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  Break Me In

  Sara Brookes

  Book 3 in the Geek Kink series.

  Elena avoids relationships by using her flogger as a shield. Alex is struggling with substance abuse and Elena will do nearly anything to help him conquer his demons, even risk losing him forever. When he comes home, whole and healthy, he raises the stakes by requesting their friendship turn into a D/s bond. His submission will change their dynamic forever. She convinces herself it’s just sex. Love and desire aren’t part of the equation.

  Under Elena’s reverent command, Alex finds a comfort he’s always yearned for. He’s happier than ever as he spends his days slinging coffee and his nights bound and collared. Submitting to Elena exposes more than his strengths—it reveals a powerful attraction. Most of all, it uncovers their passionate love. He’s ready to convince her there’s no reason to mask her feelings, but his efforts are derailed when his toxic past resurfaces to annihilate their future.

  A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Break Me In

  Sara Brookes

  Chapter One

  Elena hated weddings.

  Second only, of course, to love.

  She didn’t have time to pussyfoot around with the dance two people played with each other. Long ago she’d replaced love with sex because fucking was simple. Fucking was clear-cut and no-nonsense.

  Fucking was easier to sate.

  One night inside the walls of her favorite place was enough to take the edge off any desire she had to take a chance on love. Unfortunately Sanctuary was being used in a different capacity tonight.

  A wedding.

  Despite her deep-seated loathing for celebrations of love, she couldn’t help but tap her foot with the beat while she swirled her red wine. The melody of the music pouring from the overhead speakers was slow and romantic with just a hint of ferocity under the surface. The perfect song for Patrick and Allison Conners as they shared their first dance as husband and wife.

  Elena watched the couple drift effortlessly across the floor. They’d found each other, overcome insecurities and misunderstandings and pledged their lives to each other. To love, honor and obey.

  While they floated across the floor Elena was reminded of what she’d missed out on in life because of the choices she’d made. Single. Childless. Pitifully alone. All vivid reminders why she despised celebrations of love. Events such as this one made her maudlin and morose for the possibilities she didn’t have.

  Stupid, pointless love.

  It wasn’t as though she was unhappy for the pair. Two of her closest friends had just committed themselves to each other. Great for them, but it wasn’t her style at all.

  The song ended and she joined the small group of revelers as they congratulated the happy couple with enthusiastic applause. Her gaze moved away as Patrick dipped his wife and the couple passionately kissed.

  During her quick scan of the room, she gaze landed on Alex.

  Poor guy. He looked pitiful, consuming beer after beer. His quiet contemplation was a contradiction to the excitement and sheer joy surrounding him. A stone statue amid riotous chaos. Being at a wedding had to be hard on the guy. Divorce tended to make people see love in a different light. The drawn expression on his face made Elena want to gather him up in a tight hug, which clearly signaled she needed to leave.

  “Another drink, ma’am?”

  Elena turned to give the young man behind the bar a coy smile. When she’d sat down earlier he’d immediately starting flirting with reckless abandon. Much, much too young for her tastes. Much too inexperienced in matters of sex as well, that much was obvious to her trained eye. He didn’t scream virgin to her, but she liked her men with a few more years under the belt.

  She wasn’t looking for a novice. In fact she wasn’t looking for anyone at all. She’d made the choice to be single for a reason. Being alone meant she could devote more time to things she enjoyed without having to worry about attachments.

  “Not tonight, thanks. I think I’m done.” She slid a hefty tip his way because—flirting aside—he’d provided great service. Not to mention provided her with some nice eye candy for a few hours.

  Who needed love when there was lust?

  He flashed a naïve smile at her again. She pushed away from the bar before she changed her mind and took steps to find out what the bartender would look like kneeling before her.

  She had always been a sucker for a man on his knees. Bound by chains and leather, a sturdy steel ring surrounding his cock to drive the point home she alone controlled his orgasms. His pleasure. Her weakness was exactly why she rarely allowed a submissive the privilege of being on his knees.

  Her job was to expose their weaknesses, not display hers.

  Motion on the other side the room stopped her thoughts. She watched with fascination as the only bridesmaid in the wedding party—Allison’s cousin Sunny—plopped down into a chair next to Alex.

  Oh boy.

  This could get interesting.

  Immediately chatty, the woman didn’t give a moment’s pause despite the apathetic look Alex gave her. She prattled on as if they were best friends who’d known each other for years. Alex didn’t stop her despite his obvious annoyance. Like his younger brother, Alex Conners was a gentleman. Their mother had made certain the boys had grown up considerate to a fault despite the hellish childhood their father had put them through.

  No doubt about it, the Conners boys were survivors.

  Just then a loud cry split the air and Sunny clapped her hands over her mouth. Alex stood, waving his hands as he put a few inches between them. Despite his attempt to assure her he was fine, Sunny frantically dabbed her napkin a few inches below Alex’s crotch.

  Elena stifled a snort as he gently took Sunny’s wrist and moved it away. He was apologetic despite the fact she had been the one to spill her champagne. Sunny followed him when he dashed off to the restroom, waving her napkin in the air like a white flag seeking surrender.

  Poor, poor Alex. He’d be lucky to blow her off tonight. Or he’d spend the rest of the night in the restroom hiding from her. The woman had shown her persistence when it had come to picking out her bridesmaid’s dress a few months ago, so Alex had his work cut out for him.

  Allison, bless her heart, had given Elena complete freedom when it came to her maid-of-honor gown. Of course, she made certain Allison was always with her every step of the way, but the last thing Elena needed was a pink confection dress to clash with her fiery-red hair. Such a travesty was easily dismissed as cute at seven years old, but as an adult it was unforgivable.

  Pretty in pink she wasn’t.

  Making her way to the exit, she was intercepted by half of the newlywed couple. As a blushing bride, Allison Conners fit the bill perfectly. At Elena’s insistence they’d taken a weekend trip to New York City to shop for Allison’s wedding dress. Even though Allison had insisted she wasn’t interested in some frothy gown, that was just what she’d ended up buying. Yards of gauzy material floated behind her as she grabbed Elena’s arm.

  “And just where do you think you’re going?”

  “I was going to politely slip out—after wishing you two well of course. My arches are screaming.”

  “I’ll never understand your fascination with wearing those killers.”

  “If I’m not mistaken you’re wearing a pair of those killers yourself tonight.” Elena pointed to the splash of color peeking from under the hem of Allison’s bridal gown.

  “Only because you stole my sneakers.”

  “Shabby black sneakers and Vera Wang do not mix.” Elena laughed as Allison pulled up her dress and modeled the vibrantly colored shoes. “Leave it to you to never do anything traditional. It’s like a Sunday morning comic strip page come to life on
your feet.”

  “Have to keep my geek cred intact somehow, right?”

  “How are my two favorite ladies doing?” As the man she thought of as a brother slid next to his wife, Elena noted Patrick had lost his tuxedo jacket and tie. He’d also opened the top two buttons on his crisp white shirt. The photographer would undoubtedly have a small fit when it came time to cut the cake because everything wasn’t perfect. Then again, it wasn’t as if Patrick would likely care. He’d always tended to go his own way.

  Allison curled her arm around Patrick’s narrow waist, pulling their bodies together. “Elena was just about to slip out on us.”

  “Meanwhile, I’d like to slip into something else.”

  Elena covered her laugh with a soft cough at Patrick’s bold statement. Allison flushed pink as she tugged on the thin gray band circling her neck. She hadn’t removed her collar even for the wedding ceremony. “Ready to consummate the marriage already?”

  “Oh no,” he paused to flash a wicked grin at Elena. “Already taken care of earlier.”

  “When in the hell—never mind.” She held up a hand when Patrick shot her a grin. “Don’t. I really, really don’t want to know. I really am going to head out of here. Unlike those who get a week off to go traipsing around St. Barts, some of us still have to work.”

  Allison’s hand closed around her wrist. “You know, it’s traditional for the maid of honor and the best man to dance together.”

  The knot in Elena’s stomach tightened, nearly making her sick. She’d had enough dealings with Alex tonight and she’d grown tired of doing her best to avoid him. It was exhausting.

  The minute they’d had to casually walk down the aisle together had been sheer torture for her. She’s always treated both of the Conners as her own family considering her fucked-up family dynamic, but recently there had been a shift she kept doing her best not to acknowledge.

  She’d watched Alex go through a horrible divorce. They’d even had lengthy talks about the dark moment in his life. But one day something had changed for her. Suddenly little Alex Conners wasn’t so brotherly anymore. He was handsome and appealing. Charming. Attractive.

  And very, very off-limits.

  “Think I’ll skip the traditional route if you don’t mind. Besides, Alex doesn’t seem to be in the party mood anymore.” Allison frowned as Elena explained what happened. “Anyway, don’t let this ruin your celebration. You two enjoy, I need to get going.”

  As she started to turn away, Allison grabbed her into a hug. “Thank you. For everything.”

  In the year she’d known Allison they’d become great friends. Their closeness had deepened and bloomed so Elena couldn’t help loving her like a sister. She still remembered the night they’d talked about the trouble Allison had found herself in with Patrick. Nothing a good, long conversation between the two hadn’t fixed, but she’d felt some kind of eternal connection with Allison she’d never been able to explain.

  “No thanks, remember?”

  Allison pulled away, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. “Don’t get in too much trouble, all right?”

  Elena tipped her head. “I cause trouble, remember?”

  Patrick winked as he clutched Allison close, spinning her back out onto the dance floor. The two were so made for each other, the sweetness of the moment nearly hurt her teeth. Laughing, Elena stepped out onto the sidewalk and into the cold February night.

  A ring of smokers stood off to the left, huddling around one another as they puffed on their cigarettes. Feeling nostalgic, Elena deliberately strode past them on her way to where she’d parked her car. Damn, some nights she really missed smoking. Times like these she also missed the fact she couldn’t use a vice to work off her frustration.

  Those little addictive sticks were so simple and easy to get lost in.

  She couldn’t even use Sanctuary to help take the edge off either because the former warehouse site had been transformed as the gathering place for Patrick and Allison’s wedding and reception. But it seemed only fitting the couple marry in the same place their relationship blossomed.

  Elena forced out a heavy breath as she waited for the interior of her car to heat. The snow that had fallen just days earlier had crystalized everything as far as the eye could see. Now the town was overrun with tourists seeking their thrills on the ski slopes.

  Her cell phone chimed on the console and she made a grab for it with cold fingers. The message was from Chaplin Ellis, the owner of the club she frequented when she didn’t want to use Sanctuary. His sister had fallen ill and he needed to stay home with her. Ian would oversee operations for the night, but he wanted to know if she could be around to lend an extra hand.

  Which meant she would have to change her plans, alter the time she’d planned to arrive at the club to a few hours earlier. She’d already decided to duck out after Patrick and Allison left the reception in order to head for the club around midnight.

  She responded to Chaplin then fired off an instant message to change a meeting time before tossing the cell phone into the seat beside her. Reversing out of the slot, she punched the gas.

  The club would be the perfect thing to get her mind off the wedding.

  Off love and all the fluffy shit those emotions brought to her life.

  She didn’t have time to deal with them.

  Thirty-five minutes later she pulled into the parking lot of the one place she did have time to deal with. Element Twenty-Six, an exclusive BDSM club on the outskirts of Gatlin Falls. Now there was a place she could understand whatever her mood.

  Giddy with the possibilities the night now held, she parked in the side lot for members and entered the building. A quick change into her favored white leathers and she was out on the main floor in a matter of minutes.

  Her second home.

  The club was in fine form for Open Door night. Chaplin allowed those without memberships to enter the exclusive fetish club for a single evening each year. He’d pulled out all the stops tonight, draping small white LED bulbs around the crown molding to add a soft glow to the entire room. The gentle lighting highlighted the darkest corners of the club. The glow even emphasized the crowd milling around waiting for any sort of activity to get started.

  The fact nothing was happening wasn’t a good sign.

  If someone didn’t start a scene soon the newbies would lose interest and leave. Not good for a club trying to grow its membership. Or the word-of-mouth advertising the club depended upon. It wasn’t as though Chaplin could slap a thirty-second ad slot on during the nightly news.

  The town gossips would have a field day.

  These people milling around didn’t know this wasn’t normal operations. By this hour on most Saturday nights the scene areas were in use and the atmosphere was much different.

  What the hell was up with the rest of the membership tonight?

  Anxious to get things started, she stepped onto a stage in the center of the club and dropped her toy bag onto a table. A quick glance at the numbers of the discreet clock embedded in the post behind the table indicated her partner for the night was late. Certainly didn’t help her mood much. Ideally she would have liked to arrive and find Gideon already waiting for her.

  A sub keeping a Domme waiting wasn’t good form. Not to mention outright rude.

  She came to the club tonight looking to relax. Gideon’s absence further added to her agitation. If she’d wanted this kind of anxiety she could have stayed at the Conners’ wedding.

  “Sorry. Sorry. Meeting ran later than I expected. And then I didn’t see your IM until the dessert cart came around.” Gideon stripped off his expensive jacket, placing it on a hook jutting from the post. “Busy place tonight.” He removed his silk tie, looping it over the collar of his suit jacket. As he started to unfasten the buttons of his starched shirt she caught a glimpse of something white.

  Interest piqued, she recognized what he wore underneath. Things had just gotten a bit more interesting. She pushed away from the colu
mn, coming to stop directly in front of him. Her hands rested lightly over his, preventing him from removing the shirt. His head lifted, his babbling about his late dinner with a client trailing off as his baby blues met her gaze.

  “You wore this under your clothes during your very important client dinner?”

  The side of his mouth curled in a sexy half-smile. “That is what my Mistress ordered.”

  “Such an attentive pet.” She brushed his hands to the side, taking over the task of unfastening the buttons. She worked more slowly than he had, taking her time to peel away the outer layer of stuffy lawyer. As she worked, the agitation rattling her nerves smoothed.

  She always found comfort in this process.

  Tossing his perfectly ironed slacks to the side, she drank in the sight of the white PVC harness she’d given him the last time they’d scened together. Six wide bands circled his body, evenly spaced down a torso she knew he spent hours in the gym perfecting. Her gaze traveled lower to the strip of PVC, which ran vertically down the succulent ridges of his flat abdomen.

  The titanium ring she’d sewn to the end of the strip currently surrounded his cock. His body fit and toned, the straps highlighted the broad expanse of his shoulders and chest. Gideon wasn’t a small man, standing a full three inches taller than she even when she wore her tallest heels.

  Strong men always fell the hardest.

  Especially when it came to matters of submission and domination.

  Just the sort of detail Elena loved.

  “Something is still missing.” Gideon’s gaze tracked her as she reached into her toy bag. His heavy sigh washed over her as she extracted a cock cap. His dick jerked as she slowly made her way back to him, cap dangling from one finger.

  “Nice to know I’m appreciated.” His erection grew harder, tapping against his abdomen. “Very nice.” She stepped closer, trailing her fingers over the hard steel package he’d presented to her. A package she now controlled since she would determine when he was granted relief.