“Oh, you’re a sub.” Logan said it with an arrogant little smile that just made her stupid heart pound faster. “That’s what we’ve been negotiating, Georgia. Seth wants me to train the two of you so you can have a D/s relationship. You’re just fighting it. You’re a little sub who likes to rage against the machine because you haven’t found a Dom yet who has the patience to handle you.”
“Well, we both know that’s not going to be you.” He’d made himself plain enough.
The smile vanished. “I might have made a mistake back in Texas, Georgia. Seth wants to explore the lifestyle. I want you. This plan of his gives us all what we want.”
Damn, she should have paid attention. Her heart stopped just a bit. He wanted her? He wanted to be her Dom? God, she’d fantasized about it because Logan was right. After a lot of talks with Natalie and Kitten, she was pretty sure that she was probably more submissive than she wanted to admit. She just hadn’t found anyone she could trust. Was she misreading the situation? She took a deep breath and forced herself to take the leap. “Do you really want me?”
Logan shrugged a little, his eyes sliding away. “Sure. You’re sexy as hell, Georgia. But you should understand that it’s a training relationship. There’s no ‘happily ever after’ here, so don’t get that look in your eyes. Seth is very generously allowing me access to you while you’re in training.”
“Do you have to make it sound so nasty? I think it’s something the three of us can enjoy.” Seth had the fork in hand, but the plate was just sitting there. “I think it’s a good way to explore a relationship. We don’t have to place arbitrary boundaries on it.”
Well, it certainly seemed to work for the boys. There was only one problem. She wanted them to love her, and they’d just proven that they couldn’t. Did they expect to keep her here like some dirty little secret? What would happen when they went back to New York? He’d said he wouldn’t take her back as his assistant. Was she supposed to go back as his submissive? Would he keep her in the apartment for sex and then go about his job and his life like she didn’t really exist? Was this his perverse way of firing her?
She wanted to cry. God, she wanted to wail, but it wouldn’t fix anything and it would just make her look weak. Her father had hated it when she’d cried, told her how pathetic it made her. She couldn’t cry, so she leaned on the one thing she could always fall back on. Anger.
“Eat it, Seth.” She was determined that he would take one fucking bite and then she would leave. They could take their little plan and go to hell. She would have to suck it up and admit to Win that she’d gotten played. Again.
“I’m telling you, man. This is about to go south,” Logan said. “That’s the voice she uses right before she starts throwing shit.”
Because he knew her so well.
Seth looked between the two of them like he couldn’t quite decide which one to obey. He finally sighed and took a bite of chicken and potatoes. He stopped, chewing thoughtfully, and finally a smile crossed his face. “Georgia, that is excellent. Seriously, Logan, you should try that. It’s really good. Sweetheart, you never told me you could cook.” He used his fork to pull off another piece of the chicken. “This is falling apart it’s so tender.”
Well, she was glad he liked it. And that was all his ass was getting. She pulled the plate out from under him, marched to the trash can, and dumped the whole thing in. He could afford new plates. He was Seth Stark. If he saw something he wanted, he just bought it and used it and discarded it.
“Hey, honey, I said it was good.” He was staring at her like she’d grown another head.
He’d never once seen her mad. It was a damn good thing she was leaving because after this, he would likely throw her out. Now that she knew what he was after—a pretty, trouble-free sex toy—she knew she didn’t fit the bill. She’d been careful around Seth, desperate for him to like her, but all that good behavior had been for nothing. He didn’t want her around his real friends even when she was playing nice. Well, except for Logan, but she was some sort of sexual sacrifice to him.
Stay. Maybe it could work out. And if it doesn’t, at least you’ll know if the sex would be good.
Those voices were back again, but she wasn’t listening. She grabbed the Crock-Pot and chucked that, too.
“Georgia!” Seth had his hands on his muscular hips looking every inch the disapproving male. “Stop it right now. I get it. I was being an ass. Now, sit down and we’ll talk about it.”
“She’s not going to talk. No way. No how. You’re lucky she didn’t dump the contents of that Crock-Pot on your head,” Logan pointed out.
Okay. That would have been a better idea, but she was kind of done with all of it now. Logan looked amused by the situation. She was so glad she could entertain him. Tears kind of blurred her vision as she looked at them.
“Georgia?” Logan asked, frowning and putting his beer down. He sighed. “Come on. Do what Seth says. Let’s sit down and talk this out like adults.”
Because she certainly wasn’t one of those. She was a toy to be kicked around and used up and tossed out when she was no longer pretty or useful. She’d seen it a hundred times before. Her dad had been crazy about her mom until he wasn’t and he’d kicked her out. He’d done it with four different wives and countless girlfriends, and finally he’d been done with each of his kids.
There was only one man she could count on. Win. Ben and Chase didn’t need their obnoxious sister hanging around with their new wife. Mark and Drew were god only knew where. She had one place to go.
She turned on her heels and started for the door.
“Georgia!” Seth yelled.
She grabbed her bag. Maybe he would be nice and send her things to her in Malibu, but he was just as likely to throw them away.
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting the hell out and never seeing either of them again. She had to hope she could find her way into town. But there was no way she was staying a second longer.
Logan put down his beer and hopped off the barstool. Seth was just staring at the place where Georgia had been standing before making one of her trademarked exits.
Except she hadn’t yelled at them or really thrown crap at their heads like she usually did when she was throwing a hissy fit, brat attack. She’d stared for a minute like she’d lost something and then she’d turned and quietly walked away. She hadn’t even slammed the door. Fuck, he didn’t like how quiet she’d been.
“Are you going to go after her?” Logan asked, praying the answer was yes because he was pretty sure if Seth said no, he would still be walking out that door. And the minute he laid hands on her this time, he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop until he’d stripped her down and spread her wide.
Damn. The minute that evil glint had hit her eyes, his cock had gone to full fucking mast. His whole body had been ready for a fight, ready to take her down, but the quiet exit had him near to reeling. That wasn’t his Georgia. His Georgia really should have tossed something at his head as she spat bile his way.
She’d looked hurt. He’d handled her like crap. Again.
“What the hell was that?” Seth asked. “She’s never once behaved like that.”
Logan frowned at his friend. “You don’t know her, do you? She’s a brat. She hides a whole lot of hurt under that mouth. Tell me something. Was the food really good?”
“It was great.” Seth started moving toward the door.
“How have you lived with her and you didn’t even know she could cook?”
“I have staff. She doesn’t have to cook.”
“Well, you don’t have staff here. And you left her alone all day?” He wasn’t in a huge hurry. She hadn’t grabbed the keys to either of their cars and she wouldn’t get too far in those heels she was wearing. God, the woman was wearing four-inch heeled, fuck-me boots out in the middle of the wilderness. She’d gotten all dressed up and she’d cooked dinner and made cookies. And they’d kind of been assholes. Total assholes. Fuck. Seth needed some goddamn training, too.