“It’s either all or nothing, no?”
“Well … it was a long time ago. I was dating this guy and we were hanging out with his best friend and his best friend’s girlfriend. We were making out side by side. Things heated up. There was some experimenting that took place. Just when things started to really get hot, her boyfriend got all possessive, put a stop to it.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah. What about you?”
“No. I haven’t.”
“Ever thought about it?”
“I might’ve entertained the idea once or twice.”
I flicked water her direction. “You are just a tiny bundle of surprises, aren’t you?”
Her answer was a beautiful grin.
FOURTEEN
Dante
I knew when they mentioned wanting to talk to me that it was going to be intense.
Still, I made the trek down the stairs without hesitation. If they wanted the brutal details of the worst time of my life, I would give them to them. As much as I remembered, anyway.
When I arrived in the basement, Ian and Isaac were sitting on the leather sofas, chatting. They didn’t get quiet as I approached, which I took to mean they weren’t talking about me. Then again, they were speaking in what I assumed was Irish, so it wouldn’t have mattered. I had no idea what they were saying.
I stopped between them, not sure what to do next.
Ian said something, and I caught one word in English, my gaze shooting to him.
“That’s correct. I instructed you to kneel,” he said, pointing to the floor near his feet.
The deep, rich tone had that strange tingling sensation dancing down my spine. Obedient and eager, I lowered myself before him.
“I know you think we brought you down here so we can interrogate you some more. You’re right. That’s my plan. Then again, that’s always my plan. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, Sir.”
“While I have every intention of getting to know you on every level, I will tell you that you’re not obligated to share anything you don’t want to share when it comes to your childhood. I won’t lie. We’re curious by nature, dug up the information. Whether accurate or not, we got a glimpse into what happened. But we didn’t do it to invade your privacy.”
I didn’t say a word, not quite sure I could agree with that.
“Did you fill out a limit list at Inferno?”
“No, Sir. They don’t require that information.”
“So, how does a Dominant know what you’re willing to do and not do?”
I thought it was a rhetorical question, but when Ian didn’t continue, I realized he was waiting for me to respond.
“I don’t know, Sir.”
“They don’t,” he said, as though my response hadn’t mattered. “The issue I’m having is that we want to play with you.”
His hand slid into my hair, then slowly tilted my head back. He stared down at me, his eyes intense.
“I can’t very well play with you without knowing your boundaries. And if you even try to lie and say you don’t have any, I’ll kick your ass right out of my house.”
“I have them, Sir.”
He nodded, his eyes still locked with mine. His voice was softer when he spoke again. “We want to play with you, Dante. We want to give you what you need. It’s taken a tremendous amount of restraint to have you here this week and not be able to do that.”
I swallowed, fought the emotion that slammed into my chest.
“Have you ever had a Dom want more from you than your body?” Isaac asked.
Ian released my hair and I lowered my head once more. “No, Sir.”
“Then it’s safe to say you’ve never had two Doms who want that.”
My chest felt as though someone was blowing up a balloon inside it. “No, Sir.”
“In order for that to come to fruition, we have to know what you need. Everything you need.”
I focused on breathing, hating myself for wanting this so much.
“I saw you with Everly,” Isaac continued. “You wanted her, but you didn’t know how to take what you wanted.”
“That’s not true, Sir.”
“No?”
“No, Sir.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
“I needed you,” I said softly.
“Me?”
“Yes, Sir. I needed you with me. Wanted you with me.” Knowing I had to get this out, I took a deep breath and surrendered to it. “I won’t deny I want her. I’ve always wanted her. Being with Everly … it transcended anything I’d ever known. But it wasn’t until you came in, gave me your permission, that I could actually take it.”
“You want absolute domination,” Ian mumbled.
Even though it wasn’t a question, I answered. “Yes, Sir.” My voice trembled when the next words came out. “I want to be a humble servant, to give my whole self to my Master. Or Masters. I want someone I can trust to take but not break me in the process. I’m willing to give consent to having no consent. It’s what I crave.”
