Love Under Two Masters [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
The Lusty, Texas Collection
Love Under Two Masters
Daisy Kendrick knows she has but one chance to fix her life, and the lives of her former two masters. With the help of two other Doms—Jordan Fitzpatrick, owner of Reckless Abandon, and Robert Jessop of the Lusty, Texas, Jessops—Daisy lures Christopher Lyons and Rory Phelps to her side.
Daisy will beg as she’s never begged before, and give Christopher her ultimate trust by submitting to his whip. She knows it’s her fault their relationship crashed and burned years before. Only she can fix it.
Daisy soon learns, however, that things aren’t quite as she believed them to be—and she’s not the only one eaten with guilt, and not the only one who has a plan.
Deserted, alone together and naked, it only remains to be seen whether or not three hearts can trump a load of pride, and if Daisy will realize her fondest wish, a lifetime of love under two masters.
Genre: BDSM, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 14,186 words
LOVE UNDER TWO MASTERS
The Lusty, Texas Collection
A Siren App Exclusive
Cara Covington
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
LOVE UNDER TWO MASTERS
Copyright © 2012 by Cara Covington
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-488-8
First E-book Publication: December 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
DEDICATION
To my husband David. This year we celebrate 40 years together as husband and wife.
The road hasn’t always been easy, nor should it be. During our years together, we have shared great joy and devastating tragedy.
Neither one of us is perfect, but you supported me chasing this dream of mine, and for that no words of gratitude could ever be sufficient.
And they said it wouldn’t last!
LOVE UNDER TWO MASTERS
The Lusty, Texas Collection
CARA COVINGTON
Copyright © 2012
Chapter 1
Win or lose, Daisy Kendrick’s entire future depended on the outcome of what happened next.
It didn’t help that she’d begged favors, schemed and connived, and outright lied to make things come to this point, either.
As she paced the confines of the beautiful house about forty miles from Lusty, Texas, she knew that what she’d planned could end up burning her ass but good if it failed.
But when she thought about the way she’d spent the last four years of her life, getting her ass burned didn’t seem like much of anything.
She couldn’t go on like this. And neither, really, could they.
Daisy knew even if her plan backfired and left her out in the cold, in the end she’d had no choice. No matter what either of them might say, she knew she was the one who’d driven them apart.
She had to be the one to try and bring them together again.
If the gods truly smiled upon her, she’d bring them together with their cocks inside her body.
I can only hope and pray.
Daisy placed a hand on her belly, a futile attempt to quell the butterflies swarming there. She smoothed her damp palms over the fine cotton of the floor-length robe she wore. Her toes curled inside her simple canvas sneakers.
So much could go wrong. This had to be the craziest scheme she’d ever devised, and she’d come up with some pretty crazy ones in her twenty-five years.
Daisy resisted the urge to look at the clock yet again. She knew how much time remained until they arrived. Needing to take her mind off her nerves, she inspected her preparations inside the surprisingly posh cabin.
The building itself had been a hell of a surprise. Apparently the combined families of Lusty, Texas—chief among them the Benedict, Kendall and Jessop clans—had a peculiar idea of what all a “cabin in the wilds” should be. She supposed she could understand that. The families’ forebears had founded Lusty back in the eighteen nineties, in order to have a place where they could live and love as they chose. Daisy could only shake her head in wonder. What in today’s world was referred to as “alternate lifestyles” was normal life in Lusty, Texas and had been for more than a century.
Considering her own personal history, and the reason she was there, knowing that an entire town not only allowed but embraced the concept of ménage relationships certainly lifted her spirits and gave her hope.
Daisy brought her thoughts back to the house around her. Plunked down seemingly in the middle of nowhere, this house would put some five-star resort chalets to shame.
One large master bedroom, complete with the biggest bed she’d ever seen, dominated the second story. There were three smaller bedrooms, too, one up and two down. The master bath she could only term drool-worthy—an aquatic playground that would make any hedonist proud.
Daisy really hoped they’d get the opportunity to play there.
She owed a debt of gratitude to two men, one of whom she’d known from four years before, and the other, a friend of his she’d only just met. The latter was a local doctor who’d just returned to Texas after years spent up north working at an inner-city hospital. He’d generously arranged for her to use this home-away-from home belonging to something he called the Lusty Town Trust. Robert Jessop had assured her there was plenty of water and plenty of juice—for the water heater and the electric generator—to keep the spa tub hot, the fridge cold, and the small kitchen stove functioning for at least the next week.
Beyond those luxurious amenities, they had firewood for the fireplaces should heat become an issue, a computer that had awesome satellite Internet tucked away in the pantry, and hurricane lamps scattered throughout the place to bring light into the darkness of the night.
Would her plan bring light into the darkness her life had become over the last four years?
Daisy’s gaze took in her own recent contributions to the décor. There, in plain sight, lined up on the kitchen table was an assortment of toys and accessories enough to outfit any modern-day dungeon.
The sound of a Jeep approaching caught her attention. Any moment now, she’d hear the rotors of a helicopter. The planning, the waiting, and the nerves had all finally culminated to the here and now. The waiting was nearly over, but Lord, now that the moment had arrived, she didn’t know if she could get through the next few minutes. Daisy only knew she had to try.
Life these last four years without the two men she loved had been sheer hell.
She had dreamed of this, planned for this, and longed for this every moment of every day for the last year and a half. Once she’d been free of the threat her brother posed, once she’d discovered, quite by accident, that she wasn’t the only one who suffered, she’d stepped outside of her own comfort zone, taken the bull by the horns, and, with the help of a man named Jordan Fitzpatrick, come up with a plan.
Da
isy inhaled deeply and steadied her nerves.
Maybe the men wouldn’t be able to forgive her for the deception that would bring them all together at last, that would force them to deal with their unfinished business.
Daisy reached for the door handle and said a quick prayer. Never mind me, then. Just let me fix what I broke, just let me get them together again, lovers reunited.
Her heart would be shattered if they rejected her, but under the circumstances, she’d consider the sacrifice of her own happiness fitting.
It would be the willing sacrifice of a faithful submissive, honoring her two masters.
* * * *
Christopher Lyons owed his new acquaintance an enormous debt of gratitude. When the message had arrived, a call for help he’d never dared believe would ever actually come, he’d had no idea how to get to where he needed to be.
Luckily for him, the messenger had turned out to be so well connected.
Christopher had hoped to visit the town of Lusty, Texas, if only because he was the sort of man who needed to see something before he could believe it. Hearing that an entire town had been founded on the principle of true freedom of choice had intrigued him.
The men in whose company he found himself had been born and raised in Lusty. One of them had two fathers, the other three! A part of him had needed to see for himself that there could be a place on earth where ménage relationships were celebrated instead of scorned.
I’m just a cynical bastard at heart.
Of course, he’d discovered not only that what he’d heard was true, he’d been informed, with no little amount of pride, that rarely did a marriage in Lusty ever not last for life.
Amazing. Perhaps if he’d been adopted by a family and raised there, his life wouldn’t be the train wreck it was today.
Christopher shook his head. Pondering what might have been wasn’t his style. He chalked the unfamiliar sentiment up to the unexpected circumstances—and the fear that had exploded in his heart when he’d read Daisy’s message.
“We’re almost there.”
The voice of Robert Jessop came through his headset. Robert’s cousin, a former air force pilot, sat at the controls of the EC120 B Colibri helicopter. Thank God for the man and the chopper.
He didn’t know any other way to reach Daisy.
Thoughts of the last twenty-four hours, of the way his predictable routine had been shot all to hell, set anxiety playing up and down his spine, confirming an uncomfortable reality.
He wasn’t in control of anything at the moment, damn it all to hell.
As a Dominant and owner of the exclusive Houston BDSM club The Lyon’s Den, control was his bread and butter—as it had always been his own salvation.
Knowledge was power, and Christopher felt he needed more of the former to claim some of the latter. Still, his logical mind felt as if it was just awakening from a stupor. He had questions. Questions his fear had silenced.
“How did she come to be in this remote location again?” Everything had unfolded so quickly. This literally was the first moment when there’d been nothing to do but wait to get there, when his mind could think. He liked to have his facts lined up in case he needed them.
Robert shrugged, his eyes never leaving the terrain they flew over. “I opt for the simplest explanation. Obviously, someone in the families must have helped her.”
Christopher grinned, grateful for the streak of humor that ran thick through him. “Isn’t the whole damn town of Lusty part of your family?”
“There you go. There are Jessops and Kendalls and Benedicts every-damn-where you look.”
“You forgot the Parkers and the Joneses and the Parker-Joneses,” the pilot piped up.
Christopher caught the flash of Henry Kendall’s smile and thought the man might be someone interesting to know.
“You see?” Robert shrugged again. “If pressed, you could say I was asked to deliver that message to you, and that’s all the information I was willing to give you.”
Used to dealing with other Doms, Christopher’s diplomacy emerged. “I really appreciate your help in this matter, Robert.”
“You’re welcome, Christopher. Really.”
Control of this situation eluded him. So be it. He told himself to look at the scenery, talk, do anything, everything but think about Daisy, about that desperate-sounding note.
Help me, Master, I beg of you. I have nowhere else to turn.
Daisy’s spirit had been strong. She would never have begged. That’s what had made the prospect of training her so damned sweet.
Daisy of the long, creamy limbs, amber hair, pink-tipped breasts and an insatiable hunger for him, for him and for Rory—he let the thought drop.
She would never have begged and that’s what had him so damned upset. That, and his promise. He’d failed her in his greater promise, he’d be damned if he failed her again.
Henry Kendall’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Okay, Mr. Lyons, we’re landing now.”
The rotors kicked up dust, making the building details difficult to see. He had noted there’d been nothing below them in the last few minutes or during their approach, nothing but undisturbed land stretching out for miles and miles in every direction.
He thought of Daisy alone in the wilderness of Texas and shivered. A dozen nightmare scenarios played through his head. His mind scrambled, pushing him to find an answer, to regain control. The moment the helicopter touched down he tossed off the headset, unbuckled his safety harness, and opened the door.
Dust continued to obscure a clear view, so he bent low to escape the rotor’s fury and approached the cabin.
A porch had been built on the front with an overhang, the only shade to be had in this treeless piece of Texas. As he walked, his eyes found her, waiting beside the porch, but her attention was not all on him. She looked to her left, and he followed her gaze.
If he hadn’t been so distracted he would have seen the other man standing there and the Jeep beating a hasty retreat to the north. But he hadn’t, and that had been a mistake.
Behind him, the helicopter roared as it lifted off, straight up, and then cut sharply toward the east.
“What the hell…”
The other man stared at him and then took two steps closer, his gaze swerving from him to the woman who continued to stand beside the shade, alone and waiting.
To Daisy.
Christopher felt shock wash through him as the reality of the moment sank in.
Here we are, three points of a damned triangle. Again.
“What the hell have you done, woman?” the man’s voice—Rory’s voice—demanded of the youngest and the smallest among them.
Christopher heard the edge of desperation in Rory’s words and decided it was time for him to take control. That’s what he did best—played at being the Dom.
“Daisy. Explain yourself. Now.”
Daisy loosed the belt of the robe she wore, letting the garment slip from her body to pool around her feet. Gloriously naked, completely unadorned, she slipped to her knees and prostrated herself—not just to him, but to Rory as well.
“Masters, I beg of you. Please. Only you can lift this burden of guilt and shame I carry. Please, my Masters. Punish me. Punish me, and then please, please forgive me.”
Chapter 2
Daisy’s heart lodged in her throat and her pulse pounded through her body. The Jeep and the helicopter had left, and no unnatural sounds disturbed the hot spring afternoon. Civilization had crept back into the shadows, so all that remained was the natural and the feral.
Daisy didn’t know which of the two categories she fit into best.
“Daisy!” Rory’s brogue, only distinguishable when he was upset, soothed her flesh like the finest aloe. One element remained missing, and she prayed as she had never prayed before.
“Get up, woman. You’ve nothing to be punished or forgiven for.”
Had Christopher’s voice sounded unaffected, she would have admitted defeat right then and
there. But it didn’t. It didn’t. It may have been four long years since she’d been with him this way, but every moment lived with him had been burned into her memory. She knew him. She knew his moods and his heart.
She kept herself in her “position” and answered him. “I do, Master. I lied to you. I lied to you both when I came to you, by not telling you who I was or what I had done. Those lies created an opening, and doubt entered. So when my brother came to you and spread his hate-filled poison, you believed him, because I had already betrayed you with my lies of omission. What happened after that was my fault. All of it, my fault.”
“No, Daisy. It’s done now. It’s in the past. Let it be. Get up.” Christopher had spoken, but Rory remained silent.
She wondered if Rory realized he’d already surrendered his will to their master. That’s a first step, an important one.
Daisy had heard her master’s words, but it was his tone she’d listened to. Sounding tortured, the “I don’t deserve another chance tone” shocked her coming from him, but she understood it all too well. Doms and subs weren’t really all that far apart, after all. She swallowed hard and prepared to make one bold and very serious final move.
One shot. One roll of the dice. Win or lose, she had one more move she could make.
“Yes, Master.”
Slowly, and without much grace, she eased up onto her haunches and then gained her feet. She would hide nothing, now. She couldn’t afford to. So her tears fell, honest tears, and she let them. She nodded, a submissive’s silent signal to her Dom that she understood, and knew he would, too. Her nod told him she understood she had just been dismissed.
So she turned and took small, careful steps away from them, away from the pretty cottage, away from everything—and toward the vast, open, empty plains.