“That not what you want, Rhett.” She knew instinctively that he was trying to protect her, but didn’t feel as though she needed protecting. Her body responded to the heat that filled his eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.
Pushing her away from him, he groaned. “Damn it, if you truly love me you’ll stop tormenting me this way and just go to the damned Ranch.” He was about two seconds away from losing control, he could feel it, and as much as the thought of taking her turned him on, he knew it was not what either of them truly needed.
Stunned at the commanding tone in his voice, Leah finally understood. He couldn’t control himself around her. He was just as desperate as she was, and it filled her with a confidence and sense of power she had never known before. With that emotion also came the understanding that he needed her to be strong for him. “Is that truly what you want? She entwined her fingers in his hair and tugged, encouraging him to give in to her.
A tortured groan escaped his lips at her action, and he knew if he didn’t stop her then, things were going to end badly for both of them. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand and began pulling her back toward the road, walking so fast she struggled to keep up.
Hailing a cab, he glanced into her startled eyes and kept his expression closed. “You are more of a temptation than one man should have.” Shaking his head he tried to remember that he was the one who was supposed to be in control.
His words made her smile, despite the fact that he was pushing her away. She finally understood the truth, and that truth was amazing. The man she had submitted to, heart, body and soul, needed her, just as desperately as she needed him. There was no way she was giving that up, she decided.
The cab arrived and he opened the door; as he watched her slide in another groan of unfulfilled desire escaped his lips. He slid in beside her and gave Janie’s address to the driver, before turning to her. “Go to the Ranch, Leah, we'll talk when you get back.” He would call Alex and explain to him why it was important that he keep her mind occupied until he could gain some control over himself, he decided.
A smirk found Leah’s face; she knew Rhett wasn’t far from giving in to what they both wanted. “Are you sure that’s what you want, Sir?” She added the Sir knowing it would make him want her even more. “Do you truly want Alex controlling what belongs to you?” She was playing dirty, and she knew it, but for the first time since she had met him, she felt like she was the one with the power. It was an exhilarating feeling.
He couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped him as she tested her new found power. “Take that sexy little ass to the Ranch, maybe Alex can control you better than I have.” Nymph, he thought, feeling the strain of the last few days lift. She had such potential, and such fire inside, and could only imagine what she would be like when she truly understood the control she had.
The cab pulled up in front of the condo building and Leah got out. Rhett was thankful she was leaving, he wasn’t sure he had it in him to resist much longer. Her new found confidence was going to test Alex, and it gave him a perverse sense of pleasure to know that she had begun to understand just how powerful her submissive nature could be.
“You’re coming back to me.” Leah smiled as she leaned back in to the cab, knowing that something had changed forever and that she no longer felt as though him leaving her was the end of the world. It was strangely comforting to realize that she had more power than she had thought.
“Yes, sweetheart, I am, when I can be what you need, I’ll come back to you.” He smiled and shook his head. There was so much he wanted to share with her, and so much he hoped to be able to share with her in the future. “I’ll call you soon.” His body ached, even as his heart swelled. This was the woman she was meant to be, and as soon as he could control himself again, she was going to belong to him as much as he belonged to her.
“Don’t make me wait too long, Sir.” Smiling, she shut the door and watched him drive off. She was sure she could have changed his mind with only a little more effort, and that made their parting much easier than it had been earlier, because she knew he wasn’t really leaving her. She had no idea how she was going to force herself to give him the time he needed, but she also knew he needed it for his own peace of mind.
Still smiling, she walked into the lobby of the condo, trying to understand the enormous change that had happened in such a short time. After their ten nights together she had felt completely subdued by him, now she understood what he had been trying to teach her all along, that he was hers as much as she was his. It didn’t matter what happened with Alex, it wouldn’t change their bond.
She could have both worlds, and they would still be okay. Amazing how much could change in a day, she thought as she walked through the front door of the condo.
21
RESOLVING
Riding back to his mansion, Rhett struggled to get himself back under control, both his body and his mind. On the drive, he allowed his memories to pass over the last few weeks and a smile found his chiseled features. A true beauty had calmed the beast of his nature, he thought with a chuckle. It had taken seeing the world through her innocence to finally realize how cold and withdrawn he had allowed himself to become.
After tipping the driver he walked inside and made his way through to his study to call Alex. The anger he had felt at the thought of losing Leah to his friend was gone, it had evaporated like steam. Taking responsibility for his actions had given him a peace of mind he hadn’t expected to feel, and knowing that Leah would be safe, and happy, until he could find himself, was the right thing to do in his opinion.
“Alex, I want to apologize once again for the other night, and let you know that I have encouraged Leah to go to the Ranch.” He waited a few moments for his friend to respond, and when he didn’t he worried that he had hung up. “Alex?”
“I’m here, Rhett, I’m just amazed that you are willing to do that.” Amazed didn’t begin to describe the surprise he felt. Though they had been friends for decades he couldn’t remember his friend ever doing anything as unselfish, and he wondered why he was doing so then. “What’s the catch?” he asked, certain there had to be one.
“No catch,” Rhett said with a shake of his head. “I just want you to promise me that you’ll keep her safe, and that you won’t push her so hard she freaks out.” He wasn’t actually worried about Alex doing that, but he needed to say the words. “It would be good if you could keep her occupied for the next few months, while I finish this counseling.”
“You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t completely trust you here, Rhett.” He wanted to believe his friend, but after the other night, it just seemed too easy. “What are you really trying to accomplish here?”
“I’m not trying to accomplish anything, Alex. I’ve been an ass to Leah, I realize that now; not just to Leah, to a lot of people, and I need to right some wrongs. Leah likes you, and I know she’ll be safe with you. Right now I need to focus on getting my shit together, and I can’t do that if I’m worrying that she is out there exploring this lifestyle with someone who doesn’t have her best interests at heart.” Someone like him was what he meant, though he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He knew how curious she was, and a submissive like Leah would attract Masters who would love to teach her, and many of them would be more interested in their pleasure, instead of teaching her, as he had been.
Alex found that he couldn’t fault his friend’s reasoning, not if he was being honest with himself. “If that’s how you truly feel then I find it commendable. Let’s be absolutely clear though, if I train Leah in my lifestyle and she enjoys it, I won’t just walk away because you feel like you’ve become a better person. Are you willing to live with that? I will want her to continue being my submissive, and I won’t be prepared to walk away.”
“I won’t say it will be easy for me, Alex, but if, at the end of all of this, Leah wants you and not me, then I’ll walk away.” As he said the words he realized he truly
meant them. Leah was more important to him than his own needs. The realization brought a smile to his lips; he had never thought to care more for another person than he did for himself.
“As long as we’re both clear on where we stand, then I hope you can be open-minded enough to do this. You have my word that I will protect her.” He would have protected her even if he hadn’t promised Rhett, he thought to himself, but if the words eased his friend’s mind, then it was a simple enough thing to do. “To be honest, I don’t think it will be too difficult to keep her occupied, between work and the Ranch I should imagine she will be plenty distracted.”
“That’s all I can ask for. I’m going out of the country for the next month for therapy; I’ll forward you the location when I get there, but I would prefer it if you keep where I am between you and David, unless something serious comes up and she truly needs to speak with me.” He knew that getting out of Chicago, at least during the initial stages of his counseling was the only way to make sure he didn’t try and visit her; he simply wasn’t strong enough yet to fight his own desires.
Alex was shocked again, it was clear that Rhett really was going to do what was best, both for himself and for Leah. “You have my word, unless something important comes up, Leah will not know where you are.”
“I guess that’s it then, take care of her, Alex.” There really wasn’t anything else to be said, he decided.
“Take care of yourself, Rhett.” Hanging up the phone Alex shook his head in amazement.
22
FRIENDSHIP
Leah joined Janie in the hot tub, where she told her friend everything that she and Rhett had talked about, though she did leave out the embarrassing scene she had made. She was surprised when Janie evinced no shock over the offer Rhett had made. “You don’t find it a little odd that he now wants me to go to the Ranch?” she asked.
“I’ll admit that for Rhett to agree to share you with another man is way off the radar for what I thought he would be prepared to do, but in some ways he’s just keeping you in check.” She doubted that was what Leah wanted to hear, but after listening to what her friend had to say it made sense to her.
“Keeping me in check?” Glancing at her friend in confusion, Leah waited for her to continue.
“Rhett needs time to get his act together, and while he does that he doesn’t want you going off and getting yourself hurt. Having Alex become your master gives him peace of mind; he knows Alex, and what his take on the lifestyle is, and he trusts him not to do anything that would hurt you. I could see David doing something like that if he needed to be away from me for an extended amount of time.” It actually made her feel a grudging respect for the man, knowing that Leah’s safety was that important to him.
“You’ve completely lose me, Janie. Why wouldn’t I be safe without Alex or Rhett?” That was just as confusing to her as Rhett's need to be apart from her to get his ‘act’ together. She didn’t understand why Rhett couldn’t see his counselor and still be involved with her.
“You’re a new submissive,” Janie explained, “and you have all these feelings and desires that he’s brought out in you. It makes sense that you would want to explore. Very few of us that find ourselves interested in this lifestyle will remain away from it for long; there’s always this pull, a craving, that you just don’t get in a more normal relationship, that will make you want to explore more.”
“It’s only for a few months, Janie. Before Rhett, I waited twenty-four years.” Leah laughed, thinking that she could easily manage to go a couple of months without any kind of sexual activity.
“Maybe you could, Leah, but I’m not so sure. During those twenty-four years you had never really experienced sex, so you didn’t know what you were missing; now you do know, and you won’t be able to go that long without wanting to feel again what Rhett and Alex have shown you. I know I wasn’t.” Janie knew she wasn’t quite the same sort of person as Leah, but for her, once she’d had sex, good sex that was, she’d wanted more and more of it, and once she’d experienced the BDSM lifestyle, she had never again felt the desire to return to plain vanilla sex.
“So you’re saying that I’ll become a nymphomaniac now?” She couldn’t help it, the thought made her giggle.
“Of course not, I’m just saying that you’ll want to explore. Rhett knows that, and he’s smart enough to realize that you are better off doing that with Alex, who you know and you both trust. Hell, the man is like a walking advertisement for orgasms, you’d be crazy not to explore with him.” She would, if David gave her the go ahead, hell, if she wasn’t with David she’d probably be fighting her friend for him.
Thinking about Alex aroused an ache in her loins, and Leah nibbled on her lip. “Okay, that one I’ll give you, he is incredibly handsome.” That was putting it mildly, she thought with a grin, she couldn’t imagine any woman not being willing to kneel at his feet.
“So are you going to go to the Ranch?” Janie really hoped the answer was yes, though she couldn’t help admitting to herself that her reasons were at least partly selfish. She wanted to find out about the pony lifestyle, and having Leah go to the Ranch gave her the perfect excuse.
“I keep telling myself I shouldn’t, but yes, I’m going to go. I mean, Rhett did tell me to, so I’ll only be doing what he said.” The truth was, she was really curious, and it was an opportunity she doubted most people got. So what if she was trying to convince herself it was okay for her to enjoy Alex, she thought.
“I’m sure that’s the only reason you’re going.” Janie laughed and splashed her friend. “But whatever helps you sleep at night, honey.” She was glad that Leah joined in the laughter, because she couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing the right thing by encouraging her to go.
“So, do you think it’s as intense as Rhett made it out to be the other night?” A part of her was terrified she wouldn’t be able to handle the pony lifestyle, the other was as excited as sin.
“I’m sure that if it’s too much we’ll be able to take the first horse out of there,” Janie joked, though she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of concern herself.
“What are you ladies gossiping about?” David asked with a chuckle for the look of surprise he received from both of them at his sudden appearance.
“We were discussing exactly what punishment should be dished out to people who decide to sneak up and scare the hell out of us,” Janie told him with a laugh as her suddenly racing heart calmed.
David quickly moved over to Janie and sat, pulling her into his lap. “Something tells me that the discussion might have been a little deeper than that.” Grinning, he held her against him while he waited patiently for one of them to confess.
“We were just talking about the Ranch, and well, honestly, I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to handle it.” Leah felt that David was her friend and she could be completely honest with him.
“I’m sure Alex will be a good trainer for you, and will consider your feelings, no matter what he does. Besides Janie and I will be there with you, so if it gets to be too much, we’ll just leave.” He smiled at Leah as his fingers moved to Janie’s temples so he could massage them gently.
Nodding at his words of encouragement, Leah felt some of her nervousness ebb away. With her best friend, and two men she trusted, everything would be fine, she told her. “I’m sure you’re right, David, and in all honesty, it’s as exciting as it is scary.” She admitted with a soft smile.
“I don’t know about you guys, but all this soaking and talking has made me ravenous, what do you say we call Alex and see if he’s interested in eating out tonight?” Janie wasn’t really all that hungry, but the feel of David beneath her was making her ache for something other than food, and she wasn’t sure how comfortable her friend would be if they had sex in front of her. A part of her was tempted to see, since the idea turned her on more than she was prepared to admit, a part of her even hoped that if they did that Leah would want to join them, but she thought it best not to
chance things.
“I’ll go and give him a call.” Leah grinned at the expression on her friend’s face, she knew just what was going on, and was more than happy to give them some privacy. “I’m going to grab a shower after I call him, so you guys enjoy your fun.” Laughing softly she got out of the hot tub and went off to make her phone call.
“That was very naughty of you to turn me on with Leah right there, Sir.” Janie grinned and wiggled her ass against his stiff cock.
“Are you reprimanding me, young lady?” he asked with a mocking smirk. “I do believe I’ll have to come up with a suitable punishment for such behavior.”
“Absolutely, Sir, and I think it should be a long, hard punishment,” she told him, reaching between her legs for a moment to grasp his shaft before she turned herself around in his lap and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Chuckling at her antics, he proceeded to punish her with his body until they both came undone together.
23
ANTICIPATION
Alex waited impatiently for the trio to arrive at his hotel, and when they did he led them through to the restaurant, where he had booked one of the private rooms so they could eat and talk without being disturbed. Holding out a chair for Leah, he waited until they were all seated, and the waiter had taken their orders, before speaking.
“Leah, I spoke with Rhett earlier, and he expressed the wish that you allow me to train you at the Ranch while he undergoes counseling. I want to make sure this is something you want for yourself before we go any further.” He hoped that she was going to give him the opportunity to share his world, but it would only happen if it was what she truly wanted.
“I’ve thought long and hard about this, Alex, and yes, I want the chance to explore with you. I have to admit, though, I am a little afraid.” Nibbling on her lower lip, hoping her eyes didn’t reveal exactly how scared she was.
Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series) Page 27