by Bec Botefuhr
“It’s my choice.”
“And I don’t think it will help.”
“That is for me to decide.”
He sighs and grips my face in his hands. “At least let me come with you.”
“I have to do this alone.”
With a growl, he hands me the address.
“Be sure this is what you want.”
“I know what I am doing.”
An hour later I am standing out front of a large house, it’s so beautiful and rustic my mind has a hard time wrapping around it. The house has been around a while, and probably repainted a hundred times, but it’s beautiful. It is wooden, with wrap around decks. It is three stories, surrounded by a beautiful garden. I stare at the old swing on the porch and wonder how many times these people sat there and thought of the baby they lost.
I am standing on the side walk staring at it when a man steps out the front door, my eyes swing towards him and I feel my heart jump into my throat. He is in his forties and is very handsome. He has dark hair, and is covered in tattoos. He looks rough, but his face is sweet, kind even. He is tall and muscular, and when he turns to look at me, I see his eyes are a mirror image of my own. I gasp.
“Can I help you miss?”
I step back, he steps forward. I didn’t come here to be seen, I was just going to walk past and now this man, possibly my Father, is walking towards me. I can’t run, he would likely chase me, I can only back up. He narrows his eyes as he gets closer to me; I quickly stare at the ground.
“Are you lost?”
“Ah, no, I mean…yes.”
“Can I help?”
I am looking at the ground and he probably thinks I am so rude, “Oh, no thanks.”
“Can you look at me young lady? Why are you standing in my front yard?”
I am on the path, it hardly makes me in his front yard, but I look up and he nearly falls over. I guess he has seen his own eyes enough times to know mine are an exact replica. His hand goes to his throat and he looks as though he is struggling to breathe. I turn, and I run. I can’t deal with this; I can’t take the way that man looked at me…with love. What if he isn’t my Father? Oh who am I kidding, even an idiot could see he is.
“Wait, please wait,” he calls.
I run faster but damned if the man isn’t quick, he catches me by the arm and spins me around.
“Please, I have the wrong house, let me go.”
Aw shit, he is crying, standing there with tears running down his handsome face. Up close he is very attractive for his age, his dark hair hardly has any flecks of grey and he has a defined jaw and mouth. He reaches out with trembling fingers and touches my cheek, and that is it for me, I start wailing too.
“It can’t be.”
“I…am sorry, I never meant to…”
“What is your name?”
“It’s Maya.”
“Tell me when you were born, Maya.”
“It’s…I have to go,”
“Please,” he croaks, “I am begging you. Please.”
God he looks like a wounded puppy, my heart lurches. How can I deny this man? The emotions running through me are huge, and I know if I walk away now I will regret it. I whisper my birth date and he makes a choking sound, and his hand grips his chest as he struggles to compose himself.
“It can’t be…it can’t be…”
“I didn’t know until a few days ago, I just wanted…”
“Do you know how long we have thought about you, pined for you, died slowly because we couldn’t have you?”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“No, God, it wasn’t your fault.”
I can’t speak, I don’t know how. I stare at the man and I have a sudden urge to jump into his arms. Seems like he has the same feeling because he grips me and yanks me to his chest, and we stand in the street sobbing and crying, clinging to each other. They say animals in the wild have a natural instinct when knowing who their parents are; right now I feel that pull. I feel the deep pull towards this man, a warmth I haven’t felt for so many years.
“Please, come in, my wife…”
“Are you still married to her?”
“Yes,” he chokes, “Please, oh please, we have lived years in agony…”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. He takes my hand and leads me back to the house. When we step inside, I smell cookies baking, a smell I never had as a child. What am I doing here? God, Ryder will kill me and yet, I can’t stop myself. I have to know, I NEED to know.
“Amy,” The man calls in a hoarse voice.
“Yes Will? I am busy.”
“You want to come out here.”
“Busy!”
“NOW!”
“Oh my God, I can’t believe you spoke to me like that…” A woman yells, coming around the corner, her voice dies off and she stands and stares at me with an open mouth.
“She is here…it’s her.”
Tears thunder down the woman’s beautiful face, like she has held them in for so many years. I hiccup and cup a hand over my mouth; she is the spitting image of me. Ok, I have my Father’s eyes but this woman has the same face as me, the same honey colored hair and pixie like features.
“Oh, oh…”
She steps forward and reaches her hand out much the same way my Father had, her fingers trace over my cheek.
“Is it real?”
“Look at her Amy, it’s her.”
She snatches her hand away and covers her mouth again, “How?”
I look at them both, and try to find my voice, “The people who took me, left when I was young. I went into foster care and met a really great man. After a series of…horrible events, I asked him to help me find them. I thought they were my family. He searched and searched for a year, when he finally came across a newspaper article about a baby stolen on the same day I was born, he looked further into it and narrowed it down to me. Of course a DNA will prove it but…”
“Nonsense,” The woman whispers, “One look at you, oh, just one look…my baby is home.”
I tremble again.
“May I hug you?”
I nod, feeling more tears stumble down my cheeks. The woman steps forward and pulls me into her arms, where I truly melt. I have missed the comfort of a Mother, and now I have finally found where I belong and it feels right, everything about it feels right. She pulls back and wipes her eyes again.
“I feel like I am dreaming,” she whispers.
“Listen, I can’t stay long…”
“Oh, please don’t leave. We have searched for you for years, oh God, I saw you for just a minute when you were born and they took you to the nursery, then…you were just gone, no one could find you. Please, let me have more than a minute.”
I nod, “I just have to make a call.”
“What is your name?”
“Maya Traydon,”
“Maya, what a beautiful name,”
I give a weak smile.
“Maya Traydon? As in the girl who got taken by the serial killer?”
My Father says the words quietly, and I turn to stare at him.
“Yes, that was me.”
“Oh sweet Jesus, what has happened to you?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Oh my baby, my poor baby,”
They usher me into the lounge and we sit, talking about what happened the day I was stolen. They had no leads, no idea who took me or any idea where to start looking. They put out a search, but how do you search for a baby with no name? They were devastated and spent years living in depression when they had my other siblings. I never thought I might have any other siblings out there; it just never crossed my mind.
“This is a lot to take in,” I whisper.
“We have dreamed of this day for so long, we didn’t think it would ever happen.”
“I should probably go, my boyfriend will be waiting and he worries a lot…”
“Those two men that were in the news…that wasn’t…correct was it?” My
Father asks very gently.
I snort, “Nate is gay, so no it isn’t correct. I have never been with two men, it was a lie.”
I see my Mother release a puff of breath.
“Won’t you stay until your sister and brother get home, they would love to meet you?”
“They know about me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“How old are they?”
“Sarah is twenty this year and Mark is err…twenty three.”
I nod, swallowing.
“Maybe another time, this is so overwhelming and I am not sure how I feel…”
As I stand, the front door opens and two young people walk in. I am guessing my brother and sister. The girl has dark hair like my Father, with pretty blue eyes. She is tall and very attractive. The young boy is built for his age, making him look older than twenty three. He has the same honey colored hair as me, but his eyes are also blue, like my Mothers. They stop and stare, glancing at their parents and back to me.
“The day has finally come…” my Mother whispers, “She found us.”
Sarah, my sister, looks like she has been slapped, but in a good way. Mark glares at me, and I am taken aback.
“This is our sister…oh…it’s for real?” Sarah whispers, stepping closer.
“This is her; we will get a DNA of course but just look at her…”
“She looks just like you, Momma.”
“Doesn’t she?” My Mother gushes.
Sarah sticks her hand out, “My name is Sarah; I…am your sister I guess.”
I take her hand and feel a rush of warmth, “Maya.”
“You are so pretty, isn’t she pretty Momma?”
“Stunning, my girls are stunning.”
“Are you staying? I can’t believe it’s you, we have so much to learn, I always wanted a sister!”
Mark snorts and I glance at him, he is still glaring at me.
“Ah the precious child returns, well, now they can stop fucking talking about you even when you aren’t around.”
Ouch.
“MARK!” my Mother cries, “That is awful, it isn’t her fault.”
“No, I suppose not. I am going to my room.”
“Mark, get down here young man.” My Father yells but he is gone.
“I am so sorry about him; he has never taken it well.”
“It’s ok, I should go anyway. I will come back, I promise.”
I give them my phone number and endure another half an hour of hugging. By the time I get out front and into the cab, I am beyond overwhelmed. As I am driving away, I stare out the window and up at Mark who is watching me from the second story. What is it about him that I feel so damned close to? He tugs at my heart strings and I can see a deep pain in his eyes, with a sigh, I turn away.
CHAPTER 6
MAYA
When I get back to the apartment, it is dark. I walk up the drive and past security, and then I stop dead when I see Ryder hugging Janelle. What the fuck? She is crying and gripping his shirt, and I feel jealousy swarm me. Why does she insist on being such a thorn in my side? I walk right past them and into the apartment, Ryder notices me at the last moment and his gaze meets mine. He gives me a sorry expression, but I simply slam the door.
I go to bed, not bothering to talk with anyone. Sandy is out with her friends and I couldn’t be bothered chasing her tonight, I just don’t have the energy. I do hope she is ok though, because no matter what I still love her. I fall asleep quickly only to be woken by one very hot, very hard body against mine. Need overwhelms me, I don’t even know where it comes from. I roll and grip Ryder’s chest.
“Ryder?”
“Baby, I’m sorry. She came and…”
“Fuck me.”
He pauses, “What?”
“I want you to fuck me, so hard, so fast…fuck me Ryder, and make it all go away.”
“Baby…”
“Please…”
He rolls over me and his hot skin against mine is my undoing. I grip his shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist. I kiss him furiously, my tongue teasing his while my hands move up and down his sides. I grip his ass and tug him forward and he groans deeply against my mouth.
“No foreplay?”
“No.”
He moves his hand down between us and grips his cock, then slowly slides it inside me. I whimper when he is fully sheathed, my body comes alive beneath him. My hips arch off the bed with his first thrust and a tormented groan escapes my lips.
“Oh baby…”
“Fuck me, harder,” I rasp.
He pulls his hips back and he slams harder, until he is riding me with such force the bed creaks and slams against the wall. I scream his name when my first orgasm rips through me, followed by a second minutes later. Ryder growls my name and yanks himself out, shooting his seed over my belly and breasts. I whimper and touch the hot liquid, curious. He gets out of the bed and flicks on the light, looking down at me with a cheeky grin.
“I always wanted to do that, fuck you look good right now.”
I smile up at him, but say nothing. He disappears into the bathroom and comes back out with a warm, damp cloth. He wipes me clean and then lies down beside me again, pulling me into his arms.
“I was worried about you this afternoon.”
“Why was Janelle here?”
He sighs, “Her boyfriend hit her and she had nowhere to go…”
“Oh.”
“I was only hugging her because she threw herself at me, I told her to go to the cops. I said I wasn’t her go to anymore.”
“I believe you,” I whisper.
“Then tell me, how did it go?”
“They are such lovely people Ryder.”
He sits up, “You met them?”
“It was an accident, but yes.”
“Aw shit baby, why didn’t you say so? Now I feel like an ass.”
I stroke his cheek, “It’s ok, I did ok on my own.”
“So, how did they react?”
“A lot of tears, but I am definitely the child Ryder, I look just like them. I have a sister and a brother.”
He smiles, “I am so happy to hear that.”
“It was a bit strange, but I think with time I will grow to love them. I feel like my heart has finally found its missing piece you know?”
He strokes my cheek, “That makes me real happy.”
“Ryder thank you again, this would have never happened without you. I owe you, so much.”
“You owe me nothing; I have everything I want in you Maya. You are my life now and I would do anything for you. The day you walked into that unit and challenged me, was the day you changed me. You became my everything; I would walk over broken glass, I would take a bullet, I would do anything for you.”
“When did you get so sweet?”
He grins, “Just now, call it good sex and a hot woman.”
I giggle and stroke his cheek.
“I love you Ryder.”
“Yeah, well, right back at ya.”
~*~*~*~*~
RYDER
Dammit, I mean dammit. I can’t believe she is doing this. There she is, lying on my bed, chained to it. I grin, I can’t help it – what man wouldn’t want a woman tied to his bed wearing…is that a thong? I just got a hard on. She grins up at me and I raise an eyebrow. She said she had a surprise for my birthday, after last year’s surprise I figured it would be a good one but this, wow.
“What are you doing baby?” I say in a husky voice.
“I want you to do everything you have been holding back on. I want you to go all Dom on my ass Ryder, I want it, so badly.”
My heart thumps. She wants to be my sub?
“I don’t…I thought it wasn’t your thing.”
“I changed my mind,” she rasps.
“Fuck.”
“So come on, get over here and whip me…or spank me…or…”
“Fuck.”
I step forward, untying her hands. She frowns.
“We don�
��t start here; you want to be my sub for a night?”
“Yes.”
“Then get on your knees.”
Her beautiful eyes widen, but she does as she is told. She gets on her knees in front of me, looking up at me with those big round eyes. I stroke her cheek.
“Be a good girl and trust what I am going to do will be full of pleasure.”
“Ok.”
“Call me Sir, or Master.”
“Yes, Master,” she whispers, licking her full lips.
I stroke her hair, and then walk out of the room leaving her on her knees. I go into my old locked cupboard and I find handcuffs, a riding crop, restraints, nipple clamps and a vibrator. With a grin, I return to the room to find her on her knees where I left her.
“Good girl.”
I lift her from her knees and stand her in front of me.
“As beautiful as this lacy little teddy is, it has to go.”
I grip it and rip it with one quick tear, her eyes widen but she doesn’t make a sound. I run my fingers over the lush curve of her breast and then pinch her nipple between my thumb and forefinger.
“You remember these clamps?”
She nods, biting her lip. I lean forward, taking her nipple into my mouth; she moans softly but doesn’t touch me. When I have sucked her nipples until they are forming hard peaks, I clamp them with the clamps. She whimpers and clenches her fists.
“Hurts only a minute, baby.”
She nods as I work down her body, licking her skin and swirling my tongue around her belly button. She whimpers helplessly when I reach her sex, she is hot and wet, and she tastes damned good. I swipe my tongue through her flesh, tasting her arousal. She cries out and grips my head, I stop instantly. With a moan, she drops her hands, and I start again, but before she can come, I stop.
“Be a good girl and go over to that corner of the room.”
She walks over and I follow with the restraints. There are two hooks on the roof and two on the floor. I tie her so her hands are stretched above her head and her legs are spread wide. She looks like she is doing jumping jacks and it’s a mighty fine sight. I adjust my aching cock and surround her, trailing my fingers over her skin and watching her shiver.
“What to do first?”
“Please, do something,” she pleads.
“Please what?”
