In the Middle (6 page)

When he got to the top of the stairwell, he walked down the hall to the hotel room and tried to open the door, intending to interrupt. But it was locked. Louise hadn’t sounded distressed when she’d called, so he really didn’t have the excuse to crash his shoulder through it, as satisfying as that would be. Reluctantly he knocked instead.

The man who opened the door was bare-chested, smooth-skinned, and in excellent shape. He gestured for Daniel to come in, and Daniel barged forward. Louise stood off to the side, rumpled but none the worse for wear. Her smile looked tentative, but it was still a smile. He unclenched his fists and warily looked around the room. Louise flung herself into his arms, and he held her close.

It was several seconds, but it was way too soon when Louise pushed against his chest and extricated herself.

“Rob and I have a proposal for you. But maybe I should start at the beginning.”

Daniel nodded. “Beginnings are good.” Rob was Randall X’s real name, he remembered Louise telling him.
Looks like they’re becoming fast friends
. He looked over at Rob, suspicious of what might be happening. Daniel was used to reading faces, both to figure out witnesses and to guess how jurors would lean, but Rob’s was unreadable.

Louise didn’t speak until Daniel looked back at her. “As you know, I’ve had submissive feelings for a long time. Probably since before I met you. That’s something that’s a part of me, and I can’t just deny it or push it down without wondering what I’m missing.”

Daniel nodded again, not saying anything. He knew all that. Didn’t like it, but he knew it, and he knew he loved Louise. If it was a part of her, he needed to find a way to accommodate it.

“I never really guessed you might have feelings like that too. You’ve always been so solid, so big, so…well, exactly the opposite of what I thought a submissive guy might be like. I can’t imagine you in a French maid costume, waxing the floors.”

Daniel laughed. “Neither can I.”

“Thanks for the visual, Lulu,” said Rob. “You know, not every guy who is submissive is into cross-dressing. Nor vice versa.”

Louise smiled. “Of course not. I’m just talking about my preconceptions. I’d never given it serious thought before. Anyway Rob is only in town for a few days and can probably only spare a few hours or so for me. As you can guess, we just did a scene together.”

“How’d that go?” Daniel dreaded the answer, but he still felt the situation required the question.

“I enjoyed myself. A lot. I guess I was kind of hoping not to, that it was one of those things that sounds good but when you actually do it you wonder what all the fuss was. I can’t imagine just letting it go, Daniel. Just having a few hours of something I’ve craved so much and then never again? Or only pretending online?”

He wanted to argue with her, but he knew exactly how she felt. He wanted a chance to surrender control to her again so badly it was creeping into their everyday conversation. Or perhaps it had always been there. He’d never had a problem with her taking the lead. Letting her make love to, or submit to, some man—he could do that. But now that man had a face. He should have never come up, never met him. Now he felt like punching him.

“I don’t think this is going to work, Louise,” Rob said.

Louise turned to Rob. “But are you still willing to try?”

“Yes.”

“How about you?” She looked back to Daniel.

He didn’t think he’d missed anything. In fact, he was hanging on every word, and he was used to listening carefully. It hadn’t been said. But he thought he could guess. Louise wanted to be able to fly out to Chicago now and then. He didn’t really have a choice but to let her, but he didn’t want to. And at the same time, he knew he was being irrational. She’d be safer going back to one dom, over and over, than having a new one every week, even though the latter would make him less jealous. Her safety was much more important than his ego. “Try what?”

“Oh!” Louise smiled. “Rob has offered to teach you how to dominate me.”

He blinked. Rob didn’t have much time, and yet that was how Louise wanted to use it? He supposed he should be flattered. And Rob was willing, even though it would cost him part of his precious time with Louise? Perhaps he and Rob were more similar than he thought.

They both, it appeared, wanted to make Louise happy.

Can I do it, though? Can I really become the dominant man Louise wants?

He’d never had any problems taking charge in a courtroom or in his own office when it was called for. But ordering Louise? If that was what she really wanted—and he really wanted to serve her—he would do it if he had it in him. “If that’s what you wish, Louise, of course I will.”

He expected a funny look for the way he said yes, but she jumped into his arms again and gave him big hug. He grinned and kissed her. It didn’t bother him that Rob was watching.
See whose she really is?
She kissed him hard, pushing her tongue into his mouth. The aggressiveness of it made his heart melt, and he lost himself in the moment. Which only made it harder when she broke away and gestured for Rob, and he found himself watching a kiss that had just as much passion in it. It was different, though. Her face was tilted upward, and Rob’s hand was in her hair. He wasn’t hurting her, but he was definitely asserting his dominance.

Rob let her go and looked at Daniel. “Are you free now?”

“I’m not kissing you. Sorry, I just don’t go that way.”

He enjoyed the brief look of discomfort that went over Rob’s face. Clearly the other man was hetero through and through. At least that was one thing he didn’t have to worry about.

“What a shame,” said Rob. Daniel was still willing to bet he didn’t mean it. He considered Rob’s original question. He had one appointment, but it wasn’t critical. He could call and cancel it and offer to reschedule for an evening, which the client would prefer anyway. But he needed to do it now before the client left work.

“I think I can free the afternoon up. Just a moment.” He didn’t want to leave Rob and Louise alone together again, but his client’s privacy was sacrosanct. He left the room, shutting the door behind him, and walked down the empty hall several steps before calling his office. He got his aide to text the client’s number to him, and then he called. He thought it would work out, but if he was going to ask for a reschedule, he’d rather not do it through a secretary.

He remembered Rob’s comment: “
I don’t think this is going to work
.” Recalling how he’d felt when he’d tried dominating her before, he had to say that on that, at least, he and Rob agreed.

“MAYBE IF I was naked and kneeling for him when he came back in? That ought to make an impression.” It was all Louise could do to stop from pacing around the hotel room. It had seemed big when she’d entered it with Rob the first time, but now it was almost claustrophobic. She had asked a lot of Rob. He’d probably ask a lot in return, sometime, but that didn’t bother her. In fact, she liked that idea. Still, in asking, she’d put herself in charge in a way. They were doing what she wanted. Hopefully that would change in a few minutes, and both of the delicious gentlemen would have her dancing to their tune.

Rob chuckled. “Just wait. Sit on a chair. We need him to tell you what to do, not for you to try to anticipate right now. You anticipate too much, and he won’t get any practice. I hope we can work together, but I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Louise nodded and sat in the chair. She didn’t want to agree with Rob. And she had confidence in Daniel. “He’s capable of working with people he doesn’t like.”

Rob nodded. “We’ll see. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. In the meantime, wait.”

“Is that an order?”

Rob grinned. “Yes. And it’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ever ask of you. I honestly think you’d take to a cane better than you would to waiting.”

She crossed her hands in her lap. She didn’t want him to feel he had to test the comparison.

Rob looked away for a moment, lost in thought, before returning his gaze to her. “You know, I’ve known a lot of tops and bottoms and switches. And a lot of people sometimes take a role on that’s perhaps different than their nature from time to time. But what is true with almost all those people is that in their primary relationship, they need to be what they are at their core. Daniel might be able to top someone, but I don’t think that’s who he is. So whether he’s able to top you and be truly comfortable with it—well, I’m still dubious. Maybe he can, out of a sense of service. Whether doing it with that motivation will be enough for you is another question.”

Louise nodded. “Only one way to find out.” She remembered how she’d felt when Rob had said the spanking and the belt were to turn him on, not her. The idea that it was about his pleasure had turned her on and made it easier to take. Being spanked might feel good even if it wasn’t to please a dom, but it wouldn’t be the same. Maybe it had all been a stupid idea, and maybe she was being selfish. But she didn’t want to back out now. Maybe Rob could unlock something in Daniel she hadn’t been able to.

“Hmm.” Rob turned away from her again, walking to a window, apparently admiring the city skyline, what there was of it. He didn’t turn until there was a knock on the door. Louise started to get up to get it, but he gestured for her to stay. She sat back down, relaxing. Rob was in control, and he was good at that. It was oddly freeing to be told what to do.

“Come in, Daniel,” said Rob. “She’s waiting for you. Everything straight?”

Daniel nodded. “How is this going to work?”

Rob grinned. “It’s going to be challenging. But basically, I’m going to encourage you, and you’re going to top her. She said you tried this once before, and it didn’t work. Did you have a safe word arranged?”

“Yes. Abracadabra.”

Rob chuckled. “Now that’s a word unlikely to be uttered in ordinary love talk. Well done. So then, at its most basic, BDSM isn’t about a bunch of toys, but it’s a place to start. I could teach you how to use a flogger or how to administer an over-the-knee spanking or how to tie a woman up. All those are primarily technical matters. Does any of that appeal to you?”

Any of those would be fine
. But Daniel shook his head. “No.”

“Well then, to the more obscure. Waxing, perhaps?”

“Ouch.” Daniel echoed her own sentiment. She did not enjoy having hairs ripped out of her body, even to have her eyebrows done. More than that sounded excruciating.

“It can be simply a warm sensation, if the candle is held high enough and done over an oiled area with only very fine hairs. A woman’s body is full of such areas.”

“No. Why don’t we ask Louise what she wants? That’s really what all this is about.” Daniel turned to her as he had so often. She usually loved that look in his eyes, but she wished he would take control rather than look to her for guidance now.

“I did,” said Rob, before she could speak. “That’s where I got the first three suggestions from.”

Daniel was still looking at her, and he didn’t speak until she nodded. “Fine. Of the three, then”—he thought for a moment—“teach how to tie someone up.”

Rob nodded. “I didn’t bring a lot of rope in my suitcase, so we can’t do any intricate bondage. But I have a few short lengths, suitable for binding wrists or ankles to bedposts. But you’re the top. Louise is your submissive. She wants you, needs you to make decisions, so she can be free to obey.”

There was an uncomfortable silence.
This isn’t working
. Her stomach felt heavy, and she tried to think of some kind of solution, some way of saving face for everyone. The friction in the air between the two men was obvious. Daniel was using as few words as possible to answer Rob, who under the circumstances was being a saint. Then again, she suspected the source of Daniel’s animosity was his affection for her, and she found that hard to hold against him. She was actually touched by his jealousy.

Daniel walked over to her. “Kiss me.”

She relaxed.
Maybe this will work after all
. She stood up, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him deeply. For a change, he pulled away before she was completely out of breath. He smiled at her. “Bring me some rope,” he told Rob. “Turn around and present your wrists to me behind your back together,” he told Louise. “I’m going to tie your wrists.”

Behind him, Louise could see Rob frown, but he reached into his suitcase and got the rope anyway. Clearly Rob didn’t appreciate Daniel giving him orders.

Louise turned as directed, with some reluctance because she wanted to keep an eye on both of them. But she smiled to herself. Daniel was taking charge, at least. She pushed her hands behind her back. She tried it back to back, and then turned them to put her palms together, finding that put less stress on her shoulders.

“Generally speaking you want to remove any clothing you’re not going to want in the way later before you start tying,” Rob said.

“Generally speaking we’d be doing this just us two in the privacy of our own room, wouldn’t we?” Daniel shot back.

Fuck
. Suddenly being tied up in a room filled with two male egos didn’t seem nearly as attractive. She wiggled her hands, though, because she wanted the attention back on her, as much to stop them from arguing as anything else.

“Sometimes. Sometimes bondage is done at play parties, in front of dozens of people. It changes the dynamic and, depending on the submissive, may make the experience more intense. Some girls turn such a delightful pink when asked to obey in front of an audience.” Rob crossed to move in front of her and ran his hand along her cheek. “Louise knows. We’ve done all sorts of things online in front of other people. But in person is an entirely different step. This time the audience is me.”

She heard Daniel breathing hard, and it wasn’t a good sound. Suddenly she felt the rope wrap around her and tighten, and she didn’t care. If Rob could goad him into being rougher, that was all to the better. It was going to be a wild ride. And Rob was right: having an audience did make her cheeks warm with embarrassment. She couldn’t imagine doing this in front of a whole crowd. Well, maybe getting her hands tied, but what she hoped would come next? No way. Not unless she was asked very nicely. Or maybe if she was ordered. She was starting to get turned on.