Savannah's Sentinel (Mountain Mastery Book 2) Read online

  Sighing to himself, Landon knew he needed some time to decompress before tomorrow morning, and he still wanted to meet with the household staff. His housekeeper, driver, and cook had been part of the lifestyle for years, but until now, Landon had never brought a submissive into his private living space. His private playroom was in the basement and included an attached bedroom and bathroom. There was a separate entrance, and all the doors leading to other parts of his home were secured with coded locking systems.

  He’d never had a sex slave and wasn’t thrilled with the idea. He’d called several friends around the world, seeking their input on the training regime he and Nate had put together. The next two weeks were going to be a challenge on multiple levels. Landon also wanted to talk to Senator Karl and Dr. Tally Tyson. He’d become their third not long after the disaster with Savannah two years ago, and he valued their friendship. The three of them had already discussed Landon’s need to move on, but he wanted to discuss it with them personally. Club gossip would spread like wildfire, and he respected Karl and Tally too much to let their special relationship end that way.

  Savannah breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Kodi Ledek closed the door separating them from the testosterone soup in Nate and Taz’s office. “Snails fuck faster than that meeting. I didn’t think I’d ever get out of there.” Kodi snickered as she led Savannah down a long hallway. “How long will it take us to drive to the spa? Do you want me to follow you? I’m starving and could use something to drink. Do we have time to stop along the way?”

  Kodi keyed in a code unlocking a heavy wooden door and motioned her through. “The spa is on-site. I’m sure they’ll have something for you to eat, but we’ll swing by the buffet table and see what’s there on our way through the main room. It’s very early, but we might find something you’ll like. And I know where the bottles of water are kept behind the bar, so we’ll grab a couple of those, also.”

  Savannah filled her plate as Kodi pointed out the best fare and then followed the other woman to the bar. The pretty brunette pulled bottles of water from a large cooler before heading to a door Savannah hoped led to the spa. “I loved your book. I’m going to get a paperback for you to sign. Damn, girl, that book is hot.”

  Kodi’s cheeks flushed bright red despite her tanned skin tone. “Wow. Thanks so much. I don’t get to talk to many readers face to face, so I’m really at a loss here. I have a couple of copies in my office. I’ll sign one for you when we get back upstairs.”

  “I assume the former SEAL studs are Nate and Taz. Did they know they were erotic romance stars?” Savannah was pleased to hear Kodi’s giggle. “Sorry, sometimes my filter doesn’t work very well.”

  “Filter?”

  “You know, the one that’s supposed to edit brash personal questions before they fly out of my mouth? I think it gets clogged up by all the inappropriate things my brain cooks up, so the excess unfiltered comments make their way out the spillway.” Cripes, she’s going to think I color way outside the lines if I keep talking like this. Nothing like advertising the fact you’ve escaped from the cracker factory, Savannah.

  “No worries, I still have that trouble at times, but I try to channel it into my characters now. It’s easy to control the outcome when I’m the one writing it. Not so easy in my personal life. What was I thinking marrying two Doms? Probably should have my head examined.” This time it was Savannah’s turn to laugh.

  “I can’t even imagine. I’ve never been able to deal with any man for more than a week. The next few weeks are going to be hell on Earth.” Grabbing Kodi’s arm before she could open the door to the Mountain Mastery Spa, Savannah asked, “Do you know who they’ve chose to train me?”

  Kodi’s face flushed again as her eyes dropped to the floor, and for a few seconds, Savannah wondered if she would lie. “Yes, but I’m not allowed to tell you. What I can tell you is they’ve chosen a man I like and respect. He’s tough, but he’s fair.” Savannah didn’t say anything as she considered Kodi’s words. Granted she didn’t know her well, but she had worked with Kodi’s brother, Koi. If she was as honest as he was, Savannah had nothing to worry about. “I’m sorry. I’d love to tell you, but I’m already sporting a sore bum for arguing with my Masters about a car.”

  Realizing she was still holding Kodi’s arm, Savannah released her and nodded. “No problem. I understand. In my line of work, keeping secrets can save your life, so I get it.” They stepped into the spa, and she wanted to cry with relief. The soothing music and refreshing scents calmed her like nothing else could. Working almost non-stop for the past several weeks had taken a toll on her body and spirit. A little pampering would surely go a long way to restore some peace in her soul. She could already feel a sense of calm moving through her.

  Stepping up to the reception desk, Savannah casually perused the services list, trying to prioritize what she wanted most. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t been listening to Kodi’s conversation with the woman behind the desk until the pretty redhead gently pulled the list from her hand. “You’re Savannah North, correct?”

  “Yes. I was just trying to decide what I’d like to schedule. Which services have openings?”

  Kodi shook her head and held up her hand. “Your Master has already taken care of all the arrangements.” When Savannah stiffened, Kodi smiled. “It’s not unusual. Mine have always done the same thing for me. I know it’s hard to understand. There’s a part of you that wants to push back every time they take over. But if you’ll just roll with it, at least occasionally,” Kodi’s eyes danced with amusement and understanding, “you might enjoy the freedom it’ll give you.”

  The receptionist gave her a knowing smile and added, “And, honey, you look beat. Is this really a fight you want to take up? Because better things are waiting behind that door, I promise you.”

  Savannah felt her shoulders sag in resignation. Dammit, her hands looked like she’d done a week’s dishes in scalding water with lye soap. She hoped like hell her new pretend Master had lined up a manicure, because she might burst into tears of pure frustration if he hadn’t. “Fine. But I’m going on record as saying if I don’t get a massage and a manicure, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” The two women grinned and nodded. Savannah rolled her eyes at their enthusiasm and then laughed. Roll with it, she says. Okay, let’s do this. Stuffing the last crumbs of her finger sandwich into her mouth, she groaned in satisfaction. “God in heaven, please tell me there’s wine.”

  Chapter Four

  Nate leaned against the brick wall with his arms crossed over this chest watching his bride and Savannah North bump into each other as they made their way out of the spa. Glancing to his side, he shook his head at the expression on his friend’s face. Landon Nixon looked like he was about to pop a vessel. “Problem, Nix?” He didn’t even try to keep the amusement out of his tone.

  “They’re sloshed.” Landon’s words were practically growled. “What if Kodi told her? She’ll bolt.”

  And there it was, a crack in Landon Nixon’s infamous iron-clad control. “I don’t think so. My guess is they covered that topic on the way to the spa, so they wouldn’t have gone back to it. Submissives are better at accepting secrets than we are. Dom’s demand answers, but if their personality is naturally submissive, women can shrug off not knowing.” It was actually something he admired about subs. He’d always been a bit in awe of their ability to live in the moment.

  “I’m tempted to load her happy ass up and haul her home with me tonight.”

  Nate understood. A Dom’s instinct was to shelter and protect when there was any perceived risk to the submissive in his care. And a beautiful, intoxicated woman would be at risk out on the street. But since she was only heading upstairs with Kodi, both teetering beauties would be under his watchful eye, so safety wasn’t an issue.

  “Probably not the best way to start. She needs to have some filters in place when she finds out you’re the one training her. It’s going to be a big enough of a challenge the way i
t is.” Landon nodded, but Nate had the impression he wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of waiting. “She’ll be fine this evening. She needs rest, and the wine will help her sleep.”

  “I saw her flight schedule home. I’m not sure what her handler was thinking. He knew we needed to get started right away, but her itinerary was brutal. Sending her on a mission site on the tail of another job with almost twenty hours of travel time was an invitation to trouble.” Nate had never seen his friend so “frazzled,” as his mother used to say. He’d never fully understood what that meant until meeting Kodi. And damned if she couldn’t frazzle him and Taz with nothing more than a sultry glance.

  Shaking his head when Kodi couldn’t get the private elevator to work, Nate pushed away from the wall. “I’m going to rescue our damsels in distress. It seems my lovely wife can’t stand still long enough for the biometric reader to kick in.” Telling the spa staff to let Kodi and Savannah have all the wine they wanted might have been a mistake. Every time the error message pinged, the two of them dissolved into a fit of giggle.

  “How long until Phoenix calls about all the failed attempts to get into your living space?” Landon’s wry tone was the first glimpse of the man’s dry sense of humor, which was never far below the surface. Landon Nixon might look like the quintessential, carefree California surfer from the 1960’s, but Nate knew the façade was smoke and mirrors.

  He’d watched Landon play for years and was aware how committed he was to the lifestyle. Nate had often wondered if he’d end up with a full-time slave, something he nor Taz had ever been interested in. Landon was a serious player, but insisted he didn’t want the responsibility of a slave. He was ordinarily an excellent teacher, but Nate had a feeling this was going to be different. Nate sensed there was history between these two, but now wasn’t the time to push for answers. He hoped they could set aside whatever personal issues they had and work together. Amy Fitzgerald’s life depended on it.

  Landon followed Nate to the elevator. He hadn’t intended to, but his feet must not have gotten the memo because they’d started moving all on their own. When Kodi turned and saw her Master approaching her entire face lit up. “Hi, Master Hottie Number One. I’m glad you’re here. That palm tree thingy keeps moving.”

  Landon heard Nate’s soft chuckle. “Do you mean the palm readers, Ayasha?” Nate’s pet name for his submissive meant ‘little one’ and always make her melt against her enormous husband. How two men over six and a half feet tall ended up with such a petite wife was a mystery to him.

  “Oh, yeah. Palm something or other. Anyway, it moves around and doesn’t work. Can you help us get upstairs? We’re all waxed and painted and trimmed and lotioned-up. It didn’t hurt as much this time. My pain toes…totter…tollhouse…no, wait, that’s cookies. What’s the word for handling alcohol?”

  Savannah laughed, “Damn, Kodi. You’re a lightweight…even worse than me. The word is tolerance. And you were talking about pain, not alcohol. Although I think they both are applicable here.”

  Kodi spun around to stare at her new friend, her mouth gaping open in surprise. “Holy crap on a cactus. You drank as much as I did, and you are only weaving a little. What gives?”

  Savannah looked around, but missed Landon standing to the side listening. “Well, I’ve probably had more practice. My parents drank wine with meals, so I’m pretty immune to it. But mix up a batch of margaritas and it’s on, girl. I’ll be dancing on the table before I’ve finished the first one. Remember that song about tequila making her clothes fall off? I’m pretty sure that song writer and I went to college together.”

  “Really? Or are you being fact…facility….faci….well, fuck it. Are you for real or is that just…” She didn’t get to finish her sentence before Nate gave her a hard swat. “Hey, what the devil was that for? I didn’t even find the word I wanted.”

  “I’ll bet I know. I read some books about this stuff. Nate started looking all snarly when you said the f-word.” She shifted her gaze up to Nate and grinned. “Ha! I’ll bet you thought I was going to say it, too…and I didn’t so you don’t get to spank me.” Landon rolled his eyes. She’d just thrown down a challenge Nate Ledek wasn’t going to let slide. Hell, no Dom worth his leathers would walk away from that one.

  Nate gave her two solid swats before she’d even realized he was moving. Her look of surprise would have been amusing if he wasn’t itching to do it himself. “Hey! I didn’t say the synonym for sex. No fair swatting me for no reason.”

  “I don’t need a reason. You’re in my care. I’m a Dom, and you are a submissive. I can swat you simply because I enjoy feeling your ass beneath my palm.” Nate’s no-nonsense tone and explanation obviously hadn’t impressed her.

  Savannah stomped her foot and glared up at the club owner. “Didn’t your mama teach you that it is not nice to put your hands on a woman’s ass until after you feed them?” The look on Nate’s face was priceless, and Landon’s snort of laughter gave him away. She spun so quickly she almost lost her balance, but he’d covered the short distance in record time and grasped her elbow to keep her from falling. “Dammit to donuts, it’s not nice to lurk, you know. I’m gonna have Fiona send a copy of Emily Post’s latest rules of polite company.” Landon grinned at her use of air quotes. “She’ll probably send a lifestyle coach, too. You don’t want to get on Fiona Fitzgerald’s etiquette hit list, trust me. Been there, done that.”

  “What the hell—o, is she talking about? Wow, my head is spinning from watching Master Landon move like The Flash. Good grief.”

  Landon shook his head at Kodi and grinned at Nate. “I assume you’re staying upstairs with these two so they don’t hurt themselves or burn the place down?”

  “Taz and I planned to rotate this evening since we’re expecting a full house. But I may change my mind about taking the first shift.” Nate held the door of the elevator open and waited for both women to step in before turning his attention back to Landon. “I’ll be back down in an hour. Don’t warn Taz, or he’ll stall.” The last comment earned him a glare from both women, and Landon heard his friend’s growl as the doors slid closed.

  Walking back toward the bar, Landon couldn’t help but wonder how Savannah was going to react when he opened the door tomorrow morning. Part of him hoped she threw in the towel. But a larger need gnawed in his gut…the need to dominate her already bubbled deep inside him. The boiling cauldron of desire burned his patience to a crisp. Pulling one of the expensive imported bottles of beer from the cooler, Landon slipped back out from behind the bar. He wasn’t working this evening, but he wasn’t ready to go home, either.

  “Hit the gym. That’s what I do.” Turning to look at Taz, Landon narrowed his eyes as frustration threatened to spill over.

  “Kodi’s right, you are a fucking ninja.” Landon had worked with Kodi before her marriage, and she’d sworn the two club owners were as silent as ninja warriors. “You Special Forces guys always move like jungle cats. I’m starting to wonder if you take a special class or something.”

  “And you, my friend, are deliberately spewing crap as a distraction. Too late, I already felt all your frustration. Hell, I didn’t need any special empathetic gifts to see your agitation. Helen Keller could have seen it.”

  “You’re a real fucking comedian, you know that? You deserve your time upstairs. You need a drink limit for the spa. Your wife is sloshed.”

  “Damn. I need to get up there. Alcohol is truth serum for her. I’ll be able to find out what she’s getting me for my birthday.” Taz’s grin told Landon he didn’t care jack about snooping on a birthday gift.

  “Of course, you’d never dream of pushing a boundary or two with your inebriated wife.”

  “Nope, I’m a regular choir boy.” Landon snorted a laugh and cursed when the beer burned the back of his throat.

  “Choir boy my ass.” Nate’s voice sounded from Landon’s other side. How the hell did they do that? Landon was a trained operative for Christ’s sake. Being aware of his surrou
ndings was often the difference between life and death. “I shudder to think about the lightning bolt powering up to strike you for that comment.”

  “Bite me, big brother. Why aren’t you upstairs keeping our woman out of trouble?”

  Nate rolled his eyes and snagged the beer Randy set on the bar for him. Ann, the bartender’s Mistress, waved from the other end of the long bar. “I pointed them both toward their respective showers. If I’d stayed with Kodi, we wouldn’t have come out of there for hours, and I didn’t want to leave Savannah alone. I get the impression she is more worried about tomorrow than she’s letting on.”

  “Well, get up there before they decide to reheat whatever Rosie left us to eat. We don’t need another visit from the local firefighters. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, the last time they were here when the club was open we like to never got them back out the door.”

  Landon laughed. “And from what I heard, none of their wives were any too pleased.”

  All it had taken was one man trying to talk his wife into letting him cuff her to the bed for the gossip to spread like wildfire. Of course, the truth was no match for the imaginations of pissed off wives. The men had only walked through the club’s main room. Thank God they hadn’t gotten a glimpse of the dungeon.

  “I’m glad the mayor is a member. He was finally able to shut down all the chatter. I don’t know what those women are reading or where they’re getting it, but some of the kinky shit they were saying we’d exposed their darling husbands to was way over the top.” Nate’s voice was tight, and Landon knew he was still pissed. He’d spent the better part of three days answering calls from angry wives, and there are only so many ways to say, “Our rules of confidentiality prevent me from answering your questions” before it started sounding rude.