Siren in the City

Chapter One

“Open, Abigail.” Sam Fleetwood’s voice was dangerously low.

Abby Barnes knew he was rapidly getting irritated with her refusal, but it didn’t matter. She was done taking his crap. It had been going on for far too long. He’d been shoving stuff in her mouth for days. She simply wasn’t taking it anymore. This was her bedroom, not some prison cell. He was her husband, not her jailer. Abby’s hand toyed with the magazine lying on top of the comforter. She had to figure out how to handle Sam.

“No.” There was really only one way to handle him. Sam had to be handled head on. She knew there was a stubborn look on her face. She eyed him, giving him the sternest look in her repertoire. She crossed her arms and sat back against the headboard of the bed. It was time to make a stand. She wasn’t spending one more day with him like this. She was done obeying him.

“I swear to god, Abigail, if you don’t open that pretty mouth of yours and let me inside, I’m going to turn you over my knee,” Sam promised. His gorgeous face was turning an amusing shade of red.

Abby primly pulled up the comforter. She was settled in for a nice long fight. “I don’t think Jack will like the idea of you turning me over your knee, Sam. You’re supposed to be taking care of me.” Jack Barnes was Abby’s legal husband. They had married in a civil ceremony six months before. Together with Sam, they had formed a very happy threesome. Jack was an alpha male, and beyond that, he was a Dom in every sense of the word. Abigail was more than happy to be his submissive. Jack took very good care of her, and he also took care of Sam.

Sam’s blue eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head to the side studying her for a moment. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I am trying to take care of you just like Jack requested. You are the one being extremely stubborn. Come on, baby. Don’t you want to be full?” The last question was asked with a low growl.

Abby rolled her eyes. She wasn’t giving in just because he used his sexy voice. “I’m full enough, Sam. I don’t need you to fill me up. I’m fine. I’m perfectly satisfied, so you’ve done your duty. Why don’t you go see if Jack needs help? You’ve been in bed with me for three days. I can’t take anymore.” And if Jack Barnes didn’t agree, he could just come and tell her himself. “You’ll take as much as I give you, Abigail.” Sam leaned forward aggressively. “Now, Benita made this chicken soup, and you’re going to eat it. It’s supposed to be good for colds.” He held out the spoon once more. “Open up.”

“No.” Abby went back to reading her magazine.

The way Abigail Barnes viewed it, she was well on the path to recovery. The bacterial infection that had settled into her lungs was almost gone thanks to antibiotics. She wasn’t coughing anymore, and her head felt clear. She was tired but feeling better. Now she just had to convince Sam to get off her back. He’d been playing nurse for days, and it was starting to drive her crazy. She’d been a nurse for ten years and never once had she ridden herd on a patient the way Sam did.

Sam stood up. He moved the tray off the bed and stood over her. Abby glanced up at the man she thought of as husband number two. Though she was annoyed with him at the moment, she couldn’t help but sigh. Sam Fleetwood was a gorgeous man. He had sandy blond hair that curled around his ears. His blue eyes were the most prominent features on a handsome face that also boasted sensual lips. His chest was what had her attention now, though. He was wearing nothing but a faded pair of Levi’s, and it left his perfectly cut chest on heart-stopping display. Abby wanted to reach out and run her hands down his chest to his six-pack and lower, but she had a point to make.

“Go away, Sam,” she said dismissively as if she didn’t want to throw him down on the bed and have her way with him. That would only reward his overbearing behavior, she told herself.

Sam’s Texas accent was thick as he explained his world view to her. “You don’t seem to understand the order of things, Abigail. Let me explain a little geometry to you. You seem to think we’re a triangle, with Jack at the top and you and me on equal planes at the bottom. We aren’t a triangle. We’re a straight line, baby. Jack might be at the head of this household of ours, but I’m on top of you, and that’s just the way I like it. Jack gives the orders to me, and I give the orders to you.”

Now Abby felt her eyes narrow. Sam didn’t have a dominant bone in his body. Jack might be at the head of the household, but she would be damned if Sam wasn’t on the same level she was. Sam was her playmate. Sam was her best friend. He was not her keeper.

Abby got to her knees on the big bed. She was wearing a very cute set of green baby doll pajamas. As she leaned forward, she couldn’t help but notice Sam’s distinct interest in her breasts, bouncing without the support of her bra. She kept her voice low so he would know she was serious. “Is that right, Samuel Fleetwood? Do you think just being a man gives you the right to top me?”

That gave him pause. His hands went to his lean hips. He seemed to think about his answer, and then still got it all wrong. “Yes, Abby, yes I do. I’m the man in this relationship, and you should obey me.”

Abby hurled a pillow toward his head. “You’re the man? Who are you kidding? Jack’s the man. You’re the…” She struggled to find a word to describe him. Sam was fun and playful. He wasn’t demanding in any way except sexually. Sam was the indulgent one. She settled for truth. “You’re the Sam in this relationship, and that means you follow Jack’s orders just like I do.” They did follow Jack’s orders, when they couldn’t find a way around them. Though lately, she allowed, there hadn’t been all that many orders to follow.

Sam stared at her, and Abby began to get the feeling she had handled this morning’s confrontation all wrong. Her heart softened toward the man who formed one-half of her world. “Baby, that didn’t come out right,” she tried.

Sam took a step back. His handsome face was marred by a frown. He waved off her worry. “It’s no big deal, darlin’. I get the message. You’re feeling better. You don’t need a keeper. I’ll go get dressed and find some work to do. Jack’s been on his own for days.” He turned to leave.

Abby was off the bed in a shot. She wound her arms around Sam’s waist, knowing he would never do anything so impolite as break her hug. He stood still for a moment, and then all of his instincts took over. He relaxed against her as his hands curled around her body and found her backside.

“You really feeling better?” His question was leading.

Abby didn’t bite, not yet. “I feel like crap, Sam, and not in a physical sense. I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. You are so important to me. You know I love you.”

He laughed softly. “I know you love me, Abby. You wouldn’t put up with me if you didn’t love me.”

She kissed the well-defined muscles of his shoulders softly. He smelled like soap and some masculine smell she couldn’t quite define. “You aren’t hard to put up with. I love you, Sam. Jack loves you, too.” Abby knew exactly where Sam’s insecurities lay.

Though there was no legal way to marry Sam, she considered herself his wife, as well. Jack and Sam owned a highly lucrative cattle ranch together. They had been friends and partners for years. Jack had grown up in foster care. Sam had spent a portion of his teen years in the same group home Jack had been assigned to. From the day they met, they had been inseparable. They shared a home, a business, and now a wife. Sam wanted more. He wanted to be a true threesome, not just a pair of friends sharing a woman.

“I know,” he said, but she could hear the sadness in his voice.

On their wedding day, Jack had taken a bullet meant for Abigail. He’d spent time in the hospital and had a long recovery period. Abby wasn’t so sure he’d recovered emotionally yet. He’d been very close to death. As a nurse, she’d seen what facing your own mortality could do to people. For some people, it was a wakeup call. The revelation that they weren’t immortal spurred them to do things they never would have before. There was another portion of the population that retreated. Jack had been a little like that.

It wasn’t that he held himself apart. He was very generous with everything. He told her he loved her. He made love to her every night and a whole lot of the mornings, too. But there was something missing. Abby knew it was the outrageous dominance Jack had always brought to the bedroom before. Jack liked to be in charge, but coming close to death and being weak for so long seemed to have humbled him in a way Abby didn’t like. It had also caused him to stop the little playful experiments he and Sam shared before the incident. Sam had been close to getting what he wanted, and now it seemed a million miles away.

“He just needs a little time,” Sam said.

“Or he needs a good, swift kick in the ass.” Abby rubbed against Sam’s back. She ran her hands down his chest to the front of his jeans. His cock was already erect, but that wasn’t surprising. A slight breeze could get Sam erect. It was one of the things she loved about him. He was always ready to go. She cupped that big cock of Sam’s and felt him sigh.

“You going to give it to him, baby?” Sam’s voice went low and husky. He pressed himself into her hands.

Abby leaned close. She could feel the heat coming off Sam’s body. “I think our Dom needs to be reminded of who he is. When was the last time he punished me? I stayed out until three in the morning at Christa’s three weeks ago and forgot to call. He was panicked by the time he found me. Did he toss me over his knee and spank my ass? No, he very politely requested that next time I leave a note when I’m going to be out late. Seriously? That is not the man I married. He walks like Jack, and he looks like Jack, but I want the real Jack back.”

Sam shook his head. Abby knew he was just as worried about their Dom. “I tried to talk to him, but he just says he’s fine. We haven’t been in the playroom for months. I bitched about it, and he said we’re married now and should show you more respect. I married you because I wanted to do all sorts of dirty things to you. I love you, and I respect the hell out of you. I respect how smart you are, and how funny you can be, and I also respect your blow job skills.”

Abby grinned. “Good to know.” She sobered quickly as she considered the problem. Jack was wrestling with something. He wasn’t willing to talk about it, yet. Maybe what he needed was a little shake-up. Though he wouldn’t admit it, Jack considered Sam his own, just as he believed Abby belonged to him. Sam was just as much Jack’s sub as she was. When the Dom lost control, it was up to the subs to force him to take it back. None of them were truly content with the current situation, and they wouldn’t be until things got back to their weird version of normal.

“See, you are just a bad girl, Abigail Barnes.” Sam groaned as his hands reached around her. He cupped the cheeks of her ass, pulling their bodies together. “I can feel you plotting from here. This better be good, baby. When he comes back to us, I don’t think he’ll come back quietly.”

“Oh, Sam, I intend to make that man roar,” Abby promised. She stopped rubbing him and walked around to face him. She looked into his deep blue eyes. “I’ve been thinking, and I came up with a few things.” She dropped to her knees. It was time to prove to him that she was definitely worthy of his respect. Sick time was over. She was also done with sitting around waiting for Jack to get over whatever he needed to get over. She knew she was walking a dangerous line. She was probably in for the spanking of a lifetime. Luckily, she really liked spankings. Her hands ran up Sam’s thighs to play with the fly of his jeans. “I’ll handle everything. But first, you promised to fill me up.”

Sam tore open his jeans. He shoved them to his knees, freeing his big, beautiful dick. Abby took it in her hand and stroked the soft skin covering his hardness. It was already weeping pre-cum. There was a pearly drop just waiting for her. She gathered it on her tongue and sighed.

“You know me.” Sam thrust his hands in her hair. “I never like to disappoint a lady.”

Jack Barnes wiped his boots off on the mat before he walked into the house. It was March, and it had been raining nonstop for a week. The weather outside matched his general mood, though he had no one incident to tie his malaise to. It was a general restlessness that he couldn’t get rid of. He pulled off his light jacket and hung up his hat before shutting the door.

“You’re early, Mr. Barnes.” A familiar voice greeted him. Benita, his longtime housekeeper, stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen. She had a carrot in one hand and a knife in the other. It was his habit to come in for lunch at noon. He would sit with his best friend and their wife. Today he’d knocked off a bit early because of a message on his cell. He couldn’t return it until he reached the quiet of the house. It was far too noisy to call someone from the back of a horse in the middle of a storm.

“Don’t worry about me, Benita.” Jack nodded to her as he moved through the house. He wouldn’t have time to sit and eat today. “I’ll just get a sandwich later.” He stopped and backed up. “Is Abby eating better?” He hated that cough she’d had a few days ago.

The older woman smiled brightly. Jack knew she genuinely liked the new mistress of the house. “I believe you’ll find your wife is feeling much better this morning. She’s been giving Mr. Fleetwood hell. You won’t be able to keep her in bed for much longer.”

Jack nodded. Abby would be up and about before he felt good about it. A little thought floated through his mind.

She wouldn’t be up and about if you tied her to the bed.

Instantly, his cock hardened. Then he winced, and let it go. It might be what he wanted, but it wasn’t what Abby needed. “As long as she finishes out those antibiotics, it should be fine.” That was what the doctor had told him. He should listen to people who went to medical school. He started back toward his office.

“Now how do you feel about triangles, Sam?” He heard Abby’s laughter as he turned down the hallway.

Sam groaned, and Jack could just guess what his partner was doing. “I love ‘em, baby doll. Triangles are the best. Don’t stop. God, Abby, you feel so good…”

Jack stopped and listened for a moment. His cock got harder as he listened to the sweet sound of Abby sucking and Sam enjoying the ride. It was the kind of thing he ached to join in on. He should walk into that room and demand that Abigail remove his clothes and see to him, too. It had been days since he sank into his wife’s tight pussy. Since then, she’d been too sick for play. Now, he could walk in that room and calmly explain that he wanted Sam and Abby to join him in the playroom. He wanted Sam to tie Abigail up, and then he would tie Sam up. Both of his little subs would be bound and trussed for his pleasure. He could spend the rainy afternoon disciplining them and then rewarding them for their submission. He wanted it so badly, he almost couldn’t catch his breath.

Jack dragged air into his lungs and shook the thought off. When had he started thinking of Sam in those terms? Sam had always been the follower to Jack’s leader, but getting married had changed something in Jack. In fact, a lot of things had changed.

He turned away from the bedroom and forced himself to walk down the hall. He could still hear Sam and Abby’s lovemaking. He wanted to join them, but his control was shot as it was. He would burst in and start making demands and take over, just the way he always did. He was a selfish bastard, and he knew it. It was better to let them have their fun.

Sam practically bounced out of the room. Jack’s heart seized a little at the sight of his oldest friend in nothing but a pair of blue jeans. Sam’s head was turned as he shut the door. “I’ll be back, baby.” He stopped and stared at Jack. “Hey. Abby needs some water.”

Jack nodded and turned away. It was easy for Sam to be happy. He didn’t have all the responsibility in the world on his shoulders. Jack wanted the responsibility. He needed it, craved it, but sometimes it was hard to make the decisions. It was hard to shoulder everything alone, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t burden Sam and Abby with his problems. “Then you should take care of her. Is she feeling better?”

Sam’s hand came up and almost made it to Jack’s shoulder before he pulled it back down. Playful Sam seemed almost subdued. He shook his head, and there was a sunny smile on his face again. “She’s fine, Jack. Hell, she’s downright frisky. Come join us. You know it takes more than just me to keep that woman satisfied.”

Jack’s hand was on the door. Damn it, he couldn’t. His control was shot as it was after nights with no sleep. He would take over and possibly hurt his wife. At the very least, his demanding behavior would drive their wife away eventually. He had to remember how fragile she was. There was a popping sound as Benita slammed the door to the kitchen. That door needed fixing, and Jack knew it, but it didn’t stop him from jumping. Every time he heard a sound like that, he saw the gun in Ruby Echols’s hand and felt the bullet slam into his chest.

“Come on, Jack, let’s have some fun,” Sam cajoled.

“No, damn it.” The words came out far harsher than he intended, but he was sweating now, his panic close to the surface. He needed to be alone, to calm down, to figure how he was going to gently make love to his wife. He had to ignore this craving to utterly dominate her. “Some of us have work to do.”

Sam’s mouth closed to a stubborn line. “Well, we wouldn’t want to keep you from your precious work. I’ll just take care of Abby. It’s all I seem to be able to do these days.”

“See that you do.” Jack escaped into his office. He hated himself for the look on Sam’s face, but he couldn’t call him back.

His office was cool and dark. He didn’t bother to open the curtains. Jack sat down at his desk and pulled out his cell phone. He needed to think about something other than how pissed off Sam must be. His jaw tightened. Maybe he was the one who should be pissed. While Sam rolled around with their wife, Jack was the one who couldn’t fucking sleep at night. While Sam got Abby’s kisses, Jack got her worried glances. Anger felt better than the pity party playing in his head. He punched in the number on speed dial while thinking about the message Julian Lodge had left on his voice mail. It had been cryptic with no greeting other than, “Call me yesterday, Jackson.” Julian’s voice had been terse and tight with irritation. On the edge.

Julian Lodge had been the man to pull Jack Barnes off the street. He’d been introduced to the wealthy club owner through a lover who appreciated Jack’s control. She thought he would fit right in at the underground establishment known only as The Club. Julian brought Jack in as one of the resident Doms. He’d quickly become a leader in the place. The Club catered to a clientele dedicated to the D/s lifestyle and ménage. Jack learned everything he knew about how to pleasure a lover from years of working there. He’d gained more than just sexual knowledge. Though Julian was only a few years older than Jack, Julian had been a mentor to him. Julian had shown him how to handle himself. He’d taken a rough street kid and taught him that ruthlessness involved far more than one’s fists. From Julian, Jack had learned the fine art of revenge.

His father had been the first recipient of Jack’s newly acquired knowledge. Julian had aided the young Jack in finding the biological father who knowingly left him to the wolves of foster care at age six. Senator Allen Cameron had a bright political future, and a love child who worked in a sex club could ruin everything. Jack had promptly found himself the satisfied owner of five million dollars in exchange for signing away any rights to future inheritance. He’d taken Sam to small-town Willow Fork, Texas, and bought his spread. Ten years and a whole bunch of natural gas reserve later, Jack was a very wealthy man.

“This is Lodge.” A tense voice interrupted Jack’s thoughts. Just the fact that Julian’s usually smooth voice was rough gave Jack pause. “Is that you, Jackson?”

“Yes, Julian,” Jack replied calmly. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I was on the range. I had to get back to the house before I could call. What can I help you with? It sounded urgent.”

“You can get your ass up here and handle your business, Jackson. I need you here tomorrow.” There was no mistaking the fine edge of Julian’s temper.

Jack found himself sitting up straight. He didn’t like anyone, including his old mentor, speaking to him in such a fashion. It brought out the Alpha in him. He ruthlessly shoved the irritation down. “Would you like to explain yourself, Julian?”

There was silence and then a short laugh from the other end of the line. “Yes, that should do it. Just use that exact tone on the little asshole, and it should have him crapping his pants.”

Jack took a deep breath. “Which little asshole might you be referring to?”

“His name is Lucas Cameron,” Julian said with a sigh. “Jackson, he’s your brother, and he is intent on blackmailing all of us.”