five-star hotel. She glanced around her, gritting her teeth when she realized that the subs were expected to sit at their masters’ feet. They had to be kidding. Flynn chose a quiet alcove with two wing-backed leather chairs. He was going to do it. This was his petty revenge for making him drive into the city to rescue her.

Flynn ordered two single malts and a sparkling water, while Highwayman located a low footstool and placed it beside Flynn’s chair. She smiled gratefully at him; at least she didn’t have to sit on the floor. When the server arrived
with their drinks, Flynn offered her the whiskey. ‘I don’t …’ she began.

His warning glance silenced her and she accepted the glass without further protest. The men chatted about the club. Flynn seemed to know many of the members, which was surprising. But then, a lot of things about tonight had shocked the hell out of her. She took a sip, savouring the warming flare of the whiskey as it slipped down her throat.

She was suddenly desperately tired. Would this night ever end? As if she had spoken out loud, Flynn stroked her hair and he gently pressed her head against his knee. She rested her cheek against his thigh.

Highwayman rambled on. Underneath the wig and the flamboyant costume, he was an old gossip. ‘Dreadful business about the property crash. There were rumours that Robert got himself mixed up in some deal in Bratislava. And I heard that Maurice was hit so hard he had to move back in with his parents.’

‘Very unfortunate,’ Flynn agreed.

The highwayman put down his drink and got to his feet. ‘Break time is over.’ He looked at Flynn and smiled. ‘I wonder if I might play with your pet?’

Summer squeaked. ‘No, I’m fine, thanks.’

Highwayman ignored her. ‘I noticed that she hasn’t played all night.’ Was there a flicker of suspicion in his eyes?

She pressed closer to Flynn. Surely he wouldn’t let anyone touch her.

‘Your choice, pet,’ Flynn said. ‘Would you like to play with me or Peter?’

What? This wasn’t what she had expected. She glared
from one to the other while Flynn grinned at her. She was going to kill him for this. Kill him stone dead and scatter his body parts over the manure heap.

Summer unclenched her teeth and forced the words out. ‘Please, Sir, would you like to spank me?’

Highwayman gestured at Flynn. ‘In that case, go for it, sir. I love watching you in action.’

‘Of course.’ Before she could blink, Flynn had caught her around the waist and flipped her so that she was ass-upwards over his knee. Instinctively, she put her hands down on the carpet to balance herself. Her toes barely reached the ground, but Flynn’s strong arm held her securely in position.

Almost before she could register her position, his hand flashed down in a series of quick spanks. It stung, bright and hot. She wanted to yell in outrage, but the sound of his hand hitting her latex dress was shockingly loud and attracted the attention of everyone in the room. If she called him the names she wanted to, everyone would notice.

She set her teeth and silently vowed to kill him.

A dozen spanks later, he let her up and helped her to her feet. ‘What do you say?’ The unholy grin on his face showed he knew her dilemma.

‘Thank you, Master.’ Killing was too good for him. She was going to have him tortured for eternity.

‘You may rub.’

On those words, the heat in her rear end blossomed and she couldn’t help rubbing to relieve it. Oh yeah, the man was mincemeat.

Highwayman tipped his tricorne to her, and departed.

‘He’s gone. You can stop pretending now,’ she told Flynn

His demeanour had changed too. Gone was the playful Dom. The efficient bodyguard who despised his principal was back. ‘Why? Isn’t this what you wanted? Some cheap titillation for a bored little rich girl.’

‘It wasn’t like that,’ she snapped. ‘Molly and I have been planning this for months.’ She had said too much. She could almost see Flynn filing that particular piece of information away for later.

‘What was it that you wanted?’ His eyes raked the minuscule dress. ‘A chance to dress up like a tart? Being a Saturday night submissive so that you could gossip with the girls over Sunday brunch?’

That was it, she’d had enough. Summer tugged the leash from his hand and stood up. Ignoring his order to halt she hurried through the club and into the lobby. The cloakroom lady was back on duty, returning coats and bags to those who were ready to call it a night. Still fuming from her encounter with Flynn, she handed over her ticket and grabbed her coat and bag.

She was in a part of the city she didn’t know well. She didn’t have enough cash to take a taxi home, even if she could get any driver to take her, and she could hardly get a room in a decent hotel in the middle of the night dressed like this. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Flynn appeared in the lobby. The kilt and white shirt were gone. In their place were jeans and a leather jacket. A dark T-shirt stretched across his chest. ‘Do you need a ride?’

His knowing smirk was the last straw.

‘No, thank you. I’d rather walk.’ Ignoring his laughter,
she stormed out of the club. She would find her own way home.

An unseasonable rainstorm had made the night sky even darker. The side street was longer and gloomier than she remembered. Her heels clicked noisily on the wet pavement, the sound echoing against the shuttered buildings. A Jeep drove past on the narrow street, sending a wash of rainwater onto the pavement. Within seconds, her feet were soaked.

Up ahead, the scaffolding of a renovation project blocked the path. She would have to walk on the road. Summer stepped between two parked cars, straight into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. She stumbled against one car as the bike screeched to a halt.

Flynn pulled off his helmet. ‘Are you trying to get yourself killed?’

‘Why? Are you worried about being unemployed? Go to hell and leave me alone.’ Ignoring the revving of the engine behind her, she set off again. If she couldn’t walk on the road, she would have to walk beneath the scaffolding. At least Flynn couldn’t follow her there. A footfall behind her told her that her prayers hadn’t been answered.

His rough hand pulled on her shoulder and Flynn spun her around. Bright drops of rain clung to his hair and his eyes glinted dangerously. ‘Don’t you ever walk away from me.’

‘Or what?’ Summer knew that she was provoking him but she no longer cared.

With a muttered oath, he pressed her against the rough brick wall. His hard frame caged her. ‘Why were you at that club tonight? Tell me.’

She couldn’t meet his gaze. Summer turned her head away and remained stubbornly silent. How could she confess to him that she didn’t know what she wanted? That there was an ache inside her, an emptiness that she didn’t know how to fill.

His chest rose and fell, his breath came in angry rasps as he waited for her response. ‘Perhaps you need a little encouragement?’

The first press of his mouth against her neck was barely a whisper. A more insistent nip dragged a soft cry from her throat. Flynn continued to torture her, a kiss here, a nip there, never twice in the same spot. When he caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth she groaned and arched against him.

‘I’ll ask you again. Does the thought of being sexually submissive to a man turn you on?’

It was none of his business. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Oh, I think you do.’

His warm hands slid the length of her latex dress and he cupped her butt, dragging her against the hard length of him. God, that felt so good. She squirmed, seeking more pressure against her clit.

‘Ah-ah. Who’s doing the driving?’ Releasing her, he eased away. ‘Or maybe you just like it a little rough.’

His hands peeled down the latex of her dress to expose her breasts. The chill of the damp air made her nipples pucker into hard peaks, aching for him. He bent his head. She gasped at the shock of his hot mouth fastening over one nipple and he laved and suckled until she was breathless before he turned his attention to her other breast. When he nipped hard, she cried out.

Flynn pushed his thigh between her legs and she arched against him like a cat. She rocked against his leg as he turned his attention to her neck again, finding all the sensitive little spots that made her dizzy with need. His knowing hands played with her breasts, plumping and squeezing them until her pleas became an incoherent jumble. She wanted to come. Needed the release that he could give her.

Then everything stopped.

Despite the rapid rise and fall of his chest, Flynn was still very much in control. His hand fisted in her hair, tilting her head back, holding her in place. Summer couldn’t meet his eyes, afraid of what she might see there. Instead, she stared at his mouth, realizing for the first time that despite everything they had done, he hadn’t kissed her yet.

Flynn hadn’t kissed her and she very much wanted him to. Her whole body tingled with anticipation. If he didn’t touch her soon she would die.

‘I’ll ask you one more time. What do you want, Summer?’

Despite his self-control, his voice was hoarse. This wasn’t a lesson. He wasn’t her Master. Flynn was as affected by her as she was by him.

‘I want you to fuck me.’