by Abby Blake
Derek glanced at Cam, noted the smug look on the bastard’s face, and turned his attention back to Maya.
She shrugged, perhaps a little unsure of her own belief simply from his question. “What else could they be?”
“They could be women with careers and heavy responsibilities who want simply to be able to relax into someone else’s care for a while.” Maya raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but he chose to ignore her skepticism for the moment. “They could be busy housewives happy to please their husbands by submitting to their pleasures and experiencing mind-blowing orgasms in the process. Or, they could be sex slaves who need to build their lives around pleasing their Dom to feel happy themselves.” He was encouraged to see a shadow of uncertainty cross her features, and so he pressed on, hoping at least to open her mind to the possibilities. “My point is that Domination and submission is different for everyone. Some subs submit only in the bedroom, some live the lifestyle twenty-four seven. Some like Emma, Jace, and Logan make up their own rules.”
Derek glanced up in time to see the smug look falter on Cam’s face.
“So s–submitting can be confined to kinky sex?”
The way she asked the question had all his blood traveling south. Judging by Cam’s pained expression, he was experiencing the same thing.
“Yes,” Derek managed to force past a tightening throat. He’d been attracted to this woman since the moment they’d met, but this was the first time he’d seen anything to confirm the gut feeling he’d had about her.
Maya wanted to submit.
And Derek wanted to dominate her with every fiber of his being.
But for some reason, despite knowing many of the people from Viper’s Dungeon, submitting frightened her.
“What was your ex-husband like?” Cam asked quietly.
Ex-husband? Derek had never heard anything to suggest Maya had been married before, but it was obvious that Cam’s question hit the right topic when all the blood drained from Maya’s beautiful face.
“I…I…don’t want…”
Maya stood up from the chair as if she planned to run away, but Cam grasped her wrist and held her in place. “Sit down, sugar,” Cam said in a voice worthy of a true Dom. Derek knew Cam was friends with Logan but was fairly certain Cam wasn’t into the lifestyle. But the look on Maya’s face was beautiful. Being dominated might frighten her, but it was obvious that it was what she wanted. If they could get to the bottom of what had caused her fear, maybe they could work through things.
Derek glanced at Cam and finally realized that maybe having him around wasn’t just good for protecting her. If there was one thing he’d learned at the club, it was that sometimes a fresh perspective had a way of pinpointing an issue previously overlooked. Derek had coaxed many a submissive into relaxing enough to orgasm on the St. Andrew’s Cross simply by being able to sense something their own Doms had missed.
Despite his internal fight over wanting Maya but not wanting a relationship, Derek cared deeply for the woman and wanted her to be happy. If Cam was the man who could do that… Derek didn’t even want to finish that thought. Somehow the idea of Maya being happy without him left a bitter taste in his mouth. Derek ground his teeth together and tried not to look as confused over his own feelings as he felt. Damn it! This was about protecting Maya from harm.
“It’s okay, sugar,” Cam said rubbing his thumb over the pulse point in Maya’s wrist. “You’re safe here. Nothing you tell us will go any further than the three of us.”
Maya stared at Cam for so long that Derek thought she was going to refuse, but then she opened her mouth and began to talk. The details that followed had Derek clenching his fists tight. Her ex-husband had been a bully, plain and simple. Any man who would treat a lovely woman like Maya with such contempt deserved a lot more than a quick divorce. But the part that concerned Derek the most was what Maya left out. He’d been a cop long enough to know that if her ex hadn’t actually knocked her around, he would have been the cowardly type to threaten it.
“Where is he now?” Derek asked through clenched teeth, wanting nothing more than to track him down. Hell, if she wouldn’t press charges, he’d go rearrange the guy’s face for him anyway.
“Parkview Cemetery,” she said with a sad smile. “He was killed in a traffic accident four years ago.”
“Damn,” Cam growled in disappointment, obviously thinking along the same lines as Derek.
“We’d been divorced for nearly a year when he died,” Maya admitted quietly as tears filled her eyes, “but I still had trouble hiding my relief. I’ve never really mourned him a day since his death. Some days I feel guilty for that. We did have some good times, but they will always be overshadowed by the way he treated me after he was discharged from the Navy.”
Cam leaned over and dragged the woman onto his lap.
“Don’t ever feel guilty,” Cam said as he pressed Maya’s head against his chest and ran a hand over her hair. “I hope the bastard is rotting in hell.”
Derek’s thoughts exactly, but Maya proved why she was such an amazing person by her next words.
“I don’t,” she said very clearly. “He wasn’t a bad person. I hope he found peace. He had a difficult childhood, and joining the SEAL teams had been the only dream to pull him through. When he failed at that, it colored everything else.”
* * * *
Maya dragged in a deep breath, surprised by how freeing admitting her failed marriage out loud made her feel. Even after the divorce, her ex had managed to terrorize her into doing things his way. She’d carried the guilt for so long. Guilt for putting up with his behavior, guilt for not saying anything, guilt for sometimes feeling that she’d deserved what he did, and even guilt for the way it all stopped. But with a few simple words Cam and Derek had managed to give her an outsider’s point of view and let her see it from a different angle.
She heard Derek move. He sat in the chair she’d been in and stroked a hand down her back. “Maya, thank you for telling us about your marriage. I can understand now why you would find being told what to do so distasteful. Is that why I always feel that you’re frightened of me?”
Frightened? She shook her head, surprised by how Derek had interpreted her reactions to him. Couldn’t he tell how much she was attracted to him? True, she was trying to hide it, and may at times have seemed awkward around him, but she hadn’t meant to give the impression that she was scared of the man.
“Maya,” Derek said quietly, the movement of his hand on her back soothing and slightly hypnotic, “a true Dom cares for his sub. He protects her, and he provides for her. He doesn’t blame everyone around him for his own failures.”
She knew all of that. She truly did, but knowing the difference didn’t make it any easier to cope with the idea of being at the mercy of someone else. There had been a time when the idea of being tied down created all sorts of delicious warmth in her belly. But after her husband’s intimidating and sometimes violent mood swings, letting anyone have that much power over her seemed to go against the independence she’d tried so hard to regain since his death.
But cradled in the comfort of Cam’s embrace, Derek’s familiar presence behind her, Maya couldn’t quite remember why she wanted to be so independent. It felt nice to have someone to lean on occasionally, especially while she was under threat from a local gang of young thugs.
“Maya,” Derek said as he continued to run his hand up and down her back, “will you do me favor?” Confused by his request, Maya lifted her head away from Cam’s warm chest and focused her gaze on Derek. “Come to the club one night. Just as an observer. Come and see what real Domination and submission is all about.”
“Derek and I will keep you safe,” Cam said in what seemed to be a very clear message to Derek that Cam wasn’t going anywhere just yet.
“I’ll think about it,” she said quietly as warmth slithered through her belly and pooled lower.
“That’s my girl,” Derek said as he touched her face with his fingertips. “We
promise never to do anything you don’t want, but if you can find it in yourself to trust us, we can show you a part of yourself you never knew existed.”
* * * *
Derek entered the restaurant a few minutes before closing time. It had taken only two days for Maya to agree to visit Viper’s Dungeon, and he was aware enough to realize that Cam had a lot to do with her decision.
Even though the ex-SEAL was a naturally dominant personality, he wasn’t a trained Dom, and that seemed to frighten Maya just a little bit less. Hopefully that would give her the courage she required to face her own needs and realize that submitting to her Dom was something she would truly enjoy.
“Won’t be long,” Maya called as she carried a tray full of condiments into the kitchen. Derek glanced around the empty restaurant and found Cam working on a laptop in the far corner. He glanced up as Derek moved in his direction.
“How’s she been?”
“Nervous doesn’t begin to describe it,” Cam said with an easy smile. “But it’s obviously something she wants to try.”
“What about you?”
“Me?” Cam raised an eyebrow as he waited for Derek’s explanation.
“Is it something you want to try?” Derek almost laughed at the quick look of horror that crossed Cam’s face, but a moment later he smiled that cocky smile and laughed quietly.
“I think it would be best for me to stick with…what do you Doms call it? The vanilla life?”
“So you don’t want to come to the club with us tonight?” Derek couldn’t quite believe the guilt that question raised inside him. As much as he cared for Maya, a rational, non-jealous part of him realized that Cam was quickly becoming important to her. Considering that the three of them had spent much of the last two days together, Derek had noticed how important Maya was becoming to Cam also.
“You’re not that lucky,” Cam said with a deep laugh. “I plan to stick by the lady’s side. That way I can protect her from all you leather-clad, overconfident, intimidating Doms.”
From anyone else that might have sounded offensive, but from Cam it was obviously teasing. The broad smile gave him away.
“Good idea,” Derek said, momentarily shocking the ex-SEAL once more. “Knowing that she has someone with her who prefers the vanilla lifestyle will highlight just how much more fun it is to be kinky.” Cam laughed again, until Derek added, “You know you’re a natural Dom, right?”
Cam looked surprised, and maybe not very pleased, by the observation.
“Okay, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Maya called to them as she let the last of the staff out the front door. Cam grinned again, apparently glad for the interruption.
Maya was dressed casually in jeans, jacket, and boots, but it didn’t escape Derek’s attention that she was covered from neck to ankle. The top button of her shirt was done up tight so that not even her collarbone showed, let alone a hint of cleavage. Clearly, Maya wasn’t ready for anything to happen tonight.
Even though he’d known in his gut that it would be that way, Derek felt a small trickle of disappointment. He squashed it ruthlessly. Maya was important to him, and he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe and make sure she was happy. But, he reminded himself for the millionth time that day, he wasn’t looking for anything permanent. He was simply helping a beautiful woman tap into her sexuality and discover the joy of submitting. It was the same thing he’d done for countless submissives at the club.
And since he wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship, it should work out well for all of them.
* * * *
Cam watched Derek watch Maya. It was obvious that the guy was completely in love with the woman, and if Cam were a decent human being, he’d back away and let love take its course. The trouble was that he could sense Maya needed him, even if it was just as an anchor to the vanilla life she’d so far lived.
And, he acknowledged with an internal grimace, Maya needing him filled a need for him also.
“Am I dressed okay?” Maya asked Derek, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.
“Of course,” Derek replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a quick hug. “The club can be a little intimidating the first few times, but just know that Cam and I will be right beside you. Any questions you have, just ask.”
She nodded a little too hard for the reaction to be natural, but she didn’t object when Derek pressed a kiss to her lips. It seemed to be meant as a friendly peck, but Derek groaned and suddenly deepened the contact, encouraging Maya to open her mouth before thrusting his tongue past her lips. Cam wasn’t surprised by the sliver of jealousy that wormed through him—having spent every hour with her for the last three days he was feeling quite territorial—but it was the unexpected arousal at seeing them kiss that hit him hardest.
Clearing his throat as much to interrupt them as to tamp down his own desire, Cam stepped closer, snagged Maya’s hand, and led them to the front door. A quick glance at the woman suggested that she was embarrassed by his reaction, or maybe her reaction to kissing Derek, or maybe even by the fact that both men seemed to be vying for her attention. Frustrated with himself for his own confusion, Cam did the one thing most likely guaranteed to make things worse—he kissed her.
Maya made a soft squeak of surprise, but opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue just as she’d done for Derek. Cam explored her mouth, groaning as she relaxed against him, and opened wider. By the time Cam pulled away, both of them were panting hard. Derek’s low whistle had them turning to face him.
“That was very hot,” he said as he stepped closer and ran a hand down Maya’s cheek. He gave her an affectionate smile. “You are a very beautiful woman, Maya.”
Obviously surprised by Derek’s reaction, Maya swung her gaze from one man to the other before biting her lips and saying nothing.
“Come on, sugar,” Cam said as he tried to surreptitiously move so that his cock wasn’t pressed quite so hard against the zipper of his jeans. He grabbed one of her hands and noticed Derek almost claim the other before changing his mind. There seemed to be a war going on inside Derek. He wanted Maya, but he also didn’t want to want her. That was blazingly obvious to Cam. He looked at Derek with a raised eyebrow, but the man merely shrugged and grabbed Maya’s hand as if he’d intended to all along.
Cam smiled at Maya, gripped her hand just a little harder, and said, “Let’s go find out what life is like in Viper’s Dungeon.”
* * * *
Maya was fairly certain she hadn’t held hands with two men at the same time in her entire life. It felt kind of strange, kind of silly, and kind of wicked, but mostly it felt safe. Even as she tried to convince herself that it was absurd to feel safe wedged between two men larger and stronger than her late husband, Maya realized the truth. Over the last few days she’d grown to trust both of them.
She wasn’t sure what the future held, but for the first time in a long time she was eager to find out.
Derek led them the couple blocks to Viper’s Dungeon. The entrance was very ordinary and looked like any other office entry on the street. He used a standard-looking key to enter the first door, and they walked down a long corridor with obvious video surveillance before stepping through a second door and into an elegant foyer. A receptionist greeted them with a professional smile, and Maya would have sworn they were in the wrong place until the woman’s grin widened and she greeted Derek by name.
“I didn’t realize you were on tonight.”
“I’m not,” Derek said with easy familiarity. “I’m just showing Maya and Cam around. Let them get a feel for what the lifestyle is all about.”
The woman turned a brilliant smile on Cam. “I remember you from the other night. You’re a friend of Logan’s, right?”
“That’s right,” Cam said with a polite, but distant, smile. Maya couldn’t help feeling just a little bit satisfied by his dismissal of the receptionist’s obvious flirtation. Well maybe it wasn’t obvious, or even meant as flirting, but Maya was fe
eling rather territorial over both her men.
Both her men?
Shit! When did she start thinking of them as hers? They were protecting her from a gang of thugs, not moving in to play happy families. Maya mentally rolled her eyes. How would that work exactly anyway? Three adults wasn’t a happy family. It was a disaster waiting to happen. And why the hell was she thinking any of this?
Both Derek and Cam had warned her that the club could be overwhelming the first time, but considering they hadn’t actually stepped through the door, using it as an excuse for her weird thoughts was probably premature.
“Maya?”
“Huh?” Concern shadowed both men’s faces. “Oh, sorry, just lost in thought. What did you say?”
“Crystal asked if you needed help to fill out the consent and confidentiality forms.”
“Oh.” Maya bit her lip to hold back the self-conscious “um.” “No, I should be all right.” The woman’s smile probably looked perfectly friendly to the men, but Maya could sense the undertones. Women could sense when a predator was after her men. Shit! Maya swallowed hard and tried to erase that last thought from her mind. They weren’t her men.
She read through the forms carefully, feeling a little overwhelmed by the things she was being asked to consent to. It was made very clear in the paperwork that nothing would happen without her consent even after signing the agreement, yet in the end she ticked the box that listed her as an observer only. It felt kind of cowardly, but Derek had advised her to go slowly and at least this way she had one more reason not to make a hasty decision about anything.
She smiled when Cam showed her his forms with the same box ticked. Whether he did it for himself or for her was irrelevant. Just knowing that she wasn’t the only one choosing not to participate tonight filled her with a warm glow.
The secretary took their forms, grabbed a couple of strange-looking bracelet-type things and handed one to Maya and one to Cam. Cam turned to help Maya fasten hers around her wrist. Looking at the plastic more closely, Maya guessed that the bracelets would probably glow in the dark.
