Writes of Submission (6 page)

The door swung open and a tall, slender man walked in. He nodded pleasantly at Dante and then kissed Allie.

“Dante, this is my fiancé, Brad,” Allie said, smiling broadly. “Brad, this is Dante, the marketer from the publishing company. He’s got a lot to talk to us about at dinner.”

“Great.” Brad extended a hand, waiting for Dante to wipe the potato juice from his own before shaking. “Welcome to Clifftop. It was very nice of you to agree to come and stay for a while to get us up to speed on book marketing.”

“Not at all. It was very generous of you to offer to let me stay here.” Dante grinned at him. “I think I’m going to learn at least as much as you do.”

Brad laughed. “That’s quite possible. How long until dinner? I’ll go see what Karl is up to.”

“Please do.” Allie popped something into the oven and looked over Dante’s shoulder at his pile of potatoes. “About an hour. Dante, you don’t have to help me. You’re welcome to go find something to do.”

“No, really,” he protested. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to hang out and help. It’ll give me a better idea of what your food is all about so I know how to market you. I can get some pictures, too, of you in action. Besides, I’m curious about the whole lifestyle thing. Will it bother you too much if I skulk around and watch your dynamic? Not in a creepy, stalkerish way, I promise. All in the line of duty.”

They chatted until dinner was ready. Dante helped bring out food for Nikki and Kane, noting Nikki’s look of nervous apprehension when she came in with a small stack of paper. Allie smiled at him as they went back and began to set the kitchen table for the rest.

Brad and Karl came in and Allie introduced Dante to her Master. He was a big man, a little taller and wider than Brad, with curly black hair cut close to his head.

“So what part does food play in the BDSM community?” Dante asked as the three men took their seats at the kitchen table.

Karl seemed to consider his question.

“Of course, like any community, we often meet over food,” he said finally. “Snacks are always available at play parties, since an important part of aftercare is making sure your partner’s blood sugar hasn’t dropped.”

“The serving of food is important, too,” Brad put in. “Many submissives love waiting on their Masters.”

“Very true.” Allie finished putting out the meal and went to kneel down next to Karl.

Karl put a hand on her head. “Thank you, pet. Dinner looks wonderful.”

She took his hand and kissed the palm. “You’re welcome, Sir. I hope you enjoy it.” She rose and took a seat next to Brad, giving him a kiss as she did.

“Yes, thank you for dinner, Allie.” Brad turned to Dante, who became aware that he had been staring at the display. “It’s a new ritual they’ve been experimenting with. It helps establish a sense of service and gratitude. Allie cooks for us and we like to show our appreciation. It just keeps us all in mind of our place in the household and what we do for each other.”

“It might seem corny.” Allie ducked her head a little. “But it really seems to help us maintain our connection.”

“I can see how it would,” Dante said. “It doesn’t seem corny to me at all.”

Dante ate in silence for a few minutes, considering what he’d witnessed. The other three talked about what they’d done that day, but it wasn’t in the common, desultory kind of “How was your day, dear?” conversation that he would have expected. It was almost as if Allie and Brad were reporting their accomplishments to Karl, who listened and nodded. He would occasionally ask a question or give a suggestion on how to follow up on some aspect of their work.

“I don’t think this is going to be quite the assignment I thought it was,” Dante said finally, when the reports seemed to be over.

“What do you mean?” Karl regarded him seriously.

“Well, I thought this would be kind of a combination of hippie commune, nudist resort, and nightclub,” Dante explained. “ This has a completely different kind of appeal.”

Allie looked amused. “We do have parties that focus on spankings.”

“But?” Brad prompted him. “Why is this different?”

“Because you guys are more like an efficient team with a deep connection than the penthouse letter kind of setup I expected. I think I like this better. It’s more real,” Dante said, getting down to business. “We need to come up with a marketing strategy, and as Allie and I were discussing earlier, I’d really like to tie in Kane and Nikki. No pun intended.”

“I’m not sure Nikki’s ready to be tied up yet,” Allie said, winking at him. “Although I suspect that might change. She has read all of Candee’s books, after all.”

“Tie them in how?” Karl put down his utensils and folded his hands on the edge of the table.

“Well, Kane needs to talk to his publisher and see what they’re planning,” Dante explained. “If they’re willing to reveal the fact that she’s a he at a strategic point, then we could really have some fun here. We could generate some media hype about Candee and her new coauthor, get people really curious about what’s going on.

“We have Candee talking about everything she’s doing here, maybe even work it into their book. Then they can pimp how wonderful your place is, including the food, and the focus of much of that will be where they’re ‘hiding out’ and why they’re here. Of course, there are lots of things we can do with just you, too. I’m thinking of a book release party at your club, for starters.”

“A book release party?” Allie repeated. “But the book’s already been released.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “Is there something really sexy we can do with the food? I’m thinking of little subbies in French maid costumes.”

“How about serving food
on
some of the submissives?” Karl looked dubious.

Dante stared at him. “People actually
do
that?”

Karl nodded. “Oh, yes.”

“Could we get pictures of it?”

The three of them exchanged looks. “The pictures could be done before the actual party started,” Brad suggested. “We’d have to be careful not to get faces. Decorative masks, maybe?”

Karl’s face took on a thoughtful expression. “We could do some really artistic things with draping and food presentation,” he suggested.

“I love it!” Dante grinned enthusiastically.

Chapter 5

“Were we even in the same room today?”

Nikki’s stomach plummeted. It seemed to go through the floor and down into the basement of Clifftop, if there was one. Her entire body went cold as she stared in horror at Kane. “What do you mean?”

He jabbed an accusatory finger at the stack of papers in front of him, pushing his dinner plate away with the other hand. “I mean this. Did we not talk about having
normal
guys?”

“They are normal guys,” Nikki protested.

“A helicopter pilot and a CEO? These are not normal guys.” His voice suggested that he was having a hard time controlling his temper. Holy shit. If this was how it was having a writing partner, she was just going to have to go back home and keep writing at night. Or maybe she could find a female partner, someone who understood what romance novels were all about.

“Women like CEOs.” She tried again. “Have you ever read any romance, apart from your own?”

“Sure I have.” Kane looked startled. “Lots. But I refuse to write this kind.”

“This kind?” She was starting to get seriously offended. “Listen, if you don’t like my writing, why don’t you just say so? We don’t have to work together. I’m just sorry you didn’t get somebody more to your liking.” She pushed her own plate aside and stood up, grabbing for her stack of paper and preparing to make a dignified exit. So what if this had been her one big chance to learn from the master how to write romance? He didn’t seem to think she had any potential. It was—

“Sit down.” His voice was suddenly different and Nikki turned in the act of storming out the door.

He hadn’t moved. He was still sitting with his hands on the table, but his whole demeanor had changed. When she paused, he repeated his words in a tone that was deeper and fuller somehow than his normal one. “Sit. Down.”

She opened her mouth to ask him where he got off ordering her around, but instead somehow she found herself going back to her chair and sitting. There had been something compelling about his voice, something that made her want to obey it. She’d never heard that in anyone’s voice before. It hadn’t really changed, but she would have sworn he’d gone down an octave or so. His energy seemed to flow around her and draw her toward him, like a physical bond. She definitely needed to tell him off, though. It just wasn’t going to be acceptable, him thinking he could order her around like some—

“First of all,” he said, leaning forward and fixing her with a stern glare. “Knock that shit off. We are both adults and we’re here for a reason. Second, I know this project means a lot to you and, believe it or not, it means a lot to me, too, so we’re going to continue working together. I chose you as a writing partner for a reason. I liked your writing style and I saw a lot of potential in it. Third, you need to understand that I’m not going to like everything you write, just like you’re not going to like everything I write. We will disagree, get frustrated with each other, and probably argue from time to time. We will also learn to listen to each other’s ideas with an open mind and a willingness to compromise.”

Nikki stared at him, angry words dissolving in her throat as his speech sunk in. She wanted to argue with him, but she couldn’t find anything to dispute. If they were going to work together, then he was absolutely right. They would probably disagree and argue, and they would need to be able to compromise. That stopped her. He was willing to compromise? With an unpublished writer who had no real experience in the industry?

They simply sat there for a moment, watching each other like two dogs waiting to see which was going to attack first.

“Can you deal with that?” Kane’s voice went back to normal and he looked almost embarrassed at his outburst

Nikki cleared her throat, unsure how to respond. “I—Are you sure you want to work with me?”

Kane made a growling sound in his throat. For some reason it sounded sexy. Nikki wanted to slap her own forehead. The last thing she needed to be doing was concentrating on how attractive he was. He was no doubt going to be calling the publisher within the next couple days and demanding a different winner be named. But for now she met his eyes and made a decision. “Yes,” she said, hating herself for how meek her voice sounded. “I’ll deal with it.”

Allie opened the connecting door and came through, followed closely by Dante. “Okay, guys.” She stopped when she saw the half-eaten meals pushed off to the side. “Didn’t you like your food?”

“Yes, it was great.” Kane pulled both plates back to where they belonged. “We just got caught up in discussing our project. Sorry. If you’ll give me just a minute, I’ll be finished.”

“It’s not a problem.” Allie sat down, still looking worried. Kane and Nikki both picked up their forks and took simultaneous bites. “I just wanted to talk to you about tonight.”

“Tonight?” Kane swallowed his mouthful.

“Yes. One of the main reasons you came here was for Nikki to get more familiar with BDSM. Is that right?”

Nikki gulped a little prematurely and then had a coughing fit. Dante sprinted around the table to thump her on the back until it was over. She looked around at the anxious faces and choked. “I’m fine. Thank you. What exactly do you mean by ‘get more familiar with BDSM’?”

“Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about,” Allie went on, smiling at her. Nikki put down her fork. “What we thought we’d do is a series of scenes in the evening, while the guys are here, to familiarize you with the different kinds of play. You’ve only got a month to get this book written, and we thought that would be the best use of your time. I’ll be the demo bottom for the most part, so you can see what goes on from all angles. If you want to experience something for yourself, you’re more than welcome to, but if you just want to watch, that’s fine, too.”

“Yes, that’s a brilliant idea,” Kane said. “Watching you guys play will give us all kinds of ideas to use in our stories, and if we’ve seen the same things, we’re more likely to write about them in compatible ways.” He shot Nikki a look that she thought was either a warning or a hint. Of what? To take good notes?

Wait a minute—
stories
? He intended for them to write more than one book together? Nikki had a flash of panic, imagining him yelling at her for the next twenty or thirty years. Her life seemed to be on the brink of changes that might not be reversible. She just wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

* * * *

“So, what do you think they’re going to show us tonight?” Nikki asked nervously.

“I’m not sure what they have in mind, but it’ll no doubt be interesting and educational if you go into it with an open mind,” Kane answered.

“I know I can’t wait to see what it will be.” Dante sounded excited. “Thanks again for letting me hang out with you two and learn more about this stuff.”

As if summoned by the conversation, Allie walked into the dining room. The evening’s brainstorming session had gone better than Nikki had expected, although it was nothing like she’d dreamed about in her cubicle at work. She still couldn’t believe she wasn’t there right now instead of sitting with her writing idol, even if she did turn out to be a he—and a he with strange work habits.