Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series)

by Michelle Hughes

  Perhaps it was time to talk to someone who lived the lifestyle, she thought as David walked back into the kitchen, dressed and ready for work. “Do you think we could get an invitation to go out to the Ranch?” she asked, thinking that if her friend was getting involved with someone connected to the place she could get to know more about it, and learn the truth rather than what the books had told her.

  “I think Alex would give us a tour if I asked.” He grinned, loving how open she was to new things. “Any particular reason for wanting to go out there?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “I’m just thinking that maybe I shouldn’t judge a different aspect of the lifestyle based on what I’ve read in a few books.” Alex seemed like a decent person, from what she had seen of him, and she didn’t want to think badly of him, at least not without trying to understand the reality of things.

  “I’ll bring it up when I call him.” Deciding that it was best to get the call out of the way, before he got caught up in his meetings he took out his cell phone.

  Alex was already dressed and waiting for Leah when his phone rang. They had enjoyed another incredible night of lovemaking, and he had been pleased that she had asked him to take the lead, even if the result was that he felt barely awake, which he was sure was going to make his day at work long and at least a little annoying. “Good morning, David, I’m glad you called, I have some business I’d like to discuss with you when you’re free to meet up.”

  “That would be good; I’ll let you know when I have the time.” There was a pause as David considered how best to broach the subject he had called about, after a moment he decided it was best simply to leap right into it. “Have you told Leah about the Ranch and your interest in pony play?” he asked.

  The question caught Alex by surprise, coming so abruptly, and at such an early hour, but he recovered soon enough. He didn’t bother to ask how David knew about the Ranch or his involvement with it, he was well aware of how rumors and stories ran through their community. “Yes,” he answered, if he hadn’t gotten to know David, and knew that he was almost certainly asking out of concern for Leah he might have been offended, instead he took it in his stride. “I took her out to the Ranch the evening before last.”

  “I’m sorry to throw that at you out of the blue, but the subject came up with Janie and she was worried. I promised I’d speak to you about it.” He hoped he hadn’t offended the man, but the last thing he wanted was Janie worrying that Leah was getting in over her head again.

  “Don’t worry about it, they are friends, it’s only right that she should worry.” He couldn’t fault the man for raising his girlfriend’s concerns, he was sure he would have done the same if their positions had been reversed. “Please reassure Janie that I have told Leah all about it, and I won’t be trussing her up anytime soon.” Not that he wouldn’t mind doing so, he thought, if she were to agree to it.

  “I’ll do that,” David said, relieved to hear that his opinion of the man had been justified.

  “Thank you, is there anything else?” Alex asked, stifling a yawn that made him think he was going to need an intravenous caffeine drip to get him through the morning, let alone the rest of the day. As fun as the sex was with Leah it did charge a price.

  “Yes, Janie and I were wondering if you and Leah would like to meet up for lunch soon, and Janie wanted me to ask if it would be possible to arrange for a tour of the Ranch. I think she’s a little curious about the place.”

  Alex was pleased to hear that Janie was interested in finding out about the lifestyle he was involved in and smiled into the phone. “I’d love to have you both out to the Ranch, and lunch sounds great. How about Saturday for the Ranch? There’s a race scheduled for Saturday afternoon so we could have lunch and then watch the race, I know Leah has expressed interest in watching.”

  Putting his hand over the phone David had a quick whispered conversation with Janie before returning to the call. “Sounds good to me, and Janie is okay with it. Are you okay to meet for lunch today? We can discuss business while the girls catch up.” He grinned and winked at Janie as he said that.

  Alex laughed. “Let’s do something informal,” he suggested, knowing that he wouldn’t have the time for a long lunch because he had a few things to take care of that afternoon.

  David named one of his favorite pizza places and Alex quickly agreed, knowing that the place had a reputation for good food, and had the benefit of being about half way between both their businesses. “We’ll meet you there at one then.” Finishing the call he turned to Janie and told her everything that Alex had said.

  “I’m pleased to hear he’s so open,” Janie said with a smile, thinking that Saturday was likely to be very interesting, for all of them.

  14

  COMFORTING

  Leah smiled as she joined Alex in the living area; the previous night had been wonderful and she was glad, after the phone call from Rhett the previous day she had been sure she would never smile again. If it hadn’t been for Alex, she didn’t think she would have made it through the day. His concern over her mental state had been touching, and had led to sweet lovemaking, that had become more and more intense when she asked him to take control.

  It was great being able to please herself, and to take charge, but it didn’t fulfill her the way she wanted to be. She had learned that as fun as it had been to do things differently, she really didn’t like to take charge when it came to pleasure. After a short while she had stopped and begged Alex to take control and to show her how to please him.

  Her announcement had stopped the incredible sex they had been working up to, but it had started a conversation that had ultimately led to an even more fulfilling period of pleasure, when he understood what she truly desired.

  After a long period of discussion Alex had discovered just how inexperienced she was, and had made many suggestions about how they could move forward. He had also made her promise that she would do some research into the world of BDSM in her free time, worried about her lack of knowledge when it came to the lifestyle.

  The last thing he wanted was a submissive that had no idea what she was submitting to. He had explained his take on the role of master and submissive, and listened as she shared what she knew and understood about the lifestyle.

  Their conversation had lasted for more than an hour before they returned to the bedroom, where Alex had proceeded to give her one of the best nights of her life. The only downside to such a good night was that they hadn’t fallen asleep until a few hours before dawn.

  “Do you think you’ll make it through the day?” he asked with a grin as he poured her a cup of coffee, seeing the weariness he felt reflected in her eyes.

  “I think I might have to tell my slave driver of a boss to go easy on me today.” She grinned and sat down to join him.

  During the course of their conversation during the night they had decided to keep their relationship informal, at least until Alex felt she was more prepared for the role of a submissive in his life. He would train her to be what he wanted, as long as she wanted to be trained, but the training would be casual so as not to overwhelm her

  “I think he might be persuaded to go along with that,” he said, returning her grin.

  “Do you think he might also be persuaded to let me use his office for a little rest if I find I can’t lift my head today?” Taking another sip of coffee she wondered how far he would let her push him.

  “I think he might pull you over his knee and wake you up a little if he found you can't do your job.” He chuckled, loving the playful side of her personality.

  She was shaking her head when her phone rang. “Let me take this call while I decide if my boss is being unreasonable.

  “Hi, David, what’s up?”

  “I’ve just received a call from the resort in Mexico where Rhett was staying,” he told her.

  Leah felt her heart jump into her throat. “What’s the matter?” she asked, knowing that something must be wrong if the resort had conta
cted David.

  “Have you been watching the news?”

  “No, why?” The question had her confused.

  David hesitated for a moment. “A tropical storm hit the resort yesterday evening, apparently it was pretty bad. I don’t know all of the details, Manuel was lucky to get through for as long as he did.

  “It seems as though Rhett tried to leave to leave the island to come home but was forced to make an emergency landing.”

  “Is he alright?” Leah felt as though her heart was going to be beat its way out of her chest from the panic she was feeling.

  “They don’t know. His pilot reported that they were making an emergency landing but the storm is still raging, until it clears they can’t begin looking for them.”

  “You mean he’s missing?”

  “What’s going on?” Alex asked; what he could hear of the conversation, and the look on Leah's face, concerned him.

  Leah couldn’t answer, she was frozen by the news she had been given and the fear she felt for Rhett, who might be dead. She couldn’t believe he had tried to fly home through a storm.

  Seeing how upset she was, and worried by her sudden immobility Alex stepped forward to take the phone from her. “What’s going on, David?” he asked. He listened as David repeated what he had told Leah, understanding as he did why she was so distressed. “Do they know if he’s alright?”

  “Uncertain at the moment,” David admitted. “They know where his pilot was intending to attempt an emergency landing but they haven’t heard anything since the pilot reported. They are hopeful that once the storm passes they will be able to make radio contact and get a rescue team out to them.

  “The island they intended making an emergency landing on isn’t far from where they started out. With luck the storm will pass later today and they’ll have Rhett and his pilot back by morning. I just thought Leah should know, I didn’t want her to find out about it from the news or anything.”

  “Thank you, David; you’re right, it’s best for her to find out from you.”

  “Is she alright?”

  “Not really,” Alex told him, “I think she needs some time to process the news. Will you keep us posted if you hear anything else?”

  “Of course, the moment I hear anything, you’ll hear it.”

  “Thank you.” He hung up then and dropped the phone on the counter so he could take care of Leah. “He’s going to be fine,” he told her, hoping that his words turned out to be true. Taking her in his arms he held her for a moment and then lifted her off her feet and carried her back into his bedroom, where he laid her gently on the bed.

  The way she clutched at him told him all he needed to know and he climbed on the bed with her. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight as he stroked her hair and whispered soothingly in her ear.

  All she could think of as she held on to Alex for dear life was that Rhett could be hurt, or worse. It wasn’t how things were supposed to end between them, she told herself; he was an overbearing asshole at times, but she still loved him. But if she loved him why was she starting to develop feelings for Alex, it just didn’t make sense to her. Tears streamed down her face as she wondered how she had come to be torn between two great men, one of whom might have been taken from her by something as stupid as a storm.

  Alex had to physically pull himself from Leah’s arms when the doorbell rang. He hated to leave her when she was in such a state but he had to answer the door. “I’ll be right back,” he told her, not even sure if she could hear him. He had barely taken a step when she reached out to grab hold of his shirt, trying to pull him back onto the bed with him. Gently he disengaged her hand. “It’s okay sweetheart, I’m just going to answer the door, I’ll be right back, don’t worry, I’m not leaving you.”

  He had no qualifications as a psychologist, but he was sure she was so desperate to hold on to him out of fear that he wouldn’t return. A fear he was sure had been brought on by the news that Rhett was missing, and the possibility that he might be hurt or worse; she didn’t want him to disappear as well. At least that was what he suspected was the problem.

  Janie smiled wearily when Alex opened the door, knowing her friend must be going out of her mind. She’d headed over the moment David got the call from Manuel, certain her friend would need her. Regardless of what she thought of Rhett after his treatment of her friend, she had no wish to see him hurt or dead, even if there had been a few times when she’d wanted to punch the shit out of him.

  “Where is she?” she asked without preamble.

  “On the bed,” Alex told her, leading the way. “Leah, Janie is here.” He was pleased to see her finally come out of her trance as Janie moved over to the bed and joined her, even if it was only to pull her friend into an embrace.

  “I’m going to see if I can find out what’s going on down there,” Alex said as the two women held each other. “Will you be okay if I leave you for a little while, Leah?” he asked.

  A fresh wave of panic filled Leah at the thought of him leaving her, even for a short while and she almost screamed at him not to leave her. She fought the urge and nodded, clinging to Janie as though she was a lifeline that could keep her from drowning.

  “I’ll call you if I find out anything,” Alex reassured her, hoping once more than he wasn’t lying to her. “You just try and ease your fears; we’ll find him and get him back.”

  He knew he should be upset that she clearly still had feelings for Rhett, even though she had become involved with him, but he couldn’t bring himself to be. It wasn’t in his nature to be jealous about something like that; he had learned long ago that a person’s feelings were beyond their control, what was in their control was what they did about those feelings.

  Janie continued to hold Leah as Alex left them. “Don’t worry, honey, Rhett will be back here soon enough, giving you orders and making you mad as hell.” She meant what she said, knowing his life could be in danger she felt very little anger toward the man, despite the way he had treated her friend.

  “This is all my fault, Janie,” Leah said, taking a deep hiccupping breath. She remembered Rhett telling her he was coming home to talk with her; why hadn’t she waited until he returned to tell him about Alex? She berated herself. If she hadn’t told him she was sleeping with Alex he would never have tried to fly home through a storm, he would be safe in his hotel suite, not lost somewhere, and possibly badly hurt.

  “Don’t say that, Leah,” Janie said, a little more harshly than she intended. “You couldn’t know that he’d try and do something as irresponsible as flying home through a tropical storm. He’s visited the area often enough to know how bad the storms get down there, and how dangerous it would be to try and travel in one.”

  Janie wasn’t sure what Alex could do, especially from Chicago, that the Mexican authorizes couldn’t, or what information, if any, he could find out that David couldn’t, but she was glad he was at least willing to try. She knew that if they didn’t hear something positive soon Leah’s fear and panic were likely to become a whole lot worse. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if it was discovered that anything truly bad had happened to Rhett.

  Janie made her friend get up from the bed and go take a shower, she then encouraged her to get dressed in case they needed to leave in a hurry.

  Leah felt a little better, being occupied, than she did curled up on the bed feeling sorry for herself and worrying that Rhett was lost somewhere in the ocean, drowning or already dead. She would never argue with him again, she promised herself. There had to be a middle ground for them, some way for them to get along without the constant arguments.

  Though she couldn’t find out anything about Rhett, Leah was able to watch the storm’s progress on her laptop, which she did almost obsessively, despite Janie’s efforts to distract her. By lunch time the storm had passed beyond the island chain, and was well on its way to the mainland. She worried a little about the people there who might be in the path of the storm, but her relief a
t the thought that Rhett was no longer in danger, assuming he had survived the storm in the first place, overrode it.

  When her phone rang Leah grabbed it up, answering it on the first ring. “Is he alright?” she asked eagerly, paying no attention to the chess pieces she had just knocked flying. She hadn’t really been interested in playing chess, she barely knew how to play the game, but Janie had been trying to keep her occupied with it.

  “He’s fine,” Alex told her, having spent most of the morning on the phone to anyone on either side of the border he thought might be able to give him some news. “They managed to make contact with Rhett and his pilot once the storm passed. The jet suffered damage in the emergency landing and can’t take off again, but both of them are okay, with the exception of a few minor injuries. They’re currently waiting to be rescued.”

  “But he’s okay?” Leah asked, wanting to be sure about that.

  “Yes, he’s okay. As I understand it he’s got a few bruises and some minor cuts, but that’s it, the same goes for his pilot. He should be back at the resort by this time tomorrow, perhaps sooner if his friend Manuel can get a boat out there to him, as he is planning.”

  With that confirmation Leah felt herself relax for the first time in hours, since receiving the phone call from David that morning. “Thank you, Alex.” She gave a sigh of relief as she set the phone down.

  “See, I told you he’d be alright and back to order you around in no time,” Janie said with a grin, able to work out from her friend’s reactions what the news was. She managed to avoid a sigh of her own but couldn’t help admitting that she too was relieved. Despite recent events, she had known Rhett for a while, and the news that he was alright was welcome to her.

  No longer worried that Rhett might be dead, Leah felt a shadow lift from her, though it didn’t disappear entirely. The knowledge that the danger Rhett had found himself in had been the result of her telling him about Alex weighed on her.