The Dom's Patience is Rewarded [Unchained Love 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Thanks, Jubilee. I think Oliver will be fine as long as someone’s with me. We’ll both have our phones to let other people know if there’s a problem.”

  “With so many people watching Sam and David I’d say they’ll keep their heads right down today. Tomorrow, of course, is another story. See you soon.” Jubilee clicked her phone off.

  “We need to work on that mental-telepathy thing. Even if you couldn’t reach your phone you could get help simply by thinking what you needed to me and Oliver,” said William.

  “Yes. We ought to practice that until we know what we can do. What our range is, as it were.”

  “I don’t think your range will be an issue since you got a message from Oliver when he was all the way out with Sam the other day,” said William.

  “That’s true, but it was a highly emotional and dramatic moment. It may be different if he was trying to decide whether to buy oranges or apples.”

  “Why don’t you send me a message this afternoon? Kind of like a test run,” suggested William.

  “That may not be a good idea. You might be busy caring for a patient and it might be a very bad time to distract you. How about you send me a message instead? Then you can choose a time that suits you.”

  “Okay. Let’s try that.”

  William high-fived her and Leticia laughed as she high-fived him back. Just then Jubilee arrived eating an apple and Leticia broke into giggles.

  “What’s the joke?” mumbled Jubilee, her mouth full of apple.

  William hurried off to get ready for his shift at the hospital as Leticia explained.

  “I’ve been wondering about that mental-telepathy thing myself. There are times when Ramona seems to know what Omar or JB is thinking, too. But likely it’s just because they’re bonded and love each other.”

  “I’ve heard about that happening to people who’ve been in a relationship for many years, but not just after a few weeks. I think it’s connected to being shape-shifters. Anyway, I want to weed along here. You can sit and talk to me.”

  “I’d like to help. Show me what the good plants look like so I don’t pull them out in error,” said Jubilee.

  * * * *

  William was a little nervous about meeting Leticia’s brother. He’d seen the man several times, but always in adversarial situations. The story Oliver had sketched of him being rejected by his father and then by his pack because of his birth was enough to hurt anyone, but then not everyone decided to retaliate by kidnapping innocent victims, either.

  David was in one of the small private dungeons, a manacle around one ankle attached to a chain long enough for him to walk to and fro but not leave the room. Josh, one of the panthers, was sitting in a corner of the room by the door, playing a game on his cell phone.

  Josh stood as they arrived, nodded to Oliver, picked up his chair, and left, shutting the door behind him.

  “You’re the one who said he was my brother-in-law. So is this my sister? You don’t look anything like me.”

  “Maybe we do in panther form. Are you all black?” asked Leticia.

  “No, I’m a Florida panther. Tan with a creamy belly. That’s why either a panther or a cougar would have been perfect for me.”

  “What was your mother? Was she a Florida panther, too?”

  “Yes, but her coat was almost mottled in places.”

  William felt like he’d walked into one of Nicholas’s movie scenes partway into the story. Whatever happened to “Hello. My name is…” before getting to personal questions?

  “Who are you? Are you one of them?” asked David.

  William jumped, realizing David was talking to him. “I’m William Chapman. I’m human. A nurse. But I’m with them in that we three are mated together.”

  “Three? The three of you are mated? Like, as in a ménage a trois?”

  “Yes.” William felt it was better to keep his answer simple and factual. David could always ask more questions if he wanted more information. And there was no way on earth he was going to mention it was a three-month trial handfasting that any one of them could opt out of, either. Leticia was taken!

  “Three, eh? Well, maybe I will take both the cougars then. They’re twins. They’d probably want to stay together. Likely they’ll be grateful to me for taking them both.”

  “It doesn’t work like that, and Verity’s already interested in two other men anyway,” said Leticia.

  “Oh well, one’ll do. I’ll take the other one.” David shrugged.

  “Why do you want one of our women? Why don’t you want to fall in love and marry the woman you love like everyone else?”

  David gestured at Oliver. “He already asked me that and I told him. I’ve got no job, no money, no status. My pack had no female shifters. I had to steal a woman because once they knew I was a pack leader any female shifter would be happy to mate with me and be the leader’s wife.”

  “If you steal a woman the mating or marriage isn’t legal. Didn’t you know that?” asked Leticia.

  “What? You’re lying.” David glared at Leticia, and William wanted to hold her tight to protect her, but he sensed Oliver telling him to stay still.

  “No, David, I’m telling you the truth. Unless all parties in a mating agree of their own free will, the mating is invalid and anyone can leave it at any time.”

  “But any female would love to marry the pack leader. That’s why I had to build a pack. And now it’s gone. I’ll have to start all over again.”

  “I expect some females would marry a man just because he’s the leader. But is that the kind of woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? Someone so shallow and materialistic all that matters to her is a husband who’s important? What if you get hurt or lose your pack? If she never loved you, do you really think she’d stay around to help you?”

  David sat down again, head bowed. William’s heart went out to him. Here was a man who’d been discarded by his own father—both his fathers!—not because of something he’d done wrong but just because of what he was. William hoped his mother had loved him. Everyone needed someone to love them and someone to love. He had Leticia and Oliver. Yes, Oliver, too. The Dom was caring for him and watching out for him. Maybe that’s what David needed. A Dom and a wife. Hey, maybe a Domme.

  “My whole life has been turned on its head. My father wasn’t my father and my real father just wants to kill me. I built a pack and the humans turned out to be idiots and the panthers left me. I’m too old to go back to school and I never learned a trade. I’ve only ever lived with the pack or alone, never with humans. I wouldn’t know how to behave in human society. Perhaps jail is the best place for me. At least I could learn a trade there.”

  William knew Leticia was going to say something to him about staying here. He turned and shook his head at her just as Oliver’s thoughts burst through his mind. Don’t promise anything that is not yours to give. Good advice indeed.

  “David, I’m prepared to help you get your life back on track. But you have to want to live as a contributing member of society. I’ll come back and talk to you again if that’s what you want,” said Leticia.

  Damn good reply.

  * * * *

  As soon as they were out of the dungeon and out of earshot of Josh, Leticia turned to Oliver. “We need to talk about this mental telepathy we’ve got. We need to learn how to focus and direct it so we can use it properly. And by the way,” she said, turning to William, “you were thinking about medicinal herbs this afternoon, and I agree we should plant a bed of them in the garden.”

  Leticia hid a grin at the stunned look on William’s face and the way Oliver’s face instantly went impassive and blank. Yes, she’d surprised them both, although why they should be shocked when it had happened before and seemed to be occurring more frequently was a question all in itself. Didn’t they believe it would be ongoing and usable?

  When they arrived home Oliver shrugged and said, “I spoke to Omar about it today and his memories were the same as mine, that it
’s very rare and only among panthers. However, he did say he, Ramona, and JB have had a couple of occasions when they seemed to read each other’s minds, and Ramona has told him Gaynor said it’d happened to her, Tor, and Cameron, too, but again, only a couple of times. Gaynor also told Ramona that those tiny wolf tattoos all three of them have where their neck joins their shoulders simply appeared where they had bitten each other after they mated. They aren’t normal tattoos but magical ones. All of which seems to imply that these triad matings are both special and blessed by the gods.”

  “Wow! Boy howdy!”

  “You said it, sweetie. I’d just assumed they’d gotten the tattoos the night they mated. But being able to talk in each other’s minds is just as awesome,” said William.

  “It’ll be a great way of knowing if one of us ever needs help,” said Oliver.

  Leticia nodded. A tattoo would have been fun, but overall, mental telepathy was more her style. Maybe the gifts given were tailored to the triad’s needs and personalities.

  “It also proves we’re meant to be a permanent threesome. You are not, and never have been, an afterthought, William. I always knew you loved Leticia and she loved you and I factored that into the equation. You were always wanted and included,” said Oliver.

  “That’s true. I never meant to discard you. How could you even imagine I would?” asked Leticia.

  William just stood and looked at them, his mouth hanging open until he deliberately closed it with a snap.

  Leticia was flooded with warmth and love from William’s mind. She grinned at him and gave him a mental hug back, then gave one to Oliver as well.

  Oliver cleared his throat. “I’ve booked one of the small private dungeons for tonight. Shall we prepare ourselves and be ready in half an hour?” asked Oliver.

  “Wait, before we do that I just wanted to ask about my father. How is he?”

  “He’s doing well. He’ll be in the hospital another day or so while they complete some tests on his ankle. It’s a nasty break, but the doctors don’t think he’ll need the bones to be pinned or anything like that. Unfortunately, he’ll be going back to jail. The judge was really annoyed when he found out not only did your father refuse to cooperate about attending counseling after shooting you, but then he attempted to kill his son as well.”

  William snorted and then tried to cover it with a cough. “Oh yes. Intransigent much?”

  “Exactly.” Oliver nodded.

  Leticia sighed and hurried into the bathroom. She really didn’t know what to think about her father. Was he the man who’d loved and cared for the little motherless girl? Or was he the man who’d shot her for no reason then tried to kill his own son simply for being born?

  The bathroom was so tiny it was strictly one at a time in there. She was really looking forward to when the new half of their house would arrive. At least now the CCTV cameras in the high trees were operational. It meant two men weren’t always camping on the north ridge of the property as lookouts, which in turn meant there would be a few more men available to help prepare the building for them. She had a momentary qualm about paying for her share of it then shrugged. Oliver was going to look into her father’s finances. Surely she could use some of that money. Legally, some of it would be hers. Besides, it wasn’t as though he’d be needing it in jail.

  She dressed in a simple skirt and sweater to walk back across to the main building. Both the men were wearing jeans. Suddenly, she wondered if they preferred her in a dress or skirt or in jeans. Jubilee, for example, always wore a dress when performing a BDSM scene, although she often wore jeans when she was just being herself.

  “Oliver, as a Dom, do you have a preference for how I dress for these scenes?”

  “Naked is good.”

  “No, seriously.”

  “I am being serious. When we play a scene the subs are always naked, although the Dom may or may not be clothed. What you wear the rest of the time is your choice, unless I specifically ask you to wear something special one day.”

  “What about you, William? What do you prefer me to wear?”

  “I’m a man, Leticia. I agree with Oliver. Naked is good. But when you’re all dressed up to go out somewhere in a sexy dress, that’s pretty good, too.”

  Leticia nodded, thinking hard. Naked, huh. Well that was an easy choice of apparel. But she filed away William’s comment about a sexy dress, too. It was always useful to have options.

  And very soon she was naked, standing in the approved position, eyes down, studying the stone blocks which made up the dungeon floor, wondering what Oliver had planned for this, their first really full-on BDSM experience. Although pegging wasn’t exactly mainstream, and he had used some of his whips and floggers on them. So it wasn’t really their first time, just the first time actually in the dungeon.

  “Do you remember your safe word, Leticia?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “What is the safe word, William?”

  “‘Xylophone,’ Sir.”

  Oliver walked behind her and handcuffed her wrists together. He gently stroked her left shoulder and said, “If the cuffs put too much pressure on your shoulder you should tell me straightaway. I don’t want to damage it since it’s so newly healed.”

  “Yes, Sir.” But it hadn’t ached at all after her work in the garden today, so she was reasonably certain it was fully healed. Or healed enough, anyway.

  Leticia was experimenting with how much she could see while her gaze was on the floor. By tilting her eyes right to the sides she had quite good peripheral vision, and when she raised her eyebrows as far as they could go she had some forward vision as well. Although maybe a good sub wouldn’t do that. Likely what she should be doing was use her hearing to work out what was about to happen instead of trying to use her vision.

  When Oliver cracked his whip she wasn’t actually sure whether or not it was a whip or a cane. He’d mentioned all sorts of whips and canes and floggers to her, but she wasn’t really clear on the differences as of yet. Was it canes that hit harder? Oh well, she’d soon find out.

  It was a flogger. Multiple strands hit across her shoulders and her ass, mostly her ass. First there was a biting sting, then came the heat as her ass responded. And with the heat came a wonderful feeling of arousal, of desire. She wanted to be hit again. She wanted the arousal to grow higher and higher. She wanted him to touch her breasts.

  When Oliver stopped punishing her and hit William it was just as arousing. She could imagine what William was feeling. She knew his ass would be warming up, too, and she bet his cock was growing larger and larger as his desire increased.

  That’s when Leticia fully understood that part of the attraction of BDSM was in the mind of the sub. She was meant to think about what her Dom would do next and to whom he would do it. She was supposed to think and plan and anticipate. Then when the strokes came unexpectedly she was to enjoy their effect and understand it was heightened by her waiting and expectancy.

  Leticia welcomed the flogger when it returned to her, even when it stroked once over her breasts, hurting her tender skin and pebbled nipples. But I didn’t expect him to hit me there, and next time I’ll be wondering if he’ll do it again.

  Just when Leticia was so aroused she thought a simple touch would send her off the cliff into release, Oliver said, “Kneel with your foreheads on the floor.”

  Leticia automatically went to move her arms before remembering they were handcuffed behind her. Suddenly awkward, she bent her knees until she was squatting then plopped the last few inches onto her knees before leaning forward and resting her forehead on the cold stone floor. Well, at least it’ll keep me from overbalancing.

  She seemed to be in the position for a long time but wondered if it was because she had no way to accurately measure time passing. It’s just another way to build the tension. Making us wait and wonder what will happen next. But boy howdy, it sure works.

  She sensed, rather than heard, Oliver moving behind her then something cold and wet re
sted in the small of her back. What the fuck? Her first instinct was to wiggle until she flicked it off, but she knew it was there for a reason. It was something Oliver was showing her. But it was freezing cold. Icy—oh, of course, it’s an ice cube. Wow, it feels so much bigger than that, but it’ll be an ice cube for sure. Very, very cold and wet.

  “Very good, my subs. Stand up.”

  Standing up was actually harder than kneeling down. Finally, she rocked back onto her heels and pushed up with her leg muscles. How amazing it is to do things without my hands. It’s like an entirely new world.

  Oliver unlocked her handcuffs and massaged her shoulders then tied a blindfold over her eyes. “Now you are to suck William’s cock. You can use your hands to support yourself or touch him, but you are not to attempt to remove the blindfold. Understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Oliver led her across the few paces that separated her from William, and she reached out to touch William’s hip then his leg. Knowing she was in the correct place, she rested both hands on his thighs and nuzzled his cock. There was just the tiniest bit of hair starting to grow again from when she’d shaved him. The ends were bristly, harsher than the hair had been before, because of the cut ends, she assumed. She was certain his skin would still be sensitized though, because hers was. So she licked over his balls then sucked first one, then the other, into her mouth. Next she kissed a line up his cock, following the throbbing vein from root to tip. She moved one hand to hold his cock steady as she sucked the head into her mouth, giving a solid pull on it with all the suction she could get, before letting him slide out and grazing her teeth gently over the head of his cock.

  Again she sucked him, this time swallowing more of him, before wetting the rest of his cock and blowing on it. She cupped and teased his balls with one hand while directing his erection in and out of her mouth with the other.