Take Me [Dungeon Masters 1] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Read online

  And then all hell broke loose. Screaming, yelling, male voices raised in both laughter and anger, and the sound of breaking glass. “What the fuck?” Leif stepped back into the hallway, looking up and down, but the pounding of feet in the stairwell told him where the sounds were coming from.

  Three or four people raced past him, their feet and voices moving downstairs, when a siren over the elevator went off, almost deafening him. Instinctively he covered his abused ears with his hands, but he could still hear the announcement about the fire quite clearly.

  Leif wanted to race upstairs and go to Tamara. She was his, he needed to protect her. But logic told him he’d never be able to fight his way against the crowds of people going downstairs. Instead it’d be much more sensible to wait for her in the lobby. Snatching up her suitcase, he raced through the stairwell door and started running downstairs.

  Soon he had to slow to a walk as dozens of other people filled the stairway, some crying, some only partially dressed, many talking loudly and demanding to know what was happening. Leif had to struggle not to push his way past them and rush to find his woman. By the time they finally emerged on the first floor, the lobby was crowded and filling even more with guests, some panic-stricken, and others argumentative. Leif made his way to the registration desk, but no staff was there.

  He left the suitcase at his feet and leaned back against the desk looking for the firemen, or emergency workers. And then he remembered the men in the stairwell just before the alarms went off. It’s a hoax! Some idiots set the alarm off for a joke.

  Several managers pushed their way through the crowds telling people to go back to their rooms, that there was no fire. Still Leif waited at the registration desk. When a woman finally arrived to help him, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir, we can’t check anyone out until the situation is resolved.”

  “But it was men who set off the fire alarm. I’m trying to check out a woman.”

  “How do you know it was men? It could have been anyone. Even children.”

  “I saw and heard them race past the fifth floor when I was waiting for the elevator to come down here and check Tamara out. They were men. Three or four of them.”

  “Wait here, please, sir.”

  Again he waited, staring at the confusion and congestion in the lobby. Now there were three other staff members working the desk, mostly giving out spare swipe cards to people who’d locked themselves out of their rooms in the drama. A few were people trying to check out, and they were told the same story as him. No checkouts allowed until the situation was resolved.

  Leif was almost about to give up and join the line for the elevator, or maybe just walk up the stairs, when a more senior manager beckoned him over into a clear space at the corner of the registration desk.

  “You saw the people who set the alarm off, sir?”

  “I got a glimpse of them as they raced past down the stairs. I was waiting for the elevator on the fifth floor. I heard shouting and glass breaking and then three or four men raced down the stairs. I suspect they came from the sixth floor but I don’t know that.”

  “Did you recognize them? Were they from the wedding party?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t know ninety percent of the guests invited to the wedding.”

  The manager sighed. “Thank you anyway, sir. What was your name again?”

  “Leif Sneddon.”

  “Likely it’ll be an hour or so before you can check out. There’ll be no late fees for checkout today. Aren’t you staying for the wedding itself this afternoon?”

  “Yes. Tamara has just decided to share a room with someone.”

  “Yes, sir. Very good, sir. I’ll ring your room when the system is back up and working again.”

  Leif made sure the manager knew his room number before walking across to the elevator. He took one look at the enormously long line, picked up the suitcase again, and started climbing the stairs.

  * * * *

  The last thing Leif expected to see when he finally arrived at his floor was Simon and Tamara sitting on the floor. He wouldn’t have said he was tired from carrying the suitcase up all the stairs, but he certainly wasn’t going to be in a hurry to do any more lifting, carrying, or stair climbing for an hour or two. But as soon as he saw then he ran forward. “Are you all right.”

  “Just fine and dandy,” said Simon.

  “Tamara?”

  “We’re fine. Just locked out and not interested in walking down all those fucking stairs again to get a spare key.”

  “But Simon has a key. He has his own swipe card.”

  “No, I don’t. I put it in the electricity outlet, remember?”

  “But I took that one because you’d already taken mine.”

  “Gentlemen, please. Just open the fucking door, will you?”

  “Sorry.” Leif pulled her room card out of his jeans pocket, and then his own, opening the door and holding it for her.

  She took the handle of her suitcase, said “Thank you,” and marched past him, through the living room. He heard the bathroom door shut with a snap.

  “I guess she hadn’t finished having her shower before the alarm went off,” he said to Simon.

  “Judging by the color of the soles of her feet, she’s going to be in there for a hell of a long time. I wouldn’t mind a shower myself, but likely we’ll be all out of towels. I wonder if housekeeping is answering their phone or if they’re as busy as the people in the lobby.”

  “It’s worth a try. I’m damn hungry. I wouldn’t mind ordering some food as well,” said Leif.

  “Oh yes, me, too. Whatever you’re having double the order for me.”

  Simon picked up the room phone to call housekeeping as Leif looked at the hotel brochure for the room service menu. Then he put it down. There was still the problem of the missing keycard. He’d put the one he’d used to open the door in the holder to make the electricity work. Tamara’s swipe card was sitting on the table. He looked around the room. Most of their clothing from the night before was lying around, including Tamara’s little black silk bra and panties which were on the bedroom floor. Oh fuck. She was out there in the hallway with a naked ass. I wish I’d known that.

  Her shoes were neatly under a chair. His were pushed half under the table but his jacket was still hanging over the back of a chair. As was Simon’s. His jacket. He went across and picked it up riffling through the pockets. And there was the other key card. Well, that was one mystery solved. He had to tell her he couldn’t find her shoes for the wedding though. Shit, what if they’d been stolen? He was damn sure they weren’t in the room.

  “More towels are coming. Are you ready to order breakfast? Or is it lunch?”

  “Brunch. I found the room card. It was still in my jacket pocket from last night.”

  “Oh well, at least it wasn’t lost. Where’s the menu?”

  Leif handed the hotel folder over to Simon who was clearly even more hungry than him. Just then Tamara appeared out of the bathroom wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and the athletic shoes he’d seen in her luggage.

  “I’m sorry, Tamara. I couldn’t find your shoes for the wedding this afternoon anywhere. I promise I looked carefully.”

  “My shoes? I left them here.” She stepped farther into the room and pointed. “There they are.”

  “You’re wearing the black ones from last night?”

  “So what?”

  Leif realized she thought he was criticizing her fashion sense. “I’m not being rude. I’m just a man, remember. I assumed that because the burgundy dress was hanging in the closet there’d be a pair of shoes somewhere as well. I looked but didn’t see them.”

  “That’s okay. The black ones will be perfectly fine with burgundy, and my purse is black as well.”

  That’s right. He hadn’t noticed another purse in her suitcase either.

  Tamara busied herself opening her suitcase and taking out the dress. She walked across the bedroom and hung it in the closet. He wondered if he should tak
e the shoes to her as well, but didn’t know whether to pick them up or not. She scooped up her underwear and put it in a plastic bag and then tucked it into her luggage.

  He moved out of the doorway where he’d been standing to watch her, and she came into the living area.

  Simon hurried through the gap. “I need a shower, but if you order the food straight away it should just about be here by the time I’m done. More towels are coming, too.” He shouted his menu request as the bathroom door shut behind him.

  “Are you hungry?” Leif asked her.

  “Yes, indeed. I’m very hungry. I’d planned to have a late breakfast since the reception isn’t until six, but I didn’t mean to have it quite this late.”

  Leif handed the menu to her, watching her face as she made her choice, then rang the restaurant to place all their orders.

  While they ate they needed to talk. He really had to find out everything about her. Besides, there was no time now to do anything much before the wedding, other than eat and talk. Didn’t women take a long time to get ready for these kinds of things?

  * * * *

  Tamara felt beautiful for the first time in many years. Even though her dress was simple and nowhere near as expensive as many of these surrounding her, the two men bracketing her body were the most handsome in the room by a long way, and she knew other women were envious of her. If they knew how many orgasms she’d had in the last twenty-four hours they’d be even more jealous. She was hoping for at least one more tonight as well.

  The wedding itself proceeded smoothly, with no one tripping over or dropping the rings, and Sophia looked lovely in her white cloud of fabric and mile-long train. After the wedding, many guests followed the bridal party to one of the conference rooms which had been set up as an indoor garden, with enormous potted plants, where the family photographs were to be taken. Two other conference rooms had been turned into lounges where people could sit and talk. A lot of people disappeared downstairs to the bar.

  Even when her mother appeared and insisted she come and speak to a series of relatives, the men didn’t desert her. They nodded, smiled, shook hands, and inexorably moved her on to the next one, leaving her mother smiling at them all in their wake.

  Tammy was amazed at their technique. “How did you manage that? You had her eating out of your hand.”

  “You have to keep moving. Once you stand still they can get you,” said Leif.

  “So is that why you’re constantly fidgeting?” she asked Simon.

  “You know what they say. A moving target is harder to hit.”

  Tammy laughed and let them lead her back to the ballroom. “We aren’t supposed to be here,” she said softly as Leif opened the door.

  “I know, but I have business to take care of.” Leif slipped through the door and stood in front of the big sign with the table seating arrangements listed on it. He took a pen out of his pocket and carefully colored through two place settings altering them. Then he tiptoed to the tables and switched two cards.

  It didn’t take Einstein to work out what he’d done. Once they were outside the room again she stared at him. “Which poor person did you move?”

  “A man by himself. I wouldn’t touch anyone listed as a couple. We’ve found you. Perhaps he’ll get lucky and find his Ms. Right as well.”

  Tammy liked the thought that she was their Ms. Right even though she was pretty sure she was only their Ms. Right for one more night. But that was okay by her. This was the best weekend she’d had in so long she couldn’t remember being this happy before. Monday and real life would come soon enough, She had one more night with them yet and that was twice as many nights as she’d expected to have so it was all very good indeed.

  They went and had a coffee downstairs and then she returned to their room to check her makeup before going back downstairs again. People were already flooding into the ballroom and crowding around the notice board but Leif took them directly to their table.

  As an unimportant umpteenth cousin, Tammy had expected to be hidden away down the back of the room which suited her perfectly. Hopefully there’d be so many tables between her and her parents and aunts they’d never even notice if she didn’t pay attention during the speeches or left before the end of the evening. Although if there was dancing she was more than ready to be held in her men’s arms. If they danced, of course. She didn’t know that about them yet.

  Her guess was correct. Their table was in the second back row, and toward the side of the huge room. The meal was nice, but not outstanding, the speeches were mostly boring, and with so many people to serve everything took an enormously long time. But Tammy didn’t mind. She was with Leif and Simon and they really did use the time to learn about each other. They told stories of their childhoods, they talked about their likes and dislikes, and they laughed a lot. The people at their table were mostly a similar age to themselves, and they also talked and laughed in a general conversation with all the people at their table.

  The meals were served alternately, the idea being that if a person didn’t like their meal, they swapped with the person sitting beside them. Which worked fine with the fish and the entrée, but not at all with the dessert. Everyone wanted the pecan pie. Tammy had one and held onto it refusing to swap, as did most of the others lucky enough to be given one. The entire group dissolved into laughter as one of the men offered to auction his dessert to the highest bidder.

  By the time the bridal waltz was announced, Tammy was relaxed and laughing, enjoying herself more than she would ever have believed possible.

  * * * *

  Leif watched Peter lead Sophia onto the rather small dance floor for their exhibition dance. Peter was so obviously in love with Sophia his face glowed with happiness, and the tender way he took her into his arms made Leif’s heart beat faster. It was exactly how he felt about Tamara. He might have only met her this weekend, but already he knew absolutely that she was the perfect woman for him.

  Leif’s gaze was on the dancing couple, but his mind was busy picturing the way he’d use his ropes to decorate Tamara’s body. She would be the centerpiece of all his future designs. Her lush curves would look even better decorated with the intricate twists, and turns, and knots he’d make in his ropes, until she was lifted to the highest possible plane of hedonistic pleasure.

  He flicked a glance over to Simon, but his friend seemed to be coping all right. He wasn’t tapping his fingers on the table or his feet on the floor the way he did sometimes when he really needed to change into his wolf form and couldn’t. The drunks who’d set off the fire alarm had done Simon a good turn, enabling him to legitimately race up and down the stairs and unleash some of his excess energy.

  Nevertheless Simon better have the first dance. The tiny dance floor would fill up quickly, so if Simon wanted to do more than stand in one place and hold Tamara in his arms, he’d have to get up and start dancing quickly before a hundred people tried to squeeze into a space meant for twenty dancers.

  Leif caught Simon’s look and tilted his head slightly at the newlywed couple, and Simon gave an equally small nod. It was great the way they understood each other so well without needing words. Part of it came from working together for several years now, but far more of it was that they were on the same wavelength most of the time. They liked the same things and wanted the same things, which was perfect both in the workplace and in the bedroom.

  It was hard to imagine how he could have coped if Simon hadn’t been as drawn to Tamara as he was. Yes, of course he could have made love to her alone. But ménage sex was so much better for all of them. The orgasms were so much more intense and his ability to give his woman pleasure was incredibly enhanced when Simon was there to help him arouse her and keep her on edge.

  The MC called the rest of the wedding party up to dance and Simon stood, inviting Tamara to dance with him. Leif could see her hesitation as she looked around the room, but then he watched as her chin firmed, her head tilted upward and she accepted Simon’s invitation. He liked
the way she thought things through and took a decision, not just letting herself fall into line with what others wanted. A true submissive accepted the Dom’s leadership by conscious choice. She knew the Dom would look after her and give her pleasure. She didn’t just allow anyone to lead her and dominate her. She chose the one she knew would put her first. Tamara was going to be their perfect sub as well as their perfect woman. Leif knew. And he couldn’t wait to get her into his dungeon.

  Oh yes. The Dungeon. That was another conversation they needed to have. Likely they’d be able to do it later tonight when most of the people from their table were dancing or talking to their friends. With so many people in the ballroom the noise level was damn high. A low-voiced conversation would never be overhead. Hell, at times, even shouting was unlikely to be heard, there was so much other stuff going on.

  Leif’s minded wandered through various BDSM scenarios and some of the more unusual toys in the dungeons at The Dom’s Dungeon BDSM club he co-owned and managed with Simon. But he noticed Simon was completely fair. He didn’t play up his werewolf need to move. He danced twice with Tamara and then brought her back to Leif, stopping in front of him and saying, “I’d be happy to keep dancing all night, but it’s your turn now. It’s getting rather crowded out there.”

  It was indeed getting hectic on the dance floor. Leif wasn’t even sure there was room for him to dance. He noticed other couples dancing between the tables and then a swarm of hotel staff appeared, stacking chairs and moving the back row of tables out of the ballroom. Guests quickly pushed the second row of tables back into the open space and the staff cleared more room for dancing. One table remained from the back two rows, and it was piled high with purses, and half-drunk beverages. The only chairs left were those with jackets hanging on them and the ones being sat on.