Temporary Master (19 page)

Andrew
held up a hand. “You lived with a man…in New York. I knew it and even if I
didn’t agree with your move, I’m not stupid.” He cupped her cheek. “You’re a
beautiful young lady. I don’t expect you to give up your social life to stay
home with an old man like me…”

“You’re
not old, Daddy.” A tear slipped free. “Just ask Mrs. D. She’s had her eye on
you for years. She’d snatch you up if you so much as give her the nod.” She
brushed it away.

He
gave a harrumph.
“Nonsense.
Pure and
utter bullshit.
That woman wouldn’t know what to do with a man like me.
I’d chase her around the kitchen and she’d probably lecture me about falling
and tell me to sit my ass down.”

Sabella
giggled. “Then do it. Sit down, pull her down on your lap, and give her
something else to gripe about…”

“Sabella
Johnston! I can’t believe you’re trying to give your old man love advice.”

She
sobered. “Honestly. She’s been waiting for years. Why do you think she’s
continued to live next to you, when she could’ve moved to the artist’s retreat
in Arizona years ago?”

Her
dad’s brow furrowed. “What artist’s retreat? Louisa hasn’t ever mentioned
anything to me about leaving…”

“That’s
because she doesn’t want to leave you, Daddy.” She shook her head. “I swear if
I’m as stubborn as you are when I get old, I’m going to order my Dom…I mean man
to spank me on a daily basis.” Heat flooded her face at her near slip. Hopefully
her dad hadn’t caught it.

“You
aren’t into that BDSM crap like Lauren, are you?” Her dad looked ready to blow
a gasket.

She
was saved from answering by Kaleb sticking his head into the room. “There you
are, Bella. I need you. The terror
twins
mother is
here and would like to speak with you.”

“Of
course.
Sorry, Daddy,
but duty calls. Give my love to Mrs. D and don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” She
stood up on tiptoe, brushed a kiss across his sandpapery skin, before skirting
around him. As she passed Kaleb, she mouthed the words ‘Thank you.’

“This
discussion isn’t over, young lady.” Her father’s warning wasn’t lost on her as
she followed Kaleb out of the room.

As
soon as they rounded the corner, Kaleb pulled her to a stop. “It wasn’t an
excuse, Bella. Shara and Samuel’s mother is waiting for you in the lobby, and
let me tell you she doesn’t look too happy.”

Confusion
swamped her. “Why would she want to talk to me?”

Kaleb
shrugged. “I have no idea, but I won’t leave you alone with her - just in case
something happens.”

Walking
into the lobby, she approached a slender woman sitting in one of the chairs,
who looked remarkably like an older Shara. This had to be Shara and Samuel’s
mother.
“Ma’am?
I was told you wished to speak with
me?”

“Are
you Ms. Johnston?
Shara and Samuel’s art teacher?”

“Yes,
Ma’am….” She didn’t get much more out as the woman stood and decked her. Pain
radiated from her cheek as the doubled-up fist connected with her cheekbone. It
caused her eyes to water. Cupping her hand over the abraded area, Sabella
struggled to straighten as Kaleb jumped between her and the woman, a startled
look on his face. “Mrs. Croshaw!”

“That
little whore seduced my fifteen year old son!” The woman flung the accusation
at Sabella. “She needs to be fired and spend time in jail like every other
perverted baby-rapist!”

Sabella
stood there, shock rooting her in place. She loved kids and never would touch
Samuel in such a way. The very idea of being accused of such a thing was beyond
her comprehension.

“Whoa…those
are mighty strong words there, Edna. Come with me into my office. I’m sure
Sabella and I can get this matter straightened out.”

The
woman glared at Kaleb. “I trusted you with my kids, Kaleb. You assured me
they’d be safe here.
That they’d be better off here than on
the streets.”
Her
doubled up fists landed on
her hips. “Instead you hire a woman who’s been convicted of sexual abuse in New
York.”

What
the hell was the woman talking about? She’d never been accused let alone
convicted of as much as a traffic ticket let alone sexual abuse of a minor.
Sabella was about to protest her innocence when Kaleb grabbed the woman by her
arm, looking around as people, both kids and adults, stopped to stare at the
spectacle the woman was creating.

“I’m
not going to go into this here. Sabella, go clean up and join me in the
office.” He dragged the woman towards the back where his office was housed.
Sabella watched as he disappeared around the corner with the protesting woman.
She winced as her hand came away with a smear of blood. The woman had obviously
cut her cheek with her ring when she’d punched her. She probably should clean
up before her appearance upset the kids. She was just getting ready to enter
the bathroom off the lobby when the bell at the front jingled.

“Ms.
Johnston!” Samuel rushed through the double hung doors and skidded to a halt
before her, his eyes frantic.
“Oh my god.
Why did my
mom do that?”

“That’s
what I’d like to ask you, young man.” She gave him her best disgruntled teacher
look. “What exactly did you tell your mother I did, which justified her coming
here to punch me in the face?”

Can
I come over? - Sabella

Ethan
was just getting ready to go down to the club when he got the text. Pausing
next to the rear entry, he pulled out his phone. Using the
Qwerty
keyboard, he typed a reply.
Of course.

Are
you at home or the club?

He
typed back a quick reply, surprised when moments later there was a knock on the
outer door. His brows rose as he opened the door and saw Sabella standing with
her back to him, staring down at the club.
“Sabella?”

She
turned to face him, her mascara smeared, her eyes blood-shot and swollen, and a
blossoming bruise on her cheek. And if he wasn’t mistaken there was a cut in
the center of it. His little sub looked like she’d gone a round with Muhammad
Ali.

“I’m
sorry I wouldn’t normally come here unannounced but…”

Keeping
his calm was a challenge, but Ethan managed. Pulling her inside, he shut the
door behind her. “What happened, little one?”

Her
face crumbled, and he nearly panicked when she swayed dangerously on her feet.
Concerned, he swept her up in his arms as silent tears rolled over her cheeks.
Holding her close, he pivoted and headed towards the living room when she
stopped him with a single phrase. “No, training room…” Her breath rattled.
“Please…I need...”

His
heart jumped as he realized what she was asking. Something overwhelming had
happened, and she was looking for the release she’d get by giving over to him.

“Okay,
little one.
We’ll go to the training room.” Moving smoothly down the hall, he managed to
enter the room and give a soft order to the woman in his arms. Sabella flicked
on the lights as he shouldered the door closed behind them. Unsure of what was
actually wrong, he slowly set her on her feet. When he released her, he held
his breath as she slowly stripped out of her clothing until she was wearing
nothing but her bra and panties. As she stumbled towards the woodstove, he
shadowed her movements, knowing she needed the normalcy of their scene routine.
He almost stopped her as she lit the incense on top of it, her fingers
trembling. She fumbled with the match and it fell harmlessly to the hardwood
floor, extinguishing on its way down.

She
bent as if to retrieve it, nearly smacking her head on the stove. “No, leave
it.” His command had her halting as she swayed on her feet. Concerned about her
falling, he gave the order for her to go to her knees. Standing close enough to
catch her if she fell, he hovered as she eased down into
nadu
position,
her thighs wide spread, shoulders back and her eyes lowered. However, her
breathing was more erratic than he’d like. Stripping off his shirt, he tossed
it on the floor uncaring if it wrinkled, before curling his body around hers.
When he first pulled her into his arms, she stayed stiff, her posture making it
difficult to regulate their breathing. “Relax, Sabella. I have you. You’re safe
in my arms. Whatever it is, let it go. It can’t touch you here.”

As
if his words flipped a switch, she whimpered and her body lost its rigidness.
Her back molded to his chest as she hiccupped.

“That’s
it. Match my breath. You know how. In, out. In. Out.
Rhythmic
breathing.”
He kept a soft flow of words surrounding her as she started
and stopped several times in her efforts to do what he asked.

The
slamming of the back door and the call of his name reached his ears, but he
ignored it as he worked to help her. He knew Davis had probably come looking
for him because he’d been running late. His final appointment of the day had
run over, before he’d even gotten Sabella’s text.

“Hey
Ethan, do you know anything about the cab waiting outside? The driver gave me
the rudest gesture when I asked him to move it, because he’s blocking the
entrance to the drive leading down to the club.” Davis’s footsteps came closer
before pausing in front of the training room. Ethan ignored the creak of the
door as he opened it. “Did you hear me? There’s some cab driver demanding
payment and won’t move until he gets it.…” Davis’s voice trailed off as he took
in what Ethan was sure was quite a scene, with Sabella’s clothing scattered
across the floor along with his shirt, coupled with the soft sobs his little
sub couldn’t seem to control.

“Pay
for the cab, please. I’ll reimburse you later.” Sabella’s breathing grew more
erratic as she seemed to finally realize Davis was in the room with them. “Did
I tell you stop, Sabella? Match my breath.
Kokyo-ho,
remember?” The
harsh reminder seemed to focus her, even as Davis slipped out of the room much
quieter than he’d entered it. Thank God, his friend
was
understanding
. As she settled down again, her breathing a bit less
erratic but still not calm, he decided it was time to move onto the next step.
“What’s your safeword?”

“Dobby,
Sir.” Her head turned a bit, her breath teasing his collarbone.

“Good.
And to slow?”

“
Matsu,
Sir.”

“Good
girl. I expect you to use them.” While he wasn’t planning on a scene with her,
not with her in this state, he asked the ritualistic questions more as comfort
than anything else. She needed the routine, the ritual, the closeness to
balance out whatever had caused this, and he wasn’t one to deny a submissive in
her current state. “In, out. That’s right, little one. When I breathe in, you
breathe in, when I exhale, you exhale.” By slow degrees she finally managed to
synchronize her breathing to his. As she sank deeper into his arms, he knew it
was time. Keeping his voice gentle, he began to ask about her day. What she’d
had for breakfast, what time she’d left for the art center.

“Only
had time for blueberry yogurt.
I overslept this morning.” Her words had a dreamy quality.

“And
why did you oversleep, Sabella?” He kept his tone soft but firm.

“You,
Sir.
I had dreams
about you…I didn’t hear the alarm.”

An
interesting tidbit but not what he was after, so he’d filed it away for later
and moved onto the next question. “So you had a yogurt and went to work. How
was your first class?”

She
tensed up, but relaxed when he dragged his palms down her arms. “Shh, it can’t
hurt you. How was your first class?”

She
sighed.
“Normal.
Busy. Hectic with eight year olds,
who were making snowflake ornaments for their families’ Christmas
trees.
Little Jaelyn managed to spill the silver glitter all
over the floor, and half of the class tracked through it before I could clean
it up, the little heathens.”

“Little
heathens for sure.”
He brushed his lips over her ear. “So what did you do after the little one’s
made the mess?”

She
leaned her head in the hollow of his throat. “Prep period. I got the supplies ready
for the next group.
Made a few phone calls to one of the
local galleries to see if I could arrange a showing of the kids’ work.”

He
pressed a kiss to her hair. “And did you manage it to convince the gallery?”

She
gave an almost dream-like nod.
“Yes, Sir.”

“That’s
wonderful. The kids will enjoy having their art displayed.” Keeping his legs
bracketed around her, he tightened his arms slightly.

“So
what happened this afternoon, Sabella? What sent you scurrying into my arms?”

A
low cry built in her throat and she began to struggle.

“You’re
safe. I won’t let anything hurt you. It’s just words. Tell me, get them off
your chest, and you take their power away.” He kept a firm tone but knew she
needed it.