She asked him about his educational history and then about his most recent position. Since this information had all been contained in the paperwork at her fingertips, he did wonder if she was looking for some inconsistency or other.
“I really only have two concerns, Dr. Kendall. The first is personal in nature, and I’ll apologize for it. However, the welfare of my students comes first.”
“Is it the fact that I’m divorced?”
She seemed relieved she hadn’t had to bring it up herself. “Yes. Um…oh dear. I’m a single woman myself. This school has always been my life. So…”
Rich took pity on the spinster. “I can assure you that the divorce was unexpected, and not desired on my part.” Well, not at first, not until he’d come to understand what a bitch his wife had become. “And there was no infidelity or…moral turpitude on either of our parts. There were only…changing expectations.”
“That is a relief and exactly what I wanted to hear. The other issue, of course, is your recent arrival in Texas from New York. Is this a permanent move?”
“It is. I have a great deal of family in Benedict County. They invited my brother and me—my brother is a veterinarian—to relocate.” He gave the woman as endearing a smile as he could muster. “Our aunt Samantha can be very persuasive.”
“Oh! I had no idea you were related to those Kendalls! Well, then, this would appear to be a most fortuitous circumstance for us both.”
Rich was pretty certain that Ms. Claymore didn’t mean to imply that the death of Dr. Broderick had been a good thing.
“Dr. Kendall, I’ll be frank. Our need for a new English lit professor and department head is most pressing. You’re more than qualified for the position. It does come with a three-month probationary period, which I am sure you can appreciate. The position is yours if you want it. Can you start on Monday?”
“I can, and thank you.” He’d need a couple of days to see where the previous professor had left his classes in their curriculum.
“Excellent. I have a standard employment contract for you to take and sign. I can take you on a tour of the campus so you’ll know where your lecture hall is, the cafeteria, and, of course, your office. We’ve cleaned out all the personal items from Dr. Broderick’s office, which will now be yours, and all of his class notes are there for you to take with you.” Ms. Claymore got to her feet, which made Rich get to his as well.
“Shall we?”
Because the college was a modest size, the tour didn’t take long to complete. There was an orientation map just outside the cafeteria, and Rich was pleased to discover that his office was in this building, but that his lecture hall was in the newer one.
“Would you like to take a moment to read your contract and sign it now?” Ms. Claymore had seemed somewhat surprised when he’d simply placed the document—with the curriculum and class books—inside his briefcase.
“I would,” Rich said. “But I promised Aunt Samantha that I wouldn’t, that I’d bring it to her so she could peruse it first.”
Edith Claymore nodded. “I’ve met the lady. I imagine she’d be hard to resist.”
“Try impossible to resist.”
“My mother had a great deal of respect for her, as well as for her mother-in-law, Miranda, who was teacher, I believe.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“Very well. Then I look forward to seeing you on Monday. We’ll have an assembly in the cafeteria to introduce you. Please come to my office at eight a.m. so that I can accompany you there.” The lady extended her hand. “Welcome to the Claymore College, Dr. Kendall.”
Rich shook her hand once again. “Thank you, Miss Claymore. I look forward to beginning my work here.”
Chapter 6
Iris visited Jake Kendall on Tuesday while Rich was at his job interview. Now that she was going to be working and living in Lusty full time, she needed to find a place of her own. She wanted to give Tamara and her family their privacy back.
She was amazed to discover there were several good rentals available to choose from. Iris could have had a house if she’d wanted one, but she didn’t think she needed that much space. In the end, she opted for a simple one-bedroom apartment in a fourplex that was only a couple of blocks from Tamara’s house. She’d be able to walk over and get her baby fix whenever she needed to.
Unlike some of the fourplex apartments she’d seen in other parts of the state, this one was not only well maintained, it was perfect. A ground floor unit, the apartment had a door that opened directly to the backyard. It was a common space shared by all four units with a couple of outdoor grills, picnic tables, and a nice patio set. Her bedroom seemed huge, with the bathroom having a door from her bedroom and one from the hall. The kitchen was an eat-in room and the living room spacious. Iris judged she now had almost twice the living space she’d had in her apartment in San Marcos.
The move itself was accomplished faster than she could have imagined. One day she had a new apartment, and the next, she rode in a truck driven by Rich Kendall. They were followed by a couple of trucks driven by various family members back to her San Marcos apartment.
With all those bodies helping, one residence was emptied and the other filled by day’s end.
Iris Gibbs was now officially a citizen of Lusty, Texas.
The head-spinning, nonstop busyness, however, didn’t stop there. As a boss, Donny Kendall was very different from old Doc Murdock. Where Doc had been a man who took his sweet time, who seemed to ponder every business decision, and who liked to amble his way through a day, Donny Kendall was his polar opposite.
Donny moved like a man from…well, like a man from New York.
He was organized, motivated, and had a very clear picture of what he wanted. They went through catalogues, choosing equipment, and Iris gave him the benefit of her experience with the various suppliers she knew personally, through her years of working with Doc Murdock.
Doc had used a couple she hadn’t cared for. They liked to talk a good line but often didn’t live up to their own hype. Sometimes she’d had to follow up numerous times on orders, and when they did arrive, they weren’t always complete. Doc liked to give a body several chances to get it right.
Donny accepted her opinion, going with suppliers she recommended. His trust in her opinion pleased her immensely, as did his reaction when she explained why she preferred one over another. Apparently, like her, he didn’t suffer fools gladly either.
Iris ate supper with the brothers Kendall both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. After supper—the men had each taken a turn cooking—they’d discussed with her their concepts of the D/s relationship dynamic and had answered any questions she’d had. They’d also schooled her in “protocol,” something that would eventually be expected of her at the club they were about to visit.
By the time Thursday afternoon arrived, Iris was, by turns, both anxious and eager to see this hedonistic playground Rich and Donny and, by extension, she would be joining. Did she get a little weirded out worrying whether or not Jillian and her husbands would be there that night? Strangely, no. In fact, a part of her hoped they would be there, though no one had spoken to that issue, one way or the other.
It was with some hesitancy she eyed the box that Rich Kendall presented to her just after lunch on Thursday. They’d be leaving for Houston shortly, and she’d been very aware there was one major thing they hadn’t discussed.
What she would wear for the upcoming evening.
“We’ll be attending a special social evening at the Lyon’s Den. They have them every so often, and we won’t be the only guests there tonight.”
“By guests you mean people who aren’t yet members?”
Rich smiled. “Exactly. So tonight will be easier for you, as your first introduction to the lifestyle. No one will expect you to follow protocol. You won’t be required to kneel when you’re introduced to Christopher Lyons. You can take a few minutes to look at your outfit, if you like. Donny and I chose this for you. It’s m
odest enough that nothing is blatantly showing but sexy enough to showcase your delectable curves.”
“There will be people from all walks of life there and from every notch on the fetish spectrum.” Donny reached out and used his fingers to lift her chin. Once she gave him her full attention, he continued. “I can guarantee that you’ll garner admiring looks tonight. You would if you were wearing a sack because, Iris, you’re a beautiful woman. But no one—absolutely no one—will so much as invade your personal space. You’re ours, and we protect what’s ours.”
The way they’d so carefully worded everything begged a question. “At other times, will you expect me to be naked there? Will we…do things together in front of other people?”
Rich and Donny traded a look.
“We will never ask you to do something that you’re absolutely against. That said, we hope that, in time, you will trust us enough and be comfortable enough in who you are to appear naked at the club and let others watch if we choose to play there.”
Iris didn’t know if she would ever be able to do that. She didn’t think she would want to live the D/s lifestyle twenty-four-seven. She’d begun to understand herself a little better since she’d been on her own. She’d thought about the very few men she’d been in relationships with and had made what she’d considered a startling discovery. Her “ideal relationship” would be to be considered an equal partner while, at the same time, knowing she’d be taken care of, that she wouldn’t have to “be in charge” all the time. Until she’d learned a little of the D/s dynamic, she’d believed her ideal was something that could never be achieved.
Rich and Donny had said there was no “one true way” when it came to D/s or BDSM. The key, both had asserted, was to find what worked for them. Iris had hope that what she really wanted was something that she could actually have. If having my deepest wish fulfilled means I’m sometimes naked in a club setting, I’ll just have to learn to deal with it. But it wasn’t just being naked in front of others that worried her. With his next words, Donny took away the last of her real fears.
“We would never have sex with you in front of other people,” Donny said. “Unless we all discovered that was something you wanted or needed to experience.”
“Our need, as Doms, is to have a woman we can take care of, one we can…cherish.”
Had Rich been going to say “love”? Iris knew it was way too soon for her to be thinking in terms of loving either or both of these men. But she was beginning to hope. Her life had been a series of hard choices, choices made to take care of others—her family—over herself. Now she was on her own, and she couldn’t help but feel it was her turn to be, as Rich said, cherished.
It wasn’t logical, and maybe some women would label her a traitor to her gender, but she already trusted Rich and Donny Kendall to keep her safe.
Without another word, Iris opened the box. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but the teal blue merry widow she lifted from the tissue surprised her. Strapless, it featured a white and silver soft faux-fur fringe along the top edge and at the bottom. It lacked a crotch, which nearly made her shake her head in refusal. But then she saw another couple of items in the box.
The G-string, just-barely-there panties did have a nice triangle that she hoped would cover her pussy, and in that moment, she was grateful that she kept herself waxed bare. The stockings were sheer and glittered and needed no garters to stay in place, thigh-high.
“It’s beautiful. Do you want me to go try it on?”
“No. The Jessops will be accompanying us tonight. Jillian has offered to help you get ready. There will be a couple of other items where we’ll be staying awaiting us to complete your ensemble,” Rich said. She met his gaze, and then he continued. “A pair of shoes and a coat for you to wear over your outfit.” Then he reached for her hand, and she gave it to him. “There is just one more thing about tonight.”
“Yes?”
“We’ll be staying at Benedict Towers, in one of the family’s penthouse suites with the Jessops. Robert told me this particular suite has a master bedroom at either end of it.”
Iris felt a fluttering in her belly. She didn’t have to wonder. She knew this sensation was pure excitement.
The expression in Rich’s eyes did a damn fine job of lighting her fires, even as his words underscored that unspoken promise. “You’ll be sharing a bed with us tonight.”
* * * *
Donny turned from gazing out the window of the penthouse suite in Benedict Towers and, with his brother, focused as the sound of feminine footsteps approaching from the master bedroom reached them. It was all he could do not to drool when Iris stepped into the room. As they’d both envisioned, she was a dream in an outfit that showed off her luscious curves and made her eyes sparkle and appear an even more vibrant blue than they already were.
She’d put her hair up in a knot at the top of her head, with blonde wisps hanging down. The shoes on her feet gave her a good three inches in height and did wicked, wicked things to her legs—and his resolve not to touch her. Yet.
“Absolutely gorgeous.” He met her gaze and let her see his sincerity. He loved the trace of pink that colored her cheeks, but more, he loved the subtle change in her demeanor. She’d entered this room likely wearing less than she did even at the beach, and by her body language, he’d known she’d felt uncertain. He and Rich already understood she didn’t have much faith in her own feminine appeal. With his compliment, she stood before them looking just a bit more self-assured. We’re going to have to make sure we let her see how she affects us.
“Perfect.” Rich took a couple steps closer and held out his hand. She went to him without a moment’s hesitation. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Thank you for trusting us, Iris.”
“You’re welcome.”
Jillian’s outfit for the evening wasn’t any more revealing than Iris’s, a relief for him and, since he knew Rich as well as he knew himself, for his brother, too. Iris wasn’t the only one who wondered how the atmosphere at the club would change the relationships they had with the Jessops.
They hadn’t been in this position before, where they’d encounter people they already knew in a club setting. They hadn’t known anyone other than Damien at the Dragon’s Lair before joining and never saw anyone they met there outside of the club. Compartmentalization had been easy and natural.
Donny made a note to ask David privately exactly how many family members frequented Christopher Lyon’s club. It wouldn’t change their resolve to join or to spend time there whenever time permitted. Knowledge would simply allow them to be prepared for encountering family when it happened.
For this evening, Donny and his brother were dressed in simple business suits. Once they became members and had locker facilities at the club, they’d keep their club attire there and change on site. But tonight was a social evening. They’d been told that some of the members would indeed be indulging in scenes. Tonight would be an evening for the uninitiated to get an idea what the lifestyle was really all about—recent Hollywood movies aside.
“Are we ready to head out, then?” Robert Jessop approached his wife, a tan knee-length coat over his arm. He didn’t comment on Iris’s appearance, but the look of approval he sent her was the perfect way to let her know she’d fit in.
“I believe we are,” Donny said. He reached over and plucked the light blue coat they’d chosen for Iris off the arm of the sofa. He held the coat for her. Once she slipped her arms into it, and he settled it on her shoulders, he couldn’t resist sliding his arms around her from behind and giving her a hug. She would be sharing a bed with them tonight, but that was all—unless she said yes to more. Donny promised himself he’d do all he could to ensure that she would. He placed a light kiss on her neck.
“Remember, sweetheart, you’ll be safe with us.”
“I know I will. I’m a little scared and a lot excited. But I trust you…Sir.” She looked from him to Rich. “I trust you both.”
“
We’ll do everything we can to ensure that you have no reason to regret that decision, little one.” Rich cupped the side of her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb.
Her focus was completely on his brother, and Donny was very happy to realize there was no jealousy in him. Iris already mattered to them more than they’d thought she would this soon.
“Thank you, Sir.”
Donny could see that Iris’s use of the title affected his brother as it did him. He admitted to himself that he was at least as excited as Iris was—and equally hopeful that she would find tonight an enjoyable experience.
“The car is waiting downstairs,” David Jessop announced. “Shall we?”
Donny stood back, allowing Rich to extend his arm to Iris. He was the oldest and had always taken the lead. Donny was comfortable following that lead, and that included where Iris Gibbs was concerned. They would build individual relationships with her, as well as—hopefully—forming a ménage with her at their center.
David held the door, closing it behind them and then stood beside Donny as they awaited the elevator.
His cousin grinned, and Donny figured they were in for one hell of an interesting night.
Chapter 7
So this is what culture shock feels like.
Iris was grateful for the time she’d had alone with Jillian as they’d gotten dressed for the evening. Her friend had shared more with her than just the best way to don her merry widow. She’d given her a crash course on what to expect but, more importantly, on what would be expected of her.
“This is an invitation-only social evening,” Jillian had said. “With the emphasis on the word ‘social.’ You’ll be treated like a guest and not expected to observe high protocol. If you’re introduced to another Dom—and I think likely the only one you will meet face to face is Christopher Lyons—then answer only when spoken to and call him Sir.” Iris was appreciative for all of Jill’s advice, but mostly, she was glad her friend was going to be there.
Love Under Two Loners [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6