Penelope's Gift [The Black Dahlia Hotel 4] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge) Read online

  The Black Dahlia Hotel 4

  Penelope’s Gift

  Penelope Wilson was planning on a sexy weekend at the lake with her boyfriend and Dom, Jay Preston Fairlamb. When she arrived at the cabin, she found Jay had unilaterally decided they would try a ménage and had a woman all lined up and ready to go. Penelope was shocked, hurt, furious, and done with Jay.

  Jay knew he’d handled the situation poorly but didn’t expect Pen to storm off and cut him out of her life for good. He hadn’t been able to mend his fences, and he wanted her back.

  When he learned that Penelope and her friends would be at the luxurious, new BDSM Black Dahlia Hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach, he knew this might be his one and only chance to corner Penelope and make her listen and make whole something he knew he had carelessly broken.

  Can a black mask and a lot of love heal their breach, or will Jay’s subterfuge blow up in his face permanently?

  Genre: BDSM, Contemporary

  Length: 37,323 words

  PENELOPE'S GIFT

  The Black Dahlia Hotel 4

  Skye Michaels

  SIREN LOVEEDGE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Siren LoveEdge

  PENELOPE'S GIFT

  Copyright © 2014 by Skye Michaels

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-616-2

  First E-book Publication: November 2014

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Penelope's Gift by Skye Michaels from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Skye Michaels’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Skye Michaels’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  For all of my family, friends and readers.

  I hope you enjoy this new series set in my own backyard, beautiful South Florida. Sometimes we who live here take it for granted.

  Life happens. Enjoy the journey.

  Special thanks to Joe Walker and Christine DeCava for allowing me to use Joe’s proposal and Christine’s note to Joe. There is romance in real life!

  With many thanks to my beta readers, Patricia Walker, Jennifer Torlone, Donnette Hawley and Eileen Dix for all their help.

  The Black Dahlia Hotel Series:

  Mikaela and Dillon’s story in Mikaela’s Debut, Book 1

  Vaughn and Paul’s story in Vaughn’s Awakening, Book 2

  Melodie and Logan’s story in Melodie’s Song, Book 3

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  PENELOPE'S GIFT

  The Black Dahlia Hotel 4

  SKYE MICHAELS

  Copyright © 2014

  Prologue

  On Route 30 heading back to Dallas, Texas from the Fairlamb cabin on Lake Ray Hubbard near Rowlett, Texas, Friday morning, September 3, 2010, Labor Day Weekend (Five years ago)

  Penelope Wilson was driving back toward Dallas on Highway 30 from the Fairlamb brothers’ fishing cabin on Lake Ray Hubbard. She didn’t know if she was more mad or more hurt at the moment. She did know she was madder than a wet hen. That bastard, Jay Fairlamb. Asshole. She was done with him. Finished, finito, done, done, done.

  She picked up her cell phone and dialed one of her best friends, Kathi Easton. When the call was answered, she said, “I’m on my way back to Dallas. You are not going to believe what just happened. Can you meet me for lunch? I’ll be back in town in about an hour.”

  “Sure. How about that Tex-Mex place near your apartment? I could do some nachos and Dos Equis. I thought you were spending the weekend at the lake with Jay. What happened?”

  “I need tequila. Lots of tequila. The bastard had some other woman there when I arrived. He decided he wanted to try a ménage.”

  “You mean she was just there? He didn’t talk to you about it first or anything?”

  “Nope. He said it had been on his mind for a while, although he never discussed the possibility with me. He said, ‘Masters make these decisions, and slaves obey.’ I think he was surprised when I said ‘No way. No fucking way.’”

  “Oh, Pen. Honey, I’m sorry. I know how you feel about him. That was a totally shit thing to do, not to mention totally inconsiderate—D/s or M/s or what the hell notwithstanding.”

  “Have I been such a doormat that he thought I would be okay with this shit?” Tears still streamed from her eyes and down her face, making it hard to see the road. “I’ll see you at Azteca at noon. I’m going to drop Bojangles off at my apartment first.” She disconnected the call and turned the car radio up loud. Bojangles, her happy-go-lucky, four-year-old Goldendoodle, was sprawled in the back of the SUV, totally oblivious to his mistress’s distress.

  Penelope and Bojangles had arrived at the big, rustic log cabin
on the lake, surrounded by several acres of pine forest, mid-morning after an easy drive out from Dallas. She had been shocked and dismayed to find that Jay had invited a tall, dark-haired woman she did not know for the weekend. He had actually said he wanted to try out a ménage. He was bringing another woman into their relationship without discussing it with her first or anything. That shit was not going to fly with her.

  Thank goodness they hadn’t carried her bags into the cabin yet. She had grabbed up her dog, handbag and keys and run back out to her car that was still parked under the portico at the front of the cabin. She had torn out of the driveway, spewing gravel in her wake while Jay stood in the doorway with the other woman standing behind him and watched her go. She hadn’t been able to make out his expression through the tears streaming from her eyes.

  Penelope and Jay had met while she was still at the University of Texas-Dallas. She was almost finished with her Bachelor of Arts in Finance. She had always been interested in how money worked, and she found the financial markets endlessly fascinating and exciting. Jay had already graduated and gone back to the family ranch outside Mesquite to help his brother. He had decided to pursue a Master’s in Science Degree in Ranch Management at Texas A&M-Kingsville. His brother, Jordan, ran the practical side of the ranch, and Jay wanted to be the money man and run the business side. Penelope and Jay hadn’t clicked at the time. They’d had a lot of interests in common, but nothing had developed between them. Years later, when Penelope encountered Jay at a business breakfast in Dallas, the attraction had been immediate.

  Aside from their mutual interest in finance, Jay was big, though still a bit gangly, with long, wavy dark hair that he tied back with a leather thong. He was extremely masculine and very handsome. Generations of Texas cowboy blood ran in his veins. What was not to like? Things had progressed in a normal fashion—if not somewhat quickly—into bed. Jay was a considerate and exciting lover, but Penelope sensed there was something more under the surface. It had taken him about six months to get around to introducing her to what was apparently his real interest—BDSM.

  He had explained that the acronym BDSM stood for Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission and Sadomasochism, although some people called it “the lifestyle.” Truthfully, she hadn’t known such a thing existed. He’d been careful to go slow and not scare her. She had found the initial bondage and light spanking sexy and exciting. He slowly increased the level of intensity until they were in a Dominant/submissive relationship, and she had given him the gift of her submission. It hadn’t been a twenty-four-seven situation and had developed gradually into more. She had her job as a trainee at a national stockbrokerage firm in Dallas, and her own apartment. At the beginning of their relationship, Jay was fairly new to BDSM himself, having recently been introduced to the practice by a friend from Texas A&M. He had joined the Le Club Longhorn-Dallas, a private BDSM club in downtown Dallas, and was still exploring the possibilities himself.

  Jay had always been the dominant partner in their interactions anyway. His upping the ante a bit had not been very surprising, and she had always thought he had a slightly dark edge. Jay had been a bit domineering and bossy, in a very sexy way. They had just never given that dynamic a name. He had carefully explained safe words and hard limits, and she had trusted him enough to give it a try. She found she liked it, even as they got more deeply into the practice. The sex was off the charts, and it had always been very good between them. Jay was the driving force in their relationship, and she had mostly gone along for the ride. She didn’t really view herself as a submissive woman. She found that Jay loved it when she tried to participate, and she very much wanted to make Jay happy.

  Eventually, he had suggested they escalate to a Master/slave relationship. It had not been a twenty-four- seven situation, as she still maintained her own apartment, job and friends. That dynamic had made her a bit nervous. By that time, she knew she was in love with Jay Fairlamb, and she would have tried anything to please him. If she were honest with herself, she would have to admit that she had never really embraced the Master/slave thing. It had been like a game to her, until this weekend.

  Chapter One

  The open range at The Rockin’ F Ranch, Mesquite, Texas, Christmas morning, Friday, December 25, 2015

  Jay Preston Fairlamb gave the barrel of his black quarter horse gelding, Shadow, a gentle squeeze, and he broke into a rocking lope. He grinned as his brother Jordan’s three-year-old quarter horse mare, Bella, followed suit. She kept up with the older, bigger horse stride for stride. Jordan was currently training the mare for a career as a cutting horse. She had been broke to saddle for a year, but they didn’t rush training on the Rockin’ F. Jordan wanted to be sure her legs were ready for the treacherous twisting and turning involved in cutting. If Bella didn’t show a talent for cutting, his brother would try her at roping or reining. So far, she was showing a good, steady mind, and the cattle didn’t bother her at all.

  The bloodlines of the horses on the Rockin’ F were impeccable and went back many, many generations to the foundation sire, Aztec Warrior’s Gold, purchased by their great-great-grandfather in the 1800s, when the Rockin’ F had been established. Top-notch working horses, as well as Grade-A prime Black Angus beef, were the mainstays of the ranch, together with a dude ranch and hunting lodge for tourists, and some other agricultural endeavors.

  The brothers had enjoyed a big ranch breakfast prepared by Maria, the housekeeper who had helped raise them, before heading out for a brisk, after-breakfast pleasure ride, something neither of them had the time for very often.

  “So, you’re planning a trip to Florida with the club for New Year’s? Some new hotel?” Jordan, a four-years-older version of Jay, looked over at him and pointed toward the east, where a herd of Black Angus cattle grazed in the shade of some cottonwood trees. “Let’s roust that crowd over there just for the fun of it. I want to see how Bella does.”

  Jay grinned. “Okay.” They turned toward the small herd of beef cattle and picked up the pace to an easy gallop. “Yeah. I need some R and R. Actually, it’s a new BDSM hotel affiliated with Jamie Devereau’s yacht. Should be interesting.”

  “Is that all it is, little brother?” They were nearing the herd which had all lifted their heads as though they were one animal. Jordan spotted a cow near the center of the herd, moved in, and pointed Bella toward the one he wanted. Jay hung back out of the way and watched the pair work. Jordan centered his body weight, loosened his reins, and let the mare do her job. It was a beautiful sight. Jordan had a natural, relaxed seat that freed the mare’s back muscles so she could move in and nudge the cow out of the herd. She circled around, cutting off the cow’s avenue of escape, and finally moved her to the edge of the herd.

  “She’s a natural. A little more experience and she’ll be one of our best.”

  “I had a feeling about her when she was just a filly, always pushing the other young ’uns from here to there and then back again for the fun of it.” He grinned. “Speaking of the fun of it…what’s up with this trip to Florida?” After Jordan and Bella had cut the cow from the herd, they let her return to the fold, picked up their easy lope again, and headed back toward the tree-lined creek in the distance.

  “Shit. You have those oversized ears of yours to the ground at all times, don’t ’cha, big brother?”

  “You better believe it. What’s the shit?”

  “Michael told me in confidence that Penelope Wilson is booked on the trip with those two crazy girlfriends of hers that belong to the club. As far as I know, she hasn’t been near the club in five years.”

  “I wonder why she would go now.” Jordan glanced over at him with one dark eyebrow raised in question.

  “I’m guessing she doesn’t think I’ll be in Florida. That’s all I can figure. Michael promised not to put my name on the list until the last minute. She’s had me blocked on her cell and house phones, and the receptionist at her office knows not to put my calls through. I gave up trying about three years
ago. I didn’t want to go all ‘ugly stalker’ on her. I figured I’d done enough damage already. This trip to Florida is just a gift from the BDSM gods.”

  “Jay…I don’t think this is lookin’ like a good idea, bro.”

  “Probably not, but if I’ve got a shot at finally making her listen, I’m gonna take it.”

  “She hasn’t wanted to listen up ‘til now. What makes you think anything has changed? Really, Jay. I think you should let the cat lick up that spilt milk and forget about her.”

  “Can’t. Tried. Didn’t work.”

  “I never did understand why you fucked up a good thing.”

  “Young and stupid, I guess. I had an itch to try the ménage thing. I thought Pen would go along with it because she had always been eager to please me before that. It was a colossal miscalculation on my part, which I made worse with my big mouth. I was sorry the minute I saw the look on her face, but she was out the fuckin’ door so fast, I couldn’t get another word out.”

  “I still don’t get it. The BDSM wasn’t enough to scratch your itch? Especially with a beautiful, willing woman like Penelope?” Jordan shook his head in disgust.

  “Like I said, young and stupid. I’ve grown up since then. I know what I threw away, and I want it back.” He sighed deep. “I saw an article about her in Dallas Today Magazine last year. She looks better than ever. A little maturity hasn’t hurt her a bit. She’s filled out—no longer a girl, and all class and sass. In the picture, she was wearing a short, tight suit with the string of pearls I’d given her around her neck. Her streaky blonde hair was all gathered up on top of her head. I wanted to kiss that neck…”