He sat back slowly in his chair. His cock, all five inches and several more, pulsed in outrage. His eyes narrowed.
“The man scowls. He sneers. Stomps around like a bull in a china shop. He is such a bore. Geez. I need a new job.”
His fists clenched, his teeth ground together as he saw red. The viperous little witch. A bull in a china shop? Five-inch cock? Five-inch cock?? Ohh, he would show her a hell of a lot f**king more than five inches. Damn her. The woman had a bite that would do a rabid dog proud.
“If you quit, just think of all the shoes that would cry.” It was lame. Real lame, but he’d be damned if he could type his outrage to her over the Internet. She would probably save the f**king message to show all her chat room buddies. He sneered. Oh, was she in for a surprise.
“Well, this is true. But I’m definitely looking.”
He stilled. Looking, was she? He’d see about that one.
“Well, good luck, darlin’. Now I’m off. Hot date tonight.”
Nothing came back for long moments.
“All right. Goodnight.”
“Night, darlin’. Cheer up, maybe you’ll get lucky and he’ll at least have more than five inches.” He growled.
“As though that can help him.” He could almost hear the haughty vibration of the words. “Where, oh, where have all the alphas gone? Your mothers must have breastfed you overly long.”
“Or yours fed you venom and spice rather than sweet milk,” he typed back furiously. And he meant it.
“LOL. Good one, Wicked. Have fun for me while you’re out. Talk to you later.”
He clicked the box away. He shut down the program, damn near shaking with rage and arousal. He came to his feet, pushing his fingers ruthlessly through his hair as he clenched his teeth against his anger. Damn her. Lucifer, was he? Five inches, was he? He snarled as he stomped through the house, jerking his leather jacket from the staircase post as he headed for the door.
Miss Jaded Tally was in for one hell of a surprise.
Dev had warned him she wouldn’t be as easy as he thought she would be. Of course, Dev was often warning him about Tally. He snorted derisively at that. His twin had stayed in the background during this phase, though under protest. From the first moment Lucian had met Tally, he and Devril had both been lost.
His brother had commented often that only Lucian would have chosen to make them fall in love with such a sharp-tongued little vixen, but Lucian knew his brother would have been just as helpless in the face of her haunted eyes, her unique features and sheer bravado.
Now, they were both in a hell of a predicament. And neither of them was happy about it. Tally wasn’t coming around as they had expected. She was no closer to admitting to the lust that heated between them than she had been six months before. It was time to fix that. It was time to master Tally Raines.
Chapter One
It was just called The Club. It was a large southern plantation house set on the outskirts of town in a small wooded area, perhaps a mile from the main road. Not easily accessible, but neither was it hard to find.
A stone wall enclosed the four square acres of property; a guard sat in a small booth at the iron gated entrance. The house itself was surrounded by majestic oaks, giving the estate an air of graceful wealth.
Lucian pulled into the hidden parking lot, surveying the vehicles already parked there. The Club served a large clientele from around the world, but still maintained an atmosphere of personal friendliness. Not just anyone was invited through its doors, only a select few. It took more than money, breeding or influence to receive an invitation from The Club’s members. It took a lifestyle.
“Good evening, Mr. Conover.” The butler and peacekeeper, Matthew Harding, opened the door and stood aside as he entered. “May I take your jacket, sir?”
He wasn’t your typical butler. Lucian couldn’t see Matthew attending to any of the influential families he knew. The six-foot plus ex-Special Forces soldier could have had his pick of any security agency he could have worked for. Instead, he had accepted a position as butler and head of security at The Club’s house. The benefits, Matthew often said, were better than the pay, which was damned good.
“Thanks, Matthew. Looks like a full house tonight.” He could hear the voices raised in laughter from within the main room.
“We have several out-of-towners in for the week, as well as many of the regulars.” Matthew hung the leather jacket in the wide closet to the side. “The house is definitely full for a while.”
The Club maintained the plantation for the convenience of its out-of-town members. There was no need for hotel accommodations when doing business near or around the area. The three-story house counted a dozen fully equipped bedrooms, a kitchen staff, and maid service. A trust set up nearly twenty years ago by the founder of the private club took care of most of the day-to-day running of the house. The membership fees, which were not cheap, went into an account to offset general expenses.
“Has Devril arrived yet?” Lucian asked as they headed to the main room.
“Mr. Devril should arrive shortly.” Matthew grinned, his pale blue eyes lighting in amusement. “I believe he was picking up Miss Hampstead from the airport before coming here.”
Alyssa Hampstead was one of the few subs whose membership had been approved. She was a delicate, haughty heiress with cool hazel eyes and a cold exterior. Heating her up was a challenge that many of The Club members embraced enthusiastically.