The Masters of Falcon's Fantasies [BDSM Menage Fantasies 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (13 page)

“Have you ever told him that?”

“No. I wouldn’t know how. Besides, what good would it do?”

“
Well, for starters, that’s the only way to get real answers instead of just making unfounded assumptions,” Allie said. “You were asking what the poly and the submissive stuff was really like. That, Daphne, is what it’s all about. It’s lots of tough discussions where you all put yourselves out there and tell each other the truth—not what you think they want to hear, or what will get you a reaction, but honest-to-goodness communication. It’s about making your needs known and finding out what their needs are
,
then negotiating a way to meet them. You have to have tough skin and a desire to make it work. If you can’t do that, then these aren’t the lifestyles for you.”

They were silent for a minute, concentrating on their tasks. Allie dried and put away the pans that Daphne had washed, making a silent resolution to pull some of them out again later and rewash them.

“Shouldn’t you try to get some sleep yourself?” she asked finally. “You do have a lot of work to do today.”

“Nah. I don’t really sleep much. Finn made me give up the sleeping pills I used to take. I promised I’d try to learn to go to sleep naturally.” Daphne gave a short laugh. “It’s not working very well, to tell the truth, but I don’t care. I write a lot of songs in the middle of the night.”

“I can teach you some meditation techniques that might help.” Allie put down her dish towel and picked up a cookbook. “But in the meantime, do you want to learn how to bake?”

Daphne’s face lit up. “Would you
really teach me
?” she squeaked.

Allie regarded her eager expression and tried to convince herself that Daphne wasn’t just joking. “Sure.”

Daphne clapped like a little girl and threw her arms around Allie. “Thank you! I do want to be friends, you know. And there’s something I want to ask you.” In an instant, her demeanor went from excitement to shyness. She should be an actress as well as a singer, Allie thought. Her face was so expressive, even aside from being beautiful. She nodded.

“It’s about that other guy. Decker. Do you think he’s poly—poly—”

“Polyamorous? I have no idea. As far as I know he only had one girl before.”

“Hmm.” Daphne looked thoughtful. “I wonder
…”

Decker was surprised to see eight people at the breakfast table when he came down. Finn was there, chatting with two of the band members. Three more people were stacking equipment cases by the door and taking places at the table, smiling politely to Allie, who was pouring coffee for everyone. Daphne was handing out muffins, chattering to no one in particular about how she had helped Allie make them. Platters of eggs, bacon
,
and sausage sat in the middle of the table, wafting a delicious odor throughout the house.

When Daphne became aware of his presence, she flew to him, holding her plate of muffins proudly in front of her.

“Allie is teaching me how to cook,” she informed him, breaking off a piece of one and holding it in front of his mouth. Amused, he opened it and allowed her to pop it in. He chewed and swallowed, then gave her a broad smile.

“Delicious. What kind is it?”

“Turnip and chocolate chip.” She took his arm with her free hand and dragged him to the kitchen table. “Here, sit by me. Would you like juice and coffee?”

“Yes, please.” Decker threw a glance at Finn. He saw Finn’s eyes dart toward Daphne
,
but the other man was deep in a conversation about setting up lighting and sound equipment. Decker turned back to Daphne. She was probably flirting with him to make Finn jealous, he thought. Or maybe there was someone else in the group she wanted to fuck with. It certainly wasn’t his looks or personality that was the cause of this attention.

She was chattering away like a little girl as she poured drinks and loaded a plate for him. She put a generous helping of eggs on her own plate, although she giggled when she saw him notice it.

“I know, I know. I’m a horrible pig. But I didn’t eat dinner last night, and I’m going to need lots of energy today.”

“I think it’s good that you’re eating. Most women are way too concerned about looking like they’re starving to death.” He pointed toward the door that Allie had just gone through. “Look at Allie. She’s a normal size, and she’s gorgeous.”

Daphne’s bright smile faded a little, but she nodded. “She is gorgeous, isn’t she? And so sweet.”

She fell silent and tucked into her meal, even taking a small piece of bacon and eating it with the air of breaking a taboo.

“Are you going to come and watch?” Daphne asked suddenly, turning toward Decker.

“No.”

“How come?” Her voice went up a few notches until she sounded like a little girl. Must be how she manipulates people, he thought.
Interesting.

“Finn thought it would be distracting, remember?”

“I don’t care what Finn thinks.” She pouted, sending a venomous look in the direction of her manager across the table.

“Well, as I understand it, you agreed to follow his instructions while you were here. Isn’t that correct?”

Daphne’s face darkened. She pushed her plate away but reached out for the muffin as a second thought. Instead of eating it, though, she began pulling tiny pieces off it and tossing them across the table. She didn’t seem to notice Decker frowning at her behavior.

The general conversation seemed to be coming to an end. Several of the people at the table got up and began carrying equipment out the door, presumably to the barn where the recording was going to begin. Finn turned to Daphne as he finished his coffee and finally noticed the pieces of pastry flying through the air at him. His face went through several changes of expression, from anxious to determined, before he spoke.

“Stop that, Daph. You’re making a mess. Are you ready for today?”

Daphne shrugged, popping the rest of the muffin into her mouth. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Good. I’m expecting great things from you today. Don’t disappoint me.”

Daphne’s eyebrows shot up and her face turned slowly toward him. “Excuse me?”

Finn’s face turned a light shade of red
,
but he cleared his throat, put down his coffee cup and tried again, lowering his voice a notch. “I said
,
don’t disappoint me. Why don’t—I mean, go out and start warming up. I’ll just make sure all the equipment is here
,
and we can get started.”

“What if I’m not ready to go out and start warming up?”

Finn faltered. His eyes flicked to Decker, then back to Daphne. “Why wouldn’t you be ready?”

She stood up. “I need to help Allie clean up first.”

“I think Allie can manage the cleaning up. You’ve never needed to help her before.”

“Well, I do today.” Daphne’s voice was dignified as she picked up her dishes and Decker’s and headed into the kitchen. Decker watched her go, debating whether to call after her and ask for his plate back. He’d been just about to get seconds on the eggs. But then Finn shot out of his seat and stormed off after her, and Decker decided to let it go, taking another muffin instead.

The sound of raised voices came from the kitchen. Decker turned to the band member next to him and asked, “So how long have you been doing this?”

“Working with Finn and Daphne? It feels like forever,” the young man said. Decker thought he’d been introduced as Tony, but he wasn’t sure. “I just wish they’d give it up and get a room so we didn’t have to listen to the constant bickering. They’re like a bad sitcom.”

His buddy snickered. “No doubt.”

“They fight like this all the time?” Decker hated himself for being curious, but there was no denying the fact that he was trying very hard to overhear what was going on in the kitchen.

“All the time,” the young man who might have been Tony said, emptying the last of the eggs onto his plate. His friend gave him a reproachful glance that Decker sympathized with thoroughly then claimed the remaining bacon. He glanced at Decker sheepishly. “Sorry, dude. Did you want some?”

“No, that’s fine.” Decker tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice as he took another muffin. From the looks of the table, there had been pancakes as well, but they’d been extinct before he’d come down. His own fault. But weren’t musicians supposed to be late sleepers? He wouldn’t have expected any of them to beat him to breakfast.

The two boys finished in silence then slammed their way out of the front door, laughing and pushing each other. Decker stood up and began collecting plates and coffee cups. The fight in the kitchen had died down when he took in his load. Finn was standing, looking out the screen door, hands balled into fists. Allie was clearing off the table where she, Karl
,
and Brad had eaten.
Everyone else was
gone.

“Nice try,” Decker said to Finn before he could stop himself.

Finn turned. “Not very effective, though. I only managed to piss her off. What am I doing wrong?”

“Hard to say. If she’s not used to you giving orders
,
you might have just caught her off guard. But if I had to guess, I’d say she’s not getting something she needs from you. That could be what’s making her so defiant.”

“How am I supposed to figure out what she needs?”

“Have you tried asking?”

Finn flushed bright red and went back to staring out the door. “She only makes jokes.”

Allie’s voice came from behind Decker, startling him a little. “Are you so sure they’re jokes?”

Finn only shrugged. Decker wanted to spin him around and yell at him, make him see that he couldn’t just drop it. This was something he was going to have to work for. It wasn’t going to just fall into his lap, and it was too important to dismiss with a shrug. The man just couldn’t get a clue. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

He pondered his unexpected anger as he recovered a book from his room and went to sit on the front porch. It shouldn’t be jealousy. There was nothing to be jealous about. Daphne flirted with him, sure, but she would probably flirt with Sasquatch if he came to dinner. Even if he was interested in her, it didn’t matter if she was in love with Finn. He firmly believed in polyamory. It wasn’t that at all. She just wasn’t right for him. He’d seen other
D
ominants dealing with impudent, bratty submissives who—

He was sure that wasn’t how Daphne would be, though. She might seem bratty on the surface, but there was something more. She was different, no denying that, but he knew she would be pliable underneath if the right hand guided her. She was submissive at heart. Decker had absolutely no doubt of that. All she wanted—no, needed—was someone strong to take a firm hand with her. But not domineering
-
strong. She wouldn’t respond to someone domineering or obnoxious. No, the
D
ominant who would finally gain Daphne Monroe’s trust and submission would have to be sensual, intense, but also playful—at the right time. She needed someone who could curtail her playfulness when it was inappropriate and bring it into bloom when the time was right. Finn had a lot to learn if he thought he could just step in and become a Dom like that.
I could do it, but it takes years to learn to balance control, tenderness
,
and fun, and he doesn’t have that long. What if—no. I won’t put myself through that again.

After an hour of pretending to read, Decker finally put his bookmark back in its original spot and tossed the book onto a side table in the hallway, sending a silent apology to Allie for not taking it to his room. He could hear distant guitar chords coming from the back yard, but he resisted the urge to go and listen. Instead, he got in his car and drove away. He needed to find another place to stay. The drama here was just too much for him, especially when it wasn’t his place to solve anything.

* * * *

“I’m exhausted.” Daphne collapsed on the back porch and gave Finn a friendly smile as he followed her up the steps. She sighed when he went silently past and focused her attention on the setting sun, trying not to feel disappointed when the screen door closed behind him. She’d thought he had let their fight this morning go. It must have just been while they were working.

Suddenly he was beside her again, holding out a cold beer. She looked up in surprise.

“You earned it,” Finn said, settling himself in another chair. “Great work today. But now we need to have a talk.”

“Oh, no, not a talk!” She covered her face with one arm in a semi-mock gesture of terror, but her heart was sinking. He was going to quit. He’d threatened it often enough. Now it was actually coming. But his next words gave her a little hope.

“Daphne, if we’re going to work together, we need to come to an understanding.”

His face was turned toward the ocean view, but she could see the tightness in his jaw. “What kind of understanding?”

“I need to know what you want from me.” He was still conspicuously not looking at her. “Please don’t play games. This is a serious business, and we need to treat it seriously.”