Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Beau winced. “That’s harsh. And you’re certainly no pig, Lia. You’re a sexy, lovely young woman with lots of complicated layers.” His lip curved again into that sexy smile. “Layers I’d like to unwrap.”
Again, absurdly, blood rushed into her cheeks. Desperate to take the focus off herself, Lia blurted the first dumb thing that popped into her head. “Enough about me. What about that woman you had on your arm at the wedding? Is she your Domme?” Tilting her head, she pretended to size him up. “Yeah. I can definitely picture you on your knees begging, ‘Please, Ma’am. May I have some more?’”
Beau’s green eyes narrowed as he let her ridiculous words hang in the air for several painful beats. Then, all at once, he reached for her throat. He gripped her tightly, thumb and forefinger pressed hard beneath her jaw.
Lia's breath caught, her heart beating a thumping tattoo against her ribs.
“I’m no sub, Lia. I think you know that.”
She couldn’t have replied if she’d wanted to, her breath constricted by his strong hand.
Abruptly, he let her go. As if nothing had just transpired, he leaned back in his chair, his expression again casually amused.
Lia reached for her water bottle with a trembling hand. She sipped, glad for the moment to pull herself together.
“In answer to the question I think you were actually asking,”
he said, as if he hadn’t just flipped all her masochistic switches with his primal touch, “that woman I was with at the wedding was not my girlfriend. I escorted her as a favor to the groom, who’s a friend of mine.”
Getting herself back under control, Lia shrugged, feigning indifference. It made her uncomfortable to realize just how pleased she was at his answer. Eager to change the subject yet again, she asked, “What about you? Any tattoos in interesting places?”
“Not nearly as interesting a location as yours, but yeah, I have a tattoo.” Beau tugged aside the open V-neck of his pirate’s shirt to reveal a small tattoo of what looked to Lia like Chinese or Japanese characters on his left pec.
“What’s it say?” She tried to focus on the characters rather than on his smooth, tan skin and the rippling muscle beneath.
“It says nana korobi, ya oki,” he replied. “It’s a Japanese proverb that translates as, ‘fall down seven times, stand up eight.’ It means choosing to never give up hope, and to always strive for more. Or, to put it another way—if life knocks you on your ass, you need to get back on your feet.”
“A good philosophy,” Lia offered.
“And one you might consider in your search for submissive grace,” Beau replied with a lift of his brow.
Lia snorted. “Too bad I don’t possess either characteristic. Just ask Lawrence.”
“Forget Lawrence,” Beau replied decisively. Again, he fixed her with a discerning gaze. “Let’s focus on you. You came to The Enclave with some kind of expectation, right? You were clearly looking for more than whatever you could get at the public clubs. What drew you to their program in the first place?”
Lia took a moment to collect her thoughts, deciding how much to share. Despite his rakish, Rhett Butler air, she somehow sensed she could trust him.
“I first met Lucia—Master Anthony’s slave girl—at the BDSM club in town—The Garden. He owns it, you know.”
Beau nodded.
“He used to bring her down there sometimes to play,” Lia continued. “I would watch them scene, barely able to contain my longing for what they seemed to share.” She sighed. “Lucia always had this kind of serene glow—this deep, intrinsic peace and fulfillment that I’ve never experienced, not in any lasting way. Eventually, I got up the nerve to talk to them. They were super supportive and nonjudgmental when I confessed how in awe I was of their obvious connection and Lucia’s inner grace. When Master Anthony told me about the training they offer here, and actually suggested I might want to sign up, I jumped at the chance.”
She laughed bitterly. “I was an idiot. I thought if I just followed their rules, I would automatically connect with my own inner sub. Turns out I don’t have one. I’m just a hardcore masochist who doesn’t like to take orders. What is a lifestyle for them is apparently just a kink for me—a way to get off, nothing more.”
“Maybe you weren’t the problem.”
Lia snorted. “Trust me. I was definitely the problem. Ask anyone here.”
Beau smiled, shaking his head slightly. “Just because their particular training regimen didn’t work for you doesn’t mean there isn’t a submissive hiding inside you.” He paused a beat. “Maybe you just need a different approach.”
Chapter 6
Lia shrugged. “Maybe.”
Then she crossed her arms, the defenses going up once more. “Or maybe I’m just being realistic. I’m what they call in academia a high achiever. That means I go after things I know I can succeed at. Impossible goals don’t interest me, so I take them off the table.”