She agreed with Carson that comfort trumps fashion when your job requires you to stand for extended periods of time.As a pharmacist, she was used to being on her feet, but tending bar in college had been a brutal wake-up call the first night when she’d worn snazzy heels with her skinny jeans.It had taken over a week for the blisters to heal.Lesson learned.
“If you’re finished, there is something we’d like to show you.”The gleam in Carson’s eyes should have served as a warning; instead, it made her giddy with anticipation.
Placing her hand in his outstretched one, Fallon let him lead her around the deck to a private space behind a sheet of water falling over a two-story rock wall.The soothing sound she’d enjoyed during lunch was much more intense in this small space, as if the designers had intentionally created two distinct functions from something so incredibly simple.
Fallon knew Silas was behind her, even though he’d remained quiet, letting Carson take the lead.She was impressed with how seamlessly they worked together and wondered how many long-term relationships they’d had where they shared a woman.Pushing the question to the back of her mind, Fallon repeated her silent vow to learn what she could and enjoy each day as it came.
Take in what you enjoy and freely walk away from anything that doesn’t feed your soul.
Her parents’ deaths forever altered her worldview in ways she’d never expected, but their lessons still echoed through her soul.One of their oft-repeated refrains was reminding her to value every moment.It was that lesson that helped her walk away from Hagan without a second thought.His cheating might have been the catalyst, but it wasn’t the only reason she’d left.He’d worked tirelessly to make her feel inferior, and her self-esteem had been battered but not broken.Hagen Brody was a mistake she’d never make again.
“I know one thing for certain about your ex, Cher.He was a fool to let you go.”Carson’s simple compliment made her eyes burn with unshed tears as emotion welled up inside her.“I don’t want to waste our limited time this afternoon or this lovely space thinking about an idiot.Let’s redirect our attention to how sweet I thought your dress would look fluttering to the pool deck.”
She watched his nostrils flare and wondered if he could smell her arousal.God in heaven, she wonderedagainif Carson and Silas could make her come from their words alone.
“Lose the dress, Cher.”
Fallon pushed the spaghetti straps off her shoulders and let the garment glide over her curves before it fluttered to the stamped concrete pool deck.
“I was right.It looks better pooled around your feet.”
“I hate to point out the obvious, but you aren’t looking at the dress.”He hadn’t looked at the damned dress once since it passed her breasts on its rapid trip south.Carson’s gaze moved slowly back to her face, a knowing smile spreading over his face.
“Nope.Don’t need to.Who the hell cares about a dress when they have a gorgeous naked woman standing in front of them?A woman whose entire body is telegraphing need and a soul-deep desire to find out what she’s been missing.Seeing worry pushed back by a leap of faith is all any man can ask for.Believe me, Cher, there’s never been a dress made that can compete with the beauty of courage.”
Fallon felt the familiar burn of tears stinging the back of her eyes but was determined to keep them from spilling over.She’d always been more emotional when happy than sad, a trait few other people understood.
“Eyes on me, Cher.”
Fallon didn’t realize she’d dropped her gaze to the floor and recognized awareness in Carson’s expression.
“You aren’t used to being complimented, are you?Hell, why am I asking when I already know the answer?”
Silas stepped around her to stand shoulder to shoulder with Carson.
“Sweetheart, what Carson is trying to say is he and I will do everything possible to make sure you’re safe, well cared for, and happy.We’ve spent many hours discussing the kind of woman we want to share our life with, and every conversation has started with finding a partner who is committed to being courageous enough to take a chance.An adventurous spirit is intoxicating to men whose professional lives often operate on adrenaline.Yours is particularly appealing because it’s edged with a desire to explore and learn.Seeing everything through your eyes will be a huge turn-on for us.”
“Enough chit-chat.We can wax poetic tomorrow.Let’s move this along before some damned romance writer shows up to take notes, and we never get to the fun part.”
Fallon snickered at Carson’s irreverence, but at the same time, she was thrilled he’d broken through the tension.Framing her face in his large hands, Carson tilted her head to the side before sealing his lips over hers.The move caught Fallon by surprise.She’d expected Silas to be the one to make the first move.The kiss shifted from sweet to passionate to possessive in the blink of an eye.
Feeling as if she was floating, just before her back pressed against the cool rock wall, Fallon was surprised when Carson pulled her back enough to slip his hand between her tender skin and the rough stone.She lost herself in Carson’s kiss and knew she must have looked dazed when he finally pulled back.
“Nothing better than a kiss so hot, your woman doesn’t know she’s being moved into the perfect position.”
Fallon’s breath caught when she turned to look at Silas, wondering how he’d known.His eyes blazed with an unmistakable desire so hot, she’d have sworn heat radiated around him.
“There will be times we’ll ask you to undress and present yourself to us.There are a lot of different positions Doms ask their submissives to learn.Not everyone uses the same names for the poses, and there are subtle differences.For now, we’ll take charge and move you into position, but later tonight, we’ll begin teaching you about the poses we consider important.For example, when told to present yourself, we simply want you to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.Keep your chin level with the floor and your attention centered on us.”Carson let her slide down his chest until her feet were once again on the damp concrete, then put his foot between hers, moving her left foot out several inches, and used his fingers to lift her chin.
“You’re beautiful, Fallon.”Silas skimmed the back of his fingers from the outside of her shoulder down to her elbow.“We’ll enjoy looking at you, and it gives us a chance to see how you react to verbal and physical stimulation.The tremble of the toned muscles beneath your skin when I touch you is perfect.Last night, as we walked around the club, I loved the hitch in your breath when a submissive found their release.The soft sighs as you watched Doms carry their sweet subs off for aftercare made me want you even more.All in all, watching you look on as club members played was an exercise in frustration.”
This was the first time Fallon suspected there was an edge to Silas.She felt like she’d been given a hint there was a will of steel beneath the laid-back exterior.
“Submissives don’t always understand the importance of inspections, viewing them as intimidation or humiliation.You will never need to question why we’ve given this particular command because we’ll tell you.It might be something as simple as seeing how your body responded to an earlier scene.We don’t want to leave marks that last longer than a few hours.As a pharmacist, you are in a position of trust, and we don’t want you to be forced to make excuses for unexplained bruises.”
Carson’s comments surprised her.The only boyfriend she’d ever had couldn’t have given a tinker’s damn about her reputation in the community.The truth was, she hadn’t considered how difficult it would be to work in the Texas heat wearing a turtleneck and long sleeves to hide marks like the ones she’d seen last night.Rolling her eyes at her own naivety, Fallon felt the energy shift around her and wondered if a storm was brewing.
“What was that thought, Cher?Before you answer, let me remind you, editing and censoring are tantamount to lying by omission.The only way a polyamorous relationship can thrive is if we’re totally honest with each other.”
“Damn, this is embarrassing.I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful to you.I was rolling my eyes because it’s humbling to realize how much I don’t know.It never occurred to me I might have to wear long sleeves and turtlenecks in the scorching heat to hide marks.I can just see the looks I’d get from my geriatric patients.The ladies would be scandalized, and the old men would get stiffies, then die from lack of oxygen to their brains.Oh yes, indeed.Let’s all welcome Fallon Foster to Texas.The newbie kinkster showed up at Drugs R Us and knocked off four old farts and pissed off the President of the Altar Society before lunch.”
Fallon wasn’t sure when she’d moved, but when she realized her mistake, she froze in her tracks.They’d been explaining inspections, and even though they hadn’t specifically mentioned standing still, she was fairly certain pacing the length of the waterfall, waving her arms around like pinwheels as she went off on a tangent, wasn’t acceptable.Good grief, they probably wished they’d left her on the side of the road.Maybe she should plead temporary insanity based on a delayed reaction to a closed head injury.Granted, it was lame, but it might be her best shot.
“Damn, I said that all out loud, didn’t I?”