But that was writing by himself. What would happen now that someone else was doing at least part of the writing? Would the characters still talk to him? Would Nikki accept it if they talked to her? What if the things they said to Nikki were the complete opposite of what they said to him?
He wasn’t at all confident anymore that this had been a good idea. She was cute, sure, but that didn’t mean they were compatible, personally or professionally. She seemed so serious. Could he deal with that? He liked to goof around, working or not, and sometimes he got his best ideas when he was doing something completely off the wall, like sitting naked in the hot tub with a cigar and a glass of brandy. Somehow he just couldn’t see Nikki joining him in that activity.
“You don’t have a hot tub here, do you?” Kane asked Allie.
She looked a little startled. “Not yet. It’s at the top of my list to get when we have a little extra money.”
Kane glanced at Nikki. An image of the two of them naked together in the water popped into his brain and took hold. His dick responded with a twitch. Great. Now he was going to be thinking of that all night. “Probably just as well. I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate anyway.”
Chapter 4
Dante chugged the last of his wine and stood up. “Is that the brainstorming session for today, then?”
Nikki was packing up her supplies, a determined look on her face. “I’m going to go to my room and start this scene while it’s fresh in my mind.”
“You do that.” Kane tilted the last bottle into his glass, then when nothing came out, he squinted into it with a rueful look. “I think I need to make a run to the liquor store before I can think any more.”
“Can I help with dinner, Allie?” Dante asked, following her into the kitchen. “We can start discussing our strategy.”
She hesitated. “Shouldn’t that wait until Karl and Brad are here?”
“Well, we can,” he said slowly, leaning against the wall to show that he wasn’t planning on getting in her way. “I do want to talk to you about something first, though, and I’d love to watch you cooking—unless it would really freak you out. I’m surprisingly good at chopping vegetables, too.”
“All right.” Allie tossed him a bag of potatoes. “Why don’t you peel those and cut them up into segments for me?”
“Potatoes?” Dante gave her a mock look of astonishment.
“Yes, potatoes. I like to start small with new people. It gives them a sense of security before I spring the more unique stuff on them.” Allie rummaged in the fridge, bringing out a variety of items.
“That’s more like it,” Dante said approvingly, nodding at the growing collection. He picked up a turnip and sniffed it thoughtfully.
“Look.” Allie stopped and faced him, frowning as she handed him a peeler. “Are you going to make me look like some kind of weirdo here?”
“What? No, not at all.” Dante pulled the garbage pail to the kitchen table and settled himself to work. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring wink. “In fact, I’m going to make you look interesting and innovative. I’ve got some other ideas, too, though, and that leads me to what I want to talk to you about.”
“Okay.” She still sounded wary as she got out a large bowl for the potatoes. “Go ahead.”
“First of all, I think it’s fantastic that you have two other writers here right now. The timing couldn’t be better. I gathered that this is an establishment that caters to the kinky community?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, since Kane writes about BDSM, why not piggyback off each other’s marketing and catapult you all through the roof?”
She frowned. “How do we do that?”
“Simple. Candee Appelbaum has a healthy following already. Even though her sales have slowed a little from what Kane said, she’s got a good backlist. We can generate some real interest with this whole ‘She’s a man’ reveal, as well as the ‘Who is Candee Appelbaum’s new cowriter and what is the relationship between them?’ thing. The public loves a good relationship mystery, and the kinkier the better. She’s already known for her BDSM. Let’s tie that into the fact that they’re here, they’re new, they’re writing some fresh, hot stuff, and they’re loving the food and the hospitality at Clifftop Fantasies.”
“Okay,” Allie said slowly. “I see how that could benefit all of us.”
A thought occurred to Dante suddenly and he paused in his pealing. “Do you have a problem with me working with Kane and Nikki, too? Because if you’d rather, I can just concentrate on your book. That is what I’m here for, after all.”
“No, no.” Allie shook her head as she began sautéing some chicken. “I have no problem with you working with them, too. They seem like very interesting people.”
“They’re amazing,” Dante told her. “I’d really like to watch as they get acquainted and write a book together, at least if they don’t kill each other in the process. It’s going to be educational, if nothing else.”
Allie smiled. “Do you think they’ll be able to work together?”
“Yeah, I think so.” He tossed a potato into the bowl and picked up another one. “Either they’ll balance each other out and it’ll be a great combination or they’ll combust in a spectacular fireworks display. Can I ask you another question?”
“Sure. I would think you’re probably going to be asking a lot of questions over the next month.”
“You don’t mind talking about your lifestyle?”
She gave him an odd look. “No. That’s why we’re public, to help people understand. I jumped at the chance to have Nikki and Kane come here to work on their project. Kane does a pretty decent job of writing realistic BDSM, but we all agreed that his coauthor would need a good grounding if she was going to avoid some of the common misconceptions in BDSM literature.”
“Great. I want to know about polyamory. You and Brad and Karl seem to have it dialed in pretty well. Did that take a while?”
“Sure.” She chuckled as she stirred her dish. “Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, right? It takes some getting used to, especially when we’re all raised to think that our partners should never want anyone else. Brad had some issues with it at first, but once he realized how freeing it was for him not to have to pretend to be interested in everything I wanted to do, he warmed up to the idea pretty quickly.”
“What helped most in the adjustment?”
“Structure.” There was no hesitation in Allie’s voice. “Having a hierarchy is a real benefit in multiple-partner situations. We all know what each of us is best at. At certain times I’m in charge, because that’s my area. We all listen to Brad when it comes to money, business and investing. He’s a genius there. But when something comes up that’s not in one of our specialty areas, Karl is the boss. We all have input, and Karl listens to our opinions about everything. Then he makes the decision, and we all abide by it. Nobody feels like they have to fight to get their way, because we know our views have been taken into consideration.”
“Sounds like a sensible system,” Dante nodded thoughtfully to himself as he worked. “I can totally see the benefits to having multiple partners. You have more people to bring in income, help with household chores, support one another and to do things with.”
“Exactly.” Allie sounded enthusiastic, as if she hadn’t expected him to grasp the concept so quickly. “If you have kids, you have a bigger extended family to help when needed.”
He raised his head. “What do people tell their kids about their partners when they’re poly?”
“It’s really no different than other people,” Allie said. “If you were a single parent, would you feel the need to explain your sex life to your kids? You still have friends, family, and dates coming over and the kids just know that these people are part of their lives. Later, when they’re old enough to understand, you can choose to tell them as much as you want to. Kids are remarkably resilient, and having extra adults around actually makes for a more stable environment for them, as
long as you don’t have different people constantly coming and going. That’s the same as dating, though. Bringing home a different date every night of the week would be confusing for the kids no matter what the parent’s lifestyle is. Your children don’t need to think of your partners as family members until the relationship becomes stable. It can be an extremely healthy environment, just like a close extended family.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
The door swung open and a tall, slender man walked in. He nodded pleasantly at Dante and then kissed Allie.
“Dante, this is my fiancé, Brad,” Allie said, smiling broadly. “Brad, this is Dante, the marketer from the publishing company. He’s got a lot to talk to us about at dinner.”
“Great.” Brad extended a hand, waiting for Dante to wipe the potato juice from his own before shaking. “Welcome to Clifftop. It was very nice of you to agree to come and stay for a while to get us up to speed on book marketing.”
“Not at all. It was very generous of you to offer to let me stay here.” Dante grinned at him. “I think I’m going to learn at least as much as you do.”
Brad laughed. “That’s quite possible. How long until dinner? I’ll go see what Karl is up to.”
“Please do.” Allie popped something into the oven and looked over Dante’s shoulder at his pile of potatoes. “About an hour. Dante, you don’t have to help me. You’re welcome to go find something to do.”
“No, really,” he protested. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to hang out and help. It’ll give me a better idea of what your food is all about so I know how to market you. I can get some pictures, too, of you in action. Besides, I’m curious about the whole lifestyle thing. Will it bother you too much if I skulk around and watch your dynamic? Not in a creepy, stalkerish way, I promise. All in the line of duty.”
They chatted until dinner was ready. Dante helped bring out food for Nikki and Kane, noting Nikki’s look of nervous apprehension when she came in with a small stack of paper. Allie smiled at him as they went back and began to set the kitchen table for the rest.
Brad and Karl came in and Allie introduced Dante to her Master. He was a big man, a little taller and wider than Brad, with curly black hair cut close to his head.
“So what part does food play in the BDSM community?” Dante asked as the three men took their seats at the kitchen table.
Karl seemed to consider his question.
“Of course, like any community, we often meet over food,” he said finally. “Snacks are always available at play parties, since an important part of aftercare is making sure your partner’s blood sugar hasn’t dropped.”
“The serving of food is important, too,” Brad put in. “Many submissives love waiting on their Masters.”
“Very true.” Allie finished putting out the meal and went to kneel down next to Karl.
Karl put a hand on her head. “Thank you, pet. Dinner looks wonderful.”
She took his hand and kissed the palm. “You’re welcome, Sir. I hope you enjoy it.” She rose and took a seat next to Brad, giving him a kiss as she did.
“Yes, thank you for dinner, Allie.” Brad turned to Dante, who became aware that he had been staring at the display. “It’s a new ritual they’ve been experimenting with. It helps establish a sense of service and gratitude. Allie cooks for us and we like to show our appreciation. It just keeps us all in mind of our place in the household and what we do for each other.”
“It might seem corny.” Allie ducked her head a little. “But it really seems to help us maintain our connection.”
“I can see how it would,” Dante said. “It doesn’t seem corny to me at all.”
Dante ate in silence for a few minutes, considering what he’d witnessed. The other three talked about what they’d done that day, but it wasn’t in the common, desultory kind of “How was your day, dear?” conversation that he would have expected. It was almost as if Allie and Brad were reporting their accomplishments to Karl, who listened and nodded. He would occasionally ask a question or give a suggestion on how to follow up on some aspect of their work.
“I don’t think this is going to be quite the assignment I thought it was,” Dante said finally, when the reports seemed to be over.
“What do you mean?” Karl regarded him seriously.
“Well, I thought this would be kind of a combination of hippie commune, nudist resort, and nightclub,” Dante explained. “ This has a completely different kind of appeal.”
Allie looked amused. “We do have parties that focus on spankings.”
“But?” Brad prompted him. “Why is this different?”
“Because you guys are more like an efficient team with a deep connection than the penthouse letter kind of setup I expected. I think I like this better. It’s more real,” Dante said, getting down to business. “We need to come up with a marketing strategy, and as Allie and I were discussing earlier, I’d really like to tie in Kane and Nikki. No pun intended.”
“I’m not sure Nikki’s ready to be tied up yet,” Allie said, winking at him. “Although I suspect that might change. She has read all of Candee’s books, after all.”
“Tie them in how?” Karl put down his utensils and folded his hands on the edge of the table.
“Well, Kane needs to talk to his publisher and see what they’re planning,” Dante explained. “If they’re willing to reveal the fact that she’s a he at a strategic point, then we could really have some fun here. We could generate some media hype about Candee and her new coauthor, get people really curious about what’s going on.
“We have Candee talking about everything she’s doing here, maybe even work it into their book. Then they can pimp how wonderful your place is, including the food, and the focus of much of that will be where they’re ‘hiding out’ and why they’re here. Of course, there are lots of things we can do with just you, too. I’m thinking of a book release party at your club, for starters.”
“A book release party?” Allie repeated. “But the book’s already been released.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “Is there something really sexy we can do with the food? I’m thinking of little subbies in French maid costumes.”
“How about serving food on some of the submissives?” Karl looked dubious.
Dante stared at him. “People actually do that?”
Karl nodded. “Oh, yes.”
“Could we get pictures of it?”
The three of them exchanged looks. “The pictures could be done before the actual party started,” Brad suggested. “We’d have to be careful not to get faces. Decorative masks, maybe?”
Karl’s face took on a thoughtful expression. “We could do some really artistic things with draping and food presentation,” he suggested.
“I love it!” Dante grinned enthusiastically.
Chapter 5
“Were we even in the same room today?”
Nikki’s stomach plummeted. It seemed to go through the floor and down into the basement of Clifftop, if there was one. Her entire body went cold as she stared in horror at Kane. “What do you mean?”
He jabbed an accusatory finger at the stack of papers in front of him, pushing his dinner plate away with the other hand. “I mean this. Did we not talk about having normal guys?”
“They are normal guys,” Nikki protested.
“A helicopter pilot and a CEO? These are not normal guys.” His voice suggested that he was having a hard time controlling his temper. Holy shit. If this was how it was having a writing partner, she was just going to have to go back home and keep writing at night. Or maybe she could find a female partner, someone who understood what romance novels were all about.
“Women like CEOs.” She tried again. “Have you ever read any romance, apart from your own?”
“Sure I have.” Kane looked startled. “Lots. But I refuse to write this kind.”
“This kind?” She was starting to get seriously offended. “Listen, if you don’t like my writing, why don�
��t you just say so? We don’t have to work together. I’m just sorry you didn’t get somebody more to your liking.” She pushed her own plate aside and stood up, grabbing for her stack of paper and preparing to make a dignified exit. So what if this had been her one big chance to learn from the master how to write romance? He didn’t seem to think she had any potential. It was—
“Sit down.” His voice was suddenly different and Nikki turned in the act of storming out the door.
He hadn’t moved. He was still sitting with his hands on the table, but his whole demeanor had changed. When she paused, he repeated his words in a tone that was deeper and fuller somehow than his normal one. “Sit. Down.”
She opened her mouth to ask him where he got off ordering her around, but instead somehow she found herself going back to her chair and sitting. There had been something compelling about his voice, something that made her want to obey it. She’d never heard that in anyone’s voice before. It hadn’t really changed, but she would have sworn he’d gone down an octave or so. His energy seemed to flow around her and draw her toward him, like a physical bond. She definitely needed to tell him off, though. It just wasn’t going to be acceptable, him thinking he could order her around like some—
“First of all,” he said, leaning forward and fixing her with a stern glare. “Knock that shit off. We are both adults and we’re here for a reason. Second, I know this project means a lot to you and, believe it or not, it means a lot to me, too, so we’re going to continue working together. I chose you as a writing partner for a reason. I liked your writing style and I saw a lot of potential in it. Third, you need to understand that I’m not going to like everything you write, just like you’re not going to like everything I write. We will disagree, get frustrated with each other, and probably argue from time to time. We will also learn to listen to each other’s ideas with an open mind and a willingness to compromise.”
Nikki stared at him, angry words dissolving in her throat as his speech sunk in. She wanted to argue with him, but she couldn’t find anything to dispute. If they were going to work together, then he was absolutely right. They would probably disagree and argue, and they would need to be able to compromise. That stopped her. He was willing to compromise? With an unpublished writer who had no real experience in the industry?
Writes of Submission Page 4
