His Obsession (20 page)

He
moved closer to her, but she took several steps back. Stephen followed her
until she had her back against the wall. He cupped her cheeks. “I love you,” he
said. For the last few weeks he’d been aware of the way he felt about her, but
he had never told her. He thought it would be best if she said the words first
or at least say them when he proposed. He knew proposing would be the last
thing he did now.
 

“How
do you know?” she asked.

He
pressed her hand against his heart. “I’ve known for a long time. I know this
has shocked, maybe even scared you. I promise you that I’ll love you no matter
what. My club is important. Please, tell me who gave you this file.”

She
paused for several long minutes. He thought she wasn’t going to tell him. “Paul
stopped me outside of college. He gave me the file.”

“Did
he say who gave him the file?”

She
shook her head. Stephen nodded, kissing her lips. “I need you to give me some
time. I have some calls to make.”

“Why?”

“This
can cause some serious problems. I can’t tell you everything you need to know
right now. Give me this time, and I promise you I’ll tell you everything.”

“I’ll
be in the library.
Studying.”
She left him. He saw the
change in her. Her back was ramrod straight.

When
she was out of sight he went to his office, closing the door for added privacy.
He stared at the pages more closely then picked up the phone. James answered on
the third ring.

“Mr. Knox calling me from his home once again.
To what do I
owe the pleasure?”

Stephen
ran his fingers through his hair. “Ursula was given a file today by her ex.”

“Really?
How fascinating.”

“Inside
it were pictures of you at Ravage with your sub. These images do not look good.
The same goes for the pictures at my own club.”

There
was no noise from the other end.

“You
need to show me that file.”

“Agreed.
I’ve got to deal with Ursula first. She’s not in
the best of moods at the moment. I’m going to bring her to my club. Be there by
ten tonight, and call the other men.”

“Since when am I your slave, Knox?”

“Since
this can cause us some serious shit and I’ve got a woman to calm. Do this for
me. You’ll get to meet Ursula tonight.”

“And
you think your woman will be an incentive for me?”

“I
thought Lucas was handling this problem. I don’t think anything has been
handled,” Stephen said.

“We’ve
done everything we can. Eugene is either more intelligent than we gave him
credit for, or someone else is working the scenes,” James said.

“We’ve
not had any contact but this. I think they’re targeting us because of Dominic.”
Stephen ran his fingers through his hair, the stress of the moment finally getting
to him.

“I’ll
be in touch with the others. I’ll see you at Possession in a few hours.”

The
call ended. Stephen flicked through the pages, hating the images he saw of
Ursula in his arms. She didn’t deserve to be mixed in the trouble the clubs
could cause. The stuff he was learning put her in too much danger. The
information annoyed him. Possession and Ravage were not about defiling women.
The men loved their women. He was growing annoyed with every word written on
the page. He slammed the file shut then went to find her. She sat in the
library with her arms wrapped around her legs. The coffee table in front of the
couch where she sat had her college books. The silence unnerved him. Ursula had
never ignored him, but he felt ignored as he moved closer to her. Stephen moved
the books she’d piled onto the table out of the way,
then
sat down where the books had been. He placed the file next to him. He didn’t
want to sit next to her. Being face to face was for the best. His heart ached
for the pain she must be going through. She’d left before he’d even woken that
morning. He hadn’t anticipated Paul beating him to it. He should have known.
Stephen knew he’d made a stupid decision to keep it from her.
 
He went to touch her, but she moved her hands
away. It was as if she couldn’t bear his touch.

“I
need you to listen to me,” he said, pressing his palms together and resting
them between his legs.

“Is
that true?” She nodded her head to where the file lay next to him on the coffee
table.

“Some
of it is true. Not all of it. No, listen. I need to talk to you about this.”

“I’m
listening,” she said. The tears in her eyes killed him.

“I
know you hate me right now.”

“I
don’t hate you, Stephen. I could never hate you. What I don’t like is finding
this stuff out about the man I love from someone else instead of you telling me
yourself.” She looked down at her hands after she spoke. He’d heard the words
but didn’t know what to say.

His
heart stopped beating. “You love me?”

“Of
course I do, you dope. How could I not? I’ve given you so much of myself
already. I spend most of my days not wanting to be anywhere else, but I need to
understand what that is.” She rubbed her hands over her knees. The tears
spilled down her cheeks. “Explain it to me, and I’ll try to understand.”
 

It
was more than he expected. He nodded and waited for the words to come to him.
“I own an exclusive gentlemen’s club called Possession. That part was true.
There is also a BDSM club known as Ravage run by James, the guy who pulled me
away from Lucas and Sean. There is a belief that there are men out there who
are particularly possessive about their women.”

“Most
people are possessive about the partner in their lives. It doesn’t mean they go
to a club and do that.”

“BDSM
is James’s field. I go to the club to watch but nothing else. I know some of
the men who like to take it to the next level. I don’t. This club has been
passed down through generations ever since the Knox line began. The members of
the club know they act with discretion. They can take their women and know they
are safe. Men within the club will not try to hit on any of the women.”

“It
sounds reasonable.”

“The
jealousy is what makes it bad. When I saw Paul in your apartment I wanted to
hurt him. No one can touch what’s mine, and you’re mine. It’s a little joke
among the men that we consider ourselves ‘owners’. You’re our women, and we own
you. It’s a very outdated part of the club, but the statements go with the
history.” He tried to explain. She sat forward getting closer to him.

“I
get it.”

“There
was an incident a couple of years back. A guy by the name of Lloyd Black used
the club to abuse his wife. He’s in prison serving a sentence for attacking his
wife. Rebecca ended up in hospital with serious injuries.” He didn’t go into
detail. Stephen reached for the file and flipped it open.

“In
my club what happens is a lot of drinking and talking.
A
place for men like myself to socialise without fear of being ridiculed for our
beliefs.
Some men like to bring their women to the club and make love to
them with an audience. In my club no one shares. I don’t allow it.”

He
pulled out a photo of one of the couples. “This is a woman who has been happily
married to the man in the photo for over ten years. He runs an investment group
and is possessive about who she talks to. The club offers him the chance to be
free and open with her away from the prying eyes of most of the public.”

She
nodded. He put the photo aside and reached for another. “That is James, and
he’s going to be pissed someone took a photo of this. He’d training a
submissive woman. He’s a dominant through and through. This is his whole life.
I’ve known him since he was a boy. Our clubs are part of the same group. Our
parents were close. What he is doing here is punishing a woman. It is
convenient how the photographer left out the vital part of the picture,” he
said.

“What
vital part?”
 

“She’s
turned on, Ursula. If they had gotten her pussy in the shot, you would see she
was dripping with cum.”

Her
cheeks turned red. He caressed the red then went back to each picture
discussing in great detail what each one was.

Afterwards,
he put the file aside and stared at her.

“Someone
wanted to break us up?” she asked.

Stephen
shook his head. “They want me distracted. If you leave me then my mind won’t be
on the club, and things will go wrong.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me about this?”

He
sat on the sofa and pulled her into his lap. “You’re different from all the
women I know. I’m used to them falling at my feet for my money or the power I
have to make things happen. I’m a wealthy, influential businessman, and that
usually gets me what I want. You worked for me, argued with me, and challenged
me at all points. I thought this possession was a load of bullshit.” He stroked
her hair as she sat across his lap. His cock stirred with her closeness.

“Don’t
you feel possessive towards me?”

“I
almost started a fight with two men I considered friends because they were
talking to you. I feel possessive more than you’ll ever know. Lucas and Sean
were trying to show me my possessive side. Up until you I never thought it was
possible to be that connected with someone. I hate dropping you off at college.
I want to give you everything, but I don’t want to leave you alone.” He never
thought being open with her about this side of him would be so liberating.

“Do
you really love me?” she asked.

“Yes.”
He reached into his pocket taking out the little box. “I did have a perfect
plan to give you this. I was going to take you to an Italian restaurant, and
we’d eat and have wine. I’ve told your father I was going to ask you. I thought
there could be a better time to ask. I think the time is now.”

Taking
a deep breath, he opened the lid. “Ursula Mills, will you do this old man the
honour of becoming my wife?”

She
stared at the ring, then at him with more tears glinting in her eyes.

“I was hoping for longer time for my
speech to be perfect,” he said.

She grabbed him, pressing her lips
to his. Stephen pulled away to stare at her. “Is that a yes?”

Ursula
nodded her head. “I don’t need a fancy speech. This is perfect.”
 

He
took the ring out of the box. She gave him her finger, and he slid it on. A
perfect fit. The beast inside him calmed more when the ring was on her finger.

“I
want you to take me to your club,” she said. Stephen had every intention of
taking her. He didn’t want to, but he knew they had to go.

“I’m
taking you with me tonight. I’ve got to go to Possession to talk to the men.
James wants to see this file and meet you properly. I feel better knowing I’ve
put a ring on your finger.” He stroked her knee wanting to do so much more. She
smiled at him. Her eyes were still red from her tears. Stephen hated the
distance between them. “I know you’re still angry with me at the moment. I shouldn’t
have kept this part of me from you. I hope you know and understand why I kept
it away from you.”

“No,
you shouldn’t.” She looked past his shoulder. The tears swelled in her eyes. He
noticed her playing with his engagement ring on her finger. “I want to be angry
at you. You’ve proposed, and I’m so happy at the same time.”
 

“Please,
don’t cry. I hate seeing you cry.”

“I
consider myself to be very liberated in my reasoning. I accept a lot, but I
don’t know why you would hide this from me. I’ve been more open with you than
anyone. You met my family, and I’ve given you more of myself to you.” She moved
off his lap. Stephen turned to her.

He
felt like a total bastard. She’d been nothing but honest with him while he’d
kept a great deal from her. “I didn’t believe in what my club was about until
you walked into my life, and I didn’t think you’d accept a man who feels
possessive towards you. I thought I’d be able to hide it from you.”

“What? Why? I know there are a lot
of women who don’t want a man to be there, but I’m not like them. I like
knowing you’ll be there. Your possessive nature is part of
who
you are, Stephen. I wouldn’t want to change you.
Even if you
are a pain in the ass.”

“The
clubs have been going for years like I told you. I inherited them. Being a Knox
means I have an obligation to keep them running, and I’ll have to pass my
information onto my son one day. There is the age gap between us, and I didn’t
want to give you any more causes to doubt our relationship.”

“You
have a son?” she asked.

“No.”
At the mention of a son, he imagined Ursula swollen with his child. She would
look so sexy. An ache hit him square in the chest at the thought of getting her
pregnant. He shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to get her pregnant unless they
could get past this. “The only person I have is you,” he said.