[Lock and Key 01.0] Her Debt Read online

  I’m sure that he does.

  Adam and I pushed beyond reasonable limits. We won too much, too quickly. Captured the attention of the wrong people. We didn’t stay below the radar, and now we’ve exposed ourselves. We won’t be able to stay here now. Once exposed, it’s time to move on.

  I see now that there’s no point in pretending that I don’t know what he’s talking about. I’m caught, and we both know it. To continue my denial will only insult him.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not interested in your brother. But you… I’m very interested in you.”

  Tristan Broussard is a gambling man. Maybe we can work out some kind of deal.

  “Interested in me how?”

  “You’ve taken a hundred thousand dollars from me that you didn’t fairly win. You as good as stole that money from me. And now you have a debt to repay.”

  I disagree. I might not have won the money fair and square through the eyes of a casino owner, but I worked for that money. Hard. It took a long time to accumulate that hundred grand. Months.

  But the law is on his side. I’m actually lucky that he had me brought up here rather than just turning me over to the authorities.

  “I have most of the money, but I’ll need a little time to get the rest.”

  Thank God that I didn’t spend all of the money already.

  “I don’t want the money back.”

  What? What casino owner doesn’t want back the money that he feels was taken from him unfairly? “I don’t understand.”

  He smiles. Not a smile of happiness. Not a smile of contentment. It can only be described as deep-rooted satisfaction. A smile like that coming from a man like Tristan Broussard frightens me. Mostly because I suspect that very few things bring him true satisfaction.

  “I’ve decided that I’m going to keep you.”

  Keep me? There aren’t a lot of ways of misinterpreting what those words could imply, but I hope like fuck that I am misunderstanding his intentions. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve decided that you’re going to be my sub until you’ve repaid your debt.”

  “A substitute for what?”

  “Not a substitute. A submissive.”

  Submissive? Fuck. I only know of one thing that he could mean. This man must be a Dominant. A sexual deviant.

  “You’re out of your mind if you think that I’m doing kinky shit with you tonight.”

  “Do you really think that you could possibly repay a hundred thousand dollars with one night of kinky shit?” He chuckles. “And I don’t recall giving you a choice.”

  “This is the craziest thing that I’ve ever heard of. You don’t get to keep a human being because you decide that it’s what you want.”

  “I’d love to hear what you plan to do to stop me.”

  Okay. Now I’m starting to get scared. Because if anyone has enough money and power to make something like that happen, it’s Tristan Broussard.

  He takes what he wants. That’s what men in his position do.

  I get up and dash toward the door, but he steps between me and my only escape route. There has never been a man who resembles a brick wall more than he does in this moment. And it’s terrifying.

  I’m no delicate flower. I’ve been scrapping with the best of them since I was a kid, but he towers over me by more than a foot. And he must outweigh me by at least eighty pounds. His chest, shoulders, and arms are huge. All muscle.

  Dominant and overpowering.

  “I will pay back every dime I took from your casino. I swear.” I hate the weakness that I hear in my voice. But I strongly suspect that he loves it.

  “I’ve already told you that I don’t want the money. I have plenty of that. What I want is you. And I intend on having you.”

  I step backward, an attempt to lure him away from the door so that I’m able to rush past him. At this point, speed is my only hope.

  I slowly go up on my tiptoes as I back away, loosening the grip that my shoes have on the backs of my heels. I have to kick out of them—I have no choice. No way that I’ll be able to run in these four-inch bastards.

  Just as I hoped, he comes toward me. And away from the door. My window of opportunity is opening. It may only be a crack, but I have to take it. And I do.

  I race toward the door, and he lunges forward, grabbing me around my waist. “Not fast enough, sweetheart.”

  He hoists me up and over his shoulder, but it’s not the end. Fight-or-flight has kicked in, and I fight with every ounce of strength and power that I have to make him release me.

  Kicking. Screaming. Pinching. Biting. Pulling hair. Scratching skin.

  He might overpower me in the end, but he won’t walk away from this fight unscathed. He’s going to look like he wrestled with a wild cat.

  His hand comes down on my ass. Hard. Once. Twice. Three times. “Stop. Now. Before you make me really hurt you.”

  The command in his voice is attention-getting. Without thinking, I almost obey because there is such power behind it.

  He carries me down a hallway, and we enter a dark room. He tosses me, and I land in the center of a bed. “Just so you know, the harder you fight, the harder my cock gets.”

  He flips on the lamp and stands at the bedside looking down at me while he touches the scratches on his cheek.

  Yeah, motherfucker. I drew blood. You should see what I did to your neck with my teeth.

  “Damn, you’re going to be a feisty one.”

  I’m lying sideways across the mattress with my legs pressed tightly together. All he has to do is push up my dress and rip my panties, and I’m completely vulnerable to him. He can do anything he wants with me.

  “Please don’t do this.”

  “Just so you know… begging makes my dick harder too.”

  I’m not going to get out of this. He’s really going to do whatever he wants with me. And I can’t stop him.

  “You’re a sick bastard.”

  He chuckles. “Can’t argue with that, baby.”

  He says that he’s keeping me, but we’re in a casino hotel. People know that I was escorted to his suite. The pit boss. My brother. The two men from security who left me here.

  Witnesses. But none more important than Adam.

  “Have you forgotten that my brother knows I’m with you?”

  “I’ve forgotten nothing.”

  “How long do you think that you can keep me here before my brother goes to the police?”

  “I don’t plan on keeping you here.”

  He’s planning to move me?

  That can’t happen; I’ve always heard that you’re as good as dead when you’re transported from one scene to another.

  “Adam will go to the police if I’m not back soon.” Maybe that’ll scare him into letting me go.

  “I’ve been thinking about this night for months. Do you really think that I’ve not thought out every possible scenario?”

  He’s been planning this for months?

  This is crazy. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

  “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to call your brother and tell him that you are with me in my penthouse. You’ll say that things are going well between us. Very well. And that you’ll be staying with me for a while.”

  There’s no hope of getting out of here tonight if I go along with this. “I won’t do that.”

  “You will. Because if you don’t, I’ll turn over all of the video surveillance I have of you and your brother stealing from me. And we wouldn’t want to disappoint little Michaela, would we?”

  What kind of man would use Adam’s sick daughter as a weapon to make me do what he wants?

  Only one answer: a monster.

  “Why do you want me? There must a million women out there who would willingly fall at your feet. Volunteer to be your submissive.”

  “You can’t break someone who’s willing to be broken.”

  “That doesn’t explain why you chose me.”

>   “You came into my casino. You made a conscious decision to take from me when you’re well aware of what I’m capable of doing. You’ve done what most men don’t have the balls to do. I respect that. And it turns me the fuck on.”

  I get it now. He likes a strong woman—a strong woman who will submit to him.

  “I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn’t walk into your casino knowing what kind of man you were. I didn’t and don’t know what you’re capable of doing. My intentions were to fly in under the radar and fly out with some cash.”

  “Bullshit. You’re the daughter of Conrad Grant. Your father told you everything that he knew about me and my casino while he was training you and your brother.”

  It’s true. My lessons were extensive when it came to learning everything about casinos across the United States. But not Tristan Broussard’s.

  Don’t fuck with the Broussards. Don’t fuck with their casinos. Don’t fuck with them period.

  Dad was very clear where the Broussards were concerned. One thing he wasn’t clear about was the reason. He never once gave me an answer when I asked. I think that’s the reason I was so damn curious about coming into one of the Broussard casinos.

  But now I’m beginning to see why my dad told me to stay away.

  “I understand that this is sudden, and you’ll need time to consider your options.”

  I have options? “Which are what?”

  “Submitting to me.” A wicked grin spreads across his handsome face. “Or… submitting to me.”

  He wants to fuck me… and probably in all kinds of demented ways while he inflicts pain. Well, I’m not down with that. “I’ll never submit to being your plaything.”

  “If you don’t choose to be my plaything, you’re going to end up in jail being someone else’s plaything. Which may not bother you too much if you enjoy eating pussy.” He chuckles. “Do you enjoy eating pussy, Miss Grant?”

  Amazing. This man stands before me looking so damn important. Like a total professional. His appearance would lead anyone to think that he could be a man who works on Wall Street, yet the things coming out of his mouth sound like the dialogue for an amateur porn flick.

  “I’m not into women, Mr. Broussard.”

  “I didn’t think so. I take you for a girl who likes a big, long, thick dick sliding in and out of her cunt.”

  “Mr. Broussard…” I don’t know why my cheeks are so hot. This man is the one who is being inappropriate. He’s the one who should be embarrassed.

  “I can’t decide which way you’ll look more beautiful—on your knees sucking my cock or on your hands and knees with your tits jiggling every time I shove my cock into your pussy from behind.”

  I press my legs together so hard that they couldn’t be pried open with a crowbar. “You’ll not get the chance to find out.”

  He comes at me, grasps the backs of my calves and forces me onto my side. His hand rubs my ass before he lifts his palm and smacks it hard, forcing an unexpected yelp out of me. I silently reprimand myself for giving him that satisfaction. “We’ll see about that, sweet Em.”

  I wait for what will happen next. I don’t have a plan. I only know that I will fight him tooth and nail if he tries to rape me.

  But that’s not what happens.

  He leaves the room and returns with my clutch in his hand. My purse lands next to me when he tosses it on the bed. “Call your brother. Leave a message telling him that we’re having a lovely time and you won’t be back on the floor tonight.”

  I sit up and reach for my purse, taking out my cell phone. I rack my brain for a way to convey to Adam that everything is definitely not okay.

  “Convince him that all is well.”

  I choose my brother’s contact and wait for the beep. “Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay. I’m upstairs having drinks with Tristan Broussard. We’re having a nice time, so you shouldn’t expect me to come back to the casino floor tonight. Talk to you later. Love you, Red.”

  Red. The color of alarm. Danger. Come on, Adam. Pick up on my code.

  “Why did you say red?”

  “Adam’s middle name is Redmond. Red is my nickname for him.”

  I’m not sure that he’s buying it. I will be totally fucked if he pulls Adam’s employment records and sees that I’m lying.

  He holds out his hand for my phone. “What is your passcode?”

  I call off the number while he tucks my phone in the interior pocket of his jacket. “Do you need something to eat?”

  Are you fucking kidding me? Like I could eat anything without tossing it right back up. “No.”

  “This door will be locked from the other side. You won’t be able to open it, so it’s useless to try. Your efforts would be better spent thinking about all of the ways that you’re going to submit to me.”

  The reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks.

  Like a predator, he’s been lying in wait for me. Watching. Biding his time until he was ready to strike. I’ve been the prey out in the open on his hunting grounds, believing that he was oblivious of my presence.

  And now the beast plans to feast.

  On me.

  3

  Tristan Broussard

  Emma Lia Grant. The woman is a magnificent creature.

  The fire of defiance blazing in her ice-blue eyes burns white-hot. Her powerful resistance makes her a force to be reckoned with. Makes my dick hard as steel every time she fights me. Breaking her is going to be such a pleasure.

  There is zero doubt in my mind. She is the one who I want to feel beneath me. The one I want to feel struggling against me before finally submitting. The one I want to rock against me, begging to be fucked harder.

  My new submissive is the only thing on my mind during the ninety-minute drive home from Biloxi to New Orleans. Erotic images of her flash through my imagination. My favorite is the one of her lying facedown on the bed with her ass in the air, a faceted blue gem butt plug stretching her so that she can take my cock with ease the first time I fuck her pink puckered hole.

  Taking her for the first time is going to be glorious.

  All of my kinky fantasies end when I pull into the driveway of my Greek revival home on St. Charles Avenue. Reality sets in, and I’m not looking forward to what I’m about to do.

  Claudia’s bedroom light is on. I’m glad of that; I want to get this done now. No need to put it off any longer.

  Her green-golden-brown eyes alight with delight and a broad smile spreads when she sees me standing in the doorway of her bedroom. Without hesitation, the obedient submissive inside her takes control of her body, simultaneously lowering her gaze, dropping her chin close to her chest, and falling to her knees beside the bed, ready to please me.

  Not a single word required on my part. My presence alone makes her take the submissive pose.

  Best sub I’ve ever had. So well trained.

  So well trained by Easton. Not me.

  “Master.”

  I lean against the doorframe and take a moment to look at Claudia on her knees. Instead of being sad that this is my final moment with her as my submissive, I’m thinking about the first time that I see Emma Lia on her knees in this bedroom. The first time that I see her in the submissive pose. The first time that she addresses me as Master. I will be the one who has taught and trained her. Only me.

  “Stand.”

  Claudia rises to her feet, but her face and eyes remain lowered while she awaits her Dom’s instructions. Because that’s the kind of submissive that she is. Always awaiting the next command from the man she worships.

  “At ease, Claudia. I’m here to only talk.”

  She lifts her face and wrinkles form over her brow. “What happened to your face? And neck?”

  Emma Lia Grant happened. What a tigress that one is.

  So fucking exciting.

  I wave my hand to dismiss her question; I have no intentions of telling her that my new submissive isn’t the least bit obedient.
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  “I understand that this is going to come as a surprise, but I’m ending our Dom-sub relationship.”

  Her lips part, and it takes a moment for her to speak. “Master…”

  I wait for her to finish, but no words follow the name that she has called me for the last year.

  “You can’t call me Master or Sir anymore. I’m only Tristan to you now.”

  Tears form in her lids, covering the lower half of her eyes that never seem to be quite the same color from one day to the next—one of the things that I’ve always found exotic and enticing about her.

  “I… I can be more obedient. I can… I can be whatever you desire if you’ll tell me what you want and need.”

  I don’t love Claudia, but she does hold a fond place in my heart. I owe her better than this. I shouldn’t have waited. I should have sent Claudia away the moment that I made the decision to take Emma Lia as my new submissive.

  I was wrong. And I see that now.

  She lowers herself to her knees in front of me. “I can do better, Master.”

  I bend and take her hands, helping her to stand. “It isn’t possible for you to be a better submissive. You are incredible. The best.”

  “Then I don’t understand what’s wrong.” Her words are little more than a whisper.

  Claudia is an excellent sub, but she has never experienced a Dom-sub relationship outside of the ones that she has shared with Easton and me. Both long-term for our lifestyle. I myself have never had a sub for longer than six months prior to Claudia.

  Perhaps keeping her for so long was a mistake.

  “You know that a Dom-sub relationship isn’t intended to last forever.” Easton told her that. I told her that. She said that she understood.

  “I know that most don’t, but there have been times when a Dom claimed his sub forever by marrying her.”

  I can’t believe that she’d even suggest that as a possibility between us. She knows better than that shit. “I’m not interested in marriage.”

  “I thought that I made you happy.”

  See… this is why I don’t do romantic relationships with women. They want to drag shit out. Talk it over and try to make it work when I just want the hell out.