Envy (Seven Deadly Sins) (6 page)

“Well, that cute little red head with the big tits and pretty feet was more than helpful this morning.  Gotta give Carlton some kudos.  Man’s got a great staff,” he said with a chuckle.

“I see.”

“Alright Liz, enough work for the day.  Let’s get out of here and grab some lunch and take a carriage ride in the park; maybe grab a nice little bottle of red wine for celebrating.  You know that kind you like… uh… Ménage a Trois?”

“Mr. Frazier, Ms. Martin?  Making ourselves comfortable?”

I looked up and there he was:  Carlton, in that same angered stance that he was in last night.  Only this time he was at the other end of the conference room table.  I never even heard him come in.

“Carlton!” Benton sang out.  “Glad you’re here.  We’ve just finished up our meeting, and we’re headed out to grab some lunch.  Why don’t you join us?”

“No, we’re not doing lunch…” I tried to interject.

“Perhaps another time, Mr. Frazier.  How’s my case coming along?”

“Well, I think we’re done here.  Short call with the client, then we’ll draft it up and get with the Port Authority.  I’m sure it’ll be handled in a week.  Two tops!”

“Very well, carry on.  Mr. Frazier, Ms. Martin,” Carlton said coolly as he turned and left the room.

“Okay babe, just you and me for lunch then.”

“I don’t think so, Benton.  You’re amazing…” I said, shaking my head in total disbelief.

Benton just smiled that fake, permanent smile that helped him into so many pairs of panties in Charleston and said, “I know.  Right?”

I stood up quickly, convinced that the fumes rising out of my eyes and nostrils would be noticeable to anyone.  I could go down to Wall Street and stand next to the bull and no one would be able to tell the difference between us!  Fuck this man rode my last nerve!  I pursed my lips and in a low, guttural voice said, “You’re such an ass.”

Benton grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him in his usual forceful way.  “I said lunch, and that’s what I meant.  I came all the way up here, and the least you could do is have lunch.  After all we’ve been through, after all you left behind.  I could have given you the world Liz, and you spat it all back in my face.  Perhaps you’d rather I tell Carlton who you really are?”

Now I was seeing the real Benton Frazier; the one everyone who crosses him gets to see. 
Why couldn’t Carlton walk in and catch him holding me against my will?
  No, Benton Frazier was not to be denied.  The fucked up thing is that’s what really attracted me to him in the first place:  his drive, his unrelenting passion when he sets his mind on something had always turned me on.  But I no longer belonged to him, or did I?  I cursed my body under my breath as it was betraying me right beneath the yard of cotton panties I wore.  My nipples were hard, and the granny panties were surely soaking wet.  His forceful ways seemed to trigger an uncontrollable urge to please him in every way.  I clenched my toes in my heels and fought the desire to scratch his fuckin’ eyes out.  I wanted him.  Well, not him, but someone like him to take me.  Take me with great need.  To slam me up against the wall, pull my hair and force his way into my body.  My mouth, my hands, my pussy, my ass; they were all ready to be taken.  All he needed to do was… do it!

“Yes, Benton.  Lunch.”

“That’s better,” he said, slapping my ass for confirmation.  “I knew my little slut was still in there.”

Dammit!  He was reading me like a book.  His offer, if you could call it that, was what has been missing in my life since I left for New York.  And I despised him for it.  I only wished it was Carlton, not Benton.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I waited nervously in the lobby of our building.  I thought the whole damn thing was too screwed up.  This is where the old part of my life would come into play.  With Benton, I had to concern myself with nothing.  When things got tough, he’d step in and take control, overseeing every minute detail and allowing me to escape the world of responsibilities, even if for a few moments.  And his direct attention to my needs made me want to please him.  I’d have done anything for him. 
Hell
, I did do just about anything he wanted.  The only thing I would not do was share my master.

As if my day couldn’t have gotten any worse, Carlton’s limousine pulled up in front of the building.  Great, I thought.  Now he’s going to see me leave the building with Benton. 
I don’t think I could fuck this up any more if I tried
.  The elevator doors opened up and Carlton strode out, walking directly towards me with a confidence few men possess.  Perfect, he was just in time to watch me sink back into my old, pathetic ways.

“Ms. Martin,” he began, reaching his hand out to me.  “Lunch?”

“Beg your pardon, Mr. Michaud?”

He pulled me to my feet, painfully aware of my discomfort with the entire situation.  “I’ve decided to join you for lunch after all.  Besides, if it’s a ménage a trois you desire, then by all means let me be a part of it.” 
Damn it!  Just as I expected he’d only heard part of my conversation with Benton.

I honestly didn’t think it could get worse, but it had.  He grabbed me firmly by the elbow and escorted me to the open back door of the limousine.  I wondered if I shouldn’t just strip right there on the sidewalk to make this easier for all involved.  I climbed in the back and Carlton slid in beside me, closing the door.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, a familiar voice washed all my fears away.  “THIS IS AWESOME, LIZ!” Palmer boomed.

“What?” I said, looking at Carlton.  “Where’s Benton?”

“You know, funny thing just happened,” Carlton said, shaking his head and grinning.  “His office called and needed him back right away.  Of course I lent him the company jet to get him home quickly and safely.  And since a threesome requires three people, I thought Palmer might like to join us!”

“And I was like, ohhhh snap!” Palmer said.

“Thank you, Carlton,” I said as I snuggled into his body.

“Carlton 1, Benton zero!” he replied.

Chapter 4

Several days went by before I was faced with the awkwardness of the Benton/Carlton affair.  Each morning we met for coffee and a walk in the park, and each night Carlton and I enjoyed quiet dinners at his place.  And during all that time he never even mentioned Benton Frazier.  Of course, that was not the same approach Palmer was taking, laying into me at every opportunity about him.  But, even Palmer was relaxing about it as each day passed.  I think Palmer was more disturbed by the fact that I’d kept Benton’s visit to New York a secret from him than anything.

And then it happened.  I knew it would, it was just a matter of time.  If it were me, I wouldn’t have waited so long to ask.  No, I’d have been all up in his grill at the first opportunity about it.  So, I can’t say I wasn’t prepared for his questions.

“Liz,” Carlton said, “can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course, Carlton.  You can ask me anything.”  I wanted to be an open book, I just wasn’t sure he was going to like the story he found inside.  But, if this relationship could ever move past all this, I had to be honest with him.

“What is it with you and Benton?  I mean, what’s the hold he has on you?”

I hesitated and drew in a long breath, “I wouldn’t say it was a hold on me, per se.  Really, it was more a matter of him knowing which button to push and which one to massage.”

“Well that sounds intriguing.  Go on.”

“You have to promise not to get upset, Carlton.” I scoured his face for signs of disturbance.

“I think I can handle it,” he said with his unusual confidence.

“We grew up together.  Hell, we dated for eleven years.  He was everything to me.  He pushed me when I needed it; he was always there to pick up the pieces.  And when my parents died, he attended to my every need.”

His nostrils showed a flare of jealousy, “so what changed all that?  He cheated on you?”

“I wouldn’t call it cheating, really.  We had sort of an understanding.”

“Sounds complicated,” Carlton said, rubbing the back of my neck.  “And this understanding?”

“He’s from a very, very wealthy and powerful family.  Being a lawyer wasn’t a desire, it was a requirement.  And he’ll probably practice for one year, be made a partner in his father’s firm, and four or five years later obtain a Judgeship.  Then he’ll sit on the bench for ten years or so, and then retire, just like his father and grandfather.”

“Sounds like a pretty good arrangement,” Carlton said, “for him.  But where does the hold he has on you come from?”

“There’s more.  A man like Benton Frazier will want for nothing.  He’ll have the ‘Stepford’ trophy wife, which he’ll come home to every weekend.  And during the week he’ll stay at his Broad Street condo with several different women.”

“Wow,” Carlton said.  “Maybe I did underestimate him.”

“But Benton has a nasty twist…”

I didn’t realize I had stopped talking until Carlton shook my shoulder.  My mind had drifted back to the many expectations Benton had for me.

“And?” he asked.

“Benton was into more of the Dom/Sub thing.”

“Dom/Sub?”

“Bondage, whips, handcuffs, spanking, shall I go on?”  He knew what I was talking about.  I’d seen his room, but I needed to cover my tracks and keep that exploration on the hush-hush.  That closet wasn’t filled with kiddie toys, after all.  In fact, I was glad it was coming out in the open.  Now maybe I could get the full tour from him.

He shook his head mildly, “I see.  I can see you being the trophy wife, but I don’t see you putting up with someone womanizing in front of you.”

“Yep, that’s pretty much where I drew the big red line too.  I have this insane fantasy that once I find the right man then we can dispense of the condoms.  With Benton, that was never going to be an option.  As a matter of fact I couldn’t figure out how we were going to get the two and a half kids he wanted,” I smirked at the private joke that Palmer and I had so often laughed about.

“So he wanted you to be his slave?  That’s why you left him?”

“No.  That’s not it.”  I swallowed hard, as this was going to be a rough and rocky ride.

“So why did you leave?”

“I wasn’t fond the womanizing.  But I’d been so grateful and blinded by what I thought was love I’d have done anything for him.  And…”

“And what, Liz?”

Well, here goes nothing.  Either I’ll get a VIP tour of his room, or booted out the door.  The next few minutes would determine it all.  “And I did.”

“Did what?”

“You really gonna make me say it?  Okay, fine!”  I was raising my voice, and not even sure why.  “I did whatever he wanted.  I was his complete submissive, tending to each and every whim that came into his head.”

“And you didn’t mind?”

“I swear Benton had me believing that it was a normal relationship.  I thought they were all supposed to be like that!   After I realized my naiveté, I figured, what the hell.  Once you’ve opened the box, you can’t return it, right?”

“Is that the kind of relationship you want from me, Liz?”  His eyes glistened with… what was that?  Hope?

I nodded attentively, “I’m not going to deny it, Carlton.  I like it.  At first I thought it was a means of escape, you know handing over all power to someone else for a little while?  Then I met you.  I realized that I’d never truly wanted to give myself to anyone before now.”

Carlton squeezed my hand tightly and looked deep into my eyes, “I think it’s fairly safe to say that you can absolutely forget every single thing that prick Benton taught you.  I’ll dominate you Liz, but only out of the intense love I feel for you and nothing else.  I’d never touch you in anger or force you to do anything you are uncomfortable with.  One thing you can jot down in the family Bible is that condoms will have no part in our relationship.  Anyone who touches you will be issued a rock pile at the bottom of the Hudson.  And I assure you that no other woman than you could ever satisfy me.”

I thought about his words, about the pain I still carried with past memories.  Desperately I wished my mother were here.  She’d died of a broken heart after Dad passed; he was her everything.  Somewhere up in Heaven they were raising champagne glasses and toasting the fact that their only daughter had finally found the man of her dreams.  I stood on my tip toes and kissed his lips, “Well, you do owe me a spanking at least, Carlton.  Or shall I call you… Master?”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I sat alone on his couch while Carlton excused himself.  I was half elated with expectation, and half scared that he had no idea what kind of monster he was getting ready to release.  Nevertheless, I’d made my mind up that since I jumped off the cliff, the only way I was leaving this apartment was either after two days of incredible sex, or being dragged out in a straight jacket kicking and screaming.  Oh how I hoped for incredible sex!

I turned off the lights, and removed all my clothing.  I grabbed his tie he so carelessly left on the coffee table and walked towards the window, completely naked.  The Manhattan skyline was brimming with activity as I peered down at the people in the street.  I dropped to my knees, sat back on my heels and tied his silk tie around my head, cutting off all visual capabilities.  It was a shame not to be able to see, but somehow it made submission easier.  I placed my hands behind my back, and locked my fingers together just as he’d instructed me to do.  Here I would sit until he returned.  Hopefully, my silhouette in front of the window would show my complete submission.  I
so
wanted this to work for us.

I was beginning to wonder if he’d forgotten about me, but perhaps the quiet time was more therapeutic than I imagined.  It was a tremendous leap of faith, exposing not only my body, but my soul.  He’d said to forget everything I knew about BDSM; he needed for me to start fresh with him.  His form of sexual play would be centered on his immense love for me, and he hoped that my submission would mimic my love for him.  No longer would sex be used as an escape from reality.  From now on, it was only to provide pleasure to one another.

“Liz?” he called out as he entered the room.  I could hear his bare feet on the hardwood floors. 
Thank God he removed his socks.