Page 32 of Irish
“Bull is definitely not super strict,” Veronica mused. “Although, I am also not a naughty brat.”
“I’m not a brat!” Mia crossed her arms, leaned back in the chair and stuck her tongue out at Veronica, causing everyone to laugh at her antics.
“I wouldn’t say Mace is the strictest Daddy,” Trinity said quietly. “He lets you get away with way more than Tank does Delilah.”
Delilah nodded in agreement with her best friend. “We were just talking about this at lunch the other day. Lucky doesn’t have many rules or expectations for Trinity but dang if Tank doesn’t want to know everything I’m doing at all times. If I leave work and come here, he expects a text. If I tell him I’m going to the grocery store but decide to stop at a garage sale along the way, text. The man is insufferable.”
“Is he too controlling? Like outside of your limits?” Makenzie asked, suddenly concerned for the older woman.
“Oh no, sweetheart. Nothing like that. We’ve been through some trauma when my nephew was kidnapped, and bad guys were after us. He’s just protective. It’s all within my limits. We each have our own limits on how much control we negotiated for the men to take. Some of us want more freedoms and others need less. It’s as unique as each of us are as individuals. Trinity wouldn’t do well with the rules Tank and I agreed on, but that’s why she’s with Lucky and not Tank.”
“Tank is one of the nicest men in town. He’s huge and his size can be intimidating but he’s like a teddy bear once you get to know him. His protectiveness over Trinity is endearing, not suffering,” Trinity explained.
“Before Irish, I had another Daddy,” Makenzie said. “But it was online relationship, and it turned...toxic. I guess now I’m overly aware of red flags. It ended badly, with me in the hospital. Let’s just say he did not respect my hard limits.”
Mia reached across the table; her hand warm on Makenzie's. “It's brave to share that with us. I want you to know, for what it’s worth, you are safe with Irish. The Watchmen have their own set of codes and one of them is to never abuse a woman. He wouldn’t only be kicked out of the club, he’d be…well, I don’t want to think what they might do to a brother who intentionally abused someone.”
Veronica nodded. “One of the most important pieces of advice I could give to a submissive it to find someone who treasures you, not just the idea of you or your submission. Someone who knows when to hold you close and when to let you fight your battles, but with them standing behind you ready to pounce if necessary. There’s a line between the idea of a power exchange relationship and the reality of it.”
“Right. I’ve counseled many couples on expectations and communication. You can’t go into a BDSM relationship with unrealistic ideas of what is going to happen, because then you end up being resentful of the unmet expectation. Reading books or watching movies isn’t the same thing as real life. The human condition can’t be scripted. Any relationship, but especially our types, need two people who communicate clearly what their expectations are not only of the other person, but of themselves.” Paisley added. “So, maybe Tank’s expectation of Delilah is to know where she is at all times because of past trauma he’s endured and maybe Lucky’s expectation of Trinity isfor her to text him when she wakes up, at lunch and before she goes to bed. They each have different motivations for why they do what they do. However, it would be incredibly unfair for Tank to get upset with Delilah over not telling him where she was if he hadn’t clearly communicated, and in some cases, negotiated that expectation ahead of time.”
“My first Daddy refused to believe in negotiations. He said a true submissive wouldn’t need to negotiate because her desire was to serve and serving doesn’t come with conditions or limits,” Makenzie said.
“Your first Daddy was a douche canoe,” Mia quipped.
“Mia!” Veronica admonished before throwing her head back and laughing. “I’m pretty sure douche canoe is not on your approved language list.”
“Nah, but there are no Daddies in here and absolutely no tattletales, either.”
“She’s right,” Kylie said. “We are like Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.”
“I prefer to think of our meetings like Vegas. What happens in Vegas—” Mia said.
“Stays in Vegas!” Everyone else chimed in.
As the women shared experiences and advice, Makenzie felt the weight of her past lifting, replaced by a sense of belonging, of being understood. She felt like she was among allies, and although she was afraid of being hurt again, she started to lower her defenses. She remembered too clearly what happened with the last two Little’s she became friends with.
“So, you asked us if we were all Littles, am I to assume you are?” Trinity asked.
“Well, I don’t know. I mean, I am a Little but I’m also a Middle. It really depends on the day.” She answered honestly, wondering if they’d judge her.
“That’s so fun!” Mia clapped her hands together. “You get to do all the things. Hmmm… That gives me an idea.”
“No.” Kylie said shaking her head. “You have absolutely no Middle in you.”
“She’s right. I’m all Little,” Mia said. “But when you are a Middle and I’m a Little I could like follow you around and try to mimic you.”
“You sound like me when I used to follow my big brother Sean and his friends around.” Makenzie said, almost wistfully.
“Was that a time of your life you felt safe?” Veronica asked.
“Absolutely. Between my brothers and their friends, I was very protected. No one was going to do anything to hurt me.”
“It explains why you like being a Middle,” Paisley said softly.
“Well, I have to head to work,” Mia said when her phone’s alarm interrupted their conversation. “I’m going to have a tea party soon! I hope you can all come!”
A minute later, Makenzie stood up to leave and head over to the office. “Thank you,” she said, her heart swelling with gratitude. “For including me and making me feel like I'm not alone in all of this.”