“A couple of years. I joined shortly after I moved to Austin. I haven’t been able to attend as often as I’d like, but I’m hoping that will change soon.” When he raised a brow in question, she shrugged. “I’ve finally brought in another doctor. My practice grew much faster than I thought it would, and it took a long time to find someone I felt confident bringing on board.”
“I can’t imagine it’s easy to find doctors in your field who have any background working with magicals.”
“Very difficult. I also wanted someone who understood the BDSM lifestyle. I didn’t want a doctor who would bristle when a Dom refused to leave the room during his submissive’s examination.”
“I don’t suppose they teach kink in medical school. Medical professionals who have only experienced vanilla sex wouldn’t understand how intensely protective a Dom can be when it comes to protecting what belongs to them.” When she nodded, he was pleased to feel her relief. She obviously appreciated his understanding of the challenges she faced.
The guiding tenet of Dominance and submission was always Safe, Sane, and Consensual. The words were more than just an abstract concept written into every membership contract. They were a promise made between all legitimate BDSM players. But the foundation of any good D/s relationship was communication. He was determined to establish a solid foundation with Bristol—they’d need it to weather the inevitable storms ahead.
They both had demanding careers—working long hours meant they’d have less free time available to spend together. His business often required travel—hell, last year, he’d been out of the office more often than not. Frequent separations were stressful for any relationship, but they were particularly difficult for shifters. Their sexual nature was in overdrive for several weeks after they were first mated, and any significant separation during that time would be particularly painful for both of them.
“There are a lot of special seminars available during a new physician’s residency, but I don’t remember seeing anything about communication strategies related to interactions with sexual Dominants.”
Israel was stunned. He could tell by the sincerity reflected in her expression, she wasn’t kidding. Her response wasn’t snark, but her sincerity was borderline humorous. Damn, he’d been spending so much time with his artistically inclined siblings, he’d forgotten how literal scientists could be.
Note to self: Remember how you deal with London—do that. The next to youngest Adler had reluctantly taken a step back from her intense research schedule when she’d mated. Now, as the mother of twin sons, she told him she was beginning to return to work. Her goal was to regain some margin of control in her own life, and with any luck, she’d be able to save her sanity. Israel had assumed she was joking until he’d watched her chasing the boys through the Monroe compound a few weeks earlier.
London’s mates, Eli and Dr. Evan Monroe, were also twins. They saw the pandemonium as normal and had taken their young sons’ antics in stride, laughing when the dynamic duo tried to climb the playground equipment, intent on launching themselves into the air to prove to their harried mother, they could fly. Perhaps knowing one of their dads was a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon provided more of a safety net than the two hellions needed. As much as he’d been looking forward to seeing his nephews this weekend, he’d understood when he heard the young parents left their sons with their grandparents. The pretty blush painting Bristol’s cheeks reminded him of the pink he’d watched move over his sister’s face when she’d confessed, she wanted time alone with her husbands.
Frazzle. I’m such a dork. I can’t believe I said that. I may not be ready to be mated, but I don’t want the man to think I’m a blooming brainiac with no social skills. Bristol had always been what her friends called a literal geek—she took things at face value, assuming people meant what they said, rather than attributing their words to sarcasm or teasing. Hell, it’s exhausting, trying to sort through every word spoken during a conversation, wondering if it’s some kind of puzzle. Who wants to spend time sorting through that nonsense? Probably easy if you grew up with brothers and sisters, constantly yammering some level of bullshit in your ear, morning, noon, and night. Some of us spent all our time with our noses shoved in books, without any time for fun and games.
“As we learn more about one another, it will get easier, Beautiful.”
Israel Adler was wrecking her defenses. The soothing tone of his voice, the gentle way his hand wrapped around her neck—it was seduction on a level Bristol had never experienced. If she didn’t get away from him, she’d be begging him to take her before the string quartet finished their first number.
“If we’re in a scene, begging may or may not be appreciated. Outside of a defined period of play, you’ll never have to beg, Bristol. I will always give you what you need.”
It didn’t escape her attention, he’d said he would give her what she needed. During her training, when she first joined the club, she’d been warned there was a difference between what she wanted and what she needed. She’d never had a D/s relationship but had heard plenty of other subs discussing the distinction.
“I need to get back. I promised to help. It’s why I’m here.” He kept his hand wrapped around the side of her neck, the pressure of his fingers reminding her he was in control without overwhelming her. The sensation was oddly comforting, and Bristol realized she felt safe when she probably should have felt anything but. When he didn’t say anything, she blundered on, “I’m not the sort of person who gets invited to Hollywood superstar’s weddings. Heck, I didn’t know who was getting married until I got here. We all had to sign nondisclosure agreements… Shitballs with coconut, you probably already knew that.”
“Asia and I put the NDAs together, even though we didn’t feel they were necessary. We also helped the Wests handpick who they asked to help. You were the first name on the list, Bristol. Charlotte, Asia, and Cat, all listed you as their first choice.” She wondered why he’d told her, and he didn’t make her wait long for an answer. “It’s important you understand where you stand. I’m looking forward to introducing you as my mate. My family is going to be thrilled.”
Maybe… maybe not. She wasn’t convinced anyone enjoyed socializing with their doctor. In her experience, people valued their physician’s opinion, respected their education, trusted their opinion, and appreciated their discretion, but when it came to social events, they were often decidedly chilly.
Bristol found it easier to narrow her practice to patients in the lifestyle and shifters. They weren’t uptight about their bodies, but often still had reservations about socializing with their doctor. Nudity was a large part of a shifter’s everyday life, so engaging in small talk with someone who’d seen them naked didn’t make them particularly uncomfortable. They may be more open than nonmagicals and those in the vanilla world, but there was still an underlying reluctance to cross those invisible social boundaries. When you added in her age, lack of sexual experience, and flakey family, most people backed away quickly. Pulling her thoughts back to the moment, Bristol wondered how long she’d been lost in thought. Israel’s indulgent smile told her it had likely been longer than she realized.