Clifftop Fantasies [BDSM Menage Fantasies] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (20 page)

“Wasn’t last night just
fabulous
?” she demanded, almost lifting Allie off the floor in her exuberance. “I was so excited to see you there! Has Karl been teaching you about the lifestyle? You looked so cute in your outfit, but I can’t wait to get you some really sexy clothes to wear there. I’m thinking maybe a pink corset. What do you think, sweetie?”

She was following Allie back into the kitchen as she talked, casually dropping a large overnight bag at the foot of the stairs. She went on and on about fetish clothes, as if Allie was her own personal Barbie doll to dress up. Trying to ignore her, Allie went back to the sink to finish peeling potatoes. She’d been feeling very homey and domestic watching her two men working on her barn and wondering when she might get a chance to put her newly declared polyamory into practice. Now Jane was here, prattling about how popular she’d been in the local “leather community,” as she called it, and Allie wondered if she meant to attach herself to the house like she had when it belonged to Allie’s father.

When they came in for lunch, Brad immediately washed his hands and took over setting the table for Allie, something he rarely did. He nodded briefly to Jane, who ran over to hug him as well.

“You’re back!” Jane squealed in a way that made Allie want to slap her. “I’m
so
glad to see that my advice had a positive effect.” She winked at Allie, ignoring the incredulous look Brad gave her and the sardonic one from Karl. Then she seemed to notice the casserole that Allie was taking out of the oven. “Oh, my, that’s such a
heavy
meal. Do you mind just putting out a salad for me, dear? I almost never eat lunch, but I skipped breakfast today because I was so anxious to get back here.”

It was difficult for Allie to refrain from telling Jane to make her own salad. But she didn’t want to create any new problems, so she turned back to the fridge to see what vegetables she had. She debated following the other woman’s example and having a lighter meal herself, leaving the more substantial food for the men, who’d been doing physical labor most of the morning. But in the end she defiantly helped herself to the main dish of cheese, potatoes, and meat.

Jane chatted happily throughout the meal, mostly to Brad. Allie watched them closely, looking for signs of nefarious intentions on Jane’s part. She wasn’t completely convinced that the other woman had actually tried to steal her boyfriend or sabotage her business, although Karl definitely thought so. It had been obvious that Karl’s friends at least did not like or respect Jane, although whether that could be taken for proof of character, Allie wasn’t sure. There was no doubt that allowing Jane to claim her as a friend would alienate her from at least some of the BDSM community. And, she realized, watching Jane flirt with her boyfriend, she actually did dislike Jane. It wasn’t that she was jealous—or not just that she was jealous. If she was going to sleep with Karl she would have to at least consider the possibility of Brad sleeping with other women. But it was obvious, to her anyway, that Jane had no actual interest in Brad. She was playing him for some reason of her own.

Brad reacted as almost any man would when a beautiful, elegant woman paid him attention. He had no history with her and no real reason to distrust her, so he listened attentively to her stories about the community and her life as a fetish model.

“Why is it called the ‘leather community’?” he asked Jane when she finished one anecdote.

She gave a small, coquettish laugh. “I suppose because almost everyone wears leather.”

Karl cleared his throat. “Actually it’s because of the history of the founders, who were mostly gay veterans in the fifties. They wore leather as a symbol of their involvement. Now a lot of people just buy boots and vests and don’t even bother to learn how to care for it. Back then you had to earn the right to wear leather.”

“How?” Brad turned to him, missing Jane’s reproachful pout.

“By service. All dominants in the ‘Old Guard’ had to start out as submissives. They earned their leathers by service to the community and their leaders, and by learning to care for it. No one could just come in and call themselves ‘Master So-and-So’ like they do today. It creates a lot of confusion and some very bad situations when people set themselves up as masters—or mistresses—before they’re capable of being effective and responsible in that role.” He glanced at Jane, who gave a light laugh, as if she knew exactly the kind of despicable people he was talking about. “New people who don’t know the difference can get themselves into a lot of trouble when they hook up with those kinds of fakers.”

Allie’s skin was crawling, and there was a cold pit in her stomach. Wouldn’t she be doing the exact same thing if she did as Karl suggested and became a dominant?

She had opened her mouth to ask about that, although she had no idea of how to phrase the question, when Karl looked at her and smiled.

“You don’t need to worry,” he told her before she could express her thought. “I intend to train you as a switch, which you’ll remember is both a submissive and a dominant. If you get any satisfaction out of being submissive, then we can continue in that role as long as you like. I am convinced that you can also be a good dominant, and having a foundation as a submissive will make you an even better one.”

He was looking into her eyes as he spoke, and a warm feeling stole over her. She wanted to be submissive to him, although she wasn’t at all sure she could be trained to tie people up and hit them. But if he thought the business needed it, then she would do her best to be that for him.

She glanced at Brad, wondering if he could read her feelings for Karl on her face. He looked uncomfortable but not angry. Jane was talking to him in a low voice and laughing. Brad smiled in return, but Allie could see from the way his shoulders had tensed that he no longer enjoyed her banter. Then his face sharpened and he turned toward the door.

“Did anyone hear that?” he said, stiffening and tilting his head slightly.

“Hear what?” Allie asked.

“I thought I heard voices outside,” Brad explained.

Allie began to push her chair back. Karl was already halfway to his feet when there was a loud clatter and Jane let out a squeal. Everyone froze and looked at her.

A butter knife was lying across her plate, and she gripped one hand with the other, grimacing as if it had been cut off.

“I’m so stupid!” she moaned, turning a pitiful smile on them. “I always do things like this. I could be in a padded room eating cotton candy and I would find a way to hurt myself. Such a klutz! I’ll just—” she got to her feet, clutching her injured hand to her chest.

Karl was almost around the table and Jane staggered into him, nearly falling down. He stopped, automatically reaching to catch her, and everyone else leapt forward to try to help.

She leaned against Karl, blinking as if she was afraid she might pass out. Allie reached for her hand, saying, “Is it bad? Should I get the first-aid kit?”

Jane jerked backward at that, twisting farther away. She seemed to force a rueful smile onto her face. “I’m so sorry. I really can’t stand anyone to touch me if I’m hurt. I’ll just go upstairs and take care of it myself. I’m sure it really isn’t that bad.”

She shot a glance at the front window then turned and stumbled toward the staircase. Everyone else stood in attitudes of bewilderment, watching as she slowly made her way up, leaning against the banister. Brad finally went to her and insisted on accompanying her to the bathroom, putting an arm around her in case she got faint again.

Karl stared at them for only a moment before shaking his head and resuming his mission to see if there was anyone outside. As he opened the front door and poked his head out, Allie heard a car door slam and an engine start up.

“That’s out on the main road,” Karl said, closing the door after listening to the car drive away. “We wouldn’t have had time to get out there and see who it was, anyway.”

“Why would we?” Allie said, turning to go back to the table. “We don’t have any reason to think they were casing the place or anything. They were probably just trying to find a place to look at the view.”

Karl grunted as he began clearing the table. “Mm-hmm,” he murmured, glancing toward the staircase. Brad was coming back down, a confused look on his face.

“She couldn’t have cut herself very badly,” he said. “I didn’t see any blood or anything.”

Karl let out a harsh laugh and took his stack of plates into the kitchen. Brad and Allie exchanged a look.

“Well, anyway,” Allie said, gathering silverware, “at least now we can continue our conversation. Have you made a decision yet?”

Brad followed her into the kitchen and stood helplessly off to the side while Karl and Allie began to put away leftovers. Allie waited for a minute, glancing at him periodically, but he didn’t seem to have an answer to her question. He was looking pensively at the floor.

“Could you please put on some coffee?” she finally asked him. He jumped but immediately went to do as she had requested. When he finished, she tossed him a towel and began washing dishes. Karl went to wipe off the dining room table and came back to pour three cups of coffee while they finished.

“Yes,” Brad said, tossing his towel onto the counter and taking a mug from Karl. “I think I have.”

“Have what?” Karl said, sitting at the table.

“Made a decision,” Brad clarified, glancing quickly at Allie but addressing Karl. “I am not completely comfortable with you taking over the business, but I think we should try your idea for the resort.”

Karl nodded. “And the relationship question?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. Allie may be right that she needs…more.” He sat down as well, and Allie joined them. There was a look on Brad’s face that she didn’t remember ever seeing before. It was serious but not with his usual pained and annoyed edge. “I think there’s been something missing in our relationship, but I could never put my finger on what it was. I do love you, Allie, but it just never felt complete. I thought for awhile that maybe if we had a kid that would round out the family, but that doesn’t really feel right either. I’ve been fighting this situation, partly because I was worried about how much Allie came alive whenever you were around.” He looked at Karl almost apologetically. “I thought you were going to steal her from me, and I didn’t want to lose her, even though I knew she wasn’t completely happy. When I left the other day I thought I was being noble and giving you two the chance to see if you wanted to be together. I also thought—and Jane kind of suggested this—that by giving Allie that space, I would be able to tell for sure if she wanted out, if she ran straight into your arms.”

Brad seemed to think Karl was going to be offended, but the other man simply nodded. “We wouldn’t do that,” he said quietly. “If you want out, that’s one thing. If you are willing to try polyamory, that’s another. But until you’d decided where you wanted to be, Allie and I weren’t going to jump into bed just because you weren’t around.”

Allie felt a small blush creeping up her face, remembering her fantasies about Karl. She was glad, of course, that he hadn’t taken advantage of her drunken state, but the fact that she’d almost hoped he would—okay, she
had
hoped that he would—made her feel like she didn’t deserve the credit Karl was giving her, or the grateful look on Brad’s face.

“So when—” Brad began, turning back to Karl, as the natural leader of the group.

“Not immediately,” Karl told him, not looking nearly as awkward as Allie was feeling about the conversation. “First we need to clarify a couple other things. I am
not
taking over the business. I think we should meet with a lawyer and draw up a partnership agreement detailing what risks and benefits we are each assuming in this. I am also not taking over your relationship. Allie and I will have a D/s relationship in which I am her dominant. We will also have a sexual relationship, but I expect you two to continue as a couple. We can negotiate sleeping arrangements later.” He flashed a smile at Allie, who blushed fiercely. “Whether or not the two of you enter into any kind of power-exchange relationship is up to you. I am available to help, but I won’t interfere if I’m not asked. You do not need to consider me your dominant.” He was looking back at Brad now. “But I would appreciate being considered an equal partner in the house, at least as far as business decisions go.”

Brad nodded. “I can live with that. I’m not really sure how I’m going to feel about you sleeping with my girlfriend, but I guess we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

Chapter 18

Through the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday, Allie felt like she was on pins and needles. Her skin began to tingle whenever Karl came near her, and she vibrated if his hand brushed her shoulder or arm. Fantasies of what it would be like to have sex with him plagued her constantly, and most of them involved her kneeling at his feet or being tied up the way she’d seen in some of the pictures. She had never fantasized about those kinds of things before, and it was both exciting and terrifying to find herself doing it now. Even her normal thoughts about Brad had taken on a new excitement.

Brad went on several walks over the weekend to “think about things,” as he said. Allie couldn’t help checking Jane’s whereabouts whenever he left. She knew she had no right to complain if he was thinking of having sex with other women. She just hoped he would talk to her about it first. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, she told herself. But if they were going to start sneaking around behind each other’s backs they might as well just call it quits. And while she had no reason to suspect him, she wouldn’t have put it past Jane to try to entice him into sneaking off somewhere—if she hadn’t already. Brad was very vague about where he’d been for the few nights he hadn’t been home. She wanted to encourage him to tell her if Jane had seduced him, or tried to, but it seemed too offensive to bring up.