“It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?” Jessica interrupted her thoughts. “The Doms, the place, the party.”

Andrea gave her a startled look.

“I haven't been in the lifestyle that long either.” The short blonde pointed to a table by the barbeque. “Let me find you something to eat and drink before I get in trouble.”

“What would he do?” Getting on Master Cullen's bad side scared her, but she trusted him at least. Making Master Z angry? Ay, diablo.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “He's way too inventive. The last time was when I—” She giggled so hard that Andrea's lips curved. “Well, I mailed him an invoice for my 'services.'”

“To Master Z? Are you insane?”

“Hey, I'm an accountant; it's what I do. You know, the bastard actually analyzed it line by line and told me I wasn't worth those prices?” As Andrea choked on a laugh, Jessica aimed a dirty look toward the Doms. “Anyway, I got a choice of wearing an anal plug to work or getting strung up and paddled down in the Shadowlands.”

Well, getting paddled wasn't so bad. “What did you choose?”

“The plug.” Jessica winced. “Major bad choice. Do you know how hard it is to sit on one of those? My co-workers probably thought I had fleas or something.”

Andrea snorted. “I've never tried one. But…” She eyed Master Cullen warily. “He doesn't… Do you know if he…?”

“Good luck. That's all I'm going to say.” Jessica's eyes danced. She pulled out a bottled water from the fridge.

“Oh great.” Andrea took the water. She picked up a sugar cookie from a plate and bit in. Butter rich, creamy, soft. “This is wonderful. Like what my grandmother bakes.”

“Kari likes to cook. Have you met her or Beth yet?” Jessica nodded to the other two subs standing near the group of men.

“No, but I did manage to smile at Beth before her Dom wrapped me in rope like a fancy Christmas present.”

Jessica's snicker drew the men's eyes, and Señor grinned at Andrea before turning back to the Doms' oh-so-serious discussion. Probably the latest basketball scores or something.

Kari glanced over, then rubbed against Master Dan like a cat. He didn't seem to notice.

The sub's eyes narrowed and—Andrea's jaw dropped—she pinched his side. Andrea well remembered the scathing lecture Master Dan had given her just for looking snooty.

Although Master Dan frowned down at his sub, the crease in his cheek gave him away. After a second, he nodded, but she got a ringing swat on her bottom as she left him.

Kari rubbed her bottom as she walked up to Jessica and Andrea. “Guess I should have been smoother about my request, huh?”

“You have no class.” Jessica grinned. “Watch Beth; she's a pro.”

The three turned in time to see Beth kneel at her Dom's feet and rub her breasts against his legs. When he glanced down, she clasped her hands and looked up entreatingly at him, obviously begging.

A grin came and went on the lean, dark face. He pulled her up onto tiptoes for a hard kiss, before letting her trot across the patio to the others.

“You're so manipulative,” Jessica said admiringly. “What did you call him this time?”

“My magnificent and generous liege.” Beth grinned and wrinkled her nose at Kari. “I save that one for parties because it makes your master so envious. He keeps asking Nolan why he can't get you to beg.”

Kari burst out laughing. “You're just plain evil.”

“I know,” Beth said with obvious satisfaction. She glanced at Andrea. “I heard Master Cullen tell you our occupations. What do you do for a living?”

“I own a cleaning service.”

Jessica turned around from pouring a drink, her blonde hair swinging. “Really? Houses or businesses?”

“Houses and small businesses only. I don't like the big ones.”

“Cool. Maybe we could talk sometime. Z isn't happy with who he hires now. The old owners sold out and…” She shrugged. “You know how that goes.”

Take on the Shadowlands? Andrea studied the big building. Doable. She might even handle this one herself since she had a vested interest in keeping it very, very clean. “Once I get my clothes, I can give you a card.”

“Great.”

As Jessica turned to Kari and asked what she wanted to drink, Beth leaned a hip against the table and said in a quiet voice, “You know, part of my payment for maintaining the Shadowlands gardens is free membership.”

Jesús, María, y José. Right when she'd decided serving as a trainee wouldn't work out any longer. “That would be…really good.”

Beth nodded. “I figured. I saw you with that baby Dom earlier.”

“Yeah. Major disaster.” With her heart set on Cullen, being forced to submit to other Doms felt gut-wrenchingly wrong. But a trainee couldn't turn down men, not without a good reason. However, a member could. “Thanks, Beth.”

Beth gave her a smile. “I've been wanting Master Cullen to find himself a sub. He's always taking care of everybody else, but there are times you can see he needs someone.”

Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and nodded firmly. That someone is me.

Beth nodded back, no further words needed, and then turned to check the Doms.

Andrea's eyes widened at the sight of the white scarring on the redhead's back. Whip marks and more. Dios mío, what kind of a monster was her Dom? She scowled at Master Nolan.

A hand clasped her wrist. “It wasn't Nolan,” Jessica said.

Beth glanced back over her shoulder, saw the direction of Andrea's glare, and laughed. “I got these before him. Nolan saved me.” Her mouth twisted. “Only now he's trying to teach me self-defense. Nightmare time. He's awesomely good, but a lot of his moves don't work for me—he's never been smaller or weaker than his opponent.”

Jessica patted her shoulder. “Oh, girlfriend, I know just what you mean. I have the same problem with Z.”

“Ah, I've had training,” Andrea offered.

Kari set her hands on her hips. “Might I point out that you're not exactly short?”

“True.” Andrea grinned and threw a mock punch toward an imaginary giant. “But I started learning when I was ten or so. My papa taught me tricks for being smaller: shorter is faster; long legs are more vulnerable to crippling, stuff like that.”

“In that case, sign me up,” Beth said. Kari nodded.

“Me, too,” Jessica said. “That sounds—”

“That sounds like we'd better get our subs back under control.” Master Nolan's gravelly voice. He glanced at Master Cullen. “Your sub is a bad influence.”

“Ooops,” Andrea whispered, remembering her simulated punch.

“Gentlemen,” Z said. “I propose a game of volleyball to cool off and remove some of this aggressive behavior. Doms versus subs. Any Dom who makes a point may decorate his sub. Whatever team wins collects favors from the other one. We'll go to seven points.”

“Volleyball to cool off?” Andrea murmured.

“The net is in the pool,” Jessica whispered.

The Doms gathered their subs, leaving Andrea unable to ask what decorate meant. Didn't sound good. Master Cullen took her hand, and they followed the others down a winding path to what no one in their right mind would call a swimming pool. Okay, maybe it was Olympic sized, but with rocks, bushes, and tropical flowers all around and a tiny stream splashing into one end, it looked like a forest pond.

Chapter Twelve

After stripping and pulling on swim trunks, Cullen jumped into the heated pool and held his arms up for his sub, ignoring the pain in his shoulder when he lifted her. Naked, warm woman, soft in all the appropriate places, a nice, heavy armful. Perhaps he should shove her against the side and take her right there.

“Put her down, Cullen,” Dan said. “We're playing a game here. You have to wait.”

He set her on her feet, pleased when she leaned into him, not in any hurry to get away. He removed her wrist cuffs and tossed them onto the path, put a kiss on her soft lips, and pushed her toward the shallower water of the sub's side of the net.

As Cullen joined the men, Z frowned at the large dressing, Dan scowled, and Nolan's brows drew together. Cullen shook his head at them. Overprotective Doms. “I'll just change the bandage when I get out.”

“Play ball,” Z called after giving Cullen another frown. He sent the ball sailing over the net.

Shrieks, giggles, laughter. Splashing. Breasts jiggled and gleamed in the garden lights hidden in the vegetation. Dan scored the first point and motioned Kari over. From the basket Z had set beside the pool, Dan pulled out a set of breast clamps and fastened them to his wife's nipples. She squeaked, and he frowned. “You kind of sensitive these days?”

“Must be,” she gritted out. He snorted and loosened them.

Despite using only one arm, Cullen made the next point. Being tall had advantages. He crooked a finger at his sub.

Andrea waded over, her breasts bobbing just above the deeper water on the Dom's side.

“What's your favorite color?” Cullen asked. He'd wondered about it ever since it had crossed his mind earlier.

“Blue.”

He riffled through the jewelry until he found a set with blue jewels. Putting a hand on her ass, he kept her still while he bent and took a nipple into his mouth. Velvety texture, cool from the water, rapidly bunching into a hard point. He sucked slowly, getting the peak nice and long. Watching her face closely, he applied the tweezers clamp and slid the ring upward until the tiny muscles around her mouth and eyes tightened. The little sub wasn't one to squeak, was she? He loosened the clamp slightly, going for just enough pain to keep her awareness on her breasts.