“Not bad. Jenny’s pregnant again. One more kid for the clan gathering.”

Nolan grinned. His youngest sister wanted a big family; this would be her third. “I’ll have to give her a call. How about you? Getting married yet?”

“Hell no. Not till they let me have at least two wives.” A pause. “You still into the bind-em and beat-em stuff?”

Nolan snorted. “Coming from someone who prefers four or five people in his bed, you’ve got no room for snide remarks.”

“Least I don’t have to tie them up to fuck them,” Adam said, continuing the long-running insult fest. “You gonna make it home this summer?”

“Probably not until fall. Why?”

“Dad wanted you to—hell, speak of the devil. He’s on the other line. Talk to you later.” Adam clicked off.

Nolan grinned and shoved the phone back in his pocket. Always good to hear from family. Sometimes he missed living closer, but considering his perverse lifestyle, distance wasn’t a bad thing. He’d taken Felicia with him for a visit once. His mom and sisters hadn’t taken to her. Even though she’d behaved appropriately, she was submissive through and through, and the King women were all hell on wheels.

What would they think of Beth with her myriad of scars? He grinned. Yeah, they’d like Beth. Although beat-up, scarred as all get-out, and terrified, she’d not only had the guts to escape but managed to start up a business in a strange city all by herself. They’d respect that.

Hell, he respected that.

* * * * *

That night, Kyler strolled up to the big stone mansion set in the middle of nowhere. Quite a place, he thought, admiring the fancy ironwork and the black sconces set on each side of the open door. He stepped inside.

“Good evening, sir.” Behind a desk in the entry, the young man attired in a guard uniform rose as Kyler entered. A pretty boy, Kyler sneered inside, giving him a friendly nod.

“May I have your name, please?”

“I’m not a member of the Shadowlands,” Kyler said, smiling. “An acquaintance mentioned she really liked the club. This is a BDSM club, right?”

“On Saturday nights, yes. Tonight is swing night.”

Wrong night. Hell. “Any chance of seeing the place…maybe tomorrow, since I’m into BDSM?”

The guard shook his head. “Sorry, sir, but only members are allowed inside.”

“What does it take to be a member?”

“There’s an open house twice a year for people wanting to join. Otherwise a current member must recommend you. If you have more questions, you can call Master Z at this number.” The guard handed over a black card with Shadowlands inscribed in a raised gold font.

Kyler’s jaw flexed. An exclusive club for the well-to-do. Surely she wouldn’t be a member here. But he hadn’t found any sign of her in the open Tampa clubs. “Can you tell me if my friend comes here? Elizabeth or Beth? Slender redhead with big blue-green eyes.” Vulnerable eyes that filled with tears so easily. A husky voice whose screams he heard in his wet dreams.

The guard started to nod, then visibly caught himself. “I’m sorry, but our clients value their privacy. I cannot confirm that one way or another.”

“I understand completely.” Kyler kept his expression calm and interested despite the sense of victory flaming inside him. Got you, you bitch. I’ve got you. “Well, I’m sure I’ll catch up with her sooner or later. Thanks for your time.”

“No problem. Have a nice night.”

Kyler walked out into the night, his stride loose and even, his posture straight as he’d been taught. And all the way to his rental car, the delightful screams of his wife echoed in his head.

* * * * *

On Saturday, Beth greeted Ben, laughing at his jokes despite her anxiety. As she entered the Shadowlands, she spotted Jessica and waved, moving through the crowd toward her. The scent of perfumes, men’s colognes, leather, sweat, and sex filled the air. She dodged a Domme berating her slave and walked around a couple entranced by hot wax play at a station. A flash of blue flickered against the rafters; someone was playing with a violet wand at the far end.

She pushed past two more people, finally reaching Jessica. The little blonde was wearing a hot pink camisole with a tight black latex skirt. “You look great,” Beth said with a sigh. When God was handing out breasts, Jessica must have been at the front of the line. And Beth would have brought up the tail end.

“Forget that. How are you doing?” Jessica asked, grasping Beth’s hands. “Are you all right? What happened with Nolan?”

Beth smiled, gave up any hope of reticence, and hugged the other woman, pushing down a forlorn desire to beg her for advice. “I was going to ask you the same thing. What did he do to you?”

Red streaked Jessica’s skin. “That evil bast—” Her gaze focused on a point over Beth’s right shoulder, and she choked.

Beth spun, almost colliding with Master Z.

His face showed nothing, but his silvery eyes danced with laughter. “Yes, little one, tell Beth. What did the evil bastard do?” Master Z crossed his muscular arms over his black silk shirt and waited.

After giving him a nervous look, Jessica focused on Beth. “He put me in the stockade, flipped up my skirt, and let any Dom passing by have a whack.” Her mouth tightened. “Some of them came back for seconds and thirds. I couldn’t sit down for two days.”

Remorse surged through Beth so strongly that her eyes filled. Jessica had been hurt because of her. If she—

“Oh, heavens, don’t you dare cry. It wasn’t your fault; it was mine. I have a bad habit of not being properly respectful”—Jessica gave Master Z a rueful smile—“and sometimes the evil Dom calls me on it.”

He stepped forward and brushed a kiss on top of Jessica’s head. “And the bastard enjoyed every whack you got. I will be at the bar. Come directly there when you and Beth finish talking.”

“Yes, Master.” Her eyes soft, she watched him walk away, before giving Beth a wry grin. “He enjoyed watching so much that he took me right there in the stockade, damn him.”

Beth bit her lip, remembering Jessica rarely did public scenes. “Sorry.”

“Oh, he made sure I enjoyed myself. Only that makes it more embarrassing, and he knows it.” Jessica shook her head and frowned at Beth. “Okay, now about you…”

“I’m fine. Really.” Beth looked around the room, expecting to see Sir. She’d noticed people rarely crowded him, so he should be easy to spot. “Is Master Nolan here?”

“He’s monitoring the dungeon for a while. One of the DM’s had to leave.

The disappointment bubbling up inside her strengthened Beth’s resolve to find a different Dom. And if he were busy, then she wouldn’t have to talk to him. Once he saw her with another Dom, he’d be angry enough to blow her off without her having to try to explain why she couldn’t continue with him.

Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing that I don’t always do. Find a top for the evening. Have a little fun. Go home.” Beth kept her tone light.

“And Nolan? What about him?”

“He got me off, so that block I had is gone. Life should be good.”

“You figure he’ll agree with that?”

Beth saw a Dom at the bar give her an assessing look. She smiled, pulled her stomach in, and pushed her breasts out. “If I don’t want Nolan to top me, what can he do?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Jessica said doubtfully. “But I can tell you that underestimating the masters here can be very painful. Good luck, hon.”

“It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

Chapter Five

Nolan strolled through the big rock-walled dungeon room, keeping an eye on the various scenes being played out. Mistress Anne had her slave manacled to the wall and was adding weights to the studded parachute ball-stretcher.

An older gay couple was using the sling, and the Dom had trussed his sub’s legs to the chains in an inventive way. Interesting. Before moving on, Nolan automatically scanned the sub. Not good. Clicking on his flashlight, he waved the beam across the floor to catch the Dom’s attention, then on the sub’s bluish hand. The Dom didn’t speak, just went to work loosening the restraints. Nolan nodded and continued circling the room.

On the far side, he stopped to watch Heath, a Dom in his mid-twenties, trying to tie Sally to the bondage table. Heath was a conscientious Dom but perhaps too nice for the mouthy trainee. From the unimpressed look on her face, Sally needed a more controlling top. She was actually instructing Heath on where to place the restraints.

Nolan smothered a smile and then shook his head. From the look on Sally’s face, she’d spend tonight provoking Heath to their mutual dissatisfaction. Not a good match there.

Relationships were relationships, whether vanilla or BDSM. All required a lot of looking before a person found someone who clicked. Maybe Dom/sub couples verbalized their requirements more openly, but searching still took time and effort. Hopefully pretty Sally would someday find a Dom who could meet her needs. Considering that her stubbornness rivaled her intelligence, she’d require one powerful Dom to master her.