by J. S. Luxor
"So if Marissa's marrying Jim, Michael needs a new distraction then."
"I'm done playing the matchmaker," Matt announces. He marches down the hall toward the shower carrying both of our clothes in his arms.
That gives me an idea. I remember another ex-sub of Matt's. Her name was Roseanne. Perhaps she ought to meet Michael.
I'm going to search through Matt's files tonight while he's busy and see what sort of connection I can make. The idea of Michael in a rage or worse is enough to send me into a tailspin and I'm desperate.
Matt's working on another merger well into the evening. I find Roseanne's contact information in his yellowing paper files at the back of our Spanking Room. There are cobwebs and dust on the files. That simply confirms to me that the BDSM scene is now part of Matt's past.
I send Roseanne a text and ask to meet her for lunch in a few days. I'm anxious to hear her response. While waiting to hear from Roseanne, I call my mother.
"Abby, hi again. I'm just wondering if you know where Michael Kingsfield happens to be these days?"
"Yes Megan. I've heard that he left town for a while, why?"
"Because there's someone he might want to meet. She could help him get over Marissa in a hurry."
"Really? How do you know that?"
"She fits his profile in so many ways," I whisper in a convincing manner.
"Alright. I'll try to find out where Michael's been these days."
"Do you happen to have Michael's personal email account?"
"I know someone who can give it to me," she asserts. Abby likes the game I'm suggesting. "The poor man, he's absolutely at wit's end."
"What if I had someone here try to contact Michael about a hookup?"
"It's worth a try," she agrees.
When Roseanne agrees to meet me for lunch, I give her a rough sketch of the situation. She's very interested when I mention his wealth and power.
"That's my specialty," she brags later via text.
I hope my ploy works. If Michael was involved in a new relationship, he'd be able to get over his obsession with me altogether. I'll have to urge caution on Roseanne's part when she approaches Michael. He may be unpredictable these days.
Chapter Eight – Roseanne
MEGAN’S POV
Roseanne’s email exchange with Michael took place soon after I passed on his contact information. She reported that Michael seemed interested in a face to face meeting. She gave him a little taste of what was to come with some sexy photos of herself.
His response was, “Grrr.” I interpreted it as a good sign. It turned out I was wrong; dead wrong.
On the day of their meeting, I expected at least a text and some sort of update from Roseanne within an hour or so after their face to face. I got nothing. After half a day passed without any further communication, I grew worried.
Matt noticed how distracted I was and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. “Megan, you seem disturbed and lost in thought. Is there anything wrong? Are you having second thoughts about getting married?” he pleads with that lost little boy look that I find so endearing.
“Absolutely not, Matt! This has nothing to do with our wedding…I was expecting to hear from someone and it’s been more than twelve hours since she was going to text me,” I assure him while giving him a long hug and kiss on the cheek.
He knows me too well and won’t give up on why I’m distracted. “Is she one of your authors? Someone you’re trying to woo into a job at the newspaper?”
“Yeah, something like that,” I lie and pretend to dismiss it. “I’m just being a bit too silly.”
“Let’s go to dinner and then have a relaxing evening out,” he suggests while looking deeply into my eyes and holding me close.
“Yeah, good idea, baby,” I agree. He takes me to an Italian restaurant for dinner. We listen to an indie group perform live on the deck of the restaurant.
By the time the next morning rolls around, I’m quite frantic about Roseanne. I’ve texted her at least half a dozen times and come up empty.
It’s Jared who supplies the answer that I’m looking for, however. While we’re eating at the kitchen island, he signals Matt.
“Sir, something’s come up and I think you ought to know about it,” he begins with a look of consternation on his face.
“You can tell us both about it, Jared, I’ve got nothing to hide from Megan,” Matt allows.
He hesitates. “Well, sir, it’s about one of your former associates,” Jared responds with tact. I’m sure Jared doesn’t want me to hear any further details about Matt’s BDSM paramours.
Matt puts down his fork and excuses himself. “Sorry, baby, you probably don’t need to know about these women.”
I’m immediately concerned, however, and decide to insert myself in the middle of their exchange, regardless. “I want to know everything about your past, Matt. Please.”
He looks a bit uncomfortable with it but then shrugs and allows me to join in their conversation.
“OK, let’s have it, Jared.”
Jared clears his throat before speaking and looks at Matt with concern. “A woman who’d once been under contract to you, Roseanne, was found down by the pier today. She’d been strangled and a note was found on her body, sir,” he whispers.
Matt’s face goes pale and he begins breathing quickly. “What did the note say, Jared?”
I swallow and pull myself into Matt’s arms. He probably thinks I’m trying to soothe him but I’m really trying to keep from fainting. I’m such a fool. What have I done? I’m trembling everywhere.
“It read ‘Keep out of my affairs, Frazier; Megan’s next’ and it’s signed with the capital letter M,” Jared adds and then shows him a picture of Roseanne’s very bruised and battered corpse as well as a photo of the note.
I scream as I look at the mess that I’ve created. Matt wraps me in his arms before speaking. “Megan, don’t worry, I had nothing to do with Roseanne over the past couple of years. Further,
Michael’s clearly behind this murder I’m assuming as well. We’ll let the police handle it.”
“Oh, Matt, if it were only that simple,” I burst out and run from the room crying. He leaves Jared and follows after me like a missile zoning in on its target.
“Megan, what the hell is going on with you? I know you’ve been acting strange lately. Have you been meddling in this situation with Michael?” he demands in a harsh voice.
I nod my head affirmatively and sit on the sectional couch in our living room. Matt’s standing across from where I sit with the look of a stern task master on his face. His arms are crossed and he looks as if he’s about to whip me himself.
“I’m so sorry, Matt. It’s my fault that Roseanne’s dead. The police will find her phone and see that I’m the one who gave her Michael’s contact number.”
“You did what, you little fool?” Matt lashes out with a face that looks more red than white. Angry doesn’t begin to describe my fiancé’s mood. I cringe as I admit my error. He’s more than furious with me.
“After Jillian was murdered, I became convinced that Michael was the perpetrator. It seemed that he needed a diversion. I contacted Roseanne about hooking up with Michael and gave her his information. She thought he sounded interested in meeting her,” I blurt out in between sobs and tears.
“How did you find Roseanne’s contact information?” Matt asks with deep suspicion.
“I found a folder in your room. It was old and yellowed and I called,” I freely confess. “She seemed keen on working for Michael and said wealthy men were her specialty.”
“The poor thing. No doubt, Michael wanted to meet her. He probably thought I was behind the arrangement and wanted to send a clear message my way,” Matt nearly hisses with emotion. “You just gave him more ammunition, Megan.”
“I’m so sorry, Matt. I’ve actually caused her death. It’s all because I was terrified that Michael was going to come after me again. He’s had a lot of rejection these past coup
le of years. I guess the situation with Marissa really pushed him over the edge.”
“Megan, I’ve told you that I wanted nothing more to do with matchmaking after Jillian was killed. That act alone convinced me that we were dealing with a madman. Why did you insist on pursuing this plan to get Michael a new hookup?”
“I guess the long and short of my moves boil down to fear, Matt. You got Michael off of my case for months with Marissa. I thought I might try doing the same thing again with Roseanne. After what he did to my mother and now, Jillian, I was absolutely terrified.”
“Michael’s probably wary of any new hookups at this point. He may have tortured Jillian before killing her and extracted information about the fact that I was behind his encounter with Marissa. Jillian figured out my ruse by the end and was steaming about it herself. It wouldn’t have taken much on Michael’s part to get the information about my role in this whole mess out of Jillian.”
“I’m such an idiot, Matt. Now we’ve got Michael after both of us,” I sob and wipe my eyes with one of his handkerchiefs.
“You didn’t think this one through Megan. It’s more than a shame that Roseanne had to get caught in Michael’s crosshairs. If it makes you feel any better, though, Michael was probably coming after both of us anyway.”
“What can we do to help catch him, Matt?”
“For one, we’re going to keep you under lock and key. You’re not to leave home or work for any reason until Michael’s caught. Do you agree, Megan?”
“Yes, Matt, absolutely. I’ll do anything to make this up to you. You must really think I’m devious, now,” I cry and fall back against the cushions of the sectional.
“I think you’re naïve and I’m disappointed that you kept something this important from me. But, I…I understand why you wanted to play my game with Michael,” Matt admits. “You’re learning from the master.”
“I guess I failed this lesson,” I utter in abject misery. “I hope you’ll be able to forgive me, one day.”
Matt looks down at me with pity. I’m surprised to see that he’s making his way toward me regardless of what I’ve just done.
“Oh Megan, what am I going to do with you?” he asks with utter frustration in his voice. In the next instant, he pulls me to my feet and into his grasp.
“You can spank me in the Sex Room again,” I offer with a carnal tone in mine. I’m hoping he’ll lead me by the hand to our special place.
“What you’ve done requires more than a spanking, Megan.”
“Do you want to break off our engagement?” I suggest instead and cry in real agony. Matt looks at me crying and smiles with delight.
“Absolutely not. I couldn’t live without you, Megan. You know that by now, right?”
“How can I make it up to you then?”
“By promising me, on your engagement ring, that you will never keep anything from me again. Then we’ll do a confession scene in the Spanking Room.”
“Oh Matt, of course I’ll promise you that I’ll never keep a secret from you again,” I utter while holding up my ring and crossing my heart.”
“That’s better. Now, let’s go to the Spanking Room and do our role play. I’ve got outfits for this one,” Matt chuckles.
“Yes, sir,” I agree readily. “I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.”
“You’ll have the chance to repent, Megan,” he assures me as we enter the room and he locks the door behind us.
That’s when his demeanor changes. “I’m going to be the father confessor. You’ll play the role of supplicant. Is that understood?” he asks in a harsh tone. His face looks more than serious as he begins the role play.
“Yes…yes, father,” I mumble in a whisper. I’m only too happy to repent. I’ve got to make this up to him and to myself.
“Good. Go to the corner ensuite and put these clothes on now,” he commands as he takes a package from one of the drawers near the wall.
I take the brown paper bag with me to the small bathroom. Inside the bag is a burlap shift that could fit almost any woman. There’s a small leather belt around the waist. I slip off my everyday clothes and put on the simple smock. It itches and feels uncomfortable on my skin. I assume it’s part of the punishment.
When I rejoin Matt inside the Spanking Room, he’s dressed like a priest in simple black slacks and a black cotton shirt. A minister’s white collar is around his throat. He looks incredible in the costume. He’s gorgeous and the collar only emphasizes his sculpted beauty. He’s seated on one side of the leather Chesterfield bench and motions that I’m to sit next to him on the opposite end. I sit where he indicates and hang my head in shame.
“I assume you’ve come to give me your confession, miss?” he asks in a hushed tone.
“Yes, father, I have sinned grievously and wish to repent,” I manage to say before getting down on my knees in front of him.
“That’s better,” he adds and smirks a bit when he notes my position. Perhaps Matt is pleased that I’ve come up with the kneeling scenario on my own. I hope so. “Proceed.”
“I deceived my fiancé about my manipulative role in another person’s relationship and I lied about my concerns. As a result, I inadvertently caused someone’s death,” I add and sniffle with real grief.
“You didn’t realize how dangerous this other party happened to be?” he probes.
“Father, I misjudged the situation previously. I didn’t listen to reason,” I admit.
“You couldn’t have known this person was so desperate as to murder another?”
“I suspected that he murdered another but I assumed he wouldn’t feel the need for any further violence afterwards. Now I have to bear the burden of another person’s, a woman’s, hideous death at the hands of a madman,” I cry out with real pain.
“You seem to feel deep remorse over your foolish actions, miss. Perhaps it’s punishment enough to carry this cross with you for the rest of your life.”
“That may be, father, but I’d like you to give me a penance as well.”
“Very well, miss. I’d like you to flog yourself ten times with this object and then undress,” Matt states while giving me a hand held leather device with four knotted cords attached to a small wooden handle. “Remain in a kneeling position before me while you flog yourself.”
I take the whip like toy from his hands and begin a crisscross pattern of self-flagellation while chanting repeatedly, “I promise to never again keep secrets from my fiancé and future husband.”
I’m on my knees before him. After five swats with the device, the cords are starting to sting my flesh even though I’m covered with burlap. At ten, my skin burns with pain. When I’m done, I return the device to him and then kneel for a moment with my head bowed nearly to the floor.
A few minutes pass before another word is spoken. “You may undress now,” Matt announces with a stern tone. I sit up and slowly pull the shift over my head and off of my body. I’m now sitting before him dressed only in my designer underwear.
Matt’s eyes dilate as he looks at me. I notice that he’s breathing heavily as he stares at me with an unmistakable look of desire written all over his face. “I want you to apologize to me, now,” he utters while licking his lips.
“I’m so sorry for making these arrangements with Roseanne behind your back,” I agree with true remorse. “I also fully regret lying to you about what I did and beg your forgiveness.”
“You’re forgiven,” he says with a deep look of disappointment on his face. Finally, he holds his arms out to me. “Come and sit in my lap, sinner. Now.”
I happily move into his arms and lap. Then I look into his heated gaze for further direction.
“Kiss me. Show me how sorry you are, miss.”
I pour everything about my feelings of sorrow and misery into my kiss. My arms are wrapped around his back and neck as my tongue probes his mouth with a passion that only deep angst can elicit. I can feel his toy harden beneath my thighs.
He picks me up then a
nd carefully carries me to the bed. I help Matt remove his collar and clothing quickly. As soon as he’s naked, I undo my bra and push my panties off. He takes a minute to look me over before pushing me beneath him and kissing every inch of my flesh.
“Megan, you need a good fucking,” he utters before we connect. He pushes himself fully into me with a satisfied grunt.
“Yes, sir,” I agree with more than enthusiasm as we get lost in one another. I feel purified. We spend a very long time cleansing one another in the Spanking Room. Now I can put the ghost of Roseanne behind me I hope. Of course, it’s never going to be that simple.
