Catalina was grateful for the Lamonts’ hospitality. Their home was amazing, and Katarina was gracious as they were shown where they’d be staying, but she’d seemed oddly restrained. Alex and Zach hovered, and Catalina caught several sideways glances, almost as though they felt their pretty wife was too fragile to be left without one of them at her side. The odd feeling they’d walked into the middle of… something unusual was so distracting, she’d almost missed Alex’s comments about dinner.
Holy shit, did he just say they hosted a kink meal once a week?
She felt Cooper’s arms encircle her from behind, pulling her back against his chest and rapidly inflating cock.
“What do you think, Princess? Are you up to playing at dinner? Or are you too tired?” Damn him. He knew exactly how to throw down the challenge. To anyone who didn’t know her, it might seem as though he’d given her an opportunity to bow out gracefully, but she knew better.
“I’d like to be seated near Katarina. I’ve seen some of her web-design work, and I’d like to get a head-start persuading her to set up something for me. Ian suggested I try to get her on our team sooner rather than later.”
So there. Take that, my railroading mate. She felt him chuckling behind her and smiled to herself when she heard his barely audible, “Touché.”
“It should be interesting. There are other couples attending, and I’m anxious to see how confusing it gets with your names being so similar.” Zach’s parting comment made her smile.
She didn’t have any doubt the dinner would be interesting and wondered how much the others had been told about her. Historically, a shifter was only as safe as their secret. Catalina hated walking into situations where other people had more intel about her than she did about them.
Just a reminder, Mitch Grayson is Luke’s uncle—he isn’t as gifted, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
Israel’s warning floated through her mind, and Cooper’s lack of response let her know the message had been sent directly to her. Interesting. Grayson wouldn’t be a problem if she paid attention. Having grown up with an empath who was a magical put her way ahead in the game she suspected would be played at dinner.
Second piece of unsolicited advice—don’t wear panties. They weren’t kidding about it being a line you don’t want to cross.
Ewww. Just ewww. The last thing she wanted to think about was her brother giving her panty advice. Geez, Louise, how embarrassing. As Israel’s quiet laughter faded to the back of her mind, Cat realized she’d zoned out long enough for the Lamonts to leave the two of them alone.
“Chatting with your brother, Princess?” She must have looked surprised because he had the audacity to roll his eyes. “Darlin’, the crackle of electricity is unmistakable. The issue is, I wasn’t included, so I would like to be briefed now.”
Taking a deep breath, Cat gave herself a moment to consider his position and ignore his sudden slip into Southern slang. When he went good ol’ boy on her, she needed to tread carefully.
Honestly, she understood his frustration and doubted Israel had deliberately excluded him. Heck, one of them had to keep up the conversation with the Lamonts. She told Cooper everything Israel said, including the warning about panties at dinner, and watched as his brows furrowed.
“I was going to make a rude comment about his warning being inappropriate until I realized I probably would have done the same for Lakyn under similar circumstances.” She tilted her head, wondering what he meant by the circumstances, but his only response was a grin. “Zach said they left something in the closet for you to wear tonight. I’m going to check and make sure it will work, then make a call while you take a quick shower.”
Catalina frowned. She wasn’t thrilled he and Zach were deciding what she should wear to dinner. Sighing to herself, Cat let it go. As a member of a large family, she’d learned to choose her battles.
An hour later, Catalina walked down the sweeping staircase beside Cooper, wondering what the hell she’d gotten herself into. The voices coming from the dining room were boisterous, and she felt herself relax when laughter seemed to be on the menu. As they passed the front door, a stunning brunette stepped into the massive foyer. The man following her had to be close to six and a half feet tall, not counting the felt cowboy hat settled on his head.
“Sweetheart, I have no idea how you manage to outpace me in those damned heels, but I surely do enjoy the view.” The man extended his hand to Cooper, introducing himself as Trace Bartell, his wife smiled warmly, then turned to Catalina.
“It’s great to meet you. I’m Tori Bartell. I’ve heard a lot about your jewelry designs and can hardly wait until some of the pieces make their way to the ShadowDance Club.” The men were already chatting about security in the surrounding area, making Cat wonder if she should go back upstairs to get her laptop.
“Tori, let the pretty lady enjoy her dinner before you start shopping. I promise we’ll give you a few minutes to chat before we head over the club.”
“How far is the club?” Catalina wasn’t sure she had enough energy for a club night. A bit of fun during dinner was one thing—a full-blown scene lasting until the wee hours of the morning was another.
“It’s just next door, Ms. Adler. Tori and I don’t get to play as often as we’d like, so we’re looking forward to this evening. I want you to know my ranch hands and I will be on the lookout for strangers.” His enormous hand wrapped around her elbow, stopping her before they stepped into the dining room. “I know your safety, and that of those like you depends on secrecy. You can trust us, Catalina, I want you to know your secrets are safe here. I have instructed the men who work for me they are to refrain from shooting any wolf until further notice. They believe you are studying them and would be upset if one was harmed.” Tori leaned forward and grinned.
“My husband and Master is brilliant. He didn’t lie, and it will help keep you safe. I’m always impressed with the ways he manages to keep his integrity and have a gloriously perfect ass.” Tori threw her head back and laughed at her own joke, although it was entirely possible some of her amusement was in response to the stunned look on Catalina’s face. Trace closed his eyes, his chin dropping to his chest as he shook his head.
“I swear, I can’t take her anywhere anymore. Hell, maybe that’s the problem—she doesn’t get away the from ranch often enough. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to send her to one of those fancy finishing schools to get my shy, prim, and proper subbie back.”
Catalina giggled. It was painfully obvious this was familiar banter for the couple, and she admired their easy rapport.
Walking into the dining room, Catalina grinned at the man leaning against the fireplace mantle and the stunning woman at his side. Moving swiftly to the couple, the beauty known to the world as Ilaina, pulled her into a warm embrace.
“Catalina, it’s wonderful to see you. Noah and I were thrilled to hear you’d be in the area for a while.” Cat had worked with Noah Drummond and knew he’d retired from operative work a couple of years earlier. When she turned to the man who always reminded her of a California surfer, she extended her hand, but he shook his head, laughing as he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.
“I don’t think so, sweetness. Damn, it’s good to see you. I heard about your kidnapping after the fact.” Stepping back until she was arms-length, Noah’s knowing gaze moved over her, and Cat grinned as his thoughts filtered through her mind. She looks healthy enough, all things considered. Still going to get her to pose for me. Maybe Cooper can help me convince her.
“It’s good to see you, too. Ilaina, you are a vision as always. Noah, you’ve been after me to pose for you for longer than I can remember. I believe we might be able to negotiate something. I want to talk to you about shooting the advertising promos for my new line of erotic jewelry.” His broad smile was all the answer she needed.
“Do you have models in mind, or are you open to suggestions?” His eyes not only flickered briefly in his wife’s direction but was moving around the room. “Real women. Real submissives, along with their Doms, would be perfect. Let me pull my ideas into something resembling a presentation, then we’ll talk. Stop by the studio when you get a chance. Alex and Zach can tell you how to access the tunnel. It’s close by and ends inside the secured perimeter of the warehouse.”
“The studio is amazing, Catalina. You’ll be impressed with what Noah’s done with the place.” Ilaina’s voice was filled with pride, making Cat grin.
She could remember when the world-famous model did everything humanly possible to avoid Noah. Strong, warm arms encircled her, the scent of her mate making her entire body respond. Heat moved through her veins as her pussy flooded with cream.
“Mitch Grayson is watching you, Princess. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the corners of his mouth are tilting up, so I’m assuming you’re focused on how anxious you are for me to fuck you into a coma.” Without being told who she was looking for, Catalina’s eyes zeroed in on the man in question. She was grateful for Cooper’s distraction, but she was ready to meet this challenge head-on, and it looked like she wasn’t going to have to wait long.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Adler. I’ve heard a lot about you from my nephew, Luke.”
“I saw you at Crystal’s christening, but you left before we were introduced.” Cat hadn’t found out until later who he was, but she’d remembered how intently he’d watched her.
“I remember. You are right, I was watching you, but more importantly, I was listening to you. It seems you were longing to run through the desert mountains surrounding Luke and Brooklyn’s home.” Mitch was right, she had been thinking about how fun it would be to feel the cool mountain air moving through her thick fur. “Your secrets are safe with me. I have no desire to hurt you or your family. I suspect your brother cautioned you about me, but you can let those warnings fall on deaf ears.” Catalina felt herself relax as he turned, motioning the woman who’d been standing with him to join them. “Baby, I’d like to introduce you to our honored guests, Catalina Adler and Cooper Hicks.” The vivacious redhead extended her hand before Mitch could finish.
“It’s great to finally meet you. I’m Rissa. I have a small salon inside the club. I hope you’ll stop in. We’ll have tea, you can show me pictures of your niece and nephews.” The two of them fell into an easy conversation about the growing Adler family. Another man, this one, as tall as Trace Bartell, with the most electric blue eyes Catalina had ever seen, stepped up to Rissa and pressed his lips to hers.
“Come on, Love, it’s time for dinner.” Quick introductions as they walked to the table revealed he was the second of Rissa’s two husbands, Bryant Davis.
Oh, snap. I hope he and Mitch will consider joining their wife for Noah’s photoshoot. The contrast of blue and chocolate-brown eyes with Rissa’s red hair and pearlescent skin will light up in photos.
Mitch laughed out loud as he slapped Cooper on the back. “She is everything you described and more, man. Her mind spins a thousand miles a minute—there’s no doubt she and Brooklyn are sisters.” The two men laughed as Rissa giggled at what must have been a shocked expression spreading over Cat’s face.
“Don’t try to figure it out… you’ll just make yourself crazy. Doms complain about submissives sticking together like glue, but they are just as bad or worse. I swear their penchant for sharing information would put Google to shame.”
Cat hadn’t spent a lot of time at Prairie Winds—there’d actually been several times when she wondered how she could continue justifying the steep membership fee—but she had attended often enough to have heard Rissa’s comment echoed among the submissives. She found it interesting the observation was the same whether the submissive was talking about Doms or Dommes.
“Wow, is that the dress Zach left for you? Holy crap on a cactus, it covers your pink bits. You probably wouldn’t want to drop anything or reach for something on the top shelf, but still…” Katarina tapped a French-tipped nail against her lower lip, studying what Catalina was convinced was a shirt, masquerading as a dress. The petite blonde looked better than she had an hour ago, with more color in her cheeks, and her blue eyes were sparkling. Whatever set her world back to rights, as Mama Adler used to say, seemed to have been effective.
“I’ll explain it to you later, Princess.” Cooper leaned over her shoulder, his whispered words wafting over the shell of her ear, sending a shiver of desire skittering up her spine. He pulled her back against his chest, and she felt what she was certain was a growl deep in his chest. She wondered if their mating would eventually alter his DNA enough to allow him to shift. Knowing it didn’t always happen, wishing for it seemed like too much to ask, so she’d tried to put it out of her mind, but now it was all she could think about.
Once everyone was seated, the first thing Cat noticed was the way all the submissives were sitting with their knees spread wide, their bare feet hooked around the outside of their chair’s front legs. Where the heck are their shoes? Looking around the table, she noted the raised brows of a couple of the Doms and an indulgent smile on Noah’s face.
“When in Rome, Catalina,” was all Noah said, but it was enough. Cooper had been busy chatting with Alex and hadn’t noticed the sudden tension until he heard Noah’s warning. With Cooper’s attention turned to her, Catalina sighed before adopting a similar position. Cool air drifted over her heated sex, and she smiled to herself when the incantation she mentally recited began adding length to her skirt in small measures.
Cooper nodded his approval before returning to his conversation with Alex. Looking around the table, Mitch Grayson’s eyes twinkled in amusement. He gave her a quick nod of what looked like amusement.
“Please tell me you brought sketches of your new line.” Katarina’s words brought her mind back to business.
“I brought my laptop. I’m looking forward to showing you what I’ve designed.”
“Ian tells me the two of you are working together. Do you have any of the security pieces ready to go?” Zach’s question was followed by silence. Everyone at the table stopped talking—hell, they were barely breathing—and Cat wanted to shake her head. Why did the mention of Ian McGregor’s name always have this effect on people?
“There are a couple of pieces ready. The microchips are powerful domestically, but we don’t have enough coverage for them to be reliable out of the country. Ian is reluctant to sell them until the networking issue is resolved, and I agree with him.” Listening to Zach’s thoughts was easy. It was a relief to know his interest was genuine. Running her fingers through her hair, Catalina was hit with a strange wave of sadness at the realization she’d become so cynical.
“Yes. Oh, God, yes.” Katarina’s words had Cat turning to find out what she’d missed during her short mental road trip.
“Kitten, you’re soaked. Damn, that’s hot.”
Looking down through the glass table, it was easy to see Zach’s fingers sliding between the swollen petals of his wife’s pussy. When they disappeared, Katarina’s head fell back, her breathing so shallow, Cat wondered how long the other woman would be able to stay in her seat. Studying Katrina’s expression as she transitioned through multiple levels of pure sensuality made Cat wonder how the changes would look on film.
If Noah can capture those expressions for our advertising blitz, we’ll make a fucking fortune.
Mitch Grayson’s bark of laughter startled Catalina but didn’t appear to have any effect on Katarina. Zach leaned over his wife, sealing his lips over hers, capturing what Catalina suspected would have been a scream. Within seconds, Katarina’s entire body became so lax it looked like she might indeed slide right out of her chair. Looking around, Cat found it intriguing how the others were still chatting amiably, seemingly oblivious to the porno skit playing out a few feet away. Alex Lamont smiled indulgently at his wife, gave his brother a stiff nod, then resumed his conversation with Cooper.
“I don’t think you will have any trouble explaining your advertising strategy to Noah. He seemed as captivated with Katarina’s facial expressions as you were.”
Turning to Mitch, Cat couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve surprised me. Luke is much more clandestine with his ability to eavesdrop.”
“My nephew may be more gifted, but I’m wiser.” His half-grin and easy-going manner put her at ease. “I learned a long time ago to be upfront with my observations. If that’s impossible for some reason, I close down the channel of communication. I try to surround myself with individuals who are aware of my special ability. For the most part, they are comfortable with me because they know I’m not going to… what is the expression Betsy uses?”
“Throw them under the bus?” Rissa shrugged before adding, “Your lovely daughter has too many expressions for me to be certain, but I’m guessing that’s the one you’re talking about.”
“Uh oh, if she’s being referred to as your lovely daughter, I’m betting Sweet B is in trouble with her mama.” Bryant Davis’s laughter made his blue eyes look like they’d been lit from the inside by some unseen spark turned deep-sea inferno.
“She’s a hot mess, and the two of you indulge her every whim. I swear she is going to grow up thinking every man she meets is going to fall at her feet in adoration.” Turning to Catalina, she shrugged. “I love her to death, but I swear she makes me insane. Do all daughters turn their mothers into shrews? I feel like I’m biting at her heels all the time.”
“My mother had ten kids, but I don’t ever remember her being a shrew. I doubt yours will remember you that way either.” Leaning back in her chair, Cat realized an eerie silence had fallen around her. As odd as it seemed to her, people often seemed interested in how a family with ten children managed—how the simple day-to-day operation of the household remained functional. “My mom made it seem easy, even though I know it wasn’t. We were a wild group, and I suspect she used magic more often than any of us knew.”
“My parents knew yours. They were all friends when the oil boom was in its infancy. She told me how remarkable they were.” Alex’s strong voice sounded from her other side, making Catalina return her attention to him.
“I met your parents at a party at Ian and Callie’s. I don’t remember the occasion, but despite how brief our encounter was, I’ve never forgotten the sense of peace and confidence that seemed to surround your mom, and your dad seemed like a gentleman from another era. I remember thinking how he reminded me of my own dad.” There was an awkward silence Catalina hated. It didn’t happen as often now as it had when her parents had first died, but it still felt like she was being suffocated as the air around them thickened with unease. She’d learned quickly, most people were damned uncomfortable talking with victims’ families.
“Earlier, Mitch said something about us being on the same page with advertising shots. Were you watching the expressions on Katarina’s face?” Cat was grateful for Noah’s change of subject and sensed the others at the table felt the same way. Glancing at the other woman, Cat couldn’t hold back her grin at Katarina’s blush.
“A single shot of a real woman lost in her lover’s touch will sell more kink jewelry than a thousand celebrities holding one of the pieces as they read from a damned teleprompter. And no offense, Ilaina, but some of your peers would be lucky to read anything above a dull third-grade level.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, sister. It drove me insane to work with people who didn’t like to read books because they were tired of looking up what the words meant. Several of them were being tutored through high school on location. I have no idea how they’d even managed to get into high school, but I suspect the late-night visits by sponsors were a large part of their academic success.”
“So beautiful, yet so cynical.” Noah’s taunting drew glares from the submissives around the table and chuckles from the Doms. “Before I start a riot, perhaps we should move this party to the club.”
Looking down at her plate, Cat was shocked to find it empty. Holy hat-racks, when had she eaten?
“Catalina and I are going to skip the club tonight.” Cooper grasped Cat’s hand, the familiar sizzle of electricity between them moved through her slower than usual. “We’ve had a long day of travel, and both need to rest.”
If you’re lucky, we might make it all the way into our suite before I shove my cock so deep in your heat, it will be impossible to tell where you end and I begin.
Promises, promises, mate.
She felt the air around them shift and knew her challenge wasn’t going to be ignored. When Cooper bent at the waist, pushing his shoulder into her torso, Catalina gasped when he lifted her effortlessly into the air. Walking swiftly from the room, he flipped the remaining hem still hovering over the top of the ass and slapped his hand down on her bare skin before she had a chance to protest.
His growled command to stay still made her want to comment on his Neanderthal performance but connecting to his thoughts stilled her tongue. His performance had essentially cut off any protests from the others about their decision to skip the club. She was grateful for their quick exit, but the shouts of encouragement from the other Doms as Cooper climbed the stairs was damned embarrassing all the same.