by Jane Henry
"That's right," he said, his voice just above a whisper, as he ran his hand down the smooth curve of her bare skin. "And why is it important to obey me?"
"Because you look out for me," she whispered, and her voice caught. "Because you… want what's best for me," she said.
"Yes, baby," he said. "I'm going to spank you now, Heidi, and I want you count with each stroke."
"Yes, sir," she said. He raised the brush and brought it down with a solid crack. She winced, but didn't cry out.
"One, sir."
He brought it down again, and again, and when she choked out a whispered, "Twenty," he dropped the brush to the bed and massaged her reddened skin.
"Keep counting," he commanded evenly, and after he rubbed the sting out, he raised his hand and brought it down again, feeling the sting on his own hand as he gave her a hard swat.
"Twenty-one, sir," she whispered, and that's when her tears began.
"Let it out," he directed, raising his hand and bringing it down again, "And no need to count anymore, baby." The tears flowed as his hand raised and came down again, softer, but with enough sting that the breath hissed out of her. He could her the soft catch of her cries, as he spanked her, but he knew she needed this, he knew she needed him, and that his taking control this way would bring her relief, comfort, and reassurance.
"You're a good girl, Heidi," he said, delivering another stinging slap, "and you try so hard. So hard." He knew she was done when she lay over his lap as limp as a rag doll. He lifted her up and she slid to the floor between his legs, her head on his knee, as he picked up the brush and ran it through her hair again. "Such a good girl," he murmured. When she looked so calm she looked as if she were asleep, he raised her chin.
"Feeling better, honey?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. He could see the relief written in her features, the weariness taking over now. He placed a tentative finger on her chest.
"That gone?" he asked. "That knot?"
"All gone," she whispered.
"Good girl," he said. "Now come up to bed." She crept up onto the bed and he pulled the blanket up around her. "I'm going to get ready for bed myself, now," he said. "I'll be back in a minute." And two minutes later, when he came back to her, she was already dead asleep. He watched her quietly for a minute. It pleased him to know he'd helped her relax, and gotten them back to where they needed to be—him in charge, her under his obedience, both content, and ready to put the night's events to rest.
Dom drummed his fingers across the gleaming surface of his desk as his phone buzzed. He picked it up automatically, ready to respond if it was Heidi needing him. Although he'd left her safely tucked away at her apartment with her sister, a platter of brownies, and a pile of chick flicks, he still worried.
Hey. Just checking in. Everything okay?
He nodded at the dark corner of his office, and glanced out the large window just in time to see Jay's car pull in next to his in the parking lot. Everything was perfect.
Yep. All in place, ready to go. Will update. You good, babe?
It took a few seconds for her response to come, and he could picture the scene—Heidi sitting on the couch as she always did, one leg tucked under her, phone in her hand.
We're great. Just about to start 'The Notebook', bowl of popcorn at the ready. Just miss my man.
He smiled to himself.
I'll be back as soon as we're done here. Hang tight and be good.
I'm always good.
The hell she was. He dropped his phone back on the desk with a smirk when a knock came at the door.
"Come in," he said, using his deepest, most authoritative headmaster voice.
All Jay knew was that he'd been summoned to the headmaster's office on a Saturday. Dom hoped to hell he'd been sweating it out ever since he'd gotten the call.
Dom strategically folded his hands on his desk as the door swung open. Jay entered, his eyes wide and innocent-looking.
Bastard.
After the incident with Hillary, Paul hadn't hesitated in sharing the 'evidence' he'd discovered during the financial audit—money transferred in Dom's name, on his laptop, meant to incriminate him in the scandal that had almost brought the school to ruin. Dom had denied it, and they'd quickly found proof that Dom couldn't have made the transfer—he'd been checked into the gym with Heidi at the time, and they had the gym record to prove it. It had been easy enough to put two and two together after that. Jay had access, he had the opportunity, and he'd been seen in Dom's office.
Did Jay think he was stupid?
Dom held the record in front of him, the printout from the gym with the dated stamp on it.
"How are things, Jay?" he asked smoothly.
Jay merely nodded, and stood with his hands in his pockets.
"What gives, Dom?" he blustered. "Why'd you call me in here on a Saturday?"
"Sit down."
Jay blinked, as if deciding on whether or not to push the issue, before he shrugged and obeyed, folding himself into the chair opposite Dom.
"I think you know why."
Dom had already decided on his approach before he came. He would be straightforward, cut to the chase, but give Jay just enough rope to hang himself.
Jay folded his arms across his chest, as his arrogant facade wore off and his eyes took on a hard edge. "I don't. Why don't you tell me?"
Dom coolly placed the papers he held in front of Jay.
"You know what these are?" he asked evenly.
"Nope."
"The first, is a transfer into the alumni donation account, requested in my name. Odd, considering you know I didn't make that transfer, and it was a large enough sum to cause our consultants to easily point out a major discrepancy."
Jay shook his head. "Tsk tsk."
The gall! Dom wanted to grab him by his scrawny neck and—he paused, and took a deep, cleansing breath. It wouldn't do to lose his shit now.
He pointed to the second paper. "And this, a time-stamped record of my arrival at my gym, corresponding exactly at the time I supposedly had my ass in this chair making the transfer."
Jay shrugged. "Your point?"
Dom narrowed his eyes and whispered, "You know you were the one responsible for that transfer. You were in here that afternoon when I came to retrieve Heidi's thumb drive—both of us saw you. I can't believe you had the nerve to use my name and incriminate me in this!"
Jay shook his head, but Dom persisted, knowing it was only a matter of time before he got what he needed.
"Your father would be appalled," he said. "Such a way to shame the Divris name."
That hit where it hurt. Jay's cheeks flushed.
"You'll never prove it!" he hissed.
"Prove what?" Dom asked low.
"You know what! That I transferred the money. And even if you do try to bring that stupid paper in, my father will hear about this, and—"
Dom turned to the corner of the room and nodded.
"You got enough?"
Jay jumped to his feet, his eyes bulging, as Paul stepped out of the shadow.
"Got every word," he said smoothly, piercing Jay with a look. He handed the phone to Dom, and Dom nodded.
"Thanks, Paul. Time to make some phone calls."
Chapter 15
Heidi pushed the strap of her sundress back up her shoulder for the umpteenth time and looked at herself critically in the ornately gilded restroom mirror. Familiar grayish-blue eyes stared out from a face gone way too freckled in the summer sun, unremarkable brown hair waved down her back, maybe a little longer than she'd usually wore it, since Dom liked it a bit longer. But all in all, not a single outward change from the woman she'd been four months ago. Inside, though…
Heidi gave the woman in the mirror a secret smile.
The door to the lobby opened, letting in a burst of loud chatter from the restaurant beyond. Though Cara, Tony's restaurant, was normally closed on a Sunday afternoon, he'd made an exception for today's private party.
"If you
don't get out here in the next five minutes, our mother is going to run off with your boyfriend," Hillary joked, approaching the mirror.
Heidi's smile deepened and she grabbed the lipstick from her purse.
"Paul assured me that the whole new-romance, staring-into-space thing would pass once Dom and I hit the four-month mark, but it's still going strong," Heidi confessed, leaning forward to apply the color to her mouth.
"Four months is the standard, huh?" Hillary asked, one eyebrow raised. "No way to cut it shorter than that?"
"Not according to Paul," Heidi said. "He says it takes this long for things to calm down and settle into a rhythm."
She leaned forward and wiped a stray bit of color from the edge of her mouth before continuing.
"I'm sure it works that way for some people, but Dom's a force of nature, you know?" She met Hillary's eyes in the mirror and smiled. "There's a lot to process. I was just standing here wondering how I could possibly look so normal on the outside, when everything's been blown to bits and put back together on the inside." She shook her head. "It's hard to explain."
"I get it," Hillary said slowly, coming up behind Heidi and smoothing Heidi's hair the way she had when they were kids. "It's like… like someone took all the pieces that make you you and didn't—change them, exactly, just—took them apart and put them back together with stronger glue, with a firm foundation. Like you're more solidly yourself when you're with him."
Heidi spun around, startled.
"That's exactly it. Hillie, how did you know?"
Hillary blushed and studied the floor. "Oh, um… Well, I don't actually know what it feels like. I mean, how could I, right? I guess I just… read a lot. You know?"
But the note of pain in her stammered reply made Heidi's heart twist in sympathy.
"Honey," she said, reaching out to push Hillie's hair back from her face. "I can't even imagine what you went through last spring…"
Hillary hadn't wanted to give more than the most basic details about her ordeal at Black Box, and Heidi, with encouragement from Dom, had opted not to push. She'd let Hillary tell her when she was ready. Still…
"I hope you know you can talk to me about it, if you want to. And I hope it hasn't made you give up on the idea of romance completely. Your Prince Charming is out there somewhere, I'm sure of it."
Hillary shook her head, then smirked. "Are we really doing this? You are telling me to hold out for true love? Things really have changed," she teased.
Heidi smacked her lightly on the arm.
"Yeah, well, falling in love is like that," she said, turning back to the mirror to pull up the strap of her sundress once again. "You suddenly see hearts and rainbows everywhere, and you want everyone to be as happy as you are."
"Oooh, so you guys are finally using the l-word?" Hillary asked, her eyes wide. "That's awesome!"
"Well… we haven't said it out loud, not officially," Heidi admitted. "But… I know he loves me, and he knows the same."
She could hear the note of defensiveness in her own voice and grimaced. Why hadn't they said that to one another yet? It seemed like the kind of thing Dom should initiate, but then… Maybe he was waiting for her to do it. As much as Dom was in control of their relationship, he was always careful to avoid rushing her or pushing too hard.
"Honestly?" Hillary said derisively. "Heidi, you know he loves you. You know that he has your back. You know that he's your rock, your anchor. Show him that you know that. Show him that you know you don't need to be afraid of that stuff any more. You're lucky enough to have found the man you love and to know that he loves you back! Don't waste time, Heids."
Heidi frowned. It sounded like Hillary was speaking from experience.
"Hillie, please talk to me," she implored. "I want to help you."
But Hillary would not be sidetracked.
"I know you do. But there's only one thing you can do to help me: tell him you love him. Be brave." Hillary gave her a half-smile. "Set a good example for me, big sister. Remind me that dreams do come true."
Heidi nodded and wrapped her arms around Hillary, wishing she could somehow turn back time and erase everything that had dimmed the spark of joy that had always lit her sister's eyes. The past few months had fundamentally changed Hillary, making her more mature, more introspective, and more subdued.
Hillary eased back from the hug and gave Heidi a wink.
"Now, get out there before Mom convinces Dom that he's always had a burning desire to take up naked bongo drumming on a commune in Ohio, okay?"
Heidi laughed. Their mother's first 'meeting' with Dom over the phone had been discouraging to say the least. She'd called her mother the next morning with her heart in her throat, ready to defend Dom's defense of her… only to have her mother gush about how 'wonderful' Dom had been to take charge of things the way he had, and how 'relieved' she was that Heidi had found a guy who 'championed' her needs that way.
"Baby," Dom had told her smugly, when she'd relayed the conversation to him. "I think your mother's needed a firm hand for the past two decades!"
Not an idea I want to entertain, Heidi thought wryly as she stepped from the dimly lit bathroom into the sun-splashed lobby. But the way her mother gushed over Dom and hung on his every word seemed to indicate that he was right.
She put the thought out of her mind as she nodded hello to Tessa, the friendly brunette Tony had hired as a manager and event coordinator just a couple of months ago, who was chatting with Paul's boyfriend, John, by the hostess desk.
"Hey, chickie," John greeted her, dropping a kiss on her cheek.
"Hey, you. Behaving yourself?" she asked with a wink.
"Always," he smirked, understanding the double meaning behind the innocent question in a way that others, like Tessa, couldn't. "Except when I don't."
Heidi laughed, all too familiar with that feeling.
Tessa snickered, too, before turning it into a cough… leading Heidi to question just how much the pretty manager actually did understand.
"Seriously, though," John said, as they nodded goodbye to Tessa and he steered Heidi through the empty restaurant to the private function room where their friends and families waited. "Things are going really well. Tessa just said that they're looking for a pastry chef, and Tony gave her my name. This place is about to explode in popularity thanks to Tessa, and if I could get in here… I think it would be good for both me and the restaurant. Paul says I'm the most talented pastry chef in Boston," he said proudly.
"Really?" Heidi teased as they ducked beneath a suffocating array of crepe-paper streamers to enter the room. "See, I heard Paul say you were talented, but I didn't think it was your pastry he was referring to…"
John's eyes widened in mock outrage, making Heidi laugh. "Oooh! You did not just say that! I'm telling Dom."
"Telling Dom what?" came a deep, gravelly voice in her ear, just as strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
Heidi leaned back, resting her head against Dom's shoulder, thrilling at his touch even as she glared at John. "Yeah, John," she challenged, "Telling Dom what?"
"Er…" John hesitated. "Telling Dom…um… Congratulations!" He smiled widely at Dom. "I mean, of course! It is your party, right?"
"You are the world's worst liar," Paul said severely, handing John a flute of champagne as he joined them. "I couldn't even hear what you were talking about and I can tell you were lying."
John sighed as he took a sip, and Heidi knew he was fighting an eye-roll that would have earned him a punishment… knew it, because she was fighting one herself.
"I was just congratulating Dom on his new job," John told Paul. "It's a huge opportunity! We're really happy for you," he told Dom.
Paul gave Dom a chin-lift. "He's right. We are. Easterbrook's loss is Association's gain. They're lucky to have you."
Heidi couldn't restrain herself. "Now that you don't suspect my boyfriend of embezzlement, you mean?" she joked.
She expected Paul's pursed lips and raised eyeb
row, but even after all these months, she'd failed to anticipate Dom's not-quite-painful-but-decidedly-not-playful pinch at her waist, or his sternly whispered, "Heidi."
She cleared her throat.
"I was just kidding," she told Paul seriously. "Especially after everything you did to save the day!"
Paul looked slightly mollified, though she wasn't sure whether that was because of what she'd said or Dom's not-so-subtle rebuke.
"Wait, what? You went all superhero and didn't tell me?" John asked.
"Oh, gosh, that's right! You guys had just started dating when all of that went down," Heidi realized. And she recounted the story of the bribes, the lost income, the scholarship kids who'd have no way to pay tuition, and the way it appeared that Dom had been involved in the whole mess.
"So what did you do?" John asked Paul, his eyes wide.
Paul shrugged. "Well, as Heidi mentioned," he said, giving her a sharp glance that made her squirm, "I fell for it. At least at first. But then Heidi reminded me that there was another explanation."
Heidi nodded. "Turns out Jay Divris from the Finance Department had been getting kickbacks for admitting under-qualified applicants. And then once he learned that the Board of Directors had hired us to do a financial audit, he used Dom's computer to make some money transfers and update some files, to make it look like Dom was the one who'd been doing it. He even went around stealing copies of financial reports, trying to clean up his mess." This time, she didn't fight the eye roll.
"Geez! So, did you make him give back all the money?" John asked Paul.
Paul shook his head. "I wish we could have. Unfortunately, the police felt like there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute him."
Paul's expression showed exactly how he'd felt about that injustice.
"The best we could do," Dom interjected, "was fire his ass. Since the only reason he got the job in the first place was through his connections on the board, I know he'll find it pretty hard to find another position that will help him make the payments on his Lexus."
"But what about the kids?" John asked. "If he didn't pay back the money…"