She ruffles my hair. “Sweetie, it’s going to take a lot more than you wanting to be our obedient pet to send me running. Trust me, the stories I’ve heard about politicians and their secrets? This istame.”
* * * *
Carter shows her my chain collar, and she smiles as she runs her fingers over it. “I like it.”
Carter has me take my shirt off but leave my shorts on, which relieves me. Carter and Susa are doing most of the talking, but I’m the prime topic of conversation instead of politics. I’m still battling bouts of tears and feeling pretty damn angry at myself over that.
Finally, Carter holds my face the way Susa did and waits until I focus on him. “You’re in decompression mode,” Carter tells me. “You’veliterallysurvived a lifetime of abuse. Honestly? I’d be more worried about you if youweren’tcrying and acting emotional right now.”
I’m not sure if he’s trying to humor me, but I opt to go with the default—Carter doesn’t bullshit me.
We continue cooking dinner, Susa showing me how to make meatballs, Carter closely watching me. When we’re down to waiting for the food to finish cooking, Susa leads me out to the living room, where she sits on the sofa where Carter had been sitting earlier.
“Go ahead and kneel for me,” she says.
I glance at Carter, who stands next to where she’s sitting, his arms once again crossed over his chest.
He nods.
I sink to my knees in front of her. This is…
It’s better than a fantasy come to life.
This isreal.
She’sreal.
“At Ease,” she softly says.
I assume the position as Carter tells her about it. She puts me through the rest of the positions, ending with me in Devotion, and I feel subspace pulling my mind down into its comforting depths.
While I kneel there, I feel a hand on my head.
It’s not Carter’s.
“I read a lot,” Susa says. “Alot. Including romance books, which I love, because it’s pure escapism for me. I’ve read BDSM fiction that would curl your hair. Carter’s right, though, sweetie. You have some pretty deep emotional wounds. Is this what you want to do?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” I say.
She strokes my hair again. “Okay. I already told you both that no one’s taking me away from you two, and I haven’t been dating, either, so add me to that pledge. I’ve had more fun with you both since we’ve met than I ever have.”
“You hear that, boy?” Carter sounds amused. “You can say it.”
I sigh. “Yes, you told me so, Sir.”
“Told him what?” Susa asks.
“That you’d be okay with this,” Carter says. “He was worried you wouldn’t want to be friends anymore.”
“Oh, sweetie.” She pets my head. “It’d take a lot more than this to make me walk away from you two. I don’t think you’re capable of doing anything that bad, either.” She continues stroking my head, and it feels like pure heaven. “What kind of play am I allowed to do with him?”
I draw in an eager, shuddering breath.
“Whatever you want, within our hard limits,” Carter says. “With the caveat that nothing you do can expose him to being discovered by someone else. He will always be able to safeword for something outside his hard limits, or something that disobeys an order, rule, or protocol I’ve given him.”
“Fair enough,” she says. “And he’s not allowed to text that bitch anymore?”
Panic flares in me. I realize I haven’t texted my mom since Friday.
