Archer winked at her. “He’s so shy and retiring. I don’t know how we’ll ever get him to speak up and say what he wants.”
She bit back her grin as Doc shot his brother a look. Doc put down plates of grilled cheese. She picked up one half of a sandwich and took a big bite.
“Oh man, that’s so good.”
Both men were grinning at her.
“What? Is there something on my chin?”
“Yeah, baby doll. Just a little.” Doc got up and grabbed some paper towels and then sat and wiped her chin.
“Sorry.” She blushed, dropping her gaze down. She should probably try to eat with more manners.
“Have you talked about Dave much, love?” Archer asked gently after a few more minutes of eating.
“Not exactly a lot of people to talk to around here,” she muttered. “After he died, Murray and Geoff would come to check on me, but I didn’t much feel like talking to them.”
“How long ago did Dave die?” Archer asked.
“Over two years ago now.”
“And you’ve lived here on your own ever since?” Doc asked.
“Yes.”
“You’ve said a few things about your family and the town you lived in, you don’t keep in contact with them?” Archer asked.
“Ahh, no. I haven’t spoken to my family since we left Spencerville.”
“Where’s that?” Doc asked.
“Small town in Kansas.”
“Is that where you met Dave?” Archer asked her.
“I was working at the local motel in reception. Dave used to stay when he was travelling. He was a salesman. He was always super polite. A gentleman. So kind and sweet.
“It took months before he even asked me on a date. I thought he was shy. But apparently, he’d been worried about our age difference. I was only twenty when we met. He was forty. He was my guide into BDSM. It took several dates for him to tell me what he was. I didn’t really want to hear it. My mother was always submissive to my father. She never stood up to him. We always did what he wanted. Had what he liked to eat for dinner. Or went on vacation where he wanted to go. It was like she didn’t have a mind of her own. I didn’t want that. But he explained that being a submissive didn’t mean I was a doormat. That I ultimately had all the power. Eventually, I decided to give it a chance. For the first time in my life, it was like I felt right. I felt at peace. I could shut off my mind and just be.”
“Felt good, huh?” Doc asked.
“Felt better than good. I hadn’t realized how busy my mind was. I’m always thinking. Always imagining things. Sometimes, the stories in my head feel so real it’s like I’ve actually lived them. Dave was the one who encouraged me to write them all down. I’d never even thought of trying to write. He was everything to me. Unfortunately, the rest of the town found out about our relationship. Someone took photos of us in the motel room. They circulated through the town. The sheriff even paid Dave a visit and told him to get out of town before he was arrested for sexual assault.”
“Oh, baby doll,” Doc crooned, rocking her.
“Some of the photos were of me in Little mode, playing with a doll he’d bought me. There was another photo of him spanking me. That was one of the few times he ever spanked me and it was tarnished. People were awful. They called me all sorts of names. My parents told me to leave town. I’ve never felt so less in my life, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah,” Doc said quietly. “I do, baby girl.”
“What are you talking about?” Archer asked. “When did you feel like that?”
“When our parents disowned me.”
Archer blinked. “Disowned you? But they told me that you left. That you wanted nothing to do with them.”
“Yeah, well, they lied,” Doc said bitterly.
“Why would they disown you?” Archer asked.