Interest brightened Gabi’s face. “Nice to meet you, Andrea.”
Andrea glanced at Cullen and got a headshake—no talking—that made her glower.
Marcus smothered a chuckle and informed Cullen, “From the expression on your sub’s face, she is still not adequately trained.”
“Apparently not.” Cullen’s lips twitched before he frowned darkly at Andrea.
“I’m sorry, Señor.” She buried her head against him and added in a placating, sweet voice, “I love you.”
Cullen snorted. “Nice try, pet. I should still beat you.”
Her whispered “You just did, cabrón” carried as clearly as Cullen’s responding bark of laughter.
The wistful expression on Gabi’s face squeezed Marcus’s heart. She wanted what Andrea had with Cullen; he could see her longing. So why did she behave in a way so as to ensure she’d never have such a relationship?
“Although Andrea didn’t live on the streets like you,” Marcus told Gabi, “she grew up in the slums. And she caught grief from the other trainees.”
“But the trainees are nice…” Gabi said, but he heard unhappiness in her voice. Were they giving her trouble?
After getting Cullen’s permission to speak, Andrea said, “Only one sub was obnoxious, and she not only hated my background, but also that the most gorgeous man in the place was interested in me.”
“I wasn’t that interested in you, Darlin’,” Marcus protested, earning a snicker from her before she clarified by patting Cullen’s arm.
“This gorgeous man.”
“Which trainee?” Gabi asked.
“She isn’t here anymore.” Andrea's mouth thinned. “She planted money in my locker so everyone thought I’d stolen from her. Master Marcus and Dan grilled me like a criminal and threw me out of the club.”
Marcus winced. He still felt guilty over the way they’d treated her.
Shocked, Gabi twisted to stare up at the trainer. “You were rude?” She’d thought Mr. Southern Lawyer always acted like a gentleman.
Andrea snorted. “Dan was rude; Master Marcus just backed him up. Of course after I got past wanting to kill them, I realized I did look guilty. And they were so furious thinking I’d betrayed Cullen’s trust, they weren’t seeing clearly. They made a mistake.”
Snickering, Gabi widened her eyes at Marcus. “You mean you’re not God? Nooo, say it isn’t so!”
He leaned forward, cupped her breasts in his powerful hands, and whispered in a slow drawl, “While you are here, Li’ll sub, I am your god.”
The sound of his deep voice, the feel of his palms as his thumbs grazed over her nipples, turned her insides liquid and melted her bones. Even a god couldn’t turn her on as quickly. She closed her eyes for a second, just to savor being close to him, being touched, then sighed and let it go. Get back in the game, Gabi. “Did the trainee get in trouble at least?”
Andrea laughed. “After the guys finished questioning Vanessa, they left her to Z. By the time he got through with her, she was crying so hard he had to call her a taxi. Then he got her banned from every club—well, pretty much in Florida. I had no idea how well-known he is.
“Anyway, Master Z apologized to me here. Then Master Dan and Master Marcus apologized too, in front of everyone, even though they’d already talked to me before, and I’d forgiven them and everything.” She frowned at Marcus. “You guys almost made me cry.”
“Turning into a regular watering can, aren’t you, love?” Cullen stroked her cheek gently with his huge hand.
“You wish,” Andrea growled and nipped at his fingers. She wrinkled her nose at Marcus. “It was when you two gave me that humongous gift certificate to the best fetish-wear place in Tampa that I got teary-eyed.” She said to Gabi, “My budget didn’t go far, and I always looked like a poor relation in here, so I had a great time buying new clothes. I still haven’t spent it all.”
“I’ve enjoyed the benefits,” Cullen rumbled, running his hand across the low bodice of Andrea’s skintight vinyl dress. “So why don’t you let me admire this new dress from the rear. I’d enjoy a beer.”
“Yes, Sir.” Andrea slid off his lap.
Marcus squeezed Gabi’s shoulder and murmured in her ear. “Grey Goose, please.”
As she shoved to her feet, the “Yes, Sir” came out before she thought. Do better. She sucked in a breath, stuck her hand out, and shouted, “Heil Hitler,” then goose-stepped toward the bar. And tried really hard not to think about the disappointment that had darkened Marcus’s eyes.
Dammit. I hate, hate, hate this.
Master Raoul had been talking to Andrea, but when Gabi reached the bar, he moved away.
Andrea grinned at her. “You’re driving Master Marcus nuts, you know.”
“Yeah. I know.” And making them both unhappy. The lump in her throat made it difficult to talk.
“You doing it on purpose?”
The straightforward question coming from another sub left Gabi at a loss. The doms were the enemy, so to speak, but other submissives belonged on her team, and the habit of confiding in friends almost overcame her brains. “In a—” She shook her head, trying to get back on balance. “Maybe. Kind of.”
Andrea snorted. “There’s an answer. How come?”
“It always seems like a good idea at the time.” Gabi shifted uneasily. “Is Master Raoul ignoring us?”
“Nah. He just likes to talk to the newer doms and subs.” Andrea drew her finger through a wet spot on the bar. “So what did you do on the streets?”
Very blunt person, wasn’t she? Gabi grinned, realizing she could like her a lot. “I broke into houses, shoplifted, picked pockets.” Andrea’s dress had a pocket on one side. Leaning forward, Gabi reached for a stack of napkins farther down the bar, bumped into her…and lifted her car keys.
“Here,” Andrea said, pushing the pile of napkins closer.
“Here,” Gabi mimicked, setting Andrea’s key chain on top of the napkins.
Andrea broke into laughter. “You’re good! My cousins tried to learn, but they’re too ham-handed.” She caught Gabi’s frown and added, “They’re all reformed and respectable now.”
“Oh. I’m glad.”
“No kidding. All our indiscretions happened in the past, but it was still awkward, since Cullen’s a fire inspector and Dan’s a cop.”
Dan, the hard-faced one. “He’s a cop? That figures.” Gabi massaged her arm, remembering the way he’d dragged her across the room to Marcus.
“Oh, I know that grip. He’s a cop to the bones. Kari—the pregnant one—is a schoolteacher, and everyone says Dan’s mellowed a lot since meeting her.”
“Uh-huh, I can tell he’s a real pushover now.” Gabi leaned an elbow on the bar. Raoul hadn’t budged, so she could indulge her curiosity about the other Masters. “Who’s the dark-haired Master, the one with black eyes who looks so mean?”
“Master Nolan. Building contractor. And his sub, Beth, owns a landscaping business—she redesigned the gardens here.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Huh?”
“I mean I’m glad Nolan and Dan are taken. Scary dudes. I wouldn’t want to do a scene with one of them. Of course, when Marcus gets angry…” That’s even worse. Gabi mocked a shiver, ignoring the dull ache in her belly from making him unhappy again.
“You’re scared, and you still sass them?” Andrea frowned. “That’s not very smart.”
Gabi shrugged. “My father insists my shoe size is bigger than my IQ.”
As Andrea sputtered with laughter, Master Raoul walked over to get their drink orders. Finally.
* * *
Late Saturday night, Jessica sat upstairs in Z’s private third-story rooms and fumed. She hadn’t gone to the Shadowlands yesterday because of a late client appointment—estimated tax payments could screw up the best schedules—and had looked forward to tonight. But Z had said he didn’t want her in the club. And the jerk wouldn’t tell her why, just claimed he had internal club problems.
Sure he did. She paced across the living room. Galahad watched, the end of his tail flicking as he contemplated chasing her feet. At least he wanted to chase her.
In the quiet room, she could hear the sounds of the Shadowlands, the low pulse of the music, mostly the bass. Occasionally a high cry. Very little, really. Z had said he’d put in an excessive amount of soundproofing when he set up the club.
What would he do if she went down there? Jessica tried to rub the chill from her arms. He’d left no room for misunderstanding. Stay out of the club tonight and next weekend too. He’d smiled and said that was all he’d ask, just tonight and next weekend.
Her mouth thinned. When she’d worked on the Shadowlands accounts, she’d noticed the new trainee’s membership lasted only a month—after next weekend, Gabrielle would be gone.
Well, maybe I’ll be gone too.
The thought pierced her heart like a sharp blade. She shook her head. Z’s withdrawal had something to do with that…that person. What if he wanted to play with her without Jessica around to get her feelings hurt?