A Dom and His Not So Submissive Sub

by James, Taki

  Hnossa rolled her eyes. “Of course we introduced ourselves. Do you think us silly twits?”

  He chose to say nothing as he couldn’t afford to incriminate himself. He turned his attention to Vanessa. “Are you ready?” It did not escape his notice that Vanessa jumped out of her seat to his side. She allowed Freyr to lead her toward the elevator bank.

  “Where are you going?” the ever nosy Hnossa questioned.

  “Shut up,” Gersimi came to her uncle’s defense.

  Freyr rolled his eyes at Vanessa. “They do not mean to be trouble. It just is who they are. Next time I will be there to save you from them.” He felt Vanessa sigh against him. It made him smile.

  “Hello,” the very female voice said over the phone.

  Gerd bit back her snarl of frustration. “Where is my husband?” she demanded.

  Gersimi laughed, grating on Gerd’s nerves. “Do you not mean your ex-husband? It was you who decided you wanted nothing to do with him if I remember correctly.”

  Unseen in her home, Gerd clenched her fists tightly. “That is none of your concern. I wish to speak with Freyr this instant. Now put him on the phone.” No little brat was going to disrespect her. Did no one understand anymore just how powerful she was? She was a giantess, beloved by all immortal men.

  Unfortunately, Gerd’s already poor day was about to get worse. “Freyr is gone. He is taking his new woman out for food. If you want, I can see he gets your message.” Gersimi enjoyed upsetting the bitch to nearly ruin her uncle’s life. While he suffered terrible embarrassment, she walked around as if she were a queen. He had done everything within his power to be with her, including giving up his prized sword, which almost cost him his life in the Ragnarök. And Gerd, ungrateful tramp she was, didn’t appreciate it. Well there was no way Gersimi was going to allow Gerd to sink those ridiculous claws back into her uncle. This time, there was his happiness at stake.

  “He would not dare take another to bed.”

  Gersimi laughed again, remembering the exotic black woman Freyr called his sweetheart, the woman named Vanessa. “You should see her. Her tits alone would put you to shame. I can honestly say he looked quite happy with her by his side. I’ve not seen the sun shine brighter than it has today.” Gersimi hung up. Content to bring more anger to Gerd now that she did not have to treat her like family. “Take that you nasty hag.” She heard her sister laughing behind her.

  Vanessa swore if the waitress gave her the evil eye one more time, she’d pop her one good. Freyr had noticed no one but her in the whole time they sat in the glamorous restaurant. From the moment the maître d guided them to the best seat in the house, one with a gorgeous view of the sky line, Freyr had only seen her. Their waitress had rushed to the table, eager to please with a plate of appetizers neither had ordered. From then on, the girl had tried her hardest to gain even the smallest recognition from her male patron.

  “How can you not notice how she is practically hanging off you?” Vanessa finally asked.

  Freyr shrugged. “She is unimportant. It is you I am wooing, not her.”

  Well that wasn’t an answer Vanessa had expected. Her mouth dropped opened slightly, too stunned to speak. Finally, she could hold it in no longer. “You want to date me?”

  Freyr nodded, his dimples popping out in a brilliant smile. “I would have thought it obvious.”

  “I don’t date white men,” Vanessa felt the need to explain. He had to understand that sleeping with him was one thing and actually seeing him more than once was another. Okay, so she couldn’t necessarily answer the question herself about what is the difference, but if she could, she certainly would answer it. As long as he understood that they were not going beyond last night and what happened today. A complicated life was something she had no interest in.

  Freyr chuckled. “Then we have something in common. I do not date white men either.”

  Vanessa laughed, her whole face lighting up with her amusement. She had to give it to him. He was a smooth one. The waitress returned, bringing their meals before they spoke further. They ate, leaving very little time for conversation, all while Vanessa tried to figure out a way to avoid having to start building a new relationship. If she were the kind of girl that indulged in such pursuits as no strings sex, then she would go for it. Unfortunately, current actions aside, her mother raised her to be a good girl and she really couldn’t in good conscious do something like that and be able to look at herself in the mirror.

  Freyr wasn’t sure what it would take to keep Vanessa with him for the day. He assumed her car would be fixed by the early afternoon when he would have to take her to retrieve it from the shop. Did she like to go to the movies? Or did she like to cuddle up on the couch watching films. He was more partial to the cuddling. Of course, he thought as he eyed her, should he draw close to Vanessa, a movie would be last on his mind. He could never sit so close to such outrageous curves and not be tempted to touch her. Gerd had been svelte, but had been nowhere near as enchanting as Vanessa was in her lushness. Perhaps, if he’d ever known what he’d been missing, he would have never given Gerd a second look.

  Freyr paid for the meal, discarding the phone number the waitress tried to press upon him. He drove them to the car shop of his friend, finding that Vanessa had more wrong with her car than just a flat tire. At first, she did not want to have the extra work done for fear of cost, but after a long argument with Freyr about the safety of her life she decided to have the work done.

  They spent the rest of the day visiting Millennium Park and the Art Institute. When the sun set, Vanessa decided it was really time for her to go home. As much as she enjoyed her time with Freyr and thought she could actually come to like him, she just wasn’t sure if it were worth the stigma of being an interracial couple, especially since he was so noticeable.

  Freyr drove her home, but didn’t leave the premises until she gave him her phone number to set up another date soon. She may not have realized she was his, but he did and he planned to keep her. He smiled as he walked away, leaving Vanessa absolutely breathless from his kisses. He had all the time in the world to make sure that Vanessa gave him his way.

  Freyr called nearly every day for the next few weeks before Vanessa finally gave in to what was clearly before her, a man so smitten by her he was driving her crazy. Sad as it seemed for her family, she actually liked him. Some nights they went out for a drink. Other nights he treated her to dinner. One day, he actually stopped by the library just because she was looking for a book and they made out like randy teenagers. He was always sending bouquets to her house, filling her apartment with the fresh scent of flowers that never seemed to wither.

  He intrigued her. He so clearly wasn’t American in his thinking or ideals. It was almost as if he were from a completely different time period sometimes. She curled tighter on her couch, dressed in the rattiest sweats she owned. She had planned to invite Freyr over, but he had to work late. She understood it and was grateful for every reprieve she received. Being around him caused her emotions to shift out of control. It was just so hard to imagine being interested in a guy she knew almost nothing about and being comfortable with it, especially when he barely knew how to speak English.

  “I’m going crazy,” she said with a sigh. When she finally got the chance to talk to Rachael about Freyr’s origins, she suggested Vanessa try to learn something about his homeland. It sounded like such a good idea, Vanessa had gone right away to the video store and the library to see what she could pick up. Of course, since she knew absolutely nothing about any of the countries in the Scandinavian area, she didn’t know where to start. Imagine her surprise to find that they were known for Vikings. She was further shocked to learn that what she thought she knew about Vikings was so completely wrong it bordered on the ridiculous.

  The phone rang. She reached over the arm of the couch searching for her cell and noted that the caller ID said private. Vanessa set the phone back down. Whoever the caller was must be a fool if they thought she was a
bout to answer. A person who did not want their number known was someone with something to hide. She returned to her television viewing just when they began the segment about the Norse gods. Her neighbors began yet another fight interfering with her listening. She picked up the remote to turn off the program, figuring it a lost cause with so much noise until one name slammed right through her breastbone. She turned up the volume, drowning out any other disturbance as she listened. “Well I’ll be a son of a gun. His mother had some balls.”

  Freyr was a phallic fertility god. Simply hearing some of what the god was known for sent Vanessa into a fit of giggles. Who’d have imagined she’d be considering dating someone named after a Norse god? Her phone rang again. “Speak of the Devil,” she muttered before she answered with, “So Mr. ruler of the shining sun and the rains. When were you going to tell me that you were named after a god?”

  “Named after? You mean you do not know who I am?” he asked.

  Bless his heart, he was really confused. Vanessa explained about the program she watched. Freyr listened, growing more agitated by the moment.

  “I was not married to my sister nor did my sire mate his sister. Mortals were always exaggerating.”

  Now it was Vanessa’s turn to be confused. Why was he speaking as if he really were this fictional god? She hoped she hadn’t been involved with a crazy man. Crazy people set her on edge. As she waited for Freyr to get himself together, she noticed he had unintentionally slipped into his native language. “In English,” she said during a lapse in conversation.

  “Let me come over to talk.”

  “You aren’t about to go crazy on me are you?” She had to make sure whether the cops were needed or not. If he tried anything, for certain she would set about defending herself, but it would be better if she didn’t have to go out of her way to do so.

  Freyr huffed. “What will I do?”

  Wasn’t that the point in her asking the question? She had to know if she could trust him to come near her. She gave up trying to understand his mind. They were simply too different to ever gain an understanding of the other. She invited him to her place, looking down at her outfit, wondering if she would have time to change into something nicer. She then reminded herself that she wasn’t supposed to care about what he liked. As she awaited his arrival she fixed dinner. Freyr didn’t know how to cook. He barely knew how to turn the stove on without serious instructions.

  A lot of their time together involved lavish dinners that almost never agreed with her stomach. So, she took matters into her own hands by inviting him over for dinner often enough to prove they didn’t have to leave home to spend time together. Depending on his answers tonight, she just might invite him to Thanksgiving with the family. Let him try some real food that would put some meat on his bones.

  She put the finishing touches on her specially seasoned baked chicken, by the time her bell buzzed. Vanessa called Freyr’s number first to be on the safe side. Once she verified his presence, Vanessa allowed him through the front door of the building. She left the apartment door unlocked, knowing Freyr hated that she did so, considering he thought her neighborhood less than acceptable for living purposes. As he once told her, anyone could come inside and attack her. Vanessa still laughed him off. All of her neighbors knew that she was not the sort of person to mess with. One of her brothers worked for the Chicago Police Department. She had the police on speed dial and she was never afraid to use it.

  “Vanessa?”

  She smiled. His tone was just as irritated as she would have thought. “I have your dinner in the kitchen,” she said. “We might as well take a seat and have a meal before we start talking about crazy things.”

  Freyr entered the small kitchen just in time to see his Vanessa bending over in the refrigerator. He licked his lips, watching her butt wiggle just for him. The sweats did not matter to him. They were enticing with the way they stretched tight across her bottom, but he would freely admit that his preference ran more toward her being naked than for her to be wearing anything. Unless it was him laid out across her back.

  “Sit down,” she told him. Freyr did not move. They had so much to talk about and little time in which to accomplish it. Vanessa turned, finding him still in the same spot he’d been standing and not at the table as she’d told him.

  “Freyr?”

  “I would see this program you spoke of,” he demanded. He wanted to know what he would have to disprove to her first.

  She sighed. “Please don’t tell me you’re crazy.” He watched the way her eyes searched for something obviously not within reaching distance.

  “What do I have to do to prove my identity?” He glanced at the vase of flowers sitting on her small dinette table. He bid them to bloom greater, putting his all into the project. While most of his powers were in produce, he could, with a lot of effort, control the growth of more exotic plants.

  Vanessa also glanced at the flowers, wondering what it was that had him so distracted. She looked closer. Little roots began sprouting, enlarging as the flower’s bloom increased. She closed her eyes, opening them again for a second look. It had to be a trick of the light. Flowers bloomed, and then they died. There was no way roots could suddenly start growing so fast. “Freyr, what is going on?”

  Freyr didn’t answer. A slight sheen of sweat lit his brow. At a sufficient growth point, Freyr plucked the Lily from its vase to present it to Vanessa. Surprisingly, not a single drop of water hit the floor. “I am not named after a god. I am an immortal being,” he said.

  Vanessa heard nothing else. She fainted.

  Freyr cursed his own stupidity as he carried his woman to her bed. He’d not thought of the consequences of explaining his immortal state to a mortal woman he wanted to be with. Although, how could she not know a thing about the Norse gods? Did not the teachers teach a wide variety of topics to their students these days? He felt almost shamed for those instructors. He would have some work ahead of him if he were to teach his woman all there was to know about his people. Good thing he was very much interested in spending time with her or the job would be quite tedious.

  Chapter 5

  Vanessa opened her eyes, praying she had just woken up from a nightmare parading as a dream. She glanced around the room. Beautiful handmade dresser set. Yes. A comfortable four post bed underneath her. She glanced up at the canopy. That’s a check. Night stand with a photo of her nieces and nephews on top? Absolutely. Almost, sort of, kind of, boyfriend perched on the side of the bed staring at her with those blue eyes of his and that blonde hair. Unfortunately, that too was a check. She sighed. So much for her life not getting more complicated. “Tell me one thing,” she said, closing her eyes because she honestly did not want to see his expression. “You weren’t lying to me were you?”

  “No. I would never lie to you. I would rather kill myself than cause you to think ill of me.”

  Figures. Vanessa continued to lie in bed, contemplating her next move. Here she was, a normal everyday woman, dating a man right out of the pages of myth. According to the video he was supposed to have died first in some war Vanessa did not catch the name of. And he was supposed to have been very married to a woman he had given up one of his most prized possessions for.

  What the hell was he doing with her?

  Freyr watched her come to terms with his true identity. “Are you truly that surprised?” he finally asked.

  She opened her eyes to look at him. Honestly, she wasn’t all that surprised. He was too good looking. Almost perfect. Then there was the feeling she got when she was around him, as if he were so much larger than life. He had an insane amount of money he didn’t care about. He managed to get everything he wanted. And he never had a hair out of place, even first thing in the morning when most people had bed head. So, when she thought about all the things she had ignored as unimportant, it did not seem so strange at all he was not a mortal being. Was he sure he wanted her big black butt?

  He smiled down at her, leaving no doubt he really wa
nted her.

  She sat up slowly, finding his lips eager for her mouth. He deepened the kiss, taking control over it. She felt her panties moisten in their usual response for him. She wanted him. She wanted him right now, anyway he wanted it. He could be as dominating as he wanted to be tonight and she wouldn’t complain.

  “Come someplace with me tonight,” he said against her lips.

  She pulled back. Did he want to make her angry enough to throttle him, even if he might not be able to feel the pain?

  Freyr laughed at her expression. “Do not worry. We will partake of that too. I simply wish to show you all aspects of pleasure.”

  Vanessa narrowed her eyes. Pretty sure she knew what he spoke of. “I’m not submitting,” she said.

  Freyr grinned wickedly. “Oh Vanessa, there are so many forms to submission than simply what you are thinking of. Let me show you what we can have.” Vanessa only agreed to go reluctantly. Part of her sort of hoped that he did something that would step out of line, that way, she’d have a reason to truly walk away from him. As much as she desired him, she feared losing herself to him completely. He certainly seemed to ask for that level of commitment from her, but she didn’t want her loving someone like him to consume her. She feared the very thought of it. But, very much against her better judgment, she followed him. She hurried her way through getting ready and set out on a journey that literally terrified her. They seem to drive for hours it seemed like. Freyr had not said a word after he convinced her to leave with him.

  She sighed crossing her legs in her skirt. She might not have minded the trip so much if it weren’t for the blindfold he forced her to wear. “It is a surprise,” he’d said when she objected. She hated surprises. Being nosy by nature, she wasn’t prone to allow anyone to get the best of her.