Angel laughed.
His looked at Angel.
“I didn’t follow all of that, would you mind translating?” he asked, lifting his water glass to his lips.
“This food reminds her of Lady and the Tramp,” Angel smiled.
He almost choked.
Zack turned and gave Marguerite a disapproving look. “If I’m the tramp, I would hate to know what you think of Monroe.”
“La bella y la bestia,” she said over her shoulder as she left the room.
He needed no translation.
“She cares for you both.” Angel said gently.
“She’s been with Monroe for many years and I rarely see her react to anything that goes on in this house. I think her sensibilities were jaded many years ago. We had best clean our plates or we might not get dessert. I can’t very well spank her and I have a feeling Monroe would never forgive me if she quit.”
He placed the steaming sauce-covered noodles on her plate and added a slice of bread. He poured wine into her glass and then into his. Lifting the red liquid, he waited for her to do the same and then clinked their glasses together.
“To a beautiful lady who covers her beautiful body and gives me wicked thoughts.”
Her blush traveled up her neck and over her cheeks as she brought the wine to her lips. She took only a small sip but he pushed the glass back to her mouth. “You will drink two glasses while we eat.” He gave her no room for argument.
“Yes, sir.”
He needed to ask her questions that would be difficult for her, and the wine would help her relax. They ate slowly while he asked easy questions about her day-to-day life as Monroe’s slave.
“I am learning the piano.”
“Has an instructor been hired?”
“Stephens teaches me.”
“I should have known. So far, I have found nothing the man can’t do. Years ago I was quite jealous.”
“He is a good teacher but he plays exquisitely. I feel sorry for his sensitive ears when I miss a note.”
“I’m sure his ears are bionic and they block out the worst of your bad key strokes.”
His questions remained neutral and when they finished their meal, he filled her wineglass a third time. She lifted her eyebrows but brought the cup slowly to her lips, watching him closely.
“I’ve been in the dark and I think it’s time you tell me what brought you to the basement where I found you.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Angel lowered her eyes.
During Zach’s years as a police officer, he learned the best way to get an answer was silence after the question. He waited.
Several minutes passed before she spoke. “I was married to an older man when I was young.”
He broke the golden rule of interview and interrogation and interrupted.
“How young?”
“Sixteen.”
“Go on.” He brought his own glass to his lips, realizing he needed it just as much as she did.
“My mother died, and my father sold me at the request of his remaining wives.” Her hurt was evident. She waited but he remained quiet.
“I was the third wife but they were kind to me. My life was similar to what I lived at my father’s home. His first two wives did not produce children and he hoped my youth would give him sons, but this did not happen. Five years later, he died and I was given to bad men as payment for my husband’s debt. I was with them for only a short time when you found me. I do not wish to remember that time.”
He allowed her to avoid going in-depth to that “short time.”
“Where do you get your blue eyes?”
“From my mother.”
“Was she American?”
“English.”
“How did they meet?”
“My father traveled. My mother sang opera and he attended a show with his business partners. They fell in love and he married her.”
“How did she feel about his other wives?”
“She was pregnant with me when they returned to his home and it was too late for her to do anything but accept his life. She loved him until the day she died but never truly understood his culture. She was often sad.”
“Did he love your mother?”
“Very much.”
“Then why would he marry you off so young?”
“Wives have little power but they can make their husband’s home a heaven or a hell. His wives had made up their minds that I must go.”
“Were you happy with your husband?”
“Much of the time, yes.”
“What about the other times?”
“Unlike many wives, I was educated. I read books when younger and had princess dreams.”
His lips quirked into a soft smile. “What kind of princess dreams?”
She answered with a soft smile of her own. “La bella y la bestia.”
“Did Monroe turn into the prince when you fell in love with him?”
Her expression turned sad.
“Master has many demons, and he will always be the beast.”
That was Monroe in a nut shell. A beast with demons.
“Tell me of your time after I found you.”
“It was not a good time.” She took a large drink of her wine.
“I need to know.”
“This country is very different. When I was young and began my menses, my hair was covered. It is because of my mother that I was not circumcised.”
Just the thought made him flinch. “Your mother held that much control?”
“This is how I know my father loved her. While she was alive, even as a third wife, she ruled our home and got her way.”
“Why didn’t you go home to your father after you were freed from the slavers?”
Her eyes lowered again. “My shame will not allow me to go home.”
“You carry no shame. What happened was out of your control.”
“It remains a shame I carry.”
He decided to leave this issue for a later date.
“You feel more comfortable with your body covered but were naked at the exhibition?”
“Yes. Master requests this of me.”
“You could make it a hard limit.”
“Master decides.”
“No, you decide.”
“You are angry.”
“Yes, I’m angry but not at you and I’m trying to understand. How do you feel about having sex with me?”
“Master wishes that I please you.”
“I don’t care what Monroe wishes! If you don’t want to have sex with me it’s your choice.”
“Then you will think me bad for wanting it.”
His voice gentled.
“No, I don’t think it’s bad at all but I’m having difficulty understanding.”
“Master told me of you when he brought me here.”
“What did he tell you?”
“That you were his friend.”
“Why did Monroe go looking for you?”
She raised the glass and she drank the last of her wine.
“He told me he did it for you.”
For some reason, that pissed him off.
“I don’t think you being his slave has anything to do with me.”
“I believe it has everything to do with you.”
“Do you understand what he wants?”
“Master is gone one night and you used my body. He considers you more than a friend but I cannot explain this. He said you shared women.”
“Yes, we have but at separate times, never together. Does he think we will each have a special night and this relationship will work for all of us?”
“I do not know all his thoughts. I only know he asked me to please you.”
“So, you please me?”
“He asked this of me but also told me to please myself.”
“What pleases you?”
“Anything you desire.”
The situation would never work but until Monroe returned, Angel had a new m
aster.
***
Zach awoke the following morning in his bed. He’d tucked Angel into her own bed and then left the room, refusing to give into her look of longing. He needed time to think.
He stared into the darkness until sometime in the early morning hours, when fog finally overtook his thoughts and he passed out. He’d worried about Angel’s nightmares but he didn’t wake to her screams so figured the sleeping arrangement worked. He rolled over and placed his bad leg to the floor. His foot connected with something soft. Looking down, he saw the pillow where Angel’s beautiful head rested with the remainder of her body on the floor.
Damn.
He couldn’t lift her to the bed with his bad knee so he took hold of the end of her hair and gave a few gentle tugs.
“I have an angel fish on my line.” It was corny but she gave him a tender smile.
“I could not sleep.” She replied sleepily.
“We’ll need to work on that.” He pulled hand over hand, drawing her up onto the bed. When she knelt beside him, he pulled the bottom of her nightgown up and brought it over her head. White lace underwear covered her pussy.
“I can handle the long gowns but I want your pussy bare. I want to know it’s uncovered and only one layer away. Do you understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Take it off.”
She slipped off her panties and tossed them on to the floor. His hands found her breasts.
“Monroe is quite strict with his subs but for some reason, you, his slave, seem to be completely untrained in a master-slave relationship.”
“No, sir.”
He pinched both her nipples.
“Awww.”
“So, you are telling me you behave with Monroe but forget your training when you are with me?”
“No, sir.”
When his fingers squeezed this time she managed to stay quiet.
“We have work to do. I’m not as strict as your master but I don’t need a beautiful woman with long hair wrapping me up and cutting off the circulation to my dick. We shall work on your submission until you get it right.”
The look on her face was priceless but when her hand went to the appendage that was currently having a problem with circulation he stopped her.
“You will not touch me without permission. You will not touch yourself. When in this bedroom, you will be completely naked. When in the house but out of this bedroom, you will go without underwear. I may or may not allow you underwear when we leave the house. If you have any problems with the rules at this point, please say so because your delectable ass will carry my handprint if you don’t object to these rules now and then you break them. Objections?”
“No, sir.”
He tipped her chin up so she looked into his eyes. “When you answer me, I want you looking at me. You have your safeword and you know my rules. I’m sure more will come up but we’ll adjust when they arise. Questions?”
“No, sir.”
“You may sleep in bed with me at night.”
Her eyes dropped but then came up again. He could see the relief she felt. “Yes, sir.”
Chapter Twenty-four
They made it through the first day and he was able to enjoy her piano lesson. She was quite good and seeing the bliss on her face while she played kept him from noticing if she missed any keys. When Stephens rose from the bench, her small hand came out. “Please, sir?”
Stephens made a disgruntled sound but switched places with her. A rendition of “Chopsticks” ensued that Zach had never heard before. It mixed classically intricate playing with the old tried-and-true, which was Angel’s part. Zach found himself enthralled and when the piece ended, he clapped.
He wasn’t surprised at Angel’s glee but the blush traveling Stephens’ face was priceless. His dower face reappeared and he removed himself from the room quickly, which only delighted Zach more.
“I think everyone around you falls under your spell,” he said.
Her eyes went from joyful to sensuous in a heartbeat. Zach approached and gave her a gentle kiss.
“I must have my knee taken care of. I promised your master I would follow all orders from my new physical therapist. I want you to occupy yourself while I’m being tortured.” His tone showed he was teasing.
“I will be in the garden,” she said, “but I will help relieve the pain when your punishment is over, sir.”
He loved her sweet, not-so-innocent grin. “I’ll take you up on that.”
This time the kiss was passionate. When he pulled away her eyelids slowly opened and the endless blue depths sucked him in again.
“Breathe, my sweet.” He said it to remind himself too. Turning, he walked from the room.
Stephens seemed to enjoy tormenting Zach and he worked him harder than his previous therapist. Zach tried to get some information from the stone soldier.
“Ask Mr. Monroe,” was the only answer he got to his questions.
Sweat covered Zach’s body and he heavily favored his good leg when he made his way to the garden. The oversized floppy hat covered her head while she bent over young plants and the sight returned some of his earlier good mood. She was simply exquisite in everything she did— either that, or Zach was in love. Unfortunately, he knew it was the later, because as stupid as it sounded, even deep in his subconscious, he’d loved her for two years.
And she loved his best friend.
Looking up, she squinted into the sun, rising and coming toward him with dirty hands and slightly browned feet sticking out from beneath her dress.
“I’ve never understood the reason to cover beauty but find it impossible to believe the heat doesn’t kill more women.”
“I love the sun but do not want my skin cracked and shriveled before my next birthday.”
“But I could apply lotion to all your rough body parts.”
“Yes, sir.”
The breathy whisper went straight to his cock.
“I won’t be much use to you with the current ache in my knee. I believe you promised to help after my torture session?”
“Marguerite will have what we need in the kitchen.”
Zach decided against a pain pill and swallowed two Ibuprofen instead. The feel of her fingers digging into his sore muscles made the physical therapy worth it. Marguerite puttered around the kitchen preparing dinner and her words broke into his thoughts.
“La comida estará lista en una hora.” She continued with rapid fire Spanish and Zack couldn’t follow the rest of her speech.
He watched Angel as she replied in the same flowing lilt and then turned her attention back to his leg. “Dinner will be served in an hour but Marguerite will leave tonight and be gone for two days. She said she would prepare food and place it in the refrigerator.”
“We will be dinning with Damian tomorrow evening and dinner will not be necessary, Marguerite.”
He could see the apprehension wash over Angel’s face and tipped her chin up. “We will enjoy a quiet evening with my friends. Playing at the club is an open option and entirely up to you.”
“Yes, sir. I only wish to please you.”
Zach ignored the loud snort from Marguerite.
“It pleases me that you are not afraid and can enjoy an evening celebrating their newborn child.” He could see her fear turn to longing at the mention of the baby and he had to ask. “Do you want to have children?”
Sweet sadness took over her expression. “Master cannot have children and I only wish to please you both.”
That was news to Zach. “Children” was not a conversation he and Monroe had ever discussed. It also didn’t answer his question but he let the uncomfortable subject drop.
“I would like to shower and change before dinner. My knee feels much better. Thank you.”
***
Dinner, as always, was delicious and Zach discovered more hidden secrets about Angel.
“How many languages do you speak?”
“Four fluently but I understand several m
ore.”
“And they are?”
“Arabic, English, Spanish, and French. I studied Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.”
“Have you traveled?”
“No, but I had very good tutors. My dream when younger was to be a teacher.”
“My parents were teachers.”
Her eyes lit up. “They no longer teach?”
“No, they are retired.”
“You are very blessed, sir.”
“I will be truly blessed when you await me in the dungeon with nothing on. You have ten minutes.”
Her eyes went down but came back up, her anticipation showed clearly.
Chapter Twenty-five
Zach always expected the dungeon to smell like sweat and sex, but it didn’t. Marguerite kept it spotless and smelling like leather cleaner with the slight scent of disinfectant. He often wondered what she thought about when cleaning up after Monroe. It made him smile.
His cock instantly hardened when he saw Angel across the room. She was on her knees in Monroe’s favorite submissive position.
Zach pretended to ignore her, walked to a drawer and removed wrist and ankle restraints, placing them in his pocket. He then adjusted the height of the spanking bench, prolonging her suspense while he played with the knobs. Walking to another drawer, he withdrew a new packaged butt plug and lube, laying them on a table near the bench.
He turned on his favorite kinky hard rock music and let the sound roll through the room before approaching Angel. His hand had a will of its own and went to the crown of her head.
“Before we begin with a few submissive lessons, the way I like them, I want your mouth on my cock. Now.”
Her hands shook slightly when she tried to unfasten his jeans.
“No, just the zipper.”
She unzipped him and then managed to pull his engorged cock free of his pants. He barely controlled his moan when her mouth finally surrounded him.
Too quickly, he gave into the pure ecstasy of her finesse. He was doing this so he could keep his wits about him when he began her first lesson. It didn’t take long before he gasped and then spilled down her throat. He loosened his hands from her hair.
Two Doms For Angel Page 9
