Maybe she was naïve, but she believed in the promises Rich and Donny Kendall had given her. She believed, quite frankly, in them.
Then Rich leaned in and kissed her—a chaste, sweet kiss. Donny did the same, and then he took her hand and brought it to his lips.
“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Donny asked.
“Yes. I’m ready.” She took her apartment key out of her purse and stepped back, giving him room to reach in and pick up her bag. Rich held his hand out, and she gave him her key. He closed and locked the door and then handed it back to her.
“I hope you like lasagna,” Rich said. “I used our aunt Sabrina’s recipe, which she got from her Italian grandmother.”
“I love lasagna, especially if it’s homemade!” And because she had been so busy being busy waiting for the brothers Kendall to return, she was really hungry.
“Excellent. My next question is, how do you feel about eating it while you’re naked?”
Iris looked down at her pretty white eyelet blouse then met Rich’s gaze. “Best way not to ruin a blouse, ever.”
He chuckled. “I never even thought of that benefit.” Then he let his gaze lazily take in her cotton-covered breasts. “If you’re worried about dropping bits of pasta, don’t. Donny and I will very happily take turns tidying you up with our tongues.”
Iris had to admit just imagining that did a very good job of smoothing away the last of her jitters and replacing them with sexual excitement.
“I can hardly wait.” When Rich took her right hand and laced their fingers, she sighed. Walking toward the car, she was nestled between these two Doms. She couldn’t think of another place she’d really rather be.
It took only ten minutes to drive from her apartment to their house at the south end of town. She admired the sign that had gone up while they’d been in Houston. It hung, suspended from a metal post that extended at a ninety-degree angle from the building. White with black background, it read, simply, Lusty Veterinary Clinic, Donald Kendall, DVM.
The clinic would officially open next Friday, and everything was just about ready. There’d be an open house on Saturday, and Donny had already sent out flyers to the ranches in Benedict and Hamilton Counties. He’d bought some ad space in area papers, and she hoped Monday would prove busy with prospective clients calling for appointments.
Iris exhaled and let all those thoughts go. It was going to take some practice on her part to separate the professional from the personal. When the front door of the house closed behind her, and the sound of the lock being engaged echoed loudly, she shivered.
“Nervous?” Donny asked
“A little.”
“Completely understandable.” Rich leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then he stepped back. He let his gaze roam her body, and she sensed a change in him. “Strip, please, and hand your clothes to Donny.”
She’d dressed simply today. She wore only her white eyelet blouse, a denim skirt, simple but pretty underwear, and canvas shoes. Her bra and panties matched, though they weren’t fancy. It didn’t surprise her one bit that the little silk scrap of her panties were damp. All she had to do was look at either of these two men and she got wet.
She handed Donny her clothes and her shoes and stood quietly, completely naked, and waited for what came next.
“You’re beautiful, Iris.” Rich’s compliment stroked her emotions like a soft piece of silk.
She recalled Donny’s warning of the night before. She really didn’t believe she was beautiful, but she knew better than to say so. Instead, she said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Come in here, please.”
While Donny took her clothes away, she followed Rich into the living room. The carpet in this room was new, not overly cushy, but nice to walk on nonetheless. It felt soft under her bare feet.
Rich indicated the floor. “I want you on your knees, legs spread, back straight, gaze down, and your hands resting, palm up, on your legs.”
“Yes, Sir.” She wasn’t certain if he wanted her to address him that way, but she figured it couldn’t hurt.
He held a hand out to help her down, and then he waited and watched as she did as he asked. She realized the position, which on the surface might seem very demure and almost shy if she was dressed, felt completely the opposite because she was nude. The way her legs were spread and her back arched, it was as if she was thrusting her breasts and her pussy forward toward him. He helped her a little, so that her back was just so. She remained silent yet responsive until he apparently was satisfied with her pose.
Donny returned and, with his brother, looked his fill. The expressions of satisfaction they wore made her feel as if she’d done something good.
“How do you feel being naked while we’re fully dressed?” Rich asked.
She didn’t have a hope of not being honest with them. They could see the blush that covered her face and was heading to her breasts. “I feel a little self-conscious, Sir.”
“We’ll see what we can do about giving you lots of practice at it.” Donny grinned. “Once you get used to it, you shouldn’t feel self-conscious.”
“We’re going to play, Iris, through supper and then afterward, for most of the rest of this evening. After we eat, we’ll begin by talking about your hard and soft limits. We’ll agree on what will happen tonight. Then, in the morning, we’ll re-visit those lists of yours.”
Iris understood the only way to know was to do. She didn’t mind being nervous about the process, and the truth was she didn’t even mind being a little scared about the evening ahead.
“If you’re feeling concerned as the night progresses, and you’re not sure about what we’re doing, say ‘yellow.’ We’ll stop, step out of the play, and discuss what you’re feeling. If you really begin to feel anxious or afraid and want us to stop, then say ‘red.’ We’ll stop, and put it away for the night. Then tomorrow we’ll talk about it. All right?”
Because Rich spoke in his Dom voice, she actually felt herself relaxing. He was letting her know that, while they were going to choose what happened next, she had the final say in everything they’d do together.
She really couldn’t ask for more than that, and she did want to explore what these feelings she’d been experiencing since opening that book Jill had given her really meant.
“That sounds more than fair, Sir. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He offered her his hand. When she took it, he helped her up. “Now let’s go eat.”
Iris was not only hungry. She was hungry. She considered “accidentally” dropping little bits of pasta onto herself, just for the pleasure of having these two men “tidy” her up.
It was going to be an interesting evening.
Chapter 11
Everything about Iris intrigued Rich and spoke to his need to nurture.
She’d insisted, as he knew she would, that she be allowed to help clean up after supper. While he got out the coffee mugs and brewed three cups in the single-cup maker, he stepped back, mentally, so he could observe Iris and how she interacted with Donny.
Working side-by-side at the sink, they appeared more friend-like, as opposed to lover-like. Anyone observing this scene would wonder about that since Iris was naked. Rich knew Donny’s laid-back attitude helped their woman feel completely at home in her skin. Most neophytes, in his experience, took a lot longer to get to a level of comfort being naked, especially out of the bedroom and with a man—or men—who were fully clothed. Iris, it would seem, was already there.
Rich understood himself well enough to know that one intrinsic part of his personality—his need to nurture—was likely the main reason he’d gone into teaching. His soul fed on being able to guide and direct others to achieve their goals and to surmount obstacles. He really couldn’t see himself following any other career path now. The teacher—the professor—was the ultimate dominant in some ways. It suited him as nothing else in his life had until that day he and Donny sat down and talked to Damien about what it meant
to be a dominant.
Now he could see that the roles—teacher, dominant—were simply different expressions of the same quality within him.
Iris needed him, not just to be her lover, and not just to be her dominant, but also to be her teacher. She’d had a very rough life, though he thought if he voiced that opinion she’d disagree. The truth was right there. She’d been made to feel inadequate, and not only when it came to her sexual identity as a woman.
Not all D/s relationships involved sex. And of those that did, not all of them encompassed romantic love. This experience would be completely different for her, and it was up to him to ensure that her needs were met, and that in his and Donny’s care, she blossomed.
I’m already more than halfway in love with her.
Rich was a man who’d married a woman he’d believed he loved, a woman who’d claimed to love him. But he’d married at an age when he really hadn’t known what love was and certainly hadn’t even understood his own nature. That marriage had failed, and that young love had turned to loathing, at least it had on Leslie’s part. Rich hadn’t hated. He’d hurt.
If he’d known himself back in the day as well as he knew himself now, if he’d understood what love really was and what he needed in a mate, he would never have married Leslie.
Now he knew both and understood both. This time it’s going to be for keeps.
Rich set that last thought aside for now. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare Iris away by rushing his fences. She’d agreed to be with them because she wanted to explore her submissive side. That would have to be enough, for now.
Donny and Iris finished the dishes about the same time Rich brought the coffee to the table. It was time to talk and to begin to put into play the discussion he and his brother had had earlier.
Rich seated Iris on her chair—the one chair that featured a cushion—and then waited while she fixed her coffee.
“Supper was very good, Rich. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Iris, we’d like to talk about last night, at the club.”
Her smile kissed the corners of her mouth. “I was wondering when we would.” She looked down at her hands then up and met his gaze. “I appreciate the time you’ve given me to continue to process everything. The experience really was a lot different than I’d imagined it would be.”
“Some of the things you thought would be a hard limit for you aren’t?” Rich asked.
“It’s not that so much, as how what I saw affected me.” She shrugged, but the look of earnestness on her face belied that dismissive gesture. “We talked about it a little last night. What I didn’t mention then was that I was turned on by things I thought would turn me off.”
“I’m glad you said that. We were both watching you very closely the entire time we were there. It’s important that we understand you, how you’re feeling during scenes and what you want and need. Sometimes, in the end of the day, what you might need won’t seem like something you would even want if you thought about it beforehand.”
Rich knew he was right when she met his gaze and then looked away.
Donny picked up her hand and kissed it. “Sweetheart, when was the last time you cried?”
Rich would bet that question coming from Donny and not him caught her completely off balance.
“I’m not a baby.”
Her answer was swift and just the slightest bit tart.
“Of course you’re not,” Donny agreed. “You’re a grown woman—an adult. In fact, I bet you’ve been an adult for a very long time.”
Iris shrugged. “I’ve always just done what needed doing. I really didn’t mind.” She sat back and sighed. “I think I know where this is headed. I saw your expressions when we were first getting to know each other.” Iris met Donny’s gaze and then his. But this time, she returned her attention to his brother. “Mom needed my help. There were five of us living in one small apartment. She had to work two jobs just for us to get by. That meant, some nights, I was in charge of supper and homework and baths. After I graduated high school, it got better, financially.”
“Because you went to work for Doc Murdock,” Donny said. “I bet you gave most of your paycheck to your mother.”
“Of course I did.” She leaned forward, and Rich read the urgency in her gaze. “I wanted to be a help. I took pride in the fact that, because of me, home life became easier. Because of me, my sisters and brother had a shot at getting a college education, of making their dreams come true.”
Rich met Donny’s gaze. Did Iris have any idea how special she was? He had no doubt whatsoever she didn’t.
Serving others, especially those she loved, was central to who Iris was as a human being.
Rich met her gaze. “And then your mother remarried, and she didn’t need you anymore. In fact, she not only didn’t need you, she deserted you.”
Iris jerked back as if he’d slapped her. It took every bit of will he possessed not to gather her close in response to the pain he saw on her face.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? You’ve talked about your mother and your siblings. But we don’t even know the name of your stepfather. You haven’t mentioned him once.”
She frowned, and Rich imagined she was trying to remember if she had or not. “My mother’s husband’s name is Tom Carson.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t even think of him as your stepfather, do you?”
Iris’s gaze snapped to Donny and then back to Rich. She sighed, and once more shook her head slowly. “No, I don’t. Maybe if they’d gotten together earlier, before I’d left school and was working full time, I’d feel differently.”
“You don’t have to justify your feelings to us. You don’t have to think of him as your stepdad, Iris. When was the last time you went to visit your family in Austin?”
She looked down at her hands again. “I’ve been busy. Doc kept long hours. Then he was getting ready to move, and I had to find a new job.”
“Too bad you couldn’t have foreseen Doc Murdock’s retirement,” Donny said. “If you had, you might not have chosen to remain in San Marcos when your family moved to Austin.”
The slight flinch told Rich all he needed to know. He hated like hell digging this way, but he doubted Iris was aware how deeply she’d been hurt or how much that pain defined her. She would likely say she’d put it behind her, but she hadn’t, not the way she needed to.
“It was your choice to remain in San Marcos, wasn’t it?” Even though he knew the answer to that, he needed Iris to admit the truth.
It took her a moment to lift her head, to meet his gaze. The pain he saw in her eyes hurt him. For anyone else, the simple truth might not have been such an emotional wound. But for a woman whose very heart and soul expressed love through acts of service, for a submissive, finding herself no longer needed could be a debilitating blow.
Iris hadn’t let that blow stop her, but Rich didn’t think she’d accepted her own feelings of betrayal and failure. He believed she’d buried them deep and then moved on. But he knew how much of a spiritual drag it could be to carry around a festering wound like that.
Until he’d understood his true nature, that was what he’d done post-divorce—carried around the sense that he’d failed his wife.
Pain turned to anger in a heartbeat. Rich would rather see her mad than sad. “I wasn’t invited to go with them. Is that what you wanted to know? I did everything right, and it still wasn’t enough. Pretty pathetic that my own mother didn’t even want me, isn’t it? That makes me a real loser.” As if she’d just realized what she’d said aloud, Iris’s hand slapped over her own mouth.
Rich hoped with all his heart that this would be the last time he saw such a look on her face. A combination of shock and pain, it hurt him that she hurt. He reached out and brought that delicate hand of hers from her lips to his and kissed it.
“That’s not on you, baby. Not. One. Bit.”
* * * *
Rich’s wor
ds helped, but they weren’t enough. Something had snapped inside of her, and she didn’t know if she could gather it all back in.
“My mother didn’t even return my last phone message. My sisters were so excited about moving to Austin and away from what they called the armpit of Texas. They’d switched to the university there, which is where my brother, Chad, just started in the fall.” She felt a tickling discomfort on the side of her face. She swiped at it with her hand but ignored the wetness. She tried, very hard, to keep her mad, but that emotion didn’t have any staying power with her. It never had. “Lily and Rose were so excited about the move, and when I showed an interest and asked them about what made going to college there so much better, they told me that I just wouldn’t understand. As if I was too stupid to understand. In fact, my youngest sister, Lily, came right out and told me if I had a brain in my head I never would have dropped out of school. But I did drop out, so I should just mind my own business. As if my riding her to get her homework done every night had been my favorite pastime. As if not going to college had been my choice.”
“Come here.” Iris blinked when Rich lifted her and set her on his lap. His arms enfolded her and made her feel…safe. Safe and cared for and wanted.
I haven’t felt that way in a long, long time.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. Maybe your sisters didn’t grasp the sacrifice you made for them, but your mother should have. Your mother should have put a stop to their treatment of you. It went on for a long time, didn’t it?”
Iris didn’t want to say anything. She simply wanted to soak up the comfort that Rich offered her. She didn’t cry. A part of her thought that if she got started she’d never stop. But it was very nice to curl into Rich and to know that, in that moment, nothing could touch her and no one could hurt her.
Because she felt safe, she sighed, and some of the tightness in her throat eased. “They were sneaky, never saying anything in front of Mom. And then she met Tom, and well…”
Love Under Two Loners [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10