Page 11 of Shattered Dreams
Raine made a disgruntled noise. “Being a submissive isn’t for the weak, Officer. It takes a strong person to relinquish their control to another person.”
“Or a foolish one.” Elliot replied without thinking.
“Officer, if that’s the way you look at submission, perhaps it’s best you steer clear of those in the lifestyle. A good Dom cherishes, protects, and takes care of the submission his or her submissive offers. So, to hear someone belittle that gift is a sure way to wear out your welcome - if not a fist to the face. A dominant’s greatest treasure is their submissive’s submission.”
“I…” He stopped, then sighed. “I didn’t mean to belittle it. It sounds like a precious gift. But I just don’t think I could give over control to another. I’m absolutely clueless here.” He drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch. “I want to understand, but it’s such a foreign concept to me.”
“Understandable.” Raine paused for a moment, before continuing. “Look, any dom worth his salt would make some allowances when teaching a prospective dominant, just as long as you don’t come in demanding a submissive obey you just because you claim the dominant role. Most doms realize that of the two roles the submissive one is much stronger, but that doesn’t stop assholes and abusers from doing that very thing.”
“They do?” The words popped out of his mouth, then he felt like an idiot. “I mean – shit. I’m not handling this right. I’m so wet behind the ears it’s not even funny, but it shouldn’t surprise me that there are idiots out there that try to take advantage of the system. And nothing I’ve read tonight said anything about the submissive being the stronger of the two in a power exchange. Only the bare bones of how a top is supposed to be in total control of their submissive.”
“You definitely need a class if you’re serious about this, Officer Landon.” Raine sighed. “But this has to be more than curiosity about Max and Lizzie’s relationship.”
“I’d like to say that I’d have eventually explored the idea, but seeing Lizzie and Max interact, reminds me much of what I had with my wife. She didn’t kneel at my feet or anything, but I guess the best way to describe it is, that I was the head of my home. In my home, my rules went. I had the final say in things, and Deborah deferred to me. Not that she didn’t state her opinions very vocally at times.” As he finished, he winced. Now he sounded like a Neanderthal.
“Sounds like you had a domestic discipline type of home. Did you ever spank her if she endangered herself?”
“Once,” he admitted softly. “She scared the hell out of me. She took our daughter into an area that was perfectly safe during the day, but not so safe at night without her phone. She had a flat and by the time I found her, it had just gotten dark, and she was holding off a trio of young boys who wanted her purse with nothing more than a tire iron while our daughter cried in the backseat.”
“I can imagine you were pissed.”
“Not until afterward. Once I chased off the guys she hadn’t knocked out and we changed her tire, I gave her several sharp swats on the ass with a stern order to get home.” He sighed. “Then I went to the bar and had a stiff drink to cool off before heading home an hour later. She threw a pan at me when I walked in.” He finished with a chuckle. “I probably had it coming, but damn, I couldn’t help it. She could’ve died.”
“I wouldn’t have sat for a week if I had done the same thing. Daddy would’ve made his displeasure very well known to my backside.” Raine admitted.
“So, I wasn’t an asshole for popping her on the ass?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “My momma taught me to respect women, to open doors for them, pull out chairs, and protect them. That night wasn’t my proudest moment. But dammit, she scared the ever-living hell out of me.”
“I imagine so.” There was a rustle of paper in the background. “Look, are you a dominant? I don’t know, but from the way you describe your relationship with your wife, you’re definitely what I’d consider a Head of the Household. That too is a type of power exchange. If you want, I can sign you and your wife up for a couples’ class.”
“My wife is dead.” The words slipped out a bit bitterly. “I lost her just before I left the service.” He sighed. “But if you have a solo class, I’d love to sign up for it. I’m curious, Mr. Donovan. How will I know if I’m a dominant if I sit on the sidelines, or just an old-fashioned man who’ll probably be single for the rest of his life? Today’s women rarely appreciate my antiquated mannerisms.”
“I…” Raine seemed taken aback by Elliot’s admission. Then he rattled off a date a few days away. “Will that work for you? It’s at seven pm.”
“It will.” Elliot stood and walked over to his dry erase board. He jotted down the info. “Thank you, Raine.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Elliot nodded dumbly. “Thanks.” He said again, getting ready to hang up.
“And for what it’s worth, Detective Landon, some lucky person will more than appreciate your manners. You just have to find him or her. See you on Thursday.”
Elliot opened his mouth in surprise, when the dial tone sounded in his ear. He hadn’t been that obvious, had he?
Chapter Five
Max looked up from the book he’d been reading when his best friend hobbled into his hospital room. In the week since Storm had been released, he’d barely seen the man, but they had spoken several times on the phone. They had fallen back into the same routine they’d had after his heart attack in the spring.
“Hey man.” He closed the book. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today. You sure you should be up and around on that knee?”
Storm scowled at him as he used the walker to cross the room. “Doc says I need to walk so much every day, and I had a recheck today, so I thought I’d come up and check on your stubborn ass in person.” He sank down into the chair next to the bed. “How’s Lizzie taking the fact you’re not coming home right away?”
Max looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, I think. She seems to be handling it fine now. I think having you and Raine around is keeping her grounded, but we’ll see what happens when you both move back to the club in a few weeks.”
“Yeah. Not that I don’t appreciate you allowing us to stay at your place, I know my boy is itching to return to the club. He’s more at home there.”
“Absolutely.” Max agreed. “Redemption is his home and has been for years. It’s only to be expected that he’d be more comfortable there.”
“Too bad the stairs in the club are a no go for me at the moment.” Storm tapped the walker in front of him.
