Seduced By My Doms BN (12 page)

“I’m sorry. The scalpel thing threw me off. I didn’t mean it
as an insult.”

Heat rose on my face like a fever, and my palms started to
sweat. I felt like a fool. James’ friends must think me a blithering idiot.

“It’s my fault, Liz,”
Leagh
piped
up, rescuing me from my embarrassment. “I’m always busting his
ba
—”

“Angel,” Tony warned in a stern tone.

Leagh
wrinkled her nose. “Busting
his
chops
about probing around in people’s minds,” she confided. “Lord
knows he messes with mine every chance he gets.”

“And you love it,” Mika added with a smirk. “Don’t even try
to deny it.”

“Well, yes,” she giggled. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

After my awkwardness lessened, I found myself analyzing the
strange bond the group of friends shared. They seemed to have no compunction at
revealing and discussing nearly every aspect of their personal lives. Such a
level of intimacy felt foreign to me.

I never had close friends, aside from
Dayne
and Cindy. Growing up, I went out of my way to avoid any emotional bonds.
Closing myself off to others wasn’t born out of shyness but rather
self-preservation. Mommy Dearest had an embarrassing habit of bringing men home
after work, lots of men—lots of different men—usually never the same one twice.
Either they weren’t skilled enough to earn a repeat performance in Sally’s bed,
or they didn’t want one. As a teen, I was humiliated knowing that my mom was
the county bicycle, and that every horny man in town who wanted could take a
ride. Her actions were confusing, since she’d spent her life drilling into my
head the importance of proper sexual behavior. It was only after Sally had
dropped the bombshell about Dad that I realized her cock-a-day addiction was
some skewed litmus test to prove her desirability—that, or a desperate attempt
to restore her tattered ego.

Needing the approval of a man so desperately made my stomach
pitch. I studied the
submissives
poised next to their
Doms
, so attentive and proper. I began to wonder if
the women were as emotionally scarred and in such sad need to confirm their
desirability—like my mother—they willingly subjugated themselves. Were they all
lacking a basic sense of self-love, or backbone to stand on their own two feet?
Or was their decision to submit driven by something else entirely? I needed to
do a lot more research.

“Right, Liz?” James asked, wearing a wide grin.

“Huh?” I blinked. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t listening. What did
you say?”

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” he asked. His dark brows
slashed in concern.

“No. I’m fine, just lost in thought. I noticed Trevor’s IV
site looked a little red. I’ll talk to his nurse before we leave,” I replied,
lying through my teeth. “What was the question?”

“I was just telling Tony and
Leagh
that we’d planned to grab some dinner, then we could meet up with them at the
club.”

“Oh. Yes. Right,” I replied in a hesitant voice.

“You’re not backing out on me, are you?” James asked.

So he expected me to try and wiggle out of going to the
club, did he? I flashed him a bright smile, refusing to cause a scene and
confront his manipulation.

“Heavens, no.” Digging myself in deeper, I fought the urge
to sprint for the elevator and escape.

“You’re going to love it,”
Leagh
gushed with delight. “Hey, we’re going to Maurizio’s with the rest of the gang.
Why don’t you two come along? We’ll save you some seats.”

Oh god.
James wouldn’t torture me by making me sit
through a meal surrounded by
Doms
and subs when I had
no clue what to say or how to act, would he?

James turned his head my way. “Do you like Italian food?”

Looks like it.

“Yes. I do.” The words were off my tongue before I could
come up with another lie.

‘I promise I’ll be open and honest with you, whether
we’re just friends or evolve into lovers. The only thing I ask is that you
reciprocate, and are honest with me, too. Will you do that?’

A twinge of guilt prickled. Had I given him my word in a
moment of weakness, or had James already brainwashed me? It seemed that before
our official date had even begun, I was already in over my head.

“Great. We’ll plan on seeing you guys a little later then.”
James smiled.

James slid his arm around my waist before we said our
goodbyes. As we stood waiting for the elevator, James strummed his thumb back
and forth over my lower spine. Tiny pulses of electricity zinged to my core. I
didn’t know whether to sidle away from his touch or wrap him in a scorching
lip-lock. The chime of the elevator was a welcome relief as I lowered my head
and inhaled a calming breath. As the doors opened, I lunged forward and slammed
into Dr. Samuel Brooks as he stepped out. Bouncing off his broad, muscular
chest, it felt as if I’d ran head-long into the side of a mountain. Cindy would
be ecstatic to discover the man was hard as steel under his baggy white coat.

“Whoa,” Brooks exclaimed on half a laugh, before pivoting
out of the way. “Hey, James. Liz. How’s Trevor?”

“Hey, Sam,” James replied nonchalantly. “Doing real good.”

Pinging a suspicious glaze between the two men, my curiosity
piqued. The realization they not only knew each other but shared a familiarity
with Trevor crashed through me, harder than the good doctor’s chest.

Before I could open my mouth, James half-pushed, half-pulled
me into the elevator. And as the doors closed, I glimpsed a guilty and
extremely worried expression chiseled itself over Sam’s face.

“So, how do you know Dr. Brooks?” I asked in a controlled,
blasé tone.

“Oh, he was here last night.”

“I didn’t know he was scheduled last night. I didn’t see him
in the ER.”

“Maybe he came in to check on a patient.”

What happened to Mr. Honesty?
I bit back a grin.

“It wasn’t Trevor he came to see, was it?” I asked,
purposefully baiting him.

“I think it was someone else, but he did poke his head in to
check on
Trev
. I think Dr. Brooks helped with
Trevor’s surgery or something.”

I nodded. That had been almost too easy. James had taken the
bait, hook, line, and sinker. I knew at that moment that Cindy’s handsome
heartthrob, Dr. Brooks, was a member of Genesis.

Holy shit!

Working hard not to smile, I stared James straight in the
eyes. “I doubt that highly. Doctor Brooks is an Ob-gyn surgeon. Unless Trevor
needed a hysterectomy there wasn’t a professional reason
that
doctor
needed to…quote: pop his head in.”

James groaned and his shoulders slightly sagged. I felt
stupidly victorious.

“You enjoyed yanking my chain, didn’t you?” he asked, as a
calculating smirk tugged his lips.

“You bet I did,” I laughed. Delving deeper into his sexy
eyes, I slowly licked my lips. James’ stare dropped to my mouth and stayed
there. “How do you know Sam?”

“Quid pro quo,” he challenged, still honed in on my mouth.
“Tell me what you were thinking about when we were talking to Tony and
Leagh
.”

“You answer my question, first. Then
maybe
I’ll
answer yours,” I challenged. Pinching my bottom lip between my teeth, I watched
his nostrils flare.

James reached out and trailed the tips of his fingers down
my cheek as he focused all his energy into one sinfully seductive stare. “Like
I said in the truck, honesty is very important to me. In fact, it’s a deal
breaker. If I catch someone lying to me, I’ll let her redeem herself, but after
that I don’t give second chances. As for Sam? I’m not at liberty to discuss him
with you. And that’s the truth.”

“Because at Genesis, you grant total anonymity, right? He’s
member of the club, isn’t he?”

“Liz,” James warned as he cupped my chin in his palm. “I’ve
answered your question. Now answer mine.”

I pursed my lips in a pout. “I shouldn’t oblige you, since
you technically evaded mine. I suppose you can’t give me a denial of the denial
either, right?”

“No, I can’t. Not when it comes to Sam,” he replied,
latching his gaze to my lips once more. “But I’ll be more than happy to give
you something much better than answers.”

Yanking me into his arms, James bound me to his heated body.
His irresistible, woodsy scent made my head swim. Staring at the pulse point
hammering at the base of his neck, keeping time with my own thundering heart,
giving or getting answers seemed the furthest thing from my mind.

Brushing his soft lips over mine, memories of his sweltering
kisses and how they’d unraveled me overtook all other thoughts. I could all but
taste him on my tongue. Closing my eyes, I parted for him. James groaned and
deepened the kiss. An intoxicating rush of power and control flowed from him
and straight into me.

Exhaling on a blissful sigh, I melted against his steely
chest as we feasted on one another’s tongues. The elevator chimed and the doors
opened with a whoosh. Grunting in disappointment, James slowly eased back,
leaving me dazed, achy, and famished for more. Gripping his arm to steady my
swaying body, he pulled me to his side and led me through the lobby as I
internally screamed for his tantalizing kisses and a whole lot more.

The sun was setting and a light breeze blew in off the lake,
sending a shiver through me as we walked to his truck. I’d been so rattled
about our date that I’d forgotten to grab my jacket. Once inside the vehicle,
James pulled me next to him and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, infusing me
in the heat pouring off his body.

“I’ll keep you warm,” he promised, backing out of the
parking space.

Warm, nothing… I wanted him to make me combust.

“I’m waiting,” he said with a tiny smirk.

“Waiting for what?”

“For you to answer the question I asked in the elevator.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “I forgot.”

A suspicious frown deepened his features. “Are you telling
me the truth?”

Miffed that he presumed I was lying, I realized he should be
ticked off at me since I’d spent most of the day fibbing, even after I’d
promised to be honest.

“Yes,” I asserted with a hiss. “It’s all your fault. You
kissed me and short-circuited my brain cells.” He wanted the truth? I’d give it
to him.

A cocky-satisfied expression crawled across his face. Ugh,
the man could be so charming and erotic one minute, then bam… That egotistical mask
slid right back into place.

“I’ll have to remember that,” he murmured in that sticky,
sweet tone that made me quiver. Raising his chin he sent me a harsh glare.
“You’ve
got ten
seconds.”

His stern expression, coupled with his sharp demand told me
stalling wouldn’t be tolerated.

“I was thinking about the
submissives
in the waiting room.”

“What about them?”

“Are they all co-dependent or something?”

James snorted and shook his head. “Not in this lifetime, or
the next. I take it you assume they’re weak. Why? What gives you that
impression?”

“That’s the thing. They don’t give that impression and
that’s what’s confusing. I’m just trying to wrap my head around why you all do
the things you do.”

“The things we do, huh?” A half chuckle accompanied his
rhetorical question.

“I don’t mean it in a condescending way, and to set the
record straight, I know why you can’t tell me that Sam is a member of the club.
I’m not an idiot, I’m curious is all.”

“You are a lot of things, beautiful girl, but an idiot isn’t
one of them.”

“Can you at least tell me if he’s a Dom or a sub?”

“No.” His response was adamant. “I want to know more about
your views on submission. We both know you’re intrigued, so don’t lie to me
about that again.”

Direct as usual, but in a bizarre, refreshing sort of way.
Even though he’d busted me for not being honest, James seemed genuinely
interested in my thoughts and feelings. He made me feel special, like my
opinions mattered. Ryan only bothered to ask what I wanted for dinner; he
didn’t give a shit about my inner thoughts or feelings. I’d spent a chunk of my
adult life with a man I barely communicated with. Yet sitting next to James,
discussing kink with a stranger, seemed the most natural thing in the world.

“I’m sorry I lied to you. Yes, I do have questions.” I
waited to see if he would indeed grant me redemption as he claimed.

“I accept your apology for one of your lies.” The glint in
his dark eyes left me struggling to remember the exact number of lies I’d
actually told him. “Please, continue.”

“I understand that the
Doms
make
all the rules, and the sub basically caters to his every whim, which makes them
pretty damn spineless in my opinion.” James issued a soft chuckle, but I
ignored him and continued. “I don’t understand what the subs get out of the deal.
It seems pretty one-sided to me. If she’s constantly meeting the Dom’s needs,
what about her own? Excuse me if that sounds horribly feminist, but…” I
shrugged.

“Your perceptions are very cut and dry, but there’s no need
to apologize for that.” A shit-eating grin flashed across his mouth. “You’re
wrong about
submissive’s
being spineless. Also, the
Doms
aren’t the only ones whose needs are met. The
submissives
are fulfilled equally, if not more.”

I almost snorted at his claim. “Expand on that for me, would
you please?”

“Okay.” James pondered for a moment, then smiled. “When you
were a little girl and your mom or dad took your hand before you crossed the
street, how did that make you feel?”

“Safe. They wouldn’t let me be mowed down by a speeding car,
at least not if they could help it.”