The memory rushed up on me, making me shake. I relayed the story as best I could even as I relived it.
“I want to show you something,” Lee said when we entered the apartment.
I glanced around, noticing all the blinds were closed. It was odd. Lee always kept the blinds open. Being that he was on the eighteenth floor, there was no one who could see in anyway.
I followed Lee down the narrow hall. The apartment had two bedrooms, but one had been set up as Lee’s office. When he opened the door, I noticed that the desk and the computer were gone. In their place … the room was decorated exactly as John’s had been. Right down to the same comforter and the posters on the wall. It took me by surprise.
“Come in here,” Lee insisted. “I wanted you to be the first person to see it.”
“Why?” I asked. “Why’d you do this?”
The pain I’d seen so many times in Lee’s eyes was still there. “I need to feel close to John. I thought this would help.”
It felt the opposite to me. As though he wasn’t allowing himself time to grieve. I knew we would never forget John, but with every passing day, it got a little easier to breathe. Not anymore. The second I stepped into the room, it took me back to the last time I’d been in John’s room with him.
“I need your help, Case. I need you to do something for me.”
I looked at him, noticing the pain in his face. He looked so much older than he had before. His face had aged a decade in the short time John had been gone.
Wanting to do whatever I could to help ease him, I said, “Sure. Anything.”
“I want you to lie down on the bed.”
“What?” I shook my head. “I… That’s… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Just this one time. I want to feel like I’m with him again.” His eyes, so much like John’s, were pleading.
I found myself giving in.
Lee seemed pleased by my response, so he pulled back the blanket and fluffed the pillow.
“Lie down. On your stomach.” He smiled sadly. “I just want to remember the days when I would come in and wake him up for school.”
It felt weird, but my grieving mind understood his pain. I figured it couldn’t hurt anything, so I did.
“The next thing I knew,” I told Brax and Zeke, “Lee had overpowered me and I found myself restrained to the bed, facedown.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I hadn’t realized it right then, but John’s father had abducted me that day.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
ZEKE
I COULD FEEL THE PAIN radiating from Case with every word he spoke. He was reliving the memory.
“What happened after that, baby?” Brax prompted, his hand sliding over Case’s back.
“Lee kept me locked in that room for two straight weeks. At first, he acted normal. Well, as normal as he could for a man who had abducted me and tied me to a bed. Each morning, John’s alarm would go off the same way it had when he was in school. Lee would come into the room and make sure I was awake. He would talk for a few minutes and I would beg him to let me go. He said he would eventually, but he had to see it through first.
“He brought food into the room three times a day. He cooked a meal, delivered it to the room, and literally fed me because he kept me tied up. The only time I was allowed out of the bed was to use the bathroom and to shower. Lee remained with me at all times, including watching me in the shower.
“On the fourth day from when he’d first tied me up, Lee came into the bedroom and he was angry. Not at me. At the situation. At losing John. That was the first time I’d felt the pain of a belt. Wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, I was strapped facedown on the mattress, my wrists cuffed to the headboard, my ankles to the footboard. I couldn’t move, so when he began hitting me with that belt, the only thing I could do was cry. It hurt more than anything I’d ever felt. And he didn’t let up.
“While he did it, he cried and yelled, cursing God for taking his son away. I begged him to stop, but he didn’t listen to me. After that, he came in and whipped me at least three times a day. I think it helped him in some way. He even said it was therapeutic. I thought he was crazy.
“I begged him to let me go home, pleaded for him to untie me. I promised never to tell anyone. That would only make him angrier. He began using other things to hit me with. He had a whip, a crop, a flogger. I don’t know if those were things he had before or if he bought them because he wanted to hit me with them.”
Case’s words were coming out in a rush, his anguish apparent. My heart fucking ached for him. I wanted to go back in time and strangle that bastard with my bare hands.
Knowing what I did of Case, I could see how that situation had changed him. It was likely the reason he was as big as he was, as strong. He ensured no one was capable of hurting him ever again. Unless he allowed it.
“For nearly two weeks, Lee beat on me,” Case continued. “The pain was brutal and it stuck with me even after the session was over. I began figuring out when he would come in. When I was allowed to shower, I could see the bruises and marks on my skin. He would clean the wounds and focus on a different area of my body the next time.”
Case sucked in a harsh breath and I put my hand on his shoulder, wanting him to know I was there.
“Until he didn’t.” Case shuddered. “At one point, he took every bit of his pain out on me, hitting me all over. The back of my head, all the way down to the soles of my feet. He didn’t stop until I passed out from the pain.”
For fuck’s sake. Case had been abused by a man who never should’ve touched him. A man he should’ve been able to trust.
“It was never sexual with Lee. He didn’t touch me or try to fuck me. He simply beat on me, wearing himself out as he cried and begged God to bring John back. Nearly three long, painful weeks I’d spent like that until finally, the police showed up. I wasn’t sure who told them I was there, but I was grateful all the same.”
That was the article I’d read. It had mentioned how his parents began a search, asking anyone and everyone for help. By the grace of God, someone had figured out where he was.
“I didn’t press charges against Lee and I convinced my parents not to, either. While I didn’t approve of how he handled it, I had understood his pain. I even forgave him, but it’s not something I will ever forget.”
“And now you need pain to deal with that,” I stated, gripping the back of his neck gently.
“And that’s the reason you panicked at the apartment,” Brax noted.
“Yeah,” Case said on a rush of air. “I hadn’t realized it at the time. Didn’t put two and two together, because for the most part, I’ve blocked out the memory.”
But not the pain.
“Zeke?” Case’s voice was hoarse, need threading through the single word.
I stepped around in front of him again.
“Please?”
“Of course.” I leaned in and kissed him before stepping back.
My eyes met Brax’s and I could see his pain. He hadn’t heard this story before and it was enough to bring a man to his knees. What Case had gone through was intense. The fact that he’d forgiven the man who had done it was a testament to his strength.
I picked up the whip and pulled the strands through my hands. I would get no pleasure from this session, but a promise was a promise and I would always give Case what he needed.
“I want you to fly, pretty boy.”
And I proceeded to make him do exactly that.
*
Two hours later, after I had sent Brax and Case to bed, I finally headed up to join them. I thought for sure Case would be asleep, having worn himself out with his confession.
Instead, I found Brax snoring softly while Case laid in the middle of my bed, his eyes open as he stared up at the ceiling.
I quickly shed my clothes and climbed in beside him.
“Come here,” I whispered. “Let me hold you.”
I knew the marks on his back were still there, sti
ll sensitive. I also knew that if I spooned him, they would burn from my touch. For whatever reason, Case relished the pain both during and after a scene. Honestly, I didn’t want to hurt him anymore tonight, but I wanted to ensure he knew I was there, that I would protect him in every way possible.
Case turned onto his side and I moved up against him, tossing one arm over him, the other beneath the pillow under his head. We stayed like that for long minutes. I would press kisses on his shoulder, tightening my grip around him because it felt good to have him in my arms.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said softly, wanting him to know what it meant to me that he had.
“I feel better. Now that I talked about it. It was a long time ago, but sometimes it feels like yesterday.” He shifted, his head turning slightly as though he was trying to look back at me. When he moved again, I let him roll over onto his back.
I peered over to see Brax was now awake, his sleepy gaze pinned on us.
“And you?” Case asked. “What happened with Matt?”
I knew he would be asking, and I had promised to tell him, so I resigned myself to doing just that. I sighed, then dropped onto my back and stared up at the ceiling.
“I met Matt at a kink club. He was a masochist who’d run through nearly every Dom in the place at the time. No one seemed to be able to give him what he needed, or so he had told me. There were a few rumors about him. About how he wanted intense scenes and he preferred to be in public. For a few weeks, I would watch him, see how he interacted with other subs and Doms. He was polite but a little uptight. I thought it was because he was looking for something he couldn’t find.
“So, one night, I offered to scene with him when he asked and it went from there. We spent the majority of our time together at the club. Every single Friday and most Saturdays. We never went out anywhere else together. I didn’t think anything of it. Things progressed and a couple of months in, I suggested we draw up a contract. He wanted to be owned and he’d told me as much. I figured a contract would keep him from looking elsewhere, perhaps give him the security I thought he was looking for.
“It was a standard contract. Nothing too horrible, but I’d been playing the part of the big, mean Sadist because he wanted me to. So I added a few things in such as he would cook me dinner two nights a week at his place and he would be available for sex whenever I wanted. He seemed to like that.
“After we’d been together about a year, I asked him to stay the night with me a couple of times. He turned me down. Said he liked the distance because it kept things more intense. I didn’t argue. It was true. So, I would meet him at the club. It didn’t take me long to figure out he was an attention whore. He wanted to be seen, wanted people to watch me beat on him. Over time, I’d garnered a fan club. People who wanted to watch me. Matt ate that shit up, thought he was the star of the show.
“Needless to say, I thought I had fallen in love with him. We talked, we laughed. I opened up to him and I thought he was doing the same. Turned out, he was only there for the scene. He wanted me to be the man who hurt him all the time. He wanted my domination. One night, I decided to change the script. I made him dinner, invited him over. I wanted something more. A real date, some time away from the audience. When I told him I loved him, he freaked. Told me I wasn’t allowed to love because I was a Sadist. He walked out and never looked back.”
“So, he didn’t want you, he wanted the part you were playing?” Case asked softly.
“Yeah. He wanted me to play the part. He didn’t like the fact that I was human after all, that I had needs that he hadn’t fulfilled because he expected me to be the Sadist at all times. After he left, it was easier for me to be who everyone thought I was. I could keep people at a distance if they thought I was unapproachable.”
“I’m sorry he did that,” Brax said softly.
I glanced over at them. “I’m not. If I’d stayed with him, I never would’ve met the two of you.”
I turned my head away because what I had to say would leave me more vulnerable than I could bear. While I trusted them more than I’d trusted anyone in a really long time, I was still scared of their rejection.
“As far as I’m concerned, it worked out the way it was supposed to.” I took a deep breath and blurted out what was on my mind. “If I’d stayed with Matt, I never would’ve fallen in love for real. With the two of you.”
“Fuck,” Case groaned.
I didn’t get a chance to look over before he was on top of me. His mouth fused to mine and I felt a warm body move up beside us. I only broke the kiss so I could look at Brax. He put his hand on my face and kissed me. It was far gentler than Case had been and it made me laugh, that uncertainty that I’d lived with for so long finally shattering.
These two were perfect for me. They were the best of everything in two unique packages.
“Well, personally, I think Matt’s a dick and you deserve much better,” Brax whispered when he pulled back.
Case chuckled. “Yeah. Which is why you’ve got us. We’re so much better than that douchebag.”
I grabbed Case’s arms and pushed him up before tossing him back to his spot in the middle of the bed. I rose and stared down at him. “So we’re even now?”
Case pursed his lips. “Your story pales in comparison to mine, so it might require you to bare your soul a little more in the future.”
I couldn’t help but laugh again. This was the side of Case I’d seen from time to time and I was grateful it was back. After he’d relived his trauma, I hadn’t been sure he would make it all the way back to us, but I was glad to see that he had.
“So, how’d you know, anyway?” Case asked. “About what happened to me.”
“Jamie’s nosy,” I told him. “She told me something had happened, but not what. I gave in and did a search.”
“And now that you know?”
“It helps me to understand what you need.”
“Will you continue to give it to me?”
“I’ll give you both what you need. In every way,” I admitted. “For as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever?” Brax asked.
“Forever what?”
“Can we have you forever?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
“We do,” Brax said, his tone so matter-of-fact my heart skipped.
“I have a request,” Case said softly, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. He reached for Brax and tugged his arm until he moved closer.
“What’s that?” My gaze darted back and forth between the two of them.
“You let us give you what you need,” he said simply.
“And what do you think I need?”
“Everything,” Brax stated.
“What he said.” Case smirked again. “But I was thinking we could start with a blow job.”
Yeah, well. Who was I to argue with that?
*
Brax
(The cowboy)
Friday, November 16
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME we’d been back to the club since the Halloween debacle with Matt. I was happy to say, that stupid fucker was no longer a member of the club. Had he been, I would’ve found a way to get his ass tossed out myself. Thankfully, he also hadn’t shown up at Zeke’s house again. For his own sake, I hope he didn’t. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold Case back if he did. That man had no right to darken Zeke’s doorstep. He’d given up the best thing that had ever happened to him, and lucky for us, Zeke now belonged to us.
“So, I hear you’ve got a scene planned for tonight,” Ransom told Zeke as we sat in the Dom lounge.
We had arrived at the club right about nine after I’d made them dinner. From the moment we stepped in the door, Zeke had insisted we remain close. We hadn’t argued. And now, Case and I were kneeling on the floor at Zeke’s feet while the two Sadists talked with Mistress Jane and Mistress D. The place was relatively busy tonight. I’d already noticed almost all of the club’s Masters were i
n attendance, as well as quite a few submissives and a bunch of new faces I hadn’t met yet.
“I do,” Zeke said. “But I’ve kept it a secret seeing as you like to spoil the surprise for my toys.”
Ransom chuckled. “Who me? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He’s always been that way,” Zeke told the Mistresses. “Even back in high school, he gossiped like a girl.”
“Hey,” Mistress D said firmly. “Just because we’re girls doesn’t mean we gossip.” She glanced at Mistress Jane and laughed. “Okay. I couldn’t even keep a straight face when I said it.”
“I remember when we were in the twelfth grade,” Zeke said. “Ransom had a huge crush on this jock. The guy wasn’t gay and he wouldn’t give Ransom the time of day. So, to get back at him, Ransom spread a rumor that the guy got crabs from a hooker.”
Ransom laughed. “Chlamydia. I said he got chlamydia. Get your story straight, Lautner.”
“Whatever. The girls ate that shit up and the guy spent the rest of that year getting the stink eye from every chick in the school. But Ransom ensured that rumor festered throughout the year. Every so often, he would bring it up again and the school would erupt with chaos all over again.”
“Teach him to rebuff me,” Ransom said in a haughty tone.
As I sat there listening to the stories, I tried to pretend I wasn’t as stunned as everyone else that Zeke was opening up so much. Mistress Jane couldn’t hide her surprise nearly as well as the rest of us though. She’d been watching Zeke intensely for the past hour, as though she was trying to figure him out. I could’ve told her that wasn’t possible. Every day was a new day with Zeke and I fucking loved that about him.
“So, what’s the plan really?” Ransom asked Zeke. “Maybe a flogging? You did the cane not too long ago.”
“You’ll find out when they do,” Zeke said as he inched toward the edge of his seat. “Come on, fuck toys. We might as well get everything ready.”
Their Ruthless Sadist (Office Intrigue, 5) Page 37
