Training Sasha (Club Zodiac Book 1) Read online

  Training Sasha

  Becca Jameson

  Copyright © 2018 by Becca Jameson

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-946911-28-5

  Print ISBN: 978-1-946911-29-2

  Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter

  Editor: Christa Soule

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

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Also by Becca Jameson

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank my editor, Christa Soule, for the countless hours she spends on the phone with me working out my plots when my characters aren’t cooperating! She is truly a gem. She deserves tremendous credit for making me dig deep and ask the hard questions.

  As usual, a shout out to my cover artist, Scott Carpenter, for creating perfect covers and then changing them entirely when I decide the models fit better on book number two!

  A special extra thank you to my daughter, Rebecca, for all her hard work on this series. I was pressed for time this month!

  About the Book

  His friend’s little sister...

  Sasha Easton has had her eye on Lincoln Walsh—the owner of Club Zodiac—for five years. Unfortunately, he does nothing but scowl at her and reject her every shy advance.

  She’s not right for him...

  Lincoln doesn’t have a choice but to discourage Sasha because the truth is that he’s a sadist. And Sasha is no masochist. No matter how much he might want her in his bed, he can’t change the type of Dom he is.

  She’s not as innocent as he thinks...

  Determined to get Lincoln to see her as more than his business partner’s little sister, Sasha delivers an ultimatum—let her join Club Zodiac or she’ll explore her submission elsewhere.

  Can he train her and let her go?

  Watching the only woman he’s ever wanted play with another Dom is more than Lincoln can bear, so he finds himself agreeing to train her himself. After all, he’s confident if he pushes her hard enough, he can protect her from the lifestyle and himself from admitting the truth about his feelings.

  Prologue

  Sasha Easton had other plans that night, plans that didn’t entail hanging around Club Zodiac with her brother Rowen’s coworkers on her seventeenth birthday. The only reason she wasn’t irritated by the party they’d organized was because she knew everyone would disperse to start their jobs one floor below at eight o’clock.

  Rowen had been working at Club Zodiac three nights a week since shortly before she’d moved in with him five years ago when their mother died. His coworkers were also his best friends. And by default, they treated her like a kid sister.

  Sasha loved them all. Every one of them had a hand in her formative years, everything from helping her with homework, to ensuring she had dinner, to scrutinizing her choice in friends.

  Tonight was different. Not only were they gathered to wish her a happy birthday, but tonight was the night the new owner took over Zodiac. Sasha hadn’t met him yet, but she’d heard the rumblings. She was anxious to get a glimpse of him if for no other reason than to discern whether or not the rumors about him were true.

  If the gossip were to be believed, Lincoln Walsh was the entire package—tall, dark, and handsome. The way the female employees whispered about him with reverence indicated he also exuded power.

  So, Sasha was filled with mixed emotions as she made her way around the breakroom above the club, greeting everyone with a gracious smile, anticipating the moment she could tear out of there to catch up with her friends, and a bit nervous about meeting Rowen’s new boss.

  The previous owner, John Gilbert, had retired. He was in his mid-sixties and had treated Sasha like a granddaughter from the moment she’d met him. After her mother died, he’d agreed to let her hang out in his office or the breakroom on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights while her brother worked.

  John adored her. He was always smiling and often laughing, the deep kind of chuckle that made his entire body shake. He provided a hug when she was feeling down. He filled her stomach with desserts his wife made. And he often slid her cash when no one was looking. A lady should always have a few dollars on her.

  She smiled at the memories.

  Tonight was a turning point for the club. She wasn’t the only one feeling the tension. She would miss John, but she hadn’t spent nearly as much time at the club in the last year since she’d gotten her driver’s license and no longer needed late-night supervision.

  She was standing in the back corner, talking with Carter Ellis—one of Rowen’s best friends who went all the way back to their days in the army—when a hush fell over the room. She turned toward the doorway and lifted her gaze, and then her breath caught in her lungs.

  No one had exaggerated when they spoke of the new owner. He was over six feet with thick, dark hair and dark skin that didn’t come from the sun but rather from a gene pool that undoubtedly included someone of Asian descent. If that wasn’t enough, he was also built in a way that indicated he worked out often and took pride in his body.

  Lincoln Walsh entered the makeshift party with a friendly smile, greeting the staff with handshakes and nods. Easygoing while at the same time exuding an air of authority that belied his age, which she knew to be only twenty-five. He was young to own a club.

  He was all Dom. Sexy as hell.

  Sasha remained tongue-tied, unable to move from her spot across the room. She realized the foolishness of her strange attraction but couldn’t stop the physical reaction taking over her body.

  It was the first time she experienced true arousal. The first time she felt the tingling sensation in her clit. The tightening of her nipples. The wetness pooling between her legs.

  Also for the first time, she felt a sense of self-consciousness. Glancing down at her white shorts and yellow camisole, she wondered how she looked to others around her. Probably young. She needed to think about getting some more grown-up clothes. Black maybe. No way would she ever impress a man like Lincoln Walsh dressed as if she were a walking advertisement for virginity.

  Her hands grew sweaty and her mouth dry. Mesmerized, she stood completely still and waited for him to approach. When he did, she swallowed and licked her lips but couldn’t manage to utter a word.

  His eyes sparkled when he took her hand and held it in both of his. He winked at her. “Lincoln Walsh. You must be Rowen’s sister.”

  She nodded.

  “You look so young. I understand this party is for you. How old
are you?”

  “Seventeen,” she murmured.

  Lincoln’s face froze, his smile fell, and then he dropped her hand as if she had the plague. “Seventeen?”

  “Yes.” It was difficult to utter that one word considering the total change in his demeanor.

  Rowen approached from behind, coming up on Lincoln’s side. “I see you met my sister.”

  Lincoln spun toward him, his face hard, his eyes scrunched together. “She’s seventeen?”

  Rowen frowned. “Yes.”

  “I thought you said she’d been hanging around the club for years.”

  “She has.” Rowen let those two words draw out longer than necessary.

  A hush spread across the room as Lincoln’s words grew louder. “She’s underage.”

  Rowen flinched. “I know that. She’s not a member. She’s my sister.”

  “She can’t be here at all. It’s against the law.”

  “She doesn’t come into the club itself. She takes the stairs to the third floor and hangs out in John’s office or the breakroom.” The two floors that constituted the club itself and the offices were located above a strip mall with an unobtrusive entrance that led to the business above—Club Zodiac.

  Sasha hadn’t moved an inch since Lincoln had introduced himself. Mortification flushed her face. She fisted her hands at her sides and wished she could teleport to anywhere else on the planet.

  “Well, not anymore. John must have had a screw loose allowing you all to let her stay up here these past few years. She needs to leave, and this is the last time she’ll be permitted in the building for another three hundred sixty-five days.” Lincoln turned around, marched out of the room, and shut the door behind him.

  The silence was deafening. The dozen or so employees slowly started mumbling among themselves and then tossing uneasy smiles her direction.

  Sasha felt like she’d been slapped in the face. Her cheeks were so hot she thought she might self-combust. The gorgeous new owner of Zodiac had acted like she was nothing more than a baby.

  She left there two minutes later, shaking with embarrassment and anger, and vowed not to so much as drive by the place again for the entire next year.

  Chapter 1

  Five years later…

  Sasha Easton stared up at her older brother with every ounce of defiance she’d schooled her face to deliver. She hoped her narrowed eyes shot daggers at him. After all, she was twenty-two years old, a college graduate, old enough to make her own choices. And she’d made her decision. “You can’t stop me, Rowen,” she growled.

  He chuckled, infuriating her further. His stance had already royally pissed her off. The addition of his laughter only made things worse. He was currently leaning against his desk in his corner office on the upper floor of Club Zodiac. “The answer is no, Sasha.”

  She cocked one hip to the side, tapping her foot. “It’s not your decision. I’m a grown woman.”

  He stopped laughing, stood taller, and tipped his head toward her. Damn her stupid genes for making her eight inches shorter than him. “What’s this really about? Why the sudden interest in Zodiac, or BDSM in general?”

  “If you’d ever paid attention, there’s nothing sudden about my interest in submission. It’s always been there, right beneath the surface. I’ve mentioned it to you on numerous occasions, but you wouldn’t listen to me.”

  He took a deep breath. “You’re young. I can understand why you’d be curious. Hell, I’m sure it’s my fault. I never should have permitted you to spend your evenings here while I worked. I have no one to blame for that but myself. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re not cut out for this lifestyle, and there’s no way I’m going to permit you to join this club.”

  “Fine. If you don’t want me to join Zodiac, I’ll get a membership at one of the other clubs in Miami.”

  His eyes narrowed further, his face flaming red with frustration. “Fuck no. Not a chance in hell.” The vein on his forehead bulged.

  She set her hands on her hips. “Are you listening to yourself? The double standard is atrocious. You were eighteen when you joined Zodiac. I’m four years older than that. So get off your high horse and stop being a chauvinist pig.”

  Rowen leaned in closer. “Don’t go there,” he gritted out. “You know I treat women like they’re royalty. Don’t you dare insinuate I think I’m superior. I have never once treated a woman as anything less than my equal.”

  Fury rose inside her, making her hands shake while flushing her cheeks a bright red to rival his. She glared at him, forcing herself to calm down before she spoke again. It wouldn’t do any good to prove him right by acting like a child. If she wanted him to treat her like an adult, she needed to gather her wits and remain outwardly calm, albeit persuasive.

  He was right about one thing—it was his fault she’d been introduced to BDSM in the first place, but she was also convinced she would have figured it out on her own eventually. Perhaps she would have wasted years of her life not being true to herself if she hadn’t known at a young age she was submissive.

  However, she couldn’t really blame her brother for indirectly introducing her to the lifestyle. She’d been twelve years old when their mother died and Rowen had been forced to take on a baby sister who had no doubt been a pain in his ass.

  Rowen had been twenty-two at the time. The ten-year age difference was vast. The two of them had different fathers, neither of whom were in the picture. Rowen’s father had been killed serving in the military and then Sasha’s father had skipped town the moment he’d found out her mother was pregnant.

  Nevertheless, their mother had been a great mom, doing everything she could to provide for them and keep them fed and clothed. An aneurism had taken her life, leaving Sasha with no living relative other than her brother.

  Sasha took a breath and forced her voice to calm. “I know you’re an amazing man. You’ve always treated women with respect. I’m asking you to extend the same respect to me, Rowen. I’m not a kid anymore. You don’t have to protect me. And I’m also not a private in your platoon, so drop the drill sergeant act too.”

  Rowen flinched. She’d hit a nerve with that last sentence. Not surprising. She’d had to point out his tendency to shout orders at her like she was his subordinate in the army many times since she’d moved in with him ten years ago. He’d only served four years, but the habits were engrained.

  She also wasn’t wrong when she played the age card. Rowen had been a member of Club Zodiac since he’d turned eighteen. He had frequented the place every time he was at home on leave, and when he started college upon his return, he’d taken a job working at the club to help defer some of his expenses.

  Even at twelve, Sasha had been smart enough to know she was cramping his style. He’d thought Sasha was too young to be left in his apartment until the middle of the night. In the end, Rowen and John had struck a deal, and Rowen had reluctantly brought Sasha with him.

  Sasha hadn’t known what her brother did at the club at first. She’d had no clue for at least two years. All she’d known was that she sat upstairs in John’s office doing her homework and watching television every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night while Rowen tended bar.

  It wasn’t until one night when she was fourteen that she’d arrived late after studying at a friend’s house and noticed how scantily dressed many of the patrons were. Rowen had found her in the entrance to the club, starry-eyed and tongue-tied. He’d ushered her straight up the stairs to the office and given her a firm lecture, rambling on about adult decisions and keeping her eyes on her education.

  The two minutes she’d stood in the entry, seeing more than she ever should have seen, were imbedded in her mind for life.

  From that day forward, she’d spent countless hours searching the internet and reading about BDSM clubs. She also started reading novels that featured everything anyone could possibly imagine related to dominance and submission. It intrigued her. It formed her. Now, it was her.


  Rowen must not have liked the way she stood before him no longer speaking, because he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Dammit, Sasha. Sit down.” He pointed at the black leather loveseat against the wall of his office. “I need to check on a few things before we open. If you so much as move an inch…”

  She watched his back as he stomped out of the office. She had no intention of sitting on his damn couch, mostly because he’d demanded it of her. Instead, she wandered toward the window and stared down at the traffic moving along the Miami streets below.

  She needed to take this opportunity to regroup and gain the upper hand. Acting like a bratty teenager would get her nowhere. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and closed her eyes.

  Three years ago, Rowen and his friend Carter had bought into the business, joining Lincoln Walsh as part owners. Lincoln still owned a majority interest, but the club had grown and expanded enough that he needed more help. Rowen had an accounting degree, so he took over the financial side of things. Carter was a bodybuilder, so he became head bouncer and doorman.

  And then there was Lincoln.

  Sasha had a love-hate relationship with the club’s head owner. She had never gotten over the way he’d treated her the night she met him, but neither of them had ever mentioned the incident again.