Playing for Satisfaction [Satisfaction Texas 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  They both looked a little embarrassed. Ren answered for them both. “Well, not just Dracula. We have cousins named Igor, Hyde, Edger, Mary, and Shelly. What can I say? The family is into classic popular literature. I was thinking we could name our kids Anastasia and Christian.”

  “No way. I vote for Harry, Hermione, and Ron.”

  “She’s my wife.”

  “And she’s my girlfriend.”

  “Shut up, both of you!” She looked from one to the other and back again. Bram started to stand, but she fixed him with the kind of glare that had her students quaking silently in their seats. Then she turned it on Ren who’d started to shift as if he was about to stand and he subsided, too.

  “Yes, ma’am.” She smothered a grin. It was just like dealing with her unruly students.

  “I’m not your girlfriend, Ren, and I’m certainly not your wife, Bram.”

  “But you were. I have paperwork!” Bram whined. Ren responded by getting him in a headlock.

  “I said shut up!” She shook her head in exasperation. “The two of you are more childish than my students.” They were rolling around in the dirt now. Standing, she walked over to the water trough. There was a bucket beside it and it was filled with fresh water. Not a lot of the local cowboys rode in, but a few did, and there were a lot of local dogs. Micah and his sister Jules always made sure it was full. With a grin, she dunked the bucket, filling it to the brim before she walked back over to the wresting men. Bram now had Ren in a headlock and appeared to be trying to do some sort of wresting throw but Ren was holding him off.

  “Last chance, guys.” As expected, they ignored her, so she aimed and tossed, landing the water squarely on them. “Bull’s-eye!” The men jumped apart, shocked by the sudden dousing. They started to rise but Ellie pointed to the ground.

  “Kneel!”

  The looked at her with identical confused expressions.

  “Don’t play dumb. You are both Doms and you both know what this command means. Kneel. Now!”

  They knelt. She smiled, please with herself, but when they started to move, she frowned and held the bucket up. “Do I have to wet you two down again, or are you done for now?”

  Bram and Ren exchanged glances.

  “I’m done!” Bram’s tone was self-righteous. “I don’t know about him!”

  “He’s the one who started it.”

  And they were at it again. If she hadn’t believed before that they were related, she did now. Only two men who’d grown up together could scrap like this.

  She grabbed the bucket and filled it again but before she could toss the water, she heard a noise. It was Trace. He looked amused and concerned.

  “You having any trouble, princess?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle, although I’m getting a bit sick of the whole matter.”

  “Why don’t you give them the night to calm down? You head off to your car and once you are on your way, I’ll soak them again.”

  “Thanks, Trace, but I have the feeling they’ll just hunt me down.”

  “Seems to me you all need to talk and sort some things out, although these two definitely need to cool down some more. How about I tell them to meet you tomorrow morning for breakfast at Candy’s? It’ll be Sunday morning, and you know what that means since she hired Jonah. Sunday brunch of the gods.”

  “Trace, you are a genius. Tell them eleven at Candy’s, please.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You are also a sweetheart. If I didn’t already have these two to be sorted out, I’d run away with you in a second.”

  Chapter 7

  Ellie dithered. There was no other term for it. She was dithering. It wasn’t a date, so why was she so indecisive about what to wear? She’d already tried on three outfits and done the makeup to match. The first as too sexy. The second was too schoolmarmish. And now this third one looked like she was going to be arguing a case before the Supreme Court. “Power suit” was the correct term, she recalled.

  She snorted and stripped down to her bra and panties and scrubbed her face clean again.

  Looking at her watch, she realized that she was down to thirty minutes. The Diner was in the town of Satisfaction. Her cute little house was just about halfway between Satisfaction and Kinsdale where she taught, although it was technically within the Satisfaction town limits. She’d need less than ten minutes to make the drive.

  She had to make a decision. She had to pull up her big girl panties, metaphorically at least since she only owned sexy boy shorts and thongs, and woman up. Jeans, a black tank top, and a pair of cowboy boots to give her an extra couple of inches. She decided to tie her hair back and leave off the makeup, mostly because she didn’t have time to redo it.

  She looked in the mirror. Sexy, but low key. Make them eat their hearts out but not look like she was trying too hard. Also, she could rub her damp palms on her jeans. She was nervous and sweating. She’d spent more than three years alone, concentrating on school and school. She giggled. School where she taught and school where she took classes.

  Finally, she was ready. Locking the door to her small house behind her, she stepped out on to the veranda and nearly tripped over the large bouquet of roses. They’d been propped up against the door and had fallen when she opened it.

  It was obviously from either Bram or Ren, although there wasn’t a card or a note. She wasn’t sure which one had dropped them off. Neither had struck her as the romantic-gesture type and if they wanted credit, they should have included a card. She shrugged. Letting herself back inside, she quickly unwrapped them and put them in water. She double checked, but there was still no card. Whatever. They were beautiful and she would enjoy looking at them, but they were not going to change her decision once she made it. Which she hadn’t. Yet.

  She climbed into her pickup truck, now running ten minutes late. Her students found it amusing that she drove a truck and not a car or an SUV like most of the teachers, but she liked it. Her family was horrified yet again by something she’d done, but she was used to their reaction. But she’d grown up in Texas, even if it was in the big city of Houston rather than the small West Texas town where she was now, and she loved pickup trucks. She could use the drawl with the best of them, when she wanted to. Hell, it had always worked when she’d come across a hard-case across the pool table. Between her prim and proper appearance and her sweet southern drawl, they were convinced she was an easy mark at the table.

  Of course, some of them thought she’d be an easy mark in other ways. That’s why she stuck to places where she was known. The Whips and Spurs was especially safe with the large number of Doms in residence who were extremely protective of their friends.

  She pulled into the parking lot only five minutes late. She was lucky she didn’t get a ticket, but the one deputy she’d passed had just smiled and waved her on. She wondered if word was out. She wouldn’t doubt it. Sometimes Doms were the worst gossips. They complained about their subs, but in Satisfaction, where there were so many ménage relationships, which meant two Doms for every sub, those Doms talked and talked and talked.

  She slid out of the F-150 that she’d had for almost five years and locked the door behind her. Then she braced her shoulders. She had spent most of the night trying to come up with a game plan, but nothing came to her. She wanted to believe that she was over Bram. He’d been gone for almost four years, but the moment she saw him again, it had all come roaring back to her like it was yesterday.

  And then there was Ren. They’d been together for months now and she was ready to move things along. She liked Ren as a man. She didn’t always agree with him, but she respected that he was true to his convictions. And he was damned good in the bedroom and the playroom. She hugged her purse. She’d had a spare key made for him but she hadn’t worked up the nerve to give it to him yet. Would he accept it? Would he think she wanted more than he was ready to give and pull away? She’d been afraid of the answer, so she held onto the key and waited.

  But now with Bram back, she wasn’t sure what to do or what she wanted to do. It wasn’t like they were still married. Hell, they’d only known each other six weeks and only been married for two. In other words, they’d only spent a total of two months together. She’d been with Ren three times that. She took a deep breath and walked over to the front door where she paused. I can do this. I can do this. I can’t do this.

  She decided to leave. And then the door opened. It was Doc Blake Adams, a local vet, his friend Quin who’d recently settled in Satisfaction, and the sub they shared Jules, who sometimes worked at her brother Micah’s bar, The Whips and Spurs. All three looked blissful and Ellie felt a stab of envy.

  Jules game her a hug. “So, what’s up, Ellie? You going to spill about that gorgeous cowboy. And the mayor. Dish, Ellie!”

  Ellie froze, not sure what to say. Thank goodness Quin and Blake inadvertently came to her rescue.

  “You are embarrassing her,” Black admonished. “At least wait until you are alone together before you start grilling her about her sex life.”

  Jules stuck her tongue out at him. He swatted her ass and then threw her over his shoulder in a fireman carry.

  “Sorry, Ellie. Don’t worry. Quin and I will spank her ass for embarrassing you.”

  “Don’t listen to him.” Jules looked up at her friend from her position over Blake’s shoulder. “They spank my ass all the time. I’ll call you. I want to hear everything.”

  Then Quin held the door open and Blake left with Jules and somehow she found herself inside the Diner and it was too late to run away and hide so she stood up straight and walked over to their table. It was a round one, she was amused to note, and clearly chosen so they could both sit next to her. It was also off in a quiet corner where she didn’t remember there being a table before.
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  There were three seats at the table, one in the corner and two equidistant from it and each other. The two men were seated, but they had their chairs turned almost all the way around so they could scan the entrance, presumably for her arrival.

  She paused and frowned, but they had already seen her approach and had leaped to their feet, so she proceeded, reluctantly.

  When she got close, they leaned down and kissed her nearest cheek. Then guided to the empty seat in the corner and then both grabbed the back of her chair and held it for her as she took a seat. Then they resumed their original seats, but now turned toward her with their backs to the rest of the diner. They both wore identical smug looks on their faces as she realized that she was effectively blocked in by the table and their bodies.

  It was going to be a long morning.

  “Want some coffee, El?”

  “Thanks, Candy. Black, strong, and keep it coming. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”

  * * * *

  Bram noted Ellie’s glance at the table setup and her tolerant smile when they’d both insisted on helping her with her chair. She clearly knew that this had been deliberate and not some accidental configuration. And when they’d guided her to her seat and more or less blocked her in, he saw the awareness and annoyance on her face, but he also thought he saw amusement, although she hid it quickly.

  He loved her smile. And her laugh. Hell, he loved pretty much everything about her from the moment they’d met. And when he found she was a submissive, it was like his world was complete. He’d swept her off her feet, introduced her to the joys of BSDM and then married her in quick order. He hadn’t given her a chance to catch her breath, and maybe that had been wrong, but he’d been so in love from the first moment they’d met.

  And now, seeing her again, it was like all was right with the world again. They belonged together. He’d been a miserable son of a bitch without her. Ren was right. It didn’t matter how much time had passed. He was hers and she was his and he had to give it another try. This time he wouldn’t leave her. He’d organize his entire life around what she wanted, if only she’d take him back. Of course, when he’d decided that, he hadn’t reckoned on her seeing someone else, especially not his own cousin.

  When Candy quickly returned with Ellie’s coffee, she topped off his and Ren’s and handed them all menus. The next few minutes were spent deciding what to eat. Honestly, he’d barely glanced at the menu at first. It was a diner. What would be so difficult about ordering brunch? And then he saw Ellie’s eyes widen and he could have sworn that Ren was salivating, so he opened his.

  The photos were food porn, nothing more or less. The exquisitely decadent pancakes with chocolate or banana or berries, all artfully arranged to make the mouth water. And then there was the French toast and omelettes with ingredients he wasn’t sure he could pronounce but he sure as hell wanted to try based on the pictures.

  The menu was short. Only twelve items in all, but each had its own photo and she wanted to order one of everything. He could see that they were equally entranced.

  He saw Ellie look up and realized that Candy had returned.

  “Noah is a genius!”

  “Yes, he is, Ellie. I swear I’ve put on five pounds since I hired him. See anything you like?”

  “Yes, I’ll have one of everything.” Ellie sighed. “Hell, Candy. How do I choose?”

  Ren and Bram nodded.

  “How about the ménage sampler? Smaller sizes of six items off the menu. Enough to feed three. Noah’s choice, though.”

  Bram saw Ellie blush at the word ménage and he snuck a look at Ren. He held his menu in front of his face and winked at his cousin.

  “That would be fine with me, Candy. I love a good ménage. What about you, Ren? Ellie?”

  “Nothing like a ménage, Bram. Count me in. Ellie?”

  Bram saw her amused look before she nodded. “The sampler would be fine, Candy. And maybe some of the seven-fruit juice?”

  “You got it. It’ll take about anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes depending on what Noah decides to include. By the way, like I said, you don’t get a choice. I hope you are all okay with that.” She paused and when everyone nodded, she continued. “I’ll bring the juice in a sec and then give you some privacy. You all look like you need to talk.”

  True to her word, Candy was back almost instantly with a jug of thick, pinky orange juice. She poured them each a glass and left the remainder. He took a sip and it was delicious. He thought he could identify watermelon, orange, banana, strawberry…He wasn’t sure what the others were, but it was amazing. He drained the glass and poured himself another.

  Then he turned to Ren. “That was fucking amazing.”

  “I agree. Did you taste mango? I thought I tasted mango.”

  “Could be. I definitely tasted berries and maybe a hint of honeydew.”

  “Best juice I ever tasted. Hit me again.” Ren held up his empty glass and Bram refilled it. “Amazing how we can taste the separate underlying fruit. And the combined taste. Wow.”

  Bram wanted to get down to business, but he found himself rambling on with Ren about the wonderful seven-juice blend. He could see that Ellie was amused and he wanted to have a serious talk, but he couldn’t help himself. He was scared of how that conversation would go.

  He and Ren quickly exhausted the topic of juice while they finished it. Bram poured the rest of the juice into Ellie’s glass. Then he hopped up and, without waiting for Candy, he headed for the kitchen. He’d never been back there before and he wasn’t sure he was supposed to be, but this was yet another stalling tactic.

  “Can I have a refill?” He held up the empty jug to the man in the white chef’s uniform looking at his in shock. He only had time to take in the flashing green eyes and screaming curses in several languages and waving around a large knife. Candy burst through the door behind him, coming to his rescue. Cursing him herself, she grabbed a new pitcher of juice from a side table he hadn’t noticed and thrust it into his hands before shoving him out the door.

  He hurried out carry a fresh jug in triumph even as he was followed by the sound of cursing.

  “The new chef’s temperamental.” Ellie laughed.

  “Yes, and apparently I’ll be castrated if I set foot in there again,” acknowledged Bram, “but it was worth it. I saw our breakfast. I think if Ellie rejects us, we should consider batting for the other team and asking Noah if he’s interested.”

  Ellie looked amused and Ren looked outraged but then Candy walked up carrying a platter which she set down in the middle of the table. Bram saw with satisfaction that Ren’s eyes were almost bugging out of his head as he took in delicacies before them.

  “Here you go, Ellie. Gentlemen. Oh, and Bram. Noah said that if you ever walk into his kitchen uninvited again, you’ll be banned from the diner, but not before he uses his filleting knife on you.”

  “You’d let him do that, Candy? Ban me, I mean?”

  “Hell yes. You are a single customer. I’ll fillet you myself if you cause Noah to quit. Now everyone eat before it gets cold.” She looked to her left and smiled. Bram followed her gaze. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have plans.” Bram watched her greet the two men who had just walked in. Neither of them was overly large or muscular, but they both projected an aura of danger and, if he wasn’t mistaken, they were both wearing shoulder holsters. He turned to Ren and Ellie inquiringly.

  “The one with the lighter hair is Jess Archer’s brother Tait Sorenson. The other man is his partner Aaron Day.”

  “Partner?”

  “Work partner, not life partner,” Ren advised. “Although I understand that they are best friends, too. They are some kind of investigators for a private outfit, Southport Security and Protection. There are rumors about just what SSP is all about. Two former staff, Quin Redekker and Nicola Marlowe, have settled here in Satisfaction.”

  “Together.”

  “Nope. Quin is in a ménage with Doc Blake Adams, the vet, who is apparently an old friend of his, and Jules Durrance who helps her brother out at the Whips and Spurs. You’ve probably met her, even if you don’t know her name. And speaking of Micah Durrance, he and Sheriff Dace Lowe are the ones in a ménage with Nicola Marlowe.”