Open Mind (Kink Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Other Titles by Luna David

  Other Titles by Morningstar Ashley

  Authors’ Note

  Acknowledgments

  About Luna David

  About Morningstar Ashley

  Open Mind

  Kink Chronicles Book One

  Copyright © 2019 Luna David & Morningstar Ashley

  www.lunadavid.com & www.morningstarashley.com

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover design by Designs by Morningstar

  Editing by Jaclyn Quinn @ Quintessential Editing and Proofreading

  Proofreading by Steph Marie & Allison Holzapfel

  Interior Design and Formatting provided by Designs by Morningstar & Flawless Touch Formatting

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express written permission from the authors, Luna David & Morningstar Ashley. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model. All products and/or brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holders/companies.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Intended for an adult audience. Includes explicit sexual content. Briefly mentions off-page past physical abuse.

  Contains BDSM/Kink, open relationships, voyeurism, humiliation/forced feminization, role play, puppy play, and medical kink.

  We’d like to thank our readers. We’d be lost without you.

  We took a chance that there were people like us out there who wanted to see more books with open relationships. We hope we did it justice and that you love our characters as much as we do.

  RONAN

  Ronan leaned back in his plush office chair, the creak of the butter-soft leather and the smell of it permeating his senses. He’d had the chair for a year, and still, it felt and smelled like new. He crossed his legs at the ankles, resting them on the corner of his desk. His office was tucked behind the breakroom to afford him what little privacy he could get when he wasn’t meeting with his patients. Checking the clock, he listened to his friend on the phone, groaning internally when he realized he had only a few more minutes left before he’d be needed again.

  He’d had a long day full of patients and interviews with two of the three prospective nurses. One of whom would be chosen to replace his current nurse, Gina Phelps, who was thirty-two weeks pregnant with plans to be a stay-at-home mom rather than return to work. He’d miss her smiling face, her friendly demeanor and bedside manner, and her brisk efficiency. She was a brilliant nurse. While Ronan wasn’t worried that she’d vetted all the nursing candidates thoroughly, he was worried she’d fall short of finding a replacement as compatible with him as she’d always been.

  He sighed again, audibly that time, obviously, when he heard his friend, Brad, chuckle on the other end of the line. “Bloody hell, man. Who’s dying? Why the exaggerated sigh?”

  Ronan grunted, running a hand over his scruffy beard, wondering how many days it had been since he’d bothered to shave. “Gina’s leaving me.”

  An indelicate snort sounded in his ear. “You’re acting like a jilted lover.”

  He chuckled, knowing he was being dramatic. “It’s worse. She’s the most efficient nurse I’ve ever had. She’s narrowed her possible replacements down to three, and I’ve interviewed two of them already. One of them took one look at me and turned on the charm, flirting through the interview questions like it was going to win her a prize.”

  Brad snorted again, louder that time, and said, “If your dick is the prize she was after, she’s barking up the wrong tree.”

  Nodding, regardless of the fact his friend couldn’t see him, he retorted, “That’s for sure. She lost any and all credibility when, after all was said and done, she leaned way too far forward to pick up her purse on her way out.”

  “And how was the other interview?”

  He groaned. “Reminiscent of Nurse Ratched.”

  Brad guffawed on the other end of the line. “That bad? Surely not…”

  Ronan pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed the inner corners of his eyes, lifting his reading glasses up as a result. He grabbed them by the bridge and tossed them down on his desk. “Okay, she wasn’t that bad. She was extremely qualified from a technical standpoint, but her smile, though readily available, never truly reached her eyes. When I asked her how she’d feel with a patient base that lived alternative lifestyles, she put on a brave face. I could tell she’d practiced nonchalance in front of the mirror before coming, but acting wasn’t her strong suit.”

  “Shit. That sucks. She probably didn’t even know what you meant by that, either. Imagine if a patient told her ‘I like making my submissive husband drink from a sippy cup and take naps in a crib while sucking on a binkie, and sometimes when I bring him in for a physical, he’s wearing a diaper.’”

  It was Ronan’s turn to guffaw. “God, I think she’d have lost the plot.”

  “I’m surprised Gina didn’t find better candidates.”

  “Me too, frankly, so I’m hoping she threw a couple curveballs in and saved the best for last. We’ll see, but whoever gets the job, they’ll have to be accepting and open to different lifestyles. I won’t have my patients or myself shamed for our preferences.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find the perfect replacement.”

  “Yeah, we’ll—” He was cut off by a soft rap on his door before Gina peeked in. He glanced at the clock, knowing what she’d be telling him, as she whispered, “Your final interview is here. Can I send him through?”

  He quirked a brow at her emphasis on “him” and her sweet, less-than-innocent smile. He nodded to her, giving her a warning glance and said, “Sorry, Brad. My final interview is here. I gotta get going.”

  “Good luck.”

  He brought his feet to the floor and sat up straight as he said his goodbyes to Brad. Hanging up the phone, he stood as Gina walked back into his office, showing a young man in. “Dr. Kincaid, this is Jameson Gray.”

  Ronan leaned over his desk, holding his tie back against his chest with one hand and reaching out to shake Jameson’s proffered hand with his other. Jesus, was he even legal? Ronan’s dick seemed to think so as it shifted in his pants.

  Not the fucking time,
Ronan.

  He was so distracted, he nearly missed him saying, “…call me Jamie, Dr. Kincaid.”

  Ronan nodded as they both sat down. “Feel free to call me Ronan.”

  Jamie nodded, and Ronan’s eyes were drawn up to the movement of his gorgeous, mahogany mop of curls. He supposed his hair could be considered short, but it was beautiful and unruly in the way only naturally curly hair could be. Each curl was clearly defined, and he found himself itching to run his hands through it and see if it was as soft as it looked. And if, when pulled, the curls would bounce back in place like he thought they would.

  Get your shit together, Ronan.

  When he finally met the young man’s eyes, they too took him aback. They were striking, with their variegated shades of gray, making his last name seem like more of an adjective than a proper noun. Ronan realized he’d been staring and cleared his throat, looking down at Jamie’s resume. “It says here you graduated top of your class at University of Brighton.”

  As Jamie answered in the affirmative, Ronan glanced down again to double check the dates on the resume, realizing he couldn’t tell his age by his graduation date. Flipping through the pages, he quickly realized he couldn’t be all that young with such an extensive work background. “You’ve got a wealth of experience as a traveling nurse working for three highly respected hospitals across the country. While we’re not a small town by any means, Powell’s Point isn’t exactly New York City. Why the drastic change in your career path?”

  “I’d lived in Brighton all of my life, and when I decided to go to school to become a nurse, it seemed fitting to go to one of the best nursing programs in the US. But that kept me in the same small town I’d been born and raised in. We’d never gone far on vacations when I was a kid, so when I graduated, I wanted to see a bit more of the country, gathering experience along the way.”

  When the young man met and held Ronan’s eyes directly as he spoke, confidence in every line and movement of his body, Ronan had to admit to himself he was impressed. “What about travel nursing did you enjoy?”

  “I've always been the type of person who thrives on responsibility. Even as a kid, it drove my friends crazy. But routine and order is a must in my life. I love helping people. Caring for others is my calling. I wanted to travel and live in different cities, gain the experience of new places, and enjoy new things. The strict two-year contract also allowed me to hold on to my need for routine and order.”

  “You didn’t want to take a year off and visit other places? Travel on vacation time, rather than as a job?”

  Jamie’s curls bounced again when he shook his head. “Nah. I’m not exactly the type to go backpacking across the country, a new place every night. It felt like the best of both worlds. I got to experience working at three award-winning hospitals across the US. I was able to travel and see more of the country. Plus, I was able to meet so many different types of people.”

  “And that’s important to you? Meeting different types of people?”

  “Oh yeah. I’m a pretty social person. I enjoy being with people, and caring for others. I don’t need a new adventure every night and day. Like I said, I like my routines, but I enjoy getting to know people I wouldn’t have gotten to meet had I stayed home in my small town.”

  “So, I’m curious, is this another stop on your travel itinerary? Washington isn’t exactly a hotspot. So why Powell’s Point to settle in? It’s not your hometown, and it’s not one of the big cities you’ve worked in.”

  The grin that moved across Jamie’s face was boyish and charming. The smile that made Ronan smile in return. “My best friend from college lives here. I’ve spent several of my vacations in Powell’s Point for the last six years. I love that it’s a nice-sized city without being overwhelming. There’s lots of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, and it’s got a real small community feel for such a large population. I’ve traveled quite a bit around the country, and nothing felt more like home than this place. I’m at a point in my life where I want to put down some roots, meet new people, and make new friends.”

  Ronan liked that Jamie had a good head on his shoulders. But he knew he had to get down to the nitty gritty. “How do you feel about working with people who live an alternative lifestyle?”

  The young man narrowed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms over his chest. Clearly affronted by the question, he finally asked, “If you mean, how do I feel about helping people who are gay? Well, I’m gay myself, so I don’t see a problem with it, sir.”

  Ohhh, the boy’s got teeth. Damn, why does that excite me?

  Ronan couldn’t help the grin that split his face, and nearly chuckled, but was able to cover it up with a cough. “Uh, no. That’s not what I meant. Though I’m glad you won’t have a problem working with LGBTQ patients, as well over half of those I treat are part of that community, living alternative lifestyles.”

  Confusion furrowed Jamie’s brow. “If you don’t mean gay when talking about alternative lifestyles, may I ask what exactly you mean by that?”

  Ronan’s lips twitched, somewhere between a smile and a smirk. “I’m talking about my patients’ lifestyles and sexual predilections. Nearly all my patients are part of the BDSM community. You’d need to be comfortable caring for patients who all fall somewhere along the kink spectrum as a whole.”

  He couldn’t hold in his chuckle when Jamie’s eyebrows hit his hairline, his mouth popped open in a disbelieving ‘O’, and a blush suffused his lightly tanned skin. When the young man finally realized his mouth was still open, he shut it with an audible click of his teeth and then opened it again to ask, “Uh, you mean, like, um…whips and chains or something?”

  “All that, and much more.”

  The shocked look continued. “All of your patients? What are the odds of that?”

  Ronan chuckled. He wasn’t offended by his responses. They weren’t filled with malice or disgust, just pure incredulity and confusion. “Quite high, actually, if it’s the demographic you’re aiming for.”

  “You don’t have any patients who aren’t part of that community?”

  “We have some. I have free clinic hours once a month for low-income families, and some of my patients have family members come see me who are not in the lifestyle. But mainly, it’s the BDSM community I’ve chosen to serve.”

  “I don’t want to be disrespectful to you or, well, to anyone really, but can I ask why you’ve chosen such a specific demographic?”

  “Of course. I, myself, am part of the kink community, and I understand it from that perspective. I can tailor patients’ treatment and health plans accordingly without judgement or censure. Being a young gay man, I’m sure you can understand the importance of representation and acceptance in any given situation. But when it comes to someone’s health, it is of the utmost importance.”

  Ronan watched as Jamie took everything in, nodding. The smile that bloomed on his face was a beautiful sight to see. “I can see how that would be the case. As it’s clearly a big part of the job, do you mind me asking how treating someone in the kink community is different from treating your average, everyday patient?”

  Glad Jamie was inquisitive and wanting to learn, Ronan answered, “There are certain things that go on in this lifestyle that other doctors may have a hard time distancing themselves from. Controlling their reactions to something they see, or even something they’re treating, may be especially hard. Making decisions about someone’s health, when you’re at odds with the way they live their life, would, most likely, be harder than it would seem.”

  “But as doctors, aren’t they bound by their oaths to keep their personal opinions to themselves and to provide the best care they possibly can? To do no harm? I don’t see how it would matter what type of lifestyle someone is living.”

  “You know as well as I do, that isn’t always the case, though we always hope it is. There are things I will see on a daily basis that would worry most other physicians.” He paused there, thinking Jami
e might have more questions, but when he just looked as if he was thinking about everything he was being told, Ronan continued, “If you’re the nurse we hire, you’ll learn more about that. But as the owner of this practice, I need to ensure that everyone who works for me interacts with patients in a non-judgmental way. Creating a safe space for them is imperative to me.”

  Jamie nodded, sitting forward. “I understand, Dr. Kincaid. I can’t say I know a lot about the BDSM community.” He huffed out a self-deprecating laugh. “Hell, I can’t say I know anything about it. But what I can promise you is, I will never treat any patient with disrespect or contempt. I’m a pretty open-minded guy. If all parties are consenting adults, it isn’t my place to pass judgment. All I would hope is that they’re doing things as safely as possible.”

  Ronan figured he could go into safe, sane, and consensual, along with Risk Aware Consensual Kink later on. But the more he talked to the young man before him, the more he liked him. “Great. That’s exactly what I need to hear. We are kink-positive here in the office, and our employees are all vetted closely to ensure there is no kink shaming of any kind.”

  Jamie nodded, and they went on to discuss his qualifications and his style of patient care. Jamie’s answers so closely gelled with Ronan’s that he realized it had been Gina’s plan all along for him not to want to hire the first two candidates. When the interview was over, he stood and walked around his desk, shaking Jamie’s hand and walking him up to the front. He’d made his decision already, and he looked forward to working with the young man if he accepted their offer.