by Aya DeAniege
I tried to keep my tone level and calm.
Had he really said he wanted to beat me?
Mr. Wrightworth whimpered. Nathaniel smiled, despite the seemingly annoyed look on his face.
“Beating and fisting are two different things,” Nathaniel said calmly. “I will also use a cane, paddle, belt, crop, my hand, and whatever else entices me. Have you ever been spanked?”
“My father did a few times. My mother felt it was disgraceful for a girl to have her pants pulled down by her father, though, so I stopped receiving spankings.”
“Really?” Nathaniel asked. “Do you know what a toy is?”
“A—I guess you don't mean dolls."
Nathaniel nodded slowly. His brown hair shifted ever so slightly as he nodded. His green eyes slid over me. I felt as if I was being undressed by the man.
“There is one small thing you should be aware of,” Mr. Wrightworth said.
“And what is that?” Nathaniel asked as his eyes remained on me.
I looked away and down, embarrassed that he kept watching me. Silence predominated over the room as I looked away.
“I don't know how you'd like to refer to it in your home," Mr. Wrightworth said quietly. "So you'll have to excuse my wording. Isabella's time has come upon her, and she'll be at least three days in it."
“I'm guessing she had an IUD installed,” Nathaniel said.
“Absolutely, per your own contract.”
Nathaniel dragged in a breath. “Three days, you said?”
“Yes, I don't have any other terms that I can think to discuss. This is of course fluid given the nature of the contract. I need to check in at random intervals. I do believe that if she wants to speak to me, you will grant her immediate access, yes?”
“Yes, I will call you," Nathaniel said, standing as Mr. Wrightworth stood as well.
It seemed abruptly that everyone wanted to part ways. I stood slowly and glanced between the two of them. Mr. Wrightworth cleared his throat awkwardly.
Something hung between the two of them that they couldn't discuss in front of me. Though I did wonder if the awkward reaction was because I hadn't closed the contract. The awkward silence made me look around, wondering if Patrick was sneaking up on me with a gun.
“Will I see you on Sunday?” Mr. Wrightworth asked finally.
“Not this Sunday, as she will need to be broken in," Nathaniel said. "But we will be there next Sunday."
I wanted to ask where, but I was afraid to. Instead, I cleared my throat, drawing their eyes accidentally.
“Shouldn't we be more detailed as to the rules?” I asked.
“No," Nathaniel said. "We've got the basics, and you are probably in pain and tired. No doubt that is leading to your behaviour. We will walk Mr. Wrightworth out and then see to you."
I opened my mouth again, then closed it, afraid to ask yet another question.
“Ask,” Nathaniel said quietly.
“Does this mean—am I being. I ...,” I didn't even know how to ask. “I don't know how to ask.”
“He's accepted your contract,” Mr. Wrightworth said to me.
“Oh, oh good,” I said.
And immediately started panicking at the idea of a future. Mr. Wrightworth had said that I would probably be accepted, but it hadn't occurred to me until right then that I wouldn't end up dead after meeting Nathaniel. Suddenly my wonderment of a few minutes before completely vanished. Life no longer seemed like a good idea.
I would live, but only under his mercy.
I shuddered when Mr. Wrightworth reached for me. Despite the faint feeling in my head, I refused to take his hand as he then pulled away and headed back to the entrance hall. Nathaniel stepped up to my other side and offered me his arm.
“Take it,” he commanded.
I set my hand on his arm, and he set his other hand atop mine.
His flesh was so warm, warmer than mine by far. It was only his steady arm that kept me upright. The events of the day were wearing on me, the shock of being taken into a contract was quickly becoming too much. We came to a stop at the front doors. Nathaniel's arm slipped around me, steadying me when I wavered yet again.
“It was good seeing you again,” Nathaniel said to Mr. Wrightworth. “I hope to see you soon under different circumstances. Perhaps you could visit for dinner one night. Patrick is very good at service, which was why I took him on.”
“Screw you too, Nate,” Mr. Wrightworth said quietly, reaching to touch his tie as the two men shared a look.
Nathaniel's arm was around me. I felt the man tense as Mr. Wrightworth smiled ever so slightly. There was an unspoken threat in the look that Mr. Wrightworth gave Nathaniel. A predator, afraid of Mr. Wrightworth?
But then, the best predators can hide amongst their prey.
“Say goodbye to Mr. Wrightworth,” Nathaniel said to me.
“Goodbye, Mr. Wrightworth,” I said with a small smile.
“Properly,” Nathaniel said with a small growl.
“I did say goodbye,” I responded, looking up at Nathaniel in confusion. “How did I do that wrong?”
The man's hand tightened around my waist. Those icy eyes glared down at me as his eyebrows drew down ever so slightly.
“In the slums that is an appropriate goodbye,” Mr. Wrightworth said quietly. “You should have seen her and her brother say goodbye. Awkward to say the least.”
“That's not how we do it here,” Nathaniel said as he continued to look down at me. “Do again, do it better.”
I frowned back at him as the hand tightened once more. Trying not to sigh, I looked at Mr. Wrightworth, who was trying hard to hide his amusement once more.
“Goodbye, Mr. Wrightworth, I look forward to seeing you again in the near future.”
Having spoken, I turned my attention back to Nathaniel, who made a small sound at the back of his throat.
“It was nice meeting you Isabella. Hopefully you are obedient to Nathaniel's wishes," Mr. Wrightworth said.
“It might be easier to be obedient to his wishes if I knew what they were,” I countered.
“Surely there's no question now?” Mr. Wrightworth asked of Nathaniel.
“I had no question as of the first moment I laid eyes on her,” Nathaniel said sternly. “This one will be a handful, perhaps even a brat.”
“I'm not a brat,” I muttered.
To which both men smiled slowly. Whatever they were smiling at, they didn't share with me.
“Next Sunday?” Mr. Wrightworth asked.
“Next Sunday,” Nathaniel said with a nod.
“Good, I look forward to it,” Mr. Wrightworth responded. “If I go out and punch the gardener, would that make me look bad?”
“You arranged his contract, of course, it would make you look bad," Nathaniel said. "Don't hit my help, Mr. Wrightworth. It's only while there's rumour of the old bastard coming back."
“He might be coming back because of the blank contract you put out,” Mr. Wrightworth said quietly. “You will be careful, won't you, Nate? I don't want to see you like that again.”
“With a blank contract he'd need evidence," Nathaniel said. "By the time he comes back, she will be obedient, a well-trained nanny for possible future children."
“But you aren't wearing the ring. I don't think he'll believe you."
Nathaniel sucked in a breath quickly. It took a moment for him to find his voice.
“I will wear it if he comes back, I wouldn't have a choice, now would I?” Nathaniel said. “It wouldn't be so bad to wear the ring again, I think.”
“You should train her, then,” Mr. Wrightworth said.
I, at that point, felt as if I were missing something, but didn't know what I was missing. It seemed as if they had an entirely different conversation right there in front of me. The context would have made everything clear, but I knew better than to ask what that context was.
“Well, someone set her off, so she's off limits for three days,” Nathaniel muttered.
&nb
sp; “Women are not off limits because it's their time,” Mr. Wrightworth said quickly. “But in this case, I think it's best to wait the three days. Start fresh and clean. From there, well, it will be easier for you to know if there are going to be any surprises.”
“I can't get pregnant with an IUD,” I said, confused.
Mr. Wrightworth smiled at me. "That's right. You can't. Anyhow, I should get going. Leave you two to go at it like rabbits."
“I should get a rabbit,” Nathaniel said.
Obviously not talking about the animal.
I made the simple assumption that Nathaniel was referring to one of those toys he had mentioned earlier. Though the only thing that popped into my head was a little plastic rabbit, and I couldn't understand how adults might use such an invention.
“I'm joking, darling,” Mr. Wrightworth said to me with a wink. “Recall what I said in the car, it still rings true.”
He took his leave before I managed to come up with something to say in response. I was thinking about the car ride, and the main thing I recalled was him grinning and trying not to laugh every time I said something. As the door closed, Nathaniel pulled away from me, placing distance between the two of us.
“What did he mean, the conversation in the car?” Nathaniel asked me.
“He was just reassuring me that you wouldn't rape me,” I said, daring to meet his eyes, but only for a moment before I had to look away.
“There may come a time where I ask you for such an action, but we will set up a scene beforehand and agree to every action that will take place therein,” Nathaniel said, moving closer and offering me his arm once more.
I took the arm hesitantly. “I don't understand what is expected of me.”
“For the next three days, you don't have to worry yourself over much. I believe there should always be time off. We will follow a schedule which we can discuss once your time is up. I think setting aside this time for you to be separate from me is a good idea. Not because I find it filthy or wrong, but because it's a good excuse to give you time off and let you sleep in, or do whatever it is that you wish to do."
“I don't know what to do with myself.”
“For now—for the next three days—your job is to rest and eat. And shower with me.”
“What?” I squeaked out.
Nathaniel reached out and grasped my chin in two fingers that seemed to burn against my flesh as he drew my face upwards. His eyes seemed to warm, but only a fraction as he smiled at me.
“Come,” Nathaniel commanded.
I trembled as the word wrapped around me. Even now, I'm not certain I could have said no if I had wanted to.
Chapter Four
Nathaniel led me up the grand staircase and to the right. He stopped at a doorway and seemed startled, turning to me and then shaking his head.
“Sorry, a force of habit, your bedroom is this way," he said with a motion back the way we had come.
Nathaniel walked back down the hallway, across the grand staircase once more and to the left instead. He opened a door that was in the same place as the other one, just on the left instead of the right. The carpeting, the nondescript fruit in a bowl paintings were all the same by both sets of rooms.
Inside the room, Nathaniel came to a stop as I gawked.
The room was larger than the apartment my family lived in—and there had been six of us living in the three bedroom apartment. It had high ceilings painted pure white with a dibbled, textured surface to it. Hanging from the ceiling was a light fixture with crystals on it.
There's a chandelier in my freaking room.
Every bit of the furniture in the room had neutral colouring to it. The little colour present was in the floral print that was too formal for my tastes. There were more chairs than I thought I'd ever sit in, ranging from a wooden dining chair, right on up to a brand new, overstuffed sofa. Its fabric held together at all the corners, no one had burned holes in it with cigarettes, and it didn't smell like unwashed body.
The floor was a dark wood. Across the room were thick rugs to warm the feet. One on either side of the bed, one in front of the sofa, and another in front of the doorway. I felt terrified, wearing my dirty shoes on the nice rug while Nathaniel stood on it barefoot, watching me take everything in.
The bed had four posters with two sets of curtains on it. One was a gauzy, almost see-through fabric. The other was a thicker sort that couldn't be seen through at all. The bed was huge, almost proportionate to the rest of the room. It was larger than my family's kitchen, possibly larger than the public bathroom that the floor of our apartment building used.
There were tables all over the room, against walls even. There was a shelving unit built into the one wall. A wardrobe sat against the right wall of the room, right beside a small door. Across the room was a larger door which stood open.
With a glance to Nathaniel, I crossed the room and to the open door. I peered through the doorway but didn't take the step in.
The room was a bathroom, which was definitely larger than the bathroom my floor used. The bathroom was so clean and white, like a medical room. It just didn't feel right to walk in, especially with my shoes on. Every bit of the room was tiled, from the floor to the walls, to the ceiling. There were lots of lights on the ceiling, giving a bright, almost daylight feel to the room.
The bathroom had a bathtub, a large shower against the wall, a toilet, and then a lot of space in between. Against the walls were cupboards of light wood.
Gaping at the bathroom, I was stuck in place when Nathaniel walked around me. He seemed to have no care in the world as he walked into the bathroom. His bare feet padded quietly on the tile, allowing him to move without sound.
I craned my neck around Nathaniel, looking over the bathroom again. The only door to the bathroom was the one I was standing by.
The one that led into the bedroom with the one bed.
My attention swung to Nathaniel as the man watched me quietly. The icy quality to his eyes had warmed just a little. He was studying me as everything was overwhelming me.
“Another good reason for you to take a few days each month,” Nathaniel said calmly. “Those from the slums are usually offered smaller rooms that are more suited to what they are used to, and then slowly upgraded to something we would be comfortable showing our friends that we offer poor folk.”
“Is my room through the smaller door?” I asked, motioning behind us and to the outer room.
“No, these are your rooms, this is your bathroom, that is your bed. The smaller door leads into a walk-in closet. I have a set of rooms of my own, which are more impressive. I'm giving you these instead of easing you up because I need you comfortable with this level. I don't want you walking into my rooms and thinking something untoward. It could affect the dynamic.
“I'd very much like you to strip now.”
Just like that? Strip in front of a stranger?
All right, it wasn't that weird. Public bathrooms didn't exactly have private stalls for anything. The showers were a tiled room with no walls between the shower heads. I was used to stripping in front of strangers, but those strangers kept their eyes to themselves, or they had an unfortunate accident involving my brothers.
The joys of being the only daughter with four surviving brothers.
I slid off the jacket and dropped it to the floor. Then I unbuttoned my shirt and opened it just slightly.
At that point, Nathaniel said, "Stop. Turn around as you take that off."
I turned and did as he asked.
Yes, he owned my contract, which gave him fairly broad use of my body. I technically had to do whatever he commanded of me, as long as it didn't cross any of the noes from Mr. Wrightworth's list. If he said strip, I had to strip. Just so long as he didn't try to force himself on me.
If he did try, all I had to do was call Mr. Wrightworth. Even rich people used phones, and Mr. Wrightworth had made me commit his number to memory over the two days of medical.
I unbuttoned
the shirt and slipped it off, letting it drop to the floor with the jacket. My pants were unbuttoned before I remembered to kick off my shoes first. The room wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. The tile underfoot was, however, cold to on my feet. As my pants slipped off, I hesitated.
Bare besides the underwear, I glanced back at Nathaniel, who was looking me over.
The man appeared apathetic.
Which was not a good sign. I had stripped for men before. They seemed excited by the prospect of a naked woman. He didn't seem phased at all like he was looking over a new piece of furniture.
Nathaniel motioned to the shower with his head. His hands slid into his pockets, rather than using them like a normal person to motion to the taps.
I didn't like how the shower was going. Surely, I told myself, I should have stirred some desire in him. That was why I was there. Sex had been the main topic of conversation.
So why didn't he like what he saw?
“You know how to work one of those, I assume,” Nathaniel said about the shower. “I made certain the fixtures were the same as those you might find in the slums.”
Which meant the shower had two dials. Along with the dials for temperature, there were two leavers, which slum showers didn't have. For whatever reason, the dials were lower than hip level even though the shower was separate from the bathtub. I had to bend, leaning on the wall as I turned on the water.
As I was bent over, fiddling with the taps, something grazed up my leg. The fingers grazed over my panties and then across the waistband of my underwear. I stiffened, eyes going wide as Nathaniel's hot hand settled on my left buttocks. Taking a breath and trying to remain calm, I turned to Nathaniel with my hand still on the wall.
“Sorry, I just couldn't help myself,” he said with a small smile as he pulled away.
Off and then on, just like that?
As Nathaniel moved away, all interest in my form seemed to disappear. If it hadn't been for his actual touching me, I wouldn't have realized he wanted anything to do with me.
As I watched, Nathaniel slipped off the jacket and walked towards the bathroom door. The jacket was set on a hook on the back of the door. Nathaniel kept his face to the door as he unbuttoned his shirt.