I give Luc a stern look that tells him he’s being a stupid arse.
“All right, I’ll be here. Keep the door open.”
I nod and put my hand on the handle and twist. I step into the apartment. The room opens before me. Easels and drawing materials scatter one corner of the room, but they can’t hold my attention, for Aiden is lying on the floor, bound and gagged. His eyes seek mine, and I see panic and fierceness.
“Nice of you to join us, Natasha.”
“I don’t think so. Not until you understand.”
“Understand what?” I stride up to her in challenge, pulling on all my inner strength.
“Uh uh uh, not so fast.” A glint of metal catches my eye as Sarah whips a knife from behind her back. The tip bites into the base of my neck and turns me to stone.
“A knife? Jesus, Sarah.” My eyes fly to Aiden who’s wriggling about on the floor, straining against his bonds and gag.
“It’s merely a precaution. I didn’t want you to simply barge in and take over. It’s your usual style.” She twists her wrist and the knife digs into my skin, making it uncomfortable for me to breathe. Anger flares through me, and I must ignore it. A temper now could push Sarah over the edge.
I try to inch backward, but the blade prevents me from retreating.
“Have you forgotten who you are, Sarah. And that you used to hang off every word that left my lips.” I struggle to keep the authority in my voice with the knife at my windpipe.
“That’s before you took everything I gave to you and dismissed it without a second thought. You rejected me. I loved you, and you treated me like a plaything.”
“You wanted more from me than I was able to give you. That’s not the same thing. You knew my history. I never promised you anything more than to be your partner a scene at a time. I even asked you to see other Doms.” I feel the pulse in my neck throb as I push the words out, pained at her version of events.
Sarah shakes her head. Her eyes sparkle with moisture as she takes in my words.
“You’re lying.”
“No. I’m not. You need to understand that you can’t have everything your own way. A sub may hold power in the relationship, but it’s a responsibility. And one that you’re not in any shape to have.”
Sarah’s eyes bulge as she listens. I can tell that she’s considering her reaction carefully by how tense her body is.
“I’m sorry that I failed to see that you needed more from me earlier.” My feet inch back again, so there’s a clear view from the front door to where Sarah has me held hostage.
I need to get closer to Aiden. The driving need within me to ensure his safety has been pumping through my body since the moment I heard Sarah’s voice. Seeing him has only eased my panic a fraction.
“Why him?” Her lips quiver as she asks the question.
“I can’t give you a single reason. But I love him.”
“I thought you loved me.”
“I did love you. I just wasn’t in love with you.” I can only be honest.
Sarah digs the knife point in harder, and a stab of pain radiates out from the tip. A warm tickle tracks down and onto my chest.
I hear the moans of protest from Aiden behind me and realise I need to be careful.
“Okay, Sarah. I don’t believe you’re going to really hurt me. What is this all about?” I lift my hands in surrender.
“I want you.” She pleads as a tear slips down her cheek.
I take the opportunity to glance toward where I hope Luc is waiting. I inch my body around, so Sarah will follow, putting her back to the door.
“I’m sorry, Sarah. I am. But this isn’t the way to go about venting your frustration. I could press charges. Aiden and I both could.”
“But I love you.” She begins to sob, and the knife vibrates in her hand.
“You deserve someone who will love you for who you are. Someone who is a match to everything you need. I am not that person.” I beseech her to hear every word I say. The conviction in my voice is strong and commanding, just as it would be if I were issuing her an order at Solace.
Sarah’s eyes are riveted to mine, and I feel the second she gives way to the doubt surrounding her actions. The shake of her hand is still there, but there’s no pressure digging the tip of the blade against my neck.
“Time for this to end.” I lift my arm to her wrist and pull the knife from her hand. I nod toward the door, and five seconds later Luc wraps his arms around Sarah.
“Easy, Sarah.” Luc keeps a tight hold of her.
I can finally take a deep breath. I drop the knife to the floor, and it rings clearly around the room. I dive toward Aiden on the floor. My knees thump onto the hardwood as I drop down to untie his wrists and free the gag, now soaked through with saliva.
“Argh… Are you all right? You’re bleeding,” Aiden starts to fuss before I’ve even got him free.
I fuss too. “Are you all right? Did she hurt you?”
“No, I’m okay. I might have a bit of a headache tomorrow.” He sits up and flexes his wrists before grabbing his head. I move his hands out of the way and spot a nasty lump and some dried blood on the side of his head.
“She hit you?”
“Yeah, as I came in. She knocked me out cold. How else do you think she got me tied up?” I was glad that Aiden still had a sense of humour.
“I was worried.” I pull him to me, holding his body close to mine and listening to the beat of his heart. Adrenalin still surges through me, and I will it to calm.
“You and me both. But let me look at your neck. You were bleeding.” Aiden pushes my shoulders away, and he inspects the wound. “You’ve stopped bleeding, but we’ll need to get it cleaned up.” He scrambles up and pulls me with him to standing.
My eyes do a visual inventory of Aiden, but he looks distracted. I turn to follow his gaze and see Luc sitting on the sofa with Sarah. Her eyes are streaming with tears, her body shaking visibly.
The anger I held toward her melts to pity as I see her broken.
She was a wonderfully giving submissive, and now it’s plain to see I didn’t give her the due attention she required. Would I let down Aiden as well, given his expectations on our relationship?
Luc looks up. “I’m going to take Sarah back to the Clark Practice Clinic. Do you know if Andrew is about?”
I’d had radio silence from him since Sarah started going off the rails. “I don’t know where he is. He hasn’t answered my calls.”
“He’s visiting his brother. He’s in the hospital, so he had to go home.”
“And where’s that, sweetheart?” Luc’s voice is soft and encouraging.
“Ireland.”
Luc and I look at each other, understanding clear for us both. Now all the pieces are in place. It’s easy to see how the situation has snowballed into this mess. If Sarah perceived Andrew as abandoning her, she’d feel especially vulnerable, given her perception of how I handled things with her.
“Okay. Well, I think you need to come with me. You’re not in any trouble. We just need to get you some help.” Luc eases her to her feet and out the room. I rush over to the door and slam it shut, locking Sarah and the world out.
My palm stays on the wood, holding the door closed. I can’t take in enough oxygen to satisfy my lungs, so I just take a moment to try and breathe through the chaos of the afternoon.
“Hey. Everything’s all right.” Aiden’s arms wind around my waist, and he turns me to look at him. His messy hair looks even more dishevelled, and it makes me cringe at what’s happened to both of us.
“I know.”
“Come on. Why don’t we get you cleaned up and look at that cut?”
I let him show me the way to the bathroom as I don’t have the energy to fight him. We move down the hall and into his bedroom. It’s a utilitarian space. Simple, clean with a few framed drawings on the walls. They are beautiful, raw sketches of women.
“Some of my earlier work. Come on.” He tugs my hand, so my attention
is back on him.
He peels back my shirt and pushes my jeans over my hips until I’m standing naked in front of him. He does the same to himself and leads me to the bathroom. He starts the shower and checks the temperature before he eases me into the walk-in glass cabinet.
His fingers feather around the point on my neck, brushing away the dried blood with drops of water. Aiden’s brows crease together, furrowing his forehead.
“Stop it. I’m fine.” I push his hands away and step fully under the spray. The torrent of water loosens my tired limbs, and all I want to do is collapse into Aiden’s bed and feel his body next to mine, safe and secure.
His hands turn me into the water, and he begins to pull my hair gently through his fingers. He combs it out and massages my scalp, digging his fingers in and relieving pressure. It’s bliss, and I stifle a moan of pleasure.
“I’m glad I can make you feel good after what that crazy woman put you through.”
“Put us through. She hit you over the head and tied you up.” When I think about it, a sick feeling festers in my stomach.
“Guess she paid too much attention to your knot tying.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Come on. It is a little bit.”
“No, it’s not. There are several other factors, but a big part of her craziness is me. I thought I was clear with her. At some point, I led her to believe we could be something more than we were. I hurt her. That’s something I never wish on my partners.”
“You weren’t to know.” Aiden continues with the head massage, adding shampoo to his hands. A clean, fresh scent fills the shower and surrounds me with comfort. It smells of Aiden.
We spend the rest of the time in silence. The water works its magic and rejuvenates my body. It doesn’t help with my weary mind.
Aiden turns off the shower, exits, and grabs a towel to dry me down. It’s silly, as it should be me seeing to him. Without so much as another word, he pulls back the duvet on his bed and ushers me beneath the covers.
“It might only be the afternoon, but I don’t care.”
“I can’t fall asleep. You were knocked out. We should get you to a doctor.”
“I’m fine. Trust me.”
“It’s my job to look out for you, and you need to listen to me.”
“We need to listen to each other. I won’t fall asleep. I just want you to get some rest before you fall over. Have you even eaten yet?”
“You’re lucky we’re naked and in bed, otherwise I might be less lenient on you for talking to me like that. I kiss his cheek, not wanting to spoil the closeness between us.
Aiden shows no signs of minding what I’ve said to him. His lips press against mine in a slow caress, both of us ensuring we handle the other with tenderness. Hidden beneath the covers, I wrap my arms around Aiden, pulling myself tight against his body. It is the best medicine he could have prescribed.
Skin on skin.
Natasha falls sound asleep in a matter of moments. The warmth of her body seeps into my mine, and I fight my eyes from dropping off to sleep. Despite what she believes, I do listen to her, and I don’t want to disregard her concern for my safety. It’s as if an internal part of me is tuned into her, and her alone. I would do whatever she asked. As soon as I acknowledged that, a part of my soul eased and clicked into place. It was as if I was meant to do her bidding.
At the beginning, I thought she had enchanted me. Or I was just ruled by my dick and wanted to make her happy. I know it’s more than that now. We’re connected. I feel her in my soul and know that she’s it for me.
I yawn and make my move to extricate myself from the bed. Now I can finally do something I’ve been waiting months to do.
I grab a clean t-shirt and a pair of comfy shorts. I collect a sketch pad and set of pencils from my art supplies and take them back to the room. My bedroom is sparse but has room for a chair. I deposit the drawing supplies and go and fetch one from the kitchen.
It’s not the most comfortable set up, but it’s significantly improved by the subject. I’m finally going to draw her.
Natasha is half under the duvet, but there’s enough for me to make out her form and her beautiful face.
I set the pencil to paper and start to capture her likeness on the page.
When I draw or paint, my whole body shuts off. I don’t have to think about anything going on around me. It’s just the model and me, and the energy I create with every line I draw.
Sketching Natasha amplifies that feeling. The intensity of our connection seeps onto the page. It’s not small and safe, but full of passion and lust. The drawing isn’t even fully nude, yet it’s the sexiest piece I’ve ever done.
After pencil, I’ll want oils. I want to add the colour that Natasha has brought to my life to the page.
My eyes focus in to capture the exact curve of her shoulder and slant of her cheek. Every detail of her beauty is secured.
Her eyelids flutter, batting against her cheek before her mesmerising grey eyes look into mine.
She doesn’t move.
“What are you doing?”
I rest the pad on my lap, ceasing my attempt to finally draw her in the flesh. “I’m drawing you. I thought it would stop me falling asleep.”
“Really. Well, I’m pleased you at least listened. I’m sorry I drifted off.”
“I enjoyed the opportunity it presented. I’ve been wanting to sketch you since we first met.”
She blushes and moves from her pose to sit up in the bed.
“You wanted to draw me?”
“And paint you.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Nothing. Just get comfortable and stay still.”
“Here?” She looks a little taken aback.
“No, we’d need to go in the other room for painting.”
I’d follow her every step. I’m crazy in love with her and turned on by the power she holds over me. But I also enjoyed seeing the rare moments of vulnerability she’s showing me now. She’d hate being considered weak, because she is a force of nature. But her humanity makes her real.
“Okay then.”
With her decision made and the glimpse of the softer side hidden back under her armour, she throws the covers back and walks past me and into the living room.
Nude.
If I didn’t have painting on my mind, my cock would be as hard as diamonds. It would be a first; sporting a semi for the model I painted.
“Where would you like me?” Natasha turns with her hands on her hips. The sight scrubs my mind blank.
The look on Aiden’s face is priceless. Those loose shorts he has on don’t hide the appreciation he has for my body, and his reaction spurs me on. I turn away from him and look at the drawings he’s been creating.
A handful of pieces are pinned to the easel. All of me. Emotion clogs my throat as I see the time and attention to detail Aiden must have given to re-create these from memory.
I think back to the painting we stood in front of in Edinburgh. He said it reminded him of me. In these, I see nothing of Lady Agnew, but I do see Aiden’s passion. They’re beautiful.
“I’ll just make myself comfortable, shall I?” I need to distract myself from looking any further. I grab a few cushions from the sofa and scatter them on the floor in front of the windows at the far end of the room. My movements seem to encourage Aiden, and he retrieves some additional large cushions.
I lounge back. Propping myself up on one elbow.
“Are you comfortable? I’ll need a couple of minutes to set up.” Aiden grabs the easel I was just looking at and moves it into position. He retrieves a wheeled tea-trolley of sorts filled with paint jars and a pot of brushes. Finally, he goes to the far wall where all his paraphernalia is kept and chooses a blank canvas.
“Ready?” Aiden looks at me with such expectation in his eyes. I can sense how eager he is.
“Sure. Do I just stay still?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t move my arm?”
“Only if you put it back into position.”
He dips behind the canvas, so only part of his body is visible, but his lips have curled at the corner.
“I’ll be still.” I snuggle back and take a deep breath and ensure I’m comfortable.
I concentrate on Aiden’s feet. They are clearly visible from where I am. His toes grip against the wooden floor as he shifts his weight. I have to cast my eyes up rather than move my head to get a look at the rest of him. He’s moving quickly between the little tea-trolley of paints and the canvas. His arm skates across the canvas, making a schhh schhh noise as the brush rubs the paint into the fabric.
Part of me thought this might be a sexy interaction between the two of us, but I can see the concentration and focus from Aiden. At least for now.
My mind drifts as I let Aiden work. I see the position where Aiden was ambushed. I can see the edge of the dividing wall that Sarah emerged from with her knife. I should phone Luc and find out Sarah’s condition.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing, why?”
“Because your whole body has tensed up, and you’re frowning.”
“Sorry.” I shake my head and blink my eyes a few times to relax. “Better.”
“Getting there.”
I relax and try not to let my mind drift to such negative thoughts, although I know I won’t be able to go the day without checking in with Luc. Aiden’s feet pause, and he moves around. I hear a woosh swoosh noise, like something mixing in water but can’t see what he’s doing.
“Can you move so I can see more of what you’re doing?”
His head peaks out from behind the canvas before he shifts the easel and trolley to the side. I can see Aiden’s profile now and the application of paint, but not the finished piece on the canvas.
I train my eyes on Aiden as he marks the canvas over and over with different paint. The air fills with the smell of turps and oil, like an old shed, as he goes about mixing and blending.
“Grandad used to have a workshop in the garden. He’d work with metals and fix things. It contained tins of paint and varnish and all sorts of things collected over the years. It used to have a unique smell. A cross between petrichor and paint thinner. I’d sneak in and see what he was doing and try to help. I associate that smell with him. Now when I paint, it reminds me of him and the time we had together. The turpentine and oils are similar.”
Finally More: The Evermore Series Book 5 Page 22
