Design for Dominance [Club Libertine 10] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge), Page 4

  Chapter Four

  He drew back to hit him again when his own cheekbone exploded with pain and Maks’s right hand connected.

  “Bastard!”

  “Dumb ass!”

  Then they were on the ground wrestling in a way they hadn’t done since they were kids. Back then, Maks had always won easily being six years older and a whole lot bigger. He was still bigger, but the six-year age gap no longer mattered. He’d find that Alexi had learned a thing or two in the intervening years.

  It wasn’t easy, but he finally got Maks underneath him. He straddled his brother’s chest and was reaching back to deliver a devastating blow when the water landed. It was like being under Niagara Falls, or at least that’s what it seemed like.

  He turned and saw Eve standing over them looking like an avenging angel holding a dripping container that she’d clearly used to dump water on him and his brother. Hovering behind her was Miss Haversham or whatever his brother’s secretary’s name was. She was in her fifties and had always intimidated him so he started calling her after the character in the Dickens novel. He expected her to be alarmed by what had happened, but she seemed remarkably calm. In fact…He sat back and his brother groaned, so he stood. She actually seemed to be…amused. Was she hiding a smile behind her hand?

  He looked down at Maks. His brother had turned on his side and was resting his head on one hand. His tie had come loose and was skewed to one side. His shirt was open, the buttons having been ripped off in the struggle, one tail hanging outside of his pants. He’d never seen his brother less than perfectly groomed.

  Alexi looked down at his own attire. Maks was the formal brother. Alexi was the casual one. He never wore suits to work. It wasn’t his style. He reached up. One shoulder seam of his T-shirt was torn, but other than that, he thought, with satisfaction, that he looked like he’d come off much better than his brother in their little tussle.

  “Mrs. Haven, can you please get me another shirt?” Maks was taking things remarkably calmly. “And perhaps you can have maintenance come by later and clean up the water.”

  “Of course, Mr. Andreivich. You have several shirts in the cabinet. I don’t have any spare ties, though, so I hope you haven’t gotten blood on the one you are wearing.”

  “Blood?” Alexi watched as Eve advanced, hands on hips, her expression fierce. “What have you two been up to, brawling like street thugs? Alexi, help your brother up.” She turned to Mrs. Haven and he could hear her asking for first aid supplies.

  He looked down at Maks. The bastard grinned at him while Eve’s back was turned and then turned pained when he turned back. He reached down. Reluctantly, and only Alexi was sure because Eve was watching, Maks reached up and let Alexi pull him up. He groaned and Eve hurried to his side, putting an arm around him and helping him over to the couch that was against the far wall, and helping him sit and then lie down, his head in her lap.

  His brother really was a piece of work. He would have to watch him more closely and see how he did it.

  * * * *

  Eve frowned. She had come back to give the brothers a piece of her mind and reclaim her job. Then she had walked in on the two of them brawling, over her if she’d heard correctly. What the hell had happened in the fifteen minutes she’d been gone?

  Mrs. Haven returned with a bag of ice, a small first aid kit, and a wet rag. After washing off the small splash of blood and determining there was not great damage, she placed the small ice pack on Maks’s nose.

  He was still wearing his tie which was now up under his left ear. Carefully she eased it off and inspected it for blood. Yup, there was a small splotch. She balled it up and tossed it in the nearby trash. Then she looked down. Without the tie, Maks’s shirt was gaping open. He really did have a nice body. He was bulkier than his younger body, but, like Alexi, he didn’t have that swollen look of a body builder. She wanted to reach down and run her fingers over his flat male nipples and see if they’d respond, but then she heard the sound of a male throat being cleared. Alexi.

  “I hope you are pleased with yourself, almost breaking your brother’s nose.” Her tone was tart. She ran a hand through Maks’s hair. “How are you doing, Maks? Do you feel like sitting up now?”

  “Just give me a moment. The light’s bothering my eyes. Maybe Alexi can turn the light off when he leaves.”

  He closed his eyes and turned his head so that his face was pressed against her stomach. He settled as if he was getting ready to take a nap. Damn these Andreivich brothers.

  “Oh no, you don’t! You are not going to sleep on me.” Shimmying, she got out from under him, stood, and let his head drop. “I’ve come here to talk to you both. Once I’ve said my piece, you can go to sleep or back to work or to hell for all I care!”

  Hmm, that got their attention, just like she’d hoped. Maks sat up.

  “You’ve got blood on your shirt, too, Maks.” She frowned and turned to Alexi. “How could you do that to your brother?”

  “He started it!”

  “Don’t whine, Alexi. It’s not becoming. I apologize, Miss Brookdale.”

  “Yes, well, apology accepted, Maks. We still have more to talk about, but first, Alexi, I don’t think it’s a good idea if we play together. I hope you understand.”

  Alexi looked at her in shock, but it was his brother who answered.

  “I understand completely, Miss Brookdale. My brother is young and callow and in no way deserving of a woman such as yourself, especially after the jeopardy he put you in on the weekend. Allow me to make it up to you and offer up myself as your play partner, whenever you have need for one. I assure you, my references are impeccable. You may ask Mac Whelan himself to vouch for me.”

  She watched as Maks sat up and shrugged out of the shirt and made a show of looking at the barely there blood stain. He sighed and looked over at his brother, his smile loving and tolerant. Then he turned it to her and she felt her knees waver. Damn, he was fine. She had to force herself not to stare at his bare torso.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when she Alexi placed a long arm around her waist and pulled her to him.

  “Get stuffed, Maks. She’s my play partner, not yours. Besides, I’m younger and have a bigger cock!”

  * * * *

  At the sound of Miss Haven’s chuckle, they all, including Alexi, burst in to laughter. “Okay, maybe that was too much, but it is true!”

  “In your dreams, baby brother.”

  “Oh, yeah. Miss Haven, please get a measuring tape!”

  Eve turned to the older woman, who was now laughing so hard that tears were running down her face. “They are all yours, Eve. And there’s a ruler the top right drawer of the desk if you think you really need it,” she whispered so the men couldn’t hear, and then she thrust the new shirt into Eve’s hands and was gone.

  Eve looked down at the deep blue shirt that she knew would look wonderful with Maks’s big blue eyes and tossed it on his desk before she melted any further at the thought. Then she turned to Alexi who still had his belt undone and was reaching for his zipper.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  “But…”

  “No measuring. None! Now sit!”

  “Fine!” Alexi did up his belt and flounced over to the couch and flung himself down beside his brother.

  “Are you ready, now, to hear what I have come back to say?”

  He glanced sideways, pulled his T-shirt over his head, and tossed it on the end table. “Now I am ready!”

  “Considering there’s six years between you, I can’t believe how competitive you two are. It’s like you’ve both regressed to the school yard. I want men, not boys.” She shook her head. “I mean, really. You two probably didn’t even go to the same school at the same time, except maybe primary school.”

  Maks nodded. “I was in the sixth grade when he was in kindergarten. He was jealous when he saw my status in the school. He’s never gotten over it. And he hated having me walk him to school, but it was the sort of
thing I did as a responsible Maks.”

  “Liar! You hated every minute of it and made my life miserable!”

  “Ah, Alexi. You were just a baby at the time and are misremembering it.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Boys, boys! Shut up and listen!”

  Two identical sets of blue eyes turned toward her. Except for the fact that Alexi’s hair was blond and Maks’s almost black, and the age difference, they could be twins. They were almost identical in looks, and she was finding passionate temperament.

  She looked back up at them to see them waiting expectantly.

  “I’ve come back because I’ve decided I want and deserve this job. I agreed to this nine-month secondment, and I’m not missing out, do you understand me? I ultimately work for Mac Whelan, and I am not going back to him to tell him that I didn’t last one day. Hell, not even one hour. You don’t want me working here, Maks? Well, too damned bad. Do you understand me, Maks?”

  She waited until he answered. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And you, Alexi. We’ve been play partners, but that’s at the club, not here. You will treat me as a colleague, nothing more or less. You hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Alexi’s agreement was prompt and he shot a look of superiority toward his brother. Damn sibling rivalry.

  “Good, we understand each other. Mrs. Haven will show me to my workstation and help me get situated. I understand there’s a team meeting at two. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  She stood up and walked over to Maks’s desk, aware that two pairs of male eyes were following her every move. She reached into the upper right drawer. The ruler was just where Mrs. Haven had indicated.

  Walking back around the desk, she stood in front of the brothers Andreivich. “If you still want to measure, you can use this. I’ll be at my workstation settling in.”

  She tossed the ruler in their direction before turning on her heal and walking toward the door followed by the sound of stunned male laughter.

  That had gone better than she’d expected. She whistled softly to herself as she went in search of Mrs. Haven.

  * * * *

  Maks looked down at the ruler in his hand and then placed it softly on the end table. Then he turned and slapped his brother upside the head.

  “She is a magnificent woman and you are a moron, Alexi. You were with that woman almost a year and you treated her merely as a play partner? I am ashamed to call you brother. She’s a goddess who deserves to be worshipped, between bouts of spanking to redden that magnificent ass, of course.”

  “Yes, I realize that now, Maks, and I appreciate your assistance helping me to come to that realization. Now I have to go plan my campaign to win her over. I don’t think she likes either of us much right now.”

  “She may not like you, Alexi, but I am the one who saved her from Gordon.”

  “She also overheard what you said about not wanting her working here.”

  “Damn.” He’d forgotten about that. But he could get past it. “I’ll just explain to her that I was worried that her magnificence would distract me from my work.” He shrugged. “It has the advantage of being nothing less than the truth.”

  “Do you really think that an apology will be enough, Maks?”

  “Maybe if we both grovel at her feet then she’ll forgive us?”

  “Both?”

  “Do you think I’m letting you have her? She is a magnificent woman and I want to get to know her better.”

  “But you don’t love her. I do.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since always, I guess. It just took her walking out to make me realize it. You don’t love her though.”

  “Love her? I admit I barely know her, but also I know that I’m more attracted to her than I’ve been to another woman in years. I know that I should step aside since you met her first, but you let her go, Alexi. Not to worry, though. I have a plan.”

  “What are you proposing?”

  “Simple. We share.”

  Chapter Five

  “You want to what?” Eve didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or jump up in triumph at hitting the Andreivich jackpot. “Explain it to me again.”

  It was Friday and the three of them were sitting in a dark and romantic restaurant at a table so small that their knees touched. She wasn’t even sure how she’d ended up here with them. After the kerfuffle in Maks’s office, the day had gone swiftly. Mrs. Haven, who asked Eve to call her Alicia, had helped her get settled into the office of the Design Team Leader, who was on vacation until Monday, while her workstation was set up. She quickly realized that this was the office of Irina Romanova, the designer that Alexi had mentioned as disliking any woman Maks was interested in. Somehow she didn’t think she’d be happy to have Eve use her office. She’d have to be very careful not to rearrange anything and hopefully she’d never know Eve had been using it.

  Then there were a series of meetings including a working meeting over lunch. She’d eaten sandwiches and crunched on veggies as the design team had walked her through what they’d been working on.

  Apparently after the ideas she’d thrown out at the Club, Maks and Alexi had set their staff designing up a storm, incorporating her ideas into their concept. In fact, a new model was almost complete, and she loved it. She was able to make a couple of suggestions, but the team was top notch and they’d done a wonderful job.

  At two, there had been a full staff meeting and she’d been formally introduced to the team, but it really wasn’t necessary at that point. She felt welcome and a part of the team. She couldn’t wait to meet the Team Lead on Monday. She had to be amazing based on the team she’d assembled.

  Eve wished she’d be able do more, though. As an artist, she wasn’t going to be able to contribute to the design work, but she’d already started on some concept watercolors that the team had raved over.

  The interior designers had brought her their swatches. Some were perfect. She made suggestions for others for the restaurant and public areas. After the big meeting, she had one with the team who were designing the actual club interior. It was clear that none of them were in the lifestyle and they’d all blushed furiously when she tried to describe exactly what was needed in the rooms. She’d laughed and promised to set up a field trip the next morning to Club Libertine and walk them personally through the private rooms.

  She’d made a few calls and then met up with the team bright and early on Friday. Only the cleaning staff were in the club and she’d taken them through the main club and shown them the bar area, explaining that little if any alcohol was served on the premises.

  “It’s hard to be safe, sane, and consensual during play if you are drunk.”

  “Does there have to be alcohol served in the club? Could we use the upper level of the restaurant for people who want to drink after they play?” The young designer, Beth, blushed but she soldiered on. “We could call the club bar the Virgin Bar, and only serve non-alcoholic drinks. The bartenders could fix all sorts of fancy virgin drinks with umbrellas and stuff. I mean…”

  Her voice trailed off, but Eve had been delighted with her initiative and had complimented her. Before she could say anything, Jake Hughes, one of the Club Doms, spoke up. “I like it. Maybe not the umbrellas, but the subs will like that. It’s a pain in the ass trying to track who’s been served and how much. I’ll vote in favor of the Virgin Bar. Great name by the way!” He grinned and winked at Beth before walking away whistling.

  Beth blushed bright red at the compliment, clearly unused to the boss noticing her, but then she smiled broadly. Eve felt almost like a proud mother. Helping Beth felt good.

  Suddenly Beth now showed a new confidence, asking questions about any and everything, at least until they got to the medical play room. She’d taken one look at the gyno table with all the leather straps not found in any real medical office and had swallowed hard, turned on her heal and ran, mumbling something about getting some water. Eve had been worried, but Beth had returned
in time to see the school room and the jail cell which were the final two rooms on the tour.

  It had been a good two days. At the end, she’d been invited out for a drink with the team. That had been nice too. She’d been surprised to see the Andreivich brothers who she hadn’t really seen since the big Thursday staff meeting. She’d heard Maks’s thundering voice once and thought she’d caught a glimpse of Alexi, but it was like they were avoiding her.

  She’d just shrugged and tried not to feel hurt. She should have known they were up to something. She wasn’t even sure how they’d managed to cut her from the herd and she’d ended here with the two of them.

  And now…Well, she must have misheard Maks. His accent was sounding particularly strong this evening, and she was sure that he hadn’t said what she thought he said.

  * * * *

  Alexi glared at his brother. “Shut up, Maks. You are making a hash of this.” He turned to Eve and smiled. “What my idiot brother is trying to say is how much we both like and respect you and that we’d both like to, er…well, we’d like to…”

  “Yes, baby brother. You’re doing so much better than I was.”

  “Shut up, Maks,” he repeated. “Let me finish.”

  He took Eve’s hand in one of his. “Eve, Angel. We’ve known each other a year now, and we’ve always enjoyed playing together, at least, well, I always have.”

  “And I’ve enjoyed playing with you, Alexi. You are a very talented Dom.”

  Alexi smiled and then he frowned. “But, do you like me as a man, Angel?”

  “Well, yes. You are a very nice man. Everyone at the office has nothing but wonderful things to say about you.”

  “What do they say about me?” Maks asked drily.

  “Well, they—well, they respect you and most of them think you are just a big teddy bear who likes to roar to cover up your soft gooey interior.”