The Last Match

by Stevie MacFarlane

  “Oh, please, must I state the obvious? How could you not be when your entire childhood was a nightmare to put it bluntly. Currently you’re unable to form any meaningful connection to another human being, and a simple act of kindness turns you into a defensive witch. You’ve done wonders with the hand you were dealt, honey, everything but the most important thing, letting someone love you and loving them in return,” he said sadly as he watched her standing in front of the fireplace, her back stiff with tension.

  The room was quiet. Only the ticking of the clock and the snap of the burning logs broke the silence. She stood there for several long moments before she spoke.

  “So what do you want me to do?” she asked with a slight quiver in her voice.

  John was on his feet in a flash, striding to her and placing his hands on her shoulders in comfort.

  “You have a month’s vacation coming. I want you to come home with me and let me at least try to help you.”

  “By turning me into a child?” she sniffed

  “No, by letting you be a child,” he replied.

  “Will you spank me?” she whispered.

  “If you need it, yes.”

  “What else?”

  “That depends entirely on you, sweetheart. I’ll do whatever I think is best. I’d never hurt you, honey,” he promised, turning her into his arms and pulling her unresisting body against his chest. “I only want to help break down some walls and give you a little of what you missed out on growing up,” he continued, rubbing her back as she relaxed against him. “I don’t have to tell you what’s missing from your life; you already know it if you’ll only admit it. Give me this time, sweetheart. At the end of the month, if you don’t feel differently, at least a little, I’ll back off.”

  “Entirely?”

  John snorted. “I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, smiling into her hair.

  “What would be my obligations, for this trip to Tiny Town?” she asked, sniffing his neck and savoring the smell of his aftershave.

  “Anything I say,” he replied firmly. “But your main job will be to have fun.”

  “Fun?”

  “Yes, fun, something I don’t think you have much experience with. I want you to relax, let yourself go, be carefree. I’ll take good care of you, Erica, I promise.”

  “How can I have fun with a spanking hanging over my head?” she asked, fingering his tie, her face flushed.

  “There won’t be any spankings if you behave and mind me,” he assured her.

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  “You’ll do anything I tell you,” he said, lifting her chin. “It’s important for you to understand that I take my part in this very seriously and at this point, I am prepared for all eventualities.”

  Erica shivered, wondering just how far he was prepared to go. She knew from working at Sugar Babies the extremes some men went to in taking care of their “little girls.”

  “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” she snapped back. “Will there be sex?” she asked, running her hands up and down his back and licking her lips. Damn he smelled good.

  “Not when we’re in that mindset. At least not for me, and certainly not until you’re ready for a loving, grown-up relationship. If you should happen to enjoy the physical attention I give you, as long as you’re a good girl, I’ll allow it. Give me any trouble, and your pleasure can be withheld or turned into a hot red bottom.”

  “At least you’re honest about it, I’ll give you that,” she smiled. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I have to tell you, I’m not that easy to get along with.”

  “I’ll manage just fine. So do we have a deal?” he asked calmly even though his heart was actually beating out of control.

  “Why not,” she agreed. “I have nothing else to do for the next month, and I do think you’re an honorable man. I can always leave if I hate it, right?”

  “I won’t keep you prisoner, if that’s what you’re asking, but I plan to hold you to our agreement. I’m not a man to trifle with, Erica, as I think I demonstrated in Vegas.”

  Erica hesitated. The spanking he’d administered to her in the hotel room was nothing to take lightly. On the other hand, she could spend the next month being waited on hand and foot by an attractive man whose only mission was to please her. What could go wrong with that, especially if she was a very good girl?

  “Okay, I’m in,” she said with a little grin. “Give me your address and the time you want me to be there.”

  “I’ll pick you up,” he replied. Setting her back, he took her hand and started toward the stairs.

  “No, I want my car, just in case,” she insisted, pulling him to a stop.

  “You may bring your car, but I get the keys when you walk in the door,” he informed her.

  “What else should I bring?”

  “Any medications you take and only the things I sent you in the last couple of weeks.”

  “What about my clothes and laptop?”

  “You won’t need them. I’ve taken care of everything.” Giving her hand a tug he pulled her across the floor. “One more thing,” he said, turning her to face him. “As soon as the party’s over, you may start calling me Daddy,” he teased.

  “Yeah, right,” she giggled, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Don’t hold your breath, JB.”

  “You have a lot to learn, sweetheart,” he said and smiled.

  So do you, she thought, and I’ll have a good time teaching you.

  Chapter Six

  Susan drove pretty much aimlessly, stopping only when she reached the ocean. Mystic, Connecticut, seemed as good a place as any to spend a few days until she decided what to do next. The tourist trade was wrapping up for the season, and she had no trouble getting a nice room at a hotel with an indoor pool, Jacuzzi and an in-house restaurant. After tipping the young man who brought in her bags, she locked the door and fished the new cell phone out of her purse. It hadn’t been difficult to find a couple of teenagers browsing video games at Walmart who were willing to activate her prepaid phone for a few bucks so it couldn’t be traced to her, but she had her doubts about Kelsey being able to withstand the barrage of questions from Ty and Marcus. She knew the lengths both men would be willing to go to get Susan’s whereabouts out of her, and Ty would not be above paddling his new wife’s bottom until she caved.

  She tried to think of a way she could get a message to Kelsey, telling her she was alright and would be in touch, without giving away her location, but she was too damn tired and depressed to come up with anything. Finally she stripped off her clothes, threw on a nightshirt and climbed into bed. Tomorrow she would figure out a way, she assured herself, and she pulled her pillow over her head and let the tears flow.

  Marcus stormed into his lodge and pitched his bags across the hardwood floor where they skidded to a stop.

  “Red! Where the hell are you?” he bellowed up the stairway, taking them two at a time.

  Last night, when he hadn’t been able to reach her, he’d sent a message to his publisher, apologized to his press agent and caught the first flight back to New York. Visions of Susan in a variety of dangerous situations plagued him the entire trip. Had she fallen and not been able to get to her phone? Did she fall asleep in the tub again? God forbid she decided to use the pool in his absence! Was she tromping around the house in her ridiculous shoes and broken her fool neck? Did she try to scare off a bear or other wild creature or perhaps attempt to rescue another feral cat? The possibilities were endless where she was concerned. He should never have left her alone, never agreed to it in the first place. Even as he was driving away from the lodge, he’d felt an uneasy apprehension overtake him. Now, as he searched through the house, he was extremely sorry he hadn’t taken heed.

  Opening the door of the guestroom, he breathed a sigh of relief seeing the lumps in the bedcovers. It was short-lived as he immediately recognized the heavy, cloying perfume. Approaching the bed with long strides, he pulled back the cover to reveal the
long body of his ex-fiancée. A sleep mask covered her eyes, and he could just see the earplugs bulging out of her ears.

  “Bianca!” he shouted. “What are you doing here?”

  The figure on the bed shook her blonde hair and pushed up her mask. A sultry smile lit her sharp features, and she slid a hand down her abdomen, stroking her white, satin gown.

  “Marcus,” she whispered, “you’re home.”

  “Yes” he replied, plucking the silicone from her ears. “Where is Susan?” he demanded.

  “Susan who?” she replied, surprised.

  “Susan my fiancée,” he shot back, placing his hands on his hips. “Small, flame-haired woman about this high?” he continued, moving one hand to the middle of his chest.

  “Oh her,” Bianca answered with a pout. “I thought she was the help.”

  “Yes, well where is she?”

  “I’m sure I have no idea. She left shortly after I arrived,” she continued with an aggrieved air. “Marcus, I know I broke your heart,” she purred, getting to her knees on the bed and reaching out a hand to stroke his chest. “But surely you could have done better than that. She’s positively provincial. I mean, really, who dyes their hair that color?”

  “It’s not dyed,” he growled, “and I love it. Now what have you done with her and I want the truth, if you’re capable of it!” he demanded.

  “Why, darling,” she said sadly, “whatever would make you think I did anything to her? I certainly didn’t tell her to leave, if that’s what you’re implying,” she trilled, getting out of bed and walking to the dresser to pick up a brush. “I simply told her we were going to be married and she should mind her P’s and Q’s if she intended to stay on here. Then I think I asked her to get me a drink and carry my bags up,” she said as she waved her manicured hand as though her words were of no significance.

  “You what?” he roared, approaching her with his hands fisted at his sides. “How dare you come into my home and lie so blatantly to the woman I love. What do you want anyway? Why are you here?”

  Bianca studied the furious man in the mirror and chose her words carefully.

  “I love you, Marcus,” she said softly, letting her eyes become teary. “I only realized how much after Gerard…well, after we’d been married for a while. I’ve missed you, darling,” she sobbed, turning to throw herself against his chest. “I couldn’t bear to be away from you a moment longer,” she insisted pitifully.

  Marcus placed his strong hands on her shoulders and held her away from his body. Staring at her flawless face, he didn’t believe her.

  “What did Gerard do to you, Bianca? Did he finally find out what a cold, heartless bitch you are? Is it he who wanted to end your marriage?” he asked with not a spark of sympathy.

  “No, he didn’t want to lose me,” she snapped, all pretense gone. “If you must know, he called me a spoiled brat and threatened to spank me. I figured if I was going to end up with someone like that, I may as well return to my own country and you. After all, I hear you’re very successful,” she said smoothly. “With you I would never have to worry about money. There, does that answer your question?”

  “One of them,” he shot back, letting her go and walking toward the door. “Where is Susan and when did she leave?”

  “I have no idea where she is, and frankly, I don’t care. She left around nine last night,” she spat back.

  Marcus closed the door as a glass vase shattered against it. Running down the stairs, he pulled open the front door just as a man raised his hand to pound.

  “Where is my wife? Does the marriage vow mean nothing to you?” he demanded in heavily accented French.

  “Actually, it does,” Marcus replied, moving past him. “I don’t want your wife and haven’t touched her,” he called over his shoulder as he headed to his vehicle. “If I were you, I’d make sure her flight home was so uncomfortable she’d never even think about doing something like this again.”

  “How?” the confused man called out to him.

  “There’s a heavy hairbrush on the dresser. Put it to good use,” Marcus shouted.

  Pulling into Ty’s driveway, Marcus bounded from the car and began beating incessantly on the front door. He could hear his brother grumbling as he stumbled down the stairs.

  “Alright, alright, keep your shirt on,” he bellowed, yanking open the door, his mouth dropping open in shock as he took in the disheveled state of his twin. “Marcus, I thought you were in Chicago,” he said, rubbing his face while Marcus shot past him.

  “I was. Where’s Kelsey?” he demanded, heading for the kitchen.

  “She’s upstairs sleeping. What’s the matter with you?” Ty asked, following as he tied his robe and began making coffee.

  “Get her up!”

  “No, we were up late um…”

  “I don’t give a shit how late you were up. I’ve been trying to reach you for hours! Why didn’t you answer your damn phone?”

  “It’s the cat Kelsey got from the shelter,” Ty sighed. “She hates the ringing and knocks it off the base constantly.”

  “Well, you still have a fucking cell don’t you? You could at least answer that,” Marcus snapped, pacing the room.

  Ty picked up his cell from the counter only to find it was completely dead. Shit.

  “Look Bro, why don’t you sit down and tell me what’s going on. Stomping around my kitchen like a nut job isn’t helping anything.”

  “Susan’s gone. I thought she might have gotten hurt or something when she didn’t answer any of my calls, so I tried to reach you. I wanted you to go over and make sure everything was alright. When that failed, I jumped on the next plane, but she wasn’t hurt. She left.”

  “That’s crazy,” Ty responded, setting a cup of coffee on the table and sliding it toward Marcus. “She was here yesterday, working outside with Kelsey most of the day, and everything was fine. Where would she go, and why?”

  “One word,” Marcus groaned, dropping his head in his hand. “Bianca!”

  “Bianca? What does that bitch have to do with anything? That was over long before you met Susan.”

  “I know that and you know that, but Susan apparently believed everything that lying witch told her. She arrived at the lodge last night, treated Red like she was the hired help and informed her that she was my fiancée.”

  “And Susan bought it?”

  “Every last word, to the point she threw everything she owned in her car and took off. I haven’t a clue where to even start looking for her.”

  “Wow, guess she doesn’t have much faith in you,” Ty remarked.

  “Ya think?” Marcus snapped, glaring at his brother.

  “Where’s Bianca now?”

  “I threw her out,” Marcus snorted. “Unfortunately for her, Gerard arrived about the same time, and I think he has a much clearer idea of what his wife’s capable of. If he’s not smart enough to divorce her, I hope he gives her the spanking she deserves and then some. If I wasn’t so worried about Red, I’d have taken a belt to Bianca myself. Come on, Ty, go wake Kelsey up. I need to find out if she knows anything.”

  Five minutes later, Marcus heard a shriek just before Kelsey flew down the stairs. Running into the kitchen, the small blonde slid to a stop inches from Marcus, her hands clutching his arms as she tried to shake him.

  “I told you not to go without her,” she yelled. “Didn’t I? Didn’t I? I just knew something was going to happen, but noooo, you had to go off and leave her all by herself!”

  “What was I supposed to do?” Marcus demanded. “Throw her over my shoulder and cart her onto the plane?”

  “Yes!” Kelsey screamed. “Yes, that’s just what you should have done. Now, who knows where she is or if she’s okay?” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she imagined never seeing her best friend again.

  “Kels, take it easy,” Ty said, rubbing her back. “We’ll find her.”

  “When?” she snapped, turning on her husband. “When will you find her? What if she’s h
ad an accident? She was probably crying as she drove, and she speeds all the time anyway. Or even if she was just plain pissed off, she takes risks when I’m not in the car with her. I should be with her,” she moaned. “We made a pact! We’re not supposed to be separated, ever!” she sobbed as Ty pulled her into his arms.

  Marcus turned away as Ty tried to comfort and reassure his wife. She wasn’t saying anything Marcus hadn’t already said to himself for the last several hours, only his thoughts were far more specific. Some of the stories he wrote were about crime, and he had plenty of nightmarish scenarios of his own floating around in his mind. If he didn’t get out of here soon, he’d be crying as hard as Kelsey, maybe worse.

  “Susan’s strong, baby,” Ty said, kissing Kelsey’s hair. “She can take care of…”

  “No, no she’s not,” Kelsey yelled, pushing Ty away from her. “She acts tough, and sometimes it works, but she’s kind and gentle, too, and she’s an easy mark for someone with a good story.”

  “No, you’re wrong, baby, she won’t let anyone take advantage of her. She’ll kick their ass,” Ty insisted.

  “You don’t even know her,” Kelsey screamed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Neither of you know her or you’d know how sad she’s been these last few weeks, how lonely. You should never have left her, Marcus,” she said, pointing her finger at him accusingly. “You knew how much she needed you from the very beginning. You said yourself she needed a keeper,” she continued, fury in her eyes now.

  “You have two days to find her, or I’m going to do it myself,” she promised, pulling herself to her full height and squaring her shoulders.

  “Kelsey, don’t be ridiculous,” Ty snapped. “As if I’d let you go looking for Susan alone.”

  “You won’t be able to stop me, Ty,” she said softly as she stiffly walked from the room.

  “I guess Susan’s not the only one who doesn’t have much faith in us,” Marcus said gently as he moved to the door.