Curvaceous Heart (24 page)

“I’m nothing like that.”

“Oh, yes, you are, you’re just hiding it, Alan.”

His jaw clenched, every muscle in his body tensed, and still his father kept silent. This wasn’t happening. All the problems at work, the constant stress, it couldn’t have been because of one woman who refused to accept that no meant no.

“My son isn’t a piece of meat to be grabbed by the hungriest predator.” Neil finally spoke up.

“No, he’s a submissive male who needs the strongest woman around to keep him in line and that is me.”

“Stop and think for a minute. Do you truly believe what you’re doing is the action of a dominant?” Neil stepped around the edge of the desk.

“I believe I know far more about being a dominant than you or your son ever will. You’re both submissive men, and in your case a poorly trained one. I would have thought better of Margaret considering how everyone else in the group looks up to her, but it’s obvious that she’s only been playing at being your Mistress all these years.”

“Haven’t you learned anything from the women around you, from those in the lifestyle? Strong doesn’t mean abusive. Abuse is not a part of a good D/s relationship. The reason my wife makes such a good dominant is she knows where the line is. Where the limits are…”

“You stupid little fool, there are no limits unless a dominant wishes there to be,”
Victoria
hissed and turned to Alan. “You belong to me and it’s time you accepted that.”

Alan shuddered as he caught a glimpse of the fanatical light that shone in
Victoria
’s eyes.
Dangerous.
Why hadn’t he seen it before?

Because he hadn’t looked.
She simply hadn’t interested him enough to peer beneath the surface he’d seen prior to tonight. No, that wasn’t entirely true; he’d kept her at arm’s length for a reason.

This woman, this creature, expected him to go along with her desires, and if he didn’t, then what? She’d cause more problems for his business? He couldn’t allow that. He wouldn’t bow down to her either. The thought of her touch left his skin crawling in sheer disgust. This wasn’t the woman he wanted, or needed.

“The only thing I’m going to accept is that you need help,
Victoria
. You’ve been playing games with people’s lives and I’m not going to tolerate that any longer.”

“You’re mine, Alan, and you have two choices. Accept that of your own free will or I’ll force you to your knees kicking and screaming all the way.”
Victoria
closed the gap between them, her hand tangling in his tie, tightening the noose of silk about his throat in a single move.

“And I suggest you get your damn hands off my property before I lose my temper.” Sue’s voice broke through the rapidly gathering fog of anger and fear that now threatened to cloud his mind.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Sue waited only long enough for Margaret to enter the small office before she closed the door and turned her attention fully to the woman who now had a tight grip on Alan’s tie.

Her stomach knotted as she took in the scene. Alan caught by the tie she had straightened before they had arrived at the party, his jaw clenched, shoulders tight. If
Victoria
had been a man she had no doubt Alan would have already fought his way free of the unwanted grip. But he respected females and now those lessons prevented him from slugging the woman.

“Your property?
God, I never thought he’d stoop so low. Do you even know what it means to be a Mistress?”
Victoria
’s grip never loosened from the tie. “He’d be with me if he had the ability to choose freely. We both know that. It’s why you gave him that damn bracelet, so he couldn’t make that choice.”

“From where I’m standing I’d say I have a better understanding than you ever will.” Sue forced her voice to remain calm, despite the fact that her heart pounded against her rib cage loud enough that she was certain everyone in the room could hear it.

Get off him before I rip your fucking throat out
.

That’s what she wanted to scream at
Victoria
, but it wouldn’t have helped the situation.

“Margaret…”

“Neil, be silent and stay out of this.” Margaret interrupted him with a sharp wave of her hand. “This is between Sue and Victoria.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”
The older man lowered his gaze.

“He’s mine, Victoria. He and I have agreed to a consideration collar.”

“He had no right to accept such a thing from you. He belongs with me. What sort of Mistress are you going to be; you can’t even control your body. Look at yourself. You’re fat!”

The words should have hurt, and only a week ago they might have left her shaking, trying to control the urge to cry, but now Sue saw them for what they were. They were nothing more than the weapons of the insecure; petty words with no real power behind them unless she, Sue, allowed them to affect her.

“Did you have anything else you wanted to say,
Victoria
? Or did you want to continue with the childish insults?” Sue folded her arms beneath her breasts. “I didn’t think a woman could be involved with those idiots on the
blogger
ring, but now that I’ve seen how you act it makes sense. You’re no better than they are. Lashing out, trying to control everyone around you.
Using force when you don’t get your own way.
What’s next, blackmail?”

Victoria
blinked,
her grip on Alan’s tie slipping.

“Alan, come over here, please.”

Alan nodded, taking a slow breath as he walked away from the shaking
Victoria
.

“Listen to you, some dominant you are.
Asking your toy to do something instead of telling him.
A Mistress commands
, she doesn’t ask. We control, we demand, if I wanted him on his knees I’d tell him, not ask. You’re weak!”

“I’m stronger than you will ever know.”

“Prove it. Command
him,
show your strength, your power over him. You can’t, can you? It’s just some bedroom game to you. A way of getting off, or have you switched roles already? You’ve let him tie you up, didn’t you?”

“If I was a switch I wouldn’t be ashamed of saying so.”

“You’re weak. I know what Bill used to say to you, and you’d let him walk all over you.”

“Yes, for a time I did. Then I stood up to him. He didn’t know what to do then. You see, like most bullies, he was and still is a coward.
Just as you are.

“Haven’t you learned anything about this lifestyle,
Victoria
?” She almost felt sorry for the other woman. She wasn’t a dominant, but rather a bully, alone and afraid of the world around her. How often had she seen men and women like this? People who had to lash out, control, use acts of cowardice and cruelty to get their own way? Hadn’t she
fallen
victim to men just like
Victoria
on more than one occasion?

“A dominant is just that, a dominant. They don’t make bargains, or ask their toys to do something.”
Victoria
’s jaw set.

Sue shook her head, her anger seeping away. “No, they use what is appropriate to the situation within the limits of their submissive.”

“The only limits that matter are those of the Mistress.
Submissives
are there to obey, to please. What they want doesn’t matter.”
Victoria
’s eyes glittered, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“You’re confusing D/s with abuse. And if that is truly what you believe being a dominant is then you’ll quickly find yourself in prison for assault. Alan and I have a long way to go in this lifestyle, a lot to learn about each other, but the one thing I know now is I’d walk away from him in a heartbeat if I crossed that line into abuse.”

“A submissive wants a strong Mistress, someone they know will take charge of the situation, not a weak-willed little bitch like you. Alan needs me. He knows that. He’s just too afraid to make the right choice.”

“Do you believe that,
Victoria
? Do you truly believe that?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s a simple answer, isn’t there. We give Alan a free choice.”

“Do you really think I’d fall for that? He knows it’s not a free choice, he’s wearing your collar -- bracelet.”

Sue held out her hand to Alan. “Alan, I need you to give me the bracelet back.”

“But…” Alan began.

“No, give it back to me, Alan. It’s important you have free choice, fully free choice in this.” She closed her fingers on the bracelet as he placed it in her hand. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach as she held the silver links tightly. No, she had to keep her emotions under control in case
Victoria
accused her of using them to manipulate Alan.

“You’re a fool.”

“Perhaps, but I prefer to give him a true choice.” Sue took a deep breath and looked at Alan. “No matter who you decide to be with I want you to know that I will support your decision. If you want to kneel at
Victoria
’s feet I’ll be the first to congratulate her and wish you joy in your new life.”

Oh, it hurt to say that. Each word stabbed into her heart like a rusty knife.

Alan didn’t move.

“Alan, darling.
You know which of us
is the right choice
for you,”
Victoria
purred, turning to face him fully.

Sue stood her ground, though her heart threatened to sink into the depths and never return. It didn’t matter that she knew Alan loved her; right now all she could see was the beautiful body of a woman who knew that she could attract the attention of any man she wanted with little more than a twitch of her hips.

Victoria
was everything a man could want. Young, attractive, and wealthy, and that was what men needed in a woman. Not a woman who was middle-aged, overweight, and worked as what, a secretary? What did he see in her to begin with?

Sweat coated Sue’s palms as she stood there waiting, and still Alan didn’t move.

“Come now, it’s not as if it’s a difficult decision, is it? She has nothing to offer you. At least I will be accepted by your friends and family.”
Victoria
glanced towards Margaret and then laughed, shaking her head.
“Well, your friends at least.
What good would you gain by keeping that little bitch in your life? She has nothing to offer you, she doesn’t even know how to feed that needful fire you’ve finally admitted burns in your heart.”

“There’s no choice to make.” Alan glanced towards Sue then turned the full force of his attention on
Victoria
. “I’ve known for a long time that the type of woman that I want in my life, the type of woman I need, possesses a rare strength. That she goes after what she wants, despite the knowledge that others might ridicule her for it. Women -- no, not just women, but people with that level of courage are all too rare.”

Sue closed her eyes, struggling to keep her fears under control. He wasn’t going to chose her. Why would he? He was right, that type of courage was rare and she barely had the courage to look into the mirror some days. How could she have ever thought she would be enough for him?

She’d told him he was free to make his own choice and even though it was about to bite her in the
arse
she had to follow through with those words.

“Ma’am, will you have me in your life, at your feet?”

Her heart skipped a beat even as she opened her eyes.

Alan.

He knelt at her feet, looking up at her.

Her mouth dried out as she wiped her hands on her dress.

“Alan, you have no idea the mistake you’ve just made.”

“Oh shut up,
Victoria
. You still haven’t learned, have you, even after all these years. You can’t force someone into doing something they truly don’t want to do. And my son has made his choice. He wants Sue. I suggest you learn to live with it.” Margaret’s cool voice cut through the room.

“Though not for too long.
I plan on pressing charges against you for your part in the
blogger
ring.” Neil spoke quietly, but his voice never wavered. “My apologies, Margaret, I know you told me to keep out of this for now, but it is a business matter as well.”

“Understood.”

Sue didn’t move as she stood there, looking down at Alan still kneeling at her feet. The others faded into the background even though a part of her registered that
Victoria
had somehow been involved with Bill and Charlie.

“Ma’am, will you have me? I know it’s a lot to ask but I want to be with you. I need you in a way I never knew was possible. All I ask if that you accept me for everything that I am, the good and the bad, and give me a chance to be at your feet, in your life, and in your heart.”

She tried to force her mouth to work but all she could do was nod. Tears clogged her throat, stinging in her eyes as she grasped his hands and half pulled him to his feet. The small, nagging voice of doubt she had lived with throughout her life now whispered at the back of her mind that there was something wrong with him kneeling at her feet in front of his parents, but she no longer cared.

She had Alan.

Nothing else mattered.

Epilogue

Alan shuddered under her lips, his limbs outstretched on the bed, bound by scarves. His hips
raised
towards her, a low groan filling the air. Sweat coated his skin even as she shifted over his body, teasing the head of his cock with her slick lower lips.

Her breath burned in the back of her throat, hunger rippling through her belly and into her thighs as she danced slowly across his throbbing shaft, never quite letting him slide into her body. She ruled here, owned him, controlled him, and only she would set the pace.

He strained against the soft restraints, his hands clenched, jaw set. It wouldn’t have taken much effort to pull free, just a few sharp tugs, or a single word and he would have been able to wrap his arms about her body and turn the tables on her.