Contrasting Lives

by Leah Dempster

  Mandy pulled open the door and drew Emily into a warm hug. “It's so good to see you,” Mandy whispered against her ear as she took Emily's bag and placed it on the floor by the front door. “How are you?”

  Emily sighed heavily, and blinked to keep the sudden tears that welled against her eyelashes from falling. “I'm okay.”

  Mandy shook her head, her eyes filled with compassion. “No, you're not. You miss him, don't you? Be honest.”

  “More with each passing day,” Emily admitted sadly. She'd been talking to Mandy regularly in the past fortnight, Mandy had phoned, sometimes two, or three times a day when Emily was at her lowest. Emily wasn't entirely certain how she would have managed to get through the past fortnight without her best friend and support crew.

  Emily dropped her purse onto the table in the entranceway, and glanced around the darkened hall. Mandy must be planning a special dinner, because she'd lit the candles that sat on the entrance table and from the living room, Emily could see the lights were off and candles were creating a flickering pattern of shadows on the walls. A suspicion crossed her mind that Mandy might have an ulterior motive for inviting her here tonight, but Emily quickly dismissed the thought. Surely, Mandy wouldn't have set her up on a blind date on the first night she'd managed to drag herself out, would she?

  Of course not. Mandy was too caring, knew how much she was hurting after breaking off the relationship with Matt. She was positive Mandy wouldn't do that. “Where's Paul?”

  “In the kitchen, he's opening a bottle of wine,” Mandy said casually, grasping Emily's hand and drawing her towards the living room. She settled on one of the comfortable couches and drew Emily down next to her. “He'll be through in a minute. Now,” Mandy announced, squeezing Emily's fingers. “Tell me why you really broke up with Matt.”

  Emily's heart clenched when she heard Matt's name spoken aloud and again, tears rose unbidden against her lashes. “I don't want to talk about this,” she warned, brushing her fingers across her cheeks.

  “Emily Coulter, you might have fooled yourself with this talk about this decision being made on the basis of how a relationship with you would affect Matt's kids, but you can't fool me. Now tell me the truth.”

  Emily stared at Mandy, her eyes wide. “Why are you pushing me about this?” she asked, hurt by Mandy's attitude. She had thought tonight might be the opportunity she needed to take some time out from thinking about Matt, finding a way to move forward. It seemed Mandy had other plans and Emily was disconcerted to have her friend be so pushy.

  “Because you need to face the truth,” Mandy pressed. “You need to be honest with yourself about your feelings. There have to be other reasons that you broke up with Matt, which you're keeping from me and everyone else. There was obviously an attraction between you, yet you're denying it.”

  Emily dragged herself to her feet, tears coursing down her cheeks. She'd released the floodgates and didn't think she could draw herself back in enough to centre her emotions. “I don't know why you're doing this! Mandy, you know how I feel!”

  “Tell me again,” Mandy said. There was some spark of emotion hidden in her eyes, which Emily couldn't read and was too upset to consider.

  “No. I'm going home,” Emily shouted angrily. “I don't want to talk about this!”

  “You just don't want to face what you're really thinking.”

  Emily turned back from storming towards the entrance and stared incredulously at her friend. “I thought you were my friend? Why would you hurt me like this?” With a fervent shake of her head, Emily brought her chin up. “Yes, I think Matt is wonderful. Yes, I wanted so much more with him. It wasn't only the worry about his children that stopped me from pursuing a relationship. I'm an escort, a submissive! How can I ask him to accept me the way I am, when he has no idea of this lifestyle?”

  “Don't you think that as your prospective Dom, that should be my decision to make, little subbie?”

  The sound of Matt's cool, confident voice made Emily's breath catch in her throat and she turned slowly in the direction the sound came from.

  Her breathing stopped completely when she caught sight of him. Bare-chested, he was wearing a pair of black leather trousers and nothing else, his bare feet spread on the soft carpeting, his gaze focused utterly and completely on her eyes. She couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from his, but in her peripheral vision, she saw Paul step out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food and a bottle of wine, which he placed on the low coffee table in front of the fire.

  “We'll see you two later,” Paul announced, straightening up and catching Mandy's hand in his own. “We'll be back around midnight.”

  Emily watched Matt nod in agreement, although he never drew his eyes away from her own. Emily's heart felt as if it was going to explode in her chest, and she trembled as she watched him, wondering what was going on, why he was here, and why he was dressed so seductively, and seemed so outrageously in control of the situation. He was everything she'd wanted and more, but still… she couldn't trust it. She heard the front door close quietly and jumped at the sound, her anxiety increasing tenfold, knowing she and Matt were alone together.

  “Come here.”

  The words were spoken calmly, in a tone of authority, the rumble of his deep voice setting up a pleasant buzzing in her palpitating chest cavity. Cautiously, unable to stop herself from doing so, Emily walked across the carpet to where Matt stood, and lowered her gaze submissively to the floor.

  “We need to talk.” Matt captured her chin and drew her face up to meet his. “You've been a naughty girl, Emily.”

  A flood of desire soaked Emily's underwear, and her knees nearly buckled. “I'm… I'm sorry.”

  “I'm sorry… what?” Matt demanded firmly. “We may need to work on your manners, little subbie.”

  Emily's eyes widened and she lowered her gaze to the floor again. “I'm sorry, Sir.”

  Matt nodded approvingly, although the hardness didn't soften in his tone. “We have much to talk about, Emily. Strip and then join me by the couch. You may sit at my feet while we discuss your behavior.”

  This time, Emily's knees did buckle, and she stumbled a little before righting herself and staring up at Matt in surprise.

  Matt didn't smile. He met her gaze and narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to do as I've requested, or do you need to be punished, to remind you who's is in charge here?” He reached forward and slapped her ass, one hard smack on her right buttock and Emily jumped. “You've been given instructions, subbie. Now do as I've asked.”

  Hardly able to tear her eyes away from Matt, Emily did as he'd requested, stripping off her clothes and folding them neatly, before placing them in a pile on one of the armchairs. Matt settled on the couch, watching her with desire in his eyes, but he remained silent, the only physical sign of his arousal was the flaring of his nostrils as he watched her lower her underwear and slip them off.

  She stepped hesitantly towards him, and watched as he indicated the carpet beside his left leg with his eyes. She dropped to her knees and settled in the typically submissive posture, with her knees slightly spread and her upturned hands resting on her thighs.

  “Good girl.” He brushed his fingers over her hair and Emily leaned into the touch, desperate for him to approve of her behavior. She was still reeling internally, trying to get a handle on what was happening, what Matt intended and why he was here. What had changed? How had this situation eventuated? Was Matt truly going to prove he could be the Dom she wanted? Even as the thought crossed her mind, she shivered. What if he took his domination too far? What if he crossed the line, from domination to abuse? Unbidden, memories of William slammed into her consciousness and she shivered.

  “Are you cold?” Matt questioned quietly. “I can start the fire, if you aren't comfortable.”

  Emily shook her head, and then remembered herself. “No… Sir. I'm fine, thank you.”

  Matt nodded approvingly and brushed his fingers across her hair again. “Good girl. Now
, let's talk about our relationship. I want you to be honest and candid with me, little subbie. Something you haven't been, up until now.” Matt caught her chin with his fingers and drew her up to see her eyes. “You told me you didn't want to see me again because of my children. I know now, that you were lying to yourself and to me with that response. Weren't you?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered, struggling against a fervent desire to lower her gaze from Matt's whisky brown eyes, to avoid the disappointment she could see mirrored in them.

  “I need you to be honest, Emily. Paul tells me a strong Dominant and submissive relationship requires complete honesty and frank discussion. Something I haven't really understood until now.” He paused for a moment, his expression hard. “Something you did understand and recognize as being important. And yet you chose to tell me you didn't want to see me again because of my children.” The muscle in his jaw clenched and Emily couldn't suppress a shiver of apprehension at the anger in his expression.

  “I'm sorry, Sir,” she whispered miserably, and tears again filled her eyes.

  “Why didn't you want to see me, Emily?”

  “I…” Emily swallowed hard and tried again. “I didn't think you needed to deal with someone like me, Sir. I thought I wasn't good enough for you.”

  Matt was silent for a moment, before he spoke. “Did you stop to consider that I'm a grown man, and could make that decision for myself? That I could be responsible for choosing whether or not I wanted to pursue this relationship. I'm disappointed, Emily. You need to have faith in your Dom, and believe that he'll make the best decision for you, and yet you didn't even give me the opportunity to try.”

  Tears rolled down Emily's cheeks and she lowered her gaze to the ground. “I'm sorry, Sir.”

  “You need to be punished.”

  * * *

  Chapter Sixteen

  Matt saw the tension in Emily's face, the change in her expression, the way her skin tightened as she clenched her teeth together anxiously. He watched as goose bumps rose across her flesh, and she struggled to remain in position, when he could see she desperately wanted to flee. He was proud that she managed to remain in place, even though she could barely control the fear in her voice when she finally responded.

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered miserably.

  Matt managed to restrain the smile that wanted to creep across his face, and withheld himself from drawing her into his arms and soothing her fears. Paul had gone over this situation with him a hundred times this past week, worked through the scene, and visited every possible scenario resulting from Emily's reactions. While Matt had listened intently, and taken in everything Paul was teaching him, he hadn't been prepared for the emotional reaction of being in the position of Dominance to another human being's submission.

  He fucking loved it. He loved the feeling of power it gave him, and yet even with that heady sensation of power, he knew he must accept the great responsibility that came from being responsible for his sub. Paul had explained it a dozen different ways, tried to give Matt an impression of how he would feel, his emotional reactions to the situation, but nothing had prepared him for this. It was incredible, and his erection was pressing painfully against the leather pants, but he knew it would be a while before he gained release and was willing to accept that. For now, his responsibility was to Emily – and to ensure she knew he could be trusted with what she gave him so willingly. He was humbled by her compliance to come to him, even after Mandy had so deliberately upset her equilibrium earlier. But Paul had explained, and Matt could see now, that honesty was the most important thing in this relationship. They needed to learn to trust one another, but without honesty about their feelings, their reactions to one another, this would never work. Suddenly, Matt was feeling as if everything was slipping into place, and he gave her a moment to settle before he spoke again.

  “You lied to me, Emily. And to yourself. I know now, from what you told Mandy, that you think you aren't good enough for me.” Again, he leaned forward and drew her face upwards, taking in the startling blue of her eyes, awash with tears. “You must be punished for lying to us both. But I don't want you to be fearful of what's going to happen. I want you to remember, this punishment is for your own good, a reminder of why it's wrong to lie to me, to us.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered.

  Matt settled back on the couch and patted his lap. “Up here, Emily. Lie on your stomach across my legs, and push that cute little ass up in the air for me.”

  He had to hide a groan as she slid across his lap, the sensation of her rubbing across his engorged dick was almost enough to make him lose control. Taking a deep breath, and reminding himself of everything Paul had taught him this past week, he waited until she'd settled and rubbed his fingers carefully across her back. God, she was beautiful. From here, he could see the gorgeous swell of her ass cheeks, the beautiful curves of her hips, which led to her narrow waist. He could also see the veritable mountain of pale scars which criss-crossed her back, but he swallowed down the questions, knowing now wasn't the time. Paul had impressed upon him, more than once, that she needed to gain enough trust in him so that she was comfortable to open up about her past to him. Paul had been dogmatic regarding his belief that this first scene between them wasn't the time, and Matt trusted his partner enough to believe he was right. He would find out about Emily's past, but all in good time.

  Drawing himself back to the here and now, he brushed his hand across Emily's ass, allowing himself the pleasure of running his finger across the divide between her ass cheeks, watching her shiver again. “You know why you're being punished, don't you?” he questioned, keeping her on edge by running his finger lower, over her dripping slit. It was pleasing to discover that despite her fear, she was turned on by the situation and it served to increase his confidence in what he was doing.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “And why is that, little subbie?” She shivered again, when he ran his thumb down between her ass cheeks, pressing against the delicate little rosette of her ass.

  “Because I lied to you, Sir. And to myself.”

  “Good answer.” This time, when he ran his fingers over her slit, he strummed against Emily's swollen clit and she jumped, barely able to keep herself lying across his lap. The sensation of having her weight pressed against him, the warmth of her skin burning through the leathers was incredible. “Now, we're going to start easy, sweetheart. Ten spanks, and I want you to count them out and thank me for each one. If you feel overwhelmed, say 'Yellow' and I'll stop and we can talk about how you're feeling and what's worrying you. If you need to stop, at any time, say 'Red' and everything will be suspended and the scene will end. Do you understand?” He paused, holding his breath, waiting to see how Emily would respond. Would she trust him enough in this first situation to believe he'd do what he said and stop? Or would she use 'Red' immediately and back out? Matt could feel her uncertainty in every tremor that radiated through her body and into his. He remained silent, needing Emily to make this decision for herself, but he did allow himself the pleasure of rubbing his fingertips up and down her creamy thigh, waiting while she thought this through. He was beginning to see how everything he'd read and studied in the past week came together in this moment of complete trust between two people, how important it was to treat her submission with the utmost respect and to prove to this beautiful young woman, how much he valued her gift of acquiescence.

  It took Emily nearly a full minute before she could speak, and when she did, her voice was a high squeak. “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good girl.” He rubbed his palm across her right ass cheek, and then her left, enjoying the sensation of her beautiful skin beneath his fingers. “So pretty, so gorgeous, sweetheart. I'm proud of you, for being such a good girl.” He lifted his hand and brought it down in a hard slap against her right ass cheek, and then tempered the blow by rubbing the skin, gently soothing the pain away.

  “O–one, Sir. Th–thank you… Sir.”

  He followed
Paul's instructions to the letter, soothing her skin between each blow, and ensuring he varied the position of the blows, so that no one area of her buttocks was abused more than any other. Even while he hated himself for doing this to her, he had to admit to the sensation of power it brought him, the impression that he was building some bridge of trust between them, and teaching his sub the difference between right and wrong. It was heady, overwhelming, and addictive.

  After the tenth and final blow, he ran his fingers down over her ass cheeks and pressed into her, enjoying the tightness and heat. He pushed first one finger into her, and then a second one and she moaned and squirmed against his lap. Pumping in and out, he relished the mewling moans and desperate little cries which erupted from Emily's mouth, and he pushed a third finger gently and carefully inside her, although it was incredibly tight. He pressed his thumb down against her clit and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Come for me, Em. Come now.”

  She shrieked and screamed his name, and clamped down on his fingers until Matt swore she was going to break them. Her orgasm was strong, overwhelming and his balls throbbed in time with her pussy. When she had gone limp in his arms, Matt gently removed his fingers, turned her easily, and brought her to rest in his lap. He reached for the blanket Mandy had left on the top of the couch earlier in preparation for this moment, and wrapped her in it, holding her close to his chest. He rubbed her back soothingly, carefully going through everything Paul had told him regarding after care and ensuring she was comfortable, warm, and safe.

  This had to be the most erotic moment of his life. He could see now, why Paul was so into this lifestyle and wondered if he himself had always had a Dominant streak, but hadn't been aware of it. He pushed the thought aside and concentrated on Emily, holding her tightly against him as she relaxed and went limp again in his arms.