by Drew Sera
“Important thing is that Sydney is okay,” I said and squeezed her hand. Matt and Blake looked at each other.
“Cold, Anth?” Matt asked.
Blake and Matt looked at each other again and then Blake asked Matt if I was in shock. Matt nodded and it pissed me off. I was fine.
“I’m fine! We need to go.”
I stood up and started to pull on Sydney but Matt pushed me towards the door and then out into the hall. Sydney was safe in there with Blake. I leaned against the wall and waited for Matt to begin whatever speech I had coming.
“Anthony, I don’t want you driving. Not yet. Stay in Blake’s office for a bit and calm down.”
“I’m fine. I just want to get Sydney home, Matt.”
“Look,” Matt pulled his phone out and showed me a text he got from Colin possibly right before Paul went nuts. “Colin said he got a text from Paul telling him not to worry and that he’d take his spot while he was away.”
CE: Find Anth and Sydney. I just got a weird text from Paul Fielding about taking my spot while I was gone. I don’t even know how he knew I was out of the country. Please find them, I’ve tried calling and texting him.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and finally zipped up my pants. I had a few missed calls from Colin and a few texts trying to warn me. I could imagine how Colin probably felt when he received the text from Paul. Fuck, Paul was crazy. I suddenly felt very tired on top of being cold. I wasn’t going to admit that to Matt though. I had a feeling I wouldn’t have to admit it and it’d be a waste of time to deny it. I think it was the adrenaline drop and I’m definitely coming down with something.
Blake came out of his office carrying a black tee shirt and handed it to me. I didn’t argue and pulled my bloody shirt the rest of the way off and put the new tee shirt on. Matt spoke to Blake and showed him the text from Colin.
Shit, Colin. He must be climbing the fucking wall.
“Matt, did you text Colin?”
“No, I read his text and then came looking for you. I found you and Paul getting ready to kill each other. I didn’t have time to text Colin.”
“Okay, sorry. Fuck.” I ran my hands through my hair and leaned against the wall. I needed to pull myself together. “Sorry, Matt.”
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just angry at what Paul did.” Matt put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly.
I pulled my phone out but saw Matt had his out and was much quicker to text Colin. I went back into the office and pulled Sydney to sit on my lap. I hugged her to my chest and Seth came over and draped a blanket over us. That was fine because I could hide under the blanket. Sydney put her hand on my chest and I set my hand on top of hers. I liked it there. I was dead tired all of a sudden. I think it was an adrenaline surge.
“Ready to go home, Anth?” Matt finally asked me. I didn’t answer but stood up with Sydney and headed towards the door. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to get home and hold Sydney and forget this night happened.
Matt, Gina and Blake were walking out with us and Matt insisted on driving Sydney and I home. Gina would pick Matt up at Colin’s. Fine. I wasn’t going to argue because really it was for Sydney’s safety. Thankfully, Matt didn’t come inside with us. I was fine and still capable of taking care of Sydney. I didn’t need a babysitter.
Shortly after getting inside the house, Sydney wrapped her arms around me and asked me what was wrong with Paul. I told her that I didn’t have a clue and up until recently, Paul never really came around Colin or I. He had a different taste in subs and his thing never blended with Colin’s or mine so we never really saw much of each other at the club. Paul had been a member longer than I have and I think Blake knew him the best. All I knew about him was that he was a sadist inside of Irons, a pharmacist outside of Irons and he enjoyed trying to get a rise out of me. That was it. While I had Sydney in my arms, my phone went off. I knew it’d be Colin without looking at it. I pulled it out of my pocket for confirmation. Yep, Colin.
CE: I talked to Matt and know you guys are home. Once you get settled, call me or text me or FaceTime me from the iPad.
I sighed and quickly thought about how I wanted to handle this. Text form would be the best for me, but I knew Colin was half a world away and would prefer to be able to physically see Sydney to make sure she was okay. I guess it’d be the iPad. I sent him a text telling him we’d be on the iPad in about five minutes.
“Sunshine, go set the iPad up on the bed. I’m going to the kitchen to get some water for us and lock up.”
I kissed her and playfully hit her butt lightly as she began to walk down the hall. She looked over her shoulder at me and gave me a smile. And that’s all it took to bring me out of my rotten mood. Seeing her smile did it.
In the kitchen, I found some ibuprofen and took four with water. I leaned against the counter and rubbed on my chest. I didn’t want too look at it but knew that I eventually would. I’ll take good care of it because I sure as hell don’t want another scar on my body.
Sydney and I connected with Colin using the FaceTime feature. I wasn’t surprised to find him waiting for us. He sat on the edge of a seat in what looked like a conference room. He was working but found a private place to talk with us. Some of the worry left his face once he saw Sydney on his screen.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi, Colin!” Sydney greeted him excitedly. She cares for him too. I know she does and I was quickly reminded that he can give her things that I can’t.
“Not to worry, Col. She’s okay.” I reassured him. He had a strange look in his eyes though. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly.
“I can see that.” He was trying to have a silent conversation with me but I didn’t have the energy. I shook my head at him from behind Sydney hoping he’d pick up on it and not ask me much about tonight. Sydney’s smile had made things better. I knew he wanted to see my gash. I pulled my shirt off and ripped off the bandage Matt put over it.
“See, it’s not so bad, Col.”
He looked angry. Really, really angry. I shook my head at him again trying to urge him not to go there tonight. His eyes didn’t leave mine but he sat back in his chair. I had to get his mind to a better place. He needed to see that we were home and that Sydney was in one piece and not hurt. He needed to calm down and focus on something other than Paul right now.
“Hey, how’s Macau?” I asked. He blinked his anger away and began looking back at Sydney and then me as he spoke.
“I met with Cheng and his entire team that we’ve been working with. They’ve all been very nice and accommodating. I’m staying in one of the executive suites at one of their hotels. Service has been great. Later today we’re going over to the other new place to view it. Things are going well.” He paused and then looked over at me again. “Business wise.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re looking forward to Thursday at Matt’s with his folks.”
“I am. But I’m looking forward to getting back to you two. What’s on the agenda tomorrow?”
“I’m working in the office tomorrow and then taking Miss Burke out on a date,” I said in a matter of fact tone. Colin threw his head back against the chair looking upwards, smiled and made a fist pump gesture. He sat up now and leaned closer. “That’s great. Really, it is. Any idea where you’re taking Miss Burke, Mr. Graves?”
“Cisco’s.”
He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head sideways while smiling. He knew Cisco’s was an upscale restaurant in the building where my high-rise condo was. He probably thought that I had kicked this into serious mode if I was taking her to Cisco’s. Not because it was a nice restaurant but because it was in my building and I don’t take women or play partners there.
“That’s awesome, Anth. You guys are going to have a good time.”
We finished up with Colin and got ourselves ready for bed. She was brushing her teeth and watching me mess with my gash in the mirror. I cleaned i
t out and began looking for some bandages. Since Sydney’s been here, Colin had a large supply for her needs. Next thing I knew, Sydney had hopped up on the counter and scooted over to sit in front of me. She parted her legs and pulled me by my arm to stand between her dangling legs. I didn’t say anything. My brain wasn’t working and so I just looked at her. She picked up a medicated gauze pad and dabbed it over my gash while I stared into her dark blues. They were the color of the ocean. I was barely afloat in those ocean eyes. She opened a bandage and placed it over the wound and looked at her handiwork with her head tilted sideways. She leaned over and kissed the bandage. If my chest hadn’t been hurting so badly, I’d have taken those lips. But I was afraid to move. She looked up at me with those deep blue eyes and smiled.
“I’ve gotten pretty good at fixing up cuts and other wounds.” She shrugged and looked down. I tilted her chin up so look at me. Those eyes made me feel better.
“Me too. I could’ve taken care of it.”
“Yeah, I know. But you’ve been taking care of me a lot. You rock me to sleep, clean my wounds, tend to my bruises, wipe my tears away. You make me feel cared for and safe.” Sydney paused and then in barely a whisper added that I hold her. She loves that I hold her.
“That’s what Doms do, sunshine.”
“I wanted to do something for you though. That’s what subs do.”
Mine. Mine. Mine.
No, I had to get that fucking word out of my head. She cares for Colin and he can give her things I can’t. Colin can help her heal. Colin. I care for her and I recognize that Colin is better for her.
I turned all thoughts of reason off, bent down and took those lips. I carried her to bed and made out with her for a while but stopped when I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. I blamed my new gash. I pulled her closer to me and she placed her head on my shoulder and her hand close to my gash. The pressure her hand created eased the chest pain. I knew I needed to stop being a pussy about this and go see Matt tomorrow. I needed it fixed or at least to know what the fuck was wrong. Maybe I had something really fucking wrong and the chest pain was just a side effect. Fuck.
I was on my back staring at the ceiling with Sydney nestled in my arms. She felt good there. I was thinking about tonight when her voice brought me out of my thoughts.
“Sir, are you still awake?”
“Yes. What’s on your mind, sunshine?”
“I hope you sleep well.”
She leaned over and kissed my jaw then settled back down on my shoulder and chest. Her hand skimmed down my abdomen and over my belly button to take hold of my waistband. I exhaled and felt my chest constricting. This girl was doing something to me.
Nightmares struck close to 4:00 in the morning. It was another intense one. She kept looking around the room. When Colin’s here, she doesn’t look around the room. I gathered her in my arms and walked to the sitting room with her. I sat in the chair, pulled the ottoman over to prop my feet up and wrapped the blanket over us.
“Shhh.” I gave her a squeeze when the tears started. “Oh, Sydney…I wish I could make the bad dreams go away for you. I would in a heartbeat. You’re safe. I have you, sweetheart.”
I could feel my chest was getting wet with tears and her hands shook in her lap next to my stomach. I weaved one hand under the blanket to take hold of her hands. Some time passed and the shaking stopped along with the tears. I needed to try to get her to talk.
“Tell me about the dream, sunshine. I want to know.”
“Howard.”
I knew that much already, but she needed to go at her pace and be comfortable. So if we needed to take tiny steps, then so be it.
“What was he doing in the dream?”
“It was that night. After the party and you took me home.”
If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have left her. I knew she was acting different on the way home than she had on the way to the party. On the way to the party she was nervous but on the way home, she seemed scared or frightened about something. I just didn’t know how to press her for answers and at the time I didn’t know what was up. I should have let Colin take her home that night. He offered and he probably would have been able to get her to talk. Howard almost killed her that night.
“What else, sunshine. Was I in your dream?”
“Yes, but it was the good part. You took me home but then he came.”
“Was I still there?”
She shook her head and pressed herself closer to me. She needed comfort. I stroked her hair and held her until we both fell asleep in the chair.
Chapter 12
Monday, November 25th
Anthony
I was tired and had a sore neck when I woke up, but I didn’t care. I was there to comfort Sydney when she needed it made me feel good. Maybe Colin was right and I was meant to care for a submissive like Sydney.
She and I took a playful shower this morning. I leaned her up against the wall of the shower while I licked her clit and twisted her nipples. She moaned and let her head roll side to side. It didn’t take much and soon she was quietly coming as she throbbed against my tongue. She fought it though and tried to hold herself tight so she wouldn’t make any noise. I encouraged her to let go and come. I worry that Howard beat into her that she shouldn’t come, she couldn’t make noise and that she basically needed to be mute. After I encouraged her to let go, she came, but very quietly. I know Howard terrified her. I climbed up and sat on the bench and pulled her closer to me. I know she gets cold after coming, so I held her as the warm water fell over us. When I was sure she would be okay, I finished washing her off and decided to try a little instruction with her.
“Wash me, sunshine.”
Her pupils dilated and I felt my body react. Seeing her react that way to me made my heart beat increase, and I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach and the wind had been knocked out of me. She physically reacts to dominance. My dominance. Me. She physically reacts to me. I was on fire. Everything inside of me was ablaze and I was trying so hard to contain it all.
“Yes, Sir.”
I sat on the bench and she poured shampoo in her tiny hands. I closed my eyes once she started washing my hair. It was heavenly. I stood to help rinse my own hair and she began washing me with the shower gel. She left my dick and balls until the very end and she finally looked down at them. Fuck, please don’t let this be a trigger for her.
“Sunshine?”
“Sorry, Sir. I’ve never washed a man before. I’m not sure how to wash…there. I don’t want to mess up.”
There was a certain sense of innocence to Sydney even though she was into kink. She just didn’t have a very good teacher.
“Let me show you, sweetheart.”
I showed her how I like to lather up with bar soap and clean from base to tip, making sure I clean around the head really well. Then I showed her about the same routine with the balls.
“After I’ve cleaned with bar soap, I use shower gel with the sponge on the whole area. That way it smells good and matches the rest of me.”
She stood watching me with bright red cheeks and a huge smile on her face. She began giggling which forced a smile on my face.
“What? What’s so funny, sunshine?”
“Nothing, it’s just that you look like you’re playing with yourself and not really washing when you go down the length of it.”
Now I found it impossible not to laugh.
“Sunshine, you’ve got a dirty mind. Here I’m showing you how to wash me, and you turn it around and make it look like I’m jacking off.” I shook my head laughing while she fell apart laughing. “Tomorrow we’ll try this again. Out with ya.”
I took her by her hand and we got out of the shower and I gently dried her off with one of the towels from the warming rack before sending her to dry her hair. While she busied herself with that, I took care of the rest of my morning prep including cleaning my gash again. She finished drying her hair and I told her to go get my underwear
and socks out. All of those things were in the dresser and not in the closet. I hurried to finish my hair and put on my cologne hoping I’d still have time to sit down and eat breakfast with her. She hadn’t come back in yet with my boxer briefs so I went in search of her. I frowned when I didn’t see her in the bedroom part of the guest room. My heart began to pound and I almost panicked because I couldn’t see her right away.
“Sydney,” I called out and headed towards the sitting room. I couldn’t help but flash back to that evening she went into the dark walk-in closet.
“In here, Sir.”
I found her setting my socks down on the coffee table next to my suit and dress shirt. Wait, what the fuck? My suit! Sydney had gone into the closet!
“Sydney! You got my clothes from the closet!”
I went to her and pulled her into my arms. Her skin felt good against mine and her vanilla scented body filled my senses. I held her head in my hands and kissed her.
“You did this! Sweetie, I’m so proud of you!”
“Is it okay, Sir? I didn’t know which one you wanted and took a chance.”
“It’s perfect.”
I didn’t even know if it was navy or black but it didn’t fucking matter. She pushed her fear aside for me. I was so happy and proud but sat down to rub my chest. What the fuck is going on? I pulled her to sit down on my leg and we looked over at my outfit. Dark suit, white shirt, gray boxer briefs, black socks, white undershirt and a dark purple tie with black lines going through it. Perfect. Fucking perfect. It wouldn’t have mattered if none of it matched. I’d still wear it and it’d be the happiest outfit I would ever put on. Colin would break his face smiling at this.
“Sunshine, grab my phone off the dresser.”
When she came back with it, I snapped a picture of everything laid out neatly on the coffee table and then I took a picture of Sydney smiling. She was in a soft white tee shirt and jeans looking sexy and cute. I started a text to Colin. It was about 10:00 in the evening there.