Free A Starlet in Venice by Tara Crescent Page A

her hot softness. I’d never wanted a Christmas to go by faster.
    We’d got out of the habit of exchanging Christmas presents in my family. However, my mother never saw a bar of chocolate she didn’t like, so Tia had brought her a big fancy tin of assorted chocolates as a ‘thank you.’ My mother beamed at Tia when she handed her the tin.
    I loved my family. If it came down to it, I would pick Tia, of course. But I couldn’t deny that I was thrilled that my parents and sisters seemed to love Tia, and that she got along well with everyone.
    ***
    We both flew back to Venice on the same flight. Tia’s TV show was on holiday break, and she had a week off before she had to be back in Dingle. On the flight, she looked at me. “Submissive training,” she said, her eyes bright.
    “I hate the word training ,” I replied. “You aren’t a pet. You don’t need to be trained. It’s just a big, elaborate game.”
    “Ah,” she said. “But all games have rules, don’t they? I’d like to learn what the rules to this game are.”
    Damn it. Tia was smart, and she wasn’t going to let this go. “A week,” I said. “Barely enough time to make a dent, really.”
    “Why, is it that complicated?” She sounded worried and she wrinkled her nose. “Can I confess something? I saw you spank a woman a few weeks ago at Casanova.”
    “Simona?” I asked, and her face fell. I quickly rushed to clarify. “I rarely do punishment sessions, rabbit. Or any other kind of session. I just set the rules of safe play. Simona’s the only person I’ve punished for months now, and that’s only because the person scheduled to do it didn’t show up.”
    Her expression cleared, and I rolled my eyes at her. “You are special, rabbit. No other woman even comes close.”
    She didn’t look convinced. “Anyway, I don’t think I can be hit that hard.”
    “I wouldn’t hit you that hard,” I responded instantly.
    She glared at me. “Liam, I don’t want you to take it easy on me.”
    “Tia,” I said patiently, “I have no intention of taking it easy on you. I wouldn’t hit any new submissive that hard. One hard spanking like that, and it’ll feel like a beating to you, and you won’t get any pleasure out of it. Pain tolerance is a process. You can’t build up to it in a week.”
    I lowered my mouth to her ear. “Besides, there’s more to dominance and submission than being tied up and spanked. It’s much more about mindset. I know some Dominants who won’t use pain at all.”  
    “So if it isn’t about being spanked, what is training?” Her eyes were dilated with arousal. I couldn’t wait for the damn flight to land. I wanted her desperately. Having her sleep next to me at my parents, her ass grinding into me as we spooned, and I couldn’t wait to get her all to myself.  
    “It’s about focus.”  I was aware that it didn’t sound very exciting. “And awareness and trust.”
    “How’s that different from a regular relationship?”
    God, she was so smart, it was such a turn-on. “I guess it isn’t any different from the best kind of relationships. There’s a lot trust involved, and it’s more than just trusting someone with a riding crop. It’s a willingness to tell someone what you really want, and it’s about giving them the power to meet your needs.”
    I pulled out my phone and flipped through my e-books, finding her a good basic reference book. “Read,” I instructed.
    She grinned at me. “Trusting me with your phone,” she quipped, putting special emphasis on the word trusting . “I have to say I’m honoured.”
    “Read, rabbit,” I chuckled. “There will be a test.”
    ***
    Tatiana:
    He looked at me as we made our way from the airport into the city. “How tired are you?” he asked me.  There was open heat in his eyes that promised pleasure.
    There was no hesitation in my voice when I responded. “I’m not tired.” My voice sounded higher in pitch and somewhat breathless. I took a deep