Marionette

by Celia Crown

  He can claim that by midnight. Mari turns twenty-one on the strike of twelve o’clock, and James is ready to keep her to himself.

  As of now, he’s being forced to stand down and watch rich folks be mesmerized by the pictures in his art gallery.

  The fundraiser tonight is Hayden’s idea; she wants to showcase the newest theme of a fantasy world. A universe of magic; each picture is of Marionette in intricate dresses that form her delicate body, flowing silky hair in elegant placements, and magnificent jewel pieces donned on her person.

  Marionette in framed photographs is stunning.

  Marionette in real life is astonishingly exquisite.

  Tonight’s art gallery viewing is different than any other nights. Heavier security, selective guest lists, and a ring of vultures with cameras out the perimeters of James’ museum.

  This is the first time Mari is being showcased in real person. In the heart of the museum sits his beautiful Mari, her silky red dress with a protective layer of chiffon settling on her bare shoulders as the expensive diamonds sits on top of her head in a delicate headpiece. Mari should never be looked down on, metaphorically and literally. Her dress pools on the fluffed cushion above the wide sculpture podium, her back leans on a realistic lion made by a very talented sculptor.

  The aura she emits is surreal.

  She lays there like a sleeping angel, the shade of green he adores hidden behind unmoving eyelashes. James sets his foot down on the distance between viewers and her, he will not allow anyone within a five-foot distance of her as James takes on the role of bodyguard rather than the museum’s owner.

  He doesn’t have time to cater to arrogant rich asses when he needs to glower at any fools who think they can step into the space he ruled.

  Good thing Mari is situated against the wall with a room just for herself.

  “That’s definitely a doll.” one woman with her husband examines with squinting eyes.

  “No way, she’s too real!” the man comments back, stroking his chin as if he truly understood the meaning behind the Marionette.

  “Marionette’s beauty is out of this world, my god. Do you see the details on her? It’s insane.”

  “Hey!” his wife jokes lightheartedly, “Your wife is right here, you buffoon!”

  He laughs, patting her hand on his elbow. “Please accept my most sincere apology, my most beautiful wife.”

  “I’m your only wife.”

  James’ proud of his little doll for staying so still in her position, she must be getting exhausted since the art gallery had opened three hours ago and she hasn’t moved a muscle under his watchful eyes. The patrons come and go, but they always come back to the real Marionette after seeing all the other paintings.

  Nothing beats seeing the world’s sensational art inspiration.

  James needs to reward Mari for being so good, he trained her well.

  He’s been having her practice sitting still with little tips and techniques he’s learned throughout his military years. He’s not ashamed to admit that he adjusts the position for her to be the most comfortable just as an excuse to touch her supple skin.

  At first, she wouldn’t sit still and be watched by him. She squirmed and tried to subtly shy away from his gaze, but he gave her thighs a gentle squeeze as encouragement. The longer they tried, the better she got, and he even used his own body as a throne for her to sit on because she’s gotten used to his gaze that he decided to move onto a more difficult task.

  Her face had been flushed the entire time as her smaller body sat on his lap with her plump ass nuzzled against his hardening cock. It was a natural reaction to the young woman he loved.

  Who wouldn’t be aroused when the love of their life innocently squirms on their cock?

  He has known since their first meeting that he was in love with Mari.

  Day by day, his heart and soul fights for her.

  Three years later, and he’s more in love with her than yesterday.

  He knows she feels something for him, it’s the way she looks at him when she thinks he’s occupied or the way she lingers her little touches on him like she doesn’t know if she should pull away or feed her body’s attraction to him.

  His little Mari is lost at what to do.

  She needs guidance and without his lead, she wouldn’t make the first move. Mari looks for his permission and the power he holds over her makes him drunk on her dependence.

  James slides his dark eyes to the girl on the sculpture podium, he can see that she’s at her limit; through his trained eyes, her muscles are straining and becoming painful with cramps, and the microscopic twitch on her finger doesn’t slip from his keen attention.

  He shifts his eyes to the security guard on the adjacent wall and nods, the guard immediately went to work to usher the patrons out of the museum as the time on the invitation card only allows the viewing time to be three hours.

  Time is up for the night as many of the patrons cast one last look at the Marionette, taking in every detail their brain can catch as camera and video recordings aren’t allowed in the art gallery.

  People didn’t leave fast enough, but when the last guard sweep the entire art gallery for any stray patrons and the guard at the door received confirmation that every person that came into the gallery is the one that left.

  Their facial recognition software is state of the art level.

  James doesn’t do anything half-assed when it comes to Mari.

  As the last guard left, James turns off the security camera with Mari’s aunt in the back finishing a phone call. He walks up to the young girl and pats her knee, signaling her it’s safe to move.

  Her green eyes open with a mewling noise coming from her lips, James’ heart thumps lowly at her discomfort and lets her fall into his open arms. He cradles her to his chest as she sleepily curls into his embrace and he kisses the top of her head.

  “You’re not doing that again,” he murmurs on the crown of her head.

  She hums, “But it’s good for business.”

  Her tiny hand grasps his shirt, burying her face with his scent as she sighs in contentment.

  “This is hurting you, and you won’t do it again. You mean much more to me than some business deal.”

  James growls, his long strides make her hair sway as she can’t find a voice to argue with him. Mari is a good girl, she follows his rules and takes his words to her heart. His authoritative demeanor supports her, and she looks forward to his commands as she knows he’ll take care of her no matter what happens.

  She’s his top priority.

  “Am I going home?” she asks.

  She is, but not to hers.

  “We’re going home.”

  Hayden’s going out of town for a week on a business trip. The timing is just too perfect for him to pass it up; Mari’s birthday, their uninterrupted time together, and his courtship plan begins at midnight.

  Call him old school, but Mari deserves the best.

  He will give her in-bed breakfasts, pretty lunches, and romantic dinners. If she wants a movie date, he will reserve the entire movie theater with all her favorite snacks laying out for her to nibble on. Any trips she wants, he will take her there for a month to let her immerse into the things she wants to do.

  “I got you, little doll. Just rest for now.”

  She snuggles deeper into his arms with her sweet scent taking over his sense, James tightens his grip.

  “Okay,” Mari whispers.

  Chapter Three

  Mari

  The fundraiser at the museum is a success, in just three hours, they were able to raise millions for nonprofit organizations to help children in need.

  Mari feels proud of herself for being able to help others, and when she saw the praising look Mr. Novak gave her, she knew that staying in a painfully cramped position on display was worth it.

  It didn’t take long for Mr. Novak to lockdown the museum for the night as she waited for him at his office. The dinner he provided came from a
candlelit dinner at a renowned restaurant that only has reservations; a full course meal with his glass filled with wine while she took water, he specifically told her that alcohol doesn’t touch an inch of her body. Later, he took her to his large estate with empty land surrounding his home and a gated fence providing security.

  His home doesn’t have anything too identifiable as his army days bleed into his daily life, there is one thing in his home that she never thought she would see.

  He has a large portrait of her on his living room wall.

  It’s a simple photograph of her looking into the camera. The theme for that project was love; in order to capture the moment of Marionette falling in love, the photographer had her stare into the camera and think of the first thing that makes her happy. She had been so embarrassed to think of Mr. Novak with him in the room of their photoshoot. That picture wasn’t used in the final products because Mr. Novak had said so but didn’t give a reason as to why he wanted that portrait to remain hidden.

  That’s the only thing in his home that doesn’t match the modest and peaceful atmosphere.

  Every room Mr. Novak had shown her flows well as the quietness washes over her, she likes the simplicity in his life.

  Also, the master bedroom lives up to his image.

  “This will be your room.”

  Mari scans the big bedroom with awe at how clean and neat it is.

  After James had told her about the business trip Auntie Hayden has, he was quick to make the decision for her to stay with him for the time being. Auntie Hayden doesn’t have a problem with it and Mari doesn’t see anything wrong with the arrangement since Mr. Novak is someone she trusts.

  He’s the perfect host; accommodating with her living situation in his home while he offers her everything in his large estate.

  Even his bedroom.

  “But, you sleep here.” Mari’s heart pounds against her ribs as her eyes flash up at his, only to find him already staring at her.

  “I can take the guest room.”

  He shakes his head, “You take what I give you and I want you to have my room. The security is the heaviest here and I’m only one door down.”

  James always has his best interest for her in his mind and she’s grateful of him for always putting her first even when she’s a guest in his own home.

  “I feel safe with you, Mr. Novak. I can have the other room. I’m only a guest here.”

  He scolds, slightly pinching her cheek with a little tap on the tip of her nose.

  His chest puffs in pride at her words, “You’re not just a guest. You’re my little doll and you get everything I have.”

  Her plump cheeks flush with color as she nods, breaking eye contact with him to stare at the perfect stretch of his shirt on his chest.

  Everything about him makes her have pleasurable tingles; his strength to hold her up to his body easily, the intense energy vibrating throughout his colossal body, and the heart-pounding gentle kisses on her skin.

  “Thank you, Mr. Novak.”

  James pinches her cheek as his lips pull back in a teasing smirk.

  “What was that?”

  She squeaks, “Mr. James.”

  Mari swallows thickly as she purses her lips, his eyes boring holes into her own guilty green eyes.

  He’s trying to break her habit of being too formal when she’s around him but how could she do that when he’s so assertive and his authoritative behavior demands her submission.

  He purrs, leaning down to kiss her red cheek. His murmur on her soft skin has her lightheaded in the most pleasing ways.

  “We’ll work on that, little doll.”

  James pulls back, pressing his forehead to hers as he stares deeply into her eyes. She can see the specks of his dark brown eyes, stealing her breath with such desire reflecting in them.

  His hand on her arm tightens just a fraction as if he needs to hold himself back from something, then he lets go and pats her cheek affectionately.

  “What do you do when you need something?”

  Mari blinks quickly, washing away the shyness in her cheeks as she smiles gratefully up at him.

  “Come to you.”

  He hums, pleased at her obedience.

  “Good girl.”

  Her face lights up in flames as his lips crack a dark smile. Mari believes he’s an animal waiting to devour her at the right time and she doesn’t find a hint of shock in her as she wants him to follow through his thoughts.

  “Goodnight, Mr. Novak.”

  He replies, “Goodnight.”

  She turns her back to him, feeling his boring gaze on her back as she steps further into his room. She doesn’t hear the door shut for a solid minute as half of her brain takes in the whole room while the other half of her mind is conscious of the stare trailing down from her head to her butt.

  Then she catches the soft click of the door being shut.

  Mari releases a breath that she held in her lungs.

  God, he can always make her heart want to jump out of her throat with his words.

  He tells her she’s his special girl; his praises keep her going and do better for him, every photoshoot they have of Marionette exceeds expectation because Mari never wants to disappoint Mr. Novak and Auntie Hayden.

  There isn’t a day where he doesn’t give her some sort of compliment and she looks forward to them, they make her feel extraordinary. It’s as if his praises allow a special place in his heart like he became a cherished part of her soul.

  Mari quickly gets to work on her clothes as she runs to the bathroom in his room, it’s late into the night and she doesn’t want her shower to keep Mr. Novak up too late. It’s a tiring day for everyone and she wants to test out the bed that calls for her.

  The bathroom has a separated shower and bathtub on each side of the room, the transparent glass stall hangs towels while the amenities lined up in the shower with the showerhead attached on the wall.

  It’s like a five-star hotel, but it’s better because it smells like Mr. Novak.

  That deep and masculine scent only belongs to him, he smells extremely good and Mari finds peace when she’s with him. Peace comes with the thought of safety; his intimidatingly tall frame shields the vulnerabilities she emits, and she loves the protectiveness he has.

  Mari doesn’t stay in the shower long, her body toweled off quickly and she realizes that there are no clothes for her to wear as the dress from the art piece at the museum lays on top of the sink. The rich material from the dress can’t be washed with regular methods, it needs to be professionally cleaned.

  Mr. Novak probably wouldn’t mind if she takes one of his shirts to sleep right?

  Maybe she should ask but she has no clothes to put on to ask him, she doesn’t want to wear the dress after she just showered.

  Decisions, decisions.

  Her mind pounce between going to his massive closet and walking down to the room he’s staying at.

  Her bashfulness wins over and she strolls up to the closet door with a towel around her body and slides it open.

  A line of crisp white button-up shirts comes to view as it fades to other colored shirts, but it’s mostly dark suits and neutral-colored shirts. She feels bad for the wrinkles that the shirt she picked out would have after she rolls around in his bed. Now that there’s an empty space of a naked hanger between two immaculate shirts, Mari closes the door with the shirt to her chest.

  She slips on the shirt as it falls over her thighs, the vast difference between their bodies is clear. Her nipples scrape on the cool fabric, it sends an electric pulse to her clit.

  Her mouth forms a round circle as a thought crosses her mind.

  Oh no. Another problem arises.

  She doesn’t have panties.

  Her supple thighs rub together, brushing the soft material on her sensitive pussy. She whimpers as she pulls down the fabric, Mari is such a dirty girl; thinking of Mr. Novak in a provocative light as her cunt throbs with the need to be touched and she shamefully
admits to herself that she wants his big fingers stroking her tiny pussy.

  Mari shakes her head. She can’t think like that, Mr. Novak would be so disappointed in her. She needs to remain the innocent and untouched girl that suits the image of Marionette. He is one of the creators of her and she hates to see his hard work go down the drain because her pussy gets wet when she thinks of him.

  “Sleep, sleep.” she repeats it to herself and bounces to the welcoming bed that beckons her with the scent of the man that occupies her mind.

  The bed is firmer than she expected, but she should’ve known that since this fits the image of the tough and rugged Mr. Novak. Being in the army subjected his body to harsh conditions, his experiences brought back habits that he can’t shake. Cleanliness, simplicity, and order; those are the things that Mari likes the best about him.

  Other than himself and his possessiveness.

  He’s the opposite of Marionette. The theme of Marionette teases the line between reality and fantasy with clothes that only featured in a magical world as herself represents to childhood fables of innocence and happiness. Complicated artistic pieces mingling with deep meanings underneath the phenomena of what exactly is Marionette.

  Mari pulls the thick cover over her shoulders, a hint of fabric softener and laundry detergent hits her as she giggles softly under the covers. This must be another change in the room that Mr. Novak did to accommodate her sleeping arrangement. He knows she gets cold easily and the heavy duvet proves his attentive consideration.

  Her heart wouldn’t calm down as giddiness buzz throughout her body like sparks of painless thrills. Green eyes clamps shut, and she slows her breathing with a countdown of ten seconds, she exhales deeply on the last second and her heart pounds away.

  She turns and turns in every possible position she can think of and the emptiness in the room is getting to her. It must be a couple of hours of her staring blankly at the wall, she brings her nose down on his pillow and takes in the comforting scent.