10 Nights (15 page)

When he sent her home
the next morning he felt bereft for the first time in his adult life. Watching
her drive off forced him to realize that he cared more for Leah than he ever
had for any other woman who had entered his life.

Things were definitely
going to get complicated, he thought, shaking his head.

8

Breathe

Leah walked into her
dorm room, glad that she had the day off. Her emotions were in free fall as she
thought about the previous night and she paced the room, trying to understand
everything that had happened, and the way she had reacted to it. Rhett had
beaten her, literally beaten her, not only that he had violated her, she should
be angry at that, but she wasn't.

She could have stopped
what was happening at any time, she knew that, but in some strange way she had
enjoyed the pain and the humiliation. That made her wonder what kind of person
she was.

As if her own confusion
wasn't enough to keep her pacing, she didn't know what to make of Rhett's
behavior. His treatment of her down in his dungeon bordered on abuse, but when
it was over he had bathed her with all the gentleness someone might use with a
child, and after that he had made love to her like she was the most precious
thing in the world.

Her head ached with all
the thoughts and feelings whirling around her mind. They combined to overwhelm
her and when Janie entered the dorm room a while later she found her huddled in
the middle of the kitchen floor, her arms around her knees and tears streaming
down her face.

"Hon, what's
wrong?" Dropping to her knees Janie pulled her best friend to her.
"Did something happen with Rhett? Did he hurt you?" Stupid question,
she thought the moment she uttered it, that was what he did; Leah shouldn't
have been crying though.

Leah tried to speak
through her tears but she couldn't get the words out, they stuck in her throat.
Instead she held on tight to her friend, needing the comfort of her presence.

Sensing Leah was too
emotionally distraught to talk, Janie did her best to soothe her. She rocked
her gently, as she would have done an upset child, and stroked her hair,
waiting for her to calm enough to speak. She was pissed, it was clear that Rhett
was too intense for her friend; she just wondered what he had done to upset her
so badly. She resolved to have a few words with him just as soon as she had an
opportunity; no-one upset her friend like that.

After what seemed like
hours, though in reality it was just a few minutes, Leah's tears subsided. Once
they had stopped completely Janie let her go and made her way into the
bathroom, returning with a roll of tissue. "Here, hon." She had never
seen her friend so emotional over anything and the sight of her, eyes red from
her tears, huddled on the floor in a state of misery, only increased her anger
at Rhett.

The doorbell rang just
then and Janie told Leah to stay put as she answered it. She came back with a
giftwrapped box and a small card. "You want me to throw this in the
trash?" She knew instinctively it was from Rhett, and wasn't sure if her
friend wanted a gift from him at that moment.

"No, Janie, let me
have it." She wasn't really mad at Rhett, despite everything that had
happened, she was just more confused than she could remember being. Taking the
package she tore off the wrapping to reveal a large jewelry box from Tiffany's.

Opening the box Leah
gasped at the beautiful diamond choker and earrings set it contained. Unable to
take her eyes off the jewelry it was a short while before she could bring
herself to read the card that had come with it,
'You shine brighter than the
most precious gems to me, sweet girl. Truly, RH.'
The tears fell slowly
down her cheeks again.

"Honey, you've got
to tell me what happened so I can help you." She wasn't used to being the
caregiver, that was normally Leah's thing, but seeing her friend in such a
state was breaking her heart.

"I'm fine, Janie,
things just got a little intense last night and I refused to give in."

"You defied
him?" Janie was sure that hadn't gone over well with Mr. I-am-in-control-of-everything.
At Leah's nod, she laughed. "I would have loved to have seen his
face." She couldn't remember any submissive ever saying no to Rhett. He
had an overwhelming intensity about him that most subs knew instinctively not
to argue with. "How bad did it get?" Friend of her master or not, she
would kick his ass if things had got out of hand.

Leah explained the
whole sequence of events to a stunned Janie, and then waited for her reaction.

"Wow, just
wow." Janie wasn't sure how to take what she was told. From her own
experiences she knew that Rhett had behaved the way any dominant would have
when their submissive was pushing buttons, as Leah clearly had. The only
difference was, the sub in the scenario was her best friend, and completely
naïve about the lifestyle. "Do you still want to explore this?" She
had to ask the question, it was clear that Leah had been pushed to her limit,
and perhaps even beyond it, by what had happened between her and Rhett.

"I, I think I love
him, Janie." She lowered her eyes, knowing her friend was going to freak
out over her confession.

"Oh, honey, no, we
talked about this." Janie stood and began pacing. "You're
experiencing a whole shitload of emotions right now, but that's not really
love." She hoped like hell she was right, because if her heart was
involved then Leah was in for a lot more pain that just a sore ass. Rhett
didn't do long-term relationships.

"I know what I
feel, Janie." She knew it was stupid, she'd only known the guy for a few
days, but she couldn't help how she felt.

"I knew this
wasn't right for you, honey; you need to call this off." Janie knew that
wasn't what her friend wanted to hear, but it was better for things to end
then, rather than have them drag on until she was totally crushed.

"No!" The
thought of never seeing Rhett again was agonizing. She realized it made no
sense for her to want the man after what he had done, but she just couldn't
bear the thought of walking away. "I'm not leaving him!"

"You've got it
bad, honey." Janie shook her head, feeling as though it was all her fault
and she had to fix it somehow. It was clear from what she'd said, and her
entire demeanor, that Leah wasn't going to walk away, so she'd have to go to
the source. All she could do was hope her friend would someday thank her for
the intervention. "Okay, honey." She let out a deep sigh, sooner was
better than later, she thought. "I'm going to go pick up some breakfast,
will you be alright until I get back?"

"I'll be fine;
seriously, I just had a little meltdown." She gave a somewhat wan smile,
not wanting her friend to worry.

"I won't be
long." She hoped Rhett wasn't too busy at the office, though even if he
was she was sure he'd make an exception to see her.

Leaving the dorms she
headed downtown to where Rhett's office was located; he worked mostly from the
larger of the two law firms he owned, though his business extended well beyond
legal affairs.

Rhett was surprised
when his secretary told him Janie was there. His first thought was that
something had happened to Leah and he quickly gave instructions for his calls
to be held, the upcoming meeting to be rescheduled, and for Janie to be sent
back immediately.

"Is she
okay?" he asked franticly as Janie entered his office, shutting the door
behind her.

"That depends on
your version of okay," Janie said, glaring at him as she took a seat in
front of the huge desk. "What the hell were you thinking last night?"

"Watch your tone,
Janie." She might not belong to him, but he still expected respect,
especially from his best friend's submissive. "Tell me what's wrong with
Leah."

The temperature in the
office felt as though it had dropped ten degrees; Janie had to resist the urge
to shiver as she remembered who she was talking to. David would have her ass if
he found out what she was doing. "I just spent the last hour watching my
best friend cry her eyes out over you, Sir, so forgive me if I'm a little
upset." As angry as she was, that was the closest she could come to
apologizing.

He didn't think Leah
would still be in serious pain; the spanking he’d given her was harsh, but
nothing she shouldn't have recovered from. "I didn't think I was that
rough with her last night," he said, speaking more to himself than to
Janie.

"No offense, Sir,
but it's not her ass I'm worried about, it's her heart." Shaking her head
she wondered if all men were as blind. "She thinks she's in love with you;
if you don't stop seeing her you're going convince her that you feel the same,
and that there is a future for the two of you.

"If you do that
she will only get hurt worse when she realizes that isn't the case."

He was floored by her
words, the thought that Leah believed she was in love with him was startling.
They'd only known each other for a few days. He was prepared to admit that he
had strong feelings for Leah, even if he only admitted that to himself, but
love her, he smiled and shook his head, he didn't really believe in love. 
Still, the thought of keeping her did appeal to him.

"This isn't
something to smile about, Rhett. Leah isn't worldly enough to understand that
love and passion aren't the same thing. I thought she would get it, but she
hasn't.

"I'm sure this
strokes your ego, but unless you really get off on emotionally screwing with
people you need to put an end to this." She knew she was taking a risk,
talking to him so directly, but she wasn't about to stand back and say nothing
when her friend was being hurt.

"I'm glad she has
a friend like you, Janie." Rhett wasn't angry with her; on the contrary,
he was pleased that she had his girl's best interests at heart. "I will
talk to Leah when she comes over tonight."

Janie nodded, relieved
that he was being reasonable. "Thank you for understanding, she's a really
special person and I can't stand by and allow her to get hurt any more than
she's likely to be." She hoped that ending things quickly would allow Leah
to recover and move on with her life. Janie was sure that once she was away
from Rhett, Leah would realize that she wasn't really in love with him. "I
need to get going, I'm supposed to be getting breakfast."

Rhett nodded.
"Please don't say anything to Leah about coming to see me. I think it
would embarrass her, and could hurt your friendship."

"As long as you
are going to handle the situation, I don't see there's any need for me to let
her know." She thanked him for his time and then left, hoping that she'd
done the right thing for her friend.

9

Watch Me

Leah felt as though
she'd been working all day by the time she got dressed to go to Rhett's. After
breakfast she and Janie had packed up their dorm rooms for the move to the
condo, a job that had taken far longer than either of them had expected.

The packing up had
taken until late afternoon, with a break for lunch, and had left them with only
enough time to take a few of the boxes over to the condo before they had to
stop for the day.

Once again she was forced
to borrow a dress from Janie, which only emphasized how desperately she needed
to do something about the lack of good clothes in her wardrobe.

Arriving at the house
she saw the limousine sitting in the drive, the chauffeur standing by the side
of it. She wasn't sure what the presence of the car meant and wondered about it
as she parked on the other side of the drive and got out.

When she reached the
house she was surprised to be met by Rhett himself, instead of his butler.
"Evening, Sir." She smiled warmly, her eyes wandering over his
handsome physique. He was dressed more casually than she had seen him up to
then, and she found it strange to see him in slacks and a white cotton sports
shirt.

"Hello, sweetheart."
He shut the front door behind him and then bent to kiss her cheek. "We're
going out tonight," he told her. Taking her hand he led her to the
limousine, where the chauffeur was now holding the rear door open.

Janie's visit that
morning had forced him to give some serious thought to his relationship with
his sweet girl. He'd decided he wasn't willing to give Leah up; she was his, so
when their third night ended he planned on making her an offer, one he hoped
she'd be more than satisfied with.

He motioned for her to
slide into the car, and then got in beside her. "I don't usually drink
when I play, but I think one glass of champagne is acceptable." He took a
bottle from a bucket of ice and poured out two glasses, handing one to Leah and
raising the other in a toast. "Here's to meeting you, because I think it
was one of the greatest moments of my life so far." He clinked his glass
to hers as she blushed.

Leah felt her heart do
a somersault at his words; she hoped they meant he felt something for her
beyond his desire for her body. She wanted to ask him where he was taking her,
but after last night she had no intention of voicing a question, not when he
had made it very clear that he didn't appreciate them.

She sat back in her
seat as he put her seatbelt on and smiled. Janie was right, she thought, she
really had it bad for him. She couldn't take her eyes off him and sipping at
the champagne she squirmed a little in the seat, she was already wet for him.

"Baby, you have
got to stop looking at me that way, I want to make it to our destination before
we make love." He grinned at her, feeling his groin tighten. He couldn't
help wondering how the girl could turn him on so much when he'd been able to
maintain control during the training of so many other young women.

"I'm s-sorry,
Sir." Her face flooded with color, she couldn't deny how she was looking
at him; just being in such close proximity to him made her body ache with
desire.

Shaking his head he
chuckled and pulled her closer to him. His hand moved to her thigh and slowly
inched her skirt up. Her intake of breath made his cock twitch and he wished
they had more than five minutes before they arrived at their destination.

Five minutes was just
enough time to get her a little more worked up though, and he took full advantage
of the opportunity. His fingers slipped under her panties and stroked her
silken flesh, teasing her sensitive bud.

Leah caught her breath
as Rhett teased her. She glanced toward the driver, and was relieved to see
that his attention was focused on the road ahead, rather than what was going on
in the rear of the car. Her hips lifted slightly, making it easier for Rhett as
he pushed a finger deep inside her, then with agonizing slowness he withdrew.
"Sir," she moaned softly, already close to coming undone.

His finger plunged in
again and pulled away, not wanting her to cum yet. Lifting his finger to her
mouth; he pushed it against her lips until she opened them and he was able to
slide his finger inside.

She had never tasted
herself before, not even on the few occasions when she had played with herself.
The taste was strange, but not unpleasant and she suckled at his finger,
licking it clean, knowing that was what he wanted her to do.

When she was done he
pulled his finger from her mouth, making her groan with the need to be
fulfilled. She wiggled her hips in an effort to encourage him but he simply
chuckled, "Insatiable girl," and pulled her dress back down to cover
her. "We're here," he told her; she hadn't even noticed the limousine
had come to a stop.

Opening the door he got
out and bent to reach back in, offering his hand to assist Leah out.
"Let's take you shopping, sweetheart," he said once they were both
out of the car.

He was taking her
shopping; she looked in amazement at the exclusive boutique they stood in front
of. Her brain protested at the thought of him giving her more gifts after the
car and the jewelry, but she realized that declining would only bring out the
more extreme side of his Dom personality.

Seeing the look on her
face Rhett threw his head back and laughed. "My sweet little Leah, I have
never known a woman who didn't want to shop for clothes before."

"I would rather
you take me to bed, Sir," she spoke without thinking and quickly turned
scarlet at her bold words.

Her comment only fueled
his amusement and again his laughter rang aloud. "Sweetheart, don't ever
let it be said that you don't know how to make a man feel good about
himself." Still holding her hand he led her into the stylish store.
"Maybe we'll find a little excitement while we're here," he whispered
in her ear once they were inside.

There was no chance for
her to ask him what he meant for a gorgeous saleswoman walked over just then, a
huge smile on her face. The saleswoman was dressed like a runway model and Leah
instantly hated her for the way she was looking at her man.

"Mr. Hammond, it's
a pleasure to see you again."

"A pleasure to see
you again as well, Delilah; please, lock up the store, my companion needs a
completely new wardrobe and we don't wish to be disturbed."

"Absolutely, Mr.
Hammond, I'll be right with you."

While Rhett and Leah
moved further into the shop they heard Delilah behind them, locking the door
and pulling the heavy blinds, so no-one on the street could look in.

"Delilah, my beautiful
girl here should be dressed in the finest of everything," Rhett said when
the saleswoman returned. "Please select some items so she can model them
for me." He trusted Delilah completely; she knew exactly what he liked to
see his women dressed in, and what outfits would best bring out a woman's
natural beauty. That was one of the reasons he employed her as manageress of
his boutique, not that many people knew he was the owner; with the exception of
the two law firms he had inherited, he preferred to keep his business dealings
quiet where possible.

"Size three I
believe," Delilah said, running a professional eye over the young woman at
her employer's side.

"Yes, wow, how did
you know?" Leah was amazed.

"It's my job to
know, Ma'am." One of the things Delilah had learned over the years was
that keeping her boss' companions happy, made him happy, and that made her job
easier.

Leaving the pair
Delilah made her way around the store, selecting dresses she knew Rhett would
approve of, and which would bring out the best features of the slightly built
young woman he'd brought. "If you would care to follow me to the dressing
room, you can try these on."

"Hang them up
beside me, Delilah; she'll be trying them on here."

Delilah wasn't shocked
in the least by her employer's request; it wasn't the first time she'd watched
the strange games he liked to play with the women he brought to the boutique.
She wouldn't ever have allowed a man to treat her the way he treated his
companions, but she kept that opinion to herself. It was none of her business
how he and his companions enjoyed themselves, and she was paid too well to make
the mistake of voicing an unwelcome opinion.

"Sir?" Leah
was shocked at his request. Did he really want her to change in front of the
saleswoman?

"The black one
first, Leah," he told her, not answering the unvoiced question.

Oh god! That was
exactly what he expected of her, she realized, her heart racing. Knowing how
upset he got when she made him wait she quickly pulled her dress over her head
and crossed to the rack where the black dress hung. She was relieved she still
had her bra and panties on; otherwise it would have been completely
humiliating.

Once Leah had the dress
on Rhett moved forward and walked around her, his finger tapping his lip as he
took note of how the dress fit. Finally he stopped in front of her and reached
out to smooth out the dress over her stomach, he then slid his hands up until
they were cupping the underside of her breasts through the soft silkiness of
the dress. "I think this accentuates her well; what do you think,
Delilah?"

Did he seriously just
ask if her boobs looked good in the dress? Leah groaned, feeling her face burn.

"Her body looks
very lovely, Mr. Hammond."

Rhett nodded and
caressed her bare shoulder lightly. "I do believe we'll take this
one." He looked over at the rack Delilah had hung her selections on.
"Try the white one next," he instructed.

The white one was a
strapless silk mini-dress; it looked very elegant, on its hanger, but Leah
could tell that it would show off an almost indecent amount of skin. Doing her
best not to think about it, Leah removed the black dress, returning it to the
hanger it had come from, and took down the white one.

"Take off your
bra," Rhett told her. "You won't be able to wear one with that
dress."

If Leah had thought her
face was red before, it was nothing to how it was then; she could feel cheeks
burning, and was sure they must be glowing incandescently. She wanted to
protest his request, to refuse, but she wasn't sure he wouldn't take her over
his knee right there in the store, and she wasn't about to risk that.
Trembling, she removed her bra and put it on a nearby chair before quickly
sliding the skimpy white dress over her head, wanting to get covered up as
quickly as possible.

"Now this
definitely has appeal." He smiled, knowing just how embarrassed she was.
He wondered if she was also getting turned on. Showing her off was all part of
night three, and to his mind she was doing exceptionally well; despite her
embarrassment she hadn't hesitated or refused to do as he asked.

Once again he walked
slowly around her, admiring both her and the dress from every angle. When he
stopped it was behind her and his hand traced down her back, sending a shiver
through her as it came to rest on her ass, cupping a barely covered cheek.
"This one shows off that beautiful ass I love so much. What do you think,
Delilah?"

"Yes, Sir, I
couldn't agree more. She has the perfect figure for this dress. Many women wish
they could look as good in it."

Leah was mortified by
the way the two of them were talking about her body; it was as if they were
talking about a car, or some other possession that didn't have a mind or
feelings. Looking at the two of them, she couldn't help wondering if Delilah
had ever slept with Rhett; that thought pissed her off and she glared at the
lady.

"Try the red one
next, sweetheart, it matches the color of your cheeks," Rhett said with a
chuckle, seeing the look Leah was giving Delilah.

Leah took off the white
dress and hung it back on the rack, seething at his humor. "Perhaps you'd
like Delilah to try on a few of the dresses for you as well, Sir." As with
the previous night, she knew she shouldn't have spoken the moment she did, but
the words were out before she could stop them.

His eyes widened at her
outburst and a look of anger crossed his face, he controlled himself however as
he turned away from Leah. "Delilah, would you give us a moment
please?" he asked politely, his voice giving no hint of what Leah had
seen.

"Of course, Mr.
Hammond." Without hesitation she left them alone, heading for the break
room to give them some privacy.

"Delilah is not
one of my submissives, Leah, and your attitude toward her is very displeasing
to me. You will apologize for your behavior when she returns." His tone
left no doubt in her mind that if she didn't apologize she would be punished as
severely as she had been the previous night.

"Yes, Sir,"
she whispered softly, feeling more than a little guilty for her outburst. Since
she knew from Janie that Rhett didn't have vanilla relationships the news that
Delilah was not a sub, or at least not one of his, reassured her that they
hadn't slept together.