Lania's Pet [Soldiers of Passion 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) Read online

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  “Good. If it happens again I will be purchasing a little cage for those beautiful balls and thick dick of yours, my pet.”

  “Yes, Mistress. I am sorry and I understand.”

  Lania nodded, resting her foot on his hard abs. “Finish your job.”

  Cal made sure not to stray this time around. Just the thought of that cage made his balls shrink. She’d put him in one once before, and afterward she had kissed his dick and balls all better and they did agree that if he did ever overstep his boundaries that would be his punishment. Obviously he’d been a good boy if she hadn’t yet purchased a newer cage for him. She knew he didn’t like the contraption, knew how uncomfortable it had been for him to wear it and how it had embarrassed him to be seen with it on. It was worse than the time she had tied him to the pole in the club for looking at the other Mistress.

  “What are you thinking, my beautiful pet?” she asked, watching as his hands stilled.

  Cal furrowed his brow, continuing the job set in front of him. “When I looked at Mistress Helina,” he murmured.

  Lania frowned, hooked a finger under his chin, and forced him to look at her. “Why are you thinking about her?” she questioned gently.

  Cal shrugged and was disciplined with a tap to the cheek. It was a light smack, but he got the drift. No motions. You speak when spoken to. “I was thinking of the times I was punished and the cage would be worse than the pole in the club.”

  Lania nodded. “Yes, it would be for you,” she murmured, releasing his chin. He’d hated that contraption, and even though they had discussed it as a disciplinary action, she had never thought to use it on him. Not after seeing him tense and looking downward the entire night. She wasn’t here to discipline him. She was here to provide him with an escape.

  Cal neatly folded her stockings and returned to unclasping the garter belt, his fingers itching to caress her hips and trace the gentle dimples on her lower back. Ah fuck, he wanted to touch every inch of her naked body.

  “It’s getting chilly, my pet,” she sang lightly.

  Cal looked up and she was peeking over her shoulder at him. “Yes, Mistress,” he murmured, standing and grabbing the shirt. He held it open for her and she easily slid into the garment as if she had people dress her on a regular basis. She turned and nodded for him to continue. Cal wet his lips and slowly did the buttons on the front of his shirt. His heart plummeted as her lovely breast disappeared from his sights.

  “Stop,” she ordered, and his hands froze.

  “Yes, Mistress?”

  Lania inhaled an exasperated breath as if bored. Really, she needed to calm her hammering heart at what she was about to offer him. “Undo the buttons,” she ordered.

  Cal did as he was told, leaving the shirt to hang open.

  Lania nodded. “I do think my breasts need a massage,” she decided.

  Cal held back the smile, his lip twitching.

  Chapter Eleven

  Oh glorious breasts. Pale, round, firm, touchable globes, and soft, pink, delectable nipples. Goose bumps appeared as he ran his thumbs over her puckered nipples. His hands grasped and massaged, groped and pushed up, and pushed them together, and shit if he didn’t want to smash his face into them. He gave her nipples a soft pinch.

  “Harder,” she ordered, her voice breathless.

  He licked his lips and gave her a firm pinch, and his dick jerked at the gasp that escaped her. He watched as her nipples caught on his fingertip then popped away from his touch. He grasped her breasts in a firm hold and pushed up and leaned in and kissed the underside.

  “Shit, Lania,” he uttered, pulling her down to his level, his mouth taking hers in a hungry kiss.

  Her arms wound around his neck, and she held on as he assaulted her mouth with his luscious lips. He kept note of how she turned her body away from him, but allowed him to kiss her. How she held on for dear life, but kissed him back with just as much greed.

  When her hands grasped his hands and pulled and her body tensed, he slowed and littered kisses along her jaw. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Not sorry that he had kissed her but sorry that he had scared her.

  Lania shook her head and moved away from him. She closed her shirt and hugged her arms around her middle. “What the hell are we doing, Cal!” she uttered, eyes wide and staring at him. This was not what their relationship was about. She was here to provide him with release, not to be his whore. She refused to even consider herself that.

  Cal shook his head. “This all fucking wrong!” He growled. He couldn’t handle this anymore. He hated how she tensed and withdrew from him. He stood and crossed to his clothes, shrugging on his jeans. He went back to her and snuggled to her back, tugging her into his lap. “Stop tensing up around me. I’m not going to jump you. Pull you down and kiss those bloody beautiful lips of yours, yes, but push myself on you, never.”

  Lania grunted. “It’s a reaction!”

  “Don’t care! It’s a reaction I don’t like you giving me.”

  Lania slumped. “I can’t help it,” she argued, and what the hell was going on? Why the hell were they even sitting here cuddling on the fucking floor? He should be bent over and she should be smacking his ass for being so bold! Oh damn! Was she losing her touch? Was she, heaven forbid, done with this lifestyle? Couldn’t be, she loved towering over him and commanding him. She peeked back at him and saw someone different. Saw a man tormented. “What are we doing, Cal?”

  Cal groaned and tightened his grip around her. “I think I’m trying to love you…get you to love me right back,” he admitted.

  Lania stared at him. It wasn’t until he touched the underside of her chin that she realized her mouth was gaping open.

  “It’s not that hard to believe, is it?”

  Lania shook her head. She had dreamt of love, pure and innocent love. But that was so long ago that since then her view on love had been tainted. She could believe it for others, but for her? She was too damaged, no man would love her, could love her. He wouldn’t be able to sit by and not have the sex he wanted.

  “Lania.” He stared at the look crossing her beautiful face.

  Lania shook her head and struggled to get from his lap. They couldn’t do this. It was impossible! He deserved someone who could give him all he wanted. He was a lustful man! She could never make him happy. Not in that department. “Release me, Cal!” she nearly yelled, pulling away from him.

  “No,” he answered blankly, holding her close. “We’re talking about this and we’re talking now. I refuse to leave this place with issues unresolved.” And he knew that was exactly what was going to happen. They would discuss the issues, but nothing would be figured out. Lania shook her head and continued to struggle in his arms. “Lania, I swear! Hold still and get over it already.”

  Lania grunted and glared back at him. “Get over it!” she screeched. How dare he tell her to get over it! She reached around and smacked his cheek. “You get over it!” She growled, bending and latching her teeth onto his wrist.

  Cal howled at the sharp bite, loosening his grip. It was all she needed and she was out of his arm and away from him. He groaned and fell back in defeat. “For fuck’s sake, Lania!” He ran his hands over his face and up through his hair. “I’m not going to stop! I will bug you every single day and night. I will not stop!”

  Lania looked at him. Deep down it was what she wanted, and guilt filled her at the realization. She wanted him to chase after her and plead for her love and pay that extra attention to her. Damn, what kind of twisted person was she to want to play with his heart like that?

  Cal watched her features go from angry to disbelief to right-out guilt. She wanted him to grovel for her! He furrowed his brow. Of course she would! She was a Domme and a damn good one at that, but behind that she was a hurt, torn woman who needed the extra attention to assure her that she was worth every effort a man put forth. And for fuck’s sake, she was worth every bit of effort he would put forward and more.

/>   He rolled over and crawled to her, hugging her around her slim waist. “I will do everything and anything that it will take to make you understand how I feel, woman,” he promised.

  Tears rolled down Lania’s face and her hands were automatic on grasping chunks of his soft hair. Oh damn, what was she allowing to happen here? To allow Cal to give his all and her not give hers was not fair. She inhaled a sharp breath. Was that her problem? Was she living in the past that she wasn’t allowing herself to enjoy the now? She wiped the tears away and looked down at him. “I need to sleep, Cal. I can’t think right now.” And she knew more than anything she needed a clear head to think about what was happening here.

  Cal gave her a final squeeze and released her. “All right, we’ll talk tomorrow,” he murmured.

  Chapter Twelve

  Morning came entirely too early. Lania awoke to the smell of flap jacks, bacon, and mmm, coffee. She blinked her eyes open and found a silver tray in bed next to her. Cal was sitting in a chair reading the morning paper, a worried look on his face. “Bad news this morning?” she asked, not moving. The paper edged over, and the frown was replaced with a bright smile.

  “I figured at least ten minutes before you woke up. You know your tummy has been growling for the last hour,” he answered, avoiding her question. Lania blushed. Damn, that was embarrassing. He sat here listening to her body make noises. “Thought for sure it would erupt and tear the place down looking for some filler,” he teased.

  Lania rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure it was really yours and you’re just putting blame to the only other person in the room,” she replied dryly.

  Cal smiled. “Nope, but you do wake quickly when food is put next to you. Three minutes,” he shared, lifting the top of the silver tray, revealing the scrumptious breakfast that awaited her.

  She moaned at the sight of the scrambled eggs, slices of bacon, and flapjacks. She watched as Cal crossed to the push tray near the door and retrieved another platter and syrup.

  “I was hoping it wouldn’t take you long to wake up. Starving over here. My appetite’s returning. Hate those night shifts. Fucks with my brain and everything else,” he rambled as he took his seat, placing his tray next to her.

  She furrowed her brow at the fruit salad on his and looked at him.

  He grinned. “Not sure why I got a salad. Part of the meal, I suppose.” He placed it on hers.

  Lania nodded her thanks, picking up a grape and popping it in her mouth. “Mmmm, love grapes, better off the vine,” she shared, grabbing up another and scooting from the bed. “Excuse me,” she murmured, crossing to the bathroom.

  Cal smiled, sipping on his coffee and waiting for her to return. When she did, she pulled the blankets up over her bare legs, set the tray on her lap, and rested back against the headboard. Disappointment filled him. But the sight of her sitting in bed, his shirt on her and the sun shining through the curtains bringing out the highlights in her hair, made up for the lost sight of her beautiful legs.

  The first part of their meal was silent. Cal found himself watching her more than anything. Lania, on the other hand, skimmed through the business parts of the paper, grunting and humming and hawing every once in a while.

  “You’d think I’d get the hang of this business shit after these last thirteen years,” she mumbled, holding the paper closer, frowning, and then rolling her eyes and tossing the paper. “Tell me more about your job? Do you solve murders? Do you have to see dead bodies? Have you ever killed anyone?”

  Cal nearly choked at the onslaught of questions. He coughed, banged his chest, and then laughed. “Adorable,” he decided, looking right at her. “Yes, I do solve murders, less than more, unfortunately. Yes, I’ve seen dead bodies, lots of them. Yes, I have killed people in my line of work as well as the job I had before this one.”

  Lania looked at him, interest piqued. Ooh, he’d had a different job? “What did you do before the detective stint?”

  “Private stuff, things if I told you I would have to kill you.”

  Lania giggled and shook her head. “You know, I know people like you. Very unique and, I gotta say, I don’t want to know honestly.” Mike, her trusted biker friend, was one of those people. She had met him shortly before her incident, and had run with his boys for a summer. By the end of that summer Mike had told her to leave, that if she ever needed him he was there for her. He also told her his lifestyle was not one she wanted or that she was cut out for. She poured the syrup on heavily over the remaining bits of flapjacks and slopped her bacon in the syrup. “What else did you do, or have you always killed people and solved murders and so on?”

  Cal furrowed his brow at her. “You make me sound like some sick freak that goes out and kills people just to give myself work.”

  Lania snorted. “Not how it was supposed to come out. You’ll have to excuse my ignorance. Sugar makes my brain stupid. What I meant was have you done anything other than work within the law?”

  Cal shook his head. “Not really. Law enforcement runs in the family. I figured I would just go with the flow of things.”

  “Was it what you wanted?”

  Cal laughed, shaking his head, setting his plate aside, and reclining back on the chair, hands coming to rest on his full belly. “Wanted to be a cowboy, have a horse ranch.” He smirked at the old stupid thought. It had not turned out to be what he had thought it would be like. After spending a summer working on a ranch, he discovered he was not cut out for it. The late nights of chasing down runaway horses, the constant comings and goings of random women showing up at the ranch, looking for a good time. His buddy had said it wasn’t normally like that, but Cal had his doubts on that one. He realized he didn’t like the sore legs, back, and ass, nor did he care too much for the smell.

  “Not my cup of tea, I suppose. I’ll go out and hang with my buddy for a week or two if he needs a hand, but I haven’t done that in years. He probably thinks I’m dead.”

  Lania paled. “That’s not good. You should call him and let him know you’re alive,” she uttered, a forkful of food halfway to her mouth.

  Cal smiled, shaking his head. “Nah, if he actually thought that he would have come and cleaned out my place, and no one’s cleaned that in a while.”

  Lania smiled. “Your apartment is always neat and tidy,” she murmured, setting her platter aside.

  Cal shrugged. “I’m not there much, so it shouldn’t be hard to keep it clean.”

  Lania stared at him, and he stared right back. “You work a lot?”

  Cal nodded. “Lately, yes. I was pretty mellow the last few years. I always put us ahead of everything else.”

  Lania frowned. “So, you’re not one of those guys who is going to put the job upfront?”

  Cal shook his head. “Not in the size of the city we live in. If I were in one of the bigger centers I’d not have a choice. Here, there are tons of others like me. We separate the job up and get things done.” He released a relaxed breath and sank deeper into the chair. “I had toyed with the idea of joining the military. Couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to do, though. My cousin’s a sniper. Another is in the marines.”

  Lania raised a dainty brow. “Family reunions must be wondrous.”

  Cal snorted. “You must have someone in service.”

  Lania shook her head, scooting down and snuggling back into bed. “Nope, Laird and a few of his friends are either ex-military or marines or special ops or something else, and they all argue like children. One is better than the other and so on.” She yawned and snuggled deeper into the pillow. “Crazy funny watching them all in one room trying to outmuscle the other,” she murmured, closing her eyes.

  “So what about your family?” he asked, watching as her eyes got heavier.

  “I have none, I told you that already. Just me, Jarden, and the girls,” she murmured softly.

  “No siblings?”

  “Nope,” she answered softly.

  “No cousins?”

  “Nope,” she repeate
d.

  “Has to be someone?”

  “Nope.” She yawned, peeking at him. “Just me and who I choose to be my family.” She offered a smile and closed her eyes.

  Cal smiled, watching as she slowly drifted off to sleep. He supposed that answered his question as to what he was going to do this morning. His smile broadened, he was going to watch Lania slumber.

  Lania listened to him as he released a sharp breath, followed by an inhale then another sharp breath. What in the hell was he doing? She sat up and her gaze landed on him. He was on the floor, hands tucked behind his head, knees up, and his elbows were meeting his knees as he did a crunch. Sweat made his bare torso shine, and his hair was damp and hung from his head. “Damn if that ain’t sexy,” she commented, eyes glued to the tight abs he worked.

  Cal grinned, continuing his rep. “Five more, sweetheart,” he grunted.

  Lania tilted her head and watched, her tummy doing that floppy thing and her pussy, bad pussy, tingled. “That turns me on,” she blurted out, cheeks burning.

  Cal chuckled, resting his arms on his knees, looking at her, her cheeks a bright red, a startled look on her face. Shit that was sexy. He hopped up and crossed the room to her. He plopped down on the bed and lay across her legs. He grinned up at her and she returned a soft smile.

  Her fingers flitted through his hair. “I need a shower…I would like you to join me.” Her hand stilled and he grasped it in his. “We’ve been naked together before, Lania. I have never—”

  Lania shook her head, cutting him off. “I know, but this is different, Cal! I don’t—” She stopped and clenched her thighs together. She wasn’t sure if she could keep herself from touching him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cal released a calming breath. “Okay, how about this, Lania? We get in. You can cuff me. I do have cuffs.” His eyes lit with mischief. “But you would have to wash me. I am restrained after all,” he pointed out.