“See, ma’am, your beauty commands me,” I spoke in an undertone between pants, my heart thumping against the bones of my chest, hoping the woman in front of me was pleased with my offering.
“Brandon,” She growled this time.
“Yes, my queen,” I said breathing heavily, struggling for air while I worked to control the quivering in my thighs. Kicking off my jeans from around my ankles, I stepped forward and knelt down, prostrating myself by touching the front of my forehead to the cool platinum tip of her stiletto.
“My mind, heart and body are yours to command, my queen. I pledge my virginity to you. I am completely yours, to use as you desire, ma’am.”
Chapter 3
“Put your hands down, and sit on them!” My nurse swatted my fingers away from my face as she held the frozen bag of peas firmly against the hot, red, triangular shaped lump blazing its way up the side of my forehead.
“I can hold the peas myself, Mrs. Labret,” I pleaded.
“Stop this foolishness now! I won’t have you calling me that anymore.” She narrowed her gaze at me. “My name is Lena. Say it Brandon. Lee-na,”
“Yes, ma’am. I mean, yes, Lena,” I said while attempting to lift my eyes, but found it impossible to look away from the fullness of her pear shaped tits with their softly shaded light brown areolas and firmly pointed nipples.
“My god, Brandon, you’re injured and in pain and you still can’t stop staring at my breasts,” She blew out a swift puff of air through the side of her mouth and swatted me on the hand again when I dared to lift it out from underneath my ass.
“You can’t just keep slapping my hands away like that,” I tried to steer the conversation away from my desperate need to keep staring at her shapely bosom. “I have every right to hold my own ice pack if I want to.”
My nurse lifted my chin with one manicured finger, “Let me be clear with you. You don’t have the right to do anything inside this house. My rule is law here. Got it?” Her eyes narrowed, and the line of her lips tightened.”
“Yes…Lena,” I growled through clenched teeth, as the heat from my head wound blazed down my face like an angry red firebomb.
“Bullshit,” I grumbled through my pain as I lifted my eyes to the ceiling and shifted in my seat, firmly planting my ass down on top of my hands again.
“If you have something to say, say it,” Lena glowered at me with her finger still braced firmly against the cleft in my chin.
“You don’t have the right to treat me this way!” My words burst from my mouth and I shook her finger away from the hard stubble on my chin. “I’ve never said it before, but sometimes you act like a cruel and dangerous woman. And the proof is you’ve wounded me today. First, you forced me to bow down to you and then you kicked me in the head with a steel tipped stiletto.”
“Don’t give me that crap,” Lena snorted. “I didn’t force you to do anything. You enjoyed kneeling in front of me today every bit as much as you enjoyed it last week, and every week before that. Admit it, ogling me while I sit on that throne gets you hot and bothered. I see the way your cock twitches and begs to be released from the confines of your jeans every time I tell you to bow down before me and kiss the platinum tips of my heels.”
I clenched my lips shut and gripped the chair under my ass, all the while growling as she pressed the frozen compress in her hand firmly against my head wound.
“You enjoy what we do together. You wouldn’t keep coming back for more if you didn’t. It’s been clear from the start that you want me to dominate you, but like most men you’re conflicted about your desires. There’s still a disobedient part of you that doesn’t like being told what to do.”
I set my jaw and clenched my teeth into my agony as she opened her palm and smashed the bag of frozen peas against my forehead.
“You’re a strong man and a fighter. I admire that, but let’s face it, me dominating you is the game you enjoy playing most.” She nodded towards my still erect cock and curled her lips up into a wicked grin. “And you’re clearly enjoying every second of our games. I won you today like I always do because, while you may be a brilliant businessman, you still require my guidance and discipline to inspire you to be your best. Just accept it. I’m an excellent teacher, and I’m better at playing these games than you.” She huffed. “I’m a more experienced player.”
“But, but you hurt me,” I stammered. “I didn’t want that. I wanted—”
“What happened to your forehead was your own fault. You frequently break the rules and you rarely follow instructions,” Her bare foot tapped dully on the metal leg of her stool as she spoke.
“I told you to sit up, but you refused to listen and instead you grabbed ahold of my ankle while I was in the midst of standing. Did you consider that you almost made me fall? What made you think I would just stand idly by while you pulled me down to the ground? No way, son. Mama doesn’t play that way. I will never allow you to drag me down.” She puffed a blast of air into my face. “It’s your own fault I kicked you in the head.”
Her words sent my head spinning and made my ears ring. It took all my concentration not to topple off my stool and onto the floor. “So, spending time with me is dragging you down,” I huffed back.
“Finally, after all these years, I know where I really stand with you. It’s clear that to you, I’m just some kid, some clueless country boy dragging you down.” I sat silent for a moment, my mouth clamped tight and my forehead throbbing against the icy bag of peas Lena still had pressed there.
Carefully she removed the frozen compress from my forehead and laid it down on her bare left foot. My gaze traveled down the length of her body, and when it finally reached her ankle, my mouth gaped open in horror and regret. Lena’s ankle was red and chaffed. Oh, my god… I’d hurt her.
“I’m sorry I grabbed your ankle.” I immediately spoke to apologize. But then something hot and sour gurgled up into my chest and throat, and I was compelled to make a mockery of the penance of my apology. “I’m also sorry I accidentally tore your robe off your body while you were assaulting me in the face,” I said rushing through my words.
Even though I was truly sorry for hurting her, something violent twisted inside my gut and refused to allow me to apologize for my actions properly. That stubborn part of me was still furious with her for hurting me and seriously pissed off that she’d kicked me so fiercely in the head. If she’d kicked just a few inches higher, or at a different angle she’d have definitely put my eye out.
Still, no matter how furious I was, or how fierce my inner resolve not to forgive her for harming me, I knew in my heart that Lena was right. It was my fault she’d had to kick me in the head. I don’t know what came over me when I grabbed her. Maybe I grabbed her ankle so forcefully because she’d hurt my pride, or maybe I did it for other reasons.
I’d offered her the first use of my body, my virginity, but she’d acted as though I hadn’t offered her anything of worth. Instead, she’d just told me to stand up and then stood up and tried to leave the room.
But I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted her to stay and love me, so I grabbed her and tried to make her stay. I shouldn’t have grabbed her. I shouldn’t have tried to take a shortcut. I should have done things the right way and been brave and asked her to stay and explain why she was rejecting me.
My headstrong and prideful way of trying to make her stay and love me had been reckless. It was dangerous, and I might have seriously injured her if she hadn’t had the strength to make me let go of her ankle.
“Ugh!” My forehead throbbed hot and painful with my realization that I had become a muscle bound bully who didn’t have the decency not to put his hands on the woman he loved. Lena was right. She deserved better than having to deal with that crap. She deserved better than having to deal with me.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you, Lena,” I stood up, ignoring her disciplinary swats at my naked body. “I’m leaving to drive home now.”
“Sit down,” she ordered.
“No,” I shook my head as I stood and walked over to the corner of the kitchen to grab my produce dolly. “I put my hands on you, and I don’t deserve to stay in your home. I won’t ever come back or bother you again. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Knowing you has changed my life for the better—”
“Sit back down before I call the police,” Lena interrupted my goodbye. “You’re not safe to drive. You’ve had a head injury. While your injury doesn’t appear to be serious enough to rush you to the hospital, it still is significant enough that you’re not going to be driving anywhere tonight—”
“But, I can’t stay,” I argued. “I’ll get a hotel.”
“Nonsense. I injured you, and it’s my responsibility to look after you.” Lena patted me on the shoulder. “You’ll stay with me in the master bedroom. That way I can monitor you through the night.”
“But, back in the game room, I grabbed your ankle when I shouldn’t have. It was unforgivable.” I shook my throbbing head. “I’m sorry, but I have to leave—”
“Don’t condemn yourself for what you did,” She interrupted me. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt me when you grabbed my ankle. You were simply acting out a desperate reflex. It was a dangerous reflex, but a desperate one, not intended to cause harm.”
“Thank you,” I breathed bowing my head and then quickly raising it again to control the sudden burst of pain at my temple.
I may be a man with desperate reflexes, but I’m no fool. I knew better than to refuse the generosity of her forgiveness again. I still wanted her desperately, and I hoped her statement of forgiveness meant that she might still want me too.
I exhaled forcefully and pushed my produce dolly back into the corner of the kitchen, grateful that she had forgiven me for my brash action. I was also relieved that I wouldn’t have to bend down and pick up my clothes off the gaming room floor because the tylenol I’d just swallowed ten minutes ago hadn’t kicked in yet and my forehead was throbbing unbearably hot and painful.
Lena handed me the still frozen bag of peas from her ankle, and I gratefully placed it back up to my forehead.
I then opened the freezer door and grabbed two frozen bags of corn. Determined to ease some of the pain I’d caused her, I walked back over to my dolly, grabbed some duct tape from my duffel bag and forced myself to fall to my knees in front of her.
I ignored the searing pain in my skull as I bent down and wrapped the frozen bags of corn in place with the duct tape, ensuring that she had a semi-permanent cold compress to help soothe the pain in her ankle.
After struggling to stand and throwing the duck tape back in my duffel bag, I extended my arms out to the woman I loved. “Please, Lena, allow me to carry you into the bedroom. You shouldn’t be walking with your ankle red and swollen.”
“No. I can’t allow you to lift me. You’re clearly in significant pain, and you shouldn’t strain yourself. Your head injury might be worse than we initially thought.” She scrunched her nose and narrowed her eyes with clear concern for my well-being.
“Please, allow me to take care of you,” I begged, my hands still extended.
“I can walk. My ankle’s not—” She paused and crinkled her nose again before bowing her head with a demure dip. “Thank you. I appreciate your kindness. You have my permission to carry me into the bedroom.”
I handed her my frozen bag of peas and breathed deeply as I hoisted the softness of her warm body up into my arms. My forehead pulsed painfully with my first steps towards the bedroom, but with every step, my pain became more and more tolerable. Cradling the woman I loved in my strong arms was a powerful pain killer.
“Thank you for carrying me,” She thanked me as she gripped my shoulder with one hand and held the frozen peas up to my forehead with her free hand.
“I owe you an apology,” she said. “I acted brashly when I kicked you in the head. It’s just that back in the game room, when you grabbed my ankle and I felt my legs totter and my balance give way, a surge of fear rose up in my chest.”
Lena bowed her head and then lifted it back up, her gaze meeting mine as she gifted me a sheepish smile followed by a pained grimace. “I’m unaccustomed to being afraid, so I struck out and hurt you in a blind fit of panic and rage. I’m deeply sorry I injured you. You deserve to be loved and cherished, not harmed.”
She paused to take a deep breath. “I promise I will never hurt you again. I love you too much. You are everything I have ever wanted in a man, Brandon Walker. You are the man of my dreams and I promise to love and cherish you forever.”
Chapter 4
“That’s right Emily,” Lena sat next to my hospital bed in a wide orange vinyl chair, kicking one crossed leg into the air as she explained the events of the evening to her granddaughter.
“Uh-huh, sweetie, his headache’s already improving. The doctor says he doesn’t have a brain bleed or a concussion. The CAT scan was negative. He’s going to be fine.” Her voice raised above the beeping of the hospital machinery as her demeanor shifted from concerned to irritated.
“Definitely not! Tell Calvin that his brother won’t be coming home tonight. The doctors are keeping him overnight for observation. That’s right. Either you or Calvin will have to restock the restaurant pantry—”
“Tell them, I said it’s okay to hire someone,” I called out to Lena, wishing that the doctor hadn’t banned me from using a cell phone while I was connected to the hospital’s machinery.
Lena looked up to stare at me and then thumbed her cell phone’s screen as she lifted one eyebrow and closed her gaped open mouth.
“Tell Emily she’s been right all along,” I added. “I shouldn’t be working 80 hour weeks when the business can support us hiring someone to do tasks like restocking the diner’s pantry.”
I leaned my head back into the crinkling of my hospital pillow as Lena murmured “mm-hmm” over a dozen times into her phone.
“Emily says she heard you loud and clear, and she’s going to hire some help first thing tomorrow morning,” Lena finally said after walking over to the side of my bed and kissing me tenderly on the cheek.
“Emily told me to give you a kiss, dear,” Lena spoke her words in soft tones next to my ear. “She also said to tell you that you’ve made her a happy and contented woman. She’s relieved that she no longer has to worry about her best friend working himself to death. Now, she only has to worry about that stubborn brother of yours working himself into an early grave.”
“Lena, there’s something I want your granddaughter to know. Please turn on your speakerphone so she can hear me,” I used the electronic controls on my bed to lift my head and chest so that my voice would carry into the tiny phone’s speakers.
Lena held up her phone to show me that she’d activated the speaker phone, and that Emily was ready to listen to me speak.
I didn’t delay a moment in speaking my words. I wanted the entire world to know how I felt about Lena Labret. “I love your grandmother,” My voice cracked, and I swallowed, willing power to my vocal cords to strengthen them. “I’ve been in love with your grandmother for years now, and I want both her and you to know that I will love her for every day of the rest of my life.”
Tears flooded Lena’s eyes. “Did you hear that dear?” She simultaneously wept and laughed into the phone while nodding her head vigorously and saying “mm-hmm and uh-huh” dozens of times as she continued speaking with her granddaughter.
“What is she saying?” I finally asked, after waiting through several minutes of tears, laughter and head nodding.
“She says she’s known that we’ve loved each other for years now,” Lena sniffled and dabbed her tissue to her nose as she spoke. “She’s overjoyed that we’ve both finally found the courage to proclaim our love for one another.”
My love released a burst of laughter and wiped her tissue across her nose again. “She says she was worried that our love affair was never going to happen. She thought we would remain star-crossed lovers forever. E
mily wishes us a world of happiness and love and says she’s going to throw us a big party once you’re feeling better.”
“Tell your granddaughter thanks,” I laughed out my relief, even though it made my head ache. “For once, I’d love to attend a big party. I can’t wait to show you off to everyone I know.”
Lena related my message to her granddaughter and then crooned “Goodnight, I love you too sweetie,” into her phone before sliding it back inside her purse.
“Um, Brandon,” The love of my life said as she pulled her large clunky orange hospital chair closer to my bed. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“I’m listening,” I said smiling up at her from my hospital bed. “I’m ready to hear anything you’d like to ask me.
Lena sat at the side of my hospital bed while twirling a large swath of her beautiful silver grey hair in and out of several fingers. “As you know, I am a docent at the Hall of Man museum, downtown and they are having a charity gala fundraiser next week. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me as my date for the gala?”
I turned over in bed and reached my arms out to cup Lena’s face and cradle her cheeks in my hands. “Yes, Lena. I would love to be your date for the charity gala. I’ll be proud to have such a beautiful, soulful and accomplished woman on my arm as my date.”
She smiled, and her face beamed as she boasted. “And I’ll have the pleasure of showing off the most handsome, affectionate, and worthy man I’ve ever known to all of my friends and associates.”
Without warning, she ripped her face away from the embrace of my hands to jog out the doorway of my private hospital room. My guess was that she was eager to talk to my nurse about something. But, she’d have a long way to walk to get a hold of my nurse or anyone else since my room was at the end of a long hallway, on the eleventh floor, near the staircase.
After having left my room for several minutes, Lena came racing back inside the room. “No one’s in the room next door. And no one’s hanging around in the hallway. That gives me an idea.” She said still panting from her exertion.
Taboo Desires: Dirty Forbidden Secrets Bundle (The Complete Miranda Cougar Collection) Page 58
