Embracing the Fall (8 page)

Alone, that would frighten her, but tonight she wasn’t alone and she felt no fear
at all, only intense pleasure and a sense of free-falling adventure. She snuck a peek
over to where Cade, Trevor and Riley were dancing. The three of them had been together
for years now and looked happier than almost any couple Cami had ever known. They
had two adorable children and the men couldn’t keep their hands off of the woman they
had taken as wife. If they could make it work so beautifully long term, surely the
three of them could make a go of it too, even if it was just for the short term. Looking
back at Evan and the look of undisguised desire she plainly saw on his face, yeah,
she thought, she was more than ready to take this leap.

“Another.” Evan was so turned on right now, he felt savage with it. The two women
had just finished their song and the crowd around him was going ballistic. Cheers
and catcalls and applause so abundant, it sounded like it was coming from an audience
three times its size as it thundered around him. But that was all on the peripheral.
Right now it was just the three of them, caught up in a force-field of energy that
was blocking out the rest of the world and binding them together irrevocably.

“Again,” he repeated, though he knew they had heard him. They both had their eyes
riveted on him as though he was their Master and this was a scene.

They looked to each other and a silent signal was passed. They took way too long for
his liking to bow and thank the others, and then more lights went on over the stage
as Cami touched her foot to more controls. They moved the stands out of the way and
just held the microphones by hand. Cami put her guitar to the side and brought up
the music with some more foot-activated controls.

Sexy and slow was replaced with holy-fucking-hell-I’m going-to-combust-right-here
hotness when the two of them put their amazing voices to
Take Me or Leave Me
from the Broadway show Rent, and the crowd lost its ever loving mind.

They taunted and pressed their bodies against each other while they sang with voices
that slid into his ears, wrapped around his heart, grabbed him by his cock and refused
to let go. It was the most turned on he ever remembered being while still fully clothed.
They were pure sexual challenge up there, and the Dom in him was more than ready to
accept that challenge. He didn’t know how he was going to make this work but, somehow
he was going to make them both his.

Cami was completely confident on stage. Gone were the shadows that had haunted her
eyes while they danced. Instead she was bold and flirtatious; grinding against Ziporah
like they were lovers and stirring the audience into a fevered pitch of frenzy as
she dropped to her knees and dared the other woman to deny her appeal.

In contrast, Z was less confident than she was off stage. Gone was her kick-ass and
take-no-shit persona, and in its place was a beautiful woman who was soft and approachable.
She was saucy instead of defiant, and bubbling with laughter instead of bristling
with challenge. She wasn’t a hardened lawyer always on guard up there, but a woman
with no barriers and no walls.

He was supposed to be here for Cami, but looking at them together, he found himself
impossibly drawn to both women.
Equally
. Looking at them and trying to choose felt as though he would have to pick between
either is right eye or his left.
Impossible
.

He hadn’t a clue on how he was going to resolve that. He only knew if he didn’t get
his hands on them both soon, he was going to go insane.

Two a.m. rolled around and the exodus from the tavern was slow and loud. Nobody was
ready to leave yet as the food, drink and entertainment had all been equally top notch.
Cami had opened the stage for the remainder of the evening and she cleverly steered
away from the drunken or obnoxious and chose people who were actually talented to
take a turn at singing. The result had created an atmosphere that was electrified
and buoyant. It wasn’t a wonder no one wanted to leave. He was right there with them.

To keep himself from dragging the women out of the tavern caveman-style, Evan chose
to help with the after-hours clean up.

As he stacked chairs, his focus never wavered from where the two women were. It had
been like that all night and had only grown in intensity after their time on stage.

When he had hit the pool tables for a round of doubles with Brice, Cade and Trevor,
he knew their exact location the whole time. It was as if they were already his and
they were seared on his consciousness irrevocably.

Now, as he took his time aligning the tables while the others were finishing up and
saying their goodbyes, he tried to rein himself in. These ladies were not part of
the BDSM world yet, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare them off before he’d
even gotten started.

“You got yourself a long road ahead of you there, friend.” Gage’s soft drawl brought
Evan’s head around and he met the others man’s stare straight on.

“Yes, it appears that way. So I take it Zoe talked to you about our visit this morning?”
Evan asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the table.

“Yeah, she did.” Gage crossed his own arms over his massive chest and spread his stance
like he was on the deck of a ship, and Evan had to fight from rolling his eyes. Gage
was in lecture mode. “Have you spoken with Zoe or either of them tonight? I mean about
the fact that it’s gonna be both of them now, not just Cami?”

Evan almost fell over from shock. “So, that was what that duet was all about? How
come Zoe didn’t mention that this morning?”

“Seems Cami is so scared of movin’ things forward that she was refusing to even meet
with you. Then Ziporah stepped up and offered to try it out with her.” Evan was torn.
It was exactly what he wanted, however … “This isn’t something to be taken lightly.
I’m not a dabbler and I won’t scene with someone who is.”

“No. I know you wouldn’t.” Gage looked him in the eye for a moment then said, “I have
gotten to know Ziporah over these last couple years. When Zoe told me what the two
had planned, she expected me to blow my top and put a stop to the whole thing. I didn’t
though. You know why? Because I think that girl is a sub under all her prickly bravado.”
Gage smiled softly and watched as the lady in question was currently having a heated
debate with her cousin. “She likes to think she’s invincible, but there are times
I look at her and I swear a good wind would break her into a million little pieces.
That’s why, when Zoe told me that she wanted to sub with Cami as a favor, I was all
for it. I think that woman is every bit a sub just like her friend. But, there is
something else troubling me.” Gage seemed to be choosing his words carefully, so Evan
stayed quiet and let him continue without interruption. “You’re a good man and an
even better Dom, Evan. You wouldn’t push those girls where they can’t go, so I know
they’re in good hands. It’s you I’m worried about.”

Nothing could have shocked Evan more, and if he hadn’t already been half sitting on
the table, he would’ve been knocked to the floor by that.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, truly baffled.

“I know the kind of Dom you are.” Gage leaned forward, like he needed to make sure
Evan was hearing him. “I’ve never met a Dom more adept at bringing the dark to the
light for a sub. You have a gift for opening them up during a session so nothing is
hidden. But, these two are special. I don’t know details; still, I know enough. And
it’s both of them. They got some serious trauma buried between them. What happens
if you play this wrong and trip on a land mine?” They both looked to where the women
in question burst into laughter with Zoe and a couple of the others. “Evan, you strip
yourself emotionally bare when you go into a scene like no Dom I’ve ever known; it’s
like you’re walking onto a battle field naked. And these two? They could damn well
blow you up.”

For a moment Evan was quiet as he let what Gage said sink in. Then he shook himself
out of it and shoved him out of the way as he got back to picking up the chairs. “You
damn mother hen. I know you mean well, but it’s out of my hands at this point.” With
a shrug, he lifted his palms up in a gesture of helplessness. “They’re already mine,
Gage. I had already decided that I was going to have Ziporah before you mentioned
anything, so you see? They are already mine. Now, go cluck over your sub and leave
me alone.” He knew Gage meant well. But seriously? Worried about
him?
He was a Dom and it was his job to look after the women who agreed to be his subs.
That was a level of trust every Dom had the fucking responsibility to nurture.

Yeah, he maybe sometimes went a little too deep. And perhaps he took on their pain
more often than not. For him, that was a price he was willing and, if he really looked
at it, honored to pay.

BDSM done right was just as much–if not more–in the head as it was in the flesh. A
sub had to open up their very soul in order to let a Dom find who they really were
inside and bring their true nature and desires into the open. By god, if they were
going to put that much faith in him, he wasn’t going to come into this with anything
less than all that he was.

The others were saying their goodbyes and filing out, and he was just putting the
last of the chairs up on the last table when Cami surprised him by walking straight
up to him. He would have guessed it would be Ziporah who would be the one to make
the bold move, not Cami. But there she stood, shoulders back and a brave smile on
her lovely face.

Most of her make-up had melted away, leaving her skin pale and dewy. Those luscious
lips had just the faintest trace of red paint still on them and her eyeliner was smudged.
As he waited to hear what she had to say, he wondered if this was how she would look
after sex. Damp and a little wilted; it was sexy as hell.

“So, umm, Zoe said her and Gage would stay and Terryn said the same about her and
Brice. But, umm, see my friend Z?” She fidgeted where she stood and her feet pointed
toward each other as she waived one hand in the general direction of her friend.

Evan took pity on her. “I already spoke with Gage. I know that Ziporah is interested
in joining us.” He smiled gently at her and placed a hand on her shoulder to soothe.

“And that’s okay with you?” she asked, wide eyed.

“I’m looking forward to it.” He nodded.

Her shoulders wilted in relief so drastically it was comical. “That’s wonderful. Thank
god.” She started fidgeting again and said in a rush, “So, I guess the next step is
safe words and limits. I know I don’t want any blood play or anything with urine–gross,
and–” Evan chuckled and placed one finger on her trembling lips. “You know, this isn’t
a typical situation. This also isn’t a club setting and this is going to be the first
BDSM experience for the both of you, right?” At her timid nod he continued. “Why don’t
we do it this way? Let’s take some time to get to know each other a little first.
How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful actually. Hey! I know. We could go to our place and have a
Buffy-thon and drink till we can’t walk straight. Would you like that?” She gave him
wide hopeful eyes and chewed on her bottom lip.

That was a loaded question if he ever heard one. Evan tore his gaze up from where
she was biting her bottom lip and looked her right in the eyes.

“What the hell is a Buffy-thon?”

Her laugh was infectious and tugged a reluctant grin from him, which was no small
feat considering how aroused he’d been all night.

“Buffy, The Vampire Slayer,” she managed to get out after a few moments. “It’s only
the best cult classic show of the ninety’s. Really. Clever, funny as heck and addicting.
Didn’t you watch it back then?”

Evan fought to keep the laugh locked behind his lips. He was sure that was not meant
to be a joke. “No, sweetheart, I did not. In fact, I’ve never even heard of it.”

“Oh my gosh! Then you
have
to come. Because seriously, even though it was written for teenage girls, this show
is awesome. The creator, Joss Whedon, is a sci-fi god.”