by Rae B. Lake
“Absolutely not, I would never forget someone like you, and you would never forget me. Never!” She emphasized the second never. “Nika, look who just showed up at our door.”
Another woman bounced into view, tall, massive boobs, dyed blonde hair, again not for me. I knew that they weren’t twins or anything like that, but they looked close enough alike that I was able to tell that they were sisters.
“Oh, I remember you. Aren’t you from the hospital? I swear I was ready to follow you into that elevator. You’re one fine specimen of a man.” The new woman licked her lips and leaned forward a bit. As innocently as she tried to make it seem, I could tell that she was showing me her chest. I wondered ideally for a second how she would feel with a pair of nipple clamps on them. She probably wouldn’t be so happy to make my acquaintance then, would she?
“Oh yeah, no I remember. Listen is Daria home? It’s rather urgent, I actually assumed all of you would be sleeping.”
“Sleeping, us, no way we just got in from a sick ass after party.” The first one, I assumed was Mallory from what Daria had told me about her roommates, completely ignored my first question.
“Good for you, now the most important question? Daria?” I was getting really fucking impatient. I didn’t have time to entertain these girls when all I really wanted to do was to see Daria.
“Daria? What do you want her for? She is here of course, where else would she be?” Both of the girls backed up from the door allowing me into the house. I couldn’t believe it. They didn’t know me, they didn’t even ask for my name and yet here they were letting me into their home just because I was asking for their roommate. It was ridiculous.
I stepped into the house being extra careful not to move much further into the house than I needed to. Mallory clearly in a huff that I asked for Daria and not for herself, plopped herself on the couch and didn’t pay me any further mind.
“Daria is upstairs,” Nika mumbled as she made her way to the kitchen.
If I could strangle one of them I swear I would have. “Yeah, you think one of you could go get her and tell her that I’m here? It is only about five in the morning. I’m sure she’s sleep and waking up to some man creeping over her isn’t going to do her any good.”
Nika let out a sigh and walked without any real enthusiasm toward the stairs that led to Daria’s portion of the home. I couldn’t be sure but I would’ve sworn in court that I heard Mallory say, ‘you’re better than I’, indicating that she wouldn’t have even made the attempt to get Daria from her room but instead would have just let me go upstairs uninvited.
What kind of fucking friends are these?
There was a small commotion upstairs then the shuffling of feet, followed by two people coming down the stairs. Daria had her hair up in a messy bun with a few tendrils falling into her face. Every time I saw her she just got more and more beautiful.
“Oh my god, Archer what are you doing here?” Daria hurried over to me, clearly confused as to why I had shown up at her house so early. “Wait, what happened to your face?”
“Ooo, Archer, what a unique name,” Nika said as she slowly raked her eyes over my body, when she reached my face and saw that I was not the least bit interested she took the seat next to her sister, obviously whatever they had on the television was not keeping their attention because they were both focused directly on us.
“Yeah, about that. I’ve had a strange night. I had someone break into my home and steal my things. I was going to go to a hotel but…”
Before I could finish my sentence, she cut me off. “Nonsense, you can stay the night with me.”
I blinked, she didn’t ask any questions.
“Why? I mean I’m grateful but…” I looked over her shoulder and could see the girls no longer were even trying to pretend they were watching the TV, they were blatantly staring at us now.
Daria turned slightly just to see what I was looking at and blushed lightly when she realized that we were being watched. “Ah, come with me. We can talk upstairs.” With that, she grabbed my hands and led me back to her bedroom for the second time in the last twenty-four hours.
“Daria, you barely know me. Why would you do this for me?”
She gave me a sweet smile and shrugged her shoulders a bit. “Archer, you’re completely correct, I have known you all of three seconds but there is something about you that I know that I can trust. I have spent my life around liars and cheaters, manipulators and people who cared more about a score in a game than my own happiness but you, you have been with me through one of the darkest moments of my life and I know that I can trust you.” She smiled at me like I was a god. I hated it. I turned toward the window hoping that she didn’t see the shame.
“I appreciate that Daria, I really do.” I looked from the bed to her and then back to the bed. It seemed like every time I was in the same room as her, all of my thoughts became sexually charged. While she was in the hospital, she was fragile but now that she was home it was almost as if my subconscious knew it was time to pounce on my prey. I had to get out of this tight space with her.
“Well, then it's settled. You can stay for the night, or rather the rest of the day and then the night. Whatever.” She giggled and looked down, “You can stay as long as you need.”
“Are you sure? What about your roommates aren’t they going to bitch?”
“No, they are always out and when they do come home most of the time it’s with a man anyway.”
“Is that so? Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?” I asked hoping that she would see it as I did if it was that easy for anyone to gain access to her, I had more to worry about than I thought. “I mean they were just going to just let me walk into your room before when you were sleeping. I could have been anyone.”
“Really? Yeah that is crazy. I will talk to them about that, they really shouldn’t be letting in folks that they don’t know.”
“So…” I looked back at the one bed and then back to her.
“Oh gosh, yeah you must be tired! Come let’s go to the living room. I will get you set up on the couch.” She walked over to the closet and pulled out a neatly folded set of sheets. We walked out to the small living area, I looked at her loveseat, there was no way I would fit on that. None. I was over six feet tall, my whole lower body would be hanging off if I even tried.
“Jeez, that isn’t going to work. Well, Mallory and Nika both have king size beds, maybe one of them will let you sleep with them?’ She looked up at me waiting for my response.
“I’d sleep on a fucking bench in the middle of a snowstorm with my dick out before I would sleep with either of those two.” Just the thought repulsed me.
She laughed a bit and then walked back towards her room, “Well I can lay a few comforters on the floor. I have enough pillows.”
“Sure, that sounds good to me.”
She set up the makeshift bed for me on the side of her own, we laid there for a little while and talked about nothing in particular. I just listened to her go on and on about what she wanted out of life and she listened to me go on about my hopes, my time in the military and everything else I wanted to say. She never pressed for more information than I was willing to give and she almost instinctively knew when it was time to drop a subject. I could talk to her all day and in fact, I did. By the time I realized the sun was already high in the sky. I called Wire and let him rip me a new one for not getting to the club like I said I would. I gave him all the information that I could but told him that I wouldn’t be leaving Daria tonight. I would stay with her until at least tomorrow morning and then have someone sit outside her house. He agreed, and he got Prez to agree to it, there was nothing else that they could do.
Daria didn’t seem to mind that I had stayed in bed all day and she stayed in bed with me, at least in her bed.
“Archer, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Absolutely.” I looked up to where she was laying. And waited for the question to come.
“Not
that I’m complaining or anything like that but are you taking a special interest in me? I mean do you treat every one of your PTSD group members the way you treat me?”
“No you are indeed special.” And the only one.
“I thought so. Are you married or anything like that?”
“No.”
“Are you dating someone or something like that?”
I could almost feel her disbelief as if there was no way that I would be interested in her.
“No.”
It was really starting to piss me off. How could she not see how beautiful she was, how utterly breathtaking. She had her roommates beat by a mile in the looks department. When she didn’t say anything after that I raised up on my knees and got as close to her face as I possibly could without freaking her out.
“I think you’re one of the most beautiful women that I have ever met inside and out, I spend so much time with you not because I have to but because my life is better for knowing you. Don’t you see how god damn perfect you are.”
She blushed bright red up her neck and up her face. I was going to press my luck and steal a kiss when one thought ran through my head. You and the pretty virgin bitch.
I sat back on my haunches, I didn’t know if what he said was true or not but if it was, I couldn’t take her like this. There should be way more pomp and circumstance for deflowering this woman. I had to know for sure.
“Can I return the favor? Ask you a personal question?” I folded my hands on my lap to seem as non-threatening as possible. I didn’t want her to think that I was pressuring her.
She shook her head, I guess to break the daze that she was in, “Sure, what’s up?” Her attention was focused on me.
“Have you had many boyfriends?”
“No.” Her words as final as mine.
“Have you had many lovers?”
“No.”
This time she looked up at me, her pretty pink lips parted slightly waiting for me to make my move. A move that I wouldn’t make today.
“Have you had any lovers?” I leaned in closer, her scent was drawing me near whether I liked it or not. I waited patiently for the answer or for her to slap me clear across the face for asking such an intrusive question.
“No.” She whispered and looked down, whether it was shame or embarrassment didn’t matter, it was the clear display of her self-doubt that set me off.
*Tssst*
I issued my sound, my way to reboot any given situation. It was a cross between a hiss and a snapping of my teeth.
My warning sound, I had been making that sound with my mouth since before I knew I was a dominant. Some dominants snapped their fingers, others issued a safe word, some even made physical motions but not me, that Tssst was all I needed to do to get my subs to heel and usually they did it without ever being told what it meant. It was no different for Daria. She was a born submissive even with no prior experience, I could tell by the way her eyes popped up to mine full and contrite, that she was born for my lifestyle.
I squared my shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes, not showing an ounce of emotion besides determination and strength. Power oozed from my body, I could feel it like I could feel the wind blow on my face. “You will not be ashamed by the fact that you are pure. Hold your head high.”
Instantly, she straightened a little. God help me, she was everything I needed in a sub; responsive and instinctively obedient, my type of woman.
Chapter 17
Daria’s POV
I laid in my bed tossing and turning when all I really wanted to do was fall asleep. Instead of having the usual nightmares about the shooting, I was dreaming about Archer. While I was in the hospital I told myself that he was just being nice to me because he worked there, and he had to. I was his job, part of his group, but when he dropped me off today, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if maybe he was interested in me. It seemed like it. I really hoped he was. Unfortunately, I had no experience with men to go off, so I had to talk to the girls about it. It was probably one of the worst conversations that I have ever had.
Nika and Mallory showed up around eleven that night. They were surprised to see me home, but they did both come and give me a hug and say that they were happy to see that I was better. At least Nika did. Mallory just walked over to the couch and dropped her bags down.
“Jeez, when did you get here?”
“Ah, a few hours ago not long at all.” I wondered if Nika was going to say anything about standing me up at the hospital but I doubted it.
“Oh, that’s great!” Nika smiled brightly, “Well I know you’re still on the mend, so I won’t be mad if you say no but do you want to come out with us tonight? There is supposed to be this killer foam party down at Club 88.” She looked at me expectantly, I couldn’t believe it.
“What do you say?”
“Actually, I think I’m going to wait before I go to any big parties. You know heal up fully first.”
“And find a way to cover that nasty scar,” Mallory yelled out from her position across the room.
I looked down at my chest and I still had a bandage over the area where the bullet had gone through my chest, right over the right breast close to my sternum. I hadn’t even thought about the aesthetics of having a gunshot wound, I was more grateful that I was alive than how gnarly the scar was going to be.
“Exactly, there is no way that I can go with you guys tonight. You’re not mad right?” I looked at Nika hoping that she would accept my excuse.
“No, I understand, of course I want you to come but if you can’t, you can’t, right?” She threw her hand in the air as if she were getting rid of a thought, and she balanced some bags on her hip. “Well, Mal let’s go get dressed, I want to look extra hot. I think I may find my husband tonight.” They both laughed and got up to walk towards the back rooms. Even though there were two bedrooms on this level the girls shared one room. The other room was used as their walk-in closet. They had enough clothes to stock a consignment shop. It was amazing how wasteful they were. Of course all of their clothes were designer and they never wore the same thing twice. The fact that they weren’t generous enough to give what they no longer wanted to those that needed it, meant the whole room was a mess. I had only stepped foot in the closet maybe one or two times and each time it physically hurt. I wanted to hurl at the disarray. Only the newest clothes made it onto the hangers, the shoes were half in the boxes half out and the jewelry both costume and real was strewn across random tables placed in the room. The whole area just gave me a headache.
“You guys think I can hang out with you while you get dressed, I just wanted to run something by you. Get some advice?”
“You? Girl talk?” Mallory looked at me with a small smile on her face.
“Yeah, you know if you have the time.” I cared for both of the sisters but it always felt like Mallory was making fun of me in some way. Nika was much nicer.
“Of course honey! We are all ears.” Nika rushed back over to me and pulled on my arm to get me up. It made my wound smart but I didn’t complain, I was just happy that she was interested in what I had to say. They could have simply told me no.
I followed them into the closet and tiptoed my way to the extra large fur ottoman that they placed in the center of the room, I sat on it with crossed legs. I didn’t even want to think about how dirty it was. I watched as they squealed at every piece of clothing they pulled out of their bags as if they had not been in the same shops together when they picked them out.
“So what’s up?” Nika asked as she shimmied out of what was either a top or a skirt.
“Well, it’s very strange. I don’t even know how to start.”
“Beginnings, they usually work.” Mallory rolled her eyes and walked back over to a leather skirt with a huge slit up the front, she had just hung up.
“Right, the beginning.” I swallowed hard and decided to just let it out. If they laughed at me; they laughed. “Well, there is this guy from the hospital.”
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“What? A guy?” Nika spun around and dropped what she had in her hands, rushing over to where I was sitting and dropping onto the other half of the ottoman. I had never freely talked about a man with them, so she was completely invested in what I was saying.
“Yeah, he works at the hospital.”
“Doing what? A doctor? Administrator?” Nika asked.
“No, nothing like that. He actually runs a trauma group. The nurse thought it was a good idea for me to join up with them since I got shot. It was nice for me to have someone to talk to. Though I never actually made it to any of the group meetings he would come and check on me every day and talk things through.”
“Oh, well that’s ok too.” Nika smiled and patted my leg. I guess being less than a Doctor was not something that was acceptable to her.
“Yeah, well I admit when I first saw him I was a bit intimidated.”
“Why, is he a jerk?” Mallory asked, she was still standing on the other side of the room, but she had stopped looking at her clothes and was now paying attention to what I was saying.
“No, not at all. He was the perfect gentleman. Polite and everything. It was just like he was super commanding, like a police officer or someone in the army. Domineering, he didn’t have to say a word and I could tell that he was a leader of some sort. Powerful.” I didn’t know how to explain it well.
“Oh yeah, I know what you mean. You just want to do whatever he said huh?” Nika laughed a little poking me playfully in the rib.
“It was strange for me. I was attracted to him but I knew he was there to do his job so when he started to come and see me every day, I thought that was what he was doing. I didn’t think I had a chance with a man like him.”
“Wait we skipped a vital part!” Nika clapped her hands together, “What does he look like?”
“He is beautiful.”
“Beautiful? Well, that’s not usually how most men are described.” Mallory said.
