Waiting on Tuesday

by Bella Settarra

  “OK. I’ll be waiting outside when you’re ready.”

  She heaved a huge sigh of relief as she unzipped the bag to find a whole new set of clothes for her. Normal clothes. Jeans, T-shirt, sweater… underwear! There was also a little pair of flat shoes tucked down the side of the bag for her. Master Dan had thought of everything. In a side pocket she found a small grooming kit, which she quickly took into the little bathroom and used to freshen up. She stared at her reflection as she ran the comb through her mousey-brown hair. She looked pale, anxious. Even after all that talking she still wasn’t right. She shook her head. She had always known that counseling would never do her any good and here was the proof. She looked worse than ever. Oh well, at least the old witch had forgotten to arrange her next—

  “Ah, there you are.” Paulette beamed at her as she opened the door to leave the little side room. “We’ve made all the arrangements and the doctor has signed your discharge papers.”

  Dan was standing next to the counselor with a big grin on his face. “Here, let me take that, little one,” he said casually as he strode over and took the bag from her trembling hand. He kissed the top of her head and it sent shivers down her spine. The little fire in her tummy felt like it had just been stoked, and she took a deep breath as the handsome Dom put a reassuring arm around her.

  Tuesday was dumbstruck for a moment.

  “Let’s get you out of here,” Dan murmured into her ear.

  She nodded gratefully.

  “Thanks for all your help, ma’am. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Dan reached over and shook Paulette’s hand as the older woman blushed.

  Tuesday suddenly felt quite smug that she was going home with the gorgeous guy. She snuggled into his side, relishing his warmth. Dan smiled and looked down at her. He gave her a wink and steered her toward the corridor.

  “Tomorrow? Why will you see her tomorrow?” She asked once she was safely inside his big, warm car.

  “You’re going to continue with your sessions aren’t you? I persuaded Paulette that you might feel a little more comfortable having them at home instead of this place.” Dan drove steadily up into a nicer part of the city.

  “Am I going home then?” Tuesday was puzzled. He definitely said she would be more comfortable at home, but this wasn’t anywhere near her apartment. Had he really been referring to her being at home at his place? What a damn cheek! She knew her apartment wouldn’t be half as grandiose as his house, but it was her home and she was fiercely proud of her independence. She made her own decisions and lived the way she wanted to. She didn’t need him or anyone else making arrangements for her without even asking her opinion. She chewed her inside cheek as she seethed.

  Dan licked his lips before replying. “You shouldn’t be on your own for a few days so I said you can stay with me for a while. Is that OK with you?”

  She felt his eyes on her, but she stared straight out the windshield. She could feel herself getting hotter and was sure she was blushing. He was explaining, checking with her after all. This guy was trying to take care of her, but he wasn’t taking the decisions away from her. He respected her, and she adored him all the more for it. The thought of staying with him made her feel nervous but excited. She swallowed hard.

  “Should I go home and fetch my things?”

  “I think you’ll have everything you need at my place.” He grinned.

  Tuesday felt herself blushing yet again. He might be right.

  * * *

  Dan studied the little sub as he drove her toward his place. She looked paler than ever and much less sure of herself than usual. It was sad to see the change in her, and he prayed it was only temporary. He had always suspected her bratty manner and brusque attitude were just a front and now he was determined to get behind it.

  “Is it far?” Her eyes were wide, but looked a little watery and weak, and an even paler shade of green than usual.

  “Not too far. Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit? I’ll wake you when we get there.”

  He watched her face cloud over at his suggestion and she suddenly looked panicked.

  “Master Dan, it’s really kind of you to offer me a bed at your place for a night or two, but would you be awfully offended if I declined the offer? I’ve just remembered I’ve got loads to do and I won’t be able to do any of it at yours.” Tuesday’s voice was a little croaked, and he could tell she was trying to quash whatever was worrying her.

  He sighed. Something was very wrong with this little sub, and he had to find out what it was. They had known each other for a couple of years now, and he knew she trusted him in the dungeon. Now it was time for her to trust him outside of it too.

  “Yes, I would be offended, little one. The hospital only discharged you today on condition that you weren’t going to be on your own for the next few days at least. I promised them I would look after you and I’m not about to go back on my word. Unless you’d rather go back to the hospital, of course?”

  He studied her expression. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands which twisted nervously in her lap. He knew that leaving her at the hospital while he sorted out this problem with Dexter would probably make life a little easier for him, but he also knew darn well it would be hell for her.

  “What are you worried about, little one?” He kept his voice soft and gentle, hoping to coax it out of her.

  “Nothing,” she said, shaking her head and looking up out of the windshield. He could see that she had put that front up again. Her lips were slightly tight, and her expression was blank. “Like I said, I’ve got lots to do. I can’t afford to be taking a vacation at your place.”

  “Who said anything about a vacation? I just want to look after you for a few days, that’s all, instead of leaving you with a load of strangers in the County Hospital. If you’d rather stay there you only have to say…”

  “No, no, it’s grand.” The words flew out of her mouth. “Well, maybe just the one night wouldn’t hurt. I’ll be allowed home tomorrow though, won’t I?” Her eyes pleaded with him, wrenching his heart.

  He sighed. One night would certainly not be long enough for him to find out all about the enigmatic little sub, and he was darn sure it wouldn’t be long enough for her to fully recover from her ordeal. “Let’s just see, shall we?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  She bit her lip again, and he could see she was unsure whether to protest or not. In the end she said nothing, just continued to stare out of the windshield.

  His mind reeled. Dexter had been furious with him and Nathan earlier, and neither of them had believed the boss’s bullshit about the membership money being kept in his holding safe while they double-checked all the newbies out. At least Nathan had the sense to get him to put in writing that he still had the money so nothing could come back on him or the Finance Department with respect to lost revenue. All of that had paled into insignificance though, when Dan had caught sight of Tuesday in that hospital bed, desperate for him to come and take her home.

  He looked over at her, curiously. He had so much to ask her, and knew that she would walk away as soon as she could find an excuse once they got back to his place.

  “I heard you did really well with the counselor today, little one. I’m proud of you.” He watched her blush slightly.

  “She got me life story out of me if that’s what you mean,” she replied.

  He chuckled. “Well, that’s progress. Do you feel any better for having talked?”

  She sighed. “No. I’m not sure whether I did the right thing, to be honest. I’ve not spoken to anyone about my past or my family before. It all feels a bit…revealing, if you know what I mean.” She looked over at him briefly. She looked vulnerable, afraid almost. His heart melted.

  “Tuesday, this woman is a trained counselor. She won’t use the information against you in any way. She’ll keep it confidential. You have to trust her.”

  He saw her swallow hard at his words and she stared out of the windshield again.

  “I
don’t even know the woman. Why would I trust her? Why did I tell her all that stuff?” She shook her head in despair, and her pale face turned red, as though she was about to cry.

  “Because you trust me.” His voice was gentle.

  She stared over at him, evidently computing his words.

  “You do trust me, don’t you, little one?” He went on.

  She nodded. His heart wrenched. Trusting him had got her into this mess in the first place, but she still continued to revere him. Guilt and shame washed over him. Should he tell her that he wasn’t worthy of her trust? That he had let her down—let the whole club down?

  No. What would it achieve? Apart from salving his own conscience, this poor girl would probably never trust anyone again in her life. It wouldn’t help her at all. And helping her was his number one priority.

  “Paulette Simpson came highly recommended; I know she can help you. You did the right thing today. Talking to her is the best thing you can do, I promise you.”

  “But it just brings everything up. Everything I want to forget.” Her eyes were wide as she pleaded with him to understand her point of view. “All these thoughts and memories are back in my head and I don’t want them there. How will I get rid of them now? Now that they’re out there.” She waved her hand to emphasize her point, and he couldn’t resist reaching over and holding it.

  “Paulette will help you find a way. Perhaps when you’ve talked some more you’ll look at things differently. You might not want to forget all of it again.” He assured her.

  She chewed her lip. “I hope you’re right, Master Dan.”

  He hoped so too.

  “We’re here,” he said brightly as he pulled onto his drive a short while later.

  “You live here?” She gasped.

  “Sure do. Come on, let’s get inside.” He realized by her expression that she hadn’t expected him to live in a house quite like this one. It was rather big, he had to admit, and the sweeping drive made it look quite salubrious, he supposed. He felt a little embarrassed and hoped she didn’t think badly of him.

  He caught her gazing up at the house, her eyes wide. He took her by the arm, afraid that she was about to change her mind about staying with him after all. It was already beginning to get dark and there was chill in the air. She looked up at him a little uneasily as he ushered her inside.

  * * *

  The heat hit her as soon as Tuesday walked into the large hallway of the enormous house. She had known that Dan Parker was quite well-off—he was a manager after all—but she hadn’t expected him to live in a mansion! The hallway was painted cream, and the dark-wood furniture contrasted beautifully with the walls. The floor was wooden, and a large cream and green rug filled the space in the center.

  “Come on, let’s get you warmed up,” Dan said, showing her into the huge kitchen.

  She watched as he elegantly went to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. “I like to have cocoa when it’s cold like this. That OK with you?”

  “Grand,” she told him with a slight snigger. She had expected him to go straight to the drinks cabinet and pour himself an expensive vintage malt whiskey or some champagne or something, not put milk on to boil for a hot mug of cocoa. It was good to see that he was as down-to-earth as she had hoped.

  He must have caught her sniggering and he looked over with a grin. “Something funny, little one?”

  “No, not really.” She shook her head. “I didn’t expect you to live somewhere like this though, Master Dan. Isn’t it a bit big for just you? I mean, I assume you live alone?” The thought suddenly struck her and she looked around for any sign of a housemate. Or partner, even.

  He poured two mugs of steaming cocoa and went over to join her at the counter. “Yes, it’s just me,” he told her with a smile. “It wasn’t always that way, though. I had a wife once. She chose all the decor for this place.” He looked around the room. “Bernice was a very stylish lady. She worked in interior design, had her own company. We planned to have a large family. We both loved kids, so it made sense to buy a large house so we wouldn’t have to keep moving around. She fell in love with this place as soon as she saw it. I thought it was a bit ostentatious, to be honest, but she had her heart set on it.”

  “So you bought it for her?” Tuesday immediately imagined him spoiling his beautiful wife, giving her everything she wanted, and she disliked the very thought of her, swearing to herself that it wasn’t jealousy.

  He nodded. “You could say that. It was convenient for me too. I used to work just a couple of miles from here.”

  Tuesday sipped her cocoa slowly. She was desperate to ask what happened to the wonderful Bernice, but knew it could be a sore point, so she hesitated.

  “She died.” He must have read her thoughts.

  “Oh.” She was genuinely shocked.

  “Killed herself, actually.” He looked at her with big blue eyes, and she felt as though she had just been socked in the gut.

  Her eyes darted around the room, half-expecting to see a dead body lying on the floor somewhere.

  “It wasn’t here. She did it at her office downtown. She’d had a miscarriage, twins. She never got over it. I got her a counselor to help with the depression, but it didn’t do any good. She couldn’t cope with it. She took an overdose. I blamed myself for years.” His voice was quiet, mournful, as he recalled the event. He took another sip of his drink.

  “How could it have been your fault?” Tuesday stared at him in amazement, certain he would have done all he could to help his beloved wife.

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I just felt that I should have supported her more, you know? She said she wanted to throw herself into her work to take her mind off it all, so I let her. I didn’t realize she’d stopped seeing her counselor until it was too late.”

  “How long ago was it?” Tuesday heard her own voice croak a little as she asked.

  “Four years.”

  A vision of him sitting here now with a gorgeous wife and two beautiful children flashed through her mind. She felt herself tense with jealousy and immediately admonished her selfishness.

  “What are you thinking?”

  There was no point in lying to him; he could practically read her mind. “You’d make a great daddy.”

  He smiled thoughtfully. “I wanted to be,” he mused quietly. Then he smacked his lips together as a thought must have occurred to him. “Though I know twins would be a bit of a handful. Mind you, one strong-minded child can be tough enough. I don’t envy your parents,” he chuckled.

  “Why? You think I was a difficult child, is that it?” She gritted her teeth, suddenly forgetting her sympathy for him.

  Dan looked shocked at her response. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he assured her hastily.

  “Just that I was nothing but a little nuisance to my parents? I suppose you think I deserved everything I got, don’t ya?” She stood up angrily, kicking the stool behind her.

  “What did you get?” He remained calmly seated, his voice even.

  “Wouldn’t you just like to know?” She yelled at him, thumping the counter. “I’ve had enough of this. That woman wanting me to talk all morning and now you. Forget it, I’m out of here!”

  She stormed over to the door, but he caught up with her in two strides, holding her arms firmly as he swung her round to face him.

  “Now hold on a minute. As far as I recall it was me who’s been doing most of the talking since we got here. I was telling you personal stuff about my past. If you don’t want to pay me the same courtesy, that’s entirely up to you. I only asked you a question; you don’t have to answer it.” His voice wasn’t angry or patronizing. He sounded sincere.

  Tuesday stared up at him for a moment, steadying her breathing. The wild fury dissipated inside her and she calmed down, recalling that he had, in fact, opened his heart to her. She bet not many people at the club knew he was a widower. It certainly explained his caring nature and his insistence on her speaking to t
he counselor. She huffed, momentarily closing her eyes to focus. Shame engulfed her.

  “I’m sorry.” She looked up into his deep blue eyes and immediately regretted it. He was gorgeous. He looked sensual, hungry almost.

  “Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” he offered with a smile.

  He took her up a winding staircase which led to a galleried landing. “I’ll only be next door if you want anything,” he told her as he opened one of the bedroom doors.

  She gaped. The bedroom was as big as the whole of her apartment. It was decorated with lilac drapes and carpet, while everything else was pure white. The deep pile sank under her feet, and she longed to kick off her shoes and let her toes become immersed in the soft fibers. The bed was huge and there was a walk-in wardrobe at one end of the room, with an en-suite bathroom opposite.

  “You’ll find supplies in the cabinets,” he told her as she peeked into the bathroom, “and there are some spare clothes in the closet which should fit you.”

  “Thanks,” she said, amazed that he had thought of everything. She looked over at him. He seemed to be standing back a little, giving her space to explore her new room. Apart from being the most handsome guy she had ever met, he was so thoughtful too.

  “As I said, I’ll only be next door in case you need anything,” he reminded her.

  She suddenly felt herself glow hot. She looked over at the wall, imagining him lying in the bed so close to her. Suddenly realizing that she didn’t want him on the other side of that wall, she glanced back to see he had raised one eyebrow suggestively. Oh my God!

  She quickly looked away as she could feel herself blush, and he sniggered. She felt her pussy gush as she glanced back and watched his eyes twinkling. Biting her lip, she took a step closer to him. Her stomach lurched and she felt a little shaky inside as her excitement mounted.

  Dan had placed her bag on the floor, and now he wrapped both his arms around her. She could sense his need; his breathing was already becoming rapid. Quite a change from the calm, serene impression he gave her just moments before. His thick cock tented his trousers, and she delighted in the sensations as it rubbed against her jeans.