10 Nights (35 page)

Flipping channels Leah
groaned when she saw a commercial for Rhett’s law firm. It seemed as if
everything was conspiring to make her think about him, she thought as his
beautiful face stared at her from the screen. Turning the channel quickly she
demanded that her heart stop racing; it didn’t listen.

As her mind dwelled on
the previous night she realized she couldn’t avoid the situation any longer. No
matter how hard she tried not to think about him, Rhett was on her mind.
Turning off the television she replayed the scene in her mind; did some
submissives enjoy rape scenarios, she wondered.

It didn’t seem possible
to her that someone could actually derive pleasure from the thought of being
attacked and raped. Then again, she realized, it was no surprise she couldn’t
imagine people enjoying such activities, until she had met Rhett she hadn’t
even considered the possibility of enjoying straight sex. Maybe women really
did like that kind of thing, and she was just too naïve to consider it; after
all, hadn’t she found herself enjoying things in the past week that she would
never have even thought of before then.

Though she had only
just turned it off Leah took up the laptop and switched it back on. As soon as
it had powered up she Googled rape fantasies.

It didn’t surprise her
all that much to discover that men often fantasized about rape, though they
generally wanted the victim to become turned on so that it was no longer rape.
What did flabbergast her was the discovery that many women enjoyed the fantasy;
she discovered numerous mentions of it on websites that dealt with sexual and
psychological matters, and even more mentions on forums about the lifestyle.

Leah couldn’t believe
that women would fantasize about something that was so degrading. Even more
unbelievable than them fantasizing about such a scenario were the stories of
them going through with it.

After a moment she
found herself laughing at her thoughts. She imagined a lot of women would find
it degrading to have a guy spank them but she had enjoyed the experience; more
than just enjoy it, she had been turned on by it.

While she was looking
around she came across a list of the top ten fantasies by women. Curious she
read through the list, wondering just what it was that women fantasized about.
To her amazement, everything on the list was something she had done during the
course of the previous week and more. One by one Rhett had taken her through
every scenario that women fantasized about, but lacked the courage, or the
opportunity, to experience.

Sitting back, the list
on the screen before her, Leah found her mind wandering, wondering if she had
simply overreacted massively the night before. What Rhett had done had freaked
her out, that was for sure, it had been way beyond what she was ready to
experience, a part of her wasn’t sure she would ever be ready for it, but how
would Rhett have known that, given her reactions to the other scenarios he had
introduced her to.

If she had been asked
before the start of each new scenario she would almost certainly have expressed
some level of horror at the thought of what Rhett had wanted her to do. Even
when the scenarios began she was uncomfortable and unhappy with them, but each
time she had found herself being turned on, and ultimately enjoying what she
had done with Rhett, on some level.

How was Rhett to have
known that she wouldn’t have enjoyed the rape scenario when she had enjoyed
everything else?

He wasn’t an angel, by
any means, she remembered clearly the occasions when he had gone into full
Dominant mode, on those occasions he had actually scared her, but he wasn’t an
unfeeling bastard either. The truth was, she thought, he had tried to expand
her horizons, to awaken her sexuality and show her her true nature, and he had
done that, at least in part.

How could she hate him
when she had felt more alive since meeting him than she ever had before? She
couldn’t, at least not completely.

Making up her mind she
pushed the laptop aside and got to her feet. Nibbling her lip nervously she
walked into her bedroom and picked up the iPhone.

“Leah.” Relief filled
Rhett’s voice as he answered the phone, “I’m so glad you called me.” Seeing her
number on the caller ID of his phone was unexpected, but deeply pleasing. He’d
been worried that she would never speak to him again, and the thought had
destroyed him.

“I think we need to
talk.” She spoke the words softly, her heart aching just from the sound of his
voice as he uttered her name.

For the first time in
the past day, since Leah had run out on him and he’d heard how she was reacting
to his stupidity, he felt as if he could breathe. “I would like that very
much,” he said, trying to keep a tight rein on the happiness he felt. “Where
would you like to meet?” If it meant he could see her again, and have a chance
to make amends for what he had done, he was prepared to do anything.

“Could we do it at your
house, tomorrow night?” She wanted to see him right then; she wanted to get in
her car and drive straight over there, but knew she had to get herself together
and think about what she needed to say before she saw him.

“Would nine o’clock
work for you?” He held his breath anxiously while he waited for her answer,
terrified that she would change her mind now she was speaking to him. He also
worried that if he said anything more than was absolutely necessary he would
say something wrong and scare her away.

“That would be fine,”
Leah told him, not sure what else to say. She hated the stiffness in her voice
and her uncertainty, and wished things could go back to how they had been
during the first few nights, before he had begun pushing her further than she
was prepared to go. The trip, that was where it had all begun to go wrong, she
thought; the trip had been wonderful, and terrible.

“I’m really sorry about
last night,” Rhett apologized, desperate to keep the conversation going, to
stop her hanging up, as he sensed she was about to do. He was terrified that he
would say something wrong, but he was even more terrified that if she hung up
the phone she would have the time to rethink her decision and not come. “I wish
I could take back last night, take back everything I did to hurt you.”

“I’m sorry too.” What
are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong. A part of her mind, which she
quickly shoved aside, said. “I should get some sleep,” she told him, feeling as
though she was going to break down, or do or say something stupid, if she
didn’t get off the phone.

“I don’t want to keep
you up if you’re tired.” Despite his words Rhett didn’t want to end the call,
he wanted to demand that she get in her car and drive straight over. He knew he
couldn’t do that though, if he did he would lose her forever.

“Goodnight, Rhett,” she
whispered softly.

“Goodnight, Leah.” He
refused to hang up and waited until the line went dead on him before replacing
the receiver. She’d agreed to meet with him, he thought, a smile stretching his
lips, that was a start. Now he just needed to make sure when she came over she
would never want to leave again.

It took hours after
their conversation for Leah to finally fall asleep.  She had no idea what would
happen tomorrow night and wondered if she was crazy for wanting to meet with
him. 

Was she risking putting
herself in danger? It was a possibility, and one she had to consider very
seriously, despite the sincerity she’d heard in his voice when he said he was
sorry. She was not ignorant of the chance she had agreed to take but she was
desperate to see Rhett again, her heart beat fast just thinking that she was
less than twenty four hours away from possibly being in his arms once more.

He had pushed her
beyond everything she was comfortable with, and in the process he had changed her
from an almost shy virginal young woman to a sexually adventurous lady. Everything
about him confused, excited and terrified her; he pushed all her buttons, both
the right ones, and the wrong ones.

It was insane for her
to need someone as much as she needed Rhett, but at least when she was with him
she felt something. Though she could barely remember the person she had been
before meeting him, there was one thing she was sure of, she didn’t want to go
back to being that person.

As sleep finally pulled
her into its embrace Leah found her dreams consumed by Rhett.

He stood on a sandy
white beach, waiting for her, his arms outstretched as rain lashed down and
lightning split the sky. Ignoring the rain, which soaked her in just a few
moments, she crossed the beach to where he waited. She hesitated just outside
of his reach, uncertain, and then took the final step, allowing him to enfold
her in his arms and pull her into an embrace.

Their relationship was
like a summer storm, she thought in her dream, volatile and unpredictable.
Anything could happen, but that was what made it so exciting.

24

Tenth night

“You know this is
insanity, right?” Janie was furious with her friend; she couldn’t believe Leah
was willing to put herself back in a situation that might well lead to her
being hurt again, either physically or emotionally. Sitting at the kitchen
island she looked over at her best friend as though she needed mental help.

“I know it seems that
way to you, but I’m going to drive myself nuts if I don’t talk to him.” Her
nerves were strung tight enough as it was, without Janie’s feelings on the
subject piled on top of what was already a monumental decision for her.

“Dammit, Leah, it will
get easier if you just give it time. There’s no need to throw yourself back on
the fire when you barely escaped it last time!” Exasperated Janie threw her
hands up and walked away. They had been talking in circles for the last twenty
minutes, and nothing she had said had made a dent in her friend’s resolve. The
expression on Leah’s face made it clear that her mind wasn’t going to be
changed. “Do you really expect me to stand by and watch you destroy yourself
over him?”

“I expect you to be my
friend and accept that I can make my own choices and deal with the
consequences!” She was getting pissed off. She’d told Janie what she planned,
and had expected some kind of reaction, but she’d also expected her friend to
support her.

“I’ll always be your
friend, even when you’re being about as stupid as a person can be. I love you,
Leah. But when he hurts you again, please remember that I did warn you.”
Grabbing her purse Janie headed for the door; she had no desire to stand by and
watch her friend fuck up her life, if she was going to through with it she
would have to do so on her own.

Leah cringed as the
front door slammed shut and she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to
calm her nerves. The last thing she’d wanted was to make her best friend
unhappy with her, but she had to make the decision for herself, and despite the
valid points from Janie she was the one who had to live with the consequences.

The chime of the
doorbell distracted her from her thoughts, to her intense relief; she didn’t
have a clue how she was going to fix things with Janie, though she knew she
would have to sooner or later.

Signing for the package
she thanked the delivery guy and kicked the door closed behind him with her
foot. The package was just over a foot square, and a reasonable weight, and she
studied it curiously as she carried it into the kitchen. She tore the wrapping
off the moment she was in the kitchen and then set the box on the island while
she grabbed a knife.

With the sealing tape
slit she opened the box, and found herself looking at a quantity of bubble
wrap. Her curiosity increasing Leah lifted the item from the box and proceeded
to remove the bubble wrap, which took her a while since there seemed to be a
lot of it.

Finally she managed to
uncover what Rhett had sent her. To her surprise she found herself looking at a
marble chessboard. It was beautiful, she couldn’t deny that, but to say it was
an unusual gift for her to receive was putting it mildly. She had never played
the game in her life, and had never even spoken of the game with Rhett, which
made her wonder why he had sent her the board.

Studying the board,
which was about ten inches square and two inches deep, Leah noticed that a
crack ran around the side of the board, just below the top. When she saw the
pieces that should go with the board weren’t in the box she realized they must
be within the chessboard.

Carefully she lifted
the top of the board off to reveal a velvet lined interior, in which sat the
thirty-two pieces of the set. Half were carved from ivory, but she wasn’t sure
what the black half of the set were made from. Running her fingers over the
delicate objects she admired their beauty, she loved them, even though she had
no idea what the pieces were called.

Almost afraid to
actually touch the pieces Leah lifted an ivory horse from its recessed slot in
the velvet cushion. Examining it closely she marveled at the level of detail in
the carving. It didn’t seem possible that anyone could have made such a small
figure so lifelike.

Replacing the horse she
read the card that had come with the gift.

This game should
have been where we started, sweet girl. In chess, when there is no move left to
either escape or win the game it is called a checkmate. The person who is
checked loses. I concede, Princess, checkmate. Truly, RH.

Leah wasn’t quite sure
what Rhett meant by the message, it was cryptic and left her confused. She
thought about calling him to find out the meaning but quickly stopped herself.
What if checkmate meant he was surrendering, that he was going to let her go?
She wasn’t sure she could deal with that, not when she’d found the courage to
give him another chance.

In an effort to put
such dismal thoughts from her mind Leah fetched her laptop and set it on the
counter next to the chess set. Turning it on she settled on a stool and googled
chess, figuring that she should at least find out the name of the various
pieces, and where they went on the board, even if she didn’t have the slightest
clue how to play.

Following the
instructions on the site she found she set the board up, placing the thirty-two
pieces so they matched the image on the laptop. Along the way she discovered
their names. In the corners of the board sat the rooks, which looked like
castles, while next to them went the horses, or knights as they were known. In
the middle of the board’s back row went the King and Queen, who sat facing one
another, while outside of them, next to the knights were the bishops. The last
pieces that Leah set up, and the most numerous, were the pawns.

With the board set up,
and the pieces identified, she continued to learn what she could about chess.
She guessed, based on his decision to send her the set, that chess was a game
that Rhett played, which suggested it would be a good idea for her to learn it,
if she could.

The rest of the day
Leah spent attempting to learn chess, which didn’t go very well. She was
confused by the time she finished reading the instructions on the website which
told her how the various pieces moved. When she got bored of her attempts to
learn chess she finished up the letters and applications she had been doing
before Janie woke and learned of her plans, and then kept herself occupied with
whatever tasks she could find.

The day seemed to
stretch on forever, despite her efforts to distract herself, but finally half
seven arrived, and when it did she began getting ready. She’d already had a
bath as one of her time passing activities but still felt the need to have a
shower and wash her hair again.

Drying herself off Leah
pulled on the red lace bra and panties set she had selected. She then slid on a
black garter belt before settling onto the edge of the bed so she could pull on
a pair of sheer black stockings, which she clipped to the belt.

Her hands shook as she
lowered a pale pink dress over her head. It was one of the least revealing
outfits that Rhett had bought for her and she loved how it clung to her small
waist and then fell over her hips, stopping just a few inches above her knees.
The dress felt soft as butter against her skin and while it was modest enough
to satisfy her it also made her feel sinfully sensual.

She told herself that
she was only going to the mansion to talk to Rhett, she had no intention of allowing
things to go further than conversation, they had too much to discuss, and she
honestly didn’t know what was going to happen with their relationship. The
outfit made her feel sexy however, and that increased her confidence, which she
hoped would help her get through the meeting.

After settling the
dress over her hips Leah made her way into the bathroom, where she studied
herself in the full length mirror behind the door, wanting to make sure she
looked as good as she felt. Satisfied that the outfit presented the image she
was after she moved on to her makeup and hair.

She brushed her hair
until it shone and hung in soft waves down her back, and then she stood in
front of the sink to apply her makeup. She kept it to a minimum, doing her best
to accentuate her natural features with her limited makeup skills. 

After about ten minutes
she was satisfied with her efforts and put the makeup away before making a
final check in the full length mirror to be sure she was as perfect as she
could make herself.

Returning to the
bedroom, she slid her feet into a pair of white three inch heels, grabbed her
purse and left the condo. With each step her legs shook; she was relieved that
there was an elevator in the building for her to use because she was sure she
would have fallen and broken her neck if she’d had to negotiate stairs.

As she drove the canary
yellow sports car through the Chicago streets, Leah found herself feeling more
nervous than she had when she went there for her first night with Rhett. She
hadn’t thought that was possible, but her heart was racing and her hands were
slick on the wheel of the car, making her fear it was going to slip through her
hands and result in her crashing.

She was relieved when
she made it safely to the mansion, though she had to sit in the car for a
minute or so while she got herself under control, and dug out a tissue so she
could dry her hands.

When she no longer felt
as though she was going to make a fool of herself the moment she opened her
mouth Leah got out of the car. Thanking the handsome young man who had
patiently held the door open while she sorted herself, the same young man who
had been there the first time she came to the mansion, Leah handed him her
keys.

While the young man
slid behind the wheel and drove off to park her car Leah forced her legs, which
just then seemed to have the consistency of jelly, to carry her up the steps to
the front door.

The door opened before
she had a chance to ring the bell and the usually stoic servant greeted her
with a warm smile. “Master Rhett is waiting for you in the gardens, Ma’am.”

“Thank you.” She
managed to force the words through lips that were suddenly parched. Her heart
raced as she followed the servant through the house, thumping so loudly she
wouldn’t have been surprised to discover he could hear it.

Her eyes widened as she
stepped through the veranda doors Rhett’s servant held open for her and she saw
the trail of white and red rose petals.

“Enjoy your evening,
Ma’am.” Edwin closed the doors as he retreated back into the mansion, a smile
on his face.

Leah looked behind her
for a moment at the doors and then slowly began following the trail of rose
petals. The path illuminated for her by a series of torches that revealed
little beyond the petals, giving her no clue to where she was going or what she
should expect. It was like something from a fairytale.

Her heart thudded
loudly in her chest with each step she took as she wondered what she was going
to find at the end of the trail.

Finally the rose petals
ended, stopping at a large gazebo. Sheer white curtains surrounded the gazebo,
rippling in the gentle breeze that blew through the garden. Finding it hard to
breathe Leah forced herself to keep going until she reached the curtains, which
she parted hesitantly.

A gasp escaped her lips
as she saw what awaited her, and her heart leapt into her throat. In the middle
of the gazebo was Rhett, waiting for her on one knee; he was dressed in a black
tuxedo that fit his incredible body perfectly, in his hand was a velvet covered
box that he held out toward her.

Leah knew she would
remember the look on his gorgeous for the rest of her life. Always before he
had been confident, certain of what he was doing, now he seemed nervous, even
more nervous than she felt herself.

“I know I’ve been a
stubborn, blind fool, and you deserve someone who could give you so much more.
I have never felt this way about another woman though, and the thought of not
being with you destroys my soul.

“I know I don’t deserve
you, but if you will do me the honor of being my wife, I promise to spend the
rest of my life making sure that you have everything your heart desires. Leah,
will you accept my ring and agree to marry me?” Finishing his little speech he
opened the box to reveal a diamond ring.

Leah opened her mouth
to respond, but found that no words would come out. While it was true that she
hadn’t really known what was going to happen that night, she did know that an
offer of marriage was definitely not something she had anticipated.

She didn’t know what to
say. His proposal had her thoughts and emotions in a whirl, leaving her with no
idea how to react. All she could do was stand there and stare at him,
open-mouthed.

“Sweetheart, please say
something.” Rhett heard his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for Leah
to answer his question, to tell him yes, to tell him no, to respond in some
fashion. The silence from her was worse than a refusal, though part of him
wondered how anything could be worse than her refusing him.