Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series)

by Michelle Hughes

  “I slept with Rhett last night,” she blurted, needing it out there in the open before she chickened out, her eyes darting around the office, looking anywhere but at him. She didn’t want to see his reaction to her words.

  Though she couldn’t deny that she had enjoyed her experiences with both men, she felt bad that she had had sex with two men within twenty four hours. She felt like a slut, a feeling that was made worse by the knowledge that she still didn’t want to give up either of them; she wanted to continue as she was.

  “Firstly, I would never fire you for something that didn’t involve work, that would be completely unprofessional, and that isn’t the sort of person I am. Secondly, what exactly are you trying to tell me?” Was she going back to Rhett, he wondered. If that was the case he was going to be more than a little disappointed, but he refused to let that show. As much as he enjoyed being with her, and as close as she had become to him, he would never dare tell her what decisions to make in her personal life. Not, that was, unless she agreed to become his.

  “I guess what I’m saying is that I can’t decide between the two of you, you both mean so much to me. I hope you can understand that, and understand that right now, I want you both.” Had she really just said that, she couldn’t help asking herself, it sounded like something a whore would say.

  “Leah, we aren’t married, and you haven’t agreed to be my submissive, let alone anything else, so I really have no say in who you choose to sleep with.” He wanted to tell her she was too good for Rhett, but it wasn’t his place. He liked his friend, they had been through a lot together, but even in the short period of time he had been back, and what little he knew of the situation between them, he knew Rhett wasn’t good for Leah. Even a blind man could see the negative effects he had had on her life.

  Leah was amazed that he was being so reasonable; she knew he didn’t have Rhett’s temper, but she had still expected him to react in some way to what she had said. “What if I wanted to be your submissive, and his as well?” she asked, deciding that since she had started, she might as well finish, especially since she had reached what she really wanted to talk about. She just hoped that he would understand what she was suggesting, and offering.

  That threw him for a loop. He had agreed to do some light training with her, but she knew what kind of lifestyle he enjoyed, and he simply didn’t think she was ready for that, though he wished she was. “Then I’d say we have a lot to discuss.” That was putting it mildly, he thought; she had no idea what she would be getting into if she agreed to be fully trained by him to be his submissive. The thought of taking her to the Ranch had his mind racing with possibilities, possibilities that he immediately cut off, knowing that she was a long way from being able to cope with them.

  “That’s what Rhett said.” She nibbled on her lip, not comfortable with bringing it up but knowing it needed to be said. “He wants us all to sit down and come up with some agreement on what we want.” It sounded too much like a business discussion for her liking, but some part of her told her that life, and relationships, was a business, at least in a sense.

  “I think Rhett is right.” As much as he disagreed with how Rhett had handled things with Leah, he couldn’t fault his thought processes just then. Leah needed to understand fully what she was getting into, and both he and Rhett needed to know where they stood if they were going to go ahead with what she was suggesting.

  He was being so amenable she couldn’t help but wonder why she had been so worried. They would talk, and discuss every side of the situation like the adults they were, and then figure out where to go. It all seemed so simple and sensible, so why was her heart racing at ninety miles a minute at the very thought of them all sitting down to talk. “So I should tell him you’re okay with it and we are going to sit down and talk?”

  “No, I’ll call him myself and set up a time and place.” If he made the call he would at least be able to get some sense of whether his friend was going to be reasonable about the situation, and whether he should expect trouble and take precautions.

  “Janie wants to be there if we do this,” Leah said, remembering her conversation the previous night with her friend, thinking about it, she realized she liked the idea of her friend being there. Janie’s presence would make her feel more comfortable.

  Alex nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.” No matter how well the meeting went, she would need someone there to support her, someone who was a hundred percent on her side. In addition to being there for her friend, Janie’s presence might just be enough to keep Rhett’s temper in check, should the meeting not go the way he wanted it to, and he couldn’t see how his friend could get what he wanted from the meeting. Rhett was too possessive to simply give in and agree to share Leah.

  “What’s so funny?” Leah asked when Alex suddenly began laughing. She felt her hands tremble at the thought of the crazy meeting she had just agreed to and needed something to lighten her mood.

  “I was just thinking; as a new submissive, we should be sharing firsts with you, and here you are turning the tables.” Being honest with himself, he knew there were few submissives in his past that he would have even considered agreeing to such an arrangement with. He felt something different for this woman, as he knew his friend did, and like Rhett he wasn’t willing to give her up without a fight. The thought shocked him, even as it entered his mind.

  Leah had assumed what she was proposing was normal in the world of doms and subs, so she was surprised to discover it wasn’t common and she found herself wondering why they both seemed willing to share her, if it wasn’t normal behavior. “I guess I should get back to work.” She smiled tentatively at Alex, hoping that no-one would have a clue what they had been doing in the office.

  “And I have a phone call to make.” He winked at her, and was pleased to see her return his wink with a smile. The day was definitely turning out strange, he thought as he picked up the phone after she had left. His call to Rhett went straight through and they quickly got down to the reason for the call.

  Rhett’s immediate suggestion was that they should meet at his house, since Alex’s hotel suite wasn’t appropriate, but Alex vetoed that, he didn’t like the idea of meeting somewhere Rhett was most comfortable and in control. The second suggestion, which Alex was prepared to agree to after some thought, was David’s home, a neutral location which had the benefit of providing an extra person to help keep Rhett’s temper in check.

  Alex allowed that Rhett should call David and make the necessary arrangements, and hung up, thinking that the meeting was going to be unlike any he had ever taken part in before.

  18

  CIRCLE OF THREE

  Leah felt odd when they returned to the hotel after work, it seemed as though she was forever packing up her stuff since meeting Rhett. She didn’t like the constant moving, and could only hope that soon things would settle down so she wouldn’t have to worry about any more disorganization in her life.

  After what had happened at lunchtime she had forgotten to tell Alex that she was moving out of the suite, and moving into the condo, he had thought her staying there had been just for the night. Fortunately, when she explained what she was going to do on their way out of the office, he was understanding, which she was beginning to realize was a part of his nature.

  Her nerves were on edge; she couldn’t help worrying about the meeting that was to take place in a few hours, so she made the most of her time by packing up the clothes she would need for the week. There wasn’t the time, or the opportunity, for her to pack up everything she had brought to the hotel, but she could at least take away what she would need most urgently.

  Alex gave her the space she needed to collect her thoughts while she packed up, and she was again reminded of how thoughtful he was. She needed the time, that was for sure, she thought. In a relatively short time, she would be talking more personally about herself than she felt comfortable with, and she really wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, even if she was the one who w
as the cause of it.

  Though she had intended to do so, there hadn’t been an opportunity for her to research pony play and the Ranch. She hoped she would be able to find out more about it before she met with Alex and Rhett that evening. She needed to know as much as she could learn to help her with the decisions that needed to be made.

  When she finished packing up the things she needed, and looked at the time on her phone, she discovered that the hours had flown by much more quickly than she had anticipated. Realizing how close the unbelievable meeting was she found her hands trembling, it was only by force of will that she was able to get them under control enough to allow her to dress.

  Was she really going to go through with the insanity she had dreamt up, she wondered as she slid on a pair of heels; the nights with Rhett were still branded on her mind, she remembered in vivid detail how overwhelmed she had been by them.

  The thought of having both men in her life at the same time excited her, but at the same time it terrified her, and left her wondering if she was truly ready to consider such a thing, let alone actually go through with it.

  Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her purse off the bed and walked into the main room, where Alex was waiting. He was so damn beautiful, she thought; she had to be the luckiest woman on earth to have two incredibly gorgeous men interested in her at the same tame.

  “You look beautiful, Leah.” Walking over he took both of her hands in his before bending his head to kiss her deeply. He wondered if she had any ideas what an enchanting creature she was. Breaking the kiss, he pulled back to look into her eyes, not pleased with the anxiety he saw written in those hazel depths. “If you've changed your mind, I won’t be upset.” He was still amazed that she was even considering the options that were going to be placed on the table that night.

  “I haven’t changed my mind,” Leah said, “but I am a little scared.” She had no problem telling him how she felt; instinctively she knew that he would support any decision she made, which made things a little easier for her.

  Pulling her into his arms he held her tight. “There’s no reason to be afraid, nothing will happen tonight except conversation.” His hand lowered to her cheek to stroke her soft skin as he backed away slightly. “If at any time you feel this is too much for you, say the word, we can call the meeting off.” He stared into her eyes, wanting her to understand that she would be the one in control of the meeting, not him or Rhett.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Leah managed a shaky smile and a nod. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his gentle touch for a moment before looking at him again. “I guess we should be leaving, there’s just enough time to drop my stuff off at the condo before we go to David’s.” If they were going to go ahead with the meeting she wanted to get it over with. It was one thing to agree to submit, even to two men, she thought to herself, and another entirely to sit down and talk about it as a group. Strangely enough she found herself more nervous about the meeting than she was about the possible outcome of the decisions she might make.

  “Let’s go have a discussion then,” Alex said, grabbing up his wallet and slipping it into his back pocket before he grabbed his keys off the bar.

  The drive to David’s house, after they left the condo, was over far too quickly for Leah’s liking, and she fought the nausea that had built up within her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t on board with the idea of what they would be discussing, but she didn’t know if she had it in her to talk about sexual acts with both of them at the same time. She was still uncomfortable talking about sex, and could only hope that as she gained more experience the topic would become easier for her.

  David opened the door for them when they arrived, and Janie, who was behind him, immediately pulled her friend into her arms so she could hug her tight. “Ready to run yet?” she asked with a soft laugh, seeing just how nervous Leah was.

  “No, but I’m getting close.” Leah grinned, feeling much more comfortable with Janie there. She looked around as they made their way into the living room but couldn’t see Rhett, briefly the thought occurred to her that he wouldn’t show and she turned to David, a questioning look on her face.

  “Rhett's been held up in traffic, but he should be here any minute. Can I get anyone a drink?” he asked, directing a smile at no-one in particular, both curious and concerned about what the night would bring. Knowing that Alex would be discussing the pony lifestyle, at least in part, made him doubly curious, since he knew so little about it.

  Leah nodded; her mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert and she wasn't sure she could manage to speak about anything, let alone what she was there to discuss. “I’d love a soda, if you have one.” She struggled to get the words out. There was no way she was drinking anything alcoholic, she wanted to have all of her wits about her during the meeting.

  “I’m sure we have some in the fridge,” David said, turning to leave the room and fetch it but Janie stopped him.

  “I’ll get it, honey, you wait here, Alex, what would you like?”

  “Just water, thank you, Janie.”

  Janie nodded and made her way into the kitchen to fetch the drinks; while she was there she fixed herself one, alcohol for her. She couldn’t help feeling a little nervous, almost as much as Leah was, when the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Rhett.

  Returning with the drinks she noted that Rhett didn’t look very pleased to see her. She was sure he hadn’t expected her to be there. With an effort she fought the urge to utter the smart ass comment that rose to her lips, knowing that it would only set the man off, which wasn’t a good idea when her presence there was supposed to encourage him to remain calm.

  Rhett wasn’t pleased to hear that Janie and David were going to be there for the discussion, he had thought they would simply be using David’s house. He kept his thoughts to himself however; he knew how hard the meeting was likely to be for Leah, and wanted her to be comfortable, even if that meant allowing for Janie’s presence, who he had become less and less happy with since meeting Leah.

  “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.” He directed the comment at Leah, forcing a smile, which he hoped appeared genuine. As he looked at her he found himself possessed of the desire to pick her up, take her home, and make her forget the whole crazy idea. He could only hope that Alex’s description of the pony lifestyle would be enough to turn her off the idea and bring her back to him.

  “We just got here,” she told him, nibbling on her lip. Despite his smile, she could tell that he wasn’t happy about being there, but he seemed to perk up when he joined her on the couch. His presence next to her made her feel a little better, though at the same time it made her uncomfortable. Her discomfort was increased when Alex settled next to her. If anyone had asked her, even just a month before, she would never have thought it possible for her to find herself in such a situation.

  “I think we should get started,” Alex said, seeing the nervous tension in Leah’s body language as she sat between the two of them. “Rhett, would you like to start us off?” He was trying to be agreeable, but the look his friend gave him didn’t please him. He could see the possessive side of Rhett’s nature as he put his hand on Leah’s leg and had to resist the urge to reach over and remove it.

  “I think Leah knows what I desire in a submissive.” His eyes shot daggers at Alex, making his meaning clear. “What I don’t think she understands is just how intense training as a pony can be. Perhaps it would be best if you tell her about the training she would have to undergo to become your pet.” He wanted the meeting over, and was sure that getting Alex to discuss his methods would terrify her.

  “The training is very intense, Rhett, you are right, but it doesn't have to be, at least not in the beginning. There are methods that can be used which reduce the intensity of the training, especially for a new submissive.” He knew exactly what Rhett was trying to accomplish, and found he couldn’t entirely fault his friend for such a tactic. Rhett hadn’t become such a successful businessman, who always got what
he wanted from a deal, without knowing just how to manipulate a meeting. “What I would propose is that Leah spends a weekend at the Ranch, during which time she could learn what being a pony is about.”

  “A weekend on the ranch, being trained; what you’re really saying is you want to take her down there and force her to be little more than a dog as you take her through her paces, right?” The thought of his Leah being treated that way pissed him off, and he didn’t give a damn if Alex knew that was how he felt.

  “No, Rhett, and I don’t appreciate you coming to that conclusion.” The man was being an ass, Alex thought, surprised his friend wasn’t being more rational about the situation, despite the unusual nature of it. His lifestyle was extreme, to some people, he knew, but it had proven satisfying for him, and for the many other people who lived it.

  Sensing the rising anger between the two men in her life, Leah decided to step in before it escalated. “Maybe you can tell me what happens during the first day at the Ranch for a new person in the lifestyle, Alex.” It was something she needed to know, if she was to make a decision that would affect her future.

  “This should be interesting,” Rhett said, directing a smirk at Alex. He was certain that when she learned what the training for Alex’s version of the lifestyle consisted of, she would be disgusted.

  “For anyone with an open mind it is interesting,” Alex responded. “David, Janie, do either of you have a laptop I can borrow for a moment?”

  “You can borrow mine,” Janie told him. “I’ll just get it.” Since she was curious about the pony lifestyle herself she was more than happy to lend him her laptop, and she hurried from the room to fetch it.