Submission to Desire [Desire, Oklahoma 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

Brenna had no idea why she would even considering going along with their plan.

  Royce and King were dangerous and could change her life. The smartest thing she could do would be to get the hell away from them as soon as possible. She didn’t for one minute believe that a man or woman could get pleasure from being hurt, or being ordered around, and nothing they could say or do would ever convince her otherwise.

  “Don’t bother. I won’t be there.”

  Royce turned her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his soft laugh against her ear sending shivers through her. “Yes, you will. You’re too passionate, too curious, and too headstrong to walk away without even knowing what you’re missing. You’d never be able to live with yourself if you walked away from the chance to satisfy the curiosity and hunger raging inside you.”

  Struggling against the wave of longing that weakened her knees, Brenna tightened her fists at her sides. Trembling at the authority in his soft tone, and the tingling awareness everywhere his body touched hers, she stiffened and pushed his arms away, missing his warmth almost immediately.

  “No. I won’t be there.”

  “Afraid we’ll prove you wrong?”

  After stepping out the front door, she turned and lifted her chin, shaken by the desire gleaming in his eyes.

  “I’m right and you know it. Hurting women turns you on, but you’ll never convince me that any woman could enjoy that.”

  Royce smiled slowly. “Are you afraid that you’d like it too much? What were you doing in a club like ours if you weren’t at least curious?”

  Feeling more secure now that she was outside, Brenna shrugged and told him the truth.

  “It was a bachelorette party for one of my friends. The club has a night open once a month for people who want to learn more. My friend wanted to go, and because the idea intrigued me, I went to the party. That’s where I met Donner, who assumed that I was there because I was a submissive. Asshole.”

  Royce leaned against the doorway, his green eyes hooded and unreadable.

  “Aren’t you still intrigued? Wouldn’t you like the opportunity to ask whatever questions you want to ask and see what it feels like to both be a Dom and a sub?”

  Forcing back the heat of lust that slammed into her, Brenna shook her head. “No.” She had to get out of here.

  Royce reached out to touch her hair when she turned away. “So we’ve been tried and convicted without even getting a chance to show you how wrong you are? We’ll be waiting. Seven o’clock.” Brushing her hair aside, he nipped her earlobe, sending a jolt of heat straight to her slit. “Seven sharp, Beautiful.”

  Sucking in a breath, she flattened a hand on her stomach to settle the butterflies.

  After several seconds spent struggling to will her senses to settle, she opened her eyes and turned to find he’d gone back inside.

  Cursing, she went down the steps and started across the parking lot to her car.

  They could take their proposition and shove it up their asses.

  Feeling better, Brenna got in her car and drove off, determined to forget all about Donner, and the bastards who encouraged him, and to get on with her life.

  She could live with the curiosity and the hunger he’d somehow known about.

  The last thing she needed were two more arrogant men to screw up her life.

  Chapter Two

  It appeared her life would indeed be screwed up for a while.

  The realization hit her when she went back to her hotel and found a plain white envelope taped to her door. Thinking it might be from someone at the hotel, she opened it, her heart pounding furiously when she read the short note.

  So you think you can escape me?

  The note from Donner left her shaken. Faced with the very real possibility that Donner had somehow gotten out of jail and found her, Brenna left the hotel without even going inside her room. She knew he wouldn’t have left the note if he’d been inside—he’d want to scare her when she walked in—but the possibility of him coming to the door later scared her enough to flee.

  Shaken, and unsure about what to do, she walked briskly to the center of town where all the businesses were located.

  One thing she’d learned about Donner over the months she’d spent trying to get rid of him was that he was a coward. He’d always run at any sign of trouble, so she knew he wouldn’t dare attack her with so many witnesses around.

  She counted on the presence of the people shopping and walking up and down the sidewalk to keep her safe while she figured out what to do.

  After several passes up and down Main Street, she became aware of curious looks following her and started to duck into stores to allay any suspicions.

  Curious, and weighing her options, she began to casually ask the people who worked in the stores if they knew Royce and King.

  Everyone she spoke to did, not surprising in such a small town.

  What did surprise her, though, was that everyone she spoke to sang their praises, telling her of their kindness and generosity.

  Everyone she spoke to seemed to respect them and have a general fondness for them, almost a protectiveness that kept them cool until she mentioned that they’d invited her to dinner and she didn’t know them very well.

  After that, none of the people she spoke to seemed to have any trouble assuring her that Royce and King were fine men who could be trusted.

  After several stops, their comments almost sounded like a sales pitch, but men and women alike all appeared to admire them.

  While sitting at the diner drinking coffee, she overheard the conversation of two women sitting behind her, two women who apparently didn’t live in Desire.

  “Oh, if I wasn’t a married woman, I’d move here in a heartbeat. Can you imagine what it must be like to live in a place where women were so appreciated and cared for?”

  “Yeah.” The other woman’s heartfelt sigh held such longing that Brenna sat up straighter to better eavesdrop. “I lived here for about six months, hoping to catch Blade Royal’s eye, but as soon as Kelly came to town, it was obvious he only had eyes for her. While I lived here, though, I couldn’t get over how the men watched out for the women. Women can even be out at night here, and not get accosted on the street. It was wonderful!”

  “Tell me. How do they watch over them?” The excitement in the woman’s voice couldn’t be mistaken.

  “It’s soooo sexy. It’s like they all feel they have a duty to keep women safe here. Everyone seemed to know my name—like they have some kind of file or something. I remember one time I got a flat tire on the road out of town. A man I’d never seen before stopped to change it. Wouldn’t you know, Lucas Hart happened to be driving by and stopped? He watched the other man like a hawk, asking him who he was and explaining to me that the man who’d stopped didn’t live in Desire. After the other man left, he lectured me about the dangers in dealing with strange men, and things I should have done differently. God, that man’s intimidating. I can only imagine what he and his friends would be like with a woman they wanted for their own.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard about those three. It sounds like she’d have to be tough as hell to deal with them.”

  The other woman laughed. “The same could be said about a woman who eventually takes on Royce and King. Holy hell. Those two are intimidating, too, and so damned sexy it’s ridiculous.”

  “So why the hell did you ever leave?”

  “I got transferred and married Roy. Sometimes, though, I can’t help wishing…Oh well. We’d better go. I still have a little more shopping to do and I have to get home to start dinner. I want to hurry so I have time to drive by the Erickson ranch. A glimpse of Clay or Rio working with the horses would just make my day!”

  Brenna waited until the other women left before she did. She walked some more, and somehow ended up in front of the hotel shortly after seven, where she’d paced back and forth for several minutes, already knowing what she would do.

  When the door opened yet again, Brenna hurried
ly straightened and ducked back around the side of the doorway to the restaurant. Her stomach rumbled again, reminding her that she’d had nothing to eat all day. She drew a deep breath, holding a hand to her stomach as she let it out slowly, telling herself for about the tenth time that she should just get back into her car and drive out of town.

  If she did that, she didn’t know where she would go, and might have to end up facing Donner alone.

  Deciding it would be smarter to stay where she felt relatively safe, she peeked around the corner again.

  She hadn’t expected King and Royce to still be here, and yet they sat in a back corner, apparently waiting for her.

  It was twenty minutes after seven and they looked as if they’d been waiting for some time. If the fresh drinks they’d just ordered were any indication, they planned to wait even longer.

  She’d had no intention of ever seeing them again after she’d walked away this afternoon, and yet here she stood, some of her reasons having nothing at all to do with Donner.

  Curiosity killed the cat.

  The phrase went through her mind again and again, almost making her turn away.

  Damn it, she wanted to know. After asking about them in town, she’d heard that, not only could she trust them, but every woman she talked to seemed to wish they could have a night with King and Royce, who remained elusive.

  Learning that they didn’t sleep with every woman who came along made them even sexier and more desirable to her—something she hadn’t thought possible.

  After what she’d heard in town, she’d begun to believe them about Donner. They’d keep her safe from him. More than that, though, she couldn’t resist the chance to see them again.

  Taking another deep breath, she wrapped her cardigan more firmly around herself and stepped into the restaurant.

  Surprised that both men saw her almost immediately and rose to their feet, she almost tripped. King strode across the restaurant toward her, waving off another smiling man, a tall, handsome blond who’d started toward her.

  His eyes never left hers as he strode past the other man, his deep voice carrying across the restaurant.

  “She’s with us, Ethan.”

  The other man smiled. “That figures. It was too much to hope for that you’d been stood up and I would get to entertain this beauty.”

  He grinned and offered his hand, but King was already whisking her away. “Hey! Come on. Have a heart.”

  Brenna found herself the object of several speculative looks as they crossed the restaurant, looks that became even more curious when King led her to their table. Taking the chair that Royce held out, she stilled when his warm breath teased her neck.

  “You smell delicious.”

  King took the seat to her right, while Royce took the one on her left. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the candle in the center of the table, wondering how to begin. Trembling with nerves, she dropped her purse on to the floor and laced her fingers together, wincing when her ring dug into her finger.

  “I wasn’t going to come. I’m not quite sure why I did.”

  Royce sat forward, taking her hand, and loosening her fingers to lace them with his. “You’re here and that’s all that matters. I appreciate that you’re giving us a chance to show you that abuse is not something we take lightly. I hope that while you’re here, you’ll talk to the women who live in this town. Some of them are very much into the lifestyle, and enjoy submitting to their husbands.”

  A little surprised at that, Brenna sat back and pulled her hand from his, finding it hard to concentrate with sizzling awareness racing through her. She’d thought herself prepared to face them again, figuring much of her response to them had been because she’d been unprepared.

  This time, she’d been prepared, but it hadn’t lessened the effect either one of them had on her at all.

  Clearing her throat, she looked from one to the other. “You mean for sex, right?”

  King eyed her thoughtfully. “It depends. It’s all up to the people involved. Most of the men around here are very strict with their women in some areas, but are firmly wrapped around their wives’ fingers in others. It’s all a matter of choice. For example, Royce and I want a woman who would understand that her submission wouldn’t end when we left the bedroom, or the playroom.”

  Stunned by the sudden desire to be that woman, Brenna looked away. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

  King shrugged, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

  “For example, you were late. You kept us waiting. If you belonged to us, that would earn you a form of punishment.” His gaze sharpened. “Unless there was a good reason, of course. Otherwise I’d see it as a bid for attention, or an effort to defy me. Either way, you’d get punished.”

  “Punished?”

  Mortified that she’d blurted it out louder than she’d intended, and several heads turned in her direction, Brenna lowered her eyes and began to play with her napkin. Her face burned and she wondered how many of the people sitting at the surrounding tables would think that she belonged to either Royce or King, and would now be getting some sort of punishment.

  Inwardly cursing at her own weakness, she glared back at the people who stared at her, until they turned away.

  Shaking her head, she looked back at King. “I knew it was a mistake to come here.” She should have just driven away…and always wondered.

  Even without Donner, that alone would have been reason enough to stay.

  Royce shot a warning look at King, who blithely ignored it. His eyes sharpened and narrowed, the look of a man who saw too much.

  “It wasn’t a mistake, Brenna. You followed your instincts. King was just trying to answer your question. The level of submission depends on the people involved. There’s no right or wrong, as long as all involved give their full consent. The most important thing is that everyone involved is happy.”

  Brenna blinked. “Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that when you men beat a woman, it’s because it makes them happy? He’d only hit her with her consent?”

  Royce smiled and, with a graceful flick of his wrist, waved away the waitress who’d started toward them. “In a manner of speaking. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—do it if she used her safe word.”

  She looked from one to the other, unused to and uncomfortable with their attention. She’d never thought to shy away from any conversation, and had spoken about this a number of times with friends, but talking about it with two Doms made her more insecure than she could have imagined.

  It also made the conversation more intense than others she’d had dealing with the same subject.

  She couldn’t let them know of her interest, beyond that of making sure they didn’t condone behavior like Donner’s, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to find out more about this lifestyle—from men who could give her real answers.

  For years she’d fantasized about having a man take over, one who would force pleasure on her even as she fought it, something she did with annoying regularity. She’d love to be the object of a man’s desire, to have a man who liked to experiment with sex instead of allowing it to become mundane and boring.

  She couldn’t, though, come to terms with the idea of being hit.

  Clearing her throat, she forced herself to look at them. “I’ve heard of safe words before. I find it hard to believe that a woman wouldn’t just use it at the first sign of trouble and walk away. Why let herself get abused? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Royce’s jaw hardened, his eyes turning cold, but still patient. “It’s not abuse.”

  Brenna smiled coldly. “Sure, it’s not. So, you’re telling me that as soon as a woman used her safe word, you would stop whatever you were doing to her? That’s it? You’d stop right then and there, and let her go?”

  Royce nodded immediately. “Absolutely. And then I would be mad at myself for taking her further than she was prepared to go. It’s very important for a Dom to know his sub’s limitations. I’d take that
as a failure on my part.”

  Intrigued by that, Brenna settled more comfortably in her seat.

  “You would?” She believed him. The seriousness of his expression surprised her. More curious by the minute, she leaned forward. “How would a Dom be expected to know his…a woman’s limitations?”

  Royce smiled and ran a finger over her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. “He pays attention. Very close attention.”

  His voice lowered, taking on a seductive quality that made her nipples bead even tighter. “If it was our woman, I’d be furious with myself. A man needs a close bond with the woman he makes his own.”

  Mesmerized by the male interest in his deep green eyes, she shivered at his touch, wondering how many other women he’d treated this way.

  Every word, every gesture spoke of elegance and strength, the air of sophistication surrounding him leaving her unsettled and needy. The knowledge in his eyes and the sharp scrutiny in them as he studied her unsettled her even more. The fact that this man knew his way around a woman’s body, and probably knew more about pleasing one than any man she’d ever met, shone in his eyes. It captivated her, making her yearn to experience it for herself.

  Her gaze lowered involuntarily to his hands, the mental image of them moving over her body making her shiver in delight. Long, tapered fingers that would move expertly over her skin held her attention, the fluidness in his movements as he lifted his glass of wine to his lips making her skin tingle in awareness.

  Forcing herself to look away, she accepted the menu from the waitress who’d appeared when Brenna hadn’t been paying attention, and hurriedly opened it, sparing a glance at King.

  Fidgeting under his stare, she watched as he waved away the menu the waitress offered, his eyes never leaving hers. Waiting until the other woman left before speaking, Brenna kept her voice low, sneaking glances at his hands and trying not to imagine them heating the skin of her bottom.

  Knowing she shouldn’t ask, she asked anyway, unable to resist. “What did you mean by punishment?”

  His lips twitched, a brow going up. “That, too, depends on the people involved. You seem to have a lot of questions. We’ll be glad to answer them if you accept our offer.” He shrugged and smiled at the waitress when she brought a basket of fragrant bread, not reacting at all to the waitress’s flirtatious grin.