Bunny and the Beast(Divine Creek Ranch 22)(17)

He’d slept on their conversation and thought he’d found a way to introduce her to the world of Dominance and submission that was less threatening to her, but there had to be an agreement between them, regardless of where she went with the knowledge he wanted to give her, or with whom.

She looked up at him with guileless turquoise eyes, like an open book, leaning forward in her chair, feet flat on the floor, and her hands gripping her knees because she didn’t know what else to do with them. “What?”

“Honesty between us. No pretending to be submissive, averting your eyes, or kneeling—if it’s not a heartfelt gesture.”

“What about your other submissive? I know I don’t know much about this stuff, but I can tell she’d gladly let you do anything to her that you wanted.”

He let out a sigh, knowing she deserved an explanation. And he really needed to have a talk with Jade about her habit of interrupting him at inopportune times. “You’ll recall I told you she is not my submissive. Jade is a special case. Submissives are not one-size-fits-all.”

Her dark brows rose. “That’s good because I’m sure I outweigh her by…like a ton.”

Joseph smiled. “I would relish the chance to work with you on your body image issue, among others, fiammetta.” You are perfect just as you are. “And, no, you are nothing like Jade. I am helping Jade to find the right Dominant for her, in a situation that fulfills her needs. I would enjoy doing the same for you.” Equivocator. You want her submission for yourself.

“But my life is…good the way it is. I’m not seeking a complicated social life, and all of…this…seems very complicated.”

He took the seat beside her and held out his hand, palm up. She looked at his hand as if she expected a snake to be curled up there before placing her hand in his. Her hands and fingers were delicate, but the muscles girding them were strong.

“When I invited you in here, it was just to have a conversation. I don’t have a contract for you to sign, and I’m not in a position to discuss your limits. It can be as complicated or as simple as we make it. Some submissives want to give over complete control to their Masters, allowing them to make decisions about everything down to what they eat and what they wear. They are submissive literally twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

“I read about that,” she muttered.

“That’s not you.”

“No shit,” she said and then bit her lip, glancing up at him through her lashes.

“Watch your mouth.” The mischief in her eyes delighted him as she contemplated her response, but he wanted to move forward before she had to get back to work. “And there are other submissives who need to give over control only under certain settings, such as here at the club or at home in their bedrooms or play rooms. It’s a purely sexual game to them, and their Dominant partners feel the same. And then there are all the others, filling the broad spectrum of Dominance and submission and BDSM. They know what it is they like, and in mutual agreement, that is what they do. But any successful relationship has one element at its core.”

“Honesty,” she supplied, with a catch in her voice.

“Yes.”

“I have a lot of preconceived notions to overcome, I guess.”

Joseph squeezed her hand gently. “I confess it’s the same for me. I had my own set of qualifications a sub needed to meet in order for me to feel fulfilled as a Dom.”

“I’m none of those things, am I?” she asked, and the flush left her cheeks. The little sass-pot thought she didn’t have what it took to hold his interest.

“No, and maybe that’s a good thing. That’s an honest answer.”

“Won’t your other submissives be jealous of an outsider coming in? I’ve heard that quite a few are members of your club.”

“I am unattached. I wouldn’t engage a submissive if I was.”

“Engage a submissive. Sounds clinical.”

If I said pursue, it might frighten you off before you understand. “I don’t intend for it to, Bunny, and clinical is the last thing I feel toward you. So, in answer to your question, do I want to do those things you read about last night to you? Yes, some of them.”

“But we negotiate that, right?”

“Right.”

“So if I say there’s no fucking way in hell we’re trying anal fisting right off the bat, you’ll understand?”

“I won’t hold the establishment of a hard limit against you, but using that kind of language will get you put over my knee. Like this.”

The sweetest sound in the world was her screech of surprise when he grabbed her and put her over his knee, red hair flying wild, and delivered three sharp swats to her denim-covered ass.