A questionable plus, was the reaction of the girls remaining in the institution. Their clients seemed more distressed at the treatment of the women, than they were at their own incarceration in jail. Benny kept ensuring the lawyers that the young women only asked for their Masters. Their devotion was complete. Some might say, it was completely psychotic. Their clients insisted that the girls would be fine, once they were returned to them.
Cain's young woman was a different story. She had come out of the fog, just enough to be dangerous. They were constantly worried that the pressure of the outside world would change her ideas about her captivity. Things were almost in place to go to trial, but they needed to meet with Nicki. The weekly phone conversations were brief, and she still seemed confused. The plus on that end, was that she only asked about Cain.
"They've found her in Tyler, about five hundred miles from here," Davis Merrill told him.
Cain cocked his eyebrow. "And?"
"They know that's where she is, but they haven't gotten their hands on her yet. We're afraid to contact her, because we don't want to be tied in with her disappearance." Davis continued to explain their strategy, when a phone jingled from his pocket. The color drained from his face. Nicki had never called him before.
Cain watched his lawyer's reaction, when he pulled the small phone from his coat. "She has a phone?" He assumed they were calling her at the places she was hiding.
"Calm down, Cain. We've been trying to keep a plan together, and we need her cooperation. Her head's already fucked up about you," Davis replied, and he pushed the button and lifted the phone to his ear. Shit, he hoped she was not sitting in a room with Ross's investigators. "Hello?"
"Um… do you know a girl named Autumn?" Joanne was watching Autumn and holding her hand to keep her calm. It had taken two hours before she would admit who was helping her, and reluctantly pass her the phone.
"May I ask who this is?" Davis was also gripping Cain's wrist, to keep him from grabbing the phone.
"My name is Joanne Tierney. I'm a friend of Autumn's. We have a little problem here, and we need some help."
"Is she there with you?" Please say yes… and do not be sitting with the Prosecutor's men.
"Yes, though I don't know how long I can keep her hidden." Joanne decided to lay the cards on the table. "Men came into the bar I work at yesterday, looking for her. I called Mary, she works at the hotel, and she said that these same guys were swarming all over Autumn's room. They've set up surveillance in a van across from the hotel. I'm meeting Mary later to pick up some things Autumn left to be cleaned. She says that there wasn't much else in her room."
"You're in Tyler?"
"Yes."
Davis sat back and sighed. "How attached are you to that place?" If Autumn actually had a friend who she trusted, and who was not trying to fuck up his case, it would be one less thing for him to worry about.
"I'm not exactly wealthy, sir, but I've been saving up to leave in a few months anyway."
"My name is Davis Merrill, and I'm Cain Gray's attorney. Ms. Tierney, if I can arrange to get you out of there, will you do it? It might be a while until you can either return or we can send for your things, but you will be well compensated for your trouble."
"I have a dog," Joanne said, staring at her lovable black beast. There was no way that she would leave Dee Oh Gee behind, even for a few weeks.
Davis rolled his eyes. He didn't give a shit if she had six cats and a chicken. "No problem. Give me your address and keep this phone on you. Autumn will recognize the man we send."
Joanne gave him the information, and she scribbled notes about having Mary and Eileen watch her house. Mary had been a friend since high school, and as big a pain in the ass as Eileen could be, she was trustworthy. Autumn tugged at her arm, her frightened stare pleading. "Mr. Merrill, Autumn wants to know how Cain is doing."
Davis looked at the file on his desk, and then he turned to his anxious client. Against his better judgment, he said, "Give her the phone, Joanne."
Davis put his hand over the receiver, and he said, "Do not fuck this up." He handed Cain the phone.
Cain heard quivering breathing and his balls tightened. He remembered the sound as if it had been only minutes instead of a year. "Nicki?"
Nicki's breath caught. Was this a joke? Was it another try to hurt her? "Master Cain?"
He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "It's me, Nicki. Are you doing okay?"
Tears fell down her face, and she sobbed, "They took my collar, Master. They ripped the chain out of the wall. They took everything from our lodge, even a post and the cross."
"You've been back there?" Cain put his hand over the phone, and he looked angrily at his attorney. "You didn't tell me she went back home."
Davis' mouth dropped. Shit. I never thought she'd go there. I didn't even know she knew where the hell the place was. "She never told me, Cain. I swear."
"They destroyed it, Master… and they took my collar. I want Mr. Merrill to get it back for me."
"Hush, Nicki. I'll take care of it. You know I always take care of you."
"I want to see you, Master Cain."
"You know you can't do that, right now. Stay with your friend, Nicki, and we'll be together again as soon as we can. You do everything Mr. Merrill and your friend tell you to."
Nicki began to cry, and Joanne put her arm around her. "I will, Master Cain. I miss you so much, my stomach hurts."
Cain laughed softly. "Your stomach always complains," Cain reminded her. "I miss you too, Nicki. This will all work out." Cain handed the phone back to Davis when he heard her begin to cry.
"Nicki, give the phone to Joanne again. I told you Cain was all right, but we need to make some alternative plans."
"Yes, Mr. Merrill. Thank you for letting me speak with him." Nicki handed the phone back to Joanne, and she jumped to her feet and hugged herself. It was the first time in many months since she had felt so good.
Mr. Merrill told Joanne not to quit the bar, and she admitted that it would be no problem. She had watched bartenders come and go, and the first thing the owner did when they tried to give notice, was take their key. She would leave it with Eileen.
Joanne left to go shopping, and Mary parked next to her in the lot. They managed to transfer Autumn's belongings in a shopping bag. Joanne asked Mary to watch her place for a few days. "You're not coming back, are you Jo?"
"I'll be back to pick up my things when this is straightened out." Joanne smiled at her, and gave her a hug. "You'll be fine Mary. We can talk on the phone whenever you want to."
Mary tried to look confident. Autumn needed Joanne's friendship and strength, right now. "Tell the girl that I wish her luck."
"I will. Autumn is scared, but she's much stronger than she gives herself credit for." Joanne gave Mary another quick hug, and she drove back to the house. Autumn was in her usual place by the window, playing hide and seek with the traffic.
Joanne packed two suitcases with the belongings and trinkets that she absolutely could not leave behind. Things happened much more quickly than they had anticipated, and there was a knock on the door just after nine. Autumn scrambled to the bedroom, with Dee Oh Gee first sliding on the floor in an attempt to catch her, and then running back to Joanne to stare at the door. There had never been so much excitement in the house, but Dee Oh Gee was up for the game.
Joanne looked through the peephole and did not recognize either of the men as those who came into the bar. She walked quietly to Autumn's room and knocked. When she opened the door, the young woman was crouching on the floor on the other side of the bed, burying her face in the comforter. "Autumn, I don't know these guys. I have a little window where you can see them, but they can't see you. Come tell me if you recognize them."
Autumn trembled and tried to be brave while she followed Joanne. She looked at Benny's rather swollen appearance. "They must have beaten him up," she whispered.
"You know him?" Joanne confirmed.
Autumn sm
iled nervously. "Yes, he's the man who helped me get away from the hospital." She still hid behind the door when Joanne opened it. She was surprised to see that the orderly's face was not swollen at all, and Autumn peeked back through the hole and discovered that it was a distortion from the glass.
"Joanne Tierney?"
"Yes, come on in. I don't think they have anyone watching the house yet."
"Nicki, honey, where are you?"
Autumn slowly closed the door, and the orderly stared at her outfit. The girl was gorgeous, all four of them were, but Nicki especially. Maybe, it was because she was the only one not in an almost catatonic state of shock. "Love the chaps," he grinned.
"I saw them on a girl in Sturgis," Autumn replied.
"You rode to North Dakota? Shit, Nicki, that's halfway across the country."
She shrugged. "They have mountains. But I don't like them as much as ours. They're mostly big rocks and don't have trees on them."
The extra man was staying behind to watch Joanne's house. He had some forms for her to sign, and her eyes widened. "You're buying it?"
"Actually, one of Cain's companies is purchasing it. This other stuff is for me to show those investigators in case they get it into their heads to try to come in and tear your stuff up. This way, they'll have to go to court to come in, because there isn't any proof that Nichole was ever here."
"This is too much," Joanne gasped. The offer was five times what the small house was worth. It had been left to her by her mother, and most of the furniture was the same overstuffed things that had been in the house for decades.
"Cain appreciates you helping to take care of Nicki," the orderly replied. He turned to Autumn who was ignoring the discussion, and absorbed in stroking the dog. Benny looked at her scarf. He knew why she was wearing it… both that, and the gloves. Benny had seen the light scars from years of wearing the restraints. "Nicki, how attached are you to that scarf?"
Nicki's fingers flew to her comforting silk collar, and her eyes filled with panic. "Do I have to take it off to travel?"
"No. Mr. Merrill can't get your collar back until after the trial. Cain sent me to his place, to get this out of his vault for you." Benny reached into the bag by his feet, and pulled out a box. He handed it to Nicki.
Her fingers trembled while she opened the little hook on the latch. Inside was a black leather collar, that buckled in the back. There were two rows of sapphires and diamonds along the upper and lower edges on the front. It had no restraining hoops, but it was beautiful… and it was from Cain. Benny handed her a sweater and Nicki buried her face in it and cried. Cain's scent permeated the fabric.
Benny turned to Joanne and said quietly, "When Davis first hired me, I wasn't too sure how I was going to feel about all this. I'm telling you now, to keep these girls separated from these men is cruel. No matter how it got to this point, they live and breathe for these men. The guys aren't much better. The lawyers have trouble getting them to answer questions to get out of this mess. All they do is ask about the girls. They petitioned for months to get them out of the institution and into private care. The court turned them down, convinced they were trying to manipulate them."
Benny looked at Nicki. She had been on her own for months, and all she wanted was Cain. "Nicki, get some rest. We're leaving before daylight."
"Okay," she murmured. She looked at Joanne and swallowed before reaching to untie the scarf. "Will you help me?"
Joanne walked behind her, and her fingertips ran over the scar. The concealing outfit now made sense, and Joanne wondered what other erotic sins it was covering.
Nicki climbed into bed, resting her head on the sweater and breathing in Cain. His masculine smell, unique to him, had her eyes drifting closed with the comforting sense of him surrounding her.
Cain stood behind her, holding a scarf in his hands. He lifted it in front of her face and wrapped it over her eyes, tying it before pushing her against the bedpost. Nicki's pussy was already heating, her slick moisture dripping and glistening her folds while the cool hard wood of the post pressed into her breasts. She wanted to ask Cain what this new game was going to be, but he had ordered her to be silent. Three months as his captive had taught her that he would most probably demand her pain, but that she would be rewarded with such intense passion, she willingly submitted to his tortures.
"Hold out your arms," he ordered. Nicki did as he asked, and he locked her wrist cuffs together over her head and hooked a chain through the metal loops sewn into the leather. Nicki's arms hung over her head, and her elbows were slightly bent.
Next, Cain knelt to secure her ankle cuffs by pulling each leg wide, and threading the hook at the end of two short chains bolted to the floor. The position forced her arms to stretch, and Nicki heard his boots as he walked away. She heard him return and she jumped when his hands traveled down her sides, leaving goose bumps in their wake. Cain stroked gently, occasionally brushing his thumbs over her bottom, until Nicki was breathing raspy breaths of anticipation.
"You will keep quiet, Nicki."
She gasped and she began to tremble, her breasts quivering against the pole. What she felt was fear… and for some indefinable reason, her core clenched with desire. Nicki struggled to remain silent, as Cain had ordered. She did not want the gag. Cain stopped stroking, and his hand gripped her braid and placed it over her shoulder. His fingers traced her spine, and he leaned forward and she felt his lips brush her neck.
Nicki finally whispered, ""I'm scared," and her body began to quiver slightly, punctuating her words.
"Quiet, Nicki."
She heard him step away from her and her eyes teared under the blindfold. Her fright made her bite her bottom lip, to keep from begging or calling out to him. Nicki heard a swish, and a moment later her body rocked into the post when a singeing pain fired diagonally across her back. A soft audible gasp sounded from the intake of breath passing through her lips, and she stretched to her toes trying to ride through pain without speaking, until the burning sensation went away. Soft fingers caressed the path of the whip, and then Nicki heard him step back again.
The second lash circled her hips from the top of her right buttock to the bottom of the left. Inwardly, she screamed as her pussy leaked its juices, grasping at nothingness. Fingers trailed the second burning mark. Nicki emitted a quietly quivered sob when she sensed him step away again. No, please Master Cain. No more.
The searing burn from the third strike, glued itself to the top of her thighs like melted plastic, adhering to her soft pale skin in its agony. The sucking inhaled hiss from her lips was followed by a quiet wail of torment.
Cain walked up behind her tortured back and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. His head nestled into the crook of her neck, and he began kissing and calming her with his lips while his hands traveled down her belly to her slick path. Fingers softly, expertly, manipulated her wet folds, caressing and pinching her engorged clit before a finger traveled deep inside her channel.
Nicki leaned back into him, needing his strength. She felt his stiff cock trapped behind the denim and pushing against her agonized bottom. His hand worked between them and he lowered his zipper, dipped and straightened, entering her. Nicki cried out, and hands returned to stroke her slit and her breasts. Her head fell back against his chest when his hands circled her waist, and he pounded his cock into her until they erupted in orgasmic fury.
Cain released her ankles and wrists, but he left her blindfolded as he led her to his chair. A part of Nicki was grateful that he could not see the tears and wide eyed panic hiding behind the silk. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her head down to his shoulder. Gently stroking her side, they remained silent for several minutes until he felt her composure returning.
When Cain removed the blindfold, Nicki looked down at the floor. He cupped her chin and lifted her face so that their eyes met, and Nicki stared into his eyes, looking for a sign that she had performed the way he desired. For some reason, Nicki felt it was the most importa
nt thing in her life, to see acknowledgement that she had done as he wanted.
Cain could see the torment in her tear-filled gaze. It was the first time he had seen the undeniable pleading to serve. "Can you stand?"
"Yes, Master," she quivered.
Cain led her back to the bed. Nicki was marked by three bruising welts, and they throbbed when she climbed under the covers. Cain wrapped his arm around her, and Nicki stretched out with her head on his broad chest. Cain's hand ran down her side, caressing softly. Nicki wanted to beg him to say something, anything, to explain what had happened, and why her body had responded with such passion when the lash had hit her skin. She needed his encouragement that she had done as he had requested.
The fear that she had failed him somehow, seeped into her emotions, and she frantically searched her mind. She had sobbed at the first unexpected strike, and an audible, muted hiss passed her lips on the third strike along the top of her thighs, where the tender skin met the bottom of the globes of her striped bottom. Neither sound was emitted with any conscious thought. They were merely automatic responses to the whip, but he had ordered her to accept the marks in silence. Had she disobeyed him?
Nicki felt his thumb brushing a rhythmic caress on her upper arm and her hand fisted on his chest while she concentrated on his touch. Her leg was thrown casually across his thigh and her naked pussy was pressed into the side of his hip.
His silence kept feeding her fear, and she felt it building within her in time to the stroking of his thumb. It caused her stomach to cramp. It felt knotted and tight. She closed her eyes in overwhelming panic, and that was when her muscles spasmed. Deep within her channel she constricted in time with his gently gliding thumb and the anxious building fright.
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