ass cheeks of hers. Then once she’d got really hot and wet, he’d switch to the deer skin flogger-Fuuuck. He shifted in his seat to give his cock extra room in his pants.
“Okay, people, let’s get this meeting started,” Cooper intoned. “Our first initiate is sponsored by…”
Sam let the discussion flow past him as he considered the challenge Rosie had issued downstairs, if she was even aware how turned on he’d been by her arguments. Would she ever be the sub to his Dom? Not likely, from the way she’d behaved tonight. Strangely that didn’t bother him. A few years ago, heck a couple months ago, he might have been frustrated by her stubbornness, instead he was lovin’ her sass.
“So that’s the five of them,” Cooper announced after ninety minutes of long hard discussion over Ms. Kinson’s candidate. He settled back in his chair and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. “Or do we have six this year, Sam?”
“Nope, that’s it.”
“You’re not sponsoring your little spitfire?”
“Come on, Coop. He’d need to get her more malleable, more submissive, before I’d approve her,” Bert Fordyce suggested. “Frankly, I’d have had her on her knees licking my boots for her little display earlier. And then I’d have her sleeping on the floor at my feet for the next week until she showed proper respect.”
“Maybe Rosie is a Domme, not a sub,” Thalia suggested, cutting Sam’s growl off before it filled the room.
Bert barked a laugh. “Not if Sam’s fucking her. Tie her up and flog her, Sam. Teach her to submit like a good little slave. And if you can’t, send her to see me. I’ll have her begging for punishment in no time.”
Sam faced Bert, his hands held loosely at his side, but never had he felt more ready to punch a man in his piggish snout than he did right now.
Cooper stood, his chair scraping on the ceramic tile when he pushed it back. “Jocelyne, why don’t you and Robert escort Bert and the others downstairs and finish up the rest of my champagne?”
The rest of the members murmured their farewells, leaving Sam alone with Cooper and Thalia.
“Ignore Bert, Samuel.” Thalia touched Sam’s hand. “He’s still living back in the Victorian ages.”
Cooper nodded. “He’s an ass, but he’s an honorable ass when it comes to other people’s subs. He wouldn’t touch Rosie if you sponsored her unless you gave him permission.”
“I told you, Coop. Rosie’s not my sub. And she’ll never see the inside of the Porte.”
Cooper and Thalia exchanged a glance. Was there something they hadn’t told him? Maybe Rosie was right about checking the membership again.
Sam wheeled Thalia to the door. “I think maybe I should take another look at the club files. Make sure there’s nothing there.”
Cooper gave Sam a troubled look. “Could your stalker be a club member?”
“I don’t know. There’s no proof one way or another. But…” Sam let the rest of the sentence hang. None of them needed a reminder that it had happened before.
Sam rubbed Thalia’s shoulder when she visibly stiffened. “I don’t think it’s any of the members, Thalia. Chad and I go through the list regularly, but it might not hurt to take a second look.”
Cooper opened the door, revealing Andy standing on one side, Thalia’s husband, Spencer, on the other.
Sam glanced down the hallway, surprised to find no one else waiting.
Andy shot him a wry grin. “If you’re wondering where Rosie is, I tossed for who got to stay up here guarding you. I won.”
Cooper’s laugh echoed down the hallway. “Two headed coin?”
“No, just lucky.” When Sam raised his brows, Andy shrugged. “Hey, it happens. Anyway, Rosie just about blew a gasket when you locked her out so I had Kris haul her downstairs.” Andy’s smile broadened. “I got a bet with him that you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“Thanks for the heads up, but I sorta figured I would be sleepin’ on the terrace tonight. Without a blanket.” He shook his head. “Go get the elevator, will you, Andy? I’ll be right there.”
Once Andy walked away, Cooper chuckled. “I envy you, Sam. Your Rosie’s going to be a helluva lot of fun to train.”
Sam stuck his hands in his pockets and stared down the hall. “She’s my employee, Coop.”
“So you said, not that I’m buying it for a second. Anyway, knowing that you’re being threatened, if your Miss Ramos needs access to the membership files, I’ll see that she gets it. She’s a Hauberk employee after all, and since she’s with you, I reckon we can trust her.”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t let her into the club. If she wants the files, ship ’em over to my office-but only the background reports, okay? She doesn’t need to know that much information yet.” I’m not about to let her near that place. I’m not about to lose her the way I lost Jill.
“I’m not comfortable with the files leaving the building, Sam. There’s too much personal information on our members to put at risk. If she wants to look at them, she can come to the club in the mornings, when things are quiet.”
Sam sighed. “If I tell her that she’ll be camping on your doorstep first thing tomorrow.” Somehow he had to keep her away from there. She’s your lead op. You can’t stop her from doing her job. If you try to stop her, she’ll just go without telling you. “I’ll send Andy over in the morning, get him to take another look at the files.”
Cooper rocked back on his heels. “That works too.”
Sam said his good-byes, then stabbed at the button to call the elevator even though Andy had already pressed it.
With an elegant move of dismissal from Thalia, Spencer stepped back, as did Andy, allowing her to speak to Sam privately. “Kneel down, Sam. I don’t like you hovering over me like a giant. I want to look you in the eye.”
When he had done as she bid, she said gently, “About your Miss Ramos-how come you have not told her about the club? About your part in it? And don’t try to tell me she’s simply your employee, I know better.”
“Thalia, you know it’s against the bylaws to discuss the club with non-members. Besides, I’ve only started to introduce Rosie to the scene.”
But so far she hadn’t shown any hesitation in accepting any of his suggestions. If he did take her there, maybe she’d take to it like a duck to Lake Arrowhead. Hmmph, the thought of other men getting a look at her delicious little body made him feel more like a wolf guarding his territory.
“Are you worried she’ll think by submitting she’s betraying women everywhere?”
Relieved she’d given him an excuse, he grabbed onto it with both hands. “I’ve not exactly broached it with her, but yeah, I can see her worrying about somethin’ like that.”
And if she did think that, it was likely he would be visiting his gonads at the zoo after all.
“When she comes to the club, have her come see me. I’ll answer any questions she may have. I’ll help her realize that exploring that side of her won’t lessen who she is. Your lifestyle won’t take away her control, if anything it will give her more power in the relationship.”
Wasn’t that the truth?
“To be honest, Thalia, I’d prefer if she knew nothing about my part in the club.” Did he dare admit that he’d found the whole scene boring lately? That he’d had more exciting sex with Rosie in the past month than he had in the last several years?
“If you try to deny that part of yourself, you’ll find yourself dreadfully unhappy. However, I think you may be misjudging Rosie. From what I’ve seen, she’s a strong woman to have made it to where she has in a man’s world. I think you’ll find she’ll enjoy letting go of the reins on occasion. Not every time, but I think you’ll both be satisfied.”
“To force her to accept my needs over hers will be a surefire way to lose her. You talk about my nature being Dominant, but I can’t see Rosie following an order I give her without arguing. It’s not in her nature to be submissive.” And hell, he got such a charge out of her arguments, he’d often provoked her just to see her get angry. Why would he want to deny himself such pleasure? Or stifle her passion?
The elevator door opened, but no one moved to get into it and the door quietly swished closed.
“Sam…” Thalia stroked his cheek and smiled, “…Rosie is most likely an alpha submissive, which is what you require. She may even be a switch. You should train her to handle a flogger so she can whip you one day.”
If she’d gotten out of her chair and walked, he couldn’t have been more shocked. “I beg your pardon? I’m the Dominant in the relationship, remember?”
“Around any other woman, you are definitely a Dominant, but when it comes to your Rosie, I think you would
