Assumed Master (15 page)

Julie pulled away from his touch and turned to
face him, her sticky hands slightly raised as she tried to keep from touching
anything with them. "Is this a conversation where I get to say what I
really feel?"

"Yes. The floor’s open. We need to get
past this. I miss you."

"Fine.
I was Mason’s for almost twenty years and not
one time did he
ever
make me feel
like his property even though he owned me in every conceivable way. The very
reason I was afraid to live here was the fact that you might do that very thing.
You did it when you made me feel like an outsider by insinuating I had no
business discussing anything with Gavril. You hurt me, Dante.
Don’t ever do it again."

"Or what?"
A fire started in his chest from her
perceived threat and his eyes narrowed to slits.

"I’ll take this collar off and leave."
A cross between anger and pain flashed through her eyes before she shut herself
off from Dante. It was something he hated, but she seemed to be able to do at
will, and with the highest degree of expertise, he’d discovered.

"Don’t say that."

"I am saying it. And I mean it."

She was serious. Dante took a step back and
pondered just how much of the compromising he’d promised Allen he was ready and
willing to do he actually prepared to own up to right now. Julie, Blake, and
the twins were his responsibility and as much as he didn’t want to make her
feel like she was a piece of furniture, at times he would have to make
decisions that would be non-negotiable. What would she do when he set his foot
down on an issue for the greater good? Claim hurt feelings and run like a
child? Oh, he knew she was completely capable of flight. She’d proven that over
and over again many years ago by cutting people off left and right and at every
turn when they tried to help her. Would she revert to that tactic now to get
her way? Taking a steadying breath, he decided it was a chance he had to take
or things would never right themselves. Of course, sometimes the wording made
all the difference. It did with Blake anyway.

"I understand." Dante moved forward
a few inches, gauging whether she’d let him into her space or not. "I'm
sorry and I will never intentionally make you feel like that again. Jules, I
don’t ever want to hurt you." He smirked at the thought of revealing the
rest of his plan. "At least not like that. I love you."

Julie’s nostrils flared at the mention of
pain. He suspected she’d been thinking about that as of late as well. He’d
caught her peeking in on two sessions with Blake at times Dante was being
pretty harsh with him. The glazed over look she’d given him when she knew she’d
been caught spoke volumes. Now her pulse was jumping in her throat and her mouth
visibly worked as she tried to swallow what was obviously a growing desire.

"I…I wanted to tell you…well, since…that
day…" she stuttered
. "
I love you, Dante,"
she blurted all at once.

Dante thought maybe he’d heard wrong. "Say
it again."

"I said I love you. I figure it must be
love or else it wouldn’t have hurt so much when you shunned me. Although it’s
not the hit me like a brick kind, it sort of sneaked up on me."

His heart swelled. She loved him. He had to
temper the initial urge to dance a jig given he knew love didn’t always come
with complete trust. He had a bit of work to do in that department.

Reaching behind her, he turned on the hot
water and offered the bottle of antibacterial soap. Once her hands were free of
germs, Dante took her in his arms and laid his chin on the top of her head, her
hair clutched in one hand, his other possessively laid on her lower back.

"I don’t care how it came upon you, Jules.
I’m just glad to know it did." He pulled back and kissed her forehead. "I
never had that talk with the boys, but expect for them to start calling you mom.
I can’t think of a woman I’d rather have for the job than you, love. I’m so
sorry I fucked up the moment for you."

"It’s okay. Maybe I’m not fit. After all,
God didn’t think I was deserving of my own kids, why would you think I deserve
yours?" Julie managed to get the words out over a hitch in her voice.

"Shit. I’m such an insensitive bastard. I
swear to you those things never entered my mind and I never…Jesus, Jules."
Dante took her face in his hands and swiped the tears away with his thumbs as
fast as they fell. "It never occurred to me you might take it that way. I
was jealous. And felt like my control was slipping. And I took it out on you
when I should have been grateful. Baby, you're more than fit to be a parent. In
fact, you might be better at it than I am."

Julie sniffled and nodded then wrapped her
hands around his wrists.

"Does this mean we’re going to be okay?"
Dante asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

Relief that they’d made it through their first
real conflict swept over Dante as he kissed her cheeks, the end of her nose,
and finally landed on her lips, licking the seam free of salty residue before
prying them apart and tasting her. Her response was to press back, fully giving
him what he sought.

"Can the chicken wait?" he mumbled,
running one hand down to cup her breast, feathering the pad of his thumb across
the clearly peaked nipple. "I’ve missed you."

Evidently it could.
 
Julie pulled away from him and darted down the
hall headed for the bedroom. Apparently she’d missed him as well.

Dante took his time making his way down the
hall, thankful the boys had two more days of school before their break started
and Blake was out tying up some loose ends at his office before the start of
winter vacation. When he stopped in the bedroom door way, he put one hand on
the frame and just stood in awe. Julie was naked save her collar, on her knees
head down beside the bed, waiting patiently for him. His heart lurched. It was
the first time she’d offered herself to him this way and it literally stopped
his breath. God if she wasn't beautiful in submission which only sealed his resolve
to do what he must next week in Savannah.

Before their getaway was up, Dante intended to
not just own Julie, but possess her.
His way.

"What would Master have me do?" she asked,
never moving, holding perfect posture.

Master.
More than he deserved, but he’d take
it nonetheless.
Coming back to
his senses, Dante walked over to her, leaned down and stroked her jaw with his
thumb. He tugged her head up and searched her eyes, confirming this was real.

"What I want can be done on the bed. I
don’t want your knees to be in the shape Blake’s are. This pleases me very
much, but I don’t expect this all the time. At attention on your feet is fine,
love. Understood?"

"Yes, Master," she complied as he
helped her to her feet and backed her to the edge of the bed where he forced
her to sit.

He pulled his tee over his head and tossed it
to the side then unbuttoned his jeans, one button at a time, all the while
watching her reaction. She had to know what his intentions were as she darted
her pretty pink tongue out and traced it along her bottom lip as if she craved this
as much as he did.

Dante tugged his jeans and boxers to just
hanging on his hips, not bothering to completely remove them and his cock
sprang free. Although her head was still down, he could see Julie studying him
as he bobbed mere inches from those pouty lips. She took her bottom one between
her teeth and worried it, taking a deep breath through her nose as if
memorizing his scent. When she released it, it tickled his rapidly heating
flesh and he sucked in a breath of his own.

"You want to touch," he said.

"Yes, Master." Her head jumped up
and down in unison with her words.

"Please do so."

What Dante really wanted to do was pull her
jaw down and bury himself to the hilt, not stopping until he was thoroughly
lodged in her throat, but he knew what Julie needed was some leeway, a barrier.
She needed to relinquish control to him in increments.
 
A few late night conversations with Allen
revealed at least that much of how to handle her. Julie was under the
impression he’d forgotten his promise to have Allen help him. What she didn’t
know was Dante had regular visits with him and Allen knew as much of what went
on between them.
Although, they had butted heads over the
whole argument about the condom conversation.
Allen laughed and thought
it was cute. Dante disagreed and wanted to pop him in the nose. They agreed to
disagree and went back to drinking cold beer.

As if not believing she was given the
privilege of freely exploring him to her heart’s content, Julie glanced up and Dante
could see the questions swirling in her pupils mixed with a healthy dose of
desire.

"It’s not a trick, love. I’ll let you
know if something doesn’t satisfy me. We’ll feel our way through this until
we’re in agreement."

She licked her lips again before running her
palm along the underside of his cock, stopping at the base to roll his sac
between her fingers. She made her way back up then took him in her fist, giving
two long strokes before opening her mouth and running her tongue around his
head, lapping up the evidence of his readiness. A few flicks at the underside
of the head and she took him in her mouth, stopping mid-way to pull off, using
her tongue to lubricate his tautly stretched skin before plunging down on him
again, nearly engulfing him in one fail swoop. She held him there, swallowing
around him, milking a reaction. Dear God, the woman knew what she was doing.

When she needed air, she drew back, licked at
his head as she recovered, stroking him with one hand the whole time then drew
him between her lips again. It didn’t take long at that rate for an orgasm to
begin at the base of Dante’s spine and work its way up his groin and settle in
his balls. They drew up and just before liquid lightning shot down his dick, he
grabbed her by the hair and jerked her off him, tugging her head back. Her chin
was wet and shiny and a wicked gleam shone through the glassy expression in her
eyes, letting Dante know she was perfectly aware of her skill. It also told him
she was completely at his mercy. How far did he take that? Maybe it was time
for a taste of what the next week would hold.

"Stand up," he rasped, pulling her
up, her hair still wound in his fist. "Bend over the bed."

"Yes, Master." She turned when he
loosened his grip and obediently bent at the waist, placing her palms on the
mattress, spreading her legs to expose her now wet pussy.

Dante decided he’d never tire of the smell
floating off her. He ran two fingers across her clit before slipping them
inside, curling them so every time he withdrew the
tips,
they raked across the bumpy bit of tissue within. As he continued his assault
on her trigger spot, he stroked her bare ass with his free hand, stopping at
intervals to squeeze, drawing blood to the surface. When her toes curled into
the carpet and she moaned, he drew back the hand he’d been caressing her with
and struck her left ass cheek.

She couldn’t have been expecting it, yet she
didn’t make a single move to withdraw from him. Instead she pushed back as if
seeking more. Dante obliged her. After several harsh pops, red handprints shone
rosy on her creamy flesh and he decided she’d had enough for her first real
spanking. Her pussy clutched his fingers as he leaned down and ran his tongue
along her afflicted flesh, hot and pulsing from his touch. Then he leaned even
further and latched on to her clit with his lips, sucking until she rose up on
the balls of her feet and a scream erupted from her as she flew apart.

When she stopped shuddering, she laid her
forehead on the bed, gasping for air,
  
moaning
through the aftershocks. Dante withdrew his fingers and lay over her,
encompassing her body with his until she drew a deep breath.

"Are you okay,
love
?"
he asked, pushing up off her. When she didn’t answer right away, he leaned down
next to her, pushing her hair back and watching her face. "Answer me. Are
you with me?"

"Yes…Master," she breathed, her eyes
rolling open then back shut.

"Can you stand a bit longer?"

To that she nodded and Dante stepped behind
her, quickly shed the rest of his clothes, bent his knees and positioned himself
at her slickened entrance, thrusting up and into her. He hadn’t imagined it or
wanted it so badly he made it out to be something it wasn’t the first time. She
felt so damn good wrapped around him, clenching, drawing him in. Grabbing her
hips, he took up a fast, hard rhythm, his pelvis meeting her reddened ass with
each stroke.

"Squeeze," he grunted, driving as
deep as he could go with each push forward. "That’s it.
So
good."

The fire he managed to bank earlier came back
in a driving sweep and with a few more thrusts, he emptied himself deep inside
her, wrapping one arm around her waist and holding her to him until he stopped
twitching. Drawing a deep breath, he planted a kiss on her lower back before
pulling out of her and helping her climb in the bed. Once she was settled, he
made his way in behind her and curled his body around hers.