“Do you hear their cries, their pleas for mercy that was never given?” His hand brushed against the skin down over my stomach and came to rest over my mound. “If you listen carefully, you can hear their pleas for death.” He looked up at me with a rictus grin. “Sometimes I granted it. Sometimes I didn’t.”
The evil hit me like a physical blow to my gut.
“Alexa started out in here. It didn’t take her too long to realize how much she wanted to do anything I asked her to do, no matter how depraved. But I’m getting bored with her. And I’d rather have you, anyway.” Now he stroked my chin. I turned my face to the side and grimaced.
“My heart was crushed when your mother left. So, I wanted to do the closest thing to crushing your heart that I could do. Jack was supposed to crush your breast. I knew for sure when he refused to put the whole thing in that vise, that he wasn’t with me anymore. All those years, I raised him to hate your family. All those plans. When he first met you, he would complain to me about all the stupid boyfriend things he had to pretend he liked. He had to pretend to respect you. He had to choke down his hatred of your father and make nice to him. Wasn’t he a good actor? You really thought he was in love with you! But I should have suspected something when he told me he was going to marry you two years later. He convinced me that, even if your father lived long enough to finish his sentence, if you were married, Jack could keep you and still take his revenge later. The truth was, he was coming under your spell. Beginning to have feelings for you. When I realized that, I knew something had to be done. I had to get my hands on you, and time was running out.”
He stopped talking for a minute and looked at me with eyes even deader than Jack’s had been. I thought he was referring to the other night when he’d taken me out of our bedroom at gunpoint. Then understanding burst into my brain.
J.S. had murdered my father.
“How?” I whispered. I was shaking so hard the chains on my wrists were rattling.
“Epinephrine, enough to cause a massive stroke, and a little pressure on the medical examiner that your father was old and sick, and not worth the time for an autopsy.”
“You bastard!” I screamed and kicked my legs out as hard as I could, narrowly missing him.
He lunged at me, crushing me into the wood with his weight. He placed his cheek against mine as I fought to push him off. His mouth pressed against my ear as he whispered, “I don’t care what you think of me, because by the time I’m done with you, you won’t remember your name.” He grabbed my injured nipple and slowly twisted it. The pain crescendoed until it slammed into my brain. I screamed, a scream of pain and despair mixed together so that I truly, at that moment, wanted to die.
The hand let go of my nipple, and the pain, which had become a living, breathing, twisting, thing, reluctantly let go of my brain enough to be aware of the room again.
Jack stood inside the doorway, a gun pointed at his father.
“Get away from her.” Jack’s voice was clipped and angry.
J.S. shrugged and stepped away, keeping his hands at shoulder height.
“Livvi, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. My father conveniently arranged for a car to go through a stop sign and crash into me. Except the other guy’s car was more crumpled than mine, because I veered to the side in time, and he didn’t. Once I saw who was in the car, I knew it had been a setup and sped back here.”
He walked closer to me, keeping his attention and the gun on his father. “I’m not going to do the cliché thing and ask why. You killed my mother, so killing Livvi’s father must have seemed easy. All those wasted years of plotting. Of pretending. You poisoned me with hate. I never knew what kindness or mercy was until I met Livvi. I never knew a parent could love a child until I saw Livvi and her father together.” He turned to me. “I’m still darker and more warped than the Jack you knew. I can never be the man you thought you married. But I promise, I didn’t know about your father. I never would have been involved in that, because I really did come to respect him.”
I nodded, not sure of my voice right now.
“I tried to convince myself that I’d never started to care for you, but the truth is, I did. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll sign divorce papers with whatever conditions you want, and help you get resettled.”
He turned back to his father. “So, now, about you and me. I don’t really care about anything anymore. You fucked up any chance I had for a life. But you’re going to let Livvi go, and Alexa too, and you’re going to let them live in peace, because I know where all the bodies are buried, literally. And so does a certain lawyer friend of mine in a different country. He’ll be more than happy to make those locations public knowledge if he doesn’t hear from me. Yes, that is cliché. But it works. And bodies are pretty hard to explain away, even for you.”
The room had been in shadow, and what was happening had preoccupied me, so it was with horror that I saw the movement in the dimness, and remembered the fourth person in the room.
“Jack!” I yelled. “The corner!”
Erik stepped out into the dim light, facing both of us, his gun pointed at Jack.
J.S. grinned. “Ah, a standoff.” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s consider. You shoot me, Erik shoots you. Or perhaps Erik shoots you, and your gun goes off and hits me. Either way, the end is not good for me. However, if Erik shoots Livvi—” He nodded.
The gun in Erik’s hand shifted just slightly so that the barrel was now facing me. Jack, who had been turned slightly away from Erik and towards J.S., started to swing his arm towards Erik. I saw Erik’s finger pull the trigger. Jack must have seen it too, and wasn’t able to get his gun aimed in time. He threw himself to the side, directly in the path of the bullet that exploded from Erik’s gun. He went down to the ground. Erik looked in confusion at me, probably wondering why I wasn’t hit, and before he realized what was happening, Jack aimed up from the carpet and shot him in the chest. He dropped.
“Jack!” I struggled helplessly, still bound to the wooden X.
“I’m okay, Livvi.” He climbed to his feet, his left arm coated in red, the gun in his right hand still aimed at his father. He walked over to where Erik’s body lay, the pool of blood staining the carpet an even deeper crimson, and picked up the gun. I heard him stifle a groan at using his left arm, but his right hand never lost its aim at J.S. He tucked the gun in the back of his pants. Then he turned back to J.S., who hadn’t reacted at all to the shooting of his bodyguard.
“I can’t raise my arm to let Livvi go. So, you’re going to unhook her from the cross. Now.”
J.S. lifted his eyebrows but walked over to me and unhooked my wrists. As he let the second one go, he whispered, “I can’t wait for you to have a daughter. I’ll still be here when she’s all grown up.”
He turned around and walked back over near the bed. I flexed my arms to get the feeling back in them, then walked over to Jack. He was trying to dig his cell phone out of his right pocket with his injured arm.
“Let me help you.” I stuck my hand in his pocket and fished out the phone for him. At the same moment, I pulled the other gun out of his waistband.
“Livvi! What are you doing?”
I backed away from him a few steps, then turned towards J.S., both hands on the gun to steady it as I released the safety. J.S.’s face turned from placid to amused, and then to alarmed.
“You will never, ever, fuck with my family again.” I pulled the trigger.
Chapter 9
“Justifiable homicide,” the Assistant DA decided after he reviewed the evidence. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I wasn’t sorry for a moment for what I’d done.
The DA was present at the meeting with my lawyer in the ADA’s office, but she’d recused herself from the case. She avoided looking at me even once. As I was about to leave the courthouse, she caught up with me.
“I’m… sorry.”
“He had all of us he
ld hostage. I don’t blame you.”
“I do. I’m resigning. This town needs new leadership, in every department.” She gave me a wan smile, then turned and walked away.
When I turned to leave, another face stepped in front of me.
“Alexa! How are you doing?”
She shrugged. “I’m okay. I’m staying with my sister. I just had to come down here and make sure things went okay for you today. I’m glad you did… what you did.” She turned and walked away before I could say anything to her. A woman put her arms around her as they left the building.
So many lives that would never be the same.
“Ready?” Jack stood next to me. The fracture in his upper arm was healing well. He still wore the sling that immobilized his arm on his chest, but the doctor said he would be ready to start physical therapy in another couple weeks.
“Yes, please.”
He took my hand and we walked out of the building into the sunshine. Spring had finally arrived, and the bushes around the courthouse hung heavy with lilacs. We walked down the block to the coffee shop and got two cups to go, then walked the rest of the block to the park. We had about an hour to wait before our next appointment.
I watched the kids on the slides, yelling and screaming. The breeze blew loose strands of hair around my head and the sun was warm on my face.
“You’re sure about this?” Jack asked.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes! How many times do I have to say yes?”
His dark eyes glittered at me. “Talking to your Dom like that is not allowed. And rolling your eyes at me has earned you a spanking.”
I sobered. “Sorry.” I smiled at him. “Yes, I’m sure.”
‘New Jack,’ as I teasingly called him, was an interesting mixture of dark and light. Now that he no longer pretended, there were parts of his personality that I was seeing for the first time. He had struggles. Sometimes, I had to tell him he was scaring me. Sometimes, I had to tell him his reaction was not how most people dealt with an issue. His father’s legacy had left some sharp corners, and I won’t deny we had a few rough periods. But I wasn’t off the hook, either. I’d pledged to allow him to be my Dominant for six months and see how it went. And sometimes, I struggled, because I’d never had anyone tell me ‘no’ before.
But as much as being submissive was eye-opening to me, being dominant was good for him. He took the responsibility seriously, knowing that not only did he get to boss me around, but that he was responsible for my well-being. And if he was ever the threat to my well-being, he said, he needed my help to understand what had happened.
“And you’re sure about tonight?” It was my turn to question him.
“Yes, I’m sure.” His eyes held a hunger that made me shiver. “I’m going to take you home, strip your clothes off, and strap you to the spanking bench so tight you can’t blink without permission.”
My cunt clenched.
“Then I’m going to give you that spanking you just earned.”
I groaned. His spankings were serious business.
“And when you’re all red and sore and very, very wet, I’m going to start trying to breed you. I’m going to fuck you and come inside you, and you’ll stay there all tied down until I think you’ve been there long enough, which is longer than you’ll want to stay there, I guarantee. And I’ll do the same thing every day until I know you’re carrying my child.”
He knew precisely what those crude words triggered in me. I squirmed, my panties instantly soaked. He had somehow taken all my embarrassed fantasies and made them come true, sometimes more than I was ready for.
Though the outcome seemed pretty certain, we’d decided to wait until we were sure I wasn’t facing any legal problems before starting to try for a baby. Jack was as excited as I was, even if he struggled with the dark seeds his father had planted inside. He wanted, he said, to give to a child what he didn’t have growing up.
He looked at his watch. “It’s almost time.” He furrowed his brow. “Wait.” He gave a furtive look around the park and plucked three daisies from the flower bed next to us. He tucked them into my upswept hair.
“I wish you had a bouquet.”
I was overwhelmed by his sweet gesture. He was trying so hard. “I don’t need a bouquet. These flowers in my hair mean more to me than any fancy flower arrangement.”
“Thank you for agreeing to do this again, even if it is just symbolic.”
“This time I know exactly who I’m promising to love, honor, and maybe even obey.” I grinned mischievously.
He leaned over to kiss me. I lost myself in the touch of his lips. His hand brushed over my breast and I hissed, the sensitivity still heightened as it healed. It was an irresistible target of his for tormenting me. The grin on his face as he pulled away from the kiss spoke of more wicked delights to come later.
He held out his hand and I stood. Then he took my arm, and we headed back to the courthouse, as the scent of lilacs drifted through the air.
The End
Sophie Kisker
Sophie Kisker started composing stories of domination and submission long ago, but it wasn’t until she met others on the Internet that she realized she wasn’t alone. Her stories are sometimes dark and uncomfortable, but they will always have a happy ending. She’s a true believer that romantic love and a riding crop can make a great combination.
During the day, Sophie is busy with job and family, but in the evening, her laptop comes out, her imagination gets going, and she morphs into a recluse who would be happy living in a cave, as long as it had wireless Internet and an espresso machine.
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Other Titles by Sophie Kisker and Blushing Books
Midrosian Chronicles Series
Memories, Book 1
Longings, Book 2
Finding Home Series
Odyssey, Book 1
Sanctuary, Book 2
Refining Fire, Book 3
A Captive of Fear and Desire
The Punishment Tour
Anthologies
Hero Undercover
The Arms I Run To
By
Stevie MacFarlane
©2017 by Blushing Books® and Stevie MacFarlane
All rights reserved.
No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Blushing Books®,
a subsidiary of
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Charlottesville, VA 22901
The trademark Blushing Books®
is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Stevie MacFarlane
The Arms I Run To
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books' or the author's advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.
Chapter 1
She felt the intensity of his gaze. Always, always he was looking at her, watching her, yet each time she turned to confront him, his eyes were front and center. He was doing it again. Standing so still just inside the living room door, his hands clasped in front of him, his gray suit impeccably pressed, he held his position easily.
Why didn’t his feet hurt? He was on them hours and hours at a time. His expression revealed nothing and that annoyed her as well. Prickles began at the back of her neck and she longed to lift her hair an
d fan herself. Instead, she walked to the bar and poured herself a glass of ice water. Her white shorts hugged her ass and she bent to pick up a piece of imaginary lint from the carpet and turned her head at the last second. He was looking at her, she knew it, but couldn’t catch him. He was good, she’d give him that. A barely perceptible smirk tilted the corner of his lips. With a defeated sigh, she plopped on the leather sofa and swung her legs onto the coffee table. John would be here soon, although she couldn’t imagine what he wanted to see her about. Usually, after a particularly bad night he avoided her for a day or two and last night had been particularly bad.
The ice water tasted good and she held the glass against the side of her neck. She thought she heard a slight, muted growl coming from the man’s throat and rose. Swiftly, she marched over to him and poked him in the chest.
“Did you say something?” she demanded, looking up into eyes the exact color of his suit.
“No, ma’am.”
“I could have sworn I heard you say something,” she reiterated.
“You’re mistaken.”
“Why are you here?” she hissed.
“Ma’am, you know I’m with security. It’s my job to be here.”
Joy hated the smooth flow of his voice. It told her nothing. He was simply answering her questions, but she felt there was much more to him, something she was missing.
“Well, I don’t like you,” she sneered, poking him again.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, ma’am.”
“You’re always hovering, snooping around,” she continued, poking him yet again.
“Joy! I’ve asked you repeatedly not to bother the staff,” John barked from across the room as he entered from the foyer.
Hero Undercover: 25 Breathtaking Bad Boys Page 73