“I’m still in charge,” I qualify. “You will not be returning to that bar,” I say with vehemence. “I might even have to punish you for considering going somewhere like that was a good idea.”
She tips her head down and stares at the floor, but not before I see her amusement.
“Haydee,” I chastise, because I’m smiling now too. What does this woman do to me?
“Go up to the bedroom and remove your clothes. Kneel in the centre of the rug and wait.”
She nods and moves off in a soft glide towards the stairs. I watch her climb them until she is out of sight and then cross the hall and enter the office. The light is dim when I flick the switch. I have to hurry. There’s no fire lit upstairs and Haydee will get cold very quickly.
The thought of warming her up fills me with delight.
I cross to the desk and sit down, steepling my fingers together, elbows to knees, as I lean forward and look at the photo of my dead wife.
“Well,” I say. “This is it.” She smiles back at me from a twenty-six year old photo, her belly softly swollen with our child.
A hitched breath leaves me, and I reach forward and take the picture, returning it to its drawer.
“I will always love you,” I whisper, just before I close it. “But it’s time to let go now.”
It takes a minute for me to settle myself, and then I’m checking the doors and setting the perimeter alarm, and taking the stairs two at a time to get to Haydee.
The minute I cross the threshold, feel the warmth of an already lit fire, and see the goddess waiting patiently on the Aubusson, I know I’ve made the right choice. Haydee is perfect. She’s brilliant and beautiful and caring and capable. But she is also a submissive at heart.
We need this. We both want it. And I have every intention of giving this stunning creature whatever she desires.
“For lighting the fire without permission,” I say, crossing the carpet to stand before her. “You’re going to pleasure me.”
Her eyes come up and watch me behind those dark lashes, then tip down when she nods her head in acceptance.
“For going to a bar with less than stellar security and service,” I add. “You’re going to take every single inch of me and then some.”
A small head nod is the only reply I get.
“Hands behind your back,” I order. She obeys. My cock is already throbbing.
I reach down, placing my crotch in her face, and secure her at her joined elbows with the chain. It will be uncomfortable, distracting. It will make her job harder to achieve. But punishments must be real.
It will also make her as horny as fuck and desperate to touch me, touch herself.
I pull back, undo my belt buckle and proceed to unfasten my trousers. I’m still in uniform. I’ve never had sex while still in uniform. I always undress first. But tonight’s a new beginning and Haydee is going to suck my cock while I stand before her in my work clothes. When she looks up she’ll see my badge, catch the glimpse of the crown and pip on my shoulders. She’ll know who she’s servicing. She’ll know whose come she’s swallowing. She’ll know who it is who holds her steady while he fucks her mouth without pause.
I pull my cock out, it’s rock hard. I stroke myself in front of her, watch as her pupils dilate as she licks her lips.
“Are you ready, pet?” I ask, my hand moving faster under her eager little gaze.
She nods her head.
“I’m not going to take it easy on you,” I add, placing the tip of my cock on the edge of her lips. “Lick it!”
She does. First the flat head, and then the sides, up and down, up and down. Her tongue presses into the groove at the top making my balls tighten.
“Oh, you’re a bad girl,” I say, gripping her head with both hands and holding her steady, lips to the tip of my shaft. “I like you bad,” I say and sink myself into her welcoming mouth, right to the base of my cock.
Fuck! How could I have forgotten how hot her little mouth is? How sweet and hard she can suck.
“Haydee,” I say as I start to fuck her between her lips. My grip on her head is punishing, but she takes it all. Balancing herself with her stomach muscles, making eager little humming noises as I sink myself in again and again and again. “Fuck, your mouth is pretty,” I say, staring down at my shaft covered in her lipstick and saliva.
I want to spend the entire night in here. But there’s so many other parts of her body I’ve yet to discover. The thought almost makes me pull out, tip her over the edge of the bed, and fuck her stunning behind.
But the scene has been set and my little naughty pet needs to learn a lesson.
“That’s it,” I say as she swallows. “Work your throat, take me all the way.”
I’m lost. She’s taking me there. She sucks and licks and takes everything I give her, and when I come in a torrent of ejaculate down her throat she moans a sweet, sweet sound.
I have her chain undone and her body up and on the bed and my face between her legs in the next heartbeat.
“Ethan!” she squeals, completely caught off guard.
I growl into her pussy.
“Master!” she purrs as I stick two fingers in her cunt.
“Your turn,” I say and then fuck her with my fingers and mouth.
She comes apart under my touch, at my command. She takes me with her. I curl her sated body into mine and watch her sleep in the light from the flickering fire.
I don’t know what Samantha’s murder will bring tomorrow. I don’t know if the person who followed Haydee is someone I need to take care of. I just know, that in this moment, I could conquer the world.
With this woman safe and trusting in my arms, it is I who am free. With this woman, I am invincible.
Chapter 9
“Yes, sir.”
I drop Haydee off in Takapuna beside her car in the morning and then make my way to my lawyer’s office. Calling him in on a Saturday is going to cost a fortune, but Jason was right. I need to cut this off at the knees, before it becomes a problem.
I laugh at myself, as I park my car and walk the short distance into Anscombe, Drake & Kline. As if this isn’t already a monumentally fucked up problem. Who the hell could have killed Samantha? And is it someone I know through the Inferno?
I’m sure Lara is asking herself all these questions and for a moment I wonder what it would be like to really see my daughter at work. The notion is short lived. I might have said my goodbyes to her mother, but it still hurts.
Dominic Anscombe is waiting for me at the front desk, and ushers me into a meeting room as soon as I arrive.
“Coffee?” he asks, I shake my head. I want this over and done with. “OK, this isn’t our usual area of expertise, but an affidavit is an affidavit. I’ve had it typed up; read it, and just sign here and here,” he points to the necessary locations, “and I’ll sign here and stamp here.”
I scan the document, letting my eyes rest on Samantha’s name and then several lines further, on Haydee’s. It’s all there, in black and white. Every time I met with Samantha. Every location. Every date. Too many. I hadn’t realised there were so many, until I went through my credit card receipts and jotted them all down.
I hadn’t even liked her that much.
I let a huff of breath out, run my finger over Haydee’s name, and then sign on the dotted line and date it.
Anscombe does his thing and then hands me the notarised copy.
“Will it do the trick?” he asks.
I fold it carefully and slip it inside my jacket pocket.
“I certainly hope so.”
“If this goes to court,” he says, I stop what I’m doing and wait for him to proceed. “There’ll be no way to keep it quiet.”
He’s not telling me anything I don’t already know.
“I’m ready,” I say, because I am. I’m ready to walk away from the clubs and the submissives. I’m ready to turn my back on a lifestyle I’ve lived for twenty-five years.
At least, I’m ready t
o start Haydee’s and my lifestyle. Behind closed doors. For our eyes only.
It’s thrilling and immobilising at the same time.
I shake my lawyer’s hand and head out to my vehicle. Five minutes later I’m pulling into Central Police Station on Mayoral Drive. I search the underground carpark for Lara’s vehicle and am relieved to note it’s not there. Hart had promised she wouldn’t be here.
The affidavit feels heavy in my pocket as I ascend in the ancient lift up to the CIB floor. It burns a hole in my chest and I keep wanting to rub the spot above where it rests. Which, coincidentally, is exactly above my heart. I walk down the hallway and step into an empty open-plan room. A scattered array of over burdened desks and not a single detective working at them.
Either David Hart is a man of his word or his department needs a shake up.
I knock on his office door, noticing the blinds are already drawn. Professional courtesy, nothing more.
“Superintendent,” he says. “Come on in.”
I’m ushered into a standard police cell-like office, certificates hang on one wall, the New Zealand Police logo on another. The wall behind his desk is all glass. A fishbowl springs to mind.
“Have a seat,” he says, waiting for me to sit before he does. Inspector Hart is old school. I appreciate the fact he’s trying.
I pull the affidavit out and hand it over without a word. The less I say, the better.
He scans it, then re-reads, and finally sets it down on his desk.
“Who is Haydee Elizabeth Armstrong?” he asks, I don’t let him see my anger at his words.
“My girlfriend.”
“How long have you been dating her?”
“Is this to be an impromptu interrogation, Inspector?”
“Not at all, Keen.”
“Superintendent.”
He inclines his head slowly. “Superintendent,” is said even slower.
We stare at each other.
“Just seems like a handy alibi,” the Inspector finally remarks. “I wonder if it’s been hastily provided.”
“Are you doubting my honesty?” I query.
“Convenience,” he counters. “It’s very convenient. What would this Haydee…” He picks up the affidavit and reads Haydee’s name off it. “Elizabeth Armstrong say to one of my detectives if they turned up at her address? What would she say to Detective Keen?”
“You want my daughter to question the woman I intend to marry before she’s had a chance to meet her officially?” The words are out before I can stop them, but they settle on the air quite comfortably.
I’m going to marry Haydee. I’m going to make her mine completely one day.
But first I have to deal with this Neanderthal.
He whistles. “Really? Lara’s new mother.”
The blow is significant and yet I was somehow prepared.
I nod my head and smile, baring my teeth slightly.
“Come on, Inspector,” Hart says robustly. “You were with this woman all night?”
“All night,” I say pleasantly. “And all night last night as well, if you’d like to check.”
“But not get Lara to do it?”
“It would be a courtesy I would appreciate.”
“She’s working this case whether you like it or not,” he blusters.
“Then let her work it. I’m officially no longer a suspect.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” he mumbles.
“Pardon?” I heard him and he knows it.
He waves a hand dismissively.
“Then who do you think did it, Superintendent?”
“You want me to solve your crimes as well as clear one of your suspects off the list?”
“Hey now,” he says defensively. “You did sleep with the vic,” again his eyes dart down to the affidavit as he counts in a loud whisper, “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven times. That you remember,” he tags on the end.
I shrug my shoulders. “Samantha was a lot of fun.”
It’s the wrong thing to say. A spark of predatory delight enters his eyes.
“She was, was she? Liked it a little rough from what we hear. Did you accommodate her?”
I stand up from my chair and straighten my sleeves and jacket.
“I trust the assistant commissioner has been in touch,” I say casually.
“He has. Was that your doing?”
“He, like myself, is concerned with how this investigation is progressing. Samantha Hayes was a lovely lady who did not deserve to be killed in such a fashion.” My words are vehement, I let him see my anger. In this I am righteously mad. “As requested, we’d like regular updates on the steps you are taking.”
“I don’t answer to you, Keen.”
“Superintendent or sir, Inspector. Don’t make me repeat it. And you will answer to the assistant commissioner.”
He stands up from behind his desk and stares me down, but he doesn’t correct me.
Walking towards the door he says, “I’ll add your affidavit to the case file. I won’t hide it from my detectives.” In other words, he won’t hide it from Lara. I can’t blame him; it’s integral to the case. To clearing my name. My daughter will know more than she has ever been privy to in the past.
I feel slightly ill at the thought.
“Well, then,” he says, but can’t seem to bring himself to say anything more. He opens the door and steps through it.
Immediately I spot Lara.
God, just once, just one fucking time, I’d like someone to cut me a break.
“Lara-Marie,” I say, taking control of the situation. “Working on a Saturday. I am surprised.”
The detective next to her, Pierce I believe his name is, gapes at me as if I have two heads.
“Crime never takes a break, sir,” she says and then instantly turns a shade too close to green.
“Are you all right?” I ask, immediately taking a step closer. She looks like she’s going to be sick.
“Doughnuts,” she croaks out. “Too many doughnuts.”
Pierce moves forward and offers a somewhat unhinged, “My fault. Can’t get enough of the things.” He picks up a greasy looking bag and holds it out in offering. “Would you like to try one, Superintendent?”
“The Superintendent has more important things to do than eat your damn doughnut holes, Pierce,” Hart exclaims. “I expect more from a Senior Sergeant than this!”
If it wasn’t so ridiculous I’d laugh. They’re like the bloody keystone cops.
“Indeed,” I say, trying my best to look affronted.
I turn to Hart. “You’ll deal with this as requested, then?”
He glares at me but offers a polite, “I’ll do what’s expected, sir.”
I nod my head. “Good. Right then. Good day.” And then force myself to walk out the door.
It’s difficult. I want to look back at Lara. I want to take her by the shoulders and yell at her to stay away from my private life. To protect herself from the fallout that’s about to ensue. She’s good at what she does. She’s made a name for herself in a male dominated profession. I’m aware my reputation could do more harm in this Police Force than just to me.
I slip into my car and check my watch. Haydee has agreed to attend the EMS banquet with me tomorrow, instead of sharing dinner with me tonight. I wanted both. I didn’t ask for it. I’d let her feel her way a little in this as well. But now, sitting in a police carpark having bared the darkest parts of my soul in a legally binding document, I’m not sure I can survive without her until tomorrow.
I start the car and head towards the Shore. She doesn’t teach on a Saturday, but she said she’d be touching base with some of her children at the Home. I might be overstepping the mark, but I feel drawn to her. I feel compelled to seek her out, wrap her chain around my wrist, and seal the deal with my lips caressing her mouth.
I need her and the need is growing exponentially.
My cellphone rings before I make it across the Harbour
Bridge. I glance down and see Jason’s name lighting up the screen.
Hitting the Bluetooth device I say, “So he’s complained to you already?”
Jason whistles low. “You got some balls on you, Keen. I’ll give you that. Ropeable doesn’t even cover it.”
“I think I might have stepped on his toes,” I point out.
“That’s one way of putting it. Where are you now?”
“Heading across to the Shore.”
“The Shore? Oh,” he says, understanding dawning. “Your pet.”
I almost correct him. So close my mouth actually hangs open. I snap it shut. Jason isn’t ready for that amount of change, even if he’s the one to have instigated it.
“Well, if she turns you down, it’s poker night at Jimmy’s.”
“I’ll pass,” I say. I couldn’t think of anything worse.
“Yeah, well, the chances of a pet saying no is quite unheard of, isn’t it? Have fun!” he says and ends the call before I can remark.
They’re on my mind, Jason’s words, all the way down Lake Road. I pull into the Wilson Home and just sit there. There are rules to this lifestyle. But each couple is different. Each arrangement created to suit its own individual needs. What Haydee requires, another pet may not. And even if my requirements are changing, hers may not change at all.
Am I doing the right thing?
I sit there so long I am spotted; a willowy figure with short pixie-like dark hair wanders out of the main building and walks towards my driver’s side window. In an instant all my fears disappear.
I climb out of the vehicle and lean back against it, waiting for her to make my side.
She smiles and stops before me. The chain sparkles at her neck making me instantly hard. This reaction I have is almost comical, if it didn’t feel so damn right.
“Am I disturbing you?” I ask.
“Never,” she says softly. And then waits for me to fill in the silence. She’s not impatient. She doesn’t fidget. She calmly and serenely looks up at my face, expectant and attentive. Completely focused on me as if I haven’t just interrupted her plans.
“What is it you want, Haydee?” I ask, reaching forward and lifting up her chain. I have it wrapped around my wrist without even trying.
A Twist Of Heat (H.E.A.T. Book 2.5) Page 10
