by Anthology
Philip got a teaching job with a small local college. It was just part-time, and the pay was terrible. Nevertheless, he loved his job. It gave him time to work on his novel, and of course, his students adored him. The girls were in love with him. The boys wanted to be him.
She ended up footing most of their bills, but she hadn’t complained. She believed in him. In them.
They had started living together after graduation. It was then that Philip started changing. He had always been a bit controlling, but now things ratcheted up to a new level. What she wore, who she spoke to, how she washed the dishes. Apparently, everything she did was wrong. It wasn’t long before figuring out how to please him was her only focus.
Even as she excelled at her new job, her self-confidence just got lower and lower. Maybe if Cat was around, but she was happily ensconced in Seattle as the youngest head chef of a Michelin-rated restaurant.
Philip never hit her, was never physically abusive. In a way, it would have been easier that way. She would never have stood for that, or she liked to think she wouldn’t have. Truth was, she didn’t even realize she was being emotionally abused until afterwards.
It was the most humiliating part of the whole relationship. She didn’t leave him. He had been chosen for a reality television show. She hadn’t even known he’d applied. He was one of sixteen people locked in a house for three months with cameras tracking their every move. Just think of it, he’d said. First prize is half a million dollars. Just think what we could do with that!
Once she got over her shock, she’d been so excited, watching every spare moment as the show was live streamed over the internet. By the end of the first week, he was going at it hot and heavy with the blonde bombshell with no measurable IQ and the brunette bartender whose intellect matched his own.
At first, she told herself they were showmances, pretend romances that were just to further his game. Even when he ended up in bed with both of them at once, she’d been humiliated, but had steadfastly maintained to herself that it was part of his game. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t coming back to her. She’d never functioned on her own before, and it was scarier without him than with him.
Then, during the third week, he was named House Captain and had a special room, letters, and photos from home. Surely now, she thought, now he’d tell the camera and the viewing audience about her, about them and how he was just using the other two women to win.
Instead, he’d laughed and torn up her letter and photo, declaring to the world that he was single and had never been happier. She called her sister and cried on her shoulder over the phone. Everything about her life with Philip came tumbling out. Instead of sympathy, Cat had told her what a lucky escape she had. When she mentioned perhaps moving back home to Minnesota where their parents were, Cat had set her straight.
“You are twenty-three Maggie. It’s time for you to stand up on your own two feet. What is it you really want from your life? Figure out what that is and go for it.”
It had been tough love, but two years later, she knew who she was and what she wanted out of life. She wanted to start her own business, a restaurant. She wasn’t a gourmet chef like Cat, but she loved cooking plain, nourishing, hearty food.
She started working on a plan, saving her money and bonuses so that she could follow her own dream. She and Cat spoke regularly, and when Cat expressed a desire to do more than cook in someone else’s restaurant, Maggie was the one who took charge, enticing her sister to Chicago so they could start a business together.
Life was finally good. She’d even started dating a bit. All nice, sweet men who respected her and would never dream of trying to boss her around. If any of them showed any sign of being like Phillip and tried to run her life, she showed them the door.
Then she met Rick. He was an accountant. Sandy haired, tall and athletic, Rick had a runner’s lean body and a kind heart. He wooed her softly and slowly. He was a good man and would be a great father someday. He was close to his family and had a vast array of friends, some going back to pre-school.
In other words, he was the perfect guy, and she was crazy in love with him. However, she’d thought Philip was perfect at first, too. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and after being together for almost three years, she’d accepted his proposal. She just couldn’t bring herself to set a date.
3
Rick looked at Maggie’s glowing face. Even after three years together, he couldn’t believe that she was with him or that she loved him. Things had moved slowly at first. That first coffee together had led to a second and third. It was almost a month before she went to dinner with him, two before she invited him in afterwards, and three before they first made love.
She was nervous and tentative, and he’d been so careful not to alarm her. He certainly didn’t tell her he was a Dom and a member of Club Hades when they met.
Things moved along, and they eventually moved in together. He still hadn’t told her he was a Dom. He’d long since accepted that the opportunity to tell her had passed, and he had come to terms with that. Nevertheless, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to cancel his membership at the club.
She was even slower in sharing her emotions. He knew there had been a bad relationship in her past that had made her cautious, and for a long time, she hadn’t been ready to open up to him.
Then they were cuddled on the couch late one night, watching television, when an infomercial came on. It was some kind of new age huckster talking about rules of living or some such nonsense. The guy tried so hard to look edgy, but he just looked ridiculous with his leather jacket, man-bun, and a potbelly hanging over his ripped jeans. He was probably in his early thirties, but his years of hard living made him look older.
Maggie started laughing. She laughed so hard she started crying. And that’s when it all came spilling out. This was Philip, her ex. When she stopped laughing and crying, she told him everything. That’s when he knew he could never tell her he was a Dom. She’d spent two years, almost six if he counted the time she and the ex dated in college, with an asshole who did everything he could to control her while undermining her self-esteem.
So, he put aside his own needs for the woman he loved. It was easy outside the bedroom. Rick wasn’t a twenty-four/seven kind of Dom, but in the bedroom, he held himself in ruthless check. They made love slowly and tenderly. He never pushed her or tried to control her. Their lovemaking made her happy, and that was good enough for him. It would have to be. He loved her and he would do anything, even give up a piece of himself, to make her happy.
He remembered the day two weeks ago when she’d told him about running into Amanda and the members of the Kinky Book Club. She’d been grinning from ear to ear.
“Good day, darling?” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“Wonderful day! I ran into Amanda and her kinky book group over at Tempo. They invited me to join them, so I did. It was so much fun. They were talking about a book I had just read. Arresting Love by Jayne Valentine.”
“Don’t think I’ve read that one or that author.”
She giggled. “I’d be worried if you had. She’s a romance author. Her real name is Jane Smith, and she was at the brunch. It was so exciting to meet her. She’s so sweet and kind. I’ve read all of her books. Arresting Love is the latest in the Tinley Park series.”
“That’s great.” He looked at her closely. She looked like the proverbial cat that’d swallowed the canary. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
“Yup! They’ve booked our private room for Saturday brunch for a three-week trial. If it works out, they’ll book it for the year. The year!”
“That’s fantastic! Let’s celebrate. Dinner at Night… or I can make you something… special!” He grinned. His specialties were frozen dinners and take out. And eggs. He was good at eggs, well, as long as you liked them scrambled.
“I’m not in the mood for eggs. Let’s order pizza and start planning. I’m going to make their first brunch perfect so the K
inky Book Club will be Day regulars. They might even start visiting Night, too. Oh, I have to call Cat. She’s a fan of Jayne Valentine too. She’ll be so jealous that I met her.”
It was only when Maggie picked up the phone that something penetrated Rick’s brain.
“Whoa, Maggie. You hung out with Kinky Book Club?”
“Yeah, great name, eh? Anyway, I asked them if it was because they read kinky books or because they were kinky and they said both. Amanda knows them from the BDSM club she works at. They are all submissives at Club Hades.” Her eyes were shining.
“I think some are Dommes…”
“Oh, really? I suspected one or two. How exciting, but how do you know? Oh, what am I thinking? You’re friends with Amanda. Did you meet her book club before? Did she tell you about them?
“Oh, Rick, I couldn’t believe it when they told me how she knew the members. I mean, I knew that real people were into BDSM, but they all seemed so friendly and normal. And Amanda, especially… I can hardly believe she’s a submissive. I know she’s said it before, but meeting her friends makes it more real. I mean, she’s so outgoing and opinionated, opinionated in a good way, it’s just, I can’t believe she gets on her knees for a man and lets him boss her around.
“Not judging or anything… I mean, I love reading about that stuff, but she does it in real life. Just… wow! Now I’ve got to call Cat with the good news. Can you order? Pepperoni and a side Caesar for me, please.”
Rick watched Maggie’s retreating back. His sweet, vanilla fiancé loved to read about BDSM? He willed his dick not to jump up with excitement. Just because she read about it didn’t mean she would ever want to try it, right?
A lot of people loved to read novels and watch television shows about cops and serial killers but had no desire to become either. Same with books about terrorists, secret agents, astronauts, shape-shifters or anything else.
But some did.
He felt his dick stir again at the thought. He loved Maggie. He loved her as she was, and he would never try to change her. Just the thought of her on her knees before him, looking up with trusting eyes. Maggie calling him Sir. Maggie letting him tie her up while he teased her with an orgasm that he kept just out of her reach until she literally begged him for release.
He realized that his breathing was speeding up and took a deep breath to try to get it under control. He had no desire to control Maggie or any other woman outside the bedroom, but if there was a chance she’d be interested in a D/s relationship in the bedroom…
He took another deep breath. His thoughts were going down a dangerous path. He had already come to terms with the fact that Maggie would never be his submissive. If he got his hopes up now and they were dashed… He didn’t even want to think about the devastation he would feel.
An hour later when the doorbell rang signaling the pizza had arrived, Maggie was still not back. He smiled fondly. Thank goodness she and Cat were in the same city or their long distance bill would put them in the poor house.
* * *
“That’s so exciting, Maggie. Having that private room booked every Saturday is amazing.”
“Well, they could always change their minds after coming a couple of times, and I don’t want to count my chickens too early, but I feel good about it.”
“Fantastic! And while you’re on the line, I was wondering if you guys can come sailing with me and Gordon next weekend.”
“I’ll have to check with Rick, but I’m sure he’d love to go.”
“Fantastic. Gordon’s been bugging me to invite you guys again. He’s never seen anyone as good with knots as Rick is, especially considering Rick had never sailed before. That must have been one heck of a Boy Scout troop he belonged to as a boy.”
“Yes, well, he’s a man of many talents.” She grinned to herself remembering the fantasy she’d had of Rick used his skill with ropes to tie her up Shibari-style and have his wicked way with her.
“Maggie? You there?”
She shook herself out of the memory of her fantasy just as another voice called out.
“Food’s here!” Rick announced from the kitchen.
“Hey, Cat. Gotta go. The pizza’s arrived.”
“You’re going to do it, right? What we discussed?”
“I don’t know. What if he thinks it’s too freaky. I mean, he’s a CPA.”
“Ease into it. You told me you two sometimes role play in the bedroom.”
“Yeah, but I’m usually a damsel in distress or something, and he’s the guy rescuing me.”
“He’s never once been the bad guy, the dastardly villain making you need rescue?”
Maggie thought for a moment.
“No, never.”
“Then maybe it’s time.”
4
They were curled up on the couch after dinner with the television playing quietly in the background, but both were engrossed in their eReaders. Rick finished his book first. He set his eReader aside.
He was shocked and more than a little turned on by the book he’d just finished. It hadn’t been at all what he expected. He’d have to check out some of the other books Maggie had been reading lately. If they were just as accurate and explicit from a BDSM perspective, and they turned her on, then, maybe… He leaned back and contemplated a future he was once sure would never be an option.
A few minutes later, Maggie put her reader aside. “What were you reading? It seems to have made you pensive.”
“Arresting Love.”
For a moment, she didn’t answer. He could see the surprise on her face as she struggled for words.
“Um, what did you think of it?”
“Very well written. I’m not really a lover of romance books. I like spies and cops better.”
“The hero of Arresting Love was a cop.”
“I know. But I think if he tried some of those shenanigans while on duty in real life, he’d lose his job.”
Maggie sat up and looked at him. “It’s fiction.”
“I know that. But you asked what I thought.”
“I did.” She paused before continuing. “Why did you read it?”
“You seemed to enjoy it. I wanted to share that with you.” It was his turn to pause. “Jayne Valentine is a very good writer, but the book was, uh, sexier than I expected.”
“Sexier? Is that code for more explicit?”
“Yes.”
“Did you enjoy it?” She was trying to keep her tone neutral, but he knew her well enough to know that she was anxious about his answer.
He nodded and smiled. “Yes, yes I did. And you clearly did, too.”
* * *
Maggie looked at Rick closely, scanning his face for any hint of judgment, but there was none.
“Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Relatable heroine. Hot hero. Even hotter sex. What’s not to enjoy? Men may like to see explicit photos. Women like explicit words so they can build the pictures in their minds.”
Rick’s grin was slow and sexy, and Maggie found herself shivering with anticipation.
“And just who are you imagining as Officer Brad?”
She slid off the couch and stood facing him. “Forget Officer Brad. I’m more interested in Officer Rick.” She grinned wickedly. “Why officer, I’ll do anything, and I mean anything, to avoid going to jail.”
Rick stood up. He was wearing a pair of old, worn jeans and a t-shirt that had been washed so often it had faded from navy to a kind of greyish blue. His feet were bare, but even without shoes, he was more than half a foot taller than her. His expression, as he gazed down, was stern and very un-Rick-like.
Maggie looked up at him, the arousal coming hard and fast. She didn’t take the time to analyze it. Usually their lovemaking was gentle and sweet. Rick took his time, making sure she was fully aroused, but she didn’t need any time now. She was hot; her clit throbbed, and her nipples were tight and hard against the thin material of her white tank top.
She watched as Rick’s gaze dropped to her breasts. His expre
ssion tightened, and she could see the growing bulge in his jeans.
Grinning, she reached towards it.
“Hands at your sides!” he barked. Shocked, she did as she was told.
“You say you’ll do anything to avoid going to jail for your crimes.”
She shivered. He was really getting into this. She tried to be appropriately contrite and bold. She was a criminal trying to seduce a cop out of taking her to jail.
“Yes, Officer. I’ll do whatever you want.”
She looked up at him.
“Eyes down, prisoner.”
She dropped her gaze and waited as he circled her. He stopped when he got behind her. She felt one big hand on her shoulder, and then it skimmed lightly down her back to cup one of her ass cheeks. He squeezed once. Hard. And then removed his hand and resumed his inspection. He didn’t speak until he was again standing in front of her.
“Okay, prisoner. I think we can come to an arrangement. You will, of course, have to be punished for your crime, but I think we can handle it privately, just between the two of us.”
“Thank you, Officer!” She looked up grinning. He glared at her, amusement in his eyes even as he kept his expression stern.
Oh, god, she was turned on. The crotch of her panties was soaked, and her pussy was clenching with the need to be filled. Rick had always been sexy, but now, like this, he was an off-the-charts sex god now.
She looked back down. “What do you want me to do, Sir?”
5
Rick dropped down onto the couch. He spread his arms out along the back as he gazed at Maggie. She was trembling… with desire. He could see the evidence of her arousal. When he had been standing near her, he could have sworn he smelled it, too. She was hot and wet, and he couldn’t wait to fuck her brains out.
But he was going to take things slow. This might be the only chance he got to play with her like this. He was going to take his time and enjoy every damned second of it. In fact, he was going to make it so good for her that she’d want to play cop and prisoner again and again and again.
