After a painful divorce, I took a long hiatus from writing romances novels. I dabbled in murder mysteries for a while. And that's not a joke. But when I returned to romances, I wrote a BDSM novel.
Bind
When I wrote for Harlequin/Silhouette, editors crossed through entire sections of my love scenes, and all my non-euphemistic body parts were replaced with words such as "throbbing bundle of nerves" and "velvet shaft." God was even banished from my love scenes.
But with the advent of electronic publishing, I felt as if I'd been set free to write the books and heroes that I dreamed of.
I've always written alpha males. All my heroes have been honorable, noble in their own way. But to me, there's something even more sensational about a Dom. In my world, Doms are even more focused on their woman's pleasure than the typical hero. And to be the centre of a Dominant's attention is heady stuff.
Participating in a BDSM scene takes a lot of courage, trust, and, at times, a sense of humour.
Because of what will be happening between the couple, a lot of frank discussion needs to happen. Limits need to be discussed and negotiated. For some of my heroines, this will be first time she's had this kind of conversation. The hero will allow her no room to hide. She'll have to tell him what things she's willing to try, what things she won't consider.
She'll have to tell him a word or phrase that lets him know things are a bit too much for her. And she has to have a word that means he has to stop immediately.
And all this is before they've gotten naked.
In BDSM, we talk about a power exchange. In some ways, the ability to control the scene rests with the heroine. She must give her trust to him, but he must give his in return. He has to believe she will communicate with him honestly, that she will let him know if something is too much or if she's not okay.
In this type of relationship, there's no room for lying or emotional game-playing. It's about the pureness of the connection.
One of my favourite parts of a BDSM scene is the aftercare. In a lot of relationships, the woman will complain that her lover leaves her, either to shower or to go to sleep. But a Dom's steady presence is required even after she's untied or removed from a St. Andrew's cross. He will stay with her, often holding her until her heart rate returns to normal, until the adrenaline subsides, until she's warm.
Any badass hero can be a rugged alpha male. But it takes an attention to detail, dogged self-discipline, and a single-minded pursuit of the heroine's pleasure to be one of my Doms.
Connor Donovan, the hero of Bind, is a man I'd love to meet. He's rich and powerful, but he has a set of rules for his own behavior. Though he's a sought-after bachelor, he doesn't date much because he knows a relationship demands an investment of time and energy.
And when the lovely Lara Bertrand shows up at his office with a proposal of marriage, he's shocked, then intrigued, then willing to help her out. But he wants it clear that he doesn't share. While they're married, she will be his, and his alone, and she'll have to willingly offer her complete submissive surrender.
Lara has never met anyone like him. He terrifies her, but more than that, he intrigues her. Connor is the first Dom she's ever met, and their first, brief hint of a scene leaves her desperate for more.
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