by Cara Adams
He and the other driver had given each other air high-fives as they walked back to the restaurant in their separate lanes. It was a new kind of male bonding to Mason, but he enjoyed it. It made the hunt for a parking space into fun somehow instead of a cause for annoyance. And now he was inside, sitting with Adelaide, and ready to learn all about her.
“When did you become interested in BDSM, Adelaide?” he asked her. The three of them were sitting so close together, and there was so much background noise, that the fact that the restaurant was full of children shouldn’t matter.
She leaned back in her chair so she was looking at both of them. “Oh, I don’t really know. I guess it was an interest that developed gradually. It was certainly long before Fifty Shades of Grey. It was one of the reasons why I went to work at The Dom’s Dungeon, though. What about you two? Have you been in the lifestyle for a long time?”
Damn. She’d said one of the reasons. He wanted to ask her what the other ones were.
“BDSM is a natural fit with the community in which we grew up. Some of our family and friends are in the lifestyle. Others are just interested in it or play scenes occasionally, maybe go to a BDSM party or display now and then,” said Wade.
Mason was surprised that Wade had hinted at their shape-shifter status so early in the conversation. Logic said that Adelaide had to know about them or, at the very least, have guessed. She wouldn’t be working in her job without an acceptance by the werewolf community. Simon, one of the co-owners of The Dom’s Dungeon, was a wolf and was accepted as their Alpha, even though they weren’t a true pack. They were more like a group of wolves who had agreed to work together cooperatively. Some, like he and Wade, had kept their ties to their original packs and went back to serve their own Alphas from time to time. But they all gave Simon honor and respect.
“Do you both still go back to your original community regularly? Like for…um…exercise and things?” Adelaide asked.
Mason smiled. “It’s too far. We’re a long way from Maine. Out past the city limits on the west side, there’s a large area of open land. It’s not farmland or a national park. Some of us go there sometimes, but mostly running around the high school athletics track or going to the gym is all we need. What about you? Do you go to the gym?”
“I had a membership years ago, but it was too hard getting there in winter, and then I moved to the apartment where I am now, so I canceled the membership. I don’t even run around the athletics track I’m afraid. Likely I should.”
Luckily their meals arrived then. Mason was almost about to say he could give Adelaide a good workout in the dungeon anytime she asked for it. Sex was excellent aerobic exercise, and coupling it with some energetic punishment should burn off all the calories Adelaide wanted to use up. Hmm yes. Fucking her morning and night would likely use up too many calories. They’d have to feed her chocolate to ensure she didn’t lose too much weight. He could coat his dick in chocolate sauce. She could suck it off. That’d work.
Adelaide carved herself a neat slice of chicken parmigiana and then asked, “When did you leave Maine? Do you miss it?”
“Yes and no. I miss the people sometimes. It was a wonderful environment for a kid growing up, but unless I wanted to work on the farm or in forestry, there was really no future for me there.”
“We talked about it together. We discussed where we’d live and what we’d do. The Dom’s Dungeon suits us perfectly, and we have a nice apartment right in the heart of the city,” said Wade.
“What about you? Did you grow up here in Richmond?” Mason asked her.
“I’ve been here my whole life. I even went to college here instead of traveling and living in a dorm the way most people do. But T—I was in a relationship at the time, and we wanted to stay together so it worked out best.”
“And T is no longer around?” asked Wade.
Yeah, I want to know that, too, although I’m pretty sure he isn’t.
“No, he’s been gone for quite a while. He took a fly-in-fly-out job on an oilrig, and our relationship just gradually disintegrated.”
“Do you miss him?” asked Mason. Maybe this is what’s holding her back from becoming our sub.
But she smiled and emphatically shook her head. “No. We were high school sweethearts. Eventually we both grew up and found we weren’t the same people that we’d been ten years earlier.”
“I’d certainly hope not. Who wants to remain pimply, nerdy, and awkward for the rest of their life?” said Wade.
They all laughed.
“Would you like some dessert now?” Mason asked.
“I shouldn’t. I’ve just admitted I don’t exercise enough.”
“We could introduce you an extremely pleasant form of exercise.” Wade had lowered his voice, but Mason was confident no one would hear them anyway. He was almost holding his breath, waiting for Adelaide to reply.
“I want that. I really do. But there are things I don’t…I can’t…”
“Tell us.” Mason stared straight at her face. Adelaide shook her head, blinked her eyes, and gasped.
“I’m trying. Please believe me. I really am trying. But I can’t.”
She stood up and grabbed her purse up from the floor where she’d set it at her feet.
“Lunch was delicious. Thank you for inviting me.” And she was gone. The restaurant was still as crowded as ever. How she vanished so quickly Mason couldn’t work out. But one minute she was there, and the next she’d dived between the tables and disappeared into the crowds. He stood up and thought he might have seen her as she walked through the door, but there were so many people between them he wasn’t sure.
“Well, that went well. Not,” he said.
“I don’t think it was a complete failure. We did learn several things about her. But you’re right. We need to discuss this and make some plans for the future.”
How the fuck could they get her back into the dungeon, and into their bed, when she didn’t tell them what the problem was? It had to be something so embarrassing she wouldn’t talk about it.
Mason knew a lot of women were hung up on body image. He’d heard of women who wouldn’t undress because of imagined faults or worries about a little bit of cellulite on their thighs or fat on their ass. He’d heard of women having surgery to make their breasts bigger or smaller or to get a designer vagina. It all seemed totally unnecessary to him, but he wasn’t a woman and likely didn’t understand how cruel people could be to women about their bodies.
But that wasn’t their problem here. Adelaide had undressed for them, had let them see her naked. From what she’d said today she didn’t want to put on weight, but clearly it hadn’t kept her out of the dungeon or out of the French maid’s costume. So her problem wasn’t body image. What the fuck was it then?
* * * *
Adelaide’s shift didn’t start until four, so she still had a couple of hours before she had to start work. But her uniform was in the trunk of her car, ready and waiting, because she hadn’t wanted to cut her lunch date short to go home and fetch it. Now, of course, she could just go home since she’d run out on both the men. But, instead, she went to work anyway. Adelaide headed straight for staff change rooms and sat on the bench, her regular thinking place. She leaned back against the wall, put her feet on the bench, and hugged her knees.
They as good as told me they’re wolves. They lived in a community in Maine. They didn’t want to work on the farm or in forestry. That means they’re either a religious group or a shape-shifter pack, and the smart money is betting on shape-shifters.
Adelaide had known that all along. They had to be wolves. But what she didn’t know was how to accept them. Why can’t I accept them? I know my fear is irrational. I know I’m biased and cruel and all kinds of stupid. Why can’t I see them as people who just happen to be wolves as well?
Various staff came and went through the change room, but Adelaide didn’t really notice them. She sat and thought and thought but couldn’t find a way forward. All she
could see was herself missing out on a relationship or, at the very least, not having a Dom of her own because she wasn’t brave enough to cast aside her fears. She was willing to trust them in the dungeon. She was even willing to go to bed with them. Hell, she wanted to go to bed with them. They were the hottest men she’d ever known. But committing to them, even signing a dungeon contract, was more than she could cope with. It was crazy, illogical, and ridiculous. But that didn’t make it any less true.
She looked up, startled when someone sat beside her on the bench. “Tammy? Sorry? Is it four already? Am I late for my shift?”
“No, there’s plenty of time left before your shift starts. A couple of people mentioned you’d been sitting here for a long time. They didn’t like to interrupt you but wanted me to speak to you. So here I am. Is there a problem I can help with?”
Adelaide was about to say no and end the conversation when she remembered that Tammy was mated into a triad with a wolf and a human. Simon was a wolf, who constantly needed to transform and run in his wolf shape. He and Leif were the co-owners of The Dom’s Dungeon.
“May I ask you a personal question?”
“Sure. I can’t give away other people’s secrets though, you understand.”
“It’s information from yourself I need. I know this sounds horrible and ugly, but how did you acclimatize yourself to being with a wolf?”
“Are you attracted to a wolf? Wade? Or maybe both Wade and Mason?” Tammy’s green gaze dug deep into Adelaide’s soul.
Adelaide nodded and said, “Both of them. I want them so much, but I can’t adjust to the idea that they’re not human.”
“You need to stop thinking about the specifics and concentrate on the people. There are plenty of strange people around, but their strangeness doesn’t mean they aren’t good people, good citizens. You need to focus on what you’re looking for in a Dom or a partner. What do you want out of a relationship, and what are you prepared to put into the relationship?”
“I want someone to be with always. I know that. I also understand about give and take. I’m really not just a taker. I’ll be happy to give. And I’m really not prejudiced, not speciesist. Is that even a word? I just…I’m afraid of the unknown I guess.”
“Being afraid is fine. I’ve heard that intelligent soldiers are always afraid before a battle. Courage is stepping out and going ahead even though you are afraid. Baby steps. One thing at a time. Think about what you truly want and decide what is one small step you’re willing to take. Then do it.”
“But how do I stop being afraid enough to move that first step?” asked Adelaide, feeling helpless and hopeless.
Tammy grinned and hugged her. “Fear is lack of knowledge. Learn about Mason. Learn about Wade. Once you know they’re just regular people who squeeze the toothpaste from the middle of the tube instead of from the end, the mystery disappears.”
Adelaide hugged her back. “Thank you.”
Tammy patted her back and left. Adelaide changed into her uniform and then went into the inner room and washed her face. She stared into her own image in the mirror and told herself. “One baby step getting to know them. I can do that.”
But it wasn’t that easy to think of a step she was prepared to take. Adelaide would have been more than happy to go back into the dungeon with them again. But since she knew there was no hope of sex unless she signed a contract, she didn’t really want to do that. She longed to play a game, to have her ass paddled, to be chained up and whipped, but not when she knew there could be no release after it.
She was a horrible person being so unkind about their species. She deserved to be punished and punished severely, to be whipped until the evil left her soul and she could accept them as the genuinely caring people they were. She craved the punishment and the release of her bad thoughts. She wanted to trust shape-shifters and to believe in them. To know their hearts and minds were just the same as hers. But it was a very difficult thing to let go of her fears and accept the men. She didn’t even know what she was afraid of anymore. All she knew was that she had to get over her problems.
“Learn about Mason. Learn about Wade,” Tammy had told her.
“I will. I don’t know how I’ll do it yet, but I will do it.”
Chapter Four
“So what’s the next step in our campaign to win Adelaide? Another meal out, hopefully somewhere it’s not quite so hard to find a parking space?” suggested Wade.
“I don’t know. Logic says wine her and dine her and win her over, but likely we ought to find out what’s holding her back. There’s a problem there, and until we unravel that knot, it’s going to continue to mess up our plans.”
“Chaining her up in Dungeon Eight and whipping her until she tells us isn’t permitted. But, dammit, I know it’d work,” said Wade, wiggling to get more comfortable on the hard wooden chair in the shoebox he and Mason termed their office.
“Yeah. I agree. So we need to think of something. How did she get her job here? What do we know of her history apart from what she told us on Sunday?”
“I don’t know anything more about her except that I want her, and I’m pretty sure you knew that already.”
“There has to be paperwork about her. Do you think Simon would let us read it?” asked Mason.
“I’m certain he wouldn’t. Confidentiality and all that. I reckon we’re on our own here. So we need to get her and ask her to tell us.”
“Because we’ve been so successful at that so far?” suggested Mason.
“Yeah. It needs some work, as our baseball coach used to say.”
They were both silent for a while, and then Wade began to get the glimmer of an idea. “Bear with me a minute. I’m still thinking this out.”
Mason grunted, but it was an approving sort of grunt, not one of his negative ones.
“You and I get on together so well because we’ve known each other all our lives.”
“All your life. I was born first,” interrupted Mason.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Wade was still plotting a pathway through his thoughts. “We need her to understand us, the way we understand each other. Why don’t we take her back to our ancestral lands? Take a week off, have a vacation. She’d be with us twenty-four-seven. We could take the romance side of things slowly and just get to know her and let her learn all about us in a relaxed, non-dungeon environment. It’d remove the pressure. We’d all be less stressed. There’d be no rush to get anything done, and it’d be good for us to go home and say hi to everyone, too.”
Wade stared at Mason. As far as he could see, it might work. Worst-case scenario, at least they’d have had a vacation, even if they still hadn’t gotten Adelaide to be with them. Best-case scenario, they could mate her on their pack lands. Oh hell yes. That would be something special indeed.
“It could work. I like it. It’d be what, thirteen hours as a road trip, less than four on an airplane? Which were you thinking of?”
“Flying. We’d want to spend our time there, not traveling. We could hire a four-wheel drive from the airport so we could take side trips if we wanted to once we got there.”
“Two days to get there, three days there, and two days to get back by road. Yes, likely flying is better. We’d need to request permission from the Alpha first. And permission from Leif and Simon for all three of us to take the time away.” Wade sighed. Suddenly his plan was starting to sound complicated. It’d seemed nice and straightforward when he first thought of it.
“I like your idea. It really could work. We’d certainly have time to get to know Adelaide properly, and I really appreciate the thought of a vacation. It’s been a hell of a long time since we last took one. Let’s write a few e-mails and get the system moving.” Mason turned his chair around to face his computer and opened his e-mails. Wade smiled, the weight lifting off his shoulders again. He didn’t need to do anything alone. He and Mason were a team, and together they’d find a way to solve whatever problem was worrying Adelaide. And then she’d be theirs fo
rever.
* * * *
Mason was really surprised to see an e-mail from his Alpha sitting in his in-box the next morning. Normally he was very organized, reading the oldest e-mails first and moving logically one by one to the most recent one. This morning he clicked on the one from the Alpha first.
I spoke to Simon Jeffries tonight, and he said Adelaide Stuart is a good match for you both. Congratulations on finding a woman who is willing to explore the possibilities of life with you and Wade. You will be welcome to spend a week with us, and I’ll make sure the country cottage is fully stocked for your visit. The nights are getting cold here already. Let me know which day you’ll be arriving.
“Wade?”
“Hmm.”
“The Alpha is expecting us and has said we can stay in the country cottage but warned us the nights are starting to get cold.”
Wade laughed. “I guess we’d better ask Simon and Adelaide, although possibly in the opposite order. Let me pull up our schedule and see when we can take a week off.”
“Simon already knows. The Alpha spoke to him and asked him about Adelaide.”
Wade turned around on his chair to face Mason. “I suppose I should have guessed he would. That makes it even more important we talk to Adelaide. Let me check the schedule.”
“Juliana will need to hire a replacement for Adelaide, but she should be able to organize that. They’ve used some of the other staff to fill in for a few days in the past. Actually, I think Tammy and Trinidad took a few shifts each or maybe split a few shifts between them or something when Juliana mated Beckett and Jason.”
“Yes, but they’re both a lot busier now. The dungeon is getting a lot more party bookings during the daytime. The day shift on reception used to be pretty quiet. Just people coming in for brunch or lunch with the occasional meeting. But now there are parties most days. It’d be harder for Tammy and Trinidad to keep up with their regular jobs while taking a turn on reception.”