The Favor (8 page)

Again, my comment was met with silence. I wasn't doing this right when I desperately wanted to. He deserved that. He would make an amazing Dom if he knew how. He had a natural alpha side that would make even the most stubborn subs go weak at the knees. And power. He had raw, untapped power that could give the most beautiful pain. Even the thought of him anywhere near my ass had me clenching.

He knew none of this. He didn't know that it was natural; he didn't know that he could make a woman come simply by touch or by ordering her to. I was pretty sure if he were to lean forward and growl that I should orgasm, my body would respond without question, regardless of its exhaustion.

Jared just had to realize what he was and what it meant and, more than anything, accept it. Natural dominance was a rare and beautiful thing, and I didn't want him to feel ostracized because of it. It was a wonder he was still so confident considering the blows I was certain he'd had in response to that powerhouse display.

“I'm not sure I understand.”

“And I'm not sure I'm explaining it right. It's hard for me to describe because we're opposites. You're the dominant one – the one I submit to. You give pain because subs, like me, crave it. They need it and they want it so badly that they will beg for it. There are different levels, just as there is with anything. Some just want to be owned, and do as their masters tell them.”

“Why?”

“Because they're wired that way. You're a Dominant. You want to have ultimate control and give pain. You want something beautiful to break under the weight of your will so you can put it back together again. This, what you're doing now, is called aftercare. It eases your guilt because you're looking after me, cherishing me and soothing me. It's a give and take relationship. You need the aftercare as much as I do.”

“And this is enough to make up for what I did to you?”

I smiled and sank further down in the hot water. I could feel the effects of our conversation pressing into my back as he began growing hard again. I may have been a masochist but I wasn't ready for a repeat performance just yet.

“Kayla?”

“She's a Mistress – one of the best out there.”

“My grandfather?”

“You're going to have to ask him, I'm afraid.”

To his credit, Jared stayed with me through three reheats of the bath, and I tried to answer every question I could as he gently stroked and massaged my body. Trying to explain that I wasn't this talkative as a submissive had him flummoxed. I don’t think he believed me.

Once we were out of the bath, he patted me dry with a fluffy towel and pulled the new robe around my shoulders, gently kissing my skin as he slowly covered it up.

He carried me to the bed, promising to return with food. I told him I would sleep while he should talk to his grandfather first, but something told me the first person he would go to was Mistress Kayla, if for no other reason than to help him talk to the old man.

Me? I was sticking by my word and spending the day in bed, sleeping off the aches and the pains. They wouldn't last long. They were just bruises and exhaustion, but they were enough to satisfy the itch that had been burning inside of me, and would guarantee a peaceful sleep for me.

And they did.

I woke up to fingers being trailed through my hair, the familiarity of it soothing. There was no doubt in my mind who it was, because there was only one person in the world who knew how much I loved the gentle tugs on the ends as her fingers reached the idle curls at the bottom.

My eyes flickered open, the easing ache that had sunk down to my bones making me feel lethargic and lazy. She knew I was awake because she started to gently hum my favorite song. I wanted to stretch out and curl into her but my body refused to move, the aching muscles complaining at the mere thought of it.

“You made quite the impression, my pet.”

I knew a compliment when I heard one, and the use of
pet
meant that the hiatus was over.

“Thank you, Mistress.”

“How bad is it?”

“Just a couple of bruises, I think, Mistress.”

Her hands started to untie the knot in the robe to part the material and I knew what was coming. She wanted to check out the damage to her pet. Most would think this lewd and intrusive, but it was her way of caring for me and making sure that there was no lingering damage.

She moved slowly, inching down my body and nudging my aching thighs apart until she could survey every part of me. Her gentle fingers trailed over every bruise on my hips and slowly spiraled down to my labia, stroking the sore skin gently. She parted me as tenderly as she could, humming out in surprise.

“So swollen, my pet.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

She pulled back and tapped my leg gently, letting me know she was finished, before crawling up the bed and lying on her side next to me. After a gentle stroke against my cheek, her fingers trailed down my neck to sooth me. She was taking care of me like she always did.

I had no idea how long I'd been sleeping, and I didn't ask. For that moment in time, I let it slip and just enjoyed the attention. It wasn't until darkness started to fall that I realized I'd slept the day away. I wondered for a moment if Jared had been back. It was an idle thought, but it must have showed on my face because Mistress Kayla picked up on it immediately.

“He came up twice, once after his talk with me, and the second after he spoke to Charles. I think you've got yourself an admirer.”

I shook my head in denial. I was simply the first woman to take what he could give and thank him for it. Once the world opened up to him and he met other subs, I would be nothing but a pleasant memory to revisit. I would have the same memory and the pleasure of knowing that I truly helped someone.

“He wants to learn, Kit, and he wants to learn with you.”

My head turned to the side and I stared at her collarbone, unsure of what I needed to say or do. I wanted to look into her eyes and see what she was trying to say in that short sentence, but doing so was disrespectful.

We lay there in silence for a while, neither one of us saying anything, just the sounds of our breaths mingling with the sounds I'd coveted only the night before. She lifted her hand and traced my hairline before circling the shell of my ear.

She was waiting me out – waiting for my curiosity to get the better of me and ask, but she should have known better. When it came to her, I was perfectly content in my deference. She would eventually tell me what she wanted of me. Then, inevitably, I would do it, simply to please her.

“You're not at all curious? You may talk freely, Pet.”

“Of course I'm curious, Mistress,” I finally blurted out. “Mainly because he was so intrigued with the lifestyle. He has this natural talent. It's raw and unfettered.”

“I was talking about his request for you.”

“Mistress, that's your decision to make. I'm your sub.
Yours
,” I emphasized, taking a deep breath. I had the notion she was digging deep, looking for something that wasn't there. I couldn't understand her intentions. This wasn't the first time she'd had someone request me, and it certainly wasn't the first time she'd asked me to help train a Dom. She did what she thought was best and I trusted her judgment.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her mouth lift in a small smile, and the hand that was tracing my ear cupped my neck. Apparently, I'd given her the answer she wanted. Since we'd come to this house, she seemed to be questioning herself more and more, and, to my disappointment, questioning me and my loyalty.

“Charles was the one who approached me with this request, Kit, and I told him I would talk to you. That insufferable man brings out old habits and I'm taking them out on you.”

I didn't respond. I wasn't even sure how to at this point. It was the first time she'd shown any kind of weakness or vulnerability around me, so I stayed silent and unmoving, waiting for her to make up her mind about what she wanted.

“He asked that you stay here for a week – no fucking, no dominance as such – just you being here so you can build up trust, so Jared can learn how to handle a subservient. It's difficult getting used to someone kneeling at your feet, and Charles wants him to figure out if he wants what we have, or a part time thing. Then, when he's ready, you'll come to New Orleans and spend a few nights at the club with him and me for some real learning. After that, if you're willing, another week here so he can hone his skills.”

I felt my eyes widen. That was almost a month of dedication to his training – a month that I wouldn't be able to work. It wasn't as though I loved my job. Data entry wasn’t exactly ground moving, but it was an inconvenience. I liked having my own money, no matter what Mistress tried to throw at me. I liked buying the groceries and buying my own gas. I just wasn't sure my job would still be there after that long.

“You look concerned.”

“Mistress, I have a job. There's no way I can take that much time off. You know what Melinda's like.”

“Ah, I mentioned that to Mr. Bottomless-Pockets, and he didn't offer to pay you because he knew you'd be insulted, but he did offer you a job in his company. He figured that solution would suit you better as you'd have to actually work for it.”

The old man seemed to have thought of everything. I could only assume that his grandson’s happiness through self-discovery had become his mission in life, and I, a mere pawn. I couldn't be insulted about his resolution because he was right. A job would be exponentially more satisfying for me.

“And you, Mistress? What do you want?”

She laughed gently. “I want to give Charles what he wants. I'm a soft touch when it comes to that old man. I owe him so much, and this is the only thing he's ever asked of me. Yet, I want you to be comfortable.”

“If it makes you happy, Mistress, you know I'll be happy to do it.”

“Then it's settled, Pet. I will leave you here for the week. Anything you need, I'm sure they will supply.”

So soon? I was a little confused as to why it had to be so immediate. Jared's need to learn wasn't going to go anywhere. I couldn't even have a proper goodbye with my Mistress. Well, I could, but my body wouldn't thank me for it. The way she'd said it, she was planning on leaving soon.

“And you, Mistress?”

“I've been invited to New York, a trip I was hoping you'd join me on, but this works well. Maybe I won't miss you quite so much if I'm not at home.”

“But—”

“I put a call in for the car, my little kitten. Kiss me goodbye and show me how much you'll miss me.”

I gave a small laugh and leaned in, my lips brushing hers. I'd give her a farewell to remember me by.

By the time Mistress Kayla left, I was dead to the world. She'd had the alert for the car long before she'd actually gone, which had been in the early hours of the morning. I attributed my lack of decorum regarding her absence to my insatiable exhaustion. The tears I'd shed were shed in a moment of weakness.

I didn't see Jared or hear him come in, but as I woke to the sunlight streaming in through the window, I felt him next to me. In the most gentlemanly of displays, he was dressed and sleeping on top of the covers, but my guess was that sometime in the night he'd rolled over seeking the comfort of my body. His heavy arm was draped over the fading ache in my ribs, and his breath made the hair at the nape of my neck cavort over my flesh, sending shivers down my spine.

As much as I hated not being with Mistress Kayla, this wasn't the worst thing she'd ever asked me to do. I had enough stories to make most new subs cringe, but I didn't regret one of them. They'd all been to please my Mistress, building not only our relationship, but our trust also. She was never far away, but this time... New York. It felt like it was on the other side of the planet to me. Part of me knew I was safe here with Charles and Jared, but there was still that thought of
what if
in the back of my head. Two years of training to obey just one Dominant was a bit much to reroute, so I just had to take the time and actually get to know Jared, to learn to trust him.

It was, after all, one of the biggest things in the wicked world of BDSM. In order to be bound and left vulnerable, you had to trust the person doing the binding. There were horror stories, but that was the same with anything that hovered on the edges of what people perceived to be normal. Life had to have the balance of positive and negative. I just didn't ever want to experience the dark side of BDSM where one misread reaction could end in disaster. My trust was always earned, but the thought of one incident of a person breaking that trust and going beyond my body’s capabilities terrified me.

Lucky for me, I had the foundation of trust that Jared honestly didn't want to hurt me beyond my capabilities. The incident we'd had the day before had been me letting him take what he needed. He'd been the one to try and stop it. So for now, it was just building on that, with no sex and only submission.

That would be the kicker for me – getting used to taking orders from another Dominant, possibly two of them, if Charles was going to be helping. For a full minute, I just lay there wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

“Good morning.” Jared's voice was still husky with sleep as he pulled me against him, his hand pressing against my bladder as our bodies connected and I felt his morning erection nudging my spine. This would have been fine if I hadn't needed to pee so badly.

“Good morning, Sir.”

Whether involuntary or not, his hips rocked forward against my body, making me gasp. I didn't think I would ever get used to the size of him. I was surprised every time I felt it against me. I was also having a hard time adjusting to the formalities with him. For the whole day I'd known him, I'd been open and frank. It was hard to take a step back from that and call him sir.

“Is that how you address a Dominant?”

“Yes, Sir. If you owned me, it would be Master.”

I watched as his eyes closed, his lips turning up at one side. I wondered what was going through his mind, but our candid moments were over with for now. I shifted in his arms as my need to go to the bathroom escalated.