Enthrall Him (Enthrall Sessions Book 3) (9 page)

“How do you two know each other?” I asked.

“Stephen was my professor at Harvard,” said Cameron.

“Cameron was my best student. Though a little controversial for some, his techniques garner lasting results.”

I reached over and hugged one of the small pillows.  

Stephen’s focus settled on me and I glanced down at my shoes, wondering what he’d get from those. “No sign of a military background there,” I said dryly.

“You’re Cameron’s best friend’s girlfriend?” said Stephen.

Staring at him in awe, I wondered how he knew.

“Cameron told me all about it on the phone, Mia.” He tilted his head. “Sounds a little complicated.”

“He has Richard’s permission to have sex with me,” I said. “Does he know about your place in L.A?” I asked Cameron.

He gave a nod. “Stephen’s well aware of Chrysalis. We’ve talked at length about what we do at the manor.”

“Cameron’s training me for Richard. Making me a better sub,” I hesitated and then added, “Sub is short for—”

“Submissive,” said Stephen. “And how is your training going?”

“Great. Kind of.”

His gaze stayed on me for the longest time. “The human heart is a fragile gem. A delicate flower must be eased from the earth.”

“A pleasure like no other,” said Cameron wistfully.

Stephen nodded. “But when the bud finally opens that which was once kept hidden reveals itself.”

“I admit to my surprise at these unexpected results,” said Cameron.

“Pleasing?” asked Stephen.

“Oh yes. Annoyingly so.”

“The secret way of the heart,” said Stephen. “Finding a way around what was previously denied it.” He peered over his glasses at Cameron. “Amare.”  

“Never part of my operandi,” said Cameron. “Look, the reason I’m here is to better comprehend my subject’s effect.”

“Clearly, your patient has gotten the better of you.”

“I’m not his patient,” I piped up.

“What are you to him then?” said Stephen.   

“Aren’t you meant to build trust first?” I said. “Ask about the weather in L.A? Make me feel more comfortable about opening up?”

Stephen poured tea into three cups and added milk. He handed us each a cup. “How’s the weather in L.A? Let me take a wild guess. Sunny?”

Cameron looked amused and opened his palms in a gesture of defeat.

“Your match?” said Stephen.

Cameron gave a nod. “An unlikely candidate, but challenging nevertheless.”

“There are risks with your chosen lifestyle, my boy,” said Stephen.

“I handle them.”

“And how do you find the lifestyle, Mia?” asked Stephen.

“I like it. Cameron used BDSM to unlock this memory that was wrong.”

“How so?”

“Well, I had this memory of injecting myself with cocaine when I was fourteen, and all along it was my mom’s drug dealer who injected me. The Ambien my mom slipped into my sandwich just before, to make me go quiet so she could get her next hit, made me forget. Cameron—” I lowered my head– “Dr. Cole did some research back in my hometown and put all the pieces of the puzzle together. He then told me what really happened and it unblocked the memory for me. Now I know the truth, I’m liberated.”

“And there you have it,” said Stephen. “In a bitter nutshell.”

“Dr. Finely has a PHD in philosophy,” said Cameron.

Stephen eyed me for the longest time. “Sugar?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you have sugar in your tea?”

“No, thank you.”

“Southern Belle.” Stephen raised a finger. “Charlotte.”

“Well travelled too,” added Cameron.

“I’m not ashamed of what we do,” I said. “BDSM makes me happy.”

“The pain from being whipped releases endorphins,” said Stephen. “There’s clinical data to support the findings of its efficacy for treating alcoholics.”  

“I’m not an addict,” I said. “I just like the way Cameron makes love to me. I mean fucks me.”

Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose.

Stephen grinned. “An easy obsession.”

Cameron put his teacup down. “She’s totally ridiculous.”

Swallowing hard, I tried to ignore that.

“This is the issue, apparently,” said Stephen. “It’s evidently time to give the ridiculous specimen back.”

Cameron offered a sympathetic smile my way. “Mia, when I say ridiculous, what I’m trying to express is your….” Cameron sat back, as though lost for words.

“Cole, how old were you when you went to boarding school?” asked Stephen.

“What has that got to do with anything?”

“You understand the relevance.”

“Five,” said Cameron. “I was five years old.”

“Five?” I said. “That’s very young.”

Cameron looked defensive. “Stephen, you knew this.”

“But Mia didn’t.” Stephen nodded.

“How is this relevant?” said Cameron.

“During our sessions, you revealed just how relevant.” Stephen gave him a knowing look. “Your subconscious desires normalcy. I suggest you date.”

Cameron looked horrified. “Out of the question.”

“Why?” said Stephen.

“She’s not mine to date.”

“And?”

“Richard would never survive it,” said Cameron. “This is non-negotiable.”

“That’s very presumptive of you,” said Stephen. “I’ve met Richard. He’s very reasonable.”

“This is irrelevant,” said Cameron. “I just need you to help me understand why now.” He pointed at me. “I’ve analyzed this a million times. She’s not my Anima. I’m sure of it. I’m responsible for my own archetype…”

I really needed more tea. These cups were too small.

Cameron and Stephen continued their conversation. I listened, all the while patting Bronte, trying to catch a word or phrase I might understand.

“Tell me about your latest dream?” said Stephen.

“Irrelevant,” said Cameron. “I’ve not been entering REM sleep lately.”

“I see.”

“I’m too close to the subject to be objective,” said Cameron.  

Subject?

“Mia.” Stephen looked over at me. “Why don’t you take Bronte into the garden?”

“I like listening,” I said, still mesmerized by Stephen’s revelation that every man had female genes, and therefore a female side. Apparently I was probably Cameron’s ideal that he’d dreamt up from within his own psyche. A living breathing fantasy. As though Cameron had imagined his perfect woman and I’d conveniently turned up.

Only he’d given me to his best friend.

There was no doubt I loved Richard, but all this time spent with Cameron had confused my heart.

Cameron paced, seemingly just as conflicted.

“The greatest gift of all is to give that which we love the most to another,” said Stephen.

Cameron stared at him for the longest time. “How do I sever this?”

“Face the inevitable.”

“She is so inconvenient.” Cameron pointed to me. “Why her?” He flung his hands up in frustration.

“You know what this is,” said Stephen.

“I gave her to Richard because I knew it would make me want her more? Is that what I’ve done? Set myself up for desire?”

“Is that what you’ve done?” asked Stephen softly.

“No. I don’t know.”

“How long before you have to give the ridiculous sub back to Richard?”

“Hey,” I said.

Stephen gave a deep sigh. “Go and take Bronte into the garden, Mia. The door’s through there.” He pointed to the kitchen.

“I can’t stay?”

“Cameron and I need to talk.”

“Does he know about Lance?” I got up from the couch.

“We’re going to talk about that too,” said Cameron.

“Shouldn’t I stay for that? Considering it’s me Lance wants.”  

Stephen steepled his fingers. “Quite the Cleopatra, aren’t you, Mia?”

“What does that mean?”

“You have many admirers and they’re all willing to lay down their lives for you,” said Cameron.

“There aren’t any asps in your garden, are there?” I said, heading into the kitchen.

“Go with her, Bronte,” said Stephen. “Guard our queen.”

Bronte followed me out.

The door closed behind us, and despite my attempt to listen in to their conversation, this old thick wood prevented it. These thick walls kept their heat in and eavesdroppers like me away.

The chill of the early morning hit me when I opened the back door.

The garden was long and thin and very green. Several small trees, naked of flowers, lined the end, and it made me wonder if they were rose bushes. There, in the corner, lay a tennis ball. Trotting over to it, followed by Bronte, I picked it up and threw it to the other end of the garden. Bronte bolted after it.

We played ball like that for what seemed ages, Bronte and I whiling away the time, and I almost forgot all the seriousness that had followed me here.

Despite the chill, the air was refreshing, and running around kept me warm. Although I felt I could go back into the house at any time, I liked it that Cameron had someone to talk to. Dr. Finely was easily Cameron’s equal.

After twenty minutes, though it could have been longer, Cameron appeared in the doorway and headed on over to me. He patted his arms dramatically at the cold and then picked up the tennis ball and threw it. Bronte scampered after it and quickly brought it back to him. Cameron’s grin broadened as he threw the ball another time for an overly excited Bronte.

“Well you’ve won over Dr. Finley,” he said. “No surprise there.”

“It was very enlightening,” I said, arching a brow.

“It wasn’t my intention for you to hear all that,” he said. “Finley goes right for the psychological jugular. As you’ve discovered.”

“So when’s my session?” I said.

“He doesn’t believe it’s necessary.”

Bronte nudged my fingers with his nose. I eased the ball from his teeth and threw it across the garden again.

I turned to Cameron. “Are you leaving me alone with Shay again?”

Doubt flashed across his face. “Do you want me to?”

“Of course not.”

“Okay, good. We have what looks like a plan,” he said. “I hope you’re open to it.”

I gave a nod I was ready to hear it.

Cameron turned to face the house. “Dr. Finley believes that you and I have created a co-perfect ideal about each other. Having spent such little time together in what would be considered a normal situation, we’ve built up an unrealistic ideal.”

“So what you’re essentially saying is that you’re not perfect?”

“And the probability of you really being this flawless is unrealistic,” said Cameron. “Apparently.”

“So what’s the plan?”  

Cameron watched Bronte running around with the ball still between his teeth. “Finley believes we can kill two birds with one stone.”

“How?”

“Well, he surmises that hiding from Lance is a mistake. It makes us look weak. Feeds into Lance’s power complex.”

“So we can come out of hiding?” I said.

“Yes. With Shay’s approval, of course.”

“I hope he agrees.”

“He will,” said Cameron. “Finley also recommends that you and I spend intensive time together. Get to know each other better. That way I’ll inevitably grow tired of your immaturity and annoying innocence—”

“Excuse me?” I rested my hands on my hips.

He gestured his need to go on. “And you’ll become overwhelmed with my need to control you, overpower every aspect of your life, and dominate you, not to mention my insatiable need to fuck you half to death. You’ll eventually want nothing more to do with me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Quite serious.”

“I’m not immature.”

“You kind of are.”

“In what way?”

He arched a brow. “You have a Hello-Kitty makeup bag.”

I waved off his accusation. “Choose something else.”

“You’re argumentative.”

“Well you’re bossy.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“And very overpowering.”

“Looks like you’re taking annoying to a whole new level.”

“How long is this experiment meant to last?” I said.

“Couple of days, though to be honest my tolerance limit is kicking in right about now.”

“You’re an arrogant ass.”

“You dare to speak to me like that?”

“What are you going to do? Punish me?”

“I will spank you, yes.” He lowered his gaze. “Apparently we’re permitted to have sex.”

“Oh.” That familiar stirring moved low in my belly.

“So fucking is in,” he said.