Chapter 5 #2
“Sure, King,” she finally answered. “I’d appreciate it.”
“Good.” Kingston nodded to me. “Can you make us coffee?”
“Yeah, that sounds fantastic,” I answered. “Bought this new blend that I’ve been wanting to try but haven’t gotten around to it.”
Busying myself with the task of brewing a pot kept me occupied.
The two of them sat on the other side of my island falling into lighthearted conversation.
It was polite but there was an underlying tension there.
The same tension I’d felt earlier, right before I kissed Eloise.
Kingston cocked an eyebrow when he caught me staring at him.
Needing to do something to prevent a stream of words that likely wouldn’t be anything good from falling out of my mouth, I grabbed mugs and creamer.
Snatching two different types of sugar—cubes and some alternative— forced my focus on anything but the two of them.
Maybe I was horny and needed some attention. Instead mental images of the two of them in my bed amped up my arousal.
“You okay, Reed? You look like you’re aggressively curating that coffee over there,” Kingston noticed. Of course he did.
Bringing everything over to the island and pouring the fancy coffee into cups kept me busy. “I’m okay. Thinking about some things.”
He accepted the coffee with a smile, savoring the aroma before sipping from his mug. “This is delicious. Thank you.”
“No problem. It’s exotic, rare beans of some sort.” I mirrored his actions and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor profile. I watched Eloise sip from her mug as well.
“I told Reed that I needed a Daddy,” Eloise whispered. “And then I freaked out. I think I probably upset him. I shouldn’t have said it.”
Kingston rubbed his hand across his mouth. He frequently spoke without a filter but something crossed his features as he sat there processing what she’d told him.
“Did Eli’s announcement upset you?”
“No, not at all,” I assured both of them. “I don’t have any experience with that dynamic, but I’m a fast learner.” I didn’t offer the information about my submissive side, my Little side. Not yet. I didn’t think they’d judge me but I wasn’t ready to share.
“It’s not something you can study for,” she said.
Kingston took another sip from his mug. “That’s not quite true.
So, someone can be used to a particular lifestyle or dynamic that differs from what you want to experience but there’s still a learning curve.
Dynamics are unique to the individuals involved in it.
It’s about personal preferences, needs, wants and setting the correct expectations. ”
Eloise drank her coffee nodding in his direction. “Huh. I never thought about it that way. You’re right.”
“He usually is,” I muttered.
The two of them turned their heads to stare in my direction.
I didn’t stroke egos for the fun of it, but something about the way Kingston was speaking and his presence in my kitchen and Eloise’s reaction to him left me off kilter.
I needed to get a hold of myself. I had dated dominant men before.
Ending up with Kingston hadn’t been on my mind.
I’d thought I wanted two partners who would both give me their submission.
Now I wasn’t so sure. Kingston rubbed his chin as he observed me.
I’d love to know what the hell was going through his head.
“I can’t stop thinking about the two of you,” Eloise confessed to her cup of coffee.
I blinked several times. Had she just said she wanted the same thing that was on my mind? I wanted to pinch myself to confirm I wasn’t dreaming.
“Both of us?” King asked as he set his mug down on the island.
“That’s what two means,” she sassed.
“In what way?” He drummed his fingers on the counter, studying her.
Eloise sucked on her bottom lip before biting it. She took a deep breath and leaned back on the stool. The tension swelled as she looked at him.
“Do I have to spell it out for you, King?”
“Yes.”
“When you carried me to bed, I felt loved. Even though I barely know you, it seems like you actually care about me. About my well-being. And I know you aren’t my friend or anything, but I wish you were.”
“We can be friends, Eli. Unless you want more than that,” he said giving her room to elaborate if she wanted. But she didn’t.
King gestured to me, prompting me to speak. “While Eloise gathers her thoughts, what are your thoughts, Reed?”
“We’re already friends. Best friends since we were around twelve, I think.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched while he listened to my sarcastic response. “Are you getting sassy with me?”
“No, King. Why would I get sassy with you? It’s not like you’d do anything about it if I did,” I retorted, adding in a hefty dose of brat.
“Oh, yeah? You think I won’t? Go ahead and keep at it. See what I do,” he responded, dropping a bit of bass into his tone.
I melted a bit. I wanted Kingston to be my boyfriend, my Dom, maybe even my Daddy if we could work out the details.
But I wanted Eloise too. “I think it would be great if you and Eli became friends or maybe more.” I shrugged.
It was easier to act like a brat, and maybe a bit indifferent rather than delving into my inner thoughts.
“What if I want to be more than friends with both of you?” Eloise asked suddenly as if it took her this time to push aside her nerves and confess.
“We can talk about that, Eli,” King assured her but she slid off the stool as if she decided she was going to run away from the statement she’d just made.
“Never mind. That’s not a good idea. I’m not attempting to flip-flop, I think everything is honestly too much. Maybe it’s dumb to believe I can be in any sort of relationship now.”
“I’m not like the men who hurt you, lemondrop,” I said, hoping to soothe her frazzled state of mind.
“I told you that in confidence,” she protested.
Shit. She was right. I had no business sharing in front of Kingston. I hadn’t meant to give her a reason not to trust me. “I apologize, I was attempting to prove that you can trust me. I understand now I may have negated that. Please give me a chance?”
Kingston lifted his hand. “Eloise seems to be in the sort of mood to hustle herself out the door and walk home. I’m fishing in the dark here since I don’t really know if that’s what’s on her mind. Everybody take a breath. Let’s talk about this.” He attempted to be the voice of reason.
“I can walk home because I’m perfectly capable of doing so.” Eloise stood up. “It’s a ten-mile trek but I’d rather–”
I took a step toward her. “You’d rather beat yourself up mentally for three hours than give yourself any chance of being happy? Are you so afraid that–”
“This isn’t productive,” Kingston interjected.
“It’s not about being happy! And I’m not afraid of anything,” she growled, her eyes flashing with anger.
Woah. This had escalated into something else entirely. I ignored Kingston. Though he was correct and her anger was justified, I was determined to get my point across. “You’re obviously scared of feeling something.”
“Who cares about my happiness anyway?” Eloise fumed.
“I do!” I took another step toward her.
“Corner. Both of you,” Kingston said quietly.
He never used such a growly tone with me before. At least not that I remembered. Eloise gawked at him. I was sure my expression matched hers. My best friend ordered me to the corner as if he had the authority to do so.
“If I have to put you there, you’re going to make me late for work,” he said calmly. “I’m not in the mood to add extra time to my shift.”
We both continued to look at Kingston as if he’d lost his mind. He held up his pointer finger on his right hand.
Shit. That gesture alone showed me how serious this whole thing had become.
Another defining moment that I was wholly unprepared for.
His middle finger joined the first. If he raised his thumb, he’d get off that stool and put us both in the corner himself.
I’d admired the way he handled his submissives for years.
We didn’t need the smoldering fire to rage into an inferno.
Grabbing Eloise’s non-injured hand I led her to a corner. “Please do what you were told to do. It might help the stifling tension swirling through my kitchen.”
She glared slightly, but placed her nose against the wall. Putting myself in the same position on the opposite side of the room, I dared not say anything else or look at my best friend.
“I’m setting a timer on my phone for three minutes. No speaking unless I ask you a question. No sighing. No stomping.” King spoke from his spot on the stool. “If it’s too much, physically or otherwise, I want you to raise your hand. Am I understood?”
“Yes, King,” I answered automatically. The corner didn’t make me spiral but I didn’t enjoy it either. I had been in a few dynamics where I was submissive to my partner, but it had been a long time. Too long.
“I don’t understand. I’m confused,” Eloise said softly.
“Go ahead, Eli. Ask me what’s on your mind.” He gave her permission to speak.
“What do you mean?”
“We haven’t established anything. I don’t know your limits, let alone your boundaries. If you get overwhelmed in the corner, raise your hand and we will talk through it. Now do you understand?”
“Yes, King. Thank you for the explanation.”
“You’re welcome. Time starts now.” He moved back to the stool and perched on it, his arms over his chest. His posture screamed Daddy, and he raised an eyebrow. “Face the wall, Reed.”
I obeyed without saying anything else that might get me into trouble. For as much as I hadn’t tested him before, it seemed like he might actually be able to be the Dominant I needed.