“I like that you were honest when you said you preferred a man to take the lead in the bedroom, Scarlet,” Absinthe ventured.
The door opened immediately into the enormous expanse that was the living room. The vaulted ceilings added to the feeling of space. The room was turned so the windows on one side showed the garden and the other the views of the ocean. The third side was open to flow into the next room, so there was little to designate between the living room and den, where the pool table and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made up two walls. Lana had chosen the chairs and short table between the chairs for comfortable reading in the evenings.
That room flowed into a dining room with a long table for guests. There was a chandelier he planned on replacing. Lissa, a famous glassblower, the wife of one of the brothers, was making him a custom one. The dining room flowed into the kitchen. All the rooms had a view of the ocean or gardens. The sprawling house looped around to form a long U shape with a protected courtyard in the center. The house protected the center from the winds coming off the ocean. The garden was stunning, surrounding the courtyard, protecting those inside from anyone coming up on them from seeing in.
The master bedroom, guest bedrooms, offices and bathrooms were all built along the U shape’s arms. Absinthe walked slowly through the house, letting her see it while he talked to her.
“I wasn’t completely honest,” Scarlet denied.
He glanced over his shoulder at her. She had her gaze fixed on the bed. He was a big man. The bed had a large gray-blue frame and the quilt matched. One side of the wall was made of sheer glass, an enormous framed sliding door that went out onto the verandah or into the courtyard. It was the only room that had access to the verandah. The carpet was a soft dove gray with a bluish cast to it. The wall behind the bed was a dark gray painted with geometric designs in light blues and grays. Two lamps hung from the ceiling to either side of the bed, leaving the space open on the two small black end tables. He found the entire effect soothing.
He had guessed she hadn’t been, but she didn’t need to be. He already knew. “Let me tell you what I need, Scarlet. That way, if we’re not compatible, you don’t have to say anything more. If we are, you can tell me what you need.”
He gestured toward one of the two chairs in front of the fireplace. “Sit over there for a moment.” The master bathroom was just off the bedroom through one door, the enormous closets through another door.
Scarlet sat immediately, her long red hair falling around her face and down her back.
“What I didn’t make clear to you when I told you I was pretty fucked up is that when I was a child, I was taught to like certain things in the bedroom. Not just like them. I need them to get off. I need to tell my woman what to do and have her obey me. I have the ability to use my voice to make her do things, and I have done so in the past when I was forced to. I swore I wouldn’t again, and I never have.”
He stole a look at her to see how she was taking what he said. It was difficult to tell. Her fingers stroked her throat, but she didn’t so much as blink.
He forced himself to continue. “I find myself wanting to be able to use my ability with you, but I want your consent. I want you to know what I’m doing at all times and still consent to it. So, in other words, I want your full cooperation. I need you to want to do these things for me. Are you understanding what I’m saying to you? You would hear my commands and have no choice other than to obey them, but you would have consented ahead of time although you won’t know what I’m going to ask of you.”
Absinthe didn’t take his eyes from Scarlet. He could tell by her heightened breathing that she was sexually aroused just by the suggestion, but she was also very afraid. He couldn’t blame her. She was connected to him, but she didn’t really know him.
“What kinds of things?”
“Anything I ask of you.”
“Other men?”
“Absolutely not. I don’t share. You’re my woman. I’m not going to lie or mislead you in any way. We were brought up together in a situation where we relied on one another to watch each other’s backs. That means we breathe easier having sex when we’re around one another. When we party, we feel safer close together. Having said that, we don’t share our women. Blythe is Czar’s. Anya is Reaper’s. Breezy, Steel’s. Soleil belongs to Ice. If any man touched any of them or you, the club would kill them. You have not only my protection, but also the club’s. I give you my word of honor on that, Scarlet, but you have to decide whether you can trust me on it or not. That’s obviously a huge one because this is something I need.”