Sophie's Surrender [Viper's Dungeon 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

Sophie couldn’t quite stop the unpleasant shiver. Adrian noticed.

“Is it the word ‘beatings’ or the idea of subs being hurt that upsets you?”

“I’m not really sure,” she said slowly, trying to work it out in her own head. “I don’t think I’ve ever considered that there might be women out there who actually want to be smacked around.” Considering the statistics on domestic violence and women who continually returned to abusive partners perhaps that shouldn’t have been so surprising to her, but it did make it hard to think of Viper’s Dungeon as a place where subs had “fun.”

“‘Smacked around’ really isn’t an accurate term for what happens at Viper’s Dungeon. Like I said, everything is consensual and often meticulously planned. The pain is used to enhance the pleasure, but Gina wasn’t deriving any pleasure from it at all. She just wanted the pain.”

“But being tied up terrified her?”

Adrian nodded and reached out a hand to touch her face. “Gina seems to have something very traumatic in her past—something she hasn’t told any of us about. Alex, Malcolm, Cooper, Viper, and Bianca need to stay with her until they’re sure she’s going to be all right.”

“Thank you for telling me,” she said, trying to accept that she might never truly understand how different people dealt with different situations. “I suspect after everything that’s happened your first instinct might have been to hide this from me.”

He gave her a warm smile and then laughed softly. “It’s a natural instinct to want to protect someone you care for, but the line between protecting and overprotecting isn’t always clear—especially for Doms when we’re dealing with subs.”

“But I’m not a sub,” she said inanely. Considering the fact that she was willingly having dinner with three men who wanted to dominate her, it seemed like a rather silly thing to say.

Adrian gave her a speculative look. “I suppose that’s true in most situations, but can you honestly say you didn’t enjoy the way Alex bossed you around in your bedroom?”

She shivered slightly as she remembered the way he’d gripped her hair, urging her to do what he wanted, or the way he’d smacked her playfully when she’d grouched about her weight. At the time she hadn’t even acquainted that experience with Dom-sub interaction.

But now…

Adrian was watching her closely as she tried desperately to hide her reaction to those memories.

“Don’t,” he said in a tone of voice similar to the one he and Alex had used in her bedroom. “Don’t hide your emotions from me.” He smiled knowingly when she shook her head, denying that she was hiding, even though technically she was trying. “Memories of that night make you hot.”

Slowly she nodded even though it wasn’t actually a question. She was still reeling at the idea that what they’d shared, and she’d so thoroughly enjoyed, had been a small part of a lifestyle she’d thought she would hate.

“Imagine how much more amazing it will be when Malcolm joins us. You’d have three men focused on your pleasure. Three men wanting nothing more than to make sure you enjoy every single moment.”

She giggled nervously at the images that flashed through her head. She squirmed in her seat and he leaned over her, trapping her between his big body and the car door beside her.

His voice dropped to a low, deep throb that resounded through every cell in her body. “If I pushed my hand into your panties right now, I know what I would find.”

Just the thought of him doing that here in the parking lot surrounded by unsuspecting pedestrians going about their business had her pussy throbbing painfully. She bit her lip, nodding, uncertain whether she was agreeing with him or asking him to follow through. Her pussy muscles clenched as his eyes darkened and his smile widened.

“You definitely have a naughty streak, beautiful, but if I start touching you here, I doubt I’ll be able to stop. Maya and Bianca both married police officers. I doubt they’d be impressed if they had to arrest us in front of Maya’s restaurant.”

Sophie laughed nervously again, the reality of where they were cooling her overheated imagination just a little.

“Come on, beautiful,” Adrian said as he undid the buckle on Sophie’s seat belt. “I know Maya and Emma are anxious to meet you.”

She finally looked around as she stepped out of the car and nearly fainted with relief when she realized this was one of the restaurants she sold her baked goods to. She hadn’t spoken to Maya for quite a long time but her memories were of a woman very much in charge of her restaurant. If Maya was a sub, then perhaps there really was more pleasure than pain to be found in this type of lifestyle.

“Sophie Richards?” Maya asked as soon as they stepped into the otherwise empty restaurant. It was still quite early for the dinner crowd and Sophie felt a little bit embarrassed that they would be eating early simply because of her schedule.

“Hi, Maya,” she said, trying to overcome the unnecessary embarrassment she still felt.

“Do you have any idea the treasure you’ve found in this woman?” Maya asked Adrian with a wide smile. Adrian nodded and pulled Sophie into his arms, her back against his front, the embrace somehow as familiar as Malcolm’s and just as comforting. “Sophie makes the best breads and bread rolls I’ve ever tasted. From the moment I first tasted her baking I knew it had to be part of my menu.”

Sophie blushed at Maya’s compliments. She’d spent years working on some of her recipes so it was very nice to have her efforts appreciated.

After a quick explanation to Maya for the rest of their friends’ absence, Adrian introduced her to Maya’s husbands, Cam and Derek, and Emma and one of her husbands, Jace.

“Logan just left on assignment. He should be home in a few weeks,” Emma said as she explained the absence of her other husband. “Hopefully I’ll be able to introduce you to him then.” She waved to a man who came through the door with a baby in his arms and he immediately headed to their table. “This is Brick. He’s one of Bianca’s husbands.”

“Technically,” Brick said with a smile on his face as he relinquished his daughter to an enthusiastic Emma, “I’m Bianca’s only husband. Viper is her Dom.”

“Details, details,” Emma said in a happy voice as she rocked the baby gently. “You both love her. The rest is just paperwork.”

“True enough,” he said as he shook Adrian’s hand in greeting. “Have we heard any more on Gina?”

“Not that I know. When I left home, Alex was waiting for a call from a friend who specializes in PTSD.”

Brick nodded. “At least she’s surrounded by people who care. Too many times Derek and I have had to arrest people suffering post traumatic stress disorders. There simply aren’t enough resources to help people like Gina.”

Sophie nodded slowly as she realized just how lucky Gina was in that regard. She had people willing to help her simply because she needed the help.

And for Sophie it was seriously humbling to realize how wrong she’d been. She’d judged an entire lifestyle on a few of her own baseless fears and had failed to see the true nature of the people involved—her men especially.

Her men.

She cuddled into Adrian, needing to hold on to at least one of the men she’d judged so unfairly.

“Hey,” he said quietly as she couldn’t quite hide her reaction, “Gina will be okay. She’s in good hands.”

“I know,” Sophie whispered, desperately trying to stem the flow of tears. “I’m so sorry I misjudged all of you. I should have…” She let her words trail away. There were so many things she should have done differently. So many unfair judgments she should have avoided. It made her feel sick to the stomach that she’d thought so little of good men.

“It’s okay, beautiful, misunderstandings happen.”

“It’s not okay,” she said quickly. “I should have been more trusting.”

“I don’t know if this helps,” Emma said as she handed the baby to Brick and turned her attention back to Sophie, “but not all clubs are like Viper’s and not all Doms are like the members there. I unfortunately know that from experience. It’s very sensible to be cautious.”

“But I—”

This time Adrian cut her off, moving his hand over her mouth to stop more words of apology. “If it makes you feel better, I will spank you for it later. Right now, let it go and enjoy dinner.” It was an order if she’d ever heard one, but one that she was happy to follow.

For the rest of the hour she tried to do as he said, but she couldn’t stop her worry increasing the longer Malcolm and Alex remained absent. Maya caught her glancing at the front door for the millionth time.

“They want to be here,” Maya said quietly. “Alex was very precise in his arrangements for tonight’s dinner.”

Sophie wasn’t really sure what Maya meant by that.

Maya must have read her confusion because she leaned over and whispered, “That’s a surefire sign that a Dom is nervous. They tend to get more dominating when they’re uncertain.”

“Oh,” Sophie said as that little bit of information seeped into her brain. Alex was the man she knew the least about. She’d been friends with Adrian for weeks and married to Malcolm for a short time, but Maya’s observation of Alex’s behavior made sense. Instead of leaving her bedroom the way Adrian had done when she’d been so rude, Alex had become even more dominating. He’d even threatened to embarrass her in front of her staff and customers if he didn’t get his own way.

At the time it hadn’t even occurred to her that his attitude was part of his Dom personality.

Of course, once Alex had realized who her ex-husband was, plans had changed and things had moved much faster than the three-day timeline he’d given her.

Malcolm arrived just as the entrees were placed in front of them. He immediately sat beside Sophie and then lifted her onto his lap. She could feel the turbulence of his emotions in the way he held her close, his fingers playing through her hair in an almost eerie reminder of the last few months of their marriage. Back then he’d instinctively pulled her closer even as she’d emotionally and mentally pulled away because of fears she’d never been brave enough to share.

Not anymore. It was obvious that whatever had happened with Gina had left Malcolm shaken. She wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling closer, not caring what anyone might think of her behavior. Malcolm needed to hold her, so that was where she stayed.

Eventually his embrace became less fierce, the fine tremor in his muscles finally easing as the conversation carried on around them. “Thank you, baby,” he whispered a moment before kissing her softly and then placing her back on her own seat. “Eat before it gets cold.”

She nodded, realizing that what Maya said about Doms was true for Malcolm, too. It explained a lot of the disagreements they’d had toward the end of their marriage as well. The more uncertain Malcolm had become the more dominating he’d been. And the more dominating he’d grown the more she’d pulled away. It had been a vicious cycle that, sadly, could only have ended the way it had. Neither of them had been particularly mature back then.

She was still trying to process everything she’d learned in the past few days when Alex finally walked in the front door of the otherwise deserted restaurant. She was out of her seat, ready to throw herself into his arms before she even realized what she was doing. She glanced at Adrian and Malcolm only to see them grinning widely.

“Go on,” Malcolm said with a smile. “After what he’s been through today, I’m sure he needs you right now.”

She nodded, her feet moving forward without her conscious choice. Sophie reached Alex quickly, his warm embrace fierce as he held her close. They stood that way, in the middle of Maya’s restaurant, just holding on to each other for a very long time.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he eventually whispered as he moved away slightly. “I very much needed that.” He kissed her softly before turning her around and heading back to the table.

“Is Gina okay?” Emma asked as they took their seats.

Alex nodded. “Viper and Bianca are taking her home. Gina still has a long way to go and we’re organizing some specialist help for her, but hopefully this is the beginning of her recovery.”

Everyone around the table seemed pleased to hear that. They spent the next few minutes talking about the pros and cons of the therapeutic benefits of Shibari rope tying before the conversation wandered onto other topics.

“Is Bianca okay?” Adrian asked his brother quietly, apparently privy to some information that none of the others knew.

Alex nodded. “She’s a lot stronger than when we first met her.” He glanced at Brick, who sat to Adrian’s left, and then smiled. “I suspect she and Viper might even take the chance to work through a few of their own emotions while the baby is out of the house.”

Brick overheard their quiet words and nodded in agreement. He didn’t seem the least bit jealous that his wife and her Dom were probably skipping dinner for some “alone time” without him.

Just as their dessert arrived, Maya excused herself to go officially open the restaurant for the dinner menu.

“Did Maya open the restaurant just to fit in with my schedule?” Sophie asked worriedly. This was pretty much the time she usually ate dinner but it must have felt strange for the others to eat so early.

“Not really,” Malcolm answered. “We all have rather strange working hours so this is usually around the time of day we manage to get together.”