Unconditional (Masters and Mercenaries #5.5)(3)

“So you want me to sub for this guy because you think I’m some kind of pushover?” She didn’t like the implication. Somehow when Taggart put it that way, she sounded pathetic. She was just trying to be nice, just trying to make things easier for the people around her.

But he was right about one thing. She ended up sacrificing all too often.

Her mind went back to her boyfriend. She hadn’t wanted to have sex, hadn’t been ready for it. He’d whined and argued and sulked and she’d given in.

Taggart shook his head, a short, sharp negative. “No. I don’t think you’re some kind of pushover. I know you’re a doormat.”

Charlotte sent her husband a look that should have killed him. “God, you’re such an *.”

He simply shrugged as though he got that a lot. “And that’s twenty, baby.”

Charlotte’s eyes rolled, her attention going back to Ashley. “What he’s trying to say is you don’t necessarily understand the dynamic a D/s relationship can take. You’re seeing the sex and the spankings and how nice it is to kneel at some hot guy’s feet and let him pet you, but there can be more to it.”

Taggart grinned, a look that lit up his normally dark face. “Don’t forget the blow jobs.”

Charlotte ignored him. “What we’re trying to do is give you the opportunity to explore the lifestyle in a safe setting with a Dom I’m pretty sure is a service top.”

“Service top?” She’d heard the terms top and bottom but had never heard there were different types.

“Doms get into the lifestyle for different reasons,” Charlotte explained. “Some are complete buttf*ck *s who want to have absolute control over every aspect of a woman’s life and can’t accept anything less.”

“We prefer the term total power exchange to buttf*ck *s.” Ian didn’t crack a smile this time.

Charlotte continued. “But some Doms actually get their pleasure in the exchange from serving their submissives.”

“Like the aftercare stuff?” She was definitely fascinated by the way Doms who had spanked their subs would turn tender, softly caring for the flesh they’d just smacked.

“Among other things. But the important part here is that some Doms like to take subs like you and make them stronger. They aren’t happy with a sub who simply serves them because they serve everyone. They want to earn the sub’s trust and that means helping the sub to be a stronger individual.”

“You’re talking about therapy.” They were back to her being crazy.

Ian shrugged again. “Think of him as a life coach with a flogger. You’re not crazy, Ashley. You just need to see that you’re worthwhile, too.”

Tears popped up, sudden and unbidden because he was right. She’d spent the last several years hating the position she’d put everyone in. Her mother had died disappointed in her, but then she’d never been able to make her mom happy. She would have been mortified that her younger daughter had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. Jill had been forced to sacrifice in order to pay off Ashley’s medical bills.

And Trevor had just walked away. One day he’d been sweet as pie, planning their wedding, and the next he’d left her with nothing but a note explaining he wasn’t ready to be a dad or a husband.

He’d never seen their daughter. After one attempt to talk sense into him, he’d even left the town they lived in. She’d tried to find him, but his parents wouldn’t tell her where he was or how to call him. His father had very smugly told her that his boy had finally come to his senses and she should go and take care of the problem.

They offered to pay for her abortion.

“Honey, are you okay?” Charlotte was kneeling in front of her, a sure sign that Ashley had drifted again.

She’d never gone back after that. Never fought for her rights or tried to force Trevor to pay child support until Jill had stepped in and hired one of Taggart’s men to do it for her. She’d just cried and walked away. “How would he do it?”

“Do what?” Taggart asked.

“Teach me I’m worthy when I’m so damn sure I’m not.” Wasn’t the first step in solving any problem admitting she had one? She’d read that somewhere.

Ian and Charlotte exchanged a long look and then Charlotte leaned forward, taking over the conversation.

“Oh, I think he should be the one to show you, but I can tell you a little bit.” Charlotte patted her hand and started to explain her new role.



“Does Ryan know about this?” Keith asked, forcing himself to stay cool. The last thing he needed was Ian Taggart thinking he was an insanely eager pervert.

Even though he pretty much was. He was insanely eager to get really perverted with the woman in question. Ashley Paxon—his best friend’s sister-in-law.

Taggart sat back in his chair. “I discussed the situation with him before he left. He knows Ashley is submissive.”

“And he approved?” Somehow he couldn’t imagine it. Ryan had to know how deeply unworthy he was. Ryan knew how he’d conducted his relationships in the past. Hell, Ryan would laugh at the idea that he knew the meaning of the word relationship.

He’d never told Ryan about what happened when he was twenty-two, but the man was smart. He knew a bad bet when he saw one.