Dark Redemption

by Barron, Melinda

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Master!” But it would be so much easier the other way. She wouldn’t have to worry about the eventual end. She could just take the fuck and be done with it.

  “Let me tell you what I think is happening here. You’re nervous, yet willing, to submit to the sexual side of this, because you know the pleasure it can bring. But when I do something like feeding you, you balk. Because you know that feeding you is about caring for you. And that little act of caring would leave you vulnerable. Am I right?”

  Tatum nodded, fear gripping her belly. She didn’t want to be vulnerable.

  She lifted her gaze enough to watch Knox take the plate from the counter. He took a few bites, then forked up some eggs and sausage and put it in front of Tatum’s mouth.

  “Open.”

  She thought about telling him to go to hell, decided against it, and slowly opened her mouth. He inserted the fork gently and she took the food, chewing softly, and swallowing while he took several more bites.

  By the time he’d given her several more bites, she’d calmed down somewhat.

  Why had she done that? Why was she fighting him? Was he right in saying that she knew it would build intimacy and that’s why she’d said no? Deep down, she knew he was right.

  When the plate was empty, he handed her a glass of orange juice. She drank it down and handed it back to him.

  “Thank you, Tatum.”

  She nodded.

  “You know I have to punish you for this.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Where’s your toy box?”

  She lifted her gaze to his. “There are a few items in the bedroom, in a box under the bed.”

  “You wait here.” She heard his bare feet pad across the tile; the same tile that was now biting into her knees, as she held back tears. He knew her better than she knew herself. She just hoped that he could lead her past her own fears.

  * * *

  Knox laid the box on the bed, then sat down and ran his hands through his hair. He’d thought things were going so well, and then bam, disaster. He’d instantly recognized her disobedience for what it was, fear of doing anything that would build a bond.

  Obviously the asshole she’d been married to had used her sexually and not given a damn about Tatum’s feelings. She’d learned to separate sex and intimacy, could open herself up that way, be nervous about it, but still close herself off. But try to do something like feeding her and her behavior went off the charts.

  He was going to have to think long and hard on some exercises to get her to open up to him.

  Inside the box he found a few vibrators, only one with batteries.

  “George, I presume,” he said as he picked it up. There were also three anal plugs, in varying sizes, and a bottle of lube. He sat the lube and the medium-sized plug on the bed, then went to the bathroom and got a towel.

  He went to the kitchen and found Tatum in the same position he’d left her in.

  “Come to the bedroom.”

  She stood and followed him, her eyes widening at the sight of the plug.

  “Bend over the bed.”

  When she was in position, he spread her cheeks and examined her little rosette.

  “How long’s it been since you’ve taken anything here?”

  “A while, Master.”

  “More than a year?”

  “Yes.”

  He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

  “Okay. By my way of thinking, we have about three hours before we both have to get ready for work. You’ll wear the plug for two hours, while we examine the boxes. It’ll be uncomfortable enough to remind you that you’re being punished, but it won’t be painful.”

  She nodded against the bedspread.

  “Tell me why you’re being punished.”

  “Because I disobeyed you.”

  “Remind me why you did.”

  “Because I’m afraid.”

  “Very well. Do you accept the punishment?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “I hope it’s more effective than last night’s. You’re still being punished, yet you gained another one. Soon I’m going to have to think of more creative ways to punish you.”

  * * *

  Knox’s words rang through Tatum’s ears as she felt the cold trickle of lube against her anus. She’d never enjoyed taking things anally and felt lucky that it hadn’t been a favorite of Brandon’s either. The plugs had only been used once, when Brandon had invited another couple over, where Brandon had enjoyed watching the wife use them on her subbie husband.

  When the couple had left the next day, Tatum had thrown out the ones the couple had used, put the rest in the box and Brandon had never noticed.

  She felt the cold tip of the plastic against her bud. “Relax, Vix.”

  She breathed deeply, fighting back the urge to cry out when the tip of the plastic worked past her ring of muscle. Knox paused and twisted it around gently. When her body relaxed a little, he pushed it further inside.

  The stretching was uncomfortable and Tatum squirmed.

  “Hold still.”

  “Master. I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

  “I do, and I’m sorry, too, Tatum. But that’s not going to stop your punishment.” He pushed the plug in more, and she heard the bottle of lube open and close. Knox’s fingers brushed her skin as he rubbed more gel on the plug and pushed it in deeper.

  When it was fully seated inside her, he patted each cheek.

  “Stand up.”

  As she stood, she winced at the uncomfortable feeling in her behind.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “No, Master.”

  “Good. It’ll be just enough pressure to remind you that you’re being punished.”

  She turned to him and he kissed the tip of her nose. “Let’s go look through the boxes.”

  An hour and a half later, Tatum squirmed and sent Knox a pleading look. The prickly feeling was growing, and she felt like she was stuffed full. Plus, he hadn’t let her dress, so her vulnerability was high.

  “A half hour,” he said, setting aside a box of Craig’s bills.

  “I don’t see anything here about the key,” Tatum said with a sigh. “We still have one more box to go through, but it’s mostly check stubs, and duplicates.”

  “It might hold a key to the key,” Knox said with a grin. “Seriously, I don’t know. We could take the key to a locksmith, have him look at it, and see if he can figure out what it goes to. Or we could go to a medium and see if they can contact Craig.”

  She laughed. “Knowing Craig, he’d be stubborn enough to ignore her.”

  “So that’s where you get it from.” He looked at her in amusement.

  She blushed in return. They repacked the first two boxes and opened the third one.

  “Hell, this could take all day,” Knox said. “We should leave this one until tomorrow.”

  “What’s it going to tell us? Except that Craig still wrote checks for bills. I vote for the locksmith idea.”

  “All right. Give me the key and I’ll take it by one this afternoon. I have a break around five. Does that work for you?”

  Tatum nodded. “It’s in the bedroom, still in the envelope.”

  They walked back together, Tatum walking in front of Knox and wondering if he could see the edges of plastic resting between her cheeks. During the first twenty minutes she’d been embarrassed about her punishment, but the longer it had gone on, the more she’d relaxed. Until the throbbing had started.

  She’d hated to admit that the feeling, while uncomfortable, was still a bit of a turn on. She didn’t know if it was the plug, or the fact that her clit was still being denied and letting her know its disappointment. Each time she looked at Knox her clit had throbbed. She was sure the bud had thought the anal play was meant to be foreplay and was disappointed when it had turned out differently.

  “Let’s do that box in the morning,” Knox said, interrupting her thoughts
. “Bring me the key and the envelope.”

  She went and retrieved the items from her bedroom, giving them to Knox, who was now sitting on the couch, and then letting out an oath of surprise when he pulled her onto his lap.

  He held out the envelope and read off the numbers again.

  “So, we have an eight and a thirty-two in one corner. Then, separated from that, we have a three, a nine, a seven, and a four. Or put together we have three thousand nine hundred and seventy-four. You’re sure there was no safe in the house?”

  “Unless it was buried in the backyard, no. I boxed up everything I wanted to keep, hired movers to bring it over here, and then had an estate sale. I found no safe.”

  “What’s in the other boxes in the garage?”

  “Books, a few knick-knacks. Mostly things that I’d made for him when I was a kid.”

  Tears swelled in her eyes and she looked away. Knox brought her face closer to his and gently wiped away the few that slid down.

  “I’m sorry, baby. I know this must be hard for you.”

  “He was the only person who ever really cared about me.”

  “Not anymore.” He traced her hairline and then smiled at her.

  The tears fell and Tatum shuddered when he pulled her closer.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” she whispered.

  “Me, too. I keep hoping we’ll develop a bond. I know I feel it. Don’t fight it, little Vixen.”

  “I’m trying. Can we end my punishment now?”

  She bit her lip as he glanced at his watch.

  “Yup. Then we can shower, and you can help me with this.”

  She looked down at the erection that pressed against his shorts.

  “That’s just mean. You get off and I don’t?”

  “Yeah, but it’ll reinforce the fact that you need to behave, won’t it?”

  Tatum stood and crossed her arms over her chest. Knox pushed up from the couch. And lowered his face to within inches of hers.

  “Won’t it?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Good girl. Now, let’s go before we’re both late for work.”

  Chapter 9

  The New Mexico sun beat down on Tatum as she sat on the picnic table outside Brownlee’s and finished her dinner. Knox hadn’t called with any information about the key, or the numbers on the envelope. A glance at her watch showed that it was after six, so he was sure to be back at work now.

  She smiled when she remembered their shared shower. She’d hoped that Knox would give in, and let her come, but he hadn’t. Instead, he’d let her give him a hand job, not allowing her to take him in her mouth. His words still rang through her ears.

  “Penetration of any kind, oral, vaginal or anal, implies trust. We’re not there yet.”

  When she’d reminded him that she’d taken him in her mouth the first night, he’d laughed.

  “True, and I loved it. But I let it get out of hand. And I’m not backing down on this.”

  After the shower, Knox had insisted that he load the last box into the truck with him, in the hopes that he might have some free time between appointments to go through some of it and see if he could find a clue.

  She racked her brain to think of anyone who might know what the key meant, or why Craig had hidden it under the seat of the Indian. It seemed a strange hiding place. But then again, it had proven effective, since she hadn’t found it when she’d gone through Craig’s belongings.

  She remembered the names of a few of Craig’s friends, Rodney Baker and Jeff Black, both of them very nice men who’d offered to do anything for her when Craig had died. Then there was his boss, Alan Malfee, who ran Roadrunner Deliveries.

  A quick call to information provided numbers for all three men.

  Rodney’s wife was polite, and happy to hear from her, saying that Rodney was out of town on a bike run with friends but would call when he got home. Tatum left her number, chatted with the woman for a few minutes before hanging up.

  Jeff had been polite but sounded confused when Tatum said she’d found something in Craig’s things that didn’t make sense to her. He’d pressed her for details, which she refused to give, then got mad and said he couldn’t help her identify something if he didn’t know what it was.

  Finally, she told him it was a key and he’d laughed.

  “Could be anything. Maybe it’s the key to some chick’s apartment.”

  Tatum had never thought of that. She’d thanked him for the idea and hung up. She thought about it for a few minutes and knew that they key was too small to belong to an apartment.

  Her final call, to Alan Malfee, had been just as unproductive. The man had been distantly polite, saying that he missed Craig, who had been one of his best drivers, but he had no idea what the key was for.

  “I’ll take it, though. Maybe it’s to something up here.”

  Tatum had politely declined and agreed to let him know if she found anything out.

  When Briscoe came outside and looked pointedly at his watch she went back to work, stocking pots and moving trees and plants. She helped load a truck with sacks of gravel, and by quitting time, she was covered in dust.

  A quick glance at her watch showed that she had a little more than an hour before she was supposed to meet Knox at Jaguars. She planned on being a good girl tonight, very submissive and very eager to please.

  She barely had enough time to go home and shower, then take the truck out to the club. She might be late, but at least she would be clean. She strapped on her helmet and straddled her hog, loving the way it felt as she started down the road. The larger ball on her piercing had definitely increased the stimulation she felt when she rode the bike, and this morning she’d thought she would come before she got to work.

  The feeling had been a double-edged sword. She would have been breaking Knox’s edict, but it would have released the pressure she’d been feeling for the past day. She’d fought the orgasm down, but now that she was back on the bike, the feeling returned.

  “Soon,” she whispered to herself. “Very soon.”

  It was just dusk when she pulled into the driveway. She parked the bike and went into the back gate. Fred bounded across the yard and barked out a happy greeting.

  “How’s it going? Need some water?” She refilled both his dishes and patted his head. She ignored the toy he picked up, saying, “I’m already going to be late. Do you want to get me into trouble?”

  She patted him again, then stepped toward the sliding glass door.

  She stopped abruptly. The door was open. Not enough to let Fred into the house, just a few inches. She thought that she’d closed it and locked it that morning, but part of her wondered if maybe Knox had come outside and the door hadn’t latched. Or maybe he was inside right now, to surprise her.

  She pushed it open and then looked at Fred, who thumped his tail against the ground in happiness.

  Tatum shook her head. Fred was the best security system a girl could have. There was no way he would let anyone in the backyard. She stepped inside the house, leaving the door open just in case, and set her purse down. Movement from the kitchen caught her eye.

  “Knox?” She was greeted with silence. “Is that you? I thought we were…”

  She took a step toward the kitchen, then stopped. The living room was in shambles. The boxes she and Knox had gone through were overturned, their contents thrown across the room. Furniture had been upended and lamps broken.

  “Shit.” Tatum inched backwards toward the patio, then fell onto her back when a large man barreled through the dining room doorway and pushed her to the floor.

  The wind left her body as the man landed on top of her, his knees holding her in place as his hands pressed her shoulders to the ground.

  “Give it to me, bitch!”

  She tried to focus on the face, hidden by a ski mask.

  “What?”

  “Now! I want it! Give me the key!”

  “No! What key? Who are you?” Tatum screamed at the top of lu
ngs. “Get off me!”

  Fred’s angry bark filled the room. Seconds later the large black lab catapulted across the room and landed on the stranger, his bulk knocking the intruder off Tatum.

  The man let out an exclamation of pain, accompanied by a fierce, “Fuck, Fred! Down, boy!”

  Tatum tried to stand, her mind reeling as sounds of Fred’s snarling and biting filled the room. She turned toward the struggle in time to see Fred slam against the wall and let out a howl of pain.

  “Fred! No!”

  The man jumped up and knocked her down and her head slammed against the floor, then everything went black.

  * * *

  Knox looked at his watch and sighed. She was an hour late. He’d pushed her too hard today, tried to get too much out of her too fast. Now he was sure that she wasn’t showing up.

  She’d been a half-hour late the first night, so he hadn’t been too concerned about it at first. But the longer he’d waited, the more he knew that she wasn’t coming. It hurt his heart to think that he’d driven her away.

  She’d seemed happy after the shower this morning, even if she hadn’t had an orgasm. She’d teased him that he’d owed her more than one tonight. He’d informed her that she had to earn it, and, if she wasn’t careful, she wouldn’t even get one. Things had seemed so perfect after the fiasco of the feeding incident.

  When his cell phone rang, he snatched it up quickly and frowned as Vince’s number appeared on the screen. He flipped the phone open.

  “Hey, I managed to run…”

  “Get your ass to Tatum’s.”

  “What, Eri…”

  “Now!”

  The phone went dead, and Knox took off for the door at a dead run.

  * * *

  “I’m all right. Leave me alone. Where’s Fred?”

  Knox’s heart calmed a bit as Tatum’s voice reached his ears. He could tell she’d been crying, and was scared, but at least she could talk. When he’d rounded her corner and saw all the emergency lights, he’d barely been able to breathe. Not that he’d been able to do so since Vince’s call. During the drive over, he thought he would hyperventilate.