United with the Family - Cherie Benjamin (book reader for pc txt) 📗

he had given Ben and Janetta the afternoon off. They were attending the ceremony and reception this evening, but wanted a few hours of alone time. Damn, who the hell could he trust to pick the necklace up, and get it to him before the ceremony?  Then he remembered Brooklyn, and quickly dialed her number.

"Hello?"  Brooklyn answered.

"Brook, it’s Kane Leone."

"Kane, so nice to hear from you.  How is Ara?"

"She is perfect.  In fact, she is the reason why I am calling.  We are going to a reception tonight, and I want to give her a necklace that I got from Valdo, but I have no one to pick it up. I was wondering if you had some time to help me out."

"For Ara, anything."  Brooklyn said. She had been very impressed with her when she met her; there was something about Ara that engendered one to want to be friends with her.

"Thank you so much, Brooklyn.  I will compensate you for your time and effort."

"No need, Kane.  I was just preparing to close up the shop, so I will swing by and pick it up, and bring it by your apartment."

"Great, I will let Valdo know you are coming."

"See you in about an hour."

Kane made his call to Valdo, and was excited anticipating how beautiful the necklace would look on Ara's neck.  He went into the den to find Ara curled up on the couch fast asleep. He sat on the table in front of her and admired her beauty.  Her features were classic. Pale, smooth skin, high cheekbones, full pouty lips, and killer chocolate brown eyes.

Damn, he wished he could have met her years ago and saved himself years of loneliness and frustration.   And with that thought, Kane realized that was what he had been feeling all these years. Why, even when he had a sub, he was still lonely.  When he began in the community, Nazario made sure he had a great mentor and advisor. He had taken his studies seriously, and always hoped that he would find someone he could share all of himself with, and have the type of relationship his parents had.  Thinking back, he knew he had made some horrible selections in his choice of submissives. Looking back, he wished he could turn back the clock and rethink his decisions. Hell, even Uriel had picked on him about some of the choices, but after the fiasco with Ann Marie, Uriel kept his mouth shut.

Yes, Lauren and Irina were both bat-shit crazy, but Ann Marie was beyond crazy.  She hid her true self from everyone... until Uriel had started to have feelings for her. Then she let her true nature come out.  Once, she showed up on Uriel's doorstep, claiming that she had been kicked out of her apartment, and needed a place to stay. So, she asked if she could stay with him.  He, of course, agreed, until she found a place. But, only a few days later, she was redecorating his entire apartment. Then, she began to leave information around the apartment about wedding plans.  One day, she came to the club, and picked a fight with Marcella, accusing her of sleeping with her fiancée, and then pulled a gun on her. Uriel ran out of the office, and took the gun away from her. Ann Marie began ranting to Uriel; the more she said, the more Uriel realized that there was something seriously wrong with Ann Marie.  He called one of the club members, who also happened to be a psychiatrist, and asked if he would be willing to sit down with Ann Marie, and evaluate her. Fortunately for Uriel, he was happy to come by and check her out. When it was all over with, Ann Marie was diagnosed as bipolar, which she already knew, but, unfortunately, she was off her meds.  Uriel paid to get her into a treatment center and set her up in an apartment. After the Ann Marie fiasco, Uriel took some time off from the playroom. One evening, a few months later, there was a class being held at the club for beginner submissives; that’s where he met Katrina. That night Uriel had found what Kane had been looking for, the love of his life.

Today, at the shop, Kane had been faced with a “ghost” from his past; he did not handle it well.  He was so worried about helping Ara shop, that, when they were confronted by Irina, he was, uncharacteristically, taken off guard.  What had really shaken him about his response, was the fact that, if it had been an actual threat, he was unprepared to act. He was off his game.  Why? While pondering the cause, he realized that it was Ara.

He had never been in love.  This woman had become his world and, right now, he was not thinking straight.  Damn. He needed to work on finding some sort of balance. He was about to become the Don of the Leone family, shit, no, Don of the Leone/Morotti families and he needed to be a strong, fair, and focused leader.  But also he was also going to become a husband and, in the future, hopefully a father. Fuck, how did his father do it? He needed to sit down with his dad, and get his views on how to separate the roles while not affecting either negatively.  He needed his sage wisdom.

"Love Kane."  Ara sighed, still sleeping.

Kane came out of his thoughts and looked back at her.  She was talking in her sleep again. Damn she was so cute when she did that.  He could not wait to be bound to this woman in every possible way. He knew that he needed to have a long conversation with Ara, and share everything with her about his dating history, as well as his submissives. He was not willing to expose her to a repeat of today’s confrontation.  She needed to be informed, not caught off guard. He was not happy with his past choices, but he could not change it. What mattered now was that Ara was his future.

Ara slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Kane.  "Hi."

Kane smiled.  "Hello, my love, nice nap?"

"Yes."

Kane stood and began to climb beside Ara on the couch.  Pulling her on top him and held her close. They were chest to chest, each breath was synchronized, and their hearts beat as one.  "I love you." Kane sighed.

"Oh, I love you so much."  Ara moaned.

"I spoke with Mom and Uriel, and have set up your training starting tomorrow, but before we go, I thought we could talk after breakfast; I need to tell you all about my past.  Baby, I don't want you to feel the way you felt this afternoon ever again."

"It was just a shock; I let my jealousy get the best of me."  Ara said.

"No, Baby, I need you to know everything about me. I promise you that you are the only woman I have ever truly loved.  I’m sure you will agree that knowledge is power, and I plan to make sure you have all the knowledge you need to be fully prepared for all the roles we are about to acquire."

"I know, Kane; I can see the intent and sincerity in your eyes."

Then the doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation.

"That will be Brooklyn."  Kane said as he moved Ara to the side of the couch, and got up from the couch.

"Why is Brook here?" She asked.

"She is doing me a favor.  Come, I know you want to say hello," Kane said, extending his hand with a mischievous grin on his face.

They walked to the door and, after checking the monitor, they opened it.  "Brooklyn, thank you for doing this." Kane said as he motioned Brooklyn into the apartment.

"I was happy to do so.  Ara, it is so nice to see you again."  Brooklyn said, handing the bag from Valdo to Kane.

"Me, too.  Do you have some time to come in for a little bit?"

"Yes, but I don't want to keep you.  I know you are going to a reception this evening."

"Yes, but I have time.  Come on in. Would you like something to drink?" Ara offered.

"No, I'm driving, but thank you."

"Ara, why don't you take Brooklyn upstairs and show her your dress?"  Kane offered.

"Would you like to see it?"  Ara asked, excited to get Brook’s opinion.

"I would love to.  Do you need any help getting ready?"

"Yes, I would love your help.  Kane, love, since Brook is going to help me get ready, are you okay getting ready in the spare room?"

"Of course, let me just come up and get my tux."

After Kane left the room, Ara began to get ready with Brook's help.  As Ara showered, Brook waited in their bedroom checking her email. One of them was the invitation to the Munch Party on Saturday night.  She was excited about going, and was hoping to find someone she could consider for a Dominant. She had not had a Dominant since Royce King, which was over a year ago.  What people did not know was that Royce had broken the cardinal rule in a BDSM relationship. They had been in a relationship for about three months, when, one day, they were in the middle of a scene and Royce pulled out a cat of nine tails and began to hit her over and over again.  Despite her cries of “red”, he didn't stop; he continued whipping her until, finally, after multiple strikes he stopped. But, it wasn’t because of her safeword, instead, it was because he was tired. When he untied her hands, he slapped her across the face, told her to get use to it, because he was sick and tired of babying her in his playroom.  He left her on the floor, bleeding and bruised. She gathered herself up, left, and never came back. He had tried to talk to her, hell, he even stalked her, but, eventually, he backed off. Nevertheless, what had happened left Brooklyn leery of beginning another relationship. Rosa Leone came into the shop one day, and they began to talk. She invited her to one of her classes and, after going to the first one, she decided that she needed a Dominant, but the right one.

Ara came out after her shower, ready for Brooklyn to help her get ready.  Brooklyn asked Ara to simply call her Brook, because that is what all her friends called her. Ara smiled and thanked her as she sat down at the vanity as Brook began to help her get ready.

When Ara removed her dress from the garment bag, Brook cooed, "Oh my God this is an unbelievable dress.  Where did you find this?" It was a truly gorgeous long emerald green satin strapless gown, with pleated bodes and a high slit.

"Luly Yang.  I fell in love with their merchandise.  But I almost didn't stay."

"Why?"  Brook questioned.

Ara told her about what had happened, leaving out the part about the gun.  She knew that Brook was part of the community, but not part of the family. Brook laughed at how she handled Irene, oops, Irina.

Ara had decided to forgo a bra and selected a La Perla panty and garter set with nude stockings.

She pulled one side of her hair back while curling the ends and laid them over the other shoulder.  They used a light foundation and blush, but Brook talked her in a smoky, dramatic eye look, to which Ara fully agreed.

Brook helped Ara into her dress, zipping it up and making sure the hook and eye were securely fastened.  Ara opened the box that held her expensive shoes. Kane spotted them in a shop on the way back to the car when they had finished lunch, and he had to buy them.  They were a pair from the Stuart Weitzman Platinum Dream collection shoes.

Ara had fallen in love with them and Kane said he