Eventide (Her Father, My Master) (23 page)

smile, but I wasn't paying attention to that.

“Yes,” I said in a quiet, wavering voice. “I'm trying to find...” I trailed off. What room number did I

need? How could I forget that, the nurse just told me!

“You need?” the young doctor prompted. His smile was beginning to fade.

I wanted to scream and run away, yet again, but I didn't. I had to see Mr. Hendricks. He'd

commanded it. “Mr. Hendricks,” I finally blurted out. “I don't remember what room he's in, but he's on

this floor.”

The doctor's eyes lit up now. “Ah, yes, him. I'm going to be on the surgery team for him.” As he led

me to my master, going into the details of the surgery. I blanched. Surgery? It hadn't even occurred to me that he would need something like that. He was so healthy, and he wasn't that old. How could he

possibly need it?

“Here he is,” the doctor now said, gesturing to an open door. “By the way, my name is Carlos.” He

stuck out his hand for me to shake, and I nearly didn't. I was already walking towards that door, to my

safe haven in this terrifying place. But at the last second, I remembered my manners. I turned back.

“I'm Krystal,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” he said brightly. “Are you going to be visiting Mr. Hendricks after the surgery?”

“I don't know,” I replied honestly. I didn't know. I didn't know what was going to happen to me at all.

I made for the door, and shut it behind me.

“Krystal?” I heard a voice. His voice. It sounded so faint, with none of the commanding authority

that it usually had.

“Yes, sir?” I called, walking past the narrow wall that blocked my vision of him.

And there he was. On the bed. He looked so pale, so weak. I wanted to run up to him, hug him close,

and never let him go. I wanted him to be better, I wanted all of this to go away.

I wanted things to go back to the way they were. It was so simple, back then.

“Do you have the envelope?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Come here.”

I approached the bed, and before I could said anything, he reached up and grabbed my wrist, pulling

me down close to him. There was still a lot of strength in him, I could see. Appearances could be

deceiving.

With his other hand he reached inside the neck of his gown, and drew out a key. I knew what that key

unlocked.

“No,” I whispered.

“Say it,” he said, gripping the key in one hand, my wrist in the other.

“No,” I repeated myself.

He laughed, a short, coughing laugh. “Say it. There's no other way for this to go, and you know it.

Maddie is coming home, and you can't be in the house anymore.”

I pursed my lips, biting my tongue to distract me from the tears welling in my eyes. How could it be

over? How could end like this?

Now Mr. Hendricks looked up at me with more compassion. “I'm sorry. I didn't want to end it this

way. I wanted you to go when you were ready. But-” he pulled his hand away from my wrist now, and

cupped my face. “You are ready.”

He was right. There was a part of me that wanted to stay, and stay forever, but I knew that part of me

would never overshadow the rest of me, ever again. I wanted to go. I'd thought about it so many times in

the past few weeks. This was just a little sooner than I'd anticipated.

“What about college?” I asked. There was no way I could continue with it without his support.

“That's what the envelope is for. I had to pull a few strings, but your answers are in there.”

“What about the car?”

“What about it?” His eyes grew steely. “That car is yours, to do with as you wish.”

I nodded. “What about you?”

“I'll be fine. I survived before you, and I'll survive after you. Say it.”

I closed my eyes and let out a small sigh before dipped me head lower. My voice at the barest

whisper, I said the word. The word that would release from him. “Howitzer.”

I was barely audible, but he heard me all the same. With a stunning swiftness he brought the key up to

my neck and thrust it in that tiny lock on the collar. There was a small click, and the collar opened,

releasing a year and half worth of pressure from my neck.

He grabbed the metal ring, opened it and pulled it away from my neck. I felt oddly naked now, more

naked than I'd ever felt in his home.

“You're free,” he said finally, breaking the fragile silence.

“I know.” No more calling him sir, or master. He was just Mr. Hendricks again. “What now?” I felt

like a kite whose string had been cut. I was aloft, lost in a sea of air currents.

“You have your things packed already, I suspect,” he said. “And you have a place to go.”

I flushed. “I do.”

“Don't worry. I know about your friend.”

My face grew even hotter. “How do you know?”

Mr. Hendricks looked up at me as he drew both of his hands way, placing the collar on his chest and

folding his hands on top of it. “There's a lot you have to learn about relationships, Krystal. I know.”

“Why did you let me go out, if you knew this would happen?” I felt equal parts curious and confused.

“Because I wanted it to happen. You're a bird, and I can't keep you caged forever.”

I nodded as understanding flowed through me. He wanted me to spread my wings and finally fly. In

many ways, he was like a second father to me, keeping me safe and protected, sheltered from the real

world for just a little while longer. But now I had to go. Really go.

“I love you, you know,” I finally said.

“I know. And it's okay to love. Don't hold that back, but don't waste it.” He lifted a hand and stroked

my arm, and for a moment I thought he might say it. That he loved me too. But instead, he said, “Call me

if you need anything. Anything at all.”

A lump formed in my throat. I didn't even know why. “I will.”

Then I turned and left. I didn't even look back.

It was over.

My visit to Derrick's was a surprise to him, but he welcomed me with open arms.

“Of course you can stay here as long as you need to,” was the first thing he said when I explained my

situation and asked for help.

“I don't want to stay here forever,” I said, shaking my head. Forever was a long time. A very long

time, I learned.

“It wouldn't be forever,” Derrick said. “And we could do some of the things that I want to try. I could

get a collar-”

I cut him off. “No.” I couldn't do that. I couldn't bounce from one master to another for the rest of my

life.

He looked hurt.

“I'm sorry Derrick, it's not you.” I sighed and sat down heavily on his couch as I tried to figure out

what I wanted to say. “It takes a very special master, and a very special slave to be able to work in a

dynamic like that. And I was lucky that I was that kind of person. But I'm not anymore. I can't just be a slave for the rest of my life. I've already done it for a year. More than a year.” I closed my eyes as I

spoke, just letting the words rush out without even thinking about them. “I want to live my life. I want a normal life. I want to go to college. I want to graduate and get a job.”

Derrick sat down next to me. “But you'll never really have that life, you know that, right?” He slid a

hand over to mine, gripping it tightly. “You'll always have this.”

I leaned against him. “I know. But being a slave is a little too much for me now. It'll probably

always be a little too much for me.”

“What if you found the right guy again?”

“I don't know. I don't want to screw up my life.”

He frowned. “This isn't screwing up your life. The only thing that can do that is yourself. BDSM isn't

the blame for your problems.”

“I know that!” I said harshly, glaring at him. “I don't want to give it up. But I don't want to be a slave anymore. I want to have a life.”

He nodded now. “Okay. I think I get it.” I still wasn't sure if he understood. But he didn't push the

subject. “What are you going to do now?”

“Figure out college first, I guess.” I knew I had to finish out the semester with my online college, but

after that I wanted to go to a real one. An actual college. “Then get a job.”

“I can help you with a job. I can to talk to Mike at the shop.”

“I know, and thanks.” I wasn't certain that I wanted to go back to the coffee shop.

“Whatever you want, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“For what?”

I squeezed his hand. “For everything. For helping me.”

“Of course I want to help you.”

I quirked a half-smile. “It's what you do.”

*****

When Derrick left the apartment for his evening shift, it finally occurred to me to look in the envelope

that Mr. Hendricks had instructed me to the take. As I pulled the thing out of my bag, I reflexively lifted a hand and rubbed my neck. It was so strange, to not have that collar on. I still felt so naked. I imagined that feeling was going to last for a long time.

I opened the envelope, and my blood froze in my veins at what I saw.

The first thing I grasped was the money. There was a lot of it. A whole lot. A thousand dollars, two,

three. I counted it all out in shock. Five thousand dollars, with a note promising more if I needed it.

That wasn't it. There was something else in the little white envelope. With shaking hands, I pulled a

piece of paper out.

It was an acceptance letter to the university I'd told my parents that I was going to. I could go. I could see the things that I was missing. I could have a college life. The knowledge of this froze me. I must

have stared at the letter for a full five minutes, reading it over and over again, trying to take it in.

I flipped the letter over, looking for more information. There was no more typed information, but Mr.

Hendricks had written something there. He'd promised me that he would pay for my tuition in full, for the

next three years. More than what I needed.

I couldn't believe it. He'd given me everything, everything that I thought I wanted.

It was strange how I still felt so empty inside. This letter made me realize the end of my relationship

with him more thoroughly than anything else that had happened the previous day. Mr. Hendricks knew

this was coming, and this envelope, this careful plan, proved it. I was truly going to be moving on, and

we both had known it was coming.

I took a deep breath, folded the letter up, and placed it back in the envelope. I wouldn't waste his

time, or his money. I would do this too. I would finish out my college career at this university, I would

grow, I would experience the world, and I would do him proud.

This wasn't the end. It was just the beginning.

Check out other works by Mallorie Griffin

Be sure to read the first installments in this series:

Her Father, My Master: Mentor

Her Father, My Master: Enthralled