The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(42)

Ian’s face creased. “Yeah. See, that’s what I want to hear. Of course, she’s not exactly wearing a habit right now. Damn.” He growled a little as Serena walked out. “There’s no f*cking way you don’t f*ck her. Goddamn it. I was happier when you two were playing gay.”

Jake would never be able to play gay with this client. His cock jumped as he caught sight of Serena. To call the skirt she was wearing a mini was being deeply generous. It was more like a piece of spandex she’d wrapped around her luscious ass. It would be so easy to push it aside and bend her over. He could shove his cock deep without ever having to remove the thing. And her breasts looked like they would spill out of the corset. It was a vibrant red, her porcelain skin making a sharp contrast against it. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders. In her everyday life, she wore it in a ponytail or she would use a pen to form a loose, messy bun, but now the soft brown hair made a waterfall down her back. He could sink his hand into it and use the hold to guide her where he wanted her to go. He could force her to the floor, kneeling in front of him, that glorious mouth lined up to accept his cock.

“You look beautiful, Serena.” At least Adam still had the power of speech.

“You look like someone’s serving you up to a big bad Dom. Adam, did you forget to put the cherry on top?” Ian asked, sarcasm flowing.

Serena flushed.

“Not at all, boss. But little Serena there has a cherry of her own. It’s not on top, if you know what I mean.” Adam laughed, but the husky quality told Jake he wasn’t unaffected.

Serena shook her head. “I don’t know what you…oh, my god, you’re talking about my bottom.”

Ian laughed. “Look at the little sub blush. After reading some excerpts of your books, I would have sworn you didn’t have it in you. You use some rough language.”

Serena straightened up. Jake was just about to tell Ian to stuff it. She’d had a hard day, and the last thing she needed was Ian’s comments on her books. But Serena frowned and took it straight to the Dom. “If you can’t handle a little rough use, maybe you should stick to vanilla books.”

Ian laughed. “Oh, I like a brat, honey. I like to eat them for lunch. Mind your manners, sub, or you’ll find yourself over my lap. We’ll see if you turn your bratty mouth on me then.”

“Back off, Ian.” Jake took her by the hand and pulled her close, half shoving her behind his body. He wasn’t about to stand here and watch Ian flirt with his sub. Fuck. She wasn’t his. Except she was for the night. He had her collar in his hand. Thin and delicate, it was a training collar. It was the only piece of her wardrobe he’d been responsible for, and he’d taken two goddamn hours to pick it out. Ian had been yelling at him to leave Serena alone, and now the * was staring down at her like a hungry hawk who’d eyed a particularly juicy bunny. No f*cking way. A deep possessiveness took hold in his gut. “I told you no one else is disciplining her.”

Ian shook his head. “This shit had better work out, Dean. I don’t want a lawsuit. You make sure she’s taken care of. And try to think with your brain and not your dick. Did she sign a contract?”

Jake could feel Serena behind him, her head peeking from behind his shoulders.

“I did, but they wouldn’t let me take a copy with me. I should get a copy, don’t you think?” Serena asked as though the man hadn’t just threatened to spank her ass.

Ian stared down at her. “So I could see it written into your next book? I don’t think so. Tell me something, Serena. Are you interested in the lifestyle because BDSM sells books, or are you interested for your own sake?”

“She’s interested, Ian,” Jake explained. “She’s been trying to find a mentor. Unfortunately, she found Dom Douchebag.”

“Yeah, I heard he turned out to be Stinchfield. I didn’t like the way he handled the subs I tested him on. He showed no real emotion toward them. There should be more there than mere service between a Dom and a sub. There should be some excitement. Some emotion. He was very interested in service from the submissive’s end. He wanted a total power exchange, but I didn’t think he would handle that in a way that served the sub.”

“I think you were right to turn him away,” Jake admitted. “But it doesn’t make me want to let you flirt with my sub.”

“Our sub,” Adam interjected.

“So you screen everyone?” Serena asked, her cheek against his bicep. “Do they sit down with Eve? Is there a form they have to fill out? Does everyone sign the same contract that I did? I have Jacob acting as my Dom. What happens if a sub doesn’t have a Dom? Do you find one for her?”

“Down, sub,” Ian barked. Jake had no doubt that if he wasn’t standing between them, Ian would be towering over Serena.

“She’s very curious.” Jake felt an irrational need to defend her. “But she’ll hold her questions for me.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed. “She can ask her questions, but I would rather she submitted them in written form, and I’ll decide what I will and won’t answer. There will be no negotiations about my answers. You will follow your contract and obey Jacob. If Adam has anything to say that is meaningful and helpful, you will obey him as well.”

Adam huffed behind him.

Ian ignored it. “And if this works out and you prove you truly are interested in this, then we can talk about giving you greater access to Sanctum, and I’ll speak with the other Doms and subs about talking to you.”