KING (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (33 page)

“Jesus, fix Cort ne
xt time you talk to him,” I offer as a suggestion.

“No,” Ezra
growls, and I mutter a curse. “I don’t do that to friends and family. I won’t plant suggestions in my loved one’s minds. I may be devious, but not
that
evil.” He pulls on his boxers and wanders over to my closet.

“Thanks, I thought we were friends. You
did
plant suggestions in my mind. What was that again? Oh, yeah… I’d love penetration and crave it!”

“
That’s different,” Ezra disregards my annoyance. “You did love it. You were just too panicked to feel the pleasure. All I did was get you over the hurdle. You gonna deny coming like a banshee? I’m sure this entire wing of the estate heard you screaming my name,” he arrogantly says, chest swelling with pride as he walks out of my closet. “And you are my friend,” he stresses, pinning me with his inescapable gaze.

“I’m borrowing this,” Ezra
holds up one of my t-shirts, and then slips it over his head.

“Thanks,” seriousness is evident in my tone. “I meant what I said earlier. We’ll be here for you. You don’t have to be frustrated.”

“And thanks to you and Dalton... It’s sweet. It’s not the same as the bond you have for each other, but it will keep me from killing someone. I just want someone to be affectionate, loving, and to give and receive pleasure- our kind of pleasure. I don’t want BDSM, I get enough of that at Restraint and in my own bedroom. Ya know?”

~Chapter Twenty-Nine~

“I remember that day like it was yesterday.”  I cough to cover the tears t
hreatening to choke me. “At six years old, nine months felt like a lifetime. I counted down the days, only to find out it wasn’t nine months on the dot. I was a very sullen kid for those few extra weeks. I was a little boy who only ever had adults to play with and I couldn’t wait for Niel to come into the world. I won’t lie by saying I felt the same about Whitney.” I flash the birthday girl a grin to lessen the dig.

“You wouldn’t even hold her,” Kate laughs from the crowd.
The soft giggle comes from the statuesque female that I was raised to believe was my sister- my aunt- Whitney’s mom.

“Whitney
screamed constantly,” I whine to Kate. “She didn’t stop until she could talk, and then she just yelled at me… Sorry- what I was saying is that Niel was a boy, and every boy wants a little brother to boss around. Niel is soft-spoken like his father, but he has his mother’s calculating mind. And I mean that as a compliment. The problem with this is that I
couldn’t
boss him around. Niel would comply to my face and plot behind my back. Life was never boring once Niel joined us, I’ll tell ya… I was a weird kid. I didn’t see him as a nephew or brother. I had the fixation that he was
my
son… and thirteen years later I brought that to realization. Happy eighteenth birthday: my baby boy, my namesake, my brother, my son. To Daniel Whittenhower III!” I raise my champagne flute waiting for everyone to join me. “To Niel!”

“To Niel,” er
upts from our lawn. Fifty of our nearest and dearest are scattered around the pool area. It’s the smallest gathering celebration Whittenhower Estates has ever known. I wanted this to be about our new adults, not about networking and business deals. Only those closest to the kids are in attendance.

“Not to be outdone,” I begin my next speech. “Ms. Whitney Katherine Whittenhower Preston cou
ldn’t wait four more weeks. Whitney was in a race with Niel, a race she’ll never retire. Four hours after Niel, Whitney joined us. She came into this world screaming, clawing… healthiest damned baby, even for a premie.”

“Whitney
was almost two pounds heavier and an inch longer than Niel,” Regina yells from the crowd. “I thought it meant my boy was a midget.” Kate and Regina share a laugh as they stand next to each other. “Kate and I spent months comparing them. Who’d have thought, seeing them side-by-side now?” Regina shakes her head and smiles.

Niel, at six foot one and two-hundred and twenty pounds, dwarfs the fragile, graceful Whitney. What you don’t see beneath their façades is Niel’s huge heart and Whitney’s spine of steel.

“You girls made beautiful kids,” I say to Regina and Katherine. “Whitney and I were indifferent at first, but we bonded over a traumatic time period that bore a hero-complex within me. I lost the two people closest to me and a third I’d never met. I shoved Niel and Whitney up my ass, and was fanatical about a pregnant Kate. Of course, I forgot all about Kate when she had Priss. I just wanted the kids to take care of and teach. Too bad they taught me much more than I had to offer. The day Whitney stopped screaming and started talking to me was the day I saw her as one of my own.”

I reach over and touch Whitney’s
hand when she surreptitiously wipes beneath her eyes. Whitney always felt tossed to the side. Niel was the heir, Ella was the lost one, Prissy was the nymph, and Whitney was the forgotten one.

We all have our cross the bear within the Whittenhower family. Grant was dubbed the weak one. I was the ignored one and Ade was the strong one. No more labels. It shouldn’t matter, you are just family. And as family, you deserve respect and love, no questions asked.

“Whitney possesses her mother’s delicate grace and her father’s sharp political mind. She’s grown up to be a vivacious, intelligent, vicious woman. I would like to wish one of mine, my cousin, happy eighteenth birthday.” I raise my glass and shout, “To Whitney!”

“To Whitney!” the crowd cheers.

“I know we have gifts and fun and cake. But this old geezer still has a few more words to say... There are certain personality traits that make a successful person. Living this kind of life is stressful and many do not have the strength to shoulder the burden… nor the drive. This doesn’t make them less in my eyes, just more suited for other pursuits- pursuits that will fulfill and enrich their lives. Inside a few of us, this need is inborn. We’re Whittenhowers and we conquer and take ownership of all we possess and all the people in our lives. This trait was passed to both Niel and Whitney. It’s their largest strength and it is why I’ve chosen them to be my successors. I would like to present my heirs, Niel and Whitney. May the throne be as uncomfortable for your asses as it has been for mine. I’ll keep the seat warm. It’s yours within a decade!”

Seventy-five faces stare up at me in stunned silence, even the birthday boy and girl. Only a handful of people knew my plans, but they’d thought I was testing the waters. I never plan on having biological children and I’ve made peace with that. Priss and Ella are smart and beautiful young ladies, but they lack the teeth to survive this life. Whitney and Niel were born for this life, more so than I.

“Well go on now… We’ve looked at my ugly mug long enough. Go on and play,” I tease, pushing the birthday kids to the stunned guests. They get swallowed up in an instant.

“I didn’t even see that coming…” Dalton mutters to me. I feel vaguely guilty for not telling him, but this was a personal ch
oice that has been plaguing me. I had to choose from a very small pool of people. Until I decided to include the females of Whittenhower descent, that pool was only Niel. I didn’t want my son tossed in with the sharks without someone trustworthy, faithful, and vicious by his side.

Announcing an heir apparent is a huge production in our circles
, and usually done within a short time frame of taking your throne. It isn’t something that is entered into lightly. While verbal, it was witnessed by fifty people. My announcement is now legally binding. Nothing can usurp Niel and Whitney as my heirs, short of their death or a word from me. In other words, it’s a done deal and only I can change their fates.

“It had to be done. It should have been done six weeks ago, but they weren’t of age. My other options were Adelaide and Jamie. So as you can see, I had no viable options. I was just thankful that nothing happened to me while I waited on their birthdays.”

“You mean…”

“Yeah, I mean… anything could’ve happened to me and lord knows what would’ve happened to my family. It was weighing on my mind.” I turn to Dalton and smile. “And now I can breathe… because if anything happens to me, there are two very capable people to protect what is ours.”

“I don’t want to talk like this,” Dalton’s voice breaks. “Not while we’re still trying to figure out this threat.”

I pull Dalton
under my arm and hug him to my side. “I agree,” I breathe into his hair. “I’m safer now that I’ve made the announcement. Take comfort in that. I fear for Niel and Whitney. Niel is the product of two very rich and influential families and Whitney’s father is in the running for the Vice Presidential bid. They are very appealing to the mosquitoes sucking the life out of us.”

“Hey,” Regina says softly, knowing that Dalton has mixed feeling where she is concerned
. Everyone does, thanks to that rat-bastard, Roman, and his viral video. One night a few weeks back, I walked into the dungeon and they’d projected it onto one of the walls. They were critiquing our fight and my technique. Douchebags.

“Regina,” Dalton greets her, accepting the kiss to his cheek with good grace. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

“Thanks, babe.” I lean in and brush a kiss to Dalton’s lips before he can walk away.

The mute is hovering behind Regina
, eavesdropping. “Dad, you might as well join us, since you plan on listening anyway.”

I always hated that Regina stuck up for that
cowardly bastard. I know he isn’t really a bastard, just the bastard creator. Since it was revealed that Grant had noble reasons for attempting to kill himself, faking his own death and creating a new identity, which left us fatherless, Regina is even more so on team Jamie. As my feelings for Regina have evolved, so have the ones for my father. The resentment is still holding strong, but the bitter hatred is dissipating. It’s the pain, grief, and mourning for the man I thought I knew, that makes it difficult to look at him. It’s even choking me now.

“I- we just want to say thank you,” Regina begins, a
nd it’s hard to look at her. “We always knew Niel was the only choice, and it scared me- he’s my only son. I’m so very proud of you, sunshine.” Regina’s voice breaks and it nearly does me in. “The girls- you know how I feel about women’s rights- Empowerment was created for that purpose. I’m proud that you included Whitney. She deserves it, and she was an excellent choice.”

“I’m going this alone. Even with everyone’s help, I’m still alone. I didn’t want that for Niel or for Whitne
y- now they will never be alone,” I stress. “As you know, a true partner is more important than friends, family, or even a spouse or lover. It’s built on trust and mutual survival.”

I’m talking of my bond with Regina, of course, and she knows it. I see the pain of regret in her eyes. Our love was always as easy as breathing. S
lowly resentment and remorse have been seeping in. I’ll love her until the day I die, but I resent the fact that we weren’t meant to be together. I feel guilt over the manipulations I’ve dealt her since the day we met. I feel remorse over what my family has done to her. But the love… the love is never going to fade… and that fucking hurts like a sonofabitch.

“I love you, my Queen,” I breathe against her forehead and place a gentle kiss over the spot. I turn to Jamie
before Regina can go all emotional on me. “Dad, today’s a wonderful day. You should be very proud of your son.”

Jamie gives me a half-hug and sneaks a kiss to my cheek. When I don’t punch him as I used to do, he fully embraces me- holding me tightly while a slight tremor runs through his body.

If I really wanted to take a close look at myself, I’d admit that I’m still jealous over my father’s connection to Regina, and that’s where this animosity is seated. But… but I don’t want to look that closely.

I am
Jamie mouths to me.
I am proud of my son. My sons.

“Well, I bet the kids are wondering where their gift is,” I say to distance myself from the agonizing
sorrow that’s threatening to cripple me. “I think we’ll all like what I bought,” I say with real enthusiasm. “What do ya say, Mom?” I give Regina a dimple inducing grin that always makes her blush. “Dad? Do you want to help me give your son and niece their presents?”

I keep the smile plastered on my face while I experience gut-wrenching a
nguish. This is what it would’ve been like if Grant hadn’t died and Jamie wasn’t born from the ashes. Grant and Regina would have been my mom and dad. Niel and Ella would have been raised alongside me, not by me. I feel pride for what I’ve accomplished at my age, but an immense wealth of misery over all that I’ve lost in the journey.

Their identical looks of pain indicat
e that I didn’t hide my inner-agony well enough and they know the direction of my thoughts. I have no doubt they are experiencing the same discombobulating sensation as I am. It should have been them, not me, standing at the head of this family. It should have been them introducing their son as heir apparent.

The three of us share an unbreakable bond that was wrought through love and mutual survival almost nineteen years ago. I take each of their hands in mine and press a kiss to the backs. “Let’s go get those prese
nts,” I say with real happiness.

***

Sugar high toddlers, teenagers, and adults loudly shout as the birthday boy and girl open their presents. Gifts that range from the mundane- video games and books- to the obscure status symbols of the elite- Cartier watches and Tiffany’s diamond pendants. I win for the best gift and I haven’t even given them yet. I watch and wait for my turn.

Niel, ever the ladies’ man, has girls hanging all over him. Thank goodness he’s huge
enough to hold them all. Ava is on one of his knees with Itsy on the other. Ella stands behind him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Even shy Prissy is begging for his attentions. Niel is addictive. When he’s talking to you, you are his sole focus. His charming nature and unusual good looks make the kid a chick magnet.

Whitney, knowing better
than to touch Niel, sits in her chair, graciously opening her gifts. The signs of her last confrontation with Niel’s girlfriend are slowly fading. The scar on her neck will always be a visible reminder that Ava means deadly business. It was all because Niel and Whitney were paired to work together. It’s a wonder Ava doesn’t smack the shit out of Itsy. The girl keeps kissing Niel’s cheek, a bit too close to his lips for comfort.

“Who wants presents?” I shout getting everyone’s attention. “Come on up here
, birthday kids!” 

Niel has a goofy grin on his face, making him look even more like a deranged Raggedy Andy. The reddish-blond-haired, green-eyed, freckled-faced idiot skips up to me. His size is at complete odds with his
charm. Kid brother/pseudo-son or not, he’s a handsome young man. Niel does have my face, after all.