Teddy Bear Sir (The Sloan Brothers Book 3) by Jo Willow Read Free Book Online

it?”
    She began to fidget and I saw doubt in her eyes.  She was worried her answer was going to anger me so I needed to clarify.
    “ You can tell me the truth you know.  We are friends.  Right?”
    I saw a ghost of a smile at that.  Good.  We were making headway.
    “ Yes Pierce.  We’re friends.”
    I smiled in return.  We were getting somewhere.
    “ So friend to friend.  Forget I’m a Dom, forget everything you think you know about me and answer the question.  Do you actually enjoy being submissive?”
    She shrugged and blushed.  Her eyes darted away while she was deciding something.  I had a feeling that what she was about to reveal was huge, so I stayed quiet and let her think.  When her eyes came back to mine, what I saw made me nervous.  She had the look of a scared child.
    “ It’s the only thing I’ve ever known Pierce.  I’ve only ever been with Tony and he was a Dom.  I wouldn’t know how to behave any other way.”
     
    Okay so we just ramped “weird” up a notch.  People, I ask you.  What in the hell was I supposed to say to that?  I heard the stories and I know the details.  The guy might have been a Dom, but more than that, he was a fucking sadist.  The things he did to her far surpassed anything in my repertoire or wildest consideration.  Is this what she expected now from any man that touched her?  On a deeper note, was she asking for this from me?  I had so much thinking to do, I needed a locked room and a bottle of single malt just to approach the subject.
     
    I took her hand and led her to the sofa.  Once she was settled, I sat down close to her and took her hand.  I was so far out of my comfort zone, I was looking for an exit from my own life at the moment.
    Her eyes never left me and I was conscious of that fact.  I had to plow on through and hope I got this right.
    “ Ayla, do you think I’m like him?”
    She never hesitated.
    “ I don’t know.  He’s perfectly pleasant in public as well.  I’ve never seen you in action.”
    And you never will if that’s what you expect...
    “ Do you need that level of... domination?”
    She scrunched her brow.
    “ There are levels?”
    Oh shit.  Is this the conversation I needed bright and early on a Saturday morning?  No my friends.  It’s not.
    “ In my experience, yes.  There are.  Tony was extreme and cruel.  He did things to you that I would never consider doing to anyone under any circumstance.”
    I let that sink in and I saw her eyes fill with tears as I waited for that to sink in.
    “ Pierce, am I a bad person for allowing that to go on for as long as it did?”
     
    Fuck me.  How in the world do I answer that question and still come off as the confident Dom?  Melody already laughed at me behind my back, I didn’t need Ayla fueling the fire.
    The minute I saw the first teardrop fall, I was screwed.  I’ll admit it here and now.  My life changed in that moment.  I pulled her into my arms and accepted my fate.  I was firmly in a relationship.  There would be no NDA, but there would have to be rules.  I couldn’t give up complete control and I could and would control this relationship.  There.  Now I felt better.
    I stroked her hair and let her cry while I answered the question.
    “ You’re never a bad person for loving someone enough to trust them Ayla.  He was the bad person for abusing that trust.  Don’t question your response, question his motives.  Be proud that you got out when you did.  Be proud that you refused to accept his cruelty as a life sentence.”
    She pulled back and looked into my eyes, searching for something that I believe she found.
    “ You mean that, don’t you?”
    “ I do.  A Dom’s first thought should always be to look after the health and mental well being of his Sub.  He should have seen that you were unhappy and frightened and taken immediate steps to correct it.  If he was unable or unwilling to bend to your needs, then he should have let you go.