Two Doms for Christmas (8 page)

Austin waited as the dogs finished
eating and then held out his hand. Haley took it and he led her through the
house into the living room. He sat down on the loveseat and patted the cushion
next to him. Haley sat down, facing him.

His eyes seemed to drink in her
face as he stared at her. “You are so beautiful in a very honest way. I really
like that.” Pushing back a wafting strand of her hair, he continued. “So what
do you want to know?”

“I want to know what you are
hiding. Does it have to do with sex?”

“It can. It also has to do with
willingness to allow someone into your life. It’s allowing me and Med to be
what we are.”

“So, what are you?”

“We are dominant and we enjoy sharing
the same woman.”

She swallowed hard. “What exactly
is your description of a Dom?”

“There are actually several
subdivisions of that title. There are those who are only into the sexual side
of it. There are also those who are into the sexual and daily life side. They
usually, but not always, live with their mates and make all the decisions for
the betterment of both their lives. Then there is what Med and I are. Sexually,
we like to be in complete control. You do what we tell you, when we tell you,
within reason of course. If something completely turns you off, then you are
expected to trust us enough to talk to us about it. For the most part, we are
also Doms in life. We both appreciate the nuances of a relationship where
respect and trust are foremost. The woman has to be ready to give herself to
one or both of us in all ways. We are both quite capable of dealing with the
issues of our lives and also yours. You may not always agree with our decisions
and they are open for discussion, but not for argument. The two of us have the
final say on all matters whether you believe it is what is best for you or not.
You simply have to trust us.”

“Wow, that’s a bit much to ask on a
second date when I barely know you.”

“I completely agree. I wouldn’t
expect you to give up your life and move in with me tomorrow. It would be
unreasonable and would probably not work out well for either of us. What I am
asking is for you to give me time to prove to you what I am. It may be a place
you are interested in assuming, it may not be. The final say will obviously be
yours. I can promise that if you give me or both of us a chance, we will prove
to you just how rewarding life as a submissive can be.”

Haley already had the answer in her
mind. She had always been there, but the idea of her giving herself to another
male was skewed by what Jack had done to her. “I am submissive. I always have
been. I was submissive to Jack. I rarely questioned or challenged him. It
worked out well until he completely betrayed me.” Her lioness was shrieking in
horror. Haley shushed her back into her cage and threw a black sheet over it to
silence the inner voice that raged for things Haley really didn’t want.

Rising from her seat, she walked
into the bathroom and shut the door. Sitting down on the toilet, she buried her
hands in her face. She had done this for as long as she could remember, hiding
her starkly-raw emotions behind the bathroom door. Jack always respected that
and left her alone. Her lioness wanted her to take control of her life and do
the things her parents wanted. Haley had control of her life, total complete
control. Over the last three years, she had run her life into the ground and
stomped on it.

Austin knocked on the door. “Haley,
can I come in? Please?”

“It’s not locked.” The door actually
had no lock. Jack had removed it one night when he thought she was suicidal.

Austin came in and sat down across
from her on the edge of the tub. He gently lifted her face with his palms,
holding her chin. Looking deeply into her eyes, he stroked her cheek with one
palm. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Get up and run in here? Don’t you
think I would rather comfort you and give you strength than to see you hide
from me?”

“This is my safe room, my place to
deal with things alone. I would come in here to sit and calm down or just to
cry, because…I don’t know. Sometimes I didn’t agree with what Jack was doing.
He would shut me out and I only had one of two options, I could back down or
make an issue out of it. That gets complicated when you have a little girl
running around who is watching everything you do. I had very little say in
household matters. A lot of times, our impasses would be over Jane. He was too
lenient with her.”

His hands slid down to hers and he
held them tightly in his palms. “I don’t want you to ever feel you have to run
from me. It is my place to be responsible for you and protect you, not demean
you or make you feel as if you are backed into a corner. Why did you stay with
Jack if things were so bad?”

“That was part of the problem, they
weren’t bad. I mean, yeah we had our disagreements, but everyone does. Even the
perfect sub is entitled to an opinion from time to time.”

“Of course they are.”

“Was your ex-wife a sub?”

He sighed deeply and slowly shook
his head. “No. I was trying to convince myself my lifestyle was simply that, a
life choice. I’ve discovered I can no more change what I am than a homosexual
male can start loving sex with women. Of course, that knowledge wasn’t
particularly helpful when I had distanced myself from the life to try and make
my marriage work. I need a woman who can allow me to be in control. I thrive on
it and without it, I feel empty and incomplete. I can run my own life just
fine, but to see a willing sub grow and thrive under my guidance is amazing.”

“What happened to the sad, slightly
insecure man of last night? Was he just for show to make me feel sorry for
you?”

The hurt that shadowed his eyes
made her feel like running again. “He’s very real. I was just hoping I had found
a beautiful, sensitive woman who could understand that no man is a mountain
unto himself. I guess I was wrong.”

The cold, flat tone of his voice
made her wince as he got to his feet. “I’m going down to put the clothes in the
dryer. When they are done, I will leave.”

Austin walked from the room,
lightly shutting the door behind him. Haley felt horrible for the inconsiderate
comment. There were so many other ways she could have worded it without
sounding so accusatory. Just because he was a Dom didn’t mean he didn’t have
feelings.

Pushing herself to her feet, she
walked out into the hall and down the stairs. Austin was leaning against the
wall, waiting for the cycle to stop. Kneeling before him, she put her forehead
to his thighs. “I’m sorry. That was a completely inconsiderate thing to say. I
didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. I’m just a bit rattled.”

He stroked her hair softly like a
man caressing a worry-stone. She remained silent, waiting to hear what he might
say. The feel of the basement floor against her knees brought back long past
memories. Jack had once punished her for her insolence by making her crawl
while doing her chores. She was allowed to walk on the stairs, but once she hit
the bottom, she was on her knees. It was not a pleasant memory and made her
shiver. Of course that was long ago before her knees had stated aching during
bad weather.

After a minute or so, he sighed. “I
would prefer it if you stand and look at me. It is hard to see your emotions
when your face is so completely hidden. Words easily tell lies, eyes don’t.”

She stood, looking at him directly.

“I’m sorry I overreacted. You don’t
know me well enough to trust me and I should have been more patient and given
you an explanation. I was not lying or trying to trick you. I do have my dark
moments and I do miss my sons desperately. I understand the pain you have been
through and that makes me even more interested in having a relationship with
you. Do you enjoy being a Sub, or did you just do it to make your husband
happy?”

“I grew up with parents who pushed
me to be independent. They wanted me to take control of my life and do
everything for myself. I always felt as if it was overwhelming. Then I met Jack
and over time he began to take control of our lives. I preferred it that way.
For the most part, his input was good, even though I didn’t always agree with
him. Over the last year or so of our marriage, he became stricter as if he was
trying to…I don’t know. Maybe break me so I would simply bow down to his will
without any thoughts of my own. It became harder to please him and then he
asked me for the divorce. I guess I blamed myself for not being submissive
enough.”

“Submission is not about having
your heart or your mind broken. It is about allowing another person control. It
is done through trust and love, not through being overly strict or cruel. Those
are things that we don’t have yet. That is part of the reason I didn’t want to
get into this conversation with you. I wanted to give us time to get to know
each other.”

If he was as real as the words he
spoke, then Haley wanted nothing more than to do just that. She wanted to get
to know him. She had already trusted him enough to allow him into her head and
her emotions. She had never told anyone about her relationship with Jack
before. She had kept it bottled up inside, feeling guilty and wondering what
she could have done better. At the same time, she had known the divorce wasn’t
really her fault. Jack had been cheating on her with a younger woman. “I think
I would like that.”

He gave her a smile. “I would too.”
The washer buzzed and he tugged it open. Haley pulled the dryer open and they
worked together to transfer the clothing from one machine to the other. It was
the beginning of their partnership, each helping the other in the ways they
needed. Wasn’t that what it was supposed to be like?

 
Chapter
Eight

Austin walked into the house as
quietly as he could. The two dogs heard him, bounding off the cushion and
racing to him. He snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor and both dogs
instantly sat.

He actually loved their exuberance,
but would not allow them to jump on him. It was simply a matter of maintaining
alpha-ship and good doggie manners. Putting the laundry basket against the
wall, he knelt down between them. Austin showered their heads with kisses as he
heartily stroked their fur.

Med sat up, staring at him with
sleepy eyes. “What the hell time is it?”

“Six.” Austin stood and walked over
to the sofa, sitting down in the center. April and then Jake jumped up to
either side of him and lay down with their heads upon his thighs.

“How did it go?”

He couldn’t help but smile. The
night had been interesting. “She’s far more than I ever imagined. Her husband
really fucked up her head. He was a controlling dominant… No, I can’t really
say that. It actually sounds like he was a good Dom until he found someone else
more interesting. Then he turned into a horrible Dom. I know she wanted me to
make love to her, but the timing wasn’t right. We slept in our underwear with
her curled up in my arms. She was disappointed, but she’ll get over it. I
already told her I need to work today and I will call her later, but I want to
give her time to think. She is a woman who analyzes small facts for their
significance. Let her dwell over what has happened in the past two days.”

“Wow. She has made a deep imprint
on you, hasn’t she?”

That was an understatement. “Yeah,
she has. When I asked her what was the one thing in life she wanted, she said
to live again. She hasn’t been. I mean, she’s alive, but nothing more. Her
husband took off with her heart and then destroyed her completely when he took
their daughter from her. I want so badly to fix her.”

Med sat up, spinning his feet
around to sit facing him.

“Did you sleep there on the
cushion?”

“I was lying here before the fire
with the dogs. I guess I did. I actually slept really well for the first time
in months. What are the odds of getting a cup of coffee?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Austin
hated to disturb the dogs, but patted them both on the head. “Let Daddy up.
Uncle Med wants coffee.”

They both turned to glare at Med as
if understanding exactly what Austin was talking about. With a chuckle, Austin
got to his feet. He went into the kitchen, smiling at the neatly stacked dished
in the drain board. He had observed the same thing at her house. Was this one
of Haley’s habits or something her husband had wanted from her?

Flipping on the brewer, he grabbed
two coffee pods and inserted one of them. Med sat down at the table, pushing
back his prematurely graying hair. He was only a year older than Austin, but
sometimes he looked much older. “So what did I miss yesterday?”

“Not much. We got a call from
Bellbrook Condos. They had a major problem with the storm. The idiot who did
their roof messed it up big time, and now they can’t get in touch with him.
Their gutters froze up and ice has gone behind them under the shingles. Once
the sun came out, it started to melt and so far they have six units with water
coming in. I called Marty about getting the gutters repaired. We are going to
have to take a ride over there today to find out how much damage is inside.”

Nodding, he set the cup on the
table for Med and made himself one.

“So tell me more about Haley,” said
Med. “Is she interested in me, or didn’t you tell her?”

“She knows about you. We didn’t
delve into any details. Honestly, I think she would love it. I’m still trying
to get a good feel for her personality though.”

“Are you sure you aren’t just
jumping into this? You don’t usually do that, but I know you’ve been kind of
depressed.”

He had though of that himself. “I
don’t think so. This feels really right. There is just something about her. I
haven’t laughed that much in years. I was even sticking my foot in my mouth for
a while. Of course, so was she.”

Taking a thoughtful sip of his
coffee, he smiled. “I honestly think she needs a strong, level minded Dom to
help her put herself back together. From what she has said, she’s had no one in
her life since her daughter was taken away. I think she has spent the last
three or so years living on autopilot. The only life she has had was through
the imaginary lives of her book characters.”

“I read a few of her books, or more
aptly did a heavy skim of them. They are sweet, sappy romances. They’re
well-written if you’re into that kind of thing. I just think she could write
with so much more detail if she took things farther.”

“What do you mean?”

“The characters are rich and well
portrayed. The settings and scenes are all great and whatever conflict is
presented is brought to resolution. I just think that the sex scenes could be
hotter and more varied.”

“I can imagine that is harder to do
when you haven’t had sex in a few years.”

Med chuckled. “I imagine. So what
does she look like?”

“She’s about five-seven, with light
brown hair that goes just below her shoulders. She had it tucked back behind
her ears, but I imagine it could be styled into something more becoming. She’s
a bit overweight, but you know me. I don’t like skinny. She is very
self-conscious about the spider veins on her legs, and I think maybe the skin
on her arms that is starting to get a bit saggy bothers her. She has amazing
blue eyes and a smile that’s incredible. Once I got past her reserves, I found
a woman who was absolutely bubbly and sweet. Of course, she needs to be treated
with kid gloves right now because she is easily damaged. She retreats very
quickly into her herself and then lashes out in defense.”

Med’s eyebrows almost collided with
his eyelashes as he furrowed them. “How did you find that out?”

“We were talking and she was
telling me about her husband. It upset her and she ran to hide in the bathroom
with her feelings. That was heart-wrenching. I had a vision in my mind of her
sitting, alone on the toilet and crying because her husband didn’t want to see
it. There was no support system for her in the end, and when everything crashed
down around her, she was alone. She is so damaged.”

He got the look again from Med,
that skeptical ‘do you know what the hell you are doing’ expression flashing on
his face and then slowly fading.

“Yeah, I know. At least this time I
know what I’m getting into. Do you want in or not?”

* * * *

Haley sat at the computer, staring
at the blank page before her. The story she was working on had lost her
interest and she was trying to start something new. Unfortunately, the only
thing on her mind was Austin. He had called her a little while ago and they had
spoken briefly, but he had been busy. She wanted to see him, but it was not
going to happen tonight. His face was implanted in her mind, his dark brown,
slightly wavy hair and his beautiful blue eyes that had lost some of their
sadness.

Did she really want to get into
this relationship with him? Was giving herself to another man the right thing
to do? It had been the right thing with Jack for years. She enjoyed pleasing
him and it gave her a sense of power to make him happy. Jack had been proud of
her, rewarding small accomplishments with gifts and praise. Every time one of
her books was released, he would take her to dinner and they would toast with
champagne. Of course that was before he started cheating on her. Then their
relationship had taken a nosedive into hell.

How had she been so totally blindsided when he had
asked her for a divorce? It had been stunning, and she could still clearly feel
the rush of panic and horror that had accompanied his words. “What?” she had
asked as if not hearing him clearly. Her mouth had hung stupidly open, her eyes
filling with tears as he repeated the request.

“
I’m giving you
the house. I have a great opportunity to take over my father’s business in
Colorado and I’m leaving as soon as the divorce goes through. You can have half
of what’s in the accounts, which you can supplement with the small amount you
make from your books. As long as you don’t go on shopping sprees, you should be
fine”
, he had said with irritating calmness.

Fine?
She had wanted to
scream. What would be
fine
about being alone with no husband to cook for
or take care of? She was a housewife and mother who hadn’t worked in years.

Jack had been wrong. She wasn’t
fine. She was lost, lonely, and unhappy. She felt worthless and even her books
gave her little joy anymore. To be independent and to be completely alone were
two different things. On more than one occasion, she had caught herself striking
up conversations with store clerks and at doctor’s offices just to have someone
to talk to. She was turning into that old lady down the street who hoarded animals
because she had no friends and had lost trust in the human race. It was a
downward spiral that she really needed to put an end to.

Austin was amazing and she liked
him so much. Even after she badly hurt his feelings, he had been more worried
about her than himself. If she wanted this, then she had better go after it,
because this might be her last chance to find a man she could honestly be happy
with. After all, how often did a woman who never left the house meet up with
such a handsome Dom who was interested in a woman thirteen years older than
him?

Ginger walked over and nudged her
arm, and she looked down at the small dog, a tear dripping off her nose. Had
she been crying? “What’s up, girl?”

She rolled the chair back and
Ginger jumped up into her lap. “I have to consider you guys also. Austin
already has two dogs. What would happen if things became serious between us?
What would I do then? Of course, I’m thinking far off in the future in a day
when I might move in with him. Would I really want to sell our house? How would
you guys feel about moving someplace nicer? He certainly has a bigger backyard,
and he said he has a doggie play room in the basement.” Haley turned to smile
at Sammie. He had less stamina and far less running ability than April and
Jake. Ginger might be okay with them. From what she had seen on walks, her two
got along with other dogs very well.

Her eyes wandered around the living
room. She had been hanging on to the house for the pure simple reason that
finding somewhere more fitting would require her to go out looking. If
anything, the house was filled with memories that now haunted her. She had
closed the door on her daughter’s room and left it as it was with light
lavender walls and Justin Bieber bedspread. There wasn’t much chance of her
coming back and even if she came for a visit one day, she had certainly
outgrown her room.

Haley sat petting Ginger for a
while, her eyes going back to the blank page. She needed to write something,
but her mind was completely set on thoughts of Austin. She wanted to call him
and see if he was home yet. Was he still at work? Was he eating dinner alone or
with someone else? The simple thought sent a bolt of gut wrenching anguish
through her stomach. They weren’t exclusive. What if the reason he wasn’t
seeing her tonight was because he already had a date with someone else?

Ginger readjusted herself, leaning
her head on Haley’s chest. “Yes, I know. Mom is being a jerk. She is driving
herself insane. Maybe I should just get up and do something, or maybe just let
you guys out and go to bed. It’s not like I’m getting anything done anyway.”

With that thought in mind, she put
Ginger on the floor. Haley shut the computer down and went to the backyard,
turning on the light to check before she let the dogs outside. Once the door
was open, they raced out, taking care of their needs quickly before coming back
inside. The night had turned bitter cold and she shivered, just standing in the
doorway. “Wow,
it’s
cold out there. You guys made
quick work of that. Didn’t you?”

With a giggled, she locked up the
door and turned off the light. She flipped the small bolt lock on the back door
closed. It wasn’t like it would keep anyone out, but it was her way to remind
herself to turn off the alarm before she pulled the door open. On more than one
sleepy morning, she had almost done that.

After giving the dogs a snack, she
went to get ready for bed herself. The wind whistled around the house, the
sound slightly unnerving. Haley walked into the bedroom and then simply grabbed
her blanket and pillow. With Austin in the bed, she had been warm and felt
safe, but alone, she didn’t. She missed him far more than she probably should.
They had only been on one true date. Of course the date had lasted almost
twenty-four hours.

Ginger and Sammie waited as she set
up the sofa to sleep on. In many ways it was actually more comfortable than her
bed. She shut the front shades to keep out the early morning sun and then
removed her robe to climb under the covers.

Haley was almost asleep when the
phone rang. She almost dumped Sammie onto the floor as she rolled to get up,
catching him with the side of her hand to keep him from tumbling off. She
quickly pushed him back onto the blankets and then sprinted for the phone.
“Hello?”

“What’s up?” It was Austin.

“Nothing. How was your day?”

“It was a disaster,” he said with a
chuckle. “Med and I went to inspect a bunch of condos that have major interior
damage from a poorly installed gutter. What a mess. It’s something stupid that
is going require so much to repair. The ceilings are damaged as well as the
walls. The water is still dripping from the leaking roof and these poor people
are stuck with this mess until we can get it fixed.”