Siren in Bloom [Texas Sirens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

“Do you understand the basic contract?” Wolf asked as his brain replayed the last few minutes. He started to go over it, but all he could think about was the fact that she was still here.

He’d been sure she was going to leave. And he would have let her. He wasn’t going to force himself on someone, but he wanted her. Hell, he’d wanted her from the first time Julian had described her.

Lovely. Sweet. Submissive. Smart and sassy. The other three didn’t work for him without the smart and sassy. He didn’t want a slave. He wanted a partner, a lover, he admitted.

And according to Julian Lodge, Shelley McNamara needed a lover, too.

“What does this mean?” Shelley asked, pointing to a paragraph that described high protocol.

He wasn’t about to make her speak only when spoken to. He drew a line through that. “It’s not something we need to worry about right now. We’ll come up with our own protocol. I want you to be able to ask questions and tell me how you’re feeling. I only ask that when we’re in public, you treat me with every politeness. You are to call me Sir and attempt to obey me.”

She frowned. “In public. So, I have to call you Sir if we’re in a restaurant?”

He hid his smile. He liked the fact that she was already thinking of him outside the club setting. He was damn straight thinking of her. Dating, however, wasn’t covered in the contract and never would be. “This contract only covers The Club, sweetheart. It’s a training contract. If we decide to see each other outside The Club, I wouldn’t expect you to call me Sir. I’m not a twenty-four-seven Dom. I enjoy the lifestyle, and I would deeply love it if you felt comfortable enough to allow me to help you with any problems you might have, but outside of this club, I won’t hold you to any rules we don’t agree on. The only rule that’s not up for discussion is the rule where you call me when you’re in actual trouble. You read that clause?”

She nodded. “So the rest of this is just for…for sex stuff.”

She couldn’t possibly know how that soft Texas twang made his groin tighten. “Not necessarily, though it should open you up. It’s about pushing your boundaries and discovering discipline.”

Her nose wrinkled up. “I don’t know how much I like that word.”

Yeah, most people didn’t, but then they didn’t understand what he meant by it. “Then I’ll have to change your mind. You see, you hear the word ‘discipline’ and you think punishment, but I hear it and I have a different definition. Discipline is the art of getting what you want. I wanted to be a Navy SEAL. I didn’t enjoy Hell Week. It was the most miserable I’ve ever been in my life. But it was necessary. We don’t get the things we want by allowing life to happen to us. We have to take an active role.”

She nodded, and he would have sworn he could see a sheen of tears in her eyes. “Yes, I can see that. I allowed things to happen for years. It just seems odd to hear a Dom saying that. I don’t know. I guess I would think you want me to be submissive.”

Another misconception he was happy to clear up. “You are submissive, Shelley. I can see it. Julian can certainly see it. I suspect you’ve allowed a man who was more dominant than you to walk all over you before. That isn’t what a Dom should do. A Dom should be your partner in helping you reach your potential, even if you never have a moment’s sexual contact.”

She sniffled slightly, and it took everything he had not to pull her onto his lap and try to soothe her. “You’re right about getting walked all over. I should be honest with you. I spent years in a marriage I shouldn’t have stayed in because it was easier than dealing with the fallout. I want to be stronger than that. I want to be in control.”

“And I can help you.”

Julian had mentioned her marriage. It hadn’t taken much to look the story up. Bryce Hughes had been a very bad man. He’d run drugs and a blackmailing ring that used his wife to get dirt on politicians. According to everything he’d been able to discover, Shelley had been exonerated. The feds didn’t believe she knew anything, but that hadn’t stopped them from seizing all of the assets she’d shared with her husband. She’d lost her house, her bank accounts, her reputation.

She needed a steady hand. He would have to put aside his own desires. He really wanted to inhale her. She was exactly the type who flipped his switch, but she needed more than one more man who rubbed his dick on her and gave her little in return. She needed someone in control. He could do that.

His dick protested mightily, but he could control that, too.

“So, let’s go over your hard and soft limits.” Yeah, because talking about all the dirty little games he loved would really get his libido under control. He should have picked up a woman last night to share with Logan, but taking Logan into a bar had seemed like a bad idea.

And he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Shelley. Even before he’d seen her.

She bit her bottom lip as she looked over the long list he’d handed her. “Uhm, I don’t know what some of these are, to tell you the truth.”

“What do you have a question about?”

“I understand the bondage part, and I’m fine with that. I’m willing to try all the toys.” Her skin flushed. “I’m… I’m really curious about spanking.”

And he was really ready to spank her. He’d gotten a glimpse of a round ass before she’d gone on her slightly manic tirade. Her skin was pale. He would have to be careful with her, but he could get that alabaster skin a lovely hot pink in no time at all. And when she was panting and her pussy was dripping wet, he’d find her clit and rub her until she cried out, begging for his cock.

Or he would just spank her because he had just promised to not take advantage of her.

Maybe he was the masochist.

He forced his voice to remain calm and even, so she hopefully wouldn’t guess that his cock was pounding against his jeans. “I think you’ll enjoy a good spanking. Let’s talk about the bondage for a minute, though. You understand I like to practice an elaborate form of bondage called Shibari, correct?”

She smiled, a bright thing. “Trev is obsessed with it. I walked into the barn at Aidan O’Malley’s ranch at the wrong time once. My sister-in-law was fully suspended in some insane getup my brother had bound her to. Bo was just sitting there reading a book to her. He said she’d been a very bad girl, but he didn’t want her to be bored so he was reading her one of her favorite romances.” She sobered. “Beth is so much stronger now. She’s happy. She was perfectly happy in what she called her Bondage Barbie wear. Yes, I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Good. One hurdle gone. I prefer not to engage in blood or fire play, but I could find a Master to introduce you to that if you’re interested.” He’d seen enough blood for a lifetime. He didn’t want to cause her to lose a single drop.

She shook her head, a little shiver running through her. “No. No blood. I wouldn’t even want to watch that. I think that might be a hard limit.”

He nodded and handed her a pen to mark it off the list of acceptable play. He’d read that she’d been in the same house when her husband had been shot. Had she seen it? Had she watched it and wondered if she was next? He changed the subject. They would get to all of that later when he’d earned her trust. “No extreme play. But I will bind you to a St. Andrew’s Cross, and I will make punishment public if I think it will help.”

She would be beautiful, her arms and legs spread, waiting for the crack of his whip.

She smiled, her lips tugging up enigmatically. “We have different definitions of extreme, but I understand. I’ll try not to earn any public punishment.” Her eyes worked down the page. “What is this? What do they mean by scat games? Please tell me that has something to do with jazz.”

He laughed out loud and marked that as a hard limit. “Not at all, sweetheart. That’s exactly what it sounds like, and neither one of us is going to engage in that. Doms have hard limits, too.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “And puppy play? Pony play?”

He was going to have to convince her of that. “It’s just a little role playing, sweetheart.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think I want that.”

And it was his job to make her change her mind because he definitely wanted to play with her. “Let me give you a scenario. It’s a little game where, just for a while, you’re my soft, sweet little pet. You eat from my hand, little treats I’ll have to reward you for good behavior. You’ll sit at my feet. If I decide you’re a good little puppy, I’ll pull you up on my lap and lavish you with affection. And everyone loves a good little puppy. Everyone would want to pet you. All those hands, rubbing across your body. Under the watchful gaze of your Master, of course. But a good Master knows a puppy needs love.”

“You’re evil,” she said with a little grin, but he could see her flush had changed from embarrassment to arousal. She was starved for affection. Puppy play was an easy way to get many hands on her without having to share her in a sexual way. He wasn’t sure he could do that. Not with strangers.

He’d spent too much freaking time in Bliss.

“That’s my job, sweetheart. Let’s give it a try. There is nothing you can’t stop. I know I’m the Dom, but you’re in control.”

She put a hand to her mouth and laughed a little. “Yes. Oh my god, I just agreed to be a puppy.”

“Yes, you did, but that’s a little down the road.” He would ease her into rougher play. “For tonight, we’ll watch and see what intrigues you. Let’s talk about contact. At this stage, I think it’s best if we agree to no intercourse, but I would like the opportunity to touch you, to bring you to orgasm, to teach you pleasure.”

Her face turned bright red, and he was worried for a moment that he’d pushed too far, but it was important. He wouldn’t take anything for himself, but he needed to teach her to equate chosen submission with pleasure.

“Yes.”

“Excellent.” It was a good first step. He couldn’t wait to get started. “Then we’ll start tonight. We’ll go into The Club together, and we’ll play it by ear. No pressure. We’re just going to come in and have a nice meal and then watch some scenes and talk. I’ll have clothes sent to your room.”

“I have a townhouse,” she said. “I decided to go for broke and move up here. Dallas is going to be my home from now on.”

That worked for him. Dallas was going to be his home if he could make things work. He was ready to settle down. Roots. A man needed roots. He’d spent most of his adult life jetting around the world on missions. If that part of his life was over, then he wanted a real home. “Give me the address, and I’ll pick you up. Dress casually. I’ll have clothes waiting for you in The Club’s locker room.”

Her hand came up in a flighty little wave. “Oh, I can take the train. No problem.”

He stared at her.

“Or you could pick me up,” she said quickly. Excellent. She was learning.

“And you will wear the clothes I select for you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”

“Then I will see you at eight this evening.”

And then the real fun would begin.

Leo tried to let the tranquil sound of his wall fountain soothe him, but for once it was failing.

His stomach was in knots. He’d stood behind that glass with his rat fink bastard boss/ex-friend and watched as his brother made a very visible connection to Shelley. There had been that one glorious moment when she’d tried to dismiss Wolf. Leo had found himself unaccountably happy until he realized she was threatening to not accept him because Wolf was so damn attractive.

Awesome. Great. She was drooling over his brother.

And then he’d really looked at Wolf.

Fuck it all. His brother was lonely, and Leo hadn’t exactly welcomed him home.

“Uhm, is this part of the therapy? Like the quiet game?”

And he’d nearly forgotten Logan Green was sitting across from him. He was losing it. He turned to the young man in front of him. Logan Green, according to his file, was twenty-four years old. His eyes made him look older. Older. Leo was five years older than Wolf. Maybe she liked younger men. Now that he thought about it, Wolf was really closer to her age.

Logan shifted and cleared his throat.

Damn it
. He had to get his head in the game and off the way Shelley had stared at his brother’s chest. “Why are you here?”

Logan’s eyes rolled, the fallback gesture of the young and sarcastic. “Uh, because I’m twenty shades of fucked up and everyone’s sick of dealing with my shit.”

Leo sat forward. He wouldn’t take a ton of crap off of anyone. He stared at the young man, letting the silence go for just a little longer than was comfortable. He tried to put Shelley out of his mind. After all, he would have to deal with her tonight. When she walked into The Club. With his brother. “It’s plain to see that you’re fucked up. I was referring to the inciting incident. I take it you’ve been going downhill for a while. You’ve been in how many bar fights in the last year?”

“A couple,” he muttered.

Logan obviously wasn’t going to just admit to his problems. Well, it had been a while since he’d had a real challenge. “According to a man named Nathan Wright, I believe he’s the sheriff you work for, it’s more like five. And one of them caused serious damage to the bar. Almost ten thousand dollars’ worth.”

“I paid for that,” he said, sitting up and pointing as though he’d been accused of something.