Awakening Veronica [Divine Creek Ranch 17] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  Enlisting the aid of Cord and Jackson, and their fiancée, Ari, Grandma Kate had bamboozled her into a side trip while she was at their engagement party the night before. She hadn’t been able to say no. She’d had another mild surprise when she discovered that Grandma Kate was not really her great-aunt. She was actually a distant cousin. Due in part to her advanced age, it was beyond odd to think of Kate Benedict as her first cousin by marriage, twice removed.

  Veronica’s parents had never bothered to spell out the exact relationship to her and she’d consequently grown up believing that Kate was her great-aunt. She frowned, thinking that it was just another one of her mother’s small affronts directed at a side of her husband’s family and its matriarch, who she didn’t approve of.

  Grandma Kate sat in the front seat of the helicopter, chatting with her grandson, and occasionally looking into the back, where Veronica was trying to keep it together. She didn’t like telling people about her anxiety triggers, one of which was flying, because she didn’t want people to view her as weak. The plane trip from Montana the day before had been exhausting enough, as she’d struggled to hold herself together. She’d anticipated using a vehicle wherever they needed to go while she was in Texas. But no. Kate insisted a helicopter was faster and since the family had one, the least they could do was make use of it.

  Her stylus flew on the tablet screen as she made notes. Floating. The sun reflects off of the tinted window glass, warming me but not blinding me. My eardrums wobble as we descend, coming closer to our destination. She assumed their destination was in sight because she was too scared to look out the front windshield.

  Back home, they’d already had several snowfalls, but in Texas, everything was still green. No snow on the ground, at least not that she could see with her occasional glimpse out the window beside her. She’d tried to be brave a couple of times, to be blasé and gaze out the window like any other seasoned traveler, but the truth was it made her dizzy and slightly nauseous.

  Kate turned in the seat and softly said, “Can you hear me, sweet girl? Am I interrupting your work?”

  They were wearing headsets that gave them the ability to communicate over the noise of the helicopter, which was good since Kate was up front. Veronica nodded in answer, then shook her head, then smiled when Kate chuckled. “Yes, I can hear you.”

  Kate said, “We can talk privately.”

  Veronica stroked the locks of hair framing her face and said, “Sure. What would you like to talk about?”

  “We should be arriving at the Divine Creek Ranch in about ten or fifteen minutes. You doing okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, still focusing on the backlit screen of her tablet, the fingers holding her stylus still shaking over the on-screen keyboard. Faker.

  “Then can you tell me about the bruise on your cheek?”

  Veronica made direct eye contact with Grandma Kate and knew she hadn’t fooled her at all. She’d thought the layer of foundation and powder had disguised the fading bruise at the engagement party. She was pretty sure Cord and Jackson hadn’t noticed the fading mark but leave it to eagle-eyed Grandma Kate to notice the slightest changes. She normally didn’t wear much foundation and Kate undoubtedly remembered that.

  It’s in the past. No point in stirring things up. In the end, nothing will change what happened. The important thing is that he should be packing and moving out right now.

  “You know how klutzy I am, Grandma Kate. I tripped on an electrical cord.” Yup, you sure did, right after Brent slapped and pushed you.

  Grandma Kate chewed her lip for a second and then nodded and faced front again. Veronica hated lying to Grandma Kate. Hated it. It was such a betrayal of their relationship. Kate had never asked hard questions so Veronica had never had to lie before.

  “Brent and I had a little disagreement,” she whispered, disbelieving that she was even speaking about it but Kate’s nonconfrontational response had drawn the truth from her.

  “I’m sorry, sweet girl,” Kate whispered, and Veronica could hear the steel in her tone. She was holding back anger. Strangely, it didn’t make Veronica feel better. It was in the past. Couldn’t be changed, so why get upset about it?

  From the beginning, she’d been attracted to Brent’s naturally dominant personality. He’d thought it was cool that she was a successful published author, and he’d put up with her introverted personality and reclusiveness, as well as the long, odd hours she put in at times. In the beginning, their encounters had been off the charts, but the fires had gradually cooled. She’d felt responsible for that, because of the hours she kept. She’d left him on his own once too often.

  “He cheated on me about a week ago.”

  He’d invited her to join them at one of his friends’ apartment in the same complex and like always she’d told him no, to go on without her since she’d had a deadline. Only she’d changed her mind and decided to join him for once. She hadn’t worried when he didn’t answer her call letting him know she was coming after all. She’d knocked on the door to find a party in progress and lots of people she didn’t know. She’d asked around for him and they’d pointed her in his direction, toward one of the bedrooms. She’d walked in just as he’d built up a real head of steam, pounding his cock into some giggling bimbo. She hadn’t felt the need to stay and hear his explanation. She was furious as she’d walked back to their apartment, but by the time she walked in her door, she’d been ready to concede that he was left to his own devices because of her work too often, and that she shouldn’t be surprised.

  “What did you do?”

  “I asked him to move out. He asked for a second chance. I told him I’d think about it.”

  “What did you decide?”

  In the back of her mind had been the suspicion that the only reason he wanted her to take him back was because the lease was in her name and she paid most of the bills but she’d agreed to consider giving him another chance. Finding a G-string that didn’t belong to her in his pocket a few days later had helped her make the right decision.

  “He cheated on me again and I asked him to move out the night of the chat last week. He got upset and slapped me.”

  It’d bugged her that asking him to move out hadn’t hurt as much as she’d thought it would. Shouldn’t she have been upset? Crying? Heartbroken? What was wrong with her? But remembering the way she’d put up with his bullying personality in order to be able to enjoy those times when he dominated her now made her feel foolish. He could’ve really hurt her. She was lucky he’d stopped at a single slap to the face that had knocked her to the floor.

  “I wish I’d been there with my Colt .45. I’d have taken him from a gander to a goose with one bullet. It’d serve him right for laying a hand on you, sweet girl.” Judging by Grandma Kate’s implacable tone, she was one hundred percent serious.

  “In the beginning, I liked the fact that he had a dominant personality,” she whispered, ashamed for Henry to overhear her. “I liked that he enjoyed taking control.” She only said the words because she knew Grandma Kate would understand. She’d read her last book, Bound at the Bonfire, an erotic romance featuring some BDSM themes.

  Kate looked back at her and said, “Just because he was dominating doesn’t mean that he was a Dom. I think if you wanted to add that element into your life, you could do much better than that odious young man. Promise me something?”

  “I’ll try. What?”

  “The next time you want to give that kind of power over to another person, will you talk to someone who is well-versed in the Dominance-and-submission dynamic first?”

  “I doubt you’ll ever have to worry about that, Grandma Kate.” The Dominant I want exists only in my fantasies. “Besides, I don’t know anyone who lives formally as Dominant and submissive.”

  “I think Grace knows a few who do.”

  “Really?” Veronica was growing more and more curious about this friend of Kate’s.

  “Yes. No self-respecting Dom would ever strike his sub in
such a manner unless she expressly gave him the right to do so, and he’d never abuse someone’s trust by cheating in a committed, exclusive relationship. Please tell me your relationship was exclusive, at least until he cheated.”

  “To my knowledge it was. I got tested the day after I saw…the evidence. I’m all clear.” She darted a glance at Henry but he was busy speaking into his headset, evidently using another frequency.

  “Good. Does your father know about this?”

  “Dad never liked Brent, as far as I could tell. I haven’t told him, or the others.”

  “What about Cord and Jackson?”

  “I haven’t told them either. I know they don’t like him. They’d be happy he’s gone.”

  “No, honey. Did you tell them he hit you?”

  “No. It wouldn’t help. It’s in the past. It’s not much of a bruise anymore. Besides, they’ve been busy with their own lives and their own problems. I’d rather just move on. Brent’s supposed to move out while I’m gone. Once that’s done, I can have some peace in my life.”

  Grandma Kate reached back a fragile hand to her. As she took it and Kate squeezed her hand, she said, “I’ve prayed for that for you, sweet girl. You’ve earned some peace in your life.”

  Calm came with Kate’s soothing tone and Veronica hoped that was a sign of good things to come from this trip. The anxiety she’d been feeling earlier settled down to a manageable level. Her doctor had prescribed a medication that would take the edge off of her anxiety if she needed it, but she preferred to deal with her issues on her own whenever possible.

  “Thank you, Grandma Kate.”

  “Do you trust him to move out and not trash your place?”

  She thought about that for a second and wasn’t sure that her answer would inspire much confidence in Grandma Kate. “When I packed for this trip, I brought everything I need for my work, my favorite clothing, and my jewelry. I didn’t leave any valuables behind, beyond the rest of my clothing and odds and ends. I don’t think he’d trash the place but I was careful to bring the things that would be hard to replace.” Namely her laptop and everything related to her writer’s life. “It helps that my files are all stored online.”

  “He doesn’t have access to any of that, I hope?”

  “I don’t trust anyone with those passwords, not even him.”

  “Good. You’re a smart girl. What you do makes a difference to lots of people and I’d hate to see you lose any of it. Grace said they have strong Internet at the ranch so you shouldn’t have any difficulty accessing your files online. I’m so happy you decided to come with me this week.”

  Veronica chuckled. “It’s not like you gave me much choice, Grandma Kate. I no sooner arrived in Lusty than you told me to stay packed because we were going on an adventure. Are you sure it’s okay if I’m working while you’re visiting with your friend?”

  It sounded like Grandma Kate snorted into the microphone and then she said, “It won’t be a problem at all. While we’re on that subject, I have a golden opportunity to present to you, sweet girl.”

  In the span of ten minutes as they neared their destination—a vacant, fenced pasture at the Divine Creek Ranch—Kate convinced her that she should look upon this time away from Montana as a working sabbatical, one that she could extend if she so desired. She couldn’t deny that she needed rest. She was tired to her very bones but the work still needed to be done, and getting her ass in the chair was the only way that would happen. Then Kate had filled her in on Grace’s alter identity as Caressa MacFarland, and Veronica had learned that not only was Grace a writer of bestselling erotic romances, most of which were ménages, she also lived the lifestyle quite successfully.

  A half hour later, she stood in the quaint interior of what Grace referred to as the “old foreman’s house.” The fireplace was set up with fresh logs and several distractingly handsome ranch hands were bringing in her bags. An attractive, dark-haired, bearded man who had introduced himself to her as Duke Rivers was setting up her computer equipment. He’d brought a secondary loaner desktop computer for her to use, complete with a gigantic monitor that made her inner geek do a dorky happy dance. He was also making sure she had the best possible Wi-Fi connection and would be personally handling any issues she might have while she was there.

  Grace had introduced Veronica to her husbands and the connection Grace shared with them was undeniable and fascinating to Veronica. Each man seemed to bring something completely different to the table with Grace. The way she interacted with her men seemed almost intuitive. They were a true foursome.

  Don’t let your lurid imagination run away with you, Veronica. That’s exactly what her mother and her sister, Addison, would both accuse her of doing, jokingly referring to her “ultrasensitive writer personality,” trying to draw conclusions about people where none existed. Veronica shrugged as she looked around the cozy accommodations. She could unleash her ultrasensitive writer personality here and make a lot of readers happy in the process, if she so desired. Her mom and sister weren’t here to share their opinions and she was quite content with that fact.

  Grandma Kate had convinced her that if she truly wanted to make the leap from writing sweet romances to writing erotic romance permanently, then this was her chance to do in-depth research, not only with Grace and her men, but also with several other ménage families who were open to talking with her and helping her understand the dynamics. There was even a wedding and ménage binding ceremony coming up that she’d been invited to. It was a golden opportunity she knew her publisher would tell her to go for wholeheartedly.

  Grace had then told her that she could feel free to stay through Christmas if she so desired. She’d said she welcomed the company of a fellow author on the ranch, and mentioned that there was another writer in the area who would probably feel the same enthusiasm.

  Grace had said, “Think of this house as your writer’s retreat, if you’d like.”

  As long as she had an Internet connection, it didn’t really matter where she wrote from. That was one of the beautiful aspects of her career, one she hadn’t taken advantage of until right then. She hadn’t been able to resist. The quaint house and gorgeous surroundings were a definite step up from her dismal, cold apartment in Billings, with no view from her desk except for a brick wall, surrounded by yellow sticky notes and story diagrams.

  As Grace showed her around the house, she said, “You’ll never guess who I heard from recently.” She didn’t exactly seem thrilled by the news she had to share.

  “Who?”

  “Remember that critique group a few years back? The one you and I met in.”

  “Of course.” Her friendship with “Caressa” had been one of the benefits of being a part of that group.

  “Okay, do you remember that guy who wrote the, um…I’m not even sure what to call it…”

  Veronica chuckled as she guessed at who Grace was talking about. “Lucas?”

  Grace’s eyes went big. “Yes. He contacted me online.”

  “What for?”

  “He wanted me to put in a good word for him with my publisher.”

  Veronica blinked in surprise. “Your publisher specializes in erotic romance. He needs to find a publisher that sells a lot of…what he writes. Did you reply?”

  “And risk the wrath of Lucas? Are you kidding? No, the e-mail somehow got caught in the spam filter. Yeah…that’s it…the spam filter.”

  Kate was chatting with Duke when Veronica and Grace returned to the living room Kate said, “Well, I think I’ve had enough excitement for one morning. I’m going up to the ranch house with Grace, honey. Why don’t you take a few hours and get yourself settled.”

  “Sounds great. One question, Caressa—I mean Grace?”

  “Sure,” her friend responded with a smile.

  “Do I call you Grace around here?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind. I catch enough flack for being in a ménage. I’m content not to reveal my other persona in Divine, at least not yet
. Anything else?”

  Veronica decided to go for it and blurted out. “Grandma Kate told me that you have some friends who are familiar with the Dominant-and-submissive dynamic.”

  Grace nodded, kindness in her eyes, as though she understood the guts that question had taken for Veronica to ask. All her research up to that point had been impersonal and online in searches or in forums.

  “I may be able to answer some of your questions,” she answered quietly. “And I can put you in touch with a Dom who could help you with your research as well. But before I introduce him to you, I want you to understand that like with me, that’s a part of his life that he keeps hidden. That knowledge probably wouldn’t go over well with his constituents.”

  An elected official? How difficult it must be for him to keep that part of himself hidden. The writer in her wondered how he managed. “I’d like to meet him. And I’d be discreet. Does he have a sub right now?”

  With the hint of a twinkle in her eyes, Grace smiled and shook her head. “No. Lately when I talk to him, he sounds like he’s given up on the idea of finding the right one.”

  Without even knowing him, Veronica’s heart went out to this mysterious Dom without a sub. Talking to someone who understood the D/s dynamic would be a huge boost, but part of her also quivered at the idea of actually talking with him, face-to-face. What would he think of her failed foray into Dominance and submission? The thought engulfed her in embarrassment and didn’t bear contemplating. In hindsight, she understood her mistake in trusting someone who didn’t deserve it. She wished she was as clear on what she truly needed.

  Chapter Three

  Travis and Hank stood a short distance from the altar set up near Divine Creek in the Memorial Rose Garden, which was filling with wedding guests. Travis leaned close and said, “You weren’t kidding. Those guys are enormous.”