Submissive Beauty (23 page)

She moved away from her desk, opting to let the messages run as she waited for her tea to brew. She flung open the curtains to the bright streaming sunshine as the next message started to play.

“I drove by your new place tonight, Gabby, and see that your car isn’t in the driveway. So where the hell are you? Out cheating on me with another man? Who is he? Doesn’t he know you already have a husband? You better hope I don’t find out who he is babe. It won’t be pretty.”

Her head swiveled in the direction of the recorder. The new chill in his tone really worried her. It was calm, very unlike the explosive anger he usually reacted with.

The messages continued one right after another, all Scott and each one more frightening than the next. She plopped down on the sofa and laid her head in her hands. Why now? What had she done to deserve this?

“Gabby, my darling wife, it’s 3:00 a.m., and I’m standing outside your front door. Are you really not there? No car again. Surely, you aren’t staying the night somewhere else whoring yourself. Pick up the phone. I need you, Gabby. In fact, I’ve decided that I can’t let you go, and I certainly won’t lose you to some asshole who likes the sick shit you said you crave.
Pick. Up. The. Goddamn. Phone.
”

She’d had enough, her head throbbed in her hands and her stomach threatened to revolt.

“Hey babe, it’s me again. I came by again at five this morning. Thought maybe we could watch the sunrise together. Did you get my present?” He laughed, a particularly wicked sound. That did not bode well.

A gift? She hadn’t seen anything outside. She jumped up to the bay window and look out in the front yard. She scanned every inch, looking for anything out of place. Nothing. She rushed to the door but skidded to a stop before she opened it. She had to know what he’d been doing, but the knot in her stomach made her afraid to look. This was Scott they were talking about. He’d never done anything crazier than yell and threaten and punch a few walls. But the man on the answering machine sounded different. Calm and reasonable at times and crazy and out of his mind with jealousy others.

Fuck it.

She twisted the knob and stepped out into the sunshine. She wasn’t about to let her ex-husband hold her hostage in her own home too afraid to go outside in her yard. He knew how much she loved her garden. Still, she left the door open and took only a few tentative steps, searching the ground of her small, covered entry for any sign of something that had been left for her.

“Oh and Gabby, I forgot to tell you. You really need to invest in a better security system.”

She froze in place when her blood chilled at his final words. The security system was only on the actual house. To know about that, he would have had to gone inside. She took three steps back, nearly tumbling down her front steps before catching herself on the railing. What had he done? Broken in? She had yet to wander into all of the rooms, and now, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Who could she call? She still didn’t want to involve Thomas or David in this nor did she want to call the police. This town wasn’t big enough to keep a domestic situation a very good secret, and one secret always led to another. She wasn’t sure her clients would want to know all the sordid details about her new life.

No, she had to do this without that kind of help. So who did that leave?

Angel! She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She hit the shortcut to Angel’s number. She thankfully answered on the second ring.

“Where the hell have you been, missy? I’ve been worried sick about you. You go and disappear for days and don’t even call your best friend?”

“Angel, I need your help. Can you come over?”

Angel must have heard the fear in Gabby’s voice.

“Are you at home?”

“Yes.”

“I’m on my way. Give me five minutes.”

The call disconnected, and Gabby returned the phone to her pocket. She knew Angel would support her and understand what was going on. She always did. She was always there whenever she needed someone, and she was damn lucky for it. What would she do without her?

Unable to sit still, Gabby walked around to the side of the house and used her key to get into the backyard. She took a few cautious steps forward, searching the ground and gardens for anything unusual. The last thing she needed right now was a new surprise. Seeing nothing she walked toward the fountain and her lounge chair. She needed to get herself under control and this was her special place, the one place she could always find her calm no matter how bad things got.

She sank down into the soft cushion of the chair and ran her fingers through her hair. This wasn’t happening. Not now, not when things were finally turning themselves around. Resting her head back, she listened to the water tumbling over the stone steps of the pond she’d created with her own two hands. This really was the perfect place of solitude. The tinkling sound of fluid water falling into the pool below soothed her frazzled nerves until she closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. Surely, Scott had been pulling her leg. Why would he have broken into her house, and how could she have not noticed?

Birds chirped in the trees surrounding her oasis, and she glanced over at the climbing roses that hid the fence separating her property from the neighbor behind her. The riotous color of orange, red and pinks that her Joseph’s Coat gave her brought a smile to her lips. If she stayed much longer at Thomas’, she might have to convince him to give her a little space in his backyard. His yard was nice, obviously done by a professional landscaper, but nice nonetheless. There weren’t any water features or an overabundance over color, but the beds were filled with green perennials and trimmed neatly—perfect for a wealthy bachelor who had little time for that kind of thing. She had noticed, however, that he had a large back deck with a built-in fire pit and barbeque so he either enjoyed spending some time out there or he liked to throw outdoor parties in the summer time. She loved that kind of thing and with free rein she’d have his backyard blooming before he knew it. The idea of a blank slate excited her beyond belief as she mentally prepared a checklist of what she’d need to get started.

Maybe in a week or two, she could bring it up and see what he thought. Even if she didn’t stay there beyond her training, it would be a gift she would love to leave him with. His own special oasis that, when he went out there or even glanced out the back windows, would maybe make him think of her. She sighed wistfully. Here she was scared to go in her house because her ex had scared the shit out of her, and she was still making plans to play house with Thomas and David.

“Gabby, I’m here. Are you out here?” Angel had arrived, and she didn’t wait for a response before she pushed through the gate and headed her way.

“I’m over here.” She waved her arm above her head so her friend could see her.

“So, what the hell happened? Are you okay? You sounded scared to death on the phone.” Angel sat at her spot near Gabby’s feet, an imploring look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t mean to scare you it’s just—” she choked up. With her friend looking at her with such worry and compassion, she lost her composure and burst into tears.

Angel jumped up and wrapped her arms around her. “Tell me. I’m here for you, you know that, right?”

She nodded. The huge lump now sitting in her throat prevented her from talking. No way were words getting choked by that.

“Did something happen between you and Thomas? I knew he would contact you and figured he’d want to train you until you found your own Dom. Was I wrong in that? Did he hurt you?”

Gabby shook her head. “No, no, it’s nothing like that at all. He has been beyond wonderful, and hopefully soon, we can get into the details of it. You would not believe what has happened in the last week.”

“Then what sweetheart? What has you in tears?”

“It’s Scott,” she whispered, afraid to even say his name out loud. Talking about him always had a way of making things worse. At least, sometimes it did. Dwelling on his ability to tear her down always gave him too much power over her. Something he’d abused for a very long time.

“Oh hell no. What has that bastard done this time? I’ll gladly tear him limb from limb if he’s hurt you again.”

“I’ve not been home for a few days.”

“Yeah, I noticed. I came by a couple of times, and you weren’t here which was kind of freaky considering you’re attached to this place. But I figured you and Thomas had hooked up, and well, Master told me not to worry or bother you.”

“Oh Angel, I came home about an hour ago to check on things and get some more clothes, but when I got here, I found dozens of messages on the answering machine. All from him.”

“What did he say? Please tell me he hasn’t gone back to berating you for the life choices you wanted to make. Isn’t he past that now?” Her hands rubbed absently up and down Gabby’s arm, and instantly, Gabby calmed, an ability Angel always had with her. She could comfort anyone in any crisis. It was a gift.

“I don’t think I could even paraphrase all that he had to say. Maybe you should listen to them yourself. Then maybe you can tell me if I’m blowing things out of proportion because, right now, he’s scared the hell out of me, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. You sit here and relax. I know how great this garden makes you feel, and I’ll go in the house and listen.”

“Angel, be careful. He said he left me a gift and that my security sucked. I don’t know what that means, but I was afraid to go back in the house.”

“Son of a bitch, he’s gone too far this time.” Angel jumped to her feet and headed toward the house. “Are the French doors here in the back open?”

“No, but the front door is still open.”

“Sit tight, sweetie. I’ll be back in a jiffy, and I’ll even make us some margaritas. You’ve still got all the fixin’s right?”

She turned and arched her brow.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. No self respecting southern woman would be without the ingredients to almost anything her guests might request.” Her laughter faded as Angel disappeared out the gate.

Guilt washed over her about sending her friend in alone, but the last thing she wanted to do was listen to those messages again. At this point, she’d be happy to never hear Scott’s voice again.

“I’m going to leave the back door open in here, okay?” Angel called from the house.

“Sure, no problem. Are you sure you don’t want me in there to give you a hand?”
Oh God. Please say no, please say no.

“No way, Gabby. You sit tight and relax. You deserve it.”

Did she? She wasn’t sure. Sitting out here while her friend went to find God knew what made her feel like a coward. Her hand reached up to rub the collar wrapped around her neck. She needed the strength of Thomas and David right about now, but to involve them in her mess would be insane. They definitely did not deserve this.

“Asshole!”

She laughed when she heard Angel cussing from inside the house. Obviously, she had hit play on the machine. This is going to get ugly. Unable to just sit here sunning herself, Gabby decided she needed to get something done. There were weeds and dead flowers to clean up. That would keep her mind occupied and off what had happened.

Why the hell couldn’t Scott just move on and stay out of her life? Why would he come back now after all this time? What could have changed? She was going to drive herself crazy, trying to analyze a man who’d rarely made sense to her. She shook off the thoughts and walked into the garden shed to retrieve her tools. Gloves, a spade and her kneepad were all she needed.

She kneeled at the front of one of many of her rose beds and let the scents and heat of the earth wash over her. Why did the soft smell of loam calm her so? The simple act of being on her knees reminded her of Thomas and David. A smile curved at the edges of her lips. She couldn’t keep them out of her mind for long and now wanted to get back to them. Coming home had not been a stellar idea. Gabby pushed her hands into the fitted gloves and reached into the earth, turning it to loosen and allow for more oxygen flow to the roots of her roses. She’d have to remember to get some bone meal out here before she left since it had been a while since they’d been properly fed.

Looking at the position of the sun in the sky, she figured she still had several hours before she would have to leave and head back to Thomas’. It would not be good to be late, and she’d need a shower before going home.

Home.

This was her home, not Thomas’ house. She needed to stop thinking like that and letting herself get ahead of the relationship.

Take it slow Gabby, you don’t want to make another mistake.

“Oh my fucking God, what a fucking asshole!”

Gabby tried not to laugh at Angel, but it was either that or cry, and she’d given Scott enough of her tears. She’d find her way past this on her own just like she always did with the rough spots in her life. But she’d have to be very careful when she walked back in that house. Thomas was very attuned to her moods and behavior. Yes, she’d have to be very careful.

She pulled at the weeds until sweat trickled down her face and back. Her muscles bunched in her shoulders as she stretched and pulled to be sure and get the roots. God, this felt good. When she’d discovered that she could get more healing out of hard work in the sun and dirt, more so than she ever got with her therapist, she’d cancelled her appointments and quit getting her prescriptions filled. She didn’t need antidepressants. She’d only needed to work through the problems on her own with the aid of good old-fashioned hard, sweaty work.