Her Keeper

by Rianna Campbell

  With one hand he hitched her leg up higher, changing the angle ever so slightly.

  “Parker.” This time, she did moan it.

  When he began to pound into her, fast and hard, she shouted his name, and when she came again, she screamed it.

  A moment later he slammed home and stilled. His back arched and he threw his head back and groaned. She felt a surge of triumph go through her. After a moment, he relaxed and rolled away, removing the condom, tying it off, and tossing it into the wastebasket by her bed.

  She was momentarily bereft until he picked her up and set her on his chest, pulling her close and winding his arms around her back. They were both breathing hard and their bodies were slick with sweat, but somehow she didn’t mind.

  He made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat and for some reason, Amanda found herself crying. A sob escaped her and his arms tightened, along with every other muscle in his body.

  “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  “No,” she sobbed. “I’m o-okay.” She hiccuped and buried her face in his chest.

  What the hell was wrong with her?

  “Are you sure you’re okay? Talk to me?” The concern in his voice and the gentle way he rubbed her back to soothe her, only made her cry harder.

  “I-I don’t know w-why I’m crying. I think it’s j-just relief,” she stammered, trying to explain what was going on in her head. “I didn’t know i-if I could…”

  His hand on her back stilled and he cradled her head in his hands and lifted it until he could see her face.

  “You didn’t know if you could come?”

  “I n-never have before. N-not with someone else, anyway.”

  His face registered complete and utter shock and Amanda wanted nothing more than to roll onto the floor and underneath her bed in the hopes that monsters were real and one would eat her.

  What must he think of her now?

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Good God…

  He couldn’t wrap his head around what she’d just said. She’d never… she couldn’t actually mean never, never. Right?

  The idea that he’d been able to give her something that no one else had made him want to climb to the top of the tallest building and beat his chest. A surge of male pride sang through him.

  And then he wanted to find all the little pricks who’d failed her and drop them from that building, one by one. How the hell could anyone give this woman anything but their absolute fucking best? And if that was their best then it wasn’t worth shit.

  He pulled Amanda closer and tucked her head under his chin. He resumed rubbing her back and occasionally pushed the hair away from her tear-streaked face.

  “It’s okay,” he said softly. “It’s okay. I’m here. Take all the time you need.”

  It probably didn’t make her feel much better but it was all he really had to offer. What they’d just done had been intense, especially since it was Amanda’s first rodeo, so to speak. It wasn’t uncommon for Subs, especially ones new to the lifestyle to get emotional afterward.

  That was why aftercare was so important, and why he was going to stay here as long as it took and give her whatever she needed to recover.

  After her soft sobs and little hiccups had stopped he gave her a quick squeeze.

  “Better?” he asked, sweeping some stray hair away from her face.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “Why don’t you clean up and get comfy while I get you something to eat.”

  “Okay.”

  She gave him a watery smile as she sat up. He helped her out of bed and she went to the door on the far side of the room. He’d assumed it was a closet but it must have been a bathroom. He was glad she had a bathroom of her own and didn’t have to share with her roommates. Her male roommates. Her four male roommates.

  Yeah, he didn’t like that at all.

  He pulled on his jeans and padded out to the kitchen to see what he could find. The first thing he did was fill a large glass with some water and ice. Then he filled a plate with some cheese and a bunch of grapes he found in the fridge, and half a baguette that was sitting on the counter wrapped in one of those paper and plastic bags that they use in the bakery department. He snagged an orange and a banana from a basket on the island and headed back for the bedroom.

  As he was walking down the hallway, the door opposite Amanda’s opened, and the shaggy-looking kid from the night before stumbled out wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt and basketball shorts. The dude looked like he'd walked right out of the Mystery Machine. He was just missing a talking dog and a pair of bell-bottoms.

  The kid spotted him mid-yawn and looked around as if he wanted to make sure he was in his own apartment.

  “Hey, man,” the kid said with a nod. “You’re, uh, still here?”

  Parker nodded.

  “Oh,” the kid said, nodding. He thought about it for a second, looked at Parker's unbuttoned jeans and bare feet and his eyebrows shot up. “Oh! Well, good for her.”

  The kid turned and disappeared into the bathroom without another word.

  Parker shook his head as he closed Amanda’s door behind him.

  “Mm, that looks so good. I’m starving,” Amanda said, spying the plate full of food. She’d obviously finished in the bathroom and dressed before climbing back into bed. She had on a white tank top and another pair of shorts, these in hot pink with a little tie in the front.

  “Yeah, I interrupted breakfast and I’m guessing you didn’t get much dinner last night.”

  Amanda shrugged. “Occupational hazard. We work around food all damn day, but unless it’s a tasting, none of it goes in our mouth. Then by the time you get home the last thing you want to do is cook.”

  “You should eat more,” Parker said with a scowl.

  “If you tell me I need to put on weight I will throat punch you,” Amanda said, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Parker clarified. “I meant that you need to eat to, you know, live. You shouldn’t skip meals, it's not good for you.”

  “Oh, but cramming takeout into my face at midnight is?” Amanda said with a snort.

  “Better than not eating at all.” Parker shrugged and started peeling the orange. Amanda picked up the bread and tore off a hunk, shoving it into her mouth and chewing with gusto.

  Parker pulled the orange sections apart and set them on the plate. He picked one up and handed it to Amanda.

  “Here.”

  “No, thanks.” She waved him off and popped another piece of bread into her mouth.

  “You need to replenish your electrolytes,” he explained. “Bananas, grapes, and oranges have potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. The cheese has protein as well as more calcium. The bread has complex carbohydrates to keep your energy up. And, water for hydration,” he added, handing her to glass.

  “So, you’re like my nutritionist or something, now?” she asked with a laugh as she took a sip of water and set the glass aside on the nightstand.

  “Yes.”

  “How is that?”

  Parker pushed the plate aside and leaned over her. She leaned back as he advanced until she was lying on her back and he was hovering over her.

  “I am anything and everything you need me to be, Princess. That’s how this works. It means you’re mine. And I take care of what’s mine.”

  “You’re telling me I signed up to have some sort of… caretaker? Sugar daddy?”

  “I told you you needed a keeper,” he said with a grin. “Well, now you’ve got one.”

  “And I told you that I can take care of myself,” she replied, smiling sweetly.

  “Listen, we could argue about this for another half an hour until I get my way, or you can do as you’re told like a good girl so we can get back to the fun stuff.”

  He dropped his head and licked up the side of her neck. When he reached her ear he stopped and nipped at her earlobe.

  “Now what do you
want to do?” he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he spoke. He felt her shudder and he smiled to himself.

  “Okay,” she said grudgingly. “But only because I’m hungry.”

  “Of course,” he said, smiling down at her. He kissed the tip of her nose and then placed a smacking kiss on her mouth before he sat back. “Now, eat up.”

  She did as she was told, though she rolled her eyes at him more than once in the process.

  Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun.

  ✽✽✽

  She still wasn’t sure what a brat was, but maybe he had a valid point. Even though she was starving, she’d been seriously tempted to refuse to eat another bite, just because he’d told her to. But the food was delicious and filled her up and she had to admit that she felt better after she’d eaten.

  When he’d told her how well she was doing and told her she was a good girl, her body felt like it had just slid into a hot bath. Warm, relaxed, happy. But at the same time, the way he’d teased her until she’d given in and taken off her shirt had been hot as hell.

  She’d always been stubborn and contrary, so her first instinct was always to do the opposite of what she was told. That still very much applied, but on top of that, the way he reacted when she provoked him made her pulse race.

  She had expected punishments to look a lot different. When he’d pulled out his belt, she’d thought for sure she was going to get a spanking. And honestly? She didn’t hate the idea. She should. She should be appalled. But then again, she never reacted the way she should to anything. Why would this be any different?

  Maybe what he’d done wasn’t really a punishment so much as… tactics of persuasion? She had so many questions that she didn’t even really know where to start.

  “Finish your water,” Parker said, handing her the half-full glass. Out of it as she was she didn’t argue, though she did give him the stink eye as she sucked back what was left in the glass.

  “Good,” Parker said with a wry smile. “Be right back.”

  He took the plate and the glass and stood up, kissing the top of her head before he went to put them away.

  When he came back, she was sitting against the headboard with her thumbnail between her teeth. Not that there was much left of it.

  “Hey, uh-uh.” Parker reached over and tugged her hand free. “What’s going on up here?” He ran the pad of his thumb across her forehead, looking concerned.

  “Oh, I was just thinking,” she replied. “Does this mean I have to get a tattoo on my ass that says ‘Property of Parker’?” She tilted her head and gave him a devilish smile, trying to lighten the mood to hide her discomfort.

  She was fascinated by the ink that crept up his arm. She had a small tattoo of her own, but his were much larger and more intricate. She found herself running her fingers over the piece on his forearm as she mapped it out and soaked up every detail. She was amazed at how the artists had taken so many different pieces and made them fit together so well.

  Amanda picked out a dagger on his forearm with the words “Semper Fi” in script on the blade. A little farther up was a tattoo of a snake coiled in on itself. His shoulder bore what appeared to be a mountain range surrounded by towering pine trees.

  He picked up her hand and kissed her palm before setting their joined hands in his lap.“Not only would I never ask you to do that, I’d never let you do that.”

  Ooh, poor choice of words, big man.

  “Oh, so I have to get your permission for everything now?”

  “Not everything, but that I abso-fucking-lutely forbid.” His face was serious, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “You know I have to do it now, right?” she deadpanned. “You just forbid me. Now I no longer have a choice, I absolutely have to do it.”

  “Amanda,” Parker growled in warning. “I’m not playing about this.”

  “Who says I am?” she asked with a shrug. “It’s my body and if I want to tattoo your name on my ass or my tits or across my fucking forehead, then I will.”

  “Don’t. You. Fucking. Dare.”

  “Why? What would you do?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest and trying to conceal the frantic beat of her heart.

  “You wouldn’t sit for a week, that’s for sure. And it wouldn’t have a damn thing to do with the tattoo.”

  Amanda licked her lips and looked away, suddenly unsure.

  “And not because I’d beat you, either,” he added, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to meet his eyes.

  “Then why?” she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. He stared at her for a long moment, as if fighting with himself.

  “You don’t want to find out,” he replied, kissing her forehead again. Before she could say another word, he scooped her up and pulled her into his lap, scooting back to rest against the headboard. He stretched out his long legs, crossing them at the ankles as he reached for the remote on the nightstand.

  “What now?” Amanda asked.

  “Now we Netflix and chill. And if you want to talk, then we talk,” he answered with a shrug. “This is the part where you call the shots. Within reason.” He gave her a look that said "don’t test me," before turning back to the TV to browse through the list of favorite shows.

  “You can pick whatever,” she said, suddenly nervous about some of the things on her watched list. You never expected to have other people see that. It was almost like he was reading her diary and she was mortified about what he might think.

  “I want to know what you like,” he said, giving her a naughty grin. Amanda covered her face with her hands and sighed.

  “Don’t judge me, and don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Amanda said, leaning into his chest and burying her face in his neck.

  She wouldn’t expect someone so… hard, to be so comfortable, but she quickly found herself nestled against him quite happily with his free hand running slowly up and down her spine.

  “How about The Office?” He started the show at the last episode she’d watched.

  “Yeah, that’s perfect,” she replied, relieved that he was done rifling through her proverbial underwear drawer.

  “By the way, I don’t know what you’re worried about,” he said, his voice low in her ear. “You’ve got pretty good taste.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “I mean, I’m not going to watch Pride and Prejudice with you, but other than that, there was some good stuff on there.”

  “Oh,” Amanda said, wrinkling her nose. “That was Lex. She loves that shit. I mean it’s good, but personally, I find it a little…”

  “Boring?” he prompted.

  “Pretty much,” she laughed. “I mean if there’s no action there should at least be sex. A movie with neither? No thanks.”

  “Hence Fifty Shades of Grey on your watched list.” He snickered and she blushed.

  “Oh, God,” Amanda groaned.

  “Hey, I would definitely watch that with you sometime,” he assured her.

  “Only if you promise not to critique it for accuracy during the sexy scenes,” Amanda replied, looking up at him through her lashes.

  “I can try, but I make no promises.”

  They watched for a few minutes in silence until she couldn’t contain herself anymore.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  She shimmied out of his grip, about which he was less than pleased, but she needed a little space between them for this.

  She scooted back, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly.

  “How does this work?” Once she started, everything started to tumble out at once. “I mean, what does being a brat even mean? What are you? Are you a Dom or is there another word for it? I think I can guess how the sex is going to work, but what about outside the bedroom? Like, are you really going to be trying to control everything I do?”

  “Okay.” He sighed, smiling and shaking his head. “Let’s take this one thing at a time. First les
son for you: this works however the hell we want it to. We make the rules. Communication is really important here and everything is negotiable.”

  Amanda nodded to show she understood and some of the tension fell away.

  “You are a brat because you won’t submit to just anyone. You aren’t a meek submissive who is always going to say ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’ and do what they’re told. Brats push back. They challenge their Dom, most will intentionally provoke their Dom to get a reaction. Their goal is to submit, but only because they have to. Their Doms have to work their asses off to earn a Brat’s submission.”

  “That… sounds familiar,” Amanda said, feeling her face flush.

  “I’ll bet it does,” Parker rumbled, looking at her as if he was remembering every second of what had happened…

  God, had that really just happened?

  “Which is why,” he continued, his eyes still glued to her face. “Doms who prefer to take on bratty Subs are referred to as brat tamers.”

  “So are you… a brat tamer?” Amanda asked. The idea that he was only interested in her because she fit a certain type was more than a little disappointing.

  “Yes.”

  “Got it,” Amanda nodded, trying not to let her disappointment show.

  “I’m not sure you do, Princess,” Parker said, shaking his head. He put his hands around her waist and pulled her back onto his lap, this time sitting so that she was facing him.

  “Do I prefer sexual partners who are bratty Subs? Yes. Have I had other Subs? Yes- two of them. And I will tell you whatever you want to know about those… relationships, for lack of a better word.”

  Parker paused to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

  “But I was drawn to you, Amanda. Before I knew who or what you were. The minute you walked into the room, before you’d even been introduced to anyone, I couldn’t take my eyes off of you, and I haven’t stopped thinking about you since. I want you, Amanda.”

  “So, if I was just a pumpkin spice latte-drinking basic bitch you’d still be interested in me?” she asked doubtfully.