Page 92 of Office Intrigue (Office Intrigue Duet 1)
“Is Ben a submissive?”
“He’s a switch.”
I’d read that term last night. “That means he’s both a Dominant and a submissive?”
“That’s correct.”
“And he’s submissive to Justin?”
“He is. And only to Justin. Those are the terms they’ve agreed upon.”
Okay, so at least I was on the right track with my thinking.
I knew my line of questioning was venturing into the personal realm, but I felt compelled to ask. “Are they a couple?”
“I think that’s something you’ll need to ask them.”
Figured he wasn’t going to gossip. I should’ve known better.
Master seemed to be waiting patiently for me to continue asking questions, so I racked my brain for another.
Master chuckled. “You don’t have to ask everything right now, pet. But I do expect you to ask questions.”
I liked that he referred to me as his pet. It felt special. No one other than him and Landon had called me that. It was similar to the way Justin referred to Ben as pup.
“What else intrigued you about what you read?” His eyes narrowed. “Keep in mind, there’s a lot of information on the web regarding the lifestyle. A lot of it is sheer and utter bullshit. Some people don’t understand the true meaning of a D/s relationship. They merely get off on the power trip they’ve mistakenly believed is at the root of it.”
I nodded. “I read that. I was able to discern some of the…uh…crap.”
He seemed pleased by this.
“I think what intrigued me most was the idea of a submissive freely giving her will, trust, and love to her Dom.”
“How does that make you feel? The idea of giving so much of yourself?”
“Free, I guess. If it’s to the right person. It seems natural in a sense. For me, anyway. That someone would be able to give all of themselves to another, knowing they would keep them safe from harm, yet push their boundaries in an effort to help them grow.”
“How is that different than a regular relationship?”
Hmm. That was a good question. I considered it for a moment.
“It’s not in many ways. However, a submissive puts her Dom’s wants and needs above her own. And she derives pleasure from it.”
“Do you derive pleasure from putting our needs above your own?”
“I do.” That was the one thing that made the most sense to me.
Master smiled. “You did do your homework. I’m impressed.”
My heart soared.
“One thing you need to know is that someone can’t simply claim to be a Dominant. Just because you have a desire to submit doesn’t mean he’s earned it. A Dom must prove himself to those he expects to submit to him. Trust is not to be given blindly. It’s the reason it has taken us so long to work up to this point.”
I thought back to my time in the office, to the way my bosses had treated me. Day after day, week after week, we had established a bond between us. I had come to trust them naturally and I’d never felt as though they had pushed their dominance on me.
“What other questions do you have?”
“They’re regarding how things will work here in the office,” I admitted.
That was what confused me the most. I’d been hired to do a job. Yes, things had changed and I’d been shared by these four men, but even I knew something was different after last night. I’d been commanded to refer to Langston as Master. I did not want to make assumptions about what that meant though.
“How do you want things to work here in the office?” Master asked.
I met and held his gaze. “That’s up to you, Master. And the others. I want to do…whatever pleases all of you.”
Something sparked in his eyes and I got the sense that was the answer he’d hoped for; however, I don’t think he was expecting it.
But it raised another question. “Am I supposed to refer to them differently?”
“I have requested you to call me Master. That’s still in effect. As for the others, that will be up to them. Some Doms prefer honorifics, others do not.”
“Like Ben and Justin? Ben calls him Mr. Parker because that’s what they decided upon?”
“Yes, pet. That’s an agreement between them.” His hand rested on my head. “For right now, nothing has really changed except for how I prefer you to refer to me.”
“I understand, Master.”
“The reason we had you contact Mr. Daniels about today’s demonstration is because he’s a respected Dom in our community. His assistants are not. Nor are they his submissives. Had they been, I would’ve allowed them to attend. Under normal circumstances, we would not be sharing you with anyone outside of this office. But in this instance, we will allow Mr. Daniels to demonstrate on you as he deems necessary. But as our original agreement states, intercourse is not allowed.”
That eased something inside me, but I wasn’t sure why.
