TRUTH (27 page)

“I’d be very careful what you accuse me of, Ross.”

“Then answer the question, damn it!”

“All right. I’m a Dominant.”

“A what? Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“You mean to tell me that you’ve never heard of BDSM? Domination and submission? Bondage and discipline?”

All the color drained from his face. “I’ll kill you.” He swiftly stood to his feet and moved toward me.

I stood, ready to go on the defensive should it be warranted.

Unfortunately he didn’t get very far before Jade and Brianna strolled back into the room. They took one look at the two of us and reacted. Jade ran to Ross’s side, and Brianna to mine. She surprised me, though. Instead of standing behind me or beside me, she stood in front of me, facing Ross.
 

“Get out of my way, Anna.”

“No.”

“Anna, I don’t know what he’s conned you into believing, but it isn’t true. You don’t have to let him touch you. You don’t have to let him beat you, or whatever it is he likes to do. I promise you, you don’t. You can stay with me if you want. I’ll make sure your father stays away. He won’t bother you.”

“He doesn’t hurt me.”

“I know what he is.”

She cocked her head to the side. I couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine the confused look she was giving him.
 

“He’s a Dominant, Anna. He admitted it to me himself. He likes to tie women up, beat them, and have his wicked way with them.”

Ross’s declaration was met with silence. The only sound that could be heard in the room was his ragged breathing. Everyone, including me, was waiting with bated breath for Brianna’s response.

When she finally opened her mouth, she shocked all of us. “I know.”

Chapter 19

Stephan

“You know? What do you mean you know?” Ross’s chest moved up and down rapidly. I could tell he was trying to rein in his emotions so as not to upset Brianna, but I wasn’t sure he was winning the battle.
 

“I know.”

Ross ran a hand over his face and sighed. “Anna, I need you to explain this to me, please. If you
know
, as you say you do, then why . . . how could you possibly want to stay here with him? Haven’t you been through enough? Or on some level did you enjoy having the shit beat out of you?”

Brianna jerked at his accusation. I took hold of her shoulders and pulled her protectively against me. She was stiff beneath my hands. “Watch it, Ross. I’m not above throwing you out of my house.”

He glared at me.

“It’s not the same,” Brianna whispered, bringing everyone’s attention back to her. She was nervous. She held her body in such a rigid position that her limbs began to tremble.

“Then explain it to me.” Ross crossed his arms and stared, waiting for Brianna.

“He . . . he doesn’t hurt me.”

When she didn’t continue, Ross began to get impatient. “You keep saying that, Anna, but BDSM is all about whips and chains and pain. If you really
know
, how can you say he doesn’t hurt you?”

I was once again considering throwing him out and being done with it. Did the man not understand the meaning of boundaries? How was what Brianna and I did any of his concern as long as it was what she wanted?

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

That robotic sound was creeping into her voice, but she appeared to fight it. The pride I had in her at that moment nearly knocked me off my feet. I realized it was Ross she was talking to, not some stranger, and that she was defending me rather than herself, but she was doing so without falling into a spiral of panic.
 

 
Ross glanced at me and then back to her, flexing his fingers. “Has he tied you up, Anna? Has he hit you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

I saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he took a deep swallow. Whatever he was going to ask next, I doubted I was going to like it.

“Has he made you have sex with him?”

Brianna cringed, leaning against me. Other than that, she didn’t respond to his question.

“Answer the question, Anna.” His voice was demanding and tainted with barely controlled anger. “Is he forcing you to have sex with him?”

“No.”

“No?” Clearly Ross didn’t believe her.

“No!” she cried. “He doesn’t force me to do anything.”
 

I wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my hands on her stomach. It was the best option at the moment. The other one was to toss him out as I’d threatened to do earlier. Unfortunately, that would only delay this conversation, and I wanted it over with.

Ross’s eyes were wild, and he clenched his hands into fists. He was no longer focused on Brianna. “You’re having sex with her? After knowing what she’s been through?”
 

I rested my chin on the top of Brianna’s head and spoke calmly. “I assume you and your girlfriend have sex. Why is the act so appalling to you when it comes to Brianna?”

“It’s different.”

“How? Brianna’s an adult. She’s been through more than most people can comprehend. She is perfectly capable of making decisions about her body.” As I continued to hold her and speak in controlled tones, she gradually relaxed.

“You are a real piece of work, Coleman. Do you know that?”
 

He leaned forward, but Jade placed a hand on his arm. Her gesture seemed to snap him out of whatever action he was contemplating.
 

Refocusing on Brianna, there was a pleading in his eyes. “Why, Anna. Why?”

She laced our fingers together. “Stephan’s good to me. He . . . he’s helped me get better. To not be . . . afraid all the time. He doesn’t hurt me.” I could tell Ross was about to protest, and obviously so could Brianna. “He doesn’t.”

“Maybe we should sit back down and talk about this like adults?” Jade suggested, tugging on Ross’s arm. He resisted for a moment and then followed her to the couch.
 

Once they were both seated, I situated Brianna back on my lap. She automatically went to her favorite position with her head on my shoulder. I was glad her tension from earlier had dissipated, and I wanted to keep it that way if possible. Running my hand over her hair, I did my best to comfort her.

“Why do you do that?” The abrupt question from Ross startled Brianna, and I mentally cursed him for his insensitivity.

 
I took a moment to make sure I was in control before I answered him. “Do what?”

Ross rolled his eyes as if what he was asking was obvious. “Why are you touching her like that? It’s almost as if you’re petting a dog or something.”

“Brianna is
not
a dog. I touch her like this because it’s something she enjoys.” I continued to run my hand over her hair as I spoke.

He looked at her, disbelieving. “You really like that?”
 

She nodded but didn’t leave the safety of my embrace.

“Why?”

“It feels nice.”

“Cal, honey, she does seem happy with him.” Jade turned to face Brianna. “You are happy, right?”

“Yes.” Then Brianna looked in Ross’s direction. “I don’t want to leave. I like it here.”

Ross sighed and leaned forward to rest his face in his hands.
 

“I worry about you, Anna. I really do. With everything you’ve been through, you’re so vulnerable. I don’t want him taking advantage of that. If he’s into . . .” He took a deep breath and lifted his head. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. Even if he hasn’t tried any of that crazy stuff with you yet, that doesn’t mean he won’t. Is that truly what you want?”

“I want to stay with him.”

He groaned and flopped back against the couch. If we weren’t having such a serious conversation, his reaction might have been amusing.

While I disliked Ross, I was also under no illusion that he intended to be part of Brianna’s life. He was her one link to her past that didn’t cause her pain. Whether I liked it or not, he and I were going to have to come to some sort of common ground.
 

“I think you’re under a misconception about my lifestyle.”

“Oh really? And what misconception is that?”

“BDSM isn’t about a Dominant forcing his will upon another. It’s about fulfilling both individual’s needs.”

He snorted.

“And how exactly does tying a woman up and beating her meet
her
needs?” His tone was sarcastic, almost daring me to explain what he saw as impossible.

“Some women like pain.” He started to interrupt, but I raised my hand to stop him. “I’m not saying that’s Brianna’s case. Honestly, what she likes and doesn’t like sexually is none of your business. What I’m trying to explain, however, is that there are people who enjoy it, just as there are Doms who like inflicting it.”

“And do you?”

“You do realize that if you were not Brianna’s friend, I wouldn’t be answering your rude questions at all, don’t you?”

“And you realize I couldn’t care less about your view of my rudeness, right?”

I shook my head. He was impossible.
 

“I prefer to use pain to create sensation rather than for pain itself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

My frustration was mounting. He was deliberately being obtuse.
 

“Have you ever pinched a woman’s nipples?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

I laughed. “You can ask me questions about my sex life, but I can’t ask about yours?”

“It’s different.”

“No. It’s not.”

I waited for him to answer the question. He continued to stare at me, however. It was almost as if he were measuring me up. Then again, maybe he was testing to see if I would break. He’d be sadly disappointed. My first submissive, Sarah, had been extremely bratty and stubborn when she’d wanted to be. I doubted he could match her in that department.

“Yes, he’s pinched my nipples before.”

“Jade!” Ross clearly couldn’t believe she was sharing such private information, which I found rather amusing, considering.
 

I ignored him for the time being and directed my question to Jade. “Would you say his pinching your nipples hurts?”

“You don’t have to answer that.” Ross’s expression was defiant.

I found it even funnier when she acted as if he hadn’t spoken at all. “Yes, I guess it does. But . . . it feels good, too. It’s hard to explain.”

Ross flashed an angry glare back at me. “I don’t understand what this has to do with Anna or you or anything else.”

“It has everything to do with what we’re discussing. You want to know about pain as it relates to sensation. As Jade just explained, pain is relative. In fact, I would be willing to bet that if you pinched her nipples right now, she wouldn’t find it pleasurable at all. She’s not aroused. In a sexual situation, though, the body reacts differently.”

“I still don’t understand what this has to do with your . . . ‘lifestyle,’ as you put it, and Anna. I don’t want to see her get hurt. Period.”

“Cal, honey. I think what he’s trying to say is that you need to butt out.”

I thought he was going to jump off the couch for a second, but he didn’t. “What?”

“Cal, look at her. Stop trying to see something that isn’t there. Anna is calm. She’s happy. The only thing upsetting her is you and Stephan arguing. I know you’re trying to protect her, but this isn’t working. If Anna has truly been through what I think she has, then the last thing she needs is to have more of her choices taken away from her. If this is what she wants, if he’s who she wants to be with, then you need to accept that.”

Ross looked over at Brianna where she still sat in my arms. I wasn’t wearing a dress shirt tonight, so she was playing with the collar on my T-shirt. My petting her hair, along with our more measured tones, had allowed her to relax. Finally.

“Fine.” He looked me in the eyes as he spoke. “But if I ever find out you’ve done something, forced her into doing something she doesn’t want, I will come after you, Coleman. I don’t care how much money you have. I’ll make sure you pay one way or another.”