The Reluctant Submissive: Courage to Change [The Men of Treasure Cove 14] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Sasha, you can’t keep her.”

  “Why not?”

  “You know why.”

  “I can help her, Tristan. I know I can.”

  “But what about our objective? If you keep her, everything changes. Can you do to her what Gabriel and Alex did to Lisset?”

  “I won’t hurt her.”

  “And I’m sure Gabriel and Alex said the same thing, but shit happens. You can’t predict the future any more than I can. I know you feel something for this woman. She’s beautiful, I can agree to that. But she isn’t for us. Her past dictates that. She will never allow another Dom to touch her, and I’m sorry, Sasha, but you’re a Dom to your core, so am I.”

  “I am willing to change for her.”

  “You say that now, but in time, your old desires will resurface. You can’t hide what you are any more than I can. We’re bastards. There is no changing that.”

  “Tristan, I love her. I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t let her go. From the moment I touched her, I knew she was mine. She may need help and time, but I am willing to give that to her. Please understand that.”

  “You’re willing to let everything we worked hard for go, because of one woman?”

  “Our woman.”

  “Don’t include me in on this farce. As far as I’m concerned, she is damaged goods.”

  “She isn’t damaged goods,” Sasha snarled.

  “Fine. She’s wounded,” Tristan relented. “Damn it, Sasha, she wouldn’t even look at me. How in the hell are we supposed to touch her without her screaming her head off and calling the cops?”

  “We court her,” Sasha replied, slowly closing the door before heading back to the main cabin, with Tristan in tow.

  Violet lay in the overly large bed that was too damn soft for her tastes. For the longest time, she was used to sleeping on the floor. The hard floor was a safety net for her, so to speak, and even after all her time at the Pleasure Cave, she was never able to sleep in a real bed.

  She knew they were watching her, and she wondered why. She didn’t trust the naked one, even after he put his clothes on. And as for the stranger, she was shocked to her core when she realized it was him. She hadn’t been able to get that man out of her head since last night. He was one of the reasons she left the Pleasure Cave. She didn’t want to run into him again. Instead, she snuck aboard the very plane he was on. She was in so much trouble.

  Hearing the door close, she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. She was alone. Grabbing the plush blanket, she scooted off the bed and found a comfortable place on the floor. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She only boarded the plane because she wanted to help Delta out. Now, Delta was back home in Treasure Cove, and she was flying to New York. She didn’t want to go to New York. She didn’t know anyone there. Hell, she didn’t know anyone in Seattle for that matter, but at least it was home.

  Laying on the floor, she remembered and tried to compartmentalize everything the two of them said. Most of it was disheartening to hear, but on some level, she knew the one called Tristan was telling the truth. She was damaged goods. She wasn’t good enough and he was determined to call Gabriel. Though how, she assumed, Gabriel Sexton was her brother was beyond her. She had no siblings.

  Her mother died when she was three and she was raised by her stepfather. He was a putrid bastard and she hoped he was rotting in jail, but she had always been too scared to find out. She feared that if he found out that she was looking for him, he would find her and then God only knew what he would do next. It was bad enough he sold her to Master, but she put nothing past Hoyt Peters. He was lowest piece of scum on the earth, and she never wanted to see him again.

  She thought of the stranger from last night, whom she now knew was named Sasha. He had a beautiful name, one she wouldn’t ever forget. He was handsome, too. His jet-black hair, thick and shiny like the midnight sky. His shadow of a beard gave him a dangerous look, especially with his tanned skin and silver eyes. He reminded her a lot of Gabriel and Alexander, yet Sasha was more. He was taller, more muscular, more dangerous. He never smiled, and when he talked he did so with determination and forcefulness. She doubted he had a gentle bone in his body and still being around him, his dominant nature scared the crap out of her. Between the two men, she wasn’t sure who was more detrimental to her well-being. In addition, what in the hell did they mean by courting her? Who did that?

  It had been a long day and she was too tired to think about anything else anymore. She didn’t know what was going to happen when the plane landed, and she no longer cared. She just wanted to go home. Wherever that was. Violet was frustrated, but she managed to maintain her composure, partly because she struggled with her own mistakes and insecurities to lash out at anyone else. She needed to get a grip and just move on. There was no changing the past. That was already done. What she could change was her future. All she had to do was know what she wanted and go after it.

  Too tired to think, she gave into the darkness only to awaken some time later, when she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Once again, she was placed on the soft bed, and immediately her body stiffened of its own accord.

  “Hush now, little flower. No one’s going to hurt you ever again,” he said, gently rubbing her back. Violet knew better than to open her eyes. She didn’t want to see him or the other one she knew was far behind. Keeping her eyes closed, she prayed they would both leave soon.

  “Maybe we should just leave her on the floor?”

  “I’m not leaving her on the floor to freeze to death, Tristan.”

  “I’m not sure about this, Sasha. I still think we should call Gabriel.”

  “No.”

  “Fine, but if she freaks out and tries to kill you, I’m letting her.”

  “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  Violet felt fingers tickling the full, soft nest of her dark black hair. He was gentle with her, almost as if he were petting something fragile. The more he petted, the more she awakened. Still, she kept her eyes closed.

  “Sasha, this is wrong and you know it.”

  “How is she ever going to trust us if we don’t teach her that we’re not the enemy? She knows my touch. I touched her body everywhere last night. She was scared, yes, but her body came alive and she didn’t stop me. On some level, she does know how to trust, Tristan. We just need to go slow.”

  “You’re playing with fire.”

  “I will not do anything she doesn’t wish. I may be a bastard, but I know how to stop myself when a woman says no.”

  “And what if she doesn’t know how?”

  “Then we teach her that, too.”

  “Are you crazy?” Tristan growled. “You can’t subject a woman who has been battered and abused to more abuse just so she can learn when to say no. That’s inhumane, and even I won’t allow you to do that to her.”

  “I’m not going to hurt her. I have given you my word.”

  “But mind-fucking her is okay? I don’t think so.”

  “Relax, Tristan. I’m just touching her hair.”

  Something fluttered in the pit of her stomach as she heard Sasha and Tristan talk. Sasha wasn’t hurting her, but Tristan believed he was. Violet wasn’t sure how him touching her hair was detrimental. But then again, the last time a man touched her in any way, she ended up in the hospital, minus last night, of course. Last night gave her hope. Though, at the time, it scared the bejesus out of her. She didn’t think she could ever let another man touch her, and yet, alone in that tunnel, she did just that.

  She shivered as his finger skimmed the back of her neck.

  He stopped moving.

  “I believe our little flower is awake, Tristan, and she is playing with us.”

  “Come on, Sasha, leave her alone.”

  “Are you awake, my little flower?” he said, his warm breath brushing her ear. “I believe you are. Open your eyes for me. Let me see them once again.”

  Unable to stop herself, Violet did just that. Slowl
y blinking, she opened her eyes to look into the sultry silver ones that captivated her last night. He didn’t smile, nor did he give anything away as he looked down at her.

  “There,” he whispered. “See, Tristan, I knew our little flower was playing.”

  “So she’s awake. That doesn’t mean she wants you manhandling her.”

  “Are you frightened of me, Violet?” he asked her, and for once, Violet knew exactly what she wanted to say to the man. However, when she started to speak, something totally different came out.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” she lied, knowing damn well she was petrified.

  “Little liar,” Sasha chuckled, smiling for the first time since she met him. “You’re scared to death. But as I am sure you’ve already heard, I will do nothing unless I have your consent.”

  “Please don’t hurt me,” Violet whispered. “I want to go home.”

  “See?” Tristan growled. “She said it herself. She wants to go home. I’m calling Gabriel.”

  “No, please don’t call him.” Violet panicked, sitting up in the bed. “I’ll do anything you ask, but please don’t call him.”

  Sasha waited for Tristan to respond. She wasn’t asking him. She was asking Tristan. Leaning back against the headboard, Sasha stared at his best friend, daring him to tell her no. Oh, he knew Tristan wasn’t going to, but he wanted to. That was one of the nice things about Tristan. Throw a damsel in distress in front of him and the man wilted like a wet noodle every time. It was a trait that was admirable, but Sasha didn’t care at the moment as long as Tristan went along with the plan.

  It was risky and Sasha knew it could backfire, but he wanted to get to know Violet before he was forced to hand her over to Gabriel. Yes, he would let the man know that Violet was safe…eventually. Until that time, he needed to learn everything he could about her. He wanted to help her heal, but mainly he just wanted her. The longer she was with him, the longer he and Tristan could work together to get her accustomed to their touch. If they could touch her without her cringing, then they could move on to other things. The main thing was making her feel comfortable. To do that, Tristan needed to open his damn mouth and tell the woman he wasn’t going to make her do anything she didn’t want to.

  “Violet, are you sure? Because I can make the phone call. Gabriel and Alexander are just worried about you. They want you safe at home,” Tristan asked, not looking at Sasha.

  When Violet didn’t say anything, Sasha was worried she’d want to go home. He never considered how she actually felt and this was it. One word from her and his hopes of getting to know her better would be gone.

  “I don’t want you to call them. Gabriel has done so much already, and if I go back there, I’m afraid I’ll never leave. The Pleasure Cave was never really my home anyway.”

  “Where is home, Violet? If you tell me, I will take you there.”

  “I don’t have one, really,” she replied, looking at her fingers as she entwined them. “I don’t know where I was born, only that I was raised in Seattle. I was going to go back there. I bought a plane ticket, but the plane left without me.”

  “Do you have family there?” Sasha asked softly, coaxing her to keep talking.

  “No. It’s what I remember.”

  “Then why would you go back? Where would you live?” Tristan asked, moving further into the room.

  “I don’t know, really,” Violet said. “I didn’t know of any other place to go.”

  “Sasha and I are going to New York. Would you like to go to New York?” Tristan asked.

  “I’ve seen pictures of New York. It’s so big, I’m afraid I’d get lost.”

  “Not if Tristan and I were your tour guides. We would like it if you would go with us.”

  “I don’t know,” she replied, fidgeting.

  “Sasha and I will be perfect gentlemen, Violet. We only want to help. I have a penthouse with plenty of rooms that no one ever sleeps in. If you’d like, I can call my housekeeper and she will prepare one for you. That way you don’t have to worry where you’ll be staying.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Violet gasped, looking up at Tristan.

  “It would be my honor to do so.”

  “But you don’t like me. You said I was damaged, and I am. I can’t be what you want. I can’t. Maybe I should just go back to Gabriel,” Violet muttered, looking away.

  “Violet,” Tristan said softly, reaching for her hands. She flinched when he touched her, but he still took hold of her hand and gently held it in his. “Look at me, Violet. Sometimes I say a lot of things that I don’t mean before I know all the facts. That is one of my failings. I tend to overreact and act before thinking. I’m sorry you heard what I said and I apologize for that. You are not damaged. Broken a little, yes, but not damaged. Please let me make it up to you. Let Sasha and I show you how beautiful New York is. Can we start over? Can we become friends?”

  “I don’t know,” she murmured, scared. Her little body was trembling again, and all Tristan was doing was holding her hand. Getting her to agree to come to New York wasn’t going to be easy. Nor was getting her to relax around them, but Sasha wasn’t ready to give up. She didn’t know it yet, but she needed them, and they weren’t going to let her go.

  “Tristan’s right, little flower. We judged you incorrectly. We were the wrong ones, I more so than anyone else. Words can’t say how sorry I am for my actions last night at the Mask. I will forever regret how I treated you,” Sasha added.

  Violet blushed. “It wasn’t all bad.”

  Tristan smiled and Sasha grinned. “Thank you for that.”

  “I should let you know that I can’t sleep with either of you. I don’t know what you were expecting in repayment, but I can’t do that.”

  “We weren’t asking anything of you, Violet. We just want to get to know you. Help you if we can, and show you New York. If, at any time, you want to go home to Treasure Cove or to Gabriel, we will take you immediately. All you have to do is tell us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Both men nodded and replied, “Yes.”

  “Okay then.”

  Chapter Ten

  Violet had never seen such beauty before in her life. They landed in New York over an hour ago and since then, she stared in amazement as the Big Apple lit up before her. The sun had gone down and the city came to life. Cabs moved quickly to get to their destinations. People scurried along, laughing and talking on phones. Restaurants catering and feeding thousands of people for the night, but it was the excitement of the place that drew her attention. Never before had she seen such opulence, such grandeur than when Tristan’s limousine drove through Times Square. It was like something out of a movie. She’d never forget this moment as long as she lived.

  “Is that…” Violet gasped, pointing out the window.

  Tristan laughed. “That is Radio City Music Hall.”

  “I’ve seen it before in movies. Is it as grand as it looks from the outside?” she whispered in awe as the limousine drove past it. It was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen.

  “Honestly, I’ve never been. But I think it’s high time I did. Would you care to go with me?” he asked sincerely. Violet smiled happily. She didn’t know what to say. It was all so overwhelming. Turning to Tristan, she just nodded, trying to hold back her tears of happiness. Radio City Music Hall was one of the places she’d always dreamed of going to. She remembered sneaking out one night to go to the late night matinée in Seattle. They were playing an old black and white, but she didn’t care. She loved going to the movies. That night, she got her first glimpse of Radio City Music Hall and she promised herself that someday she was going to go see it.

  “I just checked,” Sasha said, interrupting her thoughts. “A Chorus Line is playing tomorrow night. I’ll call Grey and have her get us tickets.”

  “That’s good, and when we’re done, we can take Violet out to dinner at Masa,” Tristan added, dialling a number on his phone. Soon Violet heard him talking as
he made the reservations. She’d never been anywhere that needed a reservation. She wasn’t sure what to do. All she said was she’d never been to Radio City Music Hall and now it looked as if she was going to a fancy restaurant.

  As the limousine traveled deeper into the city, Violet couldn’t take her eyes off all the amazing and wonderful places. There was just so much to see in New York, she wasn’t sure where she was going to start. It looked to be a marvelous place, full of life and excitement. Soon, the limo rolled to a stop in front of a large building. It was so high that she had to crane her neck to see it all and still she couldn’t see the top. Before she could reposition herself, Sasha opened the door and exited the vehicle, holding out his hand for her to take.

  Violet looked at him inquisitively. No one other than Gabriel had willingly offered her their hand without her fearing it might hit her. Taking a deep breath, Violet raised her hand and placed it in his, trusting that she was making the right decision. Kelly had told her many times that the first act of trust was a leap of faith. That she had to believe in herself and the situation she was in before she could accept that nothing was going to happen. Violet knew that trust didn’t come easily to her, and this was her first step in the rest of her life. She was going to trust Sasha and hope that he stayed true to his word.

  “Welcome to Summerfield Towers, Violet,” Tristan said, getting out and standing next to her. “My place is on the top floor. Are you ready to go inside?” he asked, but all Violet could do was look up and up. The building was huge. All metal and sleek. Its glass windows glimmered in the night lights of the city. Beautiful trees in full bloom were situated strategically at the front of the building, giving it a warming feel she hadn’t felt before. What grass there was was adorned with a multitude of flowers, but it was the overabundance of violets that caught her attention. She’d never seen so many of them before in her life. All full of life and thriving as if they knew this was their home. She envied those flowers. She wanted to be beautiful and shine in the evening light, for all to see.