As he looked at Grant's face, Kyle thought for a second… How will he explain that shit? …before he came up with an idea. "You'll ride with me to work because you were in a car accident last night," he announced.
"I was in a what?" Grant asked as he checked his briefcase, unplugging and retrieving his phone from the counter in the kitchen.
"How do you propose to explain the black eye, bruised jaw, and busted lip, much less the slow way you're moving around? You were in a car accident, and next week, you can take an Uber to work as your car is to be repaired. Then the next week, things are back to normal. You ready?" Kyle commanded without shame.
Surprisingly, Grant nodded in agreement. They hopped into the hired car and fought the Friday morning traffic to the office. Grant seemed to have his head in a better space as they worked through the morning, and when the team had agreed on a concept, they were sent off to work their magic while Kyle stared at his boss.
"What?" Grant asked, obviously conscious of Kyle's observation.
"I'm busy tonight, but I'm coming to your house tomorrow morning, and we're going to talk, Grant. I need to tell you some things about myself, and you need to tell me some things about yourself before we make this a permanent arrangement. What time's good for you?" Kyle asked.
Grant looked down at the carpet and swallowed. "What time's good for you?"
"I'll be there at noon. I can bring lunch if you tell me what you want to eat," Kyle inquired.
He saw Grant's face crumble for a moment before he sniffed and looked up, tears evident in his eyes. "We can order when you get there. I don't care what we eat. I'm open to anything."
Kyle could see the pain on the man's face, and he wanted to relieve it. "Alright, Grant. I'll get back to work now.” Grant nodded before leaving the room without another comment.
Kyle prayed Felicity Pembrook could give him some insight into the struggle Grant was facing because watching the sweet man fade before him was brutal.
Kyle knocked on Connie's door, seeing him dressed unlike he'd ever seen in the past. "Damn, you look hot," he offered as Connie smiled.
"I can be a hot stud when I want to be, Kyle. How was today?" he asked as they went downstairs together. The Uber was waiting for them, just as Kyle had ordered.
"He let somebody beat the shit outta him again, Connie… wait, is that your stage name, or is it short for something?" Kyle asked as he opened the back door of the SUV for his companion.
"Conrad is my given name. Momma, bless her dead hide, loved William Conrad, an actor from the seventies. I've gone by Connie as a nickname since I was a kid because the only person who ever called me Conrad was Momma. Anyway, what do you mean by he let somebody beat the shit outta him?" Connie asked, giving a hint of a southern accent for the first time Kyle had ever heard.
"He had fading bruises along with fresh ones and then welts and cuts from a recent beating. He also has a busted lip, black eye, and a bruised jaw. Someone is beating the shit outta him, and I gotta make it stop. That's why I need to talk to this woman. He's in a downward spiral, and I'm afraid he's not going to stop until somebody kills him," Kyle explained.
It was a feeling Kyle had in his gut, and for the first time in his life, he felt it was his duty to step in and help someone because they weren’t able to help themselves. He'd think about the why of it later, but based on what he'd witnessed that morning, later might be too late for Grant Cummings.
Chapter 6
When the car stopped in front of a large mansion on the outskirts of Philly, Kyle looked at Connie, seeing his friend giggle. "Darling, people with money can afford fetishes. It's us poor saps who are broke who fulfill their every dream.
"Now, a few rules. Felicity's nice… actually, she's a lovely woman, but mind your manners. She's not one of the best Dommes in the city for no reason. Call her Miss Pembrook until she directs you to address her by anything else. This is a rare thing she's offering, so be clear on what you want to ask, and be prepared for the answers. She doesn't mince words, but she knows her wheelhouse," Connie told him.
Kyle nodded as the car pulled up the circular driveway and stopped to let them out. "Thank you," he offered to the man in the front seat before the two men walked up the front stairs of the grand house. From the outside, it looked like any other fancy house on the street, but when a man in a pair of leather pants and a spiked collar opened the door, Kyle was taken a bit by surprise.
"Mr. May, Mistress is waiting for you in the conservatory. If you and your guest will follow me," the young man stated as he closed the door once they'd entered the house.
They followed him to a large, glass-enclosed room with a lot of plants. A naked man was playing the piano as a woman relaxed against a chaise lounge with a cocktail in one hand and a tablet in the other. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, which surprised Kyle. He expected her to be adorned in thigh-high boots, fishnets, a leather skirt and bustier with a mask of some sort, but she was casual as anything.
"Mistress, your guests," the young man announced before he dropped to the floor on his knees with his head resting against the marble tile, much like Kyle had seen Grant do on a few occasions.
The woman closed the device in her hand and tossed it on the floor before she hopped up. She walked to the piano and addressed the naked man, kissing his neck and whispering something in his ear. She handed him a silk wrap, which he fastened around his waist before he left the room after bowing low to her.
She walked over to them and touched the man on the floor on his ass, giving it a bit of a swat. "Anthony, thank you for your service, love. You have the rest of the night to yourself. We'll meet in the playroom tomorrow morning at nine. I have an adventure for you and Lance. You two may play tonight if you wish. Love you," she told the man as he rose from the floor to kiss her gently on each cheek. He bowed to Kyle and Connie before he left them.
The woman smiled and stuck out her hand to Kyle. "Welcome, Kyle. I'm Felicity. It's nice to meet you," she offered before she turned to Connie.
"Come on, give me a hug. I canceled my Friday night for you, darling," she told him before she hugged him and kissed him gently on the lips.
When Connie pulled away, he laughed. "You could almost turn me straight, Felicity. Anyway, my friend here has a huge problem, and he needs your advice. I told him I knew the best people, so please, don't make me a liar."
The woman laughed pleasantly. "Let's go to the kitchen. Anthony's a chef, and he left us some tidbits to enjoy. Connie, you'll have to be the bartender," she ordered. Kyle was surprised when the man nodded and led the way to a well-appointed kitchen.
He and Felicity took a seat at a gorgeous island on comfortable stools while Connie walked to the sink and washed his hands. "What'll it be? Fe, I know you like your Manhattans. Kyle, what for you? She has wine, beer, and any kind of liquor you might enjoy," Connie offered.
"Maybe just a beer? I didn't grow up with wine, and I find I'm not the best judge of what's good or bad. Hard liquor goes to my head, and I need to be clear for this discussion," Kyle answered.
Connie nodded. He made a drink for Felicity and then pulled an imported beer from the fridge for Kyle. After Connie poured himself a glass of Pinot Gris, he sat down across from the two of them. "Okay, Kyle, explain to Felicity what you've told me."
Felicity held up her hand. "Let's toast to happiness and positive energy, first," she ordered. Both men lifted their drinks and touched her glass.
After a sip, Felicity turned to Kyle and smiled. She wasn't wearing any make-up, and Kyle could see she was a beautiful woman in her late thirties. She had a few lines around her eyes and slight creases on her forehead that she didn't seem embarrassed about showing. He immediately respected the hell out of her.
"Thank you, Ms. Pembrook, for seeing me on such short notice. I have a boss who I believe to be a creative genius, but I think he was in a Dom/submissive relationship, and he got dumped. This is only gossip and hearsay, but t
he man is in a downward spiral, and I don't know what to do. I have no idea how long he was in the relationship, only that the breakup was a surprise.
"He's behaving irrationally at the office, and he's had two breakdowns in front of me where he falls to the floor and places his forehead on the carpet while he sobs uncontrollably.
"Today, we were supposed to have a meeting with his team. He wasn't in the office, so I went to his place, finding him bruised and battered. I saw his back was covered with older bruises, newer bruises, and fresh welts, which appear to have bled. He's truly a mess, and I don't know what to do for him," Kyle explained.
Kyle saw the woman consider him for a moment between sips of her drink. Finally, she responded, "And your concern is because of your job or his well-being?"
That was a good question. The selfish answer was because Kyle needed the job. He needed Grant Cummings to be successful at his career, so Kyle had the opportunity to work his way up the ladder, if only to prove he wasn't defined by his incarceration.
Kyle needed the validation he could be successful at something aside from being a criminal. He'd been such a fuckup that his family had disowned him, but if he could succeed at something, maybe he'd validate himself? He had nobody else to depend upon, really, but if he was successful at something? It could change his life.
He looked at Felicity and smiled. "That's a tough one. I haven't really had a say in my life for several years now… well, if I'm honest, not for a long time. I was in prison for five years for forgery. I'm not proud of my actions, but being in that situation reminds one how control can be taken away at the drop of a hat if you make the wrong decision," he responded to the woman, honestly.
She smiled at him before she put her hand over his, giving him a light pat. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Kyle was genuinely puzzled at her comment. "What wasn't so hard?"
"Telling your secret. Now, it's not binding you to a past you need to shed. Now you can move forward to reclaim your masculinity and your independence. Those things were taken from you when you were incarcerated, whether you're willing to acknowledge them or not, but for the length of your incarceration, you were someone's bitch, right?" she asked as she went to the stove when a timer pinged.
The woman pulled out a pan full of appetizers, including mini pizzas and stuffed mushrooms along with puff pastry filled with flavored jams and cheese. "Can you make me another drink, please, Con?" she asked. Kyle had drained his beer, so he slid his bottle forward for a fresh one, choosing to contemplate her "bitch" comment later—though it was true, really.
After the drinks were refreshed, the three of them nibbled on the really great appetizers. They talked about the weather and the real-estate market in the area. After Kyle explained where he lived, Felicity nodded she knew the property. She told him when he was ready to move, she could get him into a fantastic sublet in Center City.
After they were finished, she led them into a formal living room where the three of them took a seat on luxurious couches in front of a roaring fire. "Based on what I know, Grant was dumped by Kade, and he didn't know the prick had another sub, right?" Felicity asked.
Kyle couldn’t help the shrug. "I didn’t know that was the guy’s name. Hell, it's all rumor to me, because he won't tell me what's going on, but I believe he was dumped mercilessly, based on his recent behavior.
“I also think he has a desire to be punished for something, and he's found someone who is more than willing to beat the shit out of him. I'm worried about how far he'll let it go, and I wouldn't feel right if he was severely injured, while I stood by and did nothing," Kyle bewailed.
He saw Felicity sip her drink as she pondered his comments. Finally, she stood from the couch and plodded over to a bookcase and opened a drawer, pulling out a book. She walked over to Kyle, handing the book to him with a gentle smile.
Kyle read the cover, "A Mastery of Power-Balance," but he had no idea what to make of it, exactly. He glanced up at Felicity with an inquisitive look before she rolled her eyes and smiled. "Dom/sub relationships are based on a balance of power. A Dom wants to have it over another person, and a sub wants to have someone in charge of every decision, thought, and activity.
"I have two subs at the moment. One has been with me for nearly ten years. The other is one I've agreed to train for a friend of mine. He's not good at training subs, but he's a great Dom. He met the guy at a fetish night in a gay bar, and he saw potential. I agreed to undertake the first stage of training while he's out of the country. The sub will be leaving me in a week, which is why I told Connie I'd be willing to hear about your sub and maybe help him get his head straight," Felicity offered.
Kyle froze for a moment before he looked at Connie. "What did you tell her about me?" he asked.
Connie smiled. "Darling, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, your boss has already put you into the position of being his Dominant. Right now, he needs what you're not ready to give him, which is discipline and stability. That's where Felicity comes in. She can guide the two of you through the rocky road to the bliss of beating someone's ass without leaving the man battered.
"You need to get him away from whoever is beating him regularly, and he needs to get away from self-destruction and heartbreak. It doesn't have to be a permanent lifestyle for you, but if you get him through this rough patch, I bet he could go on to find a loving Dom and live a happy, productive life," Connie explained. Kyle turned to see Felicity nodding in agreement.
It was a big lump for Kyle to swallow, so he took a deep breath. How the fuck had he stumbled upon the path of becoming a person who liked to have people serve him? Was he even capable of such behavior?
"Right now, your boss feels as if he has had the wind kicked out of him. The relationship between a Dom and sub is one that's not easily understood. It takes a lot of faith to establish the bond your boss had with his Dom, depending on how long they had the agreement. Over time, it strengthens into a beautiful thing, in most cases.
"In order to have a successful relationship, the Dom must agree to meet the sub's needs, and the sub, in return, agrees to meet the Master’s needs. If that connection is broken without mutual consent and preparation, it can send one or the other into a tailspin. In this circumstance, your boss believed he was in an exclusive relationship with his Dom, and when he was dropped without notice, he was shattered.
"Everything Grant held precious was snatched away. Suddenly, he was drifting without anyone at the helm of his boat. He'd chosen someone to trust, to advise him regarding decisions from what time to get up, how much exercise to do, what to eat on any given day, and how he would receive his sexual release. When that's suddenly ripped away, it becomes a free fall, Kyle," Felicity enlightened.
Kyle was utterly stupefied regarding what she was telling him, but he wasn't so stupid as to not listen to her explanation. It seemed as if she had a handle on the situation that he needed to hear. "Okay, what can I do? He's going to somebody who's hitting him… beating him black and blue. I'm sure that's not healthy, and I don't believe it can continue without Grant ending up in the hospital again," he told her.
Felicity looked down for a minute and then looked up. "I'm going to guess your friend needs the discipline to help him sort his world? The problem is, he's so out of his mind, he's gone to some sadist-for-hire to try to find the relief he needs. Some of those assholes start with lashes and then move onto more dangerous play.
"Bring him over on Sunday so I can meet him, and maybe we can help him together," she suggested.
Kyle swallowed as he looked at the book in his hands. "How would I ever convince him to do something like that?"
Connie piped up. "You care about the guy, Kyle. Don't act like you don't. How many times do you want to see him looking like you saw him today?"
He has a point, Kyle thought. "Okay, but if I have to pay you, it might take a bit of time for me to have the cash," Kyle told Felicity.
The woman giggled a bit. "I couldn't begin to
quantify a fee. I'm not a whore, you know. I'm doing this as a favor to Connie and to your poor boss. He's crying out for someone to rescue him, and if someone doesn't hear his cries, he'll do something rash. I've seen it before. I knew a Dom who released a sub because he moved onto a younger model. The former showed up at his place unannounced and threw herself off his roof."
Kyle remembered the voicemail message he'd heard that morning on Grant's line, and he knew he'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't step in. It might be a little weird for him in the beginning, but it went beyond keeping a gravy job. It became about keeping a man from self-harming, and Kyle could warm up to that train of thought. If he could help Grant grow beyond his breakup, then he would.
Chapter 7
Walking up the stairs of the row house where Grant Cummings called home, Kyle was feeling his nerves getting the better of him. He'd stayed up all night so he could read the book Felicity had given him, and while the information felt as if it was emblazoned in his brain, Kyle wasn't sure if his balls were big enough to pull it off.
Felicity's offer of administering discipline and punishment to Grant, if it was what the man needed to get his head together, which Kyle planned to outline for Grant that morning, was right in theory, but Kyle was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the arrangement. The appreciation for the woman’s offer was immense, but maybe it would work better if she was there with the two of them while Kyle carried out the punishment? There had to be another way to punish Grant without striking him, right?
"What the fuck are you thinking? You've been in a handful of fights in your life, and none of them involved you beating someone's ass for fun. This is your fucking boss, you idiot. He's not a lover, and he's not attracted to you at all," Kyle reminded himself as he paced the porch of Grant's home.
True. Kyle knew that he wasn't prepared to administer punishment, because it was hard to see where Grant had done anything to warrant it. Of course, the book explained how people needed certain aspects of the power exchange for different reasons, and apparently, when Grant was involved in that type of a relationship, he flourished. With it gone, the man seemed to be drowning in the abyss.
Unbreak Him Page 6
