“I think I should just lay low until this whole stalker thing dies down.”
Jake moved in front of the door that led to the back, an obvious road block. “He got to you. Don’t let him spoil our night. Don’t let him send you back into your shell.”
She took a deep breath. “It’s all right. I was just disappointed to find out what a douche bag he was. He was my only real contact.”
Adam waved a hand. “Hello.” He pointed at Jacob. “Real live certified Dom standing right there. I wouldn’t let Ian bark at me for three weeks, so I don’t have my shiny piece of paper, but I know a thing or two. And I think I’ve been doing a damn fine job of taking care of you. I’ve been topping you for days, and you didn’t even notice.”
That was ridiculous. Except it wasn’t. She thought about the last several days. Adam had quietly taken over much of the day-to-day details of her life. He’d done it with a smile, pushing her to concentrate on her work. He’d started answering her e-mails, making her appointments, even answering her phone calls. He’d taken over, and she’d just been happy to not have to do all those things. It had felt natural. Adam had taken over the minutia, and Jake made sure no one got close.
They were topping her. And she kind of liked it. It had made her life easier, and she’d felt safe and cared for.
“See,” Adam said as though he could read her mind. “It can work for you, but it has to be gentler than what Master Douchewad wants from you. That can work, too. But not on you.”
She shook her head. “But I’m not doing anything for the two of you.”
“Aren’t you? Jake had a headache yesterday. What did you do?” Adam asked.
She’d noticed that he looked stressed. She hadn’t really understood that he’d had a headache. She’d just followed her instincts. She rubbed his scalp until he’d practically melted into his chair. She’d been a bit surprised and deeply pleased that he’d allowed the contact.
“You made me feel better,” Jake said. “You did what you could to take care of me. Hell, Serena, you went into the guest bedroom and pulled out mine and Adam’s dirty clothes. You didn’t have to wash them. We would have gotten them.”
“I was doing a load anyway.” She said the words, but they felt a little stubborn. At the time, she’d wanted to do something for them. She’d wanted to help them the way they were helping her. Maybe that was what a relationship really was.
“Come with us tonight,” Adam cajoled, his hand on her arm. “Let us show you that this lifestyle, like anything else, is what you make it.”
Jake stared down at her, not touching her at all, but she still felt his heat. Adam’s hand caressed her.
She could take the chance. She didn’t have much to lose. She might learn a little something. Despite the fact that she’d told Storm that she would concentrate on ménage, she was still thinking about the fact that her latest book had BDSM in it. And apparently Ian Taggart was the ultimate authority in the DFW area. She’d heard of Sanctum. And she’d heard that they only admitted people who passed strict tests. She was being given a true opportunity to research. If she could keep herself separate, it could work in her favor.
Adam hovered near her. He was so damn close. And Jake. He was so perfect. Each called to her in their own way.
“Come with us.”
She was just about to answer when the doorbell rang again.
“Damn it.” Jake crossed the space, his hand going for the door. “If it’s that jerk, he’s going to see my gun. ‘My body is a weapon.’ Dumb shit. I bet my gun can take out his body really damn quick.”
She turned, Adam’s hand on her shoulder. He leaned in, his lips close to her ear. “Give us a chance, baby. We can show you a whole new world.”
It was the right thing to say. It was exactly what she needed to hear. The world she was in was hard. It would be nice to have some place to sink into.
“Say yes.”
She nodded. She didn’t have anything better to do.
Jake turned back, a box in his hand. “It was a courier. Were you expecting some books?”
She shook her head. “No. I have to order prints. I haven’t ordered any. I have a signing coming up, but Lara ordered those and they went straight to the bookstore.”
“There’s a return address.” He carefully pulled off the label and started to open the box. He pulled out a book. She recognized it immediately. There was a sweet-looking blonde, her head turned submissively to the side, a hot Dom, and the cool as sin beta hero in a cowboy hat. Sweetheart in Chains.
“It’s just your books,” Jake said, passing it to her.
Serena picked it up. It was her book in trade paperback. Nothing out of the ordinary. She had a closet full of them. She flipped through and saw the difference.
Every dirty word, every pussy, cock, dick, fuck, and others, had been marked through. Someone had taken an enormous amount of time to mark through every part of the book that could be considered slightly controversial.
She flipped to the front.
Stop writing filth or my wrath will come down on you
“Someone sent you a copy of every book you’ve got in print.” Adam held up a copy of Two Men to Love. He started to flip through it, and his skin flushed. She knew they were all the same.
Someone hated her. It was all too fucking much. Between Storm’s criticism and this, she felt the tears begin. Too much. She’d just wanted to find a place, and she’d found so much rejection.
Jake put his arms around her. She was hauled to his chest as the sobs began.
Chapter Ten
Jake stood beside Adam, the soft throb of industrial music thudding in from the dungeon. He watched the women’s locker room, waiting for the moment Serena walked out with Eve. He’d been damn happy Eve was around. He worried that if he’d sent Serena in there alone, she might never have come out.
“She’s taking her time.” Adam watched, too.
“She’s nervous.” And afraid. And a little heartsick. He’d held her while she’d cried, and most of his damn defenses were sorely in need of shoring up. The last several days with Serena had been hard. It had been hard to keep his distance, hard to not like her, hard to just be hard every minute of the day. His cock had made its decision. His cock didn’t give a shit that this was a bad idea. His cock just knew that she was exactly his type and that her soft heart matched her curvy body. It was a dangerous combination.