Dominated: A Kinky Adult Fairy Tale (Bedding the Bad Girl Book 4) (7 page)

Cindy gulped and her tears cut off with a suddenness that made Frank doubt their sincerity.

“Talk,” he growled. “Now. Quickly.”

“The prince— I mean, King Robert, my husband, he’s in love with Eleanor, or in lust with her anyway,” she said, continuing when Frank gave her a slight shake. “He started writing her those letters, but I didn’t know. When I heard about the stalker I just thought Eleanor was in trouble, and I wanted to help. But when the guards brought in the picture yesterday, I saw the coat I’d given Robert. I had it handmade, so I knew it had to be him.”

“You’re serious.” Eleanor sank down onto the red couch with a horrified look.

Good, she should be horrified by the thought of any man but me wanting to touch her
.

The thought flew through Frank’s mind before he had the chance to consider what little right he had to stake a claim. Still, the king had no right, either, and if what Cynthia was saying was the truth, their entire kingdom was getting ready to be turned upside-down. Not even a monarch could get away with this kind of craziness.

“Is there anything else we should know, Cynthia? Quickly, we’re almost out of time,” Frank urged, his tone gentling.

She was talking, no need to scare her into another round of tears.

“I searched his room and found his journal,” Cindy said. “He did the red light stalker thing to cover his tracks. He’s going to kidnap Eleanor and make it look like she was murdered. Then he’s going to take her back to the castle. He has a secret room in the west wing all ready for her. I found the key. He’s going to keep her there and have sex with her! In my own house! With my
stepmother
!” Cindy finished with a horrified gasp, obviously feeling more sorry for herself than Eleanor, the woman who would have become the king’s unwilling sex slave.

The girl was a piece of work, no doubt about it.

“Do you still have the journal?” Frank asked.

“It’s in my coat in the dressing room,” Cindy said, clearly trying to be helpful. “I can go get it if you want.”

“Captain?” Nate whispered urgently from the door of the dressing room.

“We’ll get it later. Take her.” Frank shoved Cynthia toward the door.

“The queen?” Nate asked, looking uncertainly from Frank to Cynthia and back again, clearly torn.

“Keep her in there and don’t take your eyes off of her. Don’t let her scream or talk or cry. Gag her if you have to,” Frank ordered, his eyes holding those of his subordinate until he knew that Nate would obey him. “She’s in the custody of the state until Parliament decides her guilt or innocence.”

“Where will you be?” Nate took Cynthia gently, but firmly, by the upper arm.

“I’ll be right here,” Frank said, crossing to Eleanor. “If what Cynthia is saying is the truth, we have enough evidence. We’ll let him walk in here and I’ll take care of him myself. Eleanor, you go with Nate.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yes, you are. I—”

“Frank, we don’t know if Cindy is telling the truth, if there really is a journal or what it says. I don’t want to take the risk of one or both of them getting away with this,” she said, her eyes pleading with him to understand.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Frank protested, though he knew she was right. It was exactly what he would have said himself, if he were thinking with his right mind.

But he wasn’t, he was acting on emotion. How could he allow Eleanor to put herself in danger when he was still so shaken by seeing a gun trained on her heart? He didn’t want to risk her safety, even to put away a man who obviously shouldn’t be allowed to remain in power if the accusations against him were true.

“I won’t get hurt, and you’ll be just a few feet away, right?”

“Right,” he said, the trust in her eyes making his stomach knot. She had faith that he would keep her safe. Now he had to make sure he proved worthy of her trust.

“Then I’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. “Now scram before I get nervous and change my mind.”

“You can still change your mind, you—”

“I won’t. I trust you.” She bit her lip. “Is that crazy?”

“No, it’s not,” he said. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Not even myself.

He turned and disappeared into the east dressing room without another word, forcing himself to think about keeping Eleanor safe and nothing else. There would be time to mourn the loss of what could have been between them at a later date.

He knew now that he couldn’t allow his fantasies involving the woman to become a reality. If they took care of business tonight, Eleanor would have the chance at a real life again. She’d made it clear she didn’t relish working on the wrong side of the tracks. She wouldn’t want to start a relationship with a man who felt that a “kinky” lifestyle was the only one that worked for him.

Frank had had relationships that didn’t play by the Dom or sub rules, but they hadn’t fulfilled him in the same way. He craved that sexual charge too much to give it up, but he already cared for Eleanor too much to ask her to spend any more time living a lifestyle she resented.

He would help her regain her life, and then he would remove himself from it. It was the best way he could show his regard for her, even if the thought of never seeing her again tore him up inside.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Eleanor

Eleanor gripped the whip and turned to face the dressing room door, where the king would supposedly be making his appearance at any moment.

She knew she should be scared out of her mind, but for some reason she wasn’t. Maybe it was simply that she trusted Frank to keep her safe, or maybe it was because she was still having a hard time believing that Robert planned to kidnap her and make her his love slave.

It was ludicrous. The guy who had fought tooth and nail to be able to date, and eventually marry, her underage stepdaughter was actually in love with Eleanor and wanted to lock her up in a room and go at it?

It was just plain weird, and she wouldn’t have bought it if Cindy hadn’t been so hysterical.

Her stepdaughter was good at many things, but acting wasn’t one of them. The entire kingdom had bought her story of abuse at her stepmother’s hands, but Eleanor had always been able to see through her attempts at deception. No, Cindy genuinely believed what she was saying was the truth.

Of course, she could be mistaken. She wasn’t the most stable kid and tended to jump to conclusions. But if Robert’s secret journal really existed, there wasn’t much chance of that.

God, she could go crazy thinking in circles!

She just had to sit tight for a few more minutes, and then she’d know who was crazy—King Robert or his paranoid new queen.

“Crap,” she muttered, jumping at the quiet scrape of the outer door of the dressing room swinging open.

So much for relaxing.

She held her breath and tried to pretend that this was any other client, even as she struggled to catch the sound of a key in a locker or clothes being removed. Would the king risk getting dressed in the regulation loincloth, or would he just walk in? On the one hand, it made no sense for him to make himself vulnerable, but then maybe he had a sincere desire to wear a diaper in front of a woman in six-inch heels. You never could tell with men, especially men who frequented S&M parlors.

Which brought an entirely different idea to mind—what if the king were simply here for a routine session? Would she be able to provide her customary fare, knowing that Cindy and Frank and a dozen men were watching? After what had happened between her and Frank tonight, she didn’t know if she would be able to go back to playing the Domme with any conviction.

It felt too perfect, and oddly powerful, to be the one
not
in control.

Or maybe it just felt good to be that person with Frank, to be with Frank, period. She’d never felt such an instant, powerful attraction to a man, and she had to admit she was happy he was one of the good guys. But it wasn’t only the fact that he’d saved her life that made her heart feel strangely light, it was something else, a secret hope that she wasn’t quite ready to name.

“Hello, my dearest.”

Eleanor jumped at the familiar voice as her heart dove into her stomach. King Robert was really here. Seeing him in the flesh and hearing him call her “dearest,” was doing wonders for her ability to believe Cindy’s crazy story.

“Robert, what are you doing here?”

“It’s good to see you again too,” he said, the edges of his eyes crinkling in a smile that would have seemed friendly if she didn’t know him so well. “Though I would prefer the use of my title, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Prince Robert, what are you doing here?”

“I’m the king now, my sweet.”

My sweet?

“I don’t see how you could have missed the ten-day funeral festivities that were held in honor of my mother’s passing.” His tone was light and the steps he took toward the window casual, but the tension in his words was clear. Something was bothering Robert, something more than her lack of respect for his title or position.

“She was a wonderful woman, I was sorry to hear of your loss,” she said sincerely. The former queen had been wonderful, though too ready to think the best of her louse of a son.

“It was time for her to step aside and allow me to ascend to my rightful place. Her death was as much a celebration as a time of mourning.”

“Wow. I thought Cindy was ungrateful,” Eleanor said, her limited patience with Robert already exhausted. “But even she had the decency to grieve her father’s death You disgust me, Robert. Tell me why you’re here, or get out.”

“Watch your mouth,” he said, the muscle in his jaw jumping though he didn’t turn to face her. Instead he took another step toward the window, eyes fixed on the city lights, hands gripping the lapels of his coat like a lifeline. He was definitely on edge, and Eleanor doubted it would take much to push him over.

“This is my place of business. I don’t have to watch anything except my whip descending on your ass,” Eleanor said. “If you’re here for a session, get back in the dressing room and get dressed appropriately. Otherwise, I’ll call security to come remove you.”

“If you’re talking about the men at the front, they’re gone. I gave them the night off.”

Eleanor blinked. “You what?”

“I thought we would enjoy this time more if we were alone.”

“Those are my employees. You had no right to give them orders.” Eleanor did her best to ignore the small, frightened voice inside that said the men really were gone, that they had fled upon the order of their king and left her to suffer alone.

She didn’t know the men or if she could trust them, but she trusted Frank. He wouldn’t abandon her; she knew he wouldn’t.

How do you know? You’ve only known him for a few hours. You don’t know anything about him, not even his last name.

“You’re going to be punished, Robert. No man who comes here as a slave takes liberties with my staff.” Eleanor forced away the fear that threatened to consume her. She had to trust Frank. She’d already made the choice; it was too late for second thoughts now.

“The only person who will be receiving a punishment here today is you, Emily,” Robert said, turning from the window. Slowly, he pulled out a revolver almost identical to the one Cindy had whipped out a few minutes before.

Maybe they had been a wedding present—his and hers weapons of destruction.

“You’re the one who wrote the letters,” Eleanor said, trying to look as if she were only just now realizing the truth.

“I always thought you were too attractive to have a name like Eleanor. Once we get you settled in your new home, I will always call you Emily.” Robert smiled. “It’s a soft, pretty name, and you will learn to be soft and pleasing to me, won’t you, Emily?”

“Robert, you’ve been threatening to kill me. I’m not going anywhere with you, and I’m certainly not going to—”

“That was only to lead the authorities to assume your death when you disappear,” he said in a soothing voice. “I won’t hurt you, unless you give me no other choice. If you come quietly and do your best to please me, I will reward you as I reward my other mistresses.”

So he had other mistresses.

Eleanor wondered if Cindy knew about that, and was surprised not to hear a scream of outrage from the other room. Her stepdaughter had to be watching, didn’t she? Unless, of course, everyone had left and she was alone with Robert, foolishly thinking that the cavalry would come riding in at any moment.

She sucked in a deeper breath, struggling to stay calm. “But you’ve always hated me. I can’t believe you want to spend time with me at all, let alone in that way.”

Robert laughed a fond—but completely crazy—laugh. “I never hated you. I find you a delightful contradiction, Emily. So strong yet so vulnerable. And I’ve seen the way you look at me. The invitation has always been clear.”

Her brows shot up. “I’m not sure what type of invitation you’re talking about.”

“You were jealous of Cynthia. You wanted to be the object of my interest. That’s why you did your best to stand in the way of our marriage.”

Eleanor laughed. She would rather spend a few years in the dungeon than sleep with Robert.