Secrets of the Heart (Brie's Submission Book 20)

by Red Phoenix

  Brie had never seen Mary so broken. It frightened her, so she reached out and took Mary’s hand. “Tell me.”

  She closed her eyes, bowing her head as the tears fell. “Brie, your career is over.”

  It upset Brie to hear Mary say that with such finality, but she shook her head in defiance. “No.”

  The tears started again as Mary let out a sob. “And it’s because of me.”

  “That’s not true.” Brie didn’t doubt Mary’s loyalty—even now.

  Mary was so overcome with grief that it took several moments before she reined her emotions in and was able to speak again. “Greg played me for a fool, Brie. I never even suspected….”

  Finally, it felt like they were getting somewhere.

  “What happened last night?”

  “I thought…” Mary swallowed hard. “I foolishly believed that if I gave into his depravity he would leave you alone.”

  A chill ran down Brie’s spine. “What did he make you do?”

  “The one thing he knew I would never do, no matter how many times he asked. The bastard let me believe it would be enough.”

  Goosebumps rose on Brie’s skin.

  She looked at Brie sadly. “I never knew that my father wasn’t my real dad until Greg told me shortly after I moved in with him.”

  Mary closed her eyes, visibly shuddering. “Growing up I had no idea that the constant beatings my mother received were because she had cheated on her husband and then lied about it, trying to convince him that I was his kid. When the bitch ran away…he turned all that anger on me.”

  Brie shook her head. “I can’t understand how your mother could leave you behind like that.”

  “Because she’s a worthless cunt,” Mary spat.

  “It must have been such a shock to find out the truth after all this time.”

  “At first, it was actually comforting to know I wasn’t related to that fucking dick. But I made the mistake of asking Greg who my real father was before I understood what an evil bastard Greg really is.”

  Brie felt certain Mary was about to tell her the secret she’d been keeping for so long. She’d pushed Mary to tell her before…but now she was almost afraid to hear it.

  “They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. It’s true, Brie. Greg has maggots inside instead of a soul.”

  “What did he do?” Brie asked, the pitch in her voice rising in fear.

  Mary looked at her, shaking her head. “You will never be able to look at me the same way if I tell you.”

  “You’re wrong!” She squeezed Mary’s hand to assure her and found that she was actually shaking.

  Mary looked so vulnerable and frightened that Brie was tempted to let it drop. But whatever Mary had experienced was killing her spirit—she needed to release it.

  “I’m right here,” Brie promised. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Mary’s countenance suddenly changed. Snatching away her hand, she spoke in a casual, indifferent tone. “I bet you didn’t know that Greg is famous for his orgies. I didn’t mind. You know me. I get off on the variety. So one night, Greg commanded me to suck off every guy in the room. It’s something I’m naturally good at so I welcomed the task.” Mary’s face drained of all color when she said, “Yeah…that’s how I met my real father.”

  Brie’s heart stopped for a moment. She was completely unprepared for that revelation.

  Mary nodded. “I knew it. You’re already looking at me differently.”

  Tears came to Brie’s eyes. “No. I just can’t believe that he could do such a horrific thing. I can’t even fathom it.”

  Mary’s eyes narrowed. “Greg’s depravity knows no bounds. He actually jerked off while he watched us, knowing neither of us suspected.” Mary turned away from her. “But his depravity goes so much deeper than that.

  Brie’s heart contracted in fear.

  “Remember the gifts? The ones he gave me as a child?”

  “Yes…” Brie said, her voice catching as she answered.

  “Those weren’t gifts.” Mary turned from her, covering her eyes with one arm as she let out a tortured sob. “He was grooming me.”

  “What do you mean?” Brie asked, her heart racing now.

  Mary lowered her arm, her eyes rimmed in red from her tears. “They were the chains he used to shackle me to him…so he could use me when I was older. It was all an elaborate plan.”

  Brie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What did he have against you?”

  “It wasn’t me.” She snarled angrily. “It was my mother.”

  Brie groaned. “I’ve always worried that he was connected to your mother.”

  “Do you know what happens to a man with too much power when he feels betrayed? He. Gets. Even.”

  “But why would he involve you? You were just a little kid!”

  “No, Brie. I was a mistake.”

  Brie sook her head vehemently. “Don’t say that!”

  “No, literally. I was a mistake.”

  It hurt Brie’s heart to hear Mary say that about herself.

  “Greg told me that he had been madly in love with my mother, to the point of obsession. The day she secretly ran off to elope with another man, he completely lost it. In a fit of rage, not wanting any other man to have her, he came up with a plan to destroy my mother and her marriage.”

  Brie was almost afraid to ask. “What did he do?”

  “He coerced a young actor from one of his films to have an illicit affair with her. Greg chose Jason specifically because he was vulnerable as a rising star in the industry who was secretly gay. It made him the perfect pawn because he was attractive enough to lure her into the bedroom without Greg having to worry that the guy might actually fall in love with her. The plan might have worked, except for one thing—me.”

  Mary snorted in disgust. “Once my whoring mother found out she was pregnant, she begged Jason to run off with her because she was afraid it might be his. Never expecting to be a father, Jason wanted nothing to do with her but was still concerned about the baby she carried. So, rather than expose the affair the way Greg planned, Jason incurred his wrath by simply disappearing, leaving my mother to pass the child off as her husband’s.”

  Brie looked at Mary in disbelief. “But I still don’t understand why he went after you.”

  “Greg went off the rails when Jason disappeared, but he is a man with a black heart and unparalleled patience. Once he found out my mother was having a girl, he decided to wait.”

  Mary closed her eyes, the despair in her voice chilling Brie to the bone. “He told straight to my face that if he couldn’t have her, then he would claim her daughter.”

  Brie gasped. “Oh, my God!”

  Mary’s lips quivered when she said, “He sent all those gifts to me as a child because he was grooming me to be her replacement.”

  Tears came to Brie’s eyes, horrified by his calculated manipulation.

  Mary’s nose curled into a snarl. “But Greg needed my mother to suffer, so he sent an anonymous letter to her husband the day I was born detailing the affair.”

  “Oh, Mary…”

  Sneering angrily, she said, “Naturally, my fucking whore of a mother tried to deny the affair and cemented her husband’s hatred for me after he got the results of the paternity test.”

  Brie shook her head, sickened knowing what Mary endured growing up. “Did Greg have any idea how much you suffered because of that letter?”

  Mary’s eyes narrowed. “That fucker doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself.”

  “Then why are you still with him?”

  She locked gazes with Brie. “I’m his prize. The conquest he’s waited two decades to claim.” She laughed bitterly. “Do you really think he’d let me walk away now?”

  “But, Mary, you have friends who will stand up to him.”

  She shook her head, that look of self-loathing returning in her eyes. “I underestimated Greg…and now my foolishness has destroyed your career.”

&
nbsp; “No! You’re wrong. There’s nothing he can do that will stop me from getting that documentary out.”

  Mary shook her head. “Greg’s ruthless, Brie. Don’t you get that? He has far reaching influence—more than you can imagine.”

  “But why would he even care about my film?” Brie demanded. “I’m nothing. He said so himself.”

  Mary looked at her with sympathy. “What happened with the film yesterday is ultimately my fault.”

  Brie frowned. “Why do you keep saying that?”

  “I thought I could convince Greg when I agreed to do what he wanted last night…” she paused for a moment, looking like she was about to throw up. “But he still refused afterward, so I suggested he let one of his friends produce the film.”

  The color drained from her face. “That’s when he went insane, shrieking that no one else was allowed to touch the film because I’m in it.”

  “What?” Brie growled. “Are you telling me that because of that scene with you and Faelan, he’s holding my film hostage?”

  Mary’s eyes filled with tears again. “Yes.”

  “Then I’ll cut it out. This film is so much bigger than just you or Faelan.”

  “I know…” Mary whimpered. “But Greg doesn’t see it that way.”

  “This is my film, damn it!”

  Mary looked at her sadly. “Do I have to spell it out to you, Brie? The moment you asked me to be in your documentary, you doomed your film career.” Mary lowered her eyes, weeping. “I’m so sorry.”

  Hearing Mary’s claim that her career was over upset Brie, but Mary’s overwhelming sorrow and guilt over it was heartbreaking.

  Reaching out to her, Brie said, “I would never regret knowing you. You’re my dear friend, Mary. You may be bitchy…but you’ve been there for me, especially with Lilly. The best thing I ever did was invite you to have drinks with Lea and me after class. Don’t you understand? We’re the Three Musketeers for life.”

  Mary chuckled through her tears but shook her head. “I love how naive you are, Brie. I wish I could protect that part of you.” Her chin trembled again. “But I can’t.”

  Brie put her arms around Mary. “We’re not in this alone. I’m certain Sir will know what to do.”

  Mary pulled away from her, a horrified look on her face. “You can’t tell him.”

  Understanding the sensitive nature of Mary’s situation, Brie suggested, “If not Sir, then Captain.”

  “No!” Mary shouted, then looked around nervously. In a low voice, she told Brie, “Nobody can ever know.”

  “But hiding the truth only gives Greg more power over you.”

  Mary’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Brie, if word of this ever got out…”

  Feeling Mary’s panic rising brought out the protective side of Brie. “I won’t say anything—not until you’re ready.”

  The fact that Mary had been able to survive Greg’s horrific manipulations spoke to her fortitude, but it was beginning to crumble. Whatever had happened last night had shaken Mary to the core.

  Brie closed her eyes and listened to the ocean waves as she hugged her friend wanting to infuse her with extra strength to face the battles that lay ahead.

  “I wish we’d never met,” Mary whispered.

  Brie squeezed her tighter. “I don’t.”

  Brie was determined that they would survive this together, no matter what. Someday Greg Holloway would be exposed for the soulless monster he was, and Mary would finally be free from his cruelty.

  Late Night Action

  Desperate for a distraction, Brie was grateful when she woke up in the middle of the night squirming as the last remnants of a sexy dream played out in her head. The unusual dream had left her whole body aching with desire.

  Brie slipped out of their bed, being careful not to wake Sir, as she grabbed her fantasy journal from the nightstand and took it with her.

  Curling up on the couch, her pussy still aching from the dream, she opened up her journal and began to write, her hand barely able to keep up with the words as the fantasy played out in her mind.

  We are poor and the winter has been hard, leaving all of us with hungry stomachs. Each day Father leaves before dawn with my brothers to hunt, but they often come home at night with only a single squirrel or a couple of starlings for us to eat.

  But tonight, while a snowstorm rages outside, we are about to feast on a beaver my father caught that morning. It is the first time in months that we have been able to spend the day together as a family.

  We can’t help staring hungrily at the cooking meat, while the wind buffets our house, mesmerized by the smell as it roasts on the fire. Licking my lips, I can’t wait to eat part of the beaver tail, longing for a juicy bite of the fatty and flavorful meat.

  Just before it’s done cooking, there is a heavy pounding on the door. Father gets up to answer it and two strangers covered in furs stomp off the snow before entering our home. They need shelter from the blizzard.

  My eyes dart to the beaver, now worried that my father will be offering it to the visitors.

  After taking off their coats and exchanging pleasantries with my father, the taller of the two men gazes at each member of our family, his blue eyes lingering on me for several moments. He then comments that he is hungry.

  My stomach growls in protest. Traditionally, guests are served first, so I know that I will be going to bed hungry tonight, along with my siblings.

  The two strangers talk quietly amongst themselves before one grabs his coat and leaves for a moment to get supplies from their horses. My jaw drops when the man returns with a large haunch of deer meat. The blue-eyed man takes it from him and hands it to my mother, asking her to cook it.

  The huge smile on my mother’s face matches how I feel. For the first time in months, we will all go to bed with full bellies!

  When he glances in my direction, I smile shyly, grateful for the bountiful feast he has gifted our family.

  The blue-eye man then takes my father to a corner of the room and speaks with him privately in hushed tones. We all watch them, wondering what the man wants.

  My father nods to him, holds out his hand, and they shake. The look of joy and relief on my father’s face buoys my spirits as they walk toward me.

  It is then that Father informs me that the man wants to purchase me for the night. When I open my mouth in protest, my father explains that he is willing to pay enough money to feed our family through the whole winter.

  I instantly close my mouth.

  I understand the importance of this exchange. Glancing at my younger siblings, so skinny and undernourished, I accept his offer.

  The man pulls out a bag of money and counts out the coins. He hands them to my father before giving my mother instructions on how he wants the venison stew cooked.

  He then turns his attention on me. “Come.”

  Shivers of fear course through my body as I willingly follow him into the other room.

  Shutting the door, he pulls out one of the chairs and commands me to sit.

  I feel butterflies in my stomach as I sit down, wondering what he plans to do.

  “I was told you are a virgin. Is this true?”

  I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

  “Good.” Taking out a strap of leather, he orders me to put my hands behind my back.

  I do so hesitantly and gasp in fear when he grabs them and binds my wrists. He grunts in satisfaction, kneeling down next to the chair as he runs his hand up my thigh.

  “Have you ever been kissed?”

  I shake my head, my breath coming in short gasps.

  “Even better.”

  He surprises me by leaving the room with the door open. I hear the two men talking casually to my parents, and the sounds of my younger siblings rough-housing with each other until my mother barks at them to stop.

  It’s surreal how normal everything sounds—as if this isn’t happening.

  I instantly stiffen when the blue-eyed man returns to the room.
He has brought me a bite of the steaming meat. “Your mother says you like the tail best.”

  I nod, my eyes transfixed on the morsel as my mouth begins watering. Blowing on it several times to cool it off, he brings it to my lips. “Eat.”

  I open my mouth, closing my eyes as he places it on my tongue. I can’t help it. I moan in pleasure as I chew, savoring the fatty meat as some of the juices roll down my chin.

  As soon as I swallow, he asks, “Would you like some more?”

  “Please.”

  “First, a kiss.”

  My heart skips a beat as he leans down, pressing his firm lips against mine.

  When he pulls away, he chuckles warmly. “You taste like beaver.”

  He leaves the room again and I am left to wait, my hunger awakened by that first morsel. When he returns, I’m grateful to see he has brought a much bigger piece. He feeds it to me in small bites, kissing me each time.

  The rush that the protein provides makes me giddy. After the last bite, I brazenly kiss him back and hear him groan. I feel a tightening in my loins—something I have never felt before.

  He exits the room again and doesn’t return for a long time, leaving me to listen to the sounds of my family as they eat what’s left of the beaver while my father details how he was able to capture and kill it.

  When the blue-eyed man returns, he carries a cup of water. Kneeling beside me, he brings it to my lips and tells me to drink. As I swallow the cold water, I am startled to feel his hand lightly brush my nipple.

  I hold my breath, the fear of the unknown coursing through me. I have never experienced such an intimate touch before.

  “Drink,” he commands again.

  I take another swallow as his hand grazes my other nipple. Both nipples ache as they tighten into hard buds.

  He kisses me again after I have had my fill.

  I watch him leave once more, confused by my growing attraction to him.

  The next time he returns with his friend. The other man remains in the doorway, watching me.

  My heart begins to race when the first man moves behind me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he says, “There is no shame in what you will be doing tonight. It is as natural as breathing and as beautiful as the sun rising in the sky.”