by Anya Summers
Jesse moved past them and took his seat at the front of the room. The FIA governing board sat to one side. The current president of FIA, Jean Bardo, stood at the front, calling the room to order as he and Theo seated themselves.
"This hearing today is merely a formality to record the statement and testimony of Jesse Noble, to see if there should be any leniency in the board's ruling that Jesse Noble be banned from Formula One racing and FIA for life."
His attorney was given the floor, and Jesse was awash in a sea of regret as Theo outlined the events of the accident before asking him to take the stand. "Jesse, if you can please describe the day of the race for us."
He took a deep shuddering breath as he looked out at the courtroom and spied Marco.
"In November of last year, I had partially torn my rotator cuff in my left shoulder. The team doctor prescribed me pain medication to aid in my recovery."
"And that was a prescription for oxycodone?" Theo asked.
"Yes. Our team doctor, Veronica Vane, prescribed it for me after I'd had minor surgery to repair the damage."
Theo proved he was a brilliant attorney as he led Jesse through a series of questions. Jesse could feel the courtroom swaying in his favor at the picture Theo painted. He didn't want it, nor did he deserve it. At the end of a grueling two hours, when Theo took his seat, the board asked him one final question.
"Mister Noble, thank you for your testimony. The board has one remaining question for you. Why should we grant you leniency or the possibility of appeal after a predetermined amount of suspension?"
Jesse glanced at the board, his attorney, and then finally Marco before he replied, "You shouldn't."
There were audible gasps in the courtroom. Theo shook his head but there was pride gleaming in his eyes.
Jesse inhaled a deep breath before he continued. "I don't deserve leniency. What I did was unforgivable. My actions were inexcusable. I accept the lifetime ban without question. Marco, I know that my words can never repair the damage my actions have caused you and your family. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I am so very sorry."
Jesse stepped down from the stand, joining Theo at the table. After a brief recess, the FIA governing board adjourned the hearing, upholding their ruling on the lifetime ban. Jesse felt the permanence of it settle over his soul.
As the courtroom emptied, Jesse ignored his attorney and approached Marco Fiortino. His insides shook as Tessa, with her pixie face and slim form, glared with all the wrath of a vengeful angel as he approached them.
"Leave him alone," Tessa hissed. "Haven't you done enough?"
"Amore, it is all right," Marco interceded, placing a restraining hand on her arm. His face held a warm smile for his wife.
Tessa turned her face away from Jesse, the sharp bite of tears brimming in her eyes.
"Marco, I am so sorry that you are paying for my mistake," Jesse said, with the knowledge that absolution would never come. It was then that he noticed wetness on his own cheeks as remorse swam inside his chest.
Marco's mocha hand gripped Jesse's with a strength that surprised him, "It's life, my friend. I have a new set of wheels now. FIA offered me a deal to broadcast so I will be okay. And you, my friend, don't let what happen define you."
Jesse stared in disbelief at Marco's dark gaze, barely able to find his voice. "But I did a horrible thing, I'm the reason you will never walk again."
Marco shrugged and contemplated him with pity. "It's life, Jesse, mistakes happen. Do one thing for me?"
"Anything. You name it," Jesse promised, feeling his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.
The compassion in Marco's gaze almost brought him to his knees. "Don't let what happened make you bitter, use it to make the world a better place."
"I will. I swear to you." Jesse gripped Marco's hand briefly, and Marco nodded up at him with his trademark grin.
"See that you do. Amore, come, let's go."
Jesse watched as Tessa pushed Marco out of the courtroom.
"You could have told me that you didn't want to contest at all," Theo Brown said behind him.
Jesse swiveled and considered his attorney. "It was the right thing to do."
"Proud of you. I'll be in touch with the other legalities as soon as I have more for you." Theo picked up his briefcase, leaving him alone in the room.
Jesse swayed, feeling lighter than he had in months. He'd meant what he had said to Marco. He was going to do better, be better. And he would start with one redhead.
With a last glance at the courtroom, a place he would always remember as the spot where his life finally began, he pushed through the doors, hoping to avoid the press.
The sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks. On a wooden bench across from the courtroom was the most beautiful sight he'd seen in an age.
Lucy.
As if he had conjured her up from the deepest wishes of his heart. She was here. Dressed in form fitting gray slacks and a seafoam blouse that hugged her curves and made his mouth water. She stood as he approached, his body resonated with her nearness and he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and never let go.
His heart stuttered and thumped madly in his chest at the sea of emotions swirling in her eyes.
Could she forgive him?
Chapter 14
Lucy watched the mixture of emotions run rampant across Jesse's face when he spied her on the bench. He looked haggard, even freshly shaved and in a slick pinstripe dress suit. He seemed to settle on tired and defeated. It hurt her heart to see him this way. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and make his sorrow recede.
He approached her and she stood, her knees trembling a bit.
"What are you doing here, Lucy?"
She touched his arm and he jolted like she'd slapped him. She had caused this and it was up to her to fix it. "We need to talk."
"Can we do this later? I'm really not up to it after everything."
"Please, Jesse, I need to explain some things to you." It was time that she was honest with him. More honest than she'd been with anyone, save her therapist.
"Not here. There are too many press people. Where are you staying?" Jesse granted her a concession point.
She felt a blush spread over her cheeks. "About that; Declan helped me finagle the hotel into giving me a key to your room…"
His eyes simmered with a dangerous glint that made her stomach quiver in anticipation. "Is that right? And how was Declan able to convince them?"
"By pretending he was you and saying that I am your fiancée," Lucy explained, biting her lip and watching the play of emotions run rampant across his face.
"Is that right? Then our room it is. Shall we?" He held his arm out to steer her from the courtroom.
"Actually, I have a car waiting out back," she admitted.
Jesse straightened his shoulders, doing an about face. Ever the gentleman, he gripped her hand as they exited the courtroom out the back end, avoiding most of the press as they did so. Neither of them spoke in the car. What they had to discuss was too private for any prying eyes—or ears, for that matter.
The Ritz Carlton in London was one of the finest hotels Lucy had ever been inside. Jesse's room was one of the suites overlooking London. Lucy spied her luggage as they arrived, as did Jesse. She followed him into the suite. He removed his suit jacket and tie, laying them over the back of a chair.
Now that they were here, all the words she wanted to say seemed to lodge themselves in her throat. She could do this. He was important enough to her; even after such a short time, that she knew he was worth it in the long run. Her stomach fluttered wildly as he sat and rested his elbows on his thighs before looking up at her.
"Before you begin, I have to apologize for the way things went down in Scotland. I should have explained to you more about Veronica. She and I were seeing each other before my accident. She was—and is—the team doctor. Veronica was the one supplying me with pain meds that I became addicted to. I ended things wi
th her shortly after the crash. Nothing happened the other morning. I need you to know, I was just as surprised as you were to find her in my bed."
"There's no need to apologize, Jesse. Jared filled me in. And I'm sorry for doubting you. My track record with trusting men is fairly non-existent, for good reason, but I trust you. I forgot that when I discovered her in your bed and sort of went nuclear. Blame it on the red hair and all."
That got a chuckle out of him, which was good. His face had relaxed some.
She continued. "Now's it my turn to apologize to you."
She sat at the opposite end of the couch, clutching her hands together. "Jesse, there's so much I didn't tell you, for a number of reasons that I thought were good at the time. You see, I had hidden away my sexual needs five years ago, my need to be a Domme and not have strictly vanilla sex. I don't want to go into it too much, but I dated someone in the lifestyle and when it ended, rather badly, I might add, he threatened to expose my preferences at the firm we both worked for. After Jason did that I just shut down, moved to a new firm, and hid my needs away. So when I arrived in Scotland and discovered the club, the rush of tossing all the restrictions I'd placed on myself overrode my good sense. It was sort of like someone who'd been on a diet for years suddenly being offered an all-you-can-eat buffet. So much so that I forgot the one rule of being a good Domme: I didn't once take into consideration what you needed, that you might need to dominate me. For that, I am so sorry."
And then she moved off the couch and knelt at his feet. At his stunned look, she said, "I think it's time I submit to you."
Shocked pleasure coursed through Jesse as Lucy bent down in a slave pose. His proud Valkyrie goddess made his heart tremble in awe at her strength. He could curse and wail over the path of his life, decrying what had happened on the track, but without his life going to hell he never would have met Lucy. And for that he would never regret it.
"If you're sure."
Her cornflower blue eyes, liquid with the force of her emotions, stared at him. "I'm not sure, Jesse. There's more I haven't told you."
She took a deep shuddering breath as she steeled herself to finish. "When I was five, I was molested and raped by one of my father's friends on the floor in our home. My father was too drunk to care what happened to me. In fact, he was in the room when it happened and did nothing to stop it. It was after that that social services removed me from the home. That's the reason why I've never been able to have sex with the man being in control. It's why I freaked out with the first guy I slept with when we were having missionary sex. Since then, I've never had sex that way. But I'm willing to try, for you."
"Oh, baby." He scooped her up off the floor and cradled her in his arms. He wiped the tears from her eyes, feeling wetness leaking from his own. He soothed her, running his hands over her back.
When her tears subsided he turned her face up to his and kissed her with all his pent up emotions. With each sure stroke of his tongue he showed her without a doubt what she meant to him, and that she was his, as he was hers.
He pulled back, caressing her check with a light touch. "Are you certain you want me to take the driver's seat on this one?"
"Yes. I'll try."
"Good enough. Your safeword is red. Use it if you have to, you stubborn minx."
"Yes, Sir." At the sound of those words rolling off her tongue, he felt parts of himself mend. She knew his dark side, knew the uphill battle he faced to put his life back together, and still she was willing to trust him enough with her first submission. His heart warmed as his Dom nature slid back into place.
He shifted her off his lap and onto her feet. "Strip," he commanded.
She nodded. He loved watching her as she unveiled her golden skin, inch by sultry inch. He noticed her panting by the time she was bare before him. She wasn't the only one feeling the heat. He'd forgotten after the accident how thrilling it could be to have a woman submit to him. The fact that it was Lucy was making this one of the most erotic experiences of his life and they'd barely begun.
He pulled her onto his lap and, after a quick kiss, flipped her so that her ass was over his thighs.
"What are you—"
"Quiet, minx. You doubted me; now I plan to drive it home that you should never doubt my feelings for you. For that, you will be punished. Since this is your first infraction, twenty swats should do it. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir." She panted heavily, and he noticed the shiver she tried to conceal.
His heart ached for her, but they needed this. It would wipe the slate clean for both of them. Jesse lifted his hand and thwacked it against her bottom. Her audible gasp gave him pause. When she didn't protest, he swatted her ass with three successively hard blows delivered right between both cheeks. When she squirmed, he laid one arm across her lower back to hold her in place and reddened her rear with his hand. He felt her hot tears shake her body as he delivered the twentieth slap.
He massaged her cheeks, which were burning a flame red from his spanking and he noticed the moisture glistening at her juicy cunt. He traced his fingers between her folds and her cry was a mixture of tears and hunger. God, was he proud of her. After what she had suffered, to be able to submit to a discipline session at all showed just how strong she was, and he couldn't be more in love with her.
Jesse shifted her in his arms so that she was cradled within them. He traced his fingers over her face, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"You did phenomenally, minx. Ready for the next step?"
The last thing he wanted to do was push her faster than she could handle. This was a monumental step for her, and Jesse knew that he was walking a fine line with this session. If he weren't careful, it could backfire.
She inhaled a shaky breath and nodded. "Yes, Sir."
He set her on her feet and led her into the bedroom.
"Get into the bed and lie on your back, please."
She nodded and he went to his toy bag. He withdrew some simple Velcro restraints. Jesse didn't plan on doing anything more adventurous than restrain her for this session. With the steps they were taking, it would be more than enough for him to help her overcome her fears. This session, more than anything, had to be about her, and her pleasure.
He walked over to the bed and noticed her trembling. Jesse placed a steadying hand on her stomach. "Relax, Lucy, I'm not going to hurt you. Please give me your hands."
A tumult of emotions warred over her features as she battled back her fear. She took a deep breath as her courage won out, and lifted her arms up.
"Good girl," he murmured, circling her wrists with the restraints. He fastened each one around the wooden post at each side of the headboard. Then he moved to her feet and did the same. When he had finished putting on the restraints, Lucy was spread eagle on the bed before him.
Had he ever seen a more beautiful sight?
His blood pumped wildly in his veins as his hunger grew. He had to control his ardor until she was ready, no matter how much his dick twitched at her nearness, and how greedy it made him when he'd like nothing more than to sink his cock into her grasping warmth.
Jesse disrobed quickly, not wanting to leave her alone for long. He grabbed a foil condom wrapper from his pack. Then he climbed onto the bed, joining his goddess. He moved himself up over her body, holding himself aloft.
Fear shot into her eyes and he bent his face near hers, studying her reaction. Her fear warred with her need. She wanted him, it was written over her face, but she also had her age-old fears battling for dominance. He took her lips in a gentle, drugging kiss. She moaned as he delved his tongue into her mouth, stroking deep. Instead of possessing, he seduced her, placing lingering kisses on her mouth, sucking her bottom lip in between his. Tracing her lips with his tongue before thrusting his own back inside in teasing flicks.
Lucy strained underneath him against her restraints and, when he would have pulled back, she undulated her hips. He released her and stared down at her swollen lips. Tracing his fingers over her cheek,
he noted her eyes were heavy lidded as she stared at him with hunger suffusing her gaze.
She started to close her eyes and he stopped her. "Don't close your eyes, minx. Keep them trained on me and what I'm doing, okay? I want you to focus on me. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir." She moaned as his fingers dipped down to her breasts and circled the areolas.
He moved his body south, placing light, open mouthed kisses over her chest until he was at eye level with her fabulous boobs. He kept his gaze trained on her as he brought one to his mouth, and flicked his tongue in a circle around her peak. He teased her breast, massaging the golden globe, learning its weight and contours.
Her gasps of pleasure were music to his ears.
Then he sucked the tip into his mouth and she arched up beneath him, feeding him more of her breast. Jesse swirled his tongue around the rigid tip, laving it with his tongue in a series of rapid flicks. He nipped at her peak as it swelled in his mouth and was rewarded with a deep, throaty moan. Once he was satisfied that her nipple was nice and swollen, he moved to its twin, giving it the same attention.
He could suck on her nipples and play with her breasts for hours. And one of these days, he would do just that. But not today, today was all about surmounting a deep hurdle for Lucy, and for them.
Her belly quivered under his touch as he traveled down her body to the apex of her thighs. He caressed her thighs, pushing them open wider to accommodate his shoulders. Her pussy was laid bare before him, the pink puffy lips already glistening wet. He settled himself between her legs, tracing just his fingers through her nether lips. He loved that she kept her pussy bare.
He parted her labia with his fingers, holding her open as he learned her body and responses. Every time they'd been together it had been a race to the finish line, where'd he'd not been given the proper opportunity to explore her body in full. He did now, watching her facial expressions as he touched and stroked. He circled her clitoris, teasing the fleshy nub, running his fingers over, around, and then across it. Lucy was mewling between panty breaths but she kept her eyes trained on him.