“tonight you’re going to trust me with even more…
Did you think I want a sub?” I asked. “A woman without her own will… without strength or courage or challenge? You’re going to let me see you tonight. All of you.
Show me you have the courage to trust me.”
12
Angelina
And I did.
But I could feel my whole body shaking as he slipped my mask off… over my hair, and let it fall to the floor.
We’ll never see each other again, I told myself, feeling the shivering sensation move deeper into my core. He doesn’t know my name… he only knows me… My body, my needs, how it excites me when he binds my wrists….
“So beautiful…,” he breathed, taking my face between his huge hands. “So delicate… so strong…” He lifted the satin binding, pulling my arms up over my head, and backed me to the wall with his body. Chest to breasts, belly to belly, hips to hips… his cock pushed into my belly as he moved forward. When my back hit the wall, he smiled and slipped the end of the satin sash through an iron ring above my head. His cock, still tied off at its base, was now threateningly huge… But he took his time, as if his own release was the last thing that concerned him, as if the pleasure could last for hours.
He tied thin, soft ribbons around my nipples until they were swollen and hard, prominent and achingly sensitive. He worked me with his tongue, his teeth, his fingers… and a long slim vibrator he selected from a dozen choices. By the time he told me to let my arms carry my weight, I couldn’t stand any longer anyway. I was shaking with need. He picked up one of my legs by the ankle and pushed it high, alongside my body, until my whole sex was exposed. I could feel the satin tie on his cock, dangling between us as he thrust himself deep inside me…
Positioned like that, I was beyond tight. As tight as my first time, only wet and willing now. Just like the way it was with…
He hilted himself inside and groaned heavily into my neck. The ribbon he wore touched my clit when he moved, creating a silky friction that fast left the memories behind.
There’s only this man… this man…. This… I thought as his rhythm built. Faster and faster until I forgot he’d seen my face, no longer cared that he hadn’t even removed his own mask. It was enough that I knew his essence and he knew mine. By the time we both exploded in release, there was nothing but us…
He’d untied my wrists and finally taken me to bed. I remembered waking in the night… our need for each other pushing us to make the most of the little time we’d still had. My whole body was tender, thrumming inside… still aching and hungry for more… But by the time I woke up in the early morning hours, I was alone again. His clothes were gone… and the door to our private room firmly shut. I could hear faint stirrings from other guests downstairs…
I’d never know who he was, I’d never see him again. He’d gone back to his own life as suddenly as he’d come into mine. And I had my own life waiting, and a daughter to provide for.
I sighed and turned, feeling a deep, stinging loneliness inside.
“Are you sure that’s everything?” Jane asked, as I wiped my damp forehead.
“Everything but Vi,” I said, smiling wanly. The whole morning had been a numbing blur of activity, made worse by my getting home so late. Or so early, actually…
But we’d managed with Donna’s help, and because Mattie had started packing ahead of time. Such an organizer, that girl…
Violet was seated at the piano, playing for one last time, and I was pretty sure she understood we were saying goodbye to the only home she’d ever had. She was playing something by Brahms. It was slow, with a hint of sadness. But there were notes of brightness, too, almost like she knew that moving forward was a good thing. I listened, wishing more than anything that we didn’t have to leave the piano behind. But it belonged to the apartment, not to us. There wasn’t a choice.
“She gets it, doesn’t she?” Mattie asked, coming up behind me to listen, too.
“I think so. I just wish there was some way to know for sure.”
Mattie leaned the side of her head against mine. “It’s gonna be fine, Angie. You’ll see. Kids can adjust to anything, somehow. Maybe better than we can.
You’re doing the right thing. You’re the best mother I’ve ever seen. And we can always ride the ferry back to the city. Donna will let her use the piano at her school.”
“I know…,” I said, wishing I could feel as certain as she sounded. But change is harder for an autistic child, I thought. Even one with a talent as brilliant as Vi’s…
“So you’re ready?” Jane pushed her expensive sleeves up over her forearms. Great sportswear, designer clothes, but this girl was no slouch. She’d carried boxes, too… I nodded and smiled over at her.
“Just leave it all to me,” she said kindly. Her smile showed an endearing overbite and her brown eyes shined. “I’ll take care of the stuff. You just take care of Violet. We’re ahead of schedule and the boss already has the boat waiting at the dock. The guys and I will take care of all the unpacking, and you can get your daughter settled in with Mattie. I know you’d probably rather have the evening all to yourselves, but he’s already planned to meet you tonight.
Dining room in the main house… Seven sharp.”
13
Will
“Oh… oh God… No, no, no…”
“I’m sorry, Angel. It was the only way…”
She was right on time and dressed for success. My sweet Angelina. I could almost feel her last orgasm, still thrumming…
I slipped off the mask in front of her. I wanted her to see me do it. There would be no more secrets between us. No more hiding in the shadows. It was time for honesty.
“You knew it was me last night…”
“I knew it the first night, Angel. I knew even before then… Finding you was the hard part. Making sure I was the first man to approach you at the club was not.”
“And you let me think… I was there to… Why the hell didn’t you tell me it was you, Will?
You let me think I was fu… that I was with somebody I’d never see, ever again.” She pushed her hands into her hair and it cascaded between her fingers. “You’ve humiliated me. You knew it was me while you kept your own secrets. And now…,” she trailed off. I could see a hundred different thoughts all dawning at once… “You bring me here… with my family… and you think that I can just go to work for you, like none of it ever happened?” She shot me a hard look that went straight to my groin. Beautiful, fucking, spirited woman…
“Not like nothing happened,” I answered her. I left the doorway where I’d been waiting and headed toward her. The closer I got, the harder I got. She was so small and yet so powerful. With a look or a touch, she could change my whole world. The truth was, she already had.
“Like everything happened,” I finished. “I’ve been looking for you ever since you left, sweetheart. Since Jimmy fucking broke your heart and you felt like your only option was to leave us all behind.” I took her into my arms and breathed her in. “All these years I’ve needed to apologize. For your prom… for involving myself where I had no right, for confusing you when you were still so young…” I stroked her hair back and felt a shift in my chest. “I had no right to do what I did back then. Maybe no right to what we just shared at the club. But once I knew where you were and I’d arranged to hire you…
I found out that you and Mattie were going to the club,” I said, looking at her hard. “I have people on my payroll… I learn things… And I couldn’t let you go there and be taken by some fucked-up stranger.” I pulled her to me and felt that current run between us. “Can you forgive me that much, at least?” I tilted her chin up with my fingers. “Right or not, Jimmy or not, I couldn’t forget you, Angel. That first night… when you gave yourself to me completely…” I kissed her, letting my hands slip down her sides… around her back.
“You left before the wedding…,” she said softly.
“I couldn’t
believe you were willing to marry that asshole… and I sure as fuck couldn’t watch you do it,” I answered. “He may be my mother’s son, but I don’t consider him my brother anymore. Not after what he did to you. And not after he left you alone with his baby inside you.” I looked down into troubled eyes. “He has no idea what he walked away from. And I won’t apologize for wanting you for myself.”
She let out a long breath and I felt her body relax against me. “Jimmy saved my life when he left me at the altar,” she said. She put her cheek against my chest and I felt my heart turn over. “He was my only mistake,” she said softly. “Not you… not us…
I grew up with stars in my eyes, looking at you, wanting only you… But you were so out of reach.” She looked up, her mouth open, her lips softly parted. “Jimmy was all my mom’s idea, not mine. I just let her control me for so many years…”
“So now your daughter’s growing up without her father,” I said. Her eyes moved away. “I know you had a little girl,” I said carefully. “And I know that you’re protective… private.” I leaned down. “I didn’t look any deeper than that,” I reassured her. “I only wanted to know if you two were okay, and if Jimmy had ever stepped up as a dad…”
She shook her head. “It’s way better he didn’t,” she said. She shifted in my arms and I stroked her back. “Violet’s mine. Me and Mattie… and Mattie’s sister, Donna, too. We’re her family. The only family she needs.” She stood taller and looked at me squarely. “I make sure she has everything she needs and it’s the reason I accepted this job…” She looked around the huge empty room. The entire house, at present, held little more than a table and a bed. “Tell me, honestly, the reason you offered it to me…”
I tightened my arms, enjoying the feeling of her breasts pushing into my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d had so much clothing between us. It was interesting… exciting…
“I want you,” I said plainly. “In all these years, even thinking I might not ever find you, I never stopped wanting you. And I never stopped needing to do what I could for you, and for your daughter. I still don’t know her name…”
“It’s Violet,” she said gently, and I could hear the love in her voice. “The day she was born, there was a huge bouquet of violets waiting in my room. Mattie had sent them… and the scent filled the air… They brought the baby into my room and put her into my arms. I counted her little fingers and her toes… I saw her face… and for the first time…
I didn’t feel quite so alone anymore.”
14
Angelina
I sat across the table from him, a plate of perfectly grilled salmon in front of me, a glass of chilled white wine in my hand. He was almost finished. I’d barely touched my dinner. My heart was thumping uncomfortably against my stomach and I had a feeling food wouldn’t help. My thoughts were running every direction at once. But mostly, I couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t known all along. How could I have given myself to him and not known… And why the hell hadn’t he told me…?
“I should probably be getting back…,” I said, putting my napkin back up on the table. “I haven’t even been inside the cottage yet. As soon as we docked, I couldn’t get Violet to leave the beach.” I stood up, my chair legs scraped the tile floor softly. “Mattie and Jane got stuck with all the unpacking. I should at least be there to put Violet to bed.” He stood, too, and his napkin fell to the floor. “This is more change than she’s used to…,” I went on. “And it’s already late…”
“But I haven’t shown you the house…,” he took my hands in his. They were warm and steadying. “You are still willing to stay… to do the job I hired you for?”
“Yes… I… as long as… If Vi settles in,” I stumbled over the words, distracted by his thumb rubbing warm circles into my palm. “This is all a lot to absorb,” I said honestly. “You, this job… what we did… Hell, our whole history.” I took a deep breath and withdrew my hand. “I can see the house in the morning. We can talk about your ideas then, and I can work up some designs for you to consider.”
“And I want to see them,” he said. “I very much want to hear your ideas, your vision for this house. It’s only brick and wood now.” I stared up at him, his face so familiar. I’d almost forgotten how expressive his eyes were…
“I want you to turn these big, empty rooms into a home,” he finished. “And I have some particular needs we can discuss later on.
Here,” he gestured toward the heavy wooden doors. “I’ll walk you back to the cottage. I’ve almost finished laying the flagstones, but it’s dark… and I haven’t installed the lighting yet.”
We stepped out into the cooling night air and he slipped his jacket around my shoulders. He took my hand in his, and our arms swung gently between us as we walked. A big yellow moon hung in the night sky, streaked with thin clouds. I could smell the salt water.
I closed my eyes, letting his hand… his presence... at my side guide me. Without intention, I leaned into his arm, and we walked without speaking until we reached the stone wall that bordered the cottage garden. Raised beds held a variety of newly planted flowers. A handmade wooden swing set sat close to the back door, sheltered from the breeze that blew in over the water. An enormous wave of gratitude washed over me, knowing he’d done all this for me… for my child. I turned, putting my hands on his chest. His muscles flexed under my hands and I felt that powerful pull between us again.
“You should go in,” he said. “It’s cold.
Can I meet you here in the morning… about nine? There’s a lot to discuss.”
“I’ll come up to you,” I said quickly.
He ran his fingers down my arm. “Good. I won’t press you for more, not tonight.” He lifted my mouth to his, his fingers under my chin. His kiss was patient… sweet. “Just sleep...and we’ll start fresh in the morning.” But I could see in his eyes that he wanted to say more.
He ran a thumb across my bottom lip. “I thought that if I told you I was your new boss… well, that you just might disappear again. I wasn’t willing to take the chance.” He looked at me intently, and I flashed to being naked in his arms, his cock in my…
“Goodnight, Will,” I said, tearing myself away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I opened the door to the cottage and it closed behind me with a soft click. No need for a key, I thought with a blink. We’re the only ones on the island…
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I stood waiting, as details of the room began to appear. Moonlight reflected off the water and through the tall glass windows. The living room was larger than I’d expected, and a short hall extended to the left. The bedroom doors were closed. Mattie and Vi must be asleep, I thought. Except that I heard shuffling sounds… and the first few notes of a waltz. I followed the music and found her, sitting at a piano in her favorite pink pajamas. She knew the keys, without even looking away from the view of the ocean. She played softly… quietly…
“You should be in bed, baby,” I said gently, as my mind raced. How had he known… to bring a piano to an island…? She didn’t turn around, but dropped her hands into her lap, her sign of acceptance. I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up, and she pointed to the hall and the door that was hers. She smelled clean and sweet as I tucked her under the covers and kissed her cheek.
I wanted to curl up beside her, to hold her and feel the reassurance of her light, sleepy breathing. But I was trying hard to follow doctor’s orders. And the specialist we’d consulted had agreed. I had to respect her independence and her need for space. Even though, in so many ways, she still reminded me of the baby she used to be, she was growing up. And I had to do everything I could to help my special child adjust to the world around her. Coming here, changing up the familiar rhythm of our lives, was a part of all that. I stroked her hair, humming one of my favorite songs, until she fell asleep. My beautiful girl…
She could play any piece she’d ever heard, after only hearing it once. Music came t
o her as naturally as speech came to other children. She used it to communicate, if you knew enough to listen. Savant, the specialist had said.
I closed her door and found my way to the room where Mattie slept. I curled up on my own bed, without bothering to undress, and listened to the soft sound of Mattie’s throaty snoring. My baby girl was getting close to her fifth birthday. On a good day, she might meet my eyes without looking away. She was gaining weight finally, but slowly. Donna had arranged to work with her in private sessions, and she was learning to draw simple pictures and letters. All of it was good news. But even with all the specialists, all the therapy, my baby girl had never used her voice. Not once. Not to cry, not to speak, not to call me mama…
I closed my eyes, exhausted, overwhelmed by the last few days. How could I even begin to deal with finding Will again… with discovering that he was my new boss… with the fact that only last night he’d tied me up and fucked me…? And left me wanting more…
I’d disappeared with my daughter to escape the bonds of the past. And now he was back, having moved heaven and hell to find me. He’d told me he didn’t want any more secrets between us, and yet he’d made sure Jane never told me his name. William Bond. My Will. I’d let go of him once… but never in my heart. I’d already admitted that much… He knew how much I wanted him still. And he wanted me…
But nothing was as simple as he thought. Not the past, and certainly not the present…
I was still wearing my mask… in so many ways…
And something inside me said that he was, as well…
I felt my chest rise and fall with a heavy breath, and felt my eyelids flutter with exhaustion.
The Baby Pact_A BDSM Romance Page 5
