information about her circumstances.
“It’s not about need. It’s a code for him. I’m his responsibility until I’m handed off to another Dom. He won’t fully release me until he knows I’m safe and secure.”
“I won’t have another man care for you.” Cade didn’t understand why she would fight him on this. It didn’t make sense. “I want it to stop today.”
“It isn’t that simple.”
“Are you afraid of him? I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Martin would never hurt me.”
“He beat you with a whip, and God knows how else he humiliated you.”
“You need to get over that,” Gracie said. “I submitted to him and his will. He punished me how he saw fit. He made me strong.”
“He made you submissive.”
“Exactly.”
“You know what? This is my fault. I’m the one who put you on this path. You never would have resorted to this behavior if I hadn’t been so rough with you in the first place. You were young and impressionable, and I made you think you wanted to submit.” Cade needed to take responsibility for his actions. He should have been the man she needed when she was younger. He should have treated her better.
“You didn’t make me submissive. I wanted that life. I needed to do it for both of us.”
“Damn it, Gracie. That’s enough. We can have our games in the bedroom. They’re fun and they’re sexy, but they don’t define who we are as a couple. I want a life with you, but you need to cut him loose.”
“I can’t do that.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t ask me to choose.”
“I just did.”
“Cade, you have to understand what he means to me. I wanted to tell you he was still in my life, but I’d already thrown so much at you. I didn’t think you could handle the hold he still has over me. The emotional bond between a Dom and a sub runs deep. I’m connected to him in ways I don’t think you can understand right now. It’s not something I can just walk away from and not be affected. You need to allow me this.”
“I don’t need to do anything. You came back here and asked me to exert my dominance over you. You waved contracts and checklists in my face. You told me things you’d done with another man, and as much as I hated knowing what you shared with him, I listened because I wanted to do what you needed. I’m drawing the line. You can’t have us both.”
“Martin can help you understand.”
“What?”
“I was just on the phone with him. I explained to him how you feel like you’re not enough for me. He wants to help us.”
What the fuck is she talking about? “Help us how? And why are you discussing me with another man?”
“He checks in with me a few times a week. He wants to hear about our progress.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You tell him what goes on in the bedroom? Why would you think that would be acceptable?”
“I don’t tell him everything.”
“Well, that’s real comforting.”
“Cade,” she said. “He wants to help guide us in our BDSM journey. He has so much experience. He could help you realize your full dominant potential.”
“Because I’m not enough for you?” He’d wondered when her patience would run out and she’d need more. He’d known all along that what they were doing in the bedroom was more than fun. It was now her way of life.
“Of course not.” She reached for his hand, but he backed away.
“We’re not entertaining this. If it’s me you want, then you cut him off. I won’t share, and I sure as hell won’t allow another man to guide me in anything.”
“I’m not asking you to share me,” she defended. “Martin wouldn’t ask that of me either.”
Martin! He was sick of hearing his name and how wonderful he was. “I’ll never measure up, will I?”
“I don’t compare.”
“You don’t have to,” he said as he headed for the door. “I’ll make it real simple. I’m done.”
“Where are you going?” She chased after him. “You can’t just leave.”
“What
“It’s not about need. It’s a code for him. I’m his responsibility until I’m handed off to another Dom. He won’t fully release me until he knows I’m safe and secure.”
“I won’t have another man care for you.” Cade didn’t understand why she would fight him on this. It didn’t make sense. “I want it to stop today.”
“It isn’t that simple.”
“Are you afraid of him? I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Martin would never hurt me.”
“He beat you with a whip, and God knows how else he humiliated you.”
“You need to get over that,” Gracie said. “I submitted to him and his will. He punished me how he saw fit. He made me strong.”
“He made you submissive.”
“Exactly.”
“You know what? This is my fault. I’m the one who put you on this path. You never would have resorted to this behavior if I hadn’t been so rough with you in the first place. You were young and impressionable, and I made you think you wanted to submit.” Cade needed to take responsibility for his actions. He should have been the man she needed when she was younger. He should have treated her better.
“You didn’t make me submissive. I wanted that life. I needed to do it for both of us.”
“Damn it, Gracie. That’s enough. We can have our games in the bedroom. They’re fun and they’re sexy, but they don’t define who we are as a couple. I want a life with you, but you need to cut him loose.”
“I can’t do that.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t ask me to choose.”
“I just did.”
“Cade, you have to understand what he means to me. I wanted to tell you he was still in my life, but I’d already thrown so much at you. I didn’t think you could handle the hold he still has over me. The emotional bond between a Dom and a sub runs deep. I’m connected to him in ways I don’t think you can understand right now. It’s not something I can just walk away from and not be affected. You need to allow me this.”
“I don’t need to do anything. You came back here and asked me to exert my dominance over you. You waved contracts and checklists in my face. You told me things you’d done with another man, and as much as I hated knowing what you shared with him, I listened because I wanted to do what you needed. I’m drawing the line. You can’t have us both.”
“Martin can help you understand.”
“What?”
“I was just on the phone with him. I explained to him how you feel like you’re not enough for me. He wants to help us.”
What the fuck is she talking about? “Help us how? And why are you discussing me with another man?”
“He checks in with me a few times a week. He wants to hear about our progress.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You tell him what goes on in the bedroom? Why would you think that would be acceptable?”
“I don’t tell him everything.”
“Well, that’s real comforting.”
“Cade,” she said. “He wants to help guide us in our BDSM journey. He has so much experience. He could help you realize your full dominant potential.”
“Because I’m not enough for you?” He’d wondered when her patience would run out and she’d need more. He’d known all along that what they were doing in the bedroom was more than fun. It was now her way of life.
“Of course not.” She reached for his hand, but he backed away.
“We’re not entertaining this. If it’s me you want, then you cut him off. I won’t share, and I sure as hell won’t allow another man to guide me in anything.”
“I’m not asking you to share me,” she defended. “Martin wouldn’t ask that of me either.”
Martin! He was sick of hearing his name and how wonderful he was. “I’ll never measure up, will I?”
“I don’t compare.”
“You don’t have to,” he said as he headed for the door. “I’ll make it real simple. I’m done.”
“Where are you going?” She chased after him. “You can’t just leave.”
“What
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