The Seduction of Destiny Rhode [The Seduction 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (22 page)

“Well, I mean I know that you and I, I mean when we…I’m confused.” Her forehead wrinkled, and she chewed her lip, but she didn’t seem upset or in any kind of distress.

Ronan didn’t like being pushed, but he currently felt trapped with his back against a wall. He
hated
the labels, but within the community, they were unavoidable. Perhaps that was one of the things he enjoyed so much about this affair with Destiny. With her, he didn’t have to label everything and formalize it all. They could simply be two people, natural Dominant and submissive, enjoying one another—a refreshing, beautiful thing. Now, however, it seemed he would have to explain. He hated Christian for putting him here. In the end, though, he would take responsibility for his own choices.

“I don’t do relationships, Destiny. I told you that. I’m naturally dominant though, you’ve seen that. If we
had
to place a label on how we’ve been, a lot of it would qualify you as my sub, but I am not claiming ownership of you. You know me—I don’t demand anything of you other than what you want to give. Tonight, though, the people here will view you as my sub. Is that okay with you?”

“I trust you.” That was all she said, but he saw her mind going a mile a minute.

“I think the American culture has too many misconceptions and too many assumptions are made about the word
submissive
. To me it is a word of strength, but I realize how counterintuitive that is. Honestly, I like things to be natural as they have been between us, up until this horse’s ass had to complicate things.”

“But I thought the whole Dom-sub thing was about…well, like
that
.” She gestured toward a couple standing by the balustrade. It was a Dom who happened to have his sub wearing panties only and was holding the end of a leash attached to her collar.

“There’s a lot of variation.” He personally had no interest in that type of behavior and quite frankly never understood it. However, he subscribed to the age-old
live and let live
philosophy.

Christian turned to look also, and when his attention returned to Destiny he added to the conversation, “A Dom-sub relationship is an intricately choreographed dance, Destiny, and while Ronan is correct to say there is a lot of variation, he gravely discounts the beauty and the power in both the lifestyle and the play.”

Christian put out his cigarette and placed his champagne flute on the ground. “To be a submissive is not a negative. There are people who play at it, and who play at being Dom, but to those of us for whom it goes deeper, for whom the call is a part of our makeup, we cannot be satisfied in a relationship that is vanilla. As a Dom, I
need
my submissive. I
crave
her. She is to be valued and respected. She is the one who fulfills the deepest longings of my soul. That is
not
a negative.”

Ronan hated the way Christian had always had such a beautiful way with words.

And he speaks six different languages, if I remember correctly.

“Don’t you see, Destiny? Have you not figured it out yet?” He reached to place his fingers beneath her chin, but Ronan reached around and grabbed his wrist.

“Do
not
touch her.” He growled, and it was no threat. Ronan would cut off his bloody hand if necessary.

“And you think you are not his sub.” Christian smiled and slowly lowered his hand. “All I was going to say was that only in a Dom-sub relationship, will you ever find the perfect balance of yin and yang. Only in your submission will you find the completion you seek. It is an exciting adventure to be starting out on, but be careful, be informed, and don’t let
anyone
”—he glared at Ronan then moved his gaze back to Destiny—“push you into anything you are not comfortable with. Too often a Dom will present himself as knowing better than you, simply because he is dominant. That’s sheer arrogance and not a safe playmate. Only you know what is right for you, Destiny, and if you take this path, don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself. As the sub, the power truly is entirely under your control.”

Christian stood and straightened his jacket.

“It was a
great
pleasure meeting you, Destiny, and I wish you well in your explorations.”

Ronan also stood, feeling a bit like a mouse being toyed with by a cunning feline.

“It was good to see you again, Christian. Give my best to your sister, Catherine.” Ronan held his gaze steady.

Christian drew a deep breath, and though no expression showed on his face, his eyes clearly displayed that the words had done their job.

“My sister is not your concern, but her experience is such that should be a lesson to all women such as your pretty little sub here.” He turned his attention back to Destiny. “If you do intend to continue this exploration, choose wisely who you give yourself to. All Doms are
not
created equal.”

He turned and left the alcove without another word, and Ronan actually felt regret for the level to which he had stooped.

“Ronan, I’m utterly confused.”

He turned to look at Destiny and didn’t like the look in her eyes. She had lost some trust in him, and that was like a knife to the heart. He had damage control to work out if he intended to salvage the evening.

“I’m so sorry for this, I hadn’t planned on…I think I had gotten a little lost in the fantasy we’ve been playing out at the hotel where it’s been just me and you.”

She seemed to digest that. Sitting in her cape, covered chin to ankles, she seemed delicate in a way she ordinarily didn’t.

“I think I had, too.” She looked away from him.

He sat down in front of her and was elated when she didn’t pull away from him when he tipped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“What do you need from me right now?”

She held his stare.

“Do you see me as your submissive?”

She gave him no clue in her tone about how she would feel either way.

“I’ve told you before, I don’t like labels.” He stared deeply into her eyes, hoping he could somehow make her understand. “I am a dominant man by nature. You are a submissive woman by nature. That cannot be a surprise to you.”

She seemed to struggle with that for a moment before answering. “No, it isn’t. I just always saw it as a bad thing before, but you actually like that about me?”

“I find it to be your greatest strength, minx.” He smiled at her.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

He focused, wanting to ease her concerns and clarify his position without scaring her.

“In this world”—he gestured to the area surrounding them—“your willingness to be submissive is necessary. I don’t care for Christian much, but he is right when he says how much someone like me craves someone like you. Without your willingness to submit to me, I would never be fed. Your choice to submit—and make no mistake, it is
always
a choice—it’s the most beautiful thing about you.” He smiled. “And believe me, minx, you are one damn gorgeous woman.”

She swallowed, but held his stare. He saw the gears of her mind working through the windows that were her eyes.

“What you haven’t learned yet, minx, is how channeling that need to submit into a safe place makes you so much stronger in your everyday life. When we’ve been together, when I’ve dominated you, and you know I have, how does it make you feel?”

She lowered her gaze. Her tongue darted out and ran the length of her bottom lip. She looked back up into his gaze.

“Perfect.” Her breath stuttered.

He could tell she had more to say. She was working it out, so he let her.

“I’ve always let people walk all over me. My mother and Oscar most notably, but everyone from the mailman to the person behind the counter at Dairy Queen gets my stamp of approval to dismiss me, treat me as less than.”

“Have I ever made you feel
less than
?” That was something he needed to know and needed to know it now.

“No. With you it’s all different. I am submissive. I do that thing where I put myself in the passenger seat and people take advantage of it, but with you, you let me sit in the passenger seat, but you take care of me.” She shook her head as if trying to sort out her thoughts. “You make sure I have everything I need, and I never feel like it’s just my
place
to be submissive to you and I shouldn’t be expected—” She looked up again into his eyes. “You act like I’ve given you something of worth, and maybe I’m starting to understand why.”

He cupped her face tenderly in his hands.

“Minx, you
have
given me something of
great
worth.”

“I’m thinking too much.” She smiled.

“You are, but sometimes I think you need to. It’s your thing.” He ran his finger down her nose.

She giggled, bit on her lower lip, and looked away shyly.

He softly pulled her to him and placed a kiss against her lips. It would have been so easy to get lost in the moment. He could have fucked her right there in the alcove, and no one would have said a damn thing to them, but he had something very special planned for her that evening, and he was going to do everything in his power to see to it the plan hadn’t been ruined!

A vortex of images, thoughts, worries, and questions spun in Destiny’s mind. She felt too much. Her emotions seemed so far ahead of her brain, and she couldn’t find a way to catch up. No one but Christian had spoken to her since they had come into the house. A few people had nodded or waved at Ronan, but no one acknowledged her. She assumed that was part of the protocol and had even found it somewhat exciting. Something about being recognized as belonging to Ronan sent a little thrill spiraling through her system.

Yes, during the day they were equal, working together. In truth, he worked for her, so she was his Dominant in that sense, but the nights they shared…she moaned remembering them. During the nights, there was no question who was dominant between them, and Ronan had shared with her so many wonderful moments. He had taught her things sexually that she had always wondered about, oral sex for instance and swallowing for him. Still, Christian had given her a boatload of things to think about. Even before he had been so blunt, she hadn’t been entirely ignorant. She was acting the part of Ronan’s submissive for tonight, but it was Christian who had made her face the truth, she been doing that all along for months now.

She’d been purposely obtuse all summer with Ronan, because she, too, had been lost in the fantasy of it being just the two of them. Well it wasn’t just the two of them anymore, but she didn’t want to spend the evening in her head trying to figure all this out. She didn’t know what Ronan had planned at the beginning of the night, but she had rather hoped they could get back to it. Tonight was for her and Ronan, and she intended to continue on as if nothing had happened.

“So, for tonight, I’m yours?” Just saying the words made her heart race.

He grazed her jawline with his fingers and stood, extending a hand to help her off the cushioned bench. He was quiet for so long she almost wished she hadn’t asked the question, but she thought she’d been sure of the answer.

“For tonight, minx.” She picked up a hint of sadness in both his tone and expression, but refused to examine it.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her down a hall and onto a rather large veranda off a back bedroom. It was walled with a trellis covered with vines. From the scent, she would guess jasmine. Whatever it was, it gave a thick cover to provide privacy, and the furniture placed on it was sparse. A double lounger in the middle of the space took up much of the area. Along the interior walls, people sat casually on benches built into the trellis, watching the real feature of the area.

In the center of the space lay what could best be described as a day bed or a double-sized lounge chair. It was large enough really to hold about six people, but currently there were only two on it, a man and woman, but there was a second man standing beside, directing, almost like an orchestra leader. Only he wasn’t directing music, he was directing the man and woman who were involved in very explicit sexual acts.

Ronan led her along the side of the balcony to a spot where they could sit. He sat on the bench and pushed her to her knees in front of him. She went right down without argument, and he positioned her so she could watch what everyone else on the veranda was watching, a male Dom directing a male and female sub in different sexual acts on the lounger. The scene being played out before her aroused and intrigued her. It was similar to the fantasy she had confided to Ronan, and she assumed that was why he brought her here.

She knew he wasn’t watching the scene before them, though. He was watching her. She could feel his stare on her. She knew he was watching for her reactions and her questions should she have any. She loved the way he did that. The way he was with her made her feel wholly safe and protected, but he never used that against her. She didn’t have to trade anything with him for it. He did it because of who he was. It confused her, because there was a voice in her head constantly saying she didn’t need a man to look out for her anymore. Oscar’s protection came at a cost too high for her to pay, but Ronan didn’t want anything from her at all, and yet, really, he wanted everything. It was very confusing, and though she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she liked knowing he was there.