CHAPTER 3
EDGE
For some fucked-up reason, that tone of voice, that gleam in Cav’s eye brought out my inherent need to dominate. While it had been many years since I’d even entertained the idea of a male submissive, there was something about Cav that threatened the very edges of my control.
The only problem, of course, being the fact that Cav wasn’t a submissive. Not by a long shot. Which meant the beast pacing inside me needed to take a seat.
“You might want to take a step back, remember who you’re talkin’ to,” Cav snapped, his eyes hot, but there was a rasp to his tone, as though he was turned on by this exchange.
I slid my hand back up to Cav’s neck, cupping his jaw as I held his gaze. Sure, I was testing the waters. “Then show me a little respect. Last I recall, you walked in on my scene for the night.”
A scene? Where was the naked submissive, huh? Oh, right. She’s waiting for you in the other room.
I groaned, trying to ignore that stupid voice.
In an effort to get us back on track, I narrowed my eyes, held his stare. “Why are you here, Cav?”
“You asked me to come back to Chicago, remember?” Cav retorted, his eyes glittering, his face serious.
“You’re right,” I confirmed, a bite in my tone. “But I’m talking about now. Why are you here tonight, Cav?”
Gone was the laid-back guy who sauntered in here without a care in the world.
Cav frowned, but he didn’t move away, didn’t try to get out of my hold. “I didn’t realize I needed a reason.”
“Did you know she was here?”
This time, Cav did break away, gritting his teeth and grumbling softly. “How the fuck would I know that?”
“Hell if I know. But I find it a bit coincidental.”
“What? That you asked me to come back to Chicago, and I’m here?”
He kinda has a point. You did ask him to come back.
I took a deep breath, released it. “This can’t happen,” I told him when I managed to gather my thoughts. “Jamie Lautner is not a submissive. She has no business here.”
“No? Why not? Because you’re not into it? Or because you’re tryin’ to protect her?”
“I’m not protecting her.”
Cav stared at me, disbelief and frustration reflected on his face. “You’re not prone to lyin’, Edge. Why start now? I saw the exchange in that room. As soon as she mentioned it, the beast was roarin’ to get out. You want her.”
Suddenly needing to sit down, I moved to my desk chair and dropped into it. “This is complicated, Cav.”
“From what I’ve seen, it’s rather simple. Jamie wants someone to show her the ropes. She wants you to dominate her. What’s complicated about that?”
“For starters, she’s Zeke Lautner’s sister.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard.” Cav exhaled, his exasperation evident. “And I’m not understandin’ how that matters? She’s legal, is she not?”
“Barely,” I muttered.
Cav laughed, but it lacked any humor. “You do have a problem with her age. I should’ve figured.”
“I do not,” I lied.
“More lies.” Cav put his hands on his hips. “You’re on a fuckin’ roll tonight, huh?”
I rolled my eyes, pretended to be interested in the top of my desk.
“She’s going about this the right way,” Cav noted. “She’s asking permission, and you heard her; she trusts you, Edge. Doesn’t that count for something?”
My eyes narrowed, but I didn’t answer.
Cav waited several long beats before he sighed heavily. “All right. Answer me this.”
I waited.
“Do you want to dominate her?”
I considered my answer. Cav and I were close. We’d been friends for years, shared secrets and women. I found it difficult to lie to anyone, but I found it damn near impossible to lie to him.
“More than anything.” In fact, I wanted her so fucking bad I could taste it. The need she stirred in me was real, even if I hadn’t felt it in a damn long time.
Admission is the first step. We’re making progress.
“So that’s not the problem. Is it me? She mentioned I could be her Dom. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. Of course not.” The exact opposite, actually.
Cav paced in the small space, watching the floor. “So you’ve admitted you want her. And you don’t have an issue with me dominating her.” He lifted his head, snagged my gaze. A light bulb seemed to click on. “Do you want us to dominate her together?”
A low rumble sounded in my chest. I knew I would regret my response, but I let it out anyway. “Yes, damn it, I do.”
Oh, shit. I think some of those walls just crumbled.
My hands clenched into fists. That damn voice needed to take a hike.
“What if we did? What if we gave Jamie Lautner what she wants? A chance to interact with those in the lifestyle. She can walk in a submissive’s shoes, experience it for herself, and we’ll be right there with her to keep her safe. No kid gloves. We’ll treat her like any other submissive.”
I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. “That’s the problem, Cav. She’s not any other submissive.”
“And why not?” He held up his hand and grimaced. “And don’t say because she’s Zeke Lautner’s sister.”
“But she is,” I countered with a smirk.
“Maybe. But she’s also a grown woman who knows what she wants. Zeke’s not her guard dog. And he entrusted her to you. There’s a reason for that.”
I laughed, but it was not funny by any means. “Because he knew I could keep my hands off.”
How’s that working out for you?
It wasn’t. She was pushing me to a point I knew I was going to snap.
She made it difficult to remember the reason I had agreed to this.
Especially when the little brat taunted me.
Jamie was looking to me to help her explore this world, and I had to admit, I was fucking honored that she’d chosen me.
For brief moments I could almost forget she was Zeke’s sister, that she was more than a decade younger than me, and that she was completely inexperienced in this realm.
I slid my hand through my hair, tugged roughly on the strands. “For fuck’s sake, Cav. She doesn’t even know what it means to be a submissive. She has no real idea of what these Doms would ask of her. What I would ask of her.”
“Then teach her,” he countered. “That’s your job, right? Teaching submissives about the ins and outs? Safe, sane, consensual, and all that shit. There’s no one better at it than you are. We can ensure she doesn’t get taken advantage of. We can protect her.”
I glared at him. I hated that he always had a point. More accurately, I fucking hated that Cav could so easily talk me into shit like this. That was the way it had always been between us.
You don’t think that’s why you wanted to talk to him alone? So he could do exactly that?
Fine. The voice was right again. I had wanted Cav to convince me to give in.
He was the only one who had that much power over me.
I wanted to do this. Not only because Jamie had asked me, but also because Cav was here.
Admittedly, I missed him. He’d been gone for far too long, and now that he was back, I couldn’t help but think there were a few loose strings he and I needed to tie up.
Including him would ensure he stuck around for a bit.
“Fine,” I stated. “But not tonight.”
His forehead creased with confusion. “What?”
“We’re not starting this tonight,” I clarified.
“If Jamie’s sure this is what she wants, then fine, I’ll go along with it.
The two of us can help her explore so she can write her paper.
” I couldn’t believe I was saying that. “However, the first thing I’ll have her do is think it through. She can’t be impulsive about this.”
“What about the submissive training class?” he suggested. “Why don’t you have her enroll in that?”
It was a question I’d asked myself in the beginning, as well. “I’ve considered it.”
“So what’s the issue?”
“Well, for one, Zeke would strangle me with my own hands.” I held up my hand before he could argue. “Zeke’s a Master in this club, Cav. He comes here frequently. I seriously doubt he’d want to see his sister in some compromising positions.”
“Good point,” he conceded. “However, there are ways around that. We can modify the curriculum for her. Keep her close.” He grinned. “She can be the teacher’s pet.”
Now you’re talking.
My dick jerked.
No. No, damn it. I couldn’t let this get out of hand.
Cav sighed. “I can see that big brain of yours workin’. What’s your plan, Edge?”
That was the hard question. I didn’t have a clue how this would map out. If Zeke found out I was intending to dominate his sister…
From teaching to dominating … nice progression, you big, bad Dom.
“Quit thinkin’ about her brother,” Cav mumbled.
My gaze shot up to him. “How do you— You know what? Never mind.” I pushed to my feet and paced the few feet to the door.
“What if we came at this from a different angle?” Cav asked.
I turned to face him. “What do you mean?”
He laughed. “What if we took the opportunity to dig into her psyche a little?”
“Continue.”
“Since technically she’s not a submissive, what if we pretended we weren’t Doms for a bit?”
He obviously noticed the distaste reflected on my face. Being a Dominant wasn’t something I could flip on and off like a switch.
“Hear me out. In an effort to gauge what direction she wants to go, what if we start off by getting to know her? In the traditional sense. Are you opposed to taking her out?”
He stared at me. I stared back.
“Wining, dining,” he explained.
Still staring.
“You know, the whole courting process.”
I held up a hand, cutting him off. “I know what dating is, Cav.”
“Do you?” Cav laughed. “When’s the last time you went out on an actual date with a woman?”
I glanced over at the door, trying to recall the last scene I’d participated in.
“A woman who isn’t a member of this club,” he clarified. “Temporary or otherwise. And an evening that didn’t involve her going to her knees or calling you Master.”
That was a really good question. I had no clue. If I had to guess, it’d been a year or so. Maybe longer. I didn’t have time to date, certainly not since I’d accepted the job at Chatter PR. Between that and being the head Master here at Dichotomy, I had my hands full.