“Boyfriend?”
“No. I have no time for romance in my life. My sister and I run our own business—a restaurant in the city,” she said. “Anyway, I met this man a few months ago and admired him from afar. I'm not a very forward sort of person, and he sort of seemed kind of unapproachable. Do you know what I mean?”
Rick nodded.
“When I found out this man was into the BDSM scene, I got the idea in my head that perhaps the lifestyle could be a benefit to me. That and I really want to experience shake-the-rafters-till-the-neighbors-call-the-cops kind of sex.”
Rick burst into laughter. “I've never heard it put quite like that before.”
“That was my sister's line. I just borrowed it.”
“It's powerful. And sounds like a lot of fun.”
They spent a couple of hours walking around the grounds and arrived back at the mansion in time for dinner. Alayna's belly rumbled in hunger, reminding her that she'd missed lunch. Shendah directed them to the dining room, where they found the table set for two. The flame of a single pillar candle placed off to one side danced from the air moving around the room.
Seeing just the two table settings made Alayna a little nervous. It seemed a mite intimate for two people who'd just met and were engaged in a working sort of relationship.
“Why only two place settings?” she asked the woman, whose gaze was lowered.
“I guess the other couple decided to leave early. Looks like you and I are the only clients in residence,” Rick added as he pulled out a chair for her.
Disappointment that Logan wouldn't be joining them made her frown. She wondered if he was still in the house or if he'd left. Alayna lowered herself onto the seat, feeling awkward. “Dane mentioned there were others,” she said as Rick sat across the table from her.
He gave her a playful grin. “Tired of my company already?”
Alayna gave a light laugh. “No, I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I just assumed there would be a few more of us.”
“There are two other couples who attend weekend trainings, so you'll meet them come then. And several training masters come and go,” Rick said, taking a roll from the basket Shendah offered. “Thank you. The facilities here at the mansion are available to others who engage in the lifestyle. So you'll probably see many different faces while you're here.”
Without a word, Shendah presented the basket to Alayna.
“Thank you.”
As Alayna reached to accept a bowl of potatoes from Rick, the sound of approaching footsteps drew her attention to the hallway. Just then, Logan walked through the entryway, wearing a pair of jeans and buttoning a shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbow. His long hair was damp as if he'd just showered, and his feet were bare. Alayna was thankful Rick continued to hold the dish, because in an instant, her body weakened.
Logan stopped midstep when he saw them at the table. His eyes met and held hers for a split second, and then he looked away and inhaled a deep breath.
Her heart began an erratic pitter-patter inside her chest. The sudden dryness in her mouth made her nearly reach out for the water glass behind her plate, but she didn't. Unsure if she'd be able to hold the glass in her shaky hand without ending up wearing the contents of it, she sat frozen in place. Warmth sparked in her belly and spread like wildfire throughout her body.
“Hello,” she said.
Logan exchanged a look with Rick, whose body went rigid. A nod and clipped “hello” was his only reply. Glancing at his watch, he muttered a curse under his breath. Alayna flinched. Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach. Her breath was uneven as she exhaled through her nose.
He had been eating in her café for months, and though they'd exchanged little more than pleasantries, he'd never been so curt toward her before. Even now, after he'd given her his room and filled it with flowers, he treated her like a stranger. When she'd arrived in his suite earlier, hope had blossomed that an attraction between them was mutual. Perhaps she'd wanted it so badly that she'd refused to consider the possibility that he wasn't interested after all.
“My apologies for interrupting,” he said, stepping farther inside the room. “I didn't realize the time and assumed dinner was wrapped up.”
“May I set your place, Master Logan?” Shendah asked. “I prepared your favorite this evening. Chicken parmesan.”
The hackles on Alayna's neck rose at the other woman's familiarity toward Logan. Her own reaction startled her. She was surprised by the possessiveness she felt toward Logan.
“No thank you, Shendah.” When his gaze settled on Alayna again, the rest of her skin raised in gooseflesh. “I don't have much of an appetite now.”
It was a good thing she was seated; she suddenly felt light-headed. First he acted as if he'd never seen her before, now he seemed to be inferring that she was the cause of his lack of appetite. She clenched her hands into tight fists where they rested atop her thighs.
“Late lunch,” he added, but it was too late. “I thank you for your thoughtfulness,” he directed to Shendah. “But I'll just grab something light from the kitchen and eat in my office. Excuse me.”
With that, Logan walked across the dining room, through the swinging door, and into the kitchen.
Confused and hurt, Alayna blew out a breath. “He's eaten in my restaurant for six months, yet acts as if he doesn't even recognize me.”
She glanced between Shendah and Rick. A soft smile lifted the other woman's lips.
“Try not to take it personally,” Rick offered.
Alayna scowled at him.
“I've been here three weeks and in that time have learned Logan's not the easiest guy to warm up to. He's probably busy with work.”
“Probably,” Shendah said in agreement. “If you have no further need for me at this time, Master Rick, I will excuse myself.”
“It looks and smells terrific,” he said. “What are the chances of you coming to live with Sheila and me? I love her to death, but my baby can't cook worth a damn.”
“That's very tempting, sir. But I'll have to pass.”
“Thank you, Shendah.”
The woman nodded, then turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
* * *
At the sink, Logan stood, staring out the window. In his hand, the bottle of water he'd pulled from the fridge remained sealed. The sun setting behind the tall trees cast dancing shadows across the vast expanse of green lawn.
The door from the dining room opened, and he heard Shendah's soft footfalls on the ceramic tile floor. She went about tidying up the clutter left from preparing the evening meal.
The plan he'd put in place to avoid Alayna during her stay had gone up in a single puff of smoke on the first damn day. He'd been so focused on paperwork that he'd lost track of time. After a quick shower, he had conceded to the angry grumbling in his belly and went in search of sustenance. From the positioning of the sun shining through his office window, he'd assumed Alayna and Rick had eaten and that the chance of running into her would be slim.
He'd been wrong.
“I've prepared you a plate, sir. Would you like me to serve it in your office?”
Logan put his thoughts on hold for a moment and pulled himself away from the sink. “Thanks,” he said, reaching for the plate she held in her hand. “I'll take it.”
After relinquishing the plate, Shendah turned her attention to clearing the counter.
When he'd walked into the dining room en route to the kitchen and spied them, he'd frozen. The sight of her always stole the air from his lungs. The breathlessness of Alayna's greeting had made his sac tighten with want. The glint of heated interest in her eyes had toyed with his control.
Logan had craved nothing more than to lay her out across the dining room table and punish her for making him feel. His attack would have been savage as he ripped her T-shirt open simply because it kept her from his view. He would have made short work of the jeans shielding her lower half, and then he would have warned her to never d
ress again while he was around or else she'd find herself on the receiving end of a spanking. It wouldn't have mattered that Shendah and Rick would have borne witness to the assault. Logan wanted her with everything he was.
Instead, he'd replied with clipped indifference. A part of him wanted to punish her for testing his control, for making him feel again, for making him want to break his vow to never enter into another D/s relationship again. His portrayal of disinterest had hit its mark. Plain as the sexy, pert nose on her face, he'd read the hurt in Alayna's eyes. The line was drawn. The boundaries between them reestablished. And he intended to keep it that way.
Observing Alayna and Rick's session through the one-way glass in the room adjoining room seven earlier that afternoon hadn't helped Logan's resolve. He didn't know why he tortured himself, if for no other reason than he deserved the punishment. The sight of her in a matching pastel pink bra and panties had definitely been punishment. The moment she'd shed the silk robe covering her, his cock had thickened at an alarming rate. It was as if the throbbing length of muscle knew that its perfect match stood on the other side of the wall. She was beautiful. His estimation of her physical features had been accurate. Her breasts would fill his hands perfectly. Her narrow waist flared to sensual, womanly hips.
The mounting anxieties building within her had been evident in her expression. She'd known immediately that they'd entered the wrong room. Logan heard her question that fact. The talk he'd had with Rick after he'd left Dane's office had effectively put Rick on edge, which had been Logan's intention. It wasn't that he wanted her training to fail; he just didn't want Rick touching her.
He could tell Rick was furious at his interference. Though the man hadn't uttered a word, his tight expression had been clear. However, Logan knew Rick would refrain from questioning Logan's motives, for the time being anyway. His error in taking Alayna into room seven had earned a point in Logan's favor. Alayna had been clearly rattled. And yet, he didn't feel elated.
Before leaving the kitchen through the back way, he turned back to Shendah. She'd been with them twelve years that coming fall and was more to them than the cook and housekeeper. Throughout her childhood she'd endured sexual torture at the hands of family members and now possessed no desire for sexual intimacy. She felt no sexual desires at all. Though she thrived on strict routines, she'd become somewhat of a confidante to the men living in the home. A friend. Nothing more.
“You know, you really are too good to us,” he said, reading the concern in her eyes.
She returned his smile with ease. Her willingness to show contentment hadn't always come so easily. “It's my pleasure, sir.”
“I hurt her,” he said. “Alayna.”
Shendah nodded but remained silent.
“It's for her own good,” he added to appease his own mind.
“You know what's best, Logan.”
The expression of empathy she wore caused Logan to turn away in shame. Shendah had been around many years; in some ways, she probably knew him better than he knew himself. She had witnessed numerous arguments between him and Dane over the issue of Logan swearing off the lifestyle. She'd been at his side the day the police arrived at the mansion to deliver the news about Tasha—the reason he'd walked away from it all. She'd heard the vow he made that night. Because of her past, she understood his torment and would never question his decision.
He was wrong for interfering in Alayna's training; he knew it and understood it. She deserved better, but the thought of anyone other than himself touching her brought his dominant nature, his desire to claim her, roaring to the surface—the Dom he no longer was or could ever be again. But he couldn't risk harming anyone again. And the only way he knew to keep Alayna safe from him was to erect an impenetrable fortress around himself. It was for the best.
In essence, then he too would be safe.
* * *
Alayna and Rick spent the rest of their meal in relative silence. She tried to reason why Logan had been so indifferent toward her. They weren't friends, but they weren't exactly strangers either. In an effort to comfort her own hurt feelings, she considered Rick's explanation that Logan was distracted with work. It certainly seemed plausible.
Perhaps he had just been caught off guard because he had forgotten he wasn't the only one in the house. Or was it because it had just been her and Rick seated at the dining room table? But that still didn't excuse his behavior. Maybe he was simply surprised to see her out of the familiar element. There was also the possibility that his displeasure at her being in his home was genuine.
But she wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily. When he'd entered the dining room and glanced her way, for a second she could have sworn she saw the briefest flicker of interest in his eyes. It happened fast, but she was sure it had been there. The look had carried the same weight as the one she'd been on the receiving end of many a time while he ate at the café.
“Pass me your plate,” Rick said when they finished eating.
“I'll help you clear the table,” she offered.
“No, just sit and relax; I'll just be a minute. Shendah will refuse help in her kitchen, but I like to clean off the table for her. Be right back.”
Alayna went back to her thoughts.
When at the café, Logan exuded such confidence and power, but earlier she'd caught a glimpse of vulnerability in his eyes when he saw her. It was overshadowed by something she couldn't put her finger on. Logan seemed to be shielding himself from her, but for what reason, she hadn't a clue. She wanted to find out. Today was only day one. She had an entire month to figure him out and to prove herself a worthy submissive.
“You know, with all the fresh air and excitement of the day, I'm feeling an adrenaline crash,” she said when Rick returned. “I think I'm going to call it a night.”
Rick glanced over his shoulder to the floor-to-ceiling windows along the far wall. Darkness was descending but hadn't quite settled in yet.
“You okay?”
“Yes.” No. She shrugged. “Just overwhelmed is all. Looking to relax. Maybe pull out a book.”
“All right,” he said. “Let me walk you to your room.”
“That's not necessary, Rick, but thanks. I'm going to take a long, hot bath, then crawl into that big bed.”
He nodded. “Well, sleep tight. I'll see you in the morning.”
“Good night.”
Once back in the suite, Alayna undressed and slipped into a hot bubble bath. The water soothed her physically, while the lavender scent of the bubbles eased her emotionally.
Now that she was alone, she replayed the day's events in her mind and found many aspects left her confused. Rick's behavior had seemed to bounce from eager to nervous to somewhat anxious when Logan entered the dining room; then he had been keen once they were alone once again. He was nice enough, friendly and funny, yet she couldn't help but wonder if she and he weren't a good fit. Did he not want to assist in her training? If that was the case, why was he? Or was it simply a matter of Dane ordering him to do it because his own submissive had been called away and he was he was close to finishing his own training? Alayna decided his wavering could only be contributed to his fiancée's early departure. Surely he missed Sheila and would rather be working with her instead of Alayna.
The water developed a chill and the bubbles melted away, and she realized she'd lost track of time. Pulling herself out of the tub, she dried herself off and padded naked from the bathroom.
Exhaustion from her initiation, or lack thereof, and the long walk through the gardens and grounds afterward began to pull at her. She crawled between the silk sheets of Logan's king-size bed and settled in. Turning the lamp off beside the bed, she buried her face in a pillow and inhaled deeply. The pillows surrounding her were permeated with his scent. With a smile at the comfort his smell brought, she allowed sleep to claim her.
* * *
At the end of the corridor leading to his and Dane's personal quarters, Logan leaned against one wall with his arms cros
sed over his chest. Despite the internal battle with his emotions where Alayna was concerned, he was satisfied that she was where she was meant to be—in his bed—if only for the next thirty days. It pained him that he would never join her there.
After taking his dinner to the office earlier, he'd abandoned it and gone back to the adjoining sitting room to lurk in the shadows, listening to Alayna and Rick converse over dinner. The frustration in her voice when she'd attempted to discuss the day's “nonsession” stirred the guilt he already carried.
Everything he'd done since Alayna's arrival earlier that morning had been unfair. He knew that, but he'd do it again without hesitation. Satisfaction lifted one corner of his mouth at the anxiety he'd heard in Rick's voice when she'd queried about the upcoming day. Rick wasn't a bad guy; in fact, if the circumstances were different, Logan would consider him a friend. But at present he was a means to an end.
Logan watched the light shining from under his door. Once it blinked out, he waited an hour before reaching for the knob. With nary a sound, he opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him. Logan knew he shouldn't be in the room with her; he knew it would be too much of a temptation. Yet, knowing she would never be his in reality, surely it wasn't wrong of him to take this bit of pleasure when no one would be the wiser.
Although the room was filled with the different fragrances of the numerous bouquets he'd had Shendah place throughout it, he could distinguish her tantalizing scent from all the others. The subtle blending of lilac and vanilla had stayed with him from the first moment he'd seen her.
After the first afternoon he'd eaten at Valerian's Root six months earlier and encountered the intriguing co-owner, he'd asked his gardener to put in a lilac garden. He'd also insisted Shendah place vanilla-scented candles throughout his room. Just because he couldn't have Alayna Valerian didn't mean he couldn't surround himself with scents reminiscent of her.
The moonlight seeping through the oversize window along one outside wall cast a haunting glow over the woman beneath his sheets. Locks of her hair spread across his pillow, and he wanted to bury his face in their honey waves. The soft sounds of her slumber carried to his ears, their evenness a testament she was deep asleep.
An Invitation: Alayna's Training Page 8