The Reluctant Dom (13 page)

He'd learned not only did he have to master throwing the damn thing but that there were different ways to throw it. In addition, depending on the type of whip and length, still more differences.

He glared at her and rubbed the sore place, then tried again. Every time he nailed himself with the fucking thing it made him tense even worse on the next throw. This time, however, he managed to hit the target, even though the throw was low and to the left.

“Can't I just shoot you in the ass with paintball pellets? Those fuckers hurt. I'm an expert marksman with firearms. I could turn your ass red, green, blue, whatever the fuck color you want.”

She laughed. Not just a giggle, but a deep, pants-wetting, full-out belly laugh.

It made him smile. This was the old Leah. Once she recovered she giggled and shook her head. “You've had enough practice for tonight, I guess.” They'd been at it for thirty minutes. That, for now, seemed to be his limit. Kaden had gone inside to take a nap after dinner, leaving Leah to help Seth.

Seth wasn't sure if Kaden really needed the nap, or was just being a sneaky fucking bastard.

He suspected the latter.

Later that night, Seth laid in bed and thought about Leah's laugh. If he could at least make her laugh like that every day, it would be worth most of this. Well, worth everything but losing Kaden in the process.

* * * *

As Seth suspected, Monday morning, Leah snuck in with his coffee after he'd started the shower. But he still stood, shaving and dressed in his boxers, at the counter.

She smiled and handed him the mug. “Dang.”

Seth shook his head and laughed.

He almost had a normal day. The mental heartbeat—

kaden'sdying

—didn't drive him to his knees like it had been. Leah was a little upset when he admitted he would go through the Golden Arches for lunch. He consoled her by agreeing she could pack him lunch the next day.

Kaden went in to work. He returned home a little after Seth did late that afternoon, then called Seth into the study and closed the door.

“Why the confab?”

Kaden held up a folder of papers. Seth's stomach lurched.

“I don't want her overhearing. She seems to be doing better today. She knows this has to happen. I don't need to rub her face in it.”

Seth felt a little sick signing the paperwork. Kaden tried to get Seth to read it all and he waved him away. “Let's just sign them and get it over with, dude. Like you said, so we don't have to think about it.”

“Ed'll come over later tonight and notarize them for us.”

“How much does he know?”

“I told him about my cancer. He has to know.”

“No.” Seth nervously licked his lips. “About the other stuff?”

Kaden shrugged. “I told him most of the stuff. I was honest that I'm working to get you and Leah together. I want him to know that up front so he can help you out ... after.”

And there was that fucking word again.

Goddamn how he hated it.

* * * *

Tuesday was almost normal. Seth got up and walked straight out to the kitchen for his coffee before Leah could bring it in to him. She pursed her lips, then laughed.

“Cheater.”

But she smiled. The new deep lines etched around her eyes saddened him. At least he could do this, make her laugh.

Wednesday she got the upper hand, sneaking in before he'd even got out of bed.

Either Leah or Kaden worked with him every night with the singletail. He was starting to get the hang of basic throws but his aim still sucked and he had yet to make one pop loudly. He heard them in the playroom late Tuesday night but the door was closed and he didn't feel he should intrude. Kaden had already said they were going to skip the club this week because of the private class they were teaching on Saturday at Tony's house.

Kaden and Seth started playing their guitars together every night, usually before dinner. Sometimes Leah would sit with them, with her head against Kaden's knee and either her hand or foot touching Seth's foot.

Thursday afternoon, when Seth returned home from his class, he rode with Leah to the doctor.

“Gee, Mom. You don't have to go in with me,” he playfully groused.

She laughed.

That became his personal secret mission through all the crazy bullshit. To try to make her laugh, hard, at least once a day. He was even growing used to seeing her in the long T-shirt at home without springing a boner every time she walked into the room.

Leah went in with him anyway. She explained their situation to the doctor, who was also Kaden's primary physician.

It was strange to Seth that the doctor didn't bat an eye. When he left the room for a moment to get the nurse to come draw blood and other specimens, Leah seemed to read Seth's look.

“He's a friend,” she said.

“Loan out a ladder kind of friend, or loan out a riding crop kind of friend?”

She laughed again.

Dang! Two in one day.
Maybe he could go for a hat trick.

“The second.”

For the more embarrassing part of the exam, Leah did turn around and not peek. He sensed her amusement though. After they were through and standing at the check out desk, he poked her in the arm.

“You got entirely too much enjoyment out of that.”

She smiled and winked. “Girl's gotta have fun where she can.”

While the receptionist was running Leah's credit card, Seth leaned close and whispered in Leah's ear, “Just be thankful I'm not in full Dom mode yet, hon.”

She gasped, blushed, and met his eyes. Spying his playful smile, she laughed again.

Ah, hat trick.

* * * *

Friday afternoon, Seth beat Kaden home. Leah spent some time with Seth, trying to explain to him what would happen at the class on Saturday.

“There's going to be a dozen students, all couples.” She led Seth to the playroom. He nervously eyed the wall of implements as she tried to explain the basics and terminology.

“Why do I need to know all this for tomorrow? Can't I just follow along with the class and learn with them?”

Her eyes twinkled. It was the happiest he'd seen her look since this all started. “Because you're helping Kaden with the demonstration.”

“What? No, Leah—”

“Please?” Her eyes went wide, big green jewels in the middle of her face.

“Aw, fuck, no puppy dog eyes. You're not playing fair.” Early on, years ago, she'd learned he was a sucker for “the look.” She never hesitated to mercilessly skewer him with it to get her way.

“Please, Seth?”

“You're not fucking playing fair.”

She added a pout and dropped her voice a little. “Please?”

He closed his eyes. “Fuck. That is so not fair.”

“Thank you!” She continued the lesson. Thud versus sting, floggers versus cats, crops and quirts and bats, oh my! Singletails came in different flavors, from Australian to signal to snake whips and even more. Canes and birches, straps ... he neared information overload. By the time Kaden got home, Seth knew much of the basics.

Whether he wanted to or not.

* * * *

Seth wasn't sure he wanted to go but knew he had to. He bypassed Leah's attempt to catch him in the shower by getting up early Saturday morning and rolling the lawn tractor out of the garage. He'd already put his foot down and insisted on doing those kinds of chores around the house. He was a third of the way through the front yard when she walked outside with a playful smile on her face and carrying a travel mug.

He pulled up to her and shut the tractor off. She wore a long T-shirt, the heavier collar, and a pair of sandals. Since the house couldn't be seen from the road there was little chance of anyone else catching sight of her.

“You're sneaky,” she said.

He stuck his tongue out at her and accepted the mug of coffee. “Grass to mow and all that. I want to study a little bit for my finals before y'all put me through the wringer and fry my brain tonight.”

She looked like she wanted to say something. He finally asked, “What?”

“Besides the obvious, are you happy here?”

His heart twisted. Or was it his gut? He'd managed to make it through most of the morning without thinking about after.

“Yeah. I wish it was under better circumstances though. Besides the obvious, are you happy to have me here? Honestly?”

She nodded and looked up at him, her voice soft. “Yes.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then turned and hurried back to the house.

Fuck.

He started the tractor and went back to mowing the yard while he tried to sort out his conflicting swirl of emotions.

* * * *

Looks can be deceiving. Tony lived east of Sarasota on five acres, a few streets off of Bee Ridge Road, east of I-75. The community was comprised mostly of larger homes on several acres of land each, many with horses or cattle or both grazing in pastures.

They arrived an hour before class was to start. Tony invited them into his home. With Seth's nerves stretched to the limit, he mostly stayed silent and observed. Tony's house looked tastefully decorated but nothing unusual to indicate a Dom lived there.

It was the large garage workshop where the differences became apparent.

He had his own personal dungeon, three times larger than the playroom at Kaden's home, with more equipment. Some of the items Seth wasn't sure he wanted to know their purpose, but he was relieved to learn the evening's class would be limited to basics. Leah jokingly referred to it as the Impact 101 class.

It also surprised him to learn Leah wouldn't be totally stripping for this class the way she had in the club or at home.

“Why is that?” he asked. It startled him to realize he was a little relieved. He knew she wasn't wearing underwear, because she'd taken great pains to flash him several times at the house. Somehow, the thought of people seeing more of her than they had to close up and personal in an intimate setting twisted his stomach in an unpleasant way.

“It's a class, not a scene.” Seth mulled that over. “Confused you again, didn't I?”

He nodded.

Her smile faded with concentration as she tried to figure out how to explain it. She turned to face him and dropped her voice so the other two men couldn't hear. “This isn't a session for me, although frankly, I'll enjoy it. What we do when we scene, whether in private or public, it's different. It's for us. Us including you, too. It's not for anyone else, even though in public others see it happening. Does that make sense?”

“Not really.”

She leaned so close he felt her breath against his cheek when she softly spoke. “I belong only to Master and Sir. No one else. I enjoy teaching others about the lifestyle. When Master and Sir scene with me in public, I'm only focused on what They tell me. No one else. No one else exists. This is different, because it's a class, and I will be participating and giving my input. I'll enjoy it, but I'm hoping later tonight that Sir will take what He learns here and practice in private with me.” She stepped back, watching his eyes.

Seth's throat had gone dry. His cock stiffened, painfully throbbing in his jeans.

I belong only to Master and Sir.

Fuck.

* * * *

Before the first students arrived, Kaden sent Leah to the bathroom and turned to Seth. His eyes playfully gleamed. “What did she say to you earlier?”

“Huh?”

“She said something to you. While Tony and I were talking.”

Admittedly, Seth was still in shock. “She explained why this is different from a scene.”

“And?”

Seth reddened. Well, Kade wanted honesty, he'd get it. “She was telling me she belonged to Master and Sir, and hoped I'd practice with her later.”

Kaden grinned. “Great! Well, not too great. She's getting pushy and borderline bratty. We need to have a talk with her about that.”

“Huh?”

“That's almost topping from the bottom.”

Seth closed his eyes and quietly swore. “I have no idea what the fuck you just said.”

Kaden laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I'll explain later.” He leaned in closer, his face momentarily sad. “But it's okay. This is good, buddy. Seriously. It's keeping her mind off ... other things. Having you around has been really good for her. I knew you would be.”

kaden'sdying

Seth didn't want to think about that tonight. He wasn't sure he'd enjoy what he was about to learn, but he damn sure knew it was a more pleasant subject than the alternative.

* * * *

Seth and Kaden wore black jeans and dark button-up shirts. Their students were dressed in a wide variety of attire, from vanilla street clothes to one guy who was sub to a Domme, and he wore nothing more than a leather harness around his crotch.

Helluva wedgie.

Kaden introduced himself, Leah and Seth, and briefly explained ground rules for the class. Including that, while unlike in a normal scene, students were welcomed to gather close to watch but they were not allowed to touch Leah. Also, that for the duration of the class, students were only allowed to touch the partner they were taking the class with.

There was also to be no body fluid exchanges, something Seth was still trying to wrap his head around. To learn that a group of activities he'd always thought were centered around sex were usually not sexual in nature still blew his mind. He thought that was the whole point.

He had a lot to learn.

Kaden had tried to explain it to him while Seth helped him pack equipment for the class. “There's a difference between getting someone off and getting it on with each other. There's a bunch of legal issues. I mean, you can't allow public sex. And most pro Dominants for hire won't perform sexual services.”

“Dude, what do you call what you did to her at the club?”

“That's different. I couldn't, in a situation like that, drop my pants and fuck her. I mean, if we're at home or at a small private party somewhere, sure. But not in a public scene. Never. I mean, some people might do that but I won't. Most places don't allow it anyway.”

“Well, isn't it sex if someone comes?”

Kaden smiled. “Not necessarily. That's incidental.”