Chapter Seven

Max

"Since it's the GoldenEye and Club Decadent Skies' anniversary trip, I have agreed to perform a demonstration. I can't keep my eye on you all the time, and since I don't trust you to roam about freely, I've asked Jax to prepare a very special seat for you."

"You're not fucking serious," she shrieked as he opened the gilded bird cage that stood in one corner of the dungeon. It was high enough for her to stand and wide enough should she prefer to sit down. "I refuse to be locked in a cage like a… like a…"

"Little bird?" He chuckled. "How else since you chose to put on your wings when you trespassed on the plane? This way, they're clipped without pain." He held the door open and gestured her inside with a gentlemanly smile. "In you go."

"Like hell, I will!"

"I didn't ask, Ms. Bitch. I'm telling you to get in." When she still refused, his fist closed around the chain, and he yanked her closer. His eyes sparked dangerously as his voice darkened perceptively.

"Get in. Now." He suppressed the smile tugging at his lips at her confused expression as she stepped into the cage. Her brain was clearly not in charge of her body's reaction to his dominance.

"Good girl. Now, behave. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"This is bullshit," she mumbled incoherently but loud enough for him to hear. "I'm gonna hit your fucking ass once I get out of here, mark my words, Master M. You think you're so— Ugh," she gasped as he wrapped a hand around her throat through the bars and yanked her face closer.

"You have a choice, little bird. Behave, or I will tie your legs to the cage and bend you over so your pink cunt pushes out through the bars. Doms are always looking for a freebie hot pussy to warm their dicks before scening."

Wicked clamped her mouth shut.

"Pity." Amusement glimmered in his eyes. "I would've been the first in line."

Max walked away before he was tempted to do just that since he'd be damned if it didn't seem that his little gilded cage bird wasn't tempted to burst out babbling nonstop.

"Ready for your demonstration?" Jax asked as he joined him at the bar.

"Do you need to ask?" Max rumbled as he downed a glass of water.

"So, did your little bird sing?"

"She has a name, Wicked Bitch. Yeah, a weird one, but at least we have a starting point."

"You've had her for two hours and the only information you got out of her was her name?" Jax stared at him in confusion. "C'mon, Max, you know as well as I do what you're capable of."

"I got what I was really after, Jax." Max's smile was as wicked as it was devious. Since Jax was his best friend and the one who had to oversee the club when he went on missions, he was the only one who knew about his Delta Force digs. When he had told him, it had felt like a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. Sometimes, secrets were meant to be shared.

"So, you got a vanilla to tap into her natural submissive. Not surprising since it's what we do on this plane." Jax shrugged off Max's response.

"Listen who's talking. You've known she was stalking you for a week, and you didn't do shit to find out who she was or why."

"Because I have a suspicion why, and besides, I was curious to see just how far she was willing to go."

"To achieve what?" Max's eyes drifted to where Wick was locked in the large birdcage. He smiled as her eyes spat venom at him when their gazes collided over the distance.

"Establish just how badly Bradley Gray wants me out of the running for mayor."

"You're running for mayor? Why the fuck is this the first I hear of it?"

"Because I'm not. I am doing a newly formed covert FBI team a favor. Gray has been flagged as a corrupt politician with possible ties to the mafia and various drug syndicates. Because they suspect FBI agents to be involved, they created a handpicked team to uncover all the bastards."

"And since Gray is too clever to be caught, they need an insider to get something that would make charges stick."

"Exactly where I come in. From all the candidates, I pose the biggest threat for him to lose." Jax smiled as he pointed to his face. "This pretty face gets me places, in case you never noticed."

"Not something I would brag about, my friend." Max gave him a side-eye. "But since I know you worked your ass off to achieve what you have, I'll let that slide. However, you've never shown any interest in politics. Would that not tip Gray off that something is off?"

"We've built a framework of me as a behind the scenes politician. In other words, if he or Wick Bitch dug deep enough, that's what they found, but that's the kicker. Gray wants dirt on me and from what the FBI showed me, he's the one who brings out the shovel and starts filling holes that never existed."

"In other words, he's going to set you up?"

"Yes, but again, he's so fucking clever, we don't know what he has been doing. They're currently sweeping the dark web. If he wants me out of the running, he's going to make sure it's something the people of America won't excuse."

"It could ruin your entire career, Jax. Have you thought about that?"

"I did, but the FBI assured me it won't go that far."

"Well, then we'll have to make sure it doesn't. I refuse to watch your ship sinking because you're putting your trust in them."

"I can't involve you in this, Max."

"You're not. I'm offering. Besides, I already asked Rex to do a background check on the delightful Wicked Witch Bitch. Once we know who and what she is, we'll go deeper and find out if you're right and whether her client is Bradley Gray."

"Ah, there you are." Rex Oliver joined them at the bar. "I need a stiff one, Sadie." He tapped his fingers on the counter to draw the attention of the bar lady. Rex was an IT guru and an equal partner in CyberCo Tech Solutions—an affiliate in Max's group of corporations.

"So, let's have it," Jax prodded him once he took the first sip from his drink.

"Wicked Witch Bitch." Grimacing as he said the name, he tapped a finger on the tablet he always carried with him. "What a name to be saddled with, and all because your mother had a gripe with your father."

"I don't follow," Max sipped on his drink as his eyes once again drifted toward the pretty little bird he had locked in the gilded cage.

"She was born Willow Carter, the only child of William and Sandra Carter. William had a roving eye and cheated on his wife almost from the day they got hitched. He got stabbed in a back alley by his then-lover because she realized he wouldn't leave his wife. Sandra lost it when she found out about his betrayal. Turned to booze and drugs. A year later, she changed her daughter's name."

"Jesus, why choose something like Wicked Witch Bitch? Also makes one wonder why she never changed it back, since she's what? Thirty-something?" Jax interjected.

"Thirty-five," Rex continued, "For the past five years, she's been the owner of W. Carter Investigations Inc. in Tampa. She started her career as an NYPD street cop and ended it ten years later as the lead investigator of their Special Investigations Unit. From all counts, her business is booming and in demand since the company has built up a good reputation. She employs roughly thirty investigators, researchers, IT, and some admin staff."

"What kind of clients?" Max interjected.

"Mainly corporations, politicians, and high-level businessmen. They do the odd low-paid wife or husband cheating jobs, but I get the impression those are done pro bono. Their main focus is to unveil corrupt people, associations with crime syndicates, kidnappings, and various forms of white-collar crime."

"So, your hunch is right, Jax. She is stalking you to get some dirt on you."

"Good luck to her. Since being in the BDSM lifestyle isn't a crime, it's not something that would impact my business reputation." Jax finished his drink and ordered another.

"Slow down, Jax. You know the limit on drinking and scening," Rex warned with a dark frown.

"I already scened. Now I drink because I'm getting pissed off."

"Spreading rumors about this club might not hurt your business reputation, but it will definitely impact a candidate's chances at being elected mayor." Shaking his head, Max finished his drink in one swallow. "Rex, go dark web. We need to find out if it is indeed Bradley Gray attempting to sink Jax. I want to know who's paying W. Carter Investigation's bill and what exactly they are paying to find." His eyes darkened. "More importantly, we need to make sure none of our members' association with CDS is leaked. We thrive on our reputation of confidentiality. Let's keep it that way."

"On it."

"If someone is out to get to Jax, they might be targeting the rest of us as well. I'd prefer we stop it before it escalates and explodes in our faces."

"Yeah," Rex said as he got up. With a wave, he headed toward the stairs, his words chasing after him, "Whatever the fuck ‘it' is."

"So, what are we going to do with our trespasser?" Jax smiled and waved at Wick, who shot him the finger without missing a beat. "It seems your little bird is annoyed at being ignored."

"Hmm, maybe you should keep her company since I'm scheduled to do a whipping demonstration." Max smiled deviously. "Might do her good to watch… a little incentive for her to behave the balance of her time with us."

Wick

Black Point, a small island in The Bahamas…

Annoyance weighed on Wick's shoulders like a heavy boulder. Damn the man for forcing her to watch. Well, he didn't force her per se, but he was right there, in the front of the cabin, on a raised platform, wielding a vicious-looking whip. Still barefoot and shirtless, he had surpassed the vision of a Greek god. He was… he was a beast… a beautiful, perfect, primal animal. Since she was still locked in the freaking gilded cage, where the hell else was she supposed to look but at him? The mighty Master M whipping a very beautiful blonde, with his muscles rippling, his lips pursed, and his eyes glimmering with pleasure as he closely watched the experienced submissive, who seemed to melt under his expert brandishing of the impact tool.

Whipping, for fuck's sake!Leaving dark red streaks that looked extremely painful even over the distance. Worse! It caused Wick's insides to clench with every crack and whistle of the whip. How watching the woman writhe and jerk while her expression appeared to be one of unbound lust caused Wick's own libido to spike was beyond her. She wasn't into pain for pleasure. She wasn't! Domination and submission weren't her forte, never was, and she had no intention of changing that.

Then why can't you stop thinking of being strung up by your throat in the big man's office?

Well, he nearly choked me!

Oh, please, you had the hardest climax ever while hanging by that chain.

Just shut the fuck up!

The last thing Wick needed was her subconscious mind to side with the powerful Dominant. He already took up way too much of her thinking time. Time that should rather be spent on finding a way to escape.

Now that they had landed, wherever that may be, meant an escape route. Every crisis offered an opportunity, and Wick never passed up on one of those.

"Time to stretch your legs, little bird." Jax Crowthorne's deep voice yanked her attention from Master M, who had been consoling or doing aftercare, as it was called, with the sub. They seemed all too cozy, with her snuggling on his lap and his large hands gently rubbing a soothing gel over every red stripe he had planted on her tight buttocks.

Why his gentleness with the woman bothered her was an even bigger mystery.

"Yes," she snapped as Jax unlocked the cage and held out his hand. "It's about time you let me out." She gestured around. "I mean, we've been in a plane, thousands of feet up in the air. Where the fuck exactly was I gonna go?"

"Careful, little witch, you're still under Master M's control. Be warned, he doesn't have much patience with brats." He leaned closer. "Especially ones who are trespassing and don't seem to appreciate his hospitality."

"Reminding me of that is becoming stale." She slapped him on the arm. "More so since neither you nor he treated me as such. In fact, both of you…" Her cheeks exploded like a tomato bomb as both scenes with the two men fought a battle for supremacy in her mind. Mentioning it to him might be taken as an invitation for more, and she sure as hell wasn't interested… Well, she shouldn't be interested. Not in him or the devious Master M.

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Jax laughed as he led her toward the exit. "Relax, little witch, you're safe from me… for the moment." He smirked as he caught Max watching them leave. "I can't say the same for him, though."

Wick followed his gaze, her breath staggering as, once again, all she could see was the golden glow of his eyes. A flash of something deep in their depths stirred confusion inside her. A warning, perhaps? Or pure possessiveness?

Dream on, Wick. A man like him? You're delusional.

This time, she agreed with her inner voice. A man like Master M definitely was more suited for the kind of woman he was cuddling on his lap. Dreary and curvy old Wicked Bitch didn't stand a chance.

"I have duties to attend to, and once we get to the beach, you'll be chained to the whipping post since I can't babysit you for the next two hours."

Wick looked at Jax in disbelief as he bundled her into a beach buggy and took off.

"Two hours? You're not serious? What if I want to pee? Or get hungry? What about some water?" she fired the questions at him as she looked around. She had no idea where they were since he drove in the opposite direction of the small airport buildings. The GoldenEye plane was parked on the far side of the runway in a darkened side stretch. The drive to the beach took less than five minutes, by which time she had come to believe that they were somewhere on an island.

"Where are we?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. No one on board is ever told our final destination. What I can tell you is that the ocean is all around us."

There it was. Confirmation of the conclusion she had made. Even if she did escape, the chances of finding a way to get back to Florida were diminishing since her phone and wallet were in her pants… which were torn to shreds and probably still lying on the floor in Master M's office. Apart from that, it was in the middle of the night, and she doubted there would be any flights or ferries leaving until morning.

"This is bullshit! And it's abduction. You can't keep me chained up like some… some medieval witch!"

"Abduction?" Jax laughed. "Says she, who keeps telling me not to remind her how she landed on the plane in the first place." He shot a warning glance at her when she opened her mouth to protest. "Behave, little witch, or you might just invite Master M to pick up his whip again, and this time, it won't be an erotic whipping… it'll be pure punishment."

Apart from a venomous glower at Jax, she didn't say another word as he removed the thin chain and hooked the much studier one hanging from the whipping post to the collar. The weight of it immediately caused her shoulders to sag. At least this time, it was a lengthy chain, and there was a stump for her to sit on. Not that it was all that comfortable since she was still naked with only her shirt and bra hanging in tatters from her elbows. With irritation, she ripped it off. Why she hadn't done so long ago, she had no idea. No one noticed, though, since now that they had arrived at the beach, all the women walked around naked.

"Here you go, Miss," a flowery voice dragged her attention from a scene she was watching of three men exploring a woman's body from all angles. "Master M told me to bring you this. He said it would be more comfortable sitting on the stump if your bits are covered."

"Thank you," Wick gratefully took the thin blanket and wrapped it around her body. She refused to look around to find Master M and acknowledge his kindness.

"Milly is on the way with food and something to drink. If you need anything, I'll be over there at the bar. Just shout or raise your hand. Master M gave me the responsibility to look out for you, so I'll be watching."

"I need to pee." It was the one opportunity that Wick had been waiting for. Once she was free of the chain, escaping would be a breeze.

"Oh, that's why the whipping post is the perfect place for recalcitrant subs. There's what we call a porcelain goddess just on the other side of that large bush behind you. The chain is long enough to accommodate reaching it and will give you privacy to do your ablutions."

"A porcelain goddess?" Wick stared at her in confusion.

"An outside loo, except it's more a long-drop loo, but it's made all out of porcelain."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope." She giggled as another woman joined them. "My name is Goldie, and this is Milly. Enjoy. The grub here is fantastic."

If not for the fact that the decadent aroma of grilled fish wafting through her nostrils reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, she would've thrown the plate to the ground in vexation. As it were, she settled in and yielded to the growling demand of her stomach, wolfing down every morsel of the grilled salmon, veggies, and mashed potatoes. The Sangria Milly had given her to wash the food down was light-bodied, fruity, and refreshing, leaving her feeling languid and relaxed.

An hour later, Wick had enough. It was time to put her sharp mind to work. Sitting around idly wasn't in her nature, and apart from nodding off once, she had been awake, watching… him, which annoyed her to no end. Her eyes were sore from forcing them not to search him out, and still, they did whenever he appeared in her peripheral vision… which was all… the… fucking… time!

"Bingo!" Forcing her body to stay still, she struggled to suppress the excitement rippling through her as her eyes snagged on a bobby pin lying in the sand. Leaning over idly, she pretended to play with the grains and quickly palmed the small metal pin. Casually getting up, she walked around the bush.

"Holy shit, Goldie was right, it's a porcelain goddess," she exclaimed. Not wasting any time, she reached for the small padlock on the collar. Within seconds, the satisfying click sounded in her ears.

"Yes! Take that, big man. Let that be a lesson. No one keeps me prisoner. Not even you, you alphahole." Unclipping the collar, she threw it on the sand with relish, suppressing the desire to stomp on it for good measure. Looking around, she quickly established direction. "East. The airport is that way."

She was already a couple of yards away when she found herself running back to the porcelain goddess to retrieve the collar.

"Ugh… don't roll your eyes at me," she sneered at her subconscious as she took off again. "He put it around my throat, so it's mine now."

Wick still had no idea how she was getting off the island but one thing she did know—she had to get hold of her wallet and phone. Her entire life was in that wallet—bank cards, driver's license, social security card… no way was she going anywhere without it.