Assumed Master

by Lila Munro

  "Trust me, you weren’t feeling it at the time. I lost count of orgasms after five. You were very brave, pumpkin. Master was so proud. He was high as a kite, too. You should have seen his eyes…" Blake prattled on. "Then he just sort of drooped and wilted right there. If Allen hadn’t caught him, he’d have hit his head. Never seen that happen to him before."

  "So he does have Dom-drop?"

  "Yes, but he’ll recover. Not to worry. He needs rest and lots of fluids. And a hot shower when he wakes." Blake handed her the glass of water he’d retrieved from the adjoining bathroom and a couple of ibuprofen. "If this isn’t enough let me know, we’ll try something a bit stronger. How about you have a warm shower now? I’ll put some more ointment on your back and these other places when you get out" Blake ran his cool fingers along Julie’s legs, his touch now soothing. "Get you something to eat? You were so out of it when I carried you up here all I managed to get down you was part of a protein bar."

  "Can I see him first?" If Julie thought enduring the whip with Dante in less than a perfect state of mind was scary, she was a fool. Nothing was scarier than the thought of him sick.

  "I don’t think that’s such a good idea…"

  "Why not? How bad is it?" Julie jumped up and pushed Blake back when he tried to stop her. "Quit! It’s not like I’ve not seen a sick man before."

  "I know that," Blake said in such a forceful voice it actually stopped Julie dead in her tracks. She’d never heard him use that tone before. "I'm aware, pumpkin. I don’t want it to scare you."

  "Oh…" She hadn’t thought maybe he was trying to protect her feelings. "Okay. I’m sorry."

  Standing in the middle of the floor, naked as a jaybird, hurting like hell, Julie was unsure what to do next. So she just stood there, trying to locate true North, and started to cry. Maybe she shouldn’t have jumped up so quickly. Out of balance was an understatement at this point.

  "Come on. Back on the bed. I’ll get that shower started…"

  "I thought I heard voices," Allen said, coming in from the adjoining room. "What the hell is she doing up?"

  "I hurt like hell, I’m thirsty, and I’m worried about my Master," Julie informed him, sniffling, feeling like fool. Still unsure of which end was up, she took a seat back on the side of the bed, wincing when the cold sheet hit her ass which felt like it was on fire now as well.

  "You’re Master is going to be okay. Although I have to tell you, you both gave all of us a good scare." Allen leaned down and put his hands on his knees, looking at her. "How are you other than hurting and thirsty?"

  "I feel a little off, but can’t really place my finger on it." What she really wanted to do was go back to sleep, but not without Dante. "Oh shit…is Nicki okay?"

  "Well, she’s asleep in my room, after crying herself that way. I wouldn’t let her drive. And, I think I need to have a little talk with her about what she saw. I’m pretty sure what scared her most was the fact she was as turned on as you were when it was over. Keegan isn’t quite as big an ass as we might have initially thought and when we realized what was wrong with Dante, he stepped in immediately. He’s over there now with him, been trading places with me between Dante and Nicki all night."

  "Does Dante need a doctor?" Julie let Allen help her stand when Blake came back into the room, motioning for her to come. Apparently her shower was ready.

  "No, he’ll be fine. I promise. He woke up for a while earlier and ate, drank a couple of bottles of water, took something for the aches and pains, and went back to sleep. He said he feels like a train hit him, but other than that he’s okay. I wouldn’t suggest driving tomorrow…"

  "We have to go back. The boys will be home the day after for Christmas Eve."

  "We’ll figure it out in the morning, sweetheart," Allen told her, handing her into the shower.

  She gasped as the water beat down on her back sending thousands of tiny needles to pricking her skin.

  "Turn away from the water." Julie did as she was told and let the water assault her front as Allen carefully washed her back while Blake took care of her front. "Now out. That’s enough of that."

  A half-hour later, after eating and letting Blake smear more ointment on her, Julie lay on her side and drifted off.

  ****

  Allen had his way and they didn’t leave for home until early Christmas Eve morning. Julie just hoped they beat the boys home so they could get their gear unloaded, the house in order, and the evidence of their weekend hidden from view before the kids arrived, which meant creative concealment on her part for a few days. She'd promised the boys prime rib for dinner, but that was now totally out of the question. She had no idea what to do.

  While Allen approved their leaving after Dante insisted he was fit to travel now, Blake exerted a bit of command himself and took the keys, putting him in the back seat to rest and Julie in the passenger seat so she could lay her seat back and sleep as well.

  "What are we going to tell the boys?" she asked from her reclined position.

  "About what?" Dante said, his voice still sounding like he could sleep for a week.

  "About why we’re late and there’s no prime rib." Julie felt like the most irresponsible mother on the planet. "I still have gifts to wrap and the turkey for tomorrow is still in the freezer. Will there even be a store left open by the time we get there?"

  She covered her eyes with one hand believing at any moment she would burst into tears and upset everyone again. It seemed she and Dante had caused enough worry with their whipping demo to last Blake, Allen, Nicki, and Keegan a lifetime. The phone had rang several times yesterday with many of Allen’s friends worried and checking on them.

  "We’re going to tell them we were having such a good time we decided to stay one more day. It’s not a lie," Dante said, leaning up to pull her hand away, rub her cheeks, and kiss her forehead. "It’ll be fine."

  "Yeah, Jules," Blake said, setting the cruise control as he hit a stride once back on the highway. "Remember that first Christmas we were fresh out of grad school? I lived in an efficiency and you had that little hole in the wall dump downtown. We were poor as church mice and couldn’t even afford a tree. I remember you fixed mac-and-cheese and we had bologna sandwiches because it was all we could swing." Blake reached over and squeezed her knee. "Best Christmas ever. Want to know why?"

  "Why?" Her voice hitched remembering how sad her existence had been at one time.

  "Because I was with you and that was all that mattered. That’s all that matters now. We’re all together and we’ll eat mac-and-cheese if need be. Except now you make it with four cheeses and tomato. I’m sure the boys will feel the same. As long as they’re with their family and their mom is present, they won’t care what we eat or if the gifts ever get wrapped."

  As the car lulled her to sleep, she thought back over the texts she’d exchanged with the boys over the last few days. Blake was right and Julie was thrilled to be seeing her boys again. What made her even happier was the fact they were coming home virgins. Smart boys.

  "Holy Mother of God," were the words that drew Julie out of her shallow sleep.

  "What’s wrong?" she said, rising up, her eyes squinted against a glaring, white-gray sky.

  "Don’t look, turn your head," Dante said, pressing her back against the seat.

  "Is it an accident? How bad is it?" Julie asked, trying to wriggle free when she realized they were stopped and the trees above in her line of sight were the trees in their own drive-way. "What’s wrong? Is the house gone?"

  "No. It’s still there." Dante sighed and rubbed his forehead while Blake just stared ahead as if he’d been struck dumb, his knuckles white he gripped the wheel so tightly.

  "Would someone please tell me what’s going on?" Julie asked, getting more agitated by the second. "Are the neighbors naked? Have we been egged?"

  "I wish. That’d be easier to clean up," Blake said, finally letting go and flexing his fingers.

  Julie darted up before Dante could stop her again and i
mmediately felt sick. She pushed her door open just in time to litter the pavement with the remnants of her lunch then heaved until there was nothing left. By the time she stopped, Blake and Dante had her propped up by each shoulder, steadying her.

  They all sat in silence, seemingly regaining their bearings when the gods of fate finished pissing on her parade. An SUV pulled up beside them, Danielle’s obviously quite offended parents staring with open mouths at the words etched on the front side of the Larson home in black paint.

  WHORE! FAGS! COCKSUCKERS! All in crude letters at intervals between stick figures of all genders and persuasions in several lewd sexual positions.

  Julie’s lips trembled as she tried to compose herself long enough to greet her sons and try to explain to Danielle’s parents, realizing her chest and upper back was visible, welts peeking out at various places announcing her station in life.

  Much to her horror, the boys got out in haste, Danielle turned her head, and her parents never uttered a word. They just pulled back out and drove off.

  Chapter Eighteen

  "That son-of-a-bitch!" Gav dropped his bag and started a march across the front yard, obviously hell-bent on meeting the asshole next door head-on.

  "Help Dad, Luc," Dante said, leaving Julie’s side and running after his son who looked like he might just beat the man next door half to death if given a chance. "Gav, stop!"

  "Fuck that, Papi," the boy grumbled, his face contorted with anger and pain. "He hurt Mom and he’s going to pay for it."

  "Gav, no. Son." Dante reached him and grabbed him by the shoulders, halting his progression. "No, Gav. That’s not the answer. Right now, Mom needs us all to be strong. And use our heads, not our fists. Come on." Dante looked in the boy’s face and realized just how close to tears he was. Not using fists was easy advice, but not so much when it came to swallowing it himself. Dante would have liked to have pummeled the person that left graffiti all over the side of his house as much as Gav. "Take a breath. It’s going to be okay."

  Gav nodded and ran his thumb and forefinger over his eyelids that were now pinched shut. He took a shaky breath and nodded again, pulling the bridge of his nose. "What kind of person does something like that?"

  "One with no sense. That’s what kind. We have sense and we’ll use it." He patted Gav’s shoulder then pulled him in for a hug. "We’ll be okay."

  Dante kept one hand on Gav’s nape as he led him back to the car where Julie was in near hysterics.

  "No! You can't call them, Blake. Don’t!" She was flailing her arms trying to snatch the phone from Blake’s hand. "They’ll ask questions. The neighbors will tell them things. What do you think they’ll do when they find out how we live? They’ll take the boys away and have me locked up in a padded room and Dante locked up in a cell for abuse."

  Blake stopped mid- tirade and was standing speechless, watching her turn in circles alternating between having her hands on her hips and swinging them in the air. Luc stood a few feet away, a forlorn look on his face, tears streaming down his cheeks.

  Dante locked into control mode and assumed command of his family in all of a few seconds. He turned loose of Gav and took Julie from behind, locking her arms at her sides and holding her close to his chest.

  "Calm down, love. Shhhh…I promise you everything will be okay, but we have to get a hold of ourselves or we won’t have to call the cops, the asshole next door will and turn us in for disturbing the peace. Then we’re busted anyway." Going limp in his arms, she hiccupped and Dante knew then she was crying. "It’s okay. I’ve got you." As he continued to hold her, letting her use him for support, he started barking out instructions. "Gav, help Luc get the bags in. Blake, pull the cars into the garage and lock it. No one’s to call nine-one-one. I think Jules is right on this one…let’s not stir this pot unless we absolutely have to."

  Before he finished, Gav’s cell phone rang and he looked to his papi for guidance.

  "Answer it," Dante told him, nodding at his front pocket.

  "Hello?" It was the only word he uttered in the ninety seconds he was on the line. He shut the device and threw it to the pavement, shattering it in dozens of pieces. "Fuck them. Narrow minded, assuming, uniformed bastards…"

  For once, Blake didn’t even try to correct his language as Gav threw his duffle over his shoulder, reached in the now open trunk, grabbed three more bags, and stalked off toward the front door.

  "She broke up with him," Julie said lifelessly as Dante swung her up into his arms and followed Gav’s path.

  Once in the house, Dante put her on the couch and shielded her from the boys, draping her favorite throw over her hoping against the odds the boys had been too distracted with what was written on the side of the house to see what he knew would humiliate and worry Julie into her dark place. Although dealing with her marks might have been easier than dealing with the bigoted suggestions on the house. The whole thing sent his stomach into a spiral and he wondered for a minute if he might not throw up, too.

  While the boys finished dragging in their bags, Julie curled up into a ball on the end of the couch and laid her head on the arm, silent tears pouring down her face. This wasn't a good sign.

  Two hours later he’d sent the boys to their rooms to unpack and sort their dirty laundry and Blake was gone in search of a grocery open anywhere where he could pick up a few essentials and with any luck, something for dinner and tomorrow’s Christmas feast. Not that anyone was feeling particularly festive, but Dante felt it was important to try to carry on as normally as possible. He knew damn well he’d never find a painter until after the first of the year. He put Julie in their bed with a cup of herbal tea and some of the nature sounds she meditated to playing in the background and went to the garage to see if he could locate some paint scrapers. Somehow, even if he had to arm the boys, Blake, and himself with butter knives, that garbage was coming off the house first thing tomorrow morning.

  After searching over several of the shelves Blake kept so immaculately organized no one but him understood the system, Dante located what he wanted. A small box of scrapers and a can of paint thinner just in case they needed to do more than rasp the awful pictures off. He set the items to the side just as Blake backed into the garage. While the door descended, shutting out the world, he went around to trunk that was slowly lifting to help carry in whatever his husband managed to locate.

  "Regretfully, there wasn’t much to choose from. Piggly Wiggly was open, but they were about sold out of everything," Blake explained, stepping out and pocketing his keys. "I did manage to find all the ingredients for chicken soup. I thought that might make her feel better if I whipped up a pot of that tonight. Might be comforting for us all actually."

  "Hell if I know," Dante said, lifting out two paper sacks and carrying them through the service door and into the kitchen. "I’m afraid we might be back at square one with her. She’s not uttered a peep since her screaming fit in the drive-way."

  "Give her some time." Blake was right behind him with two more sacks which he landed on the island before turning to go back. "She’s probably in shock."

  Dante left Blake to the task of putting away his meager offerings and went down the hall to check on Julie, stopping just short of the door when he heard the hushed whispers of the boys. Just what the hell made them think it was okay to leave their rooms and bother her? Staying the urge to barrel in the room and send them away, he leaned back against the wall and listened. Not the most upstanding thing to be doing, but at least she was talking to someone. Maybe their conversation would lend some insight into how she was doing and what he could do to help her through this.

  "I’m so sorry Danielle broke up with you, sweetheart," Julie said. "This is all my fault."

  "No, it’s not," Gavril answered. "Her parents are wound so tight they squeak. They’re narrow-minded bigots. I might have two dads and a mom, but at least they love each other, don’t cheat, and are all sober. Her dad has several affairs going on and her mom’s a lush. Not exactly the ty
pe of people that should be pointing fingers at others."

  "I tried to tell you before you asked her out," Luc interjected. "No one ever listens to me. You should be dating that cute little Jada from home room. She adores you and has two moms."

  "So what are you saying, exactly? We’re not supposed to date outside our own kind?"

  "Absolutely not," Julie spoke up. "When you do that, it makes you no better than they are. That’s as closed minded and intolerant a behavior as anything the neighbors could display."

  "Is there anything we can get you, Mom?" Luc asked, apparently shifting to be closer to her as Dante heard rustling on the bed. "Are you in much pain?"

  "Why would you think that?" Julie asked, obviously trying to avoid any questions and sound naïve.

  "We’re not idiots." Gav sounded exasperated. "We know what you and Dad and Papi are into. I mean Papi thinks we’re clueless, but we’re seventeen for piss sake. Believe me, we have a clue. It’s okay. We don’t think you’re weird or anything. That’s another thing. I don’t think Danielle would have been keen on me spanking her ass anyway. Good riddance."

  "Gav," Julie gasped. "Don’t talk like that about her. For God’s sake, you’re not old enough to be thinking like that."

  "Why not? How old were you when you started thinking…"

  Dante decided this was the time to put this mother-son chat to rest. Apparently it was time to have a talk with the boys. One he wasn’t looking forward to at all.

  "Hey, boys. Get your laundry started?" he asked, waltzing in the room like he’d just breezed down the hall. "Jules, do you need anything, love?"

  "More tea would be appreciated," she said, holding out her cup, her face ashen.

  "Our laundry’s started, Papi," Luc offered. "Is Dad back?"

  "Yeah, he’s in the kitchen." Dante sat on the side of the bed while the boys slowly made their way to the door. He could tell by the looks on their faces they wondered just how much he’d heard. "He could probably use some help. And one of you bring your mother some more tea, please. And no eavesdropping." Smiling at their jaws dropping, he took Julie’s hand and squeezed. "We’ll talk later. I think we need to?"