If it were up to me, I would never leave this place or these people.
“Oh, my goodness,” Melanie said, her hand going to her heart. “I remember the first time Langston found one of King’s paddles…” She chuckled softly. “My stern little boy hadn’t been happy about it, accusing King of being mean to me.”
I grinned. “How old was he?”
“Four.” She giggled. “He had no idea what it even was, but King sat him down and informed him that sometimes people did things that required them to be disciplined.” She waved her hand dismissively. “We never used corporal punishment on any of the kids, so he had no clue what King was talking about.”
“So, was it…difficult raising children while living as Master and slave?”
Melanie beamed. “As with anything in life, if you want something, there’s always going to be compromise. Sure, when our daughter was born, we had to change some of the things we did when it came to play. We could no longer have parties at the house because we didn’t want her to stumble upon something she was too young to see. Instead, we started spending our date nights at the club when it was possible. So, when the boys came along, we’d already adjusted quite well.”
“But you live the life twenty-four seven, correct?”
“I do. I’ve willingly given my master complete and total control over me, including my decisions.”
Except when it came to work, I knew. She was a truly independent woman in that regard.
I frowned. I was sure Mel had encountered many people who couldn’t grasp the idea of what it meant to be so totally devoted to someone else. When I thought about those who had been cruelly enslaved—not by choice—I couldn’t help but shudder. The hell they had endured was not something anyone should ever face. Granted, I knew the kink world had a different definition, but still.
“The key there, honey, is I was willing. I wasn’t forced. It was a choice and one that I thought long and hard about. In the end, it was necessary for me to be happy.”
Some of it I understood, sure. I mean, I was willingly offering up my body and my trust to these men, believing wholeheartedly that they would care for me and keep me safe.
Melanie smiled. “And I’m sure all three of our kids realized early on that I wasn’t like other mothers out there. But I was their mother and they knew that King and I loved them unconditionally. I expected they would ask questions eventually.”
“Did they?”
“Of course. And we explained it to them the best we could using terms they would understand. I think our daughter realized, but chose to pretend otherwise. I think she was embarrassed by our choices. Then, when the boys were teenagers, they started to figure things out on their own, knew that their parents were definitely different from their friends’ parents. So, when they turned fifteen, King sat them down and explained everything.”
Oh, God. I could only imagine what I would’ve done if my parents had shared that sort of information with me. As it was, I did not want to think about my mom and Jim having… Yeah. I didn’t want to think about it.
“One thing to understand, Luci, is that communication is the most important part of a relationship. Whether it’s in the vanilla world, D/s, or M/s. It doesn’t matter. Without communication, you have nothing. We felt it was important for the boys to know so they could make their own decisions.”
“Were you surprised when you found out they’d taken after King?”
She smiled widely. “No. Not at all. And I feel as though they’re better Doms than King was at their age.”
“Because they had him as a mentor?”
“Precisely.”
I was curious about Master’s and Sir’s take on growing up in a household like that. I bet it was interesting.
“Kitten. Girl.”
I looked up at the sound of King’s booming voice. I found it oddly endearing that he’d given me the pet name girl and had used it whenever he spoke to me.
“I think it’s time for this old man to hit the hay,” King announced when he joined us in the living room.
Melanie reached over and squeezed my hand. “Looks like I’m being summoned.”
“Thank you for today and yesterday, Mel. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. And thank you for sharing your stories with me.”
“Oh, honey, the pleasure’s all mine. I’ll see you in the morning. King and I will be around before the others arrive, but then we’ll be heading back. As much fun as those things are, there’s only so much a mother can do when her sons are in the same place.”
I giggled, understanding completely.
I got up and hugged her. “Good night.”
“Good night, honey.”
I watched as Melanie walked into King’s arms before retreating to the downstairs bedroom at the back of the house.
