Ready To Obey

by Melinda Barron

  “So you had no children?”

  “No,” he said. “She has children with her new husband, who is a shopkeeper.”

  “I’ve never known someone who was divorced,” she said.

  “Scandalous, isn’t it?”

  Now she did sit down. “Yes, it is,” she said. “How did that come about?”

  He made quite a production of things now, taking a drink from his tea and staring into the cup. Maisie wondered what he was thinking about. How did one divorce someone? That sort of thing just didn’t happen.

  “I met Annette at just such a party as we will be attending,” he said. “I was young, barely in my twenties, but I knew I liked adventure in my sexual life. So did Annette. We took up together and soon we fell in love. We were married after only knowing each other for a few months.”

  “So different from me and Elvin,” she said. “We’d known each other for years.”

  “Very true,” he said. “Once we were married we settled into a house in Devon. I worked in a friend’s shop, and then got a job as an agent at a large house. We were doing fine, and were hoping for children.”

  His face darkened, and Maisie wondered if she wanted to hear the rest of the story. But she knew he needed to continue.

  “And?”

  “One day I came home early and found her bent over the kitchen table, with one of the stable lad’s dick buried in her ass.”

  Maisie gasped.

  “When we married we decided not to have relations with others, that our party life was over.” He took another sip from his tea. “It seems as if I was the only one who wanted to stand by that decision.”

  “I’m very sorry,” she said.

  “I am, too,” he said. “I had thought it would last forever.”

  As if those words had broken something inside him he slapped his thighs. “We need to get on with it. Come and sit here.”

  Maisie did as he asked, feeling a little off center as she settled on his lap. Without any other warning he cupped his hand around her breast, and then he kissed her. She tried to pull away but he wrapped his other hand around her and held her close.

  And for the second time that day, Maisie heard someone say, “Am I interrupting something?”

  Chapter 9

  “Do you just barge into rooms all the time, or just when I’m busy?”

  Maisie stared at the man standing in the doorway. He laughed at the words and came into the room without an invitation. Maisie tried to get off Mr. Cummings’s lap but he held her close.

  The visitor sat down.

  “Maisie this is Peyton Braxton,” Aldis said. “All around cad and gad about.”

  “He forgot to say successful business man and more handsome than him,” Peyton said as he plopped down in the chair Maisie had just vacated. “I wouldn’t say no to a whiskey,” he said.

  “Maisie, sweetheart, would you fetch it for him, please, and one for me, too.”

  Sweetheart? What was he doing calling her that? But she didn’t want to start a fuss, so she got up and poured them both a whiskey. She handed them off and started for the door.

  “Stay here,” Mr. Cummings said. He patted his lap and Maisie knew this was some sort of test. She crossed the room and took her place. The only thing different was that he didn’t cup her breast.

  “To what do we owe the pleasure?” Mr. Cummings said. “Have you received an answer already.”

  “Oh no, I haven’t,” he said. “But I do come with a spot of bad news. I looked at the dates wrong. The party isn’t next weekend, it’s this coming weekend.”

  “What?” Maisie jumped off Mr. Cummings’s lap.

  He responded by slapping her bottom and saying, “Sit back down.”

  She didn’t sit so much as fell back into place. She wanted to scream about Mr. Braxton’s news. There was no way Mr. Cummings would think she was ready for a party with just a few days’ notice.

  Then, there was the problem with Jack and his ties to Vanessa. They needed time to get to the bottom of that before they went to Morton-on-Mare. She wanted to tell Mr. Braxton that his mistake was costly, especially to her.

  “So we don’t know if they’ll allow us at the party,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “Oh, the more the merrier,” Mr. Braxton said. “I’ll go with you, just in case. I don’t have a lady in my life right now, but they always have extras. Of course if they don’t, we can share, can’t we?”

  Mr. Braxton patted her on the knee and Maisie jumped.

  “Goodness, she’s afraid of contact,” he said.

  “I don’t share,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “Since when?” Braxton laughed. “The only time I’ve ever known you not to share was when you were married.” He slapped his thigh. “Is that what’s happening here? Are you married? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “We’re not married,” Mr. Cummings said. “But Maisie is just learning, and I don’t want to throw her to the wolves. This is more of, shall we say, a scouting expedition. I would like her to see how things happen in our set to see if she will stay or run.”

  Maisie kept her gaze on the floor, but she thrilled with his words. It made her feel much better about the house party. He hadn’t meant to share her, although he’d said that was part of the party, something for which she needed to be prepared.

  “Very well,” Braxton said as he stood. “We’ll leave around nine Friday morning. That will give us time to stop for lunch and be at the party later that afternoon. It will be great fun. I haven’t participated in one of these events for quite some time.”

  “Neither have I,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “Horse hockey,” Mr. Braxton said. “You have ladies at your beck and call, including the beauty on your lap.”

  “See you later,” he said.

  He left after Mr. Cummings had said goodbye. Before they could talk about the information he’d given them a second man appeared.

  “Ah, Charles, sit down and have some whiskey,” Mr. Cummings said. “Maisie will pour for you. I already have one.”

  She did as he asked, and then sat on the sofa when he indicated she should. That meant Charles, who didn’t seem to have a last name, didn’t have the same relationship with Mr. Cummings that Mr. Braxton did.

  “I want information about Jack Bear, who owns the Poke and Bear,” Mr. Cummings said. “Do you know him?”

  “Only by sight,” Charles said. “Are you looking for specific information.”

  “About his family, mostly,” Mr. Cummings said. “Although I would be interested in learning about his business dealings, too. I would like to know about his siblings, wife, children, parents, whatever information you can come up with.”

  “Shouldn’t be hard,” Charles said. He had taken a small pad of paper out of his pocket and was making notes with a stub of a pencil. “I’ll have something for you on Friday.”

  “We’re leaving for a long weekend on Friday,” Mr. Cummings said. “Can you make it before then?”

  “I’ll try as hard as I can,” he said. Seeming preoccupied, he muttered a goodbye as he left.

  “He seems absent-minded,” Maisie said.

  “He’s very good at ferreting out information,” he said. “Now, let’s talk about what we’ve learned today. Obviously moving our timetable up changes things. I think the idea of telling them we’re just starting out will work to our advantage.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “But there is one thing we won’t be able to put over them,” he said. “These are experienced people, and if we have not been intimate with each other they will see straight through us.”

  Maisie wasn’t sure she liked where this was going. “Which means what, exactly?” she asked.

  “It means we need to have intercourse,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ll take precautions to make sure there is no pregnancy.”

  She wanted to say no, that she didn’t want him inside her. But then she remembered this morning, and how she’d taken him in her mouth so
easily. She could treat sex with him as merely a physical thing that would be a means to an end. It sounded so cold, so unfeeling.

  Things had been so different with Elvin. They had not been intimate until after they were married, and it had been so wonderful. Each year they had grown closer, even though they’d never been able to make a child together.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “That I’m in over my head,” she admitted. “But I won’t back down now. I don’t understand it all, but I know I need to be part of what is happening.”

  He was silent for a few moments, and then he said, “I respect that. I still think we should spend more time together, but I’ve decided that if we don’t have intercourse it will keep a tension about us that will make them believe we are testing the waters together, so to speak.”

  Relief flooded through her. “Thank you, Mr. Cummings,” she said.

  “We’ll leave Friday morning,” he said. “We’ll see what Charles has to say tomorrow, hopefully.”

  “I’ll pack my bags tonight,” she said.

  “Don’t bother,” he said. “Mrs. Beale and I have discussed it. We have quite a collection of dresses that you can choose from. I don’t want you to think your clothing is not appropriate, but the dresses we have are, well, they are very pretty, and they are not being used.”

  She wasn’t sure if she should be thrilled at the thought of new clothes, or unhappy that he’d thought hers unworthy. She finally decided it wasn’t worth getting upset about.

  “Show me where they are and I’ll pick a few out,” she said.

  “No, I’ll have Mrs. Beale do it,” he said. “Just rest for a bit, and then we’ll spend the evening together.”

  Maisie wasn’t sure exactly what he had planned for the evening, and she didn’t want to ask. Too much had happened lately, and she needed the time to relax and the garden was just the place to do that.

  As it turned out, the elusive Charles didn’t appear on Thursday. Maisie stood off to the side, watching as he sent a messenger boy to tell the man who answers questions to send his information to Claret House in Morton-on-Mare.

  Mr. Braxton had still not arrived so they could take their leave, and Maisie could see that Mr. Cummings was nervous about something, either the upcoming trip or the fact that they hadn’t left yet.

  She had expected him to come and see her at some point, but he had studiously ignored her from the time of their last meeting until this morning, when he’d knocked on her door to make sure she was ready to leave. Seeing him had made her heart flutter, which had let her know it was a good idea to have stayed away. It kept the tension high between them.

  Mrs. Beale came up with a basket in hand.

  “I’ve packed some bread and cheese, a few hard boiled eggs, and a little cold meat for you to eat during the trip,” she said.

  She headed for the carriage but Maisie held out her hand. “I’ll take it.” She didn’t want the matron looking through the packed bags. Both Mrs. Beale and Mr. Cummings had been insistent that Maisie didn’t have to do anything, which made her suspicious of their intentions.

  During the night she’d packed her reticule with everything she owned, which wasn’t very much. She’d woken early this morning and made her way to the stables, reticule in hand. When she saw no one was around she took the case and stuffed it under the carriage seat. Every time someone had taken a step toward the conveyance she was afraid someone would discover it, would see that Maisie was taking everything she owned.

  Maisie didn’t intend to return to Bath. When they found Vanessa she would demand that Mr. Cummings pay her the money he owed her and then buy her a ticket to America, right then and there.

  She wasn’t sure how he would react, or if she could force the situation if necessary, but she would take her belongings, just in case.

  “I’m ready,” Mr. Braxton said as he rode into the courtyard near the stables. He dismounted and handed the reins to the stable hand. “Take care of her, please.”

  The man nodded.

  “You’re late,” Mr. Cummings said as he pulled out a pocket watch. “We have quite a ride ahead of us, and you’ve slowed us down.”

  “Details, details,” Mr. Braxton said. “Hello pretty one that Aldis won’t share. How are you this morning?”

  “Fine, sir, thank you,” Maisie said.

  He lifted the basket’s lid. “Good, I’m starving.”

  “Let’s go,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “Always in a hurry,” Mr. Braxton said. He waved his hand in front of him and said, “Ladies first.”

  When they were all seated, Mr. Cummings leaned out the window. “I’m sure there will be no problems, but Charles can be called on in a pinch.”

  “Don’t worry about us,” Mrs. Beale said. “We’re going to be fine. You have a good time, and find what we all need. The bored lord went back to London, you know. I’m sure I’ll receive a message any day now asking for news.”

  The carriage rocked as it started to move. Maisie settled into her seat and tried not to show her excitement. She was nervous about their destination, but this was the first time she’d ever been out of Bath. She hesitated to tell them because she didn’t want them to think her so inexperienced.

  Mr. Braxton rummaged around in the basket; he pulled out two eggs, a hunk of cheese and a roll.

  “So, what’s the scheme?’ he asked as he peeled the first egg. He tossed the shells out of the open window before he started to eat.

  “It’s a house party, isn’t it?” Mr. Cummings asked. “Seems to me you would know since you were the one who was originally invited.”

  Mr. Braxton laughed. “You won’t be able to convince the people hosting this event that you, the man known country-wide as the best trainer of submissives, wants to attend a house party where he can introduce his new woman to the lifestyle. I hate to tell you, Aldis, but that’s not going to fly.”

  “You bought the idea when I told you I wanted to find a party,” he said.

  “I did it because I wanted to attend,” Mr. Braxton said. “You know how I love parties, and the entertainment that goes with them.”

  He looked Maisie up and down, and she turned her gaze back to the window.

  “I told you, she’s not for sharing, so stop looking at her like she’s your lunch,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “A man can dream that his friend will change his mind,” Mr. Braxton said. “Now, tell me what’s really happening here?”

  Maisie shifted her gaze to Mr. Cummings, who had locked his gaze on Mr. Braxton. She wondered exactly what he would tell him. How much did he trust his friend?

  “Which bored lord was Mrs. Beale talking about?” Mr. Braxton asked. “You have several who are customers of your school.”

  A strained silence filled the carriage.

  Mr. Braxton broke it. “Tell me, or I’ll refuse your introduction. You know I can be a royal ass when I want to be.”

  “Which is most of the time,” Mr. Cummings said. “Fine, let me tell you what’s happening. One of our graduates has stolen a very valuable object from her patron, and we believe she’s trying to sell it.”

  Mr. Braxton, who had seemed as if he’d been joking earlier, turned serious. “What makes you believe she’s at this party?”

  “She’s disappeared,” Mr. Cummings said. “I think she would try to sell it to people who are of the same ilk as we are. Perhaps she met someone at a party and they convinced her to steal it. I just know it’s the only place I could think of to look for her.”

  “And the bored lord?” Mr. Braxton asked.

  After a long pause, Mr. Cummings said, “James Engleton.”

  Mr. Braxton laughed. “That simp? It wouldn’t be hard to steal something from him. That would mean the lovely little Vanessa is who you seek. She’s a beauty, that one, and she’s got a sexual appetite that scares a lot of men.”

  Maisie found that information interesting. How could a woman scare a man? Her mother had always to
ld her that men were the ones who were governed by the length between their legs.

  “You have to watch out, Maisie,” she’d said once. “They’ll try to get you to do their bidding by seducing you.”

  Seducing you. Maisie thought back to the day she’d taken Mr. Cummings’s cock into her mouth. He hadn’t seduced her. He’d spanked her bare ass, and then they’d screamed at each other, which had riled her up so much that she’d dropped to her knees.

  Did that mean she had a sexual appetite that rivaled Vanessa’s? She hoped not. She questioned her decision to go to attend this party. Mr. Cummings had told Mr. Braxton that he wouldn’t share, but what would happen if he changed his mind once they arrived in Morton-on-Mare?

  Try not to think about it, she said to herself.

  “That’s why you won’t share her,” Mr. Braxton said. “She’s not really a submissive, is she? She’s some sort of detective? I didn’t know there were female ones.”

  “She’s an employee,” Mr. Cummings said. “I needed someone to go with me.”

  “So she’s a decoy?” Mr. Braxton asked. “Tell me, if that’s true, why won’t you share her?”

  “Because, like I said, she’s an employee. She’s not a submissive.”

  “Horse hockey,” Mr. Braxton said. “Excuse me, will you look at me, Maisie.”

  She did as he asked. He really was a handsome man, she smiled and said, “Yes?”

  “Have you sucked Mr. Cummings’s cock?”

  Her face heated and she was sure it was red as a beet.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said. “Tell me another lie, Aldis. You know they’re going to expect you to treat her as the others. Did you bring the proper clothing?”

  Maisie thought about her case, which rested under the seat. She had no clue what other clothing Mrs. Beale had packed for her. She did know that she would probably have to spend quite a bit of time either half-clothed, or nearly naked.

  Was it too late to get out of the carriage and walk back to Bath?

  “She’s not your concern,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “She is when I’m vouching for you both,” Mr. Braxton said. “My reputation is at stake here, as well as yours. So are you planning on telling them she’s an employee, or are you sticking with the idea that she’s a potential lover that you’re trying out, so to speak?”