Rich Promise (17 page)

“I wish I’d realized. I’d never have let you out of my sight if I’d had the slightest idea what was happening in your head. As your Dom, it was my responsibility to make sure you were okay afterwards. I let you down so badly and I apologize.”

Now he’s stunned me again. “You? You’re apologizing to me? I don’t understand.”

He frames my face with his hands, drops a light kiss on my lips. “I should have taken better care of you. I will in future. And speaking of which, are you sure you’re ready for your spanking?”

I smile, happy to proceed. “I am, Sir. But, I wonder, could we maybe go to my flat? Or even upstairs to your room here? I know it’s not my call. it’s a punishment and that means I don’t get to choose. But I’m feeling a bit…fragile right now. Privacy would be nice. I’d be able to relax. Would you mind, this once?”

He grins at me, his smile warm, sexy. My pussy dampens instantly.

“I think we both know this is no punishment. I’ve no desire to hurt you, not really. Or at least not in a bad way. Relaxed sounds good to me. Your place then?”

He stand, holds out his hand. I take it and we head for the door. He leaves the quirt on the table.

Chapter Nine

Two hours later we stroll back across the graveled courtyard to let ourselves in through the kitchen door at Black Combe. My bottom is sore, pleasantly so this time, and prettily pink, according to Dan. This time he used his hand then turned up the tempo just a bit more with his belt. He alternated the spanking with a generous helping of finger-fucking, both my pussy and my arse benefiting from his careful attentions. Then, when I finally begged him to let me rest, he laid me on my bed, spread my legs and tongue-fucked me until I came again—and again. Only then did he finally slide his cock deep inside me, making love to me so sweetly, so slow and easily, I wept all over again. He kissed away my tears, murmuring wonderful things into my ear. He whispered to me of love, of being beautiful, of being his. I clung on, determined never to let him go.

“Are you sure this is going to be all right?” Despite my earlier confidence, and Dan’s assurances, now that the moment to face Nathan has arrived, I’m terrified. He takes my hand, squeezes it.

“It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

So I do. Eva pulls up just as we get to the door, so we all three walk in together. Grace and Rosie are still at the cinema. Nathan must have heard us come in because he saunters into the kitchen a few seconds after we do. He eyes the pair of us, his expression inscrutable. I don’t doubt he’ll be relating the whole thing to Eva later but for now, he treats us as though this is a normal social call.

“Tea?” He kisses Eva before picking up the kettle. He carries it to the sink and fills it up while the rest of us make ourselves comfortable at the table. Well, fairly comfortable, in my case.

“Are you okay, Summer?” Eva seems concerned, peering at me under her eyebrows. “You look tired.”

“Yes, it’s been a long day.”

I shift in my seat as she glances at the clock. Six-fifteen. She opens her mouth, clearly of the view that the day is not especially long, not just yet. She’s about to probe further, but Dan forestalls her.

“Summer and I have something to discuss with you. With both of you really, so it’s good you’re here too, Eva.”

Summer and I. As in ‘we’.
That gives me a warm glow somewhere down deep. I glance at Dan, who winks.

“Oh?” Eva leans back in her chair clearly intrigued, while Nathan lounges against the worktop waiting for the kettle to boil.

They both regard us silently, waiting for enlightenment. My mouth goes dry. It was hard talking to Dan, but this is almost as difficult. Then suddenly, it’s all out of my hands.

“Would you like me to explain?” Dan offers to take the problem away from me. All I need do is sit and listen, chipping in as needed. Or as I feel like it. I relax under his warm smile, and not for the first time today.

“Yes please.” I’m happy to leave it to him.

I sit in near silence, sipping my tea occasionally as Dan explains the situation with Maisie and Lucy. He doesn’t sugar coat the parts about my mother’s alleged offenses, but he doesn’t go into any detail about the events of my teenage years. I never asked him to keep that a secret—I wouldn’t have dared to—but there was no need. I might talk to Eva and to Ashley about what happened back then. I probably will, in time. Freya definitely. But for now, it’s just between me and Dan, and I’m satisfied with that.

Neither Eva nor Nathan seem unduly concerned at the prospect of the coming influx of teenagers to disrupt their peaceful haven. I suppose, what with me, their own two children, the constant trafficking between here and Greystones, it’s no longer such an idyllic country retreat in any case. And perhaps neither one of them is exactly the peaceful type.

“So, permanent then? You’re expecting your mother to get sent down for a while?” Nathan frowns, thoughtful, but in problem-solving mode rather than objecting.

I nod, twisting my hands in my lap. It’s a nervous habit, but marginally less embarrassing than getting up to straighten the cutlery drawer might be. Despite everything that’s been happening over the last few days, I’m managing not to regress to that. Dan reaches for me under the table, covers my hands with his and squeezes lightly. Encouraged, I look up, meet Nathan’s eyes.

“I understand she’s pleading Guilty—to the drugs offenses and to being an accessory to the illegal immigrants trade. According to Sally MacDonald, she can expect a sentence of between five and seven years.”

Nathan whistles. “That seems heavy. I’m assuming then this isn’t the first time…”

I hold his gaze, conscious of Dan beside me. “To the best of my knowledge, it’s the first time she’s been convicted on either of these offenses. But, she has a lot of previous convictions—for theft and for soliciting.” I pause, wait for his face to shift, for the judging to start.

“Must have been difficult, growing up there.” Nathan lifts one dark eyebrow, evidently expecting an answer.

Dan’s eyebrows are expressive, but Nathan’s I note now, are equally so. A family trait perhaps, though clearly a learned one.

“Yes, at times it was. I’ve been worried about Lucy and Maisie.” My expression is, I suspect, slightly challenging, a note of belligerence creeping in. I’m not sure why. Nothing so far has hinted at blame or disapproval. Well, not of me.

“I can imagine. Right. When’s all this happening then?” Nathan’s expression shifts, all business now.

“The social worker wants to visit the girls’ new home before approving the move,” Dan takes up the story again. “This Friday, in fact. Will that be a problem?”

Now it’s Eva who butts in, “I wouldn’t have thought so. Do you know what time they’ll be here, Summer?”

“In the afternoon. Four o’clock.”

She nods, equally business-like. She and Nathan are perfectly matched. “Right. Rosie should be back from school by then. She can say hello. In fact, you could bring your two across here for tea, if you like. Give you and Ms MacDonald a chance to talk privately if you need to. I’ll ask Grace to do some baking. Chocolate brownies should do the trick.”

“Trick?” I’m at a loss. The conversation has shifted from my mother’s rap sheet to chocolate brownies in a couple of sentences.

“Yes. We need to charm them. And Ms MacDonald. Homely’s what we’ll be going for. Lived in. Home baking and the smell of coffee.”

“We’re not trying to sell the place,” Nathan interrupts dryly, but seems to have no serious objection to the planned charm offensive. Sounds like chocolate brownies are part of the strategy.

“We’ll also need to check out schools. Did you say Lucy has special needs? What sort of school is she at now?” Nathan gets up to refill the kettle, glancing back at us over his shoulder.

“They’re both in year seven, I think, at secondary school. Maisie’s eleven, so that’s the right year for her. Lucy’s repeated several years in primary school because it takes her longer to learn.”

“I see. Well, Rosie doesn’t go to secondary school for a couple of years yet, but we’ve been checking out what’s around. The place down near Keighley gets decent results. You need to give them a ring tomorrow, see if they’ve got spare places in year seven.”

I stare at him, a bit stunned. “Locally? For Rosie? I’d assumed…well, just thought she’d go to a private school.” It never occurred to me that my sisters and Nathan Darke’s little princess might end up at the same school.

“Well, it could come to that. We’ll see. But Plan A is to send her to the same school as her friends from the village. She ought to do okay. Eva can help her, if need be. We’ll start a homework club and with luck, they’ll all come out with something to show for their efforts.”

And so, it’s settled. Dan’s done a fine job of negotiating on my behalf, not that it was to be a particularly hard sell in the end. Now we just have to convince Sally MacDonald. And hope my mother doesn’t find some reason to rock the boat.

* * * *

By Friday I’m in knots.

Dan had to leave soon after we finished bringing Nathan and Eva in board. He’d only managed to swap shifts for one day and was scheduled for the evening stint at the animal park. He did, however, manage to swing another day off for Friday, and I’m expecting him to arrive any time now. It’s still only just after one, so Sally and my sisters won’t be here for a few hours yet. I resist the temptation, near enough overwhelming, to go back to my flat and tidy up again.

Not that there’s anything, not one single item, out of place. I’ve reverted to type, totally. The curtains on my bed are perfectly aligned, the tins in my cupboards all carefully categorized and positioned just so. I’ve vacuumed, dusted, wiped down skirting boards, even arranged my cups with the handles all facing the same way. Eva thinks it’s hilarious, but helped me to re-organize my bookshelves to put the books in size order. Nothing is awry, all is under perfect control. Just as I like it, just as I need it to be.

Now I sit at my desk in the Black Combe office, perched awkwardly, poised and ready to shoot off and fix some imaginary speck of stray dust, some minute detail left unattended to. Nathan glances up at me, his irritation thinly veiled.

“For fuck’s sake, stop fidgeting.”

My stomach lurches. No wonder Eva always looks so contented. That voice of authority almost has me on my knees right there and then. I’m not sure if he intended it, but it does do the trick. The rush of lust and longing for Dan takes my mind off the coming visit.

As if conjured up by my need for him, the roar of his motorbike echoes faintly from along the lane somewhere.

“Thank the lord for that,” Nathan mutters grumpily into his iPad. We both turn to the window, and I can’t help the smile that blooms across my face when Dan comes into view. I’m up and out of the office before he’s even turned off the engine.

“Hey, sweet thing.” Dan’s arms are open and I fly out the back door and straight into them. He lifts me, swings me around before kissing me. “Is everything ready? Chocolate brownies all sorted?”

“I think so. Maybe we should…”

“No! No more ‘maybe’ anything. Take her upstairs, fuck her senseless, and don’t let her out of your room until five to four.” Nathan’s instructions are precise and from his tone, I gather he expects to be obeyed.

I’m not sure if it’s fraternal pressure or his own spiking libido that drives Dan to follow his brother’s instructions to the letter, but I’m seized and thrown over his shoulder, to be hauled unceremoniously upstairs.

We pass Grace on the landing. Dan nods to her as she steps aside to let us past. I hear Eva chatting to Isabella in the bathroom, the faint sound of splashing. Even the baby is to be bathed and powdered in honor of Ms MacDonald, it seems. That only leaves me to be got ready.

Dan carries me into his room and kicks the door shut with his heel. He dumps me on the bed before returning to slide the lock across. Then he turns to me.

“Naked. Tied up. Blindfolded. Sound good to you?”

“It sounds quite excellent.” I sit up, intending to undress but Dan raises one Dom finger and I halt instantly.

“I’ll do the unwrapping this time. Come here.” He’s using that low and sexy Dom voice, the one that turns my insides to jelly. My pussy is drenched already.

I slide to my feet and cross the room to stand in front of him. Dan smiles at me, leans forward to kiss my mouth, a swift brush of his lips that’s all but it dissolves my legs at the knees. I open my mouth to speak but he places his finger across my lips.

“No talking. I want silence from you, whatever I do. Is that clear?” He pauses, waits for my nod.

I give it and he continues, “Just do as you’re told. For the next three hours, you’re mine. Yes? Your body, every part of you, mine to use as I like.” He steps back, his head tilted as he waits for my agreement. For my trust.

Again I nod. He smiles. The deal is struck.

He removes each item of my clothing with slow, meticulous care. My blouse first, then my skirt. He folds them, placing them neatly on a chair. He kneels to roll my tights down my legs, tapping each of my ankles in turn to have me step out of my office shoes then he slips the tights from my feet. He stands, walks around me to unfasten my bra. That joins the skirt and blouse, but the tights he unravels and straightens. He uses my discarded tights to tie my wrists together in the small of my back before walking around to again stand in front of me.

My breasts are thrust out slightly. He rakes my body with his eyes, taking in every detail. Still he doesn’t touch me though. At last, with another slight smile, he turns and goes to his chest of drawers, takes out a scarf then comes back to me.

“No gag this time. You’ve promised to remain silent so you will, won’t you? But close your eyes, please.”

I do, and the soft fabric is draped over my face, tied behind my head. A frisson of anticipation ripples down my spine. I shiver, my entire nervous system crackling. I’m scared, but in a good way. Excited? Definitely. Apprehensive? Maybe a little. Aroused? Off the scale.