by Holly Carter
“And feed you I will.”
Hunter removes his fingers and straightens himself before turning to the waitress. Her face is comical. I think she may have had an orgasm watching our exchange. I look to the old guy and he is looking everywhere but at Hunter and I. his face is covered in sweat but it’s not hot inside the restaurant. I giggle to myself. Hunter orders three steaks with salad and hands the menus back to the waitress, who’s wiping her hands on her shirt.
“So, Hunter.” The old guy says, I still haven’t got his name and it feels kind of strange calling him that. “I saw the books yesterday and the palace is doing better than you thought.”
“It is. I have some big plans that I want to run by you when the new figures come back from the accountant.” Hunter sips his water after he speaks.
“Arrow told briefly about these plans and I think they will work, only if Master’s continues to go good. When is the next party?”
I feel so fancy in this place. Women wear fancy dresses or suits while the men dress in business attire. And here I am, in a hooker dress. But over my dead body would you see me in a fancy fucking dress. I wondered why a suit tailor was walking around the palace this morning. The waitress drops our drinks off at the table, she stutters as she places them down.
“Tonight.” Hunter says, looking at me.
“Another party?”
“Yes, but you won’t be working. You will be attending as my date.” Hunter looks from to our guest.
“Nuh, ah. I hardly agreed to lunch.”
Hunter ignores me and starts talking cars with the guy who is still... nameless. They talk up until lunch is served and during lunch no one says a word. I eat the ass out of the beast and devour my meal in no time. I’m so full by the time I finish; my stomach is the shape of a beach ball. I pat my stomach before wiping my mouth and placing the napkin on the table.
“Hungry, Kat?” The nameless guy asks.
“I was, not so much now.” I say, picking up my Gin.
“I fed her before we came.” Hunter grins and I almost spit my Gin.
Hunter excuses himself from the table leaving me and to fend for myself.
“So, I didn’t catch your name.” I turn on my side to face the man.
“I’m David.” He reaches out his hand and once again I place mine in his. This time is turns the palm of my hand over and kisses the palm. A strange thing to do right?
“Well, you know my name.”
“I do, you’re the most talked about woman in the house right now.” David says, laughing.
“In the world.” I wink.
“You’re a very confident woman, I like that.” David laughs, and he it sound familiar.
“So what’s your story, David?”
He clears his throat and arranges himself in the chair. I watch him pick up his glass and down his Gin before he places the glass on a passing waiters tray. He asks for another two Gins and a scotch. When he turns around I see sadness in his eyes, torment and heartbreak. I know the signs because every morning I see the same in mine. The difference is I can put on a mask.
“My wife and I had a son when we were young. He was the most beautiful baby but the worst child. He was always different. He was the trouble maker at school and we used to move a lot because he got kicked out of so many schools it was hard to stay in one place.” He pulls on his tie before he continues. “We said we would never have any more kids after the trouble we had with him. He was a terror but he was our son. We tried so hard to give him a good life but everything we did just wasn’t good enough and the older he got the worst he became.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you, David. It must have been hard on your marriage.” I lean over and rub my hand over his.
“We had another son when he was seven and that made things worse. By the time he was fifteen he’d left home and lived on the streets. He sold drugs to say alive and some people would tell us they would find him on the streets selling himself.”
The waitress brings the next round of drinks and David drinks his down straight away. I briefly look around for hunter but I can’t see him anywhere.
“Our middle child was a handful, but nowhere near as bad as the first. He was hell on wheels from the moment he could walk and our life was full of laughter and not so much sadness and grief. When he was five, another surprise appeared and by god, my youngest son was completely different to the other two. He was gentle, caring, and compassionate. All three of my boys were smart, very, very smart and sometimes too smart for their own good.”
David’s story hit me. This man was just a regular guy who had three gifts of different sorts but he loved them all no matter what they did. I wished my parents were like that, but I was nothing but a mistake to them. A meaning less, stupid mistake that they had to deal with until I ran away from home and become who I was.
“Life has taught me so much, Kat. It’s taught me that no matter whom you meet in life, they will always make an impact on your life. They leave a mark weather you want them to or not. My wife died ten years ago and she had a heart of gold. She blamed herself for our boys never growing up together. You can’t force love or friendship. It happens or it doesn’t and to this day, only two of my boys get along. I haven’t seen my eldest son in almost five years, but I still love him no matter what he does.”
David cleared his throat as Hunter made his way back to the table. I watch as he tucks his phone into his pocket and takes a seat next to me. He looks from me to David and see’s the same tear as I do. His brow furrows and David brushes it off. I pick up my glass and hand it to David. He smiles and takes it mouthing the words “thank you.”
For the next hour we all talk about food. I love to cook and so does David. To my surprise David admits he is becoming the chef at the palace when all the Master’s and Mistress actually move into the spare rooms. I was unaware it was becoming a live in venue but what do I know. I’m just the prisoner for the next twenty-one days.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours later, Hunter and I leave the doctor and I’m cleared from having a broken wrist. It’s just badly bruised and the painkillers the doctor gave would knock me out for the next eighteen hours but I refuse to take them. Hunter doesn’t ask and I don’t explain when I refused any kind of pain relief at the doctor’s office. The doctor gave me pain medication to take home “just in case” I changed my mind. But I wouldn’t.
We pull up at the palace and Hunter once again comes around to open my door. He helps me out of the car, mindful of my injury. He walks me in the door and ushers me up the stairs. As we walked past the bar, I see several party planners setting up for tonight. The balloons are pink and black this time and I am taken aback. I had plans to see Angel who would be setting up for tonight, maybe help her but Hunter continues to walk me up the stairs.
When we get to my room I turn to walk inside but Hunter keeps ushering me. The next door we come to is his and he opens it, standing to side.
“Are you finally going to show me where you put my vibrator?” I say, stepping inside.
Hunter closes the door and walks me towards his massive bed. He sits on the edge while I stay standing, and takes off his shoes throwing them to the side. He loosens his tie and climbs up the bed settling in the middle. He places his hands behind his head, clearly enjoying the view of me standing at the end. He taps the bed beside him and I shake my head. No fucking way.
“Now.” He once again commands.
I stand and stare.
He lies there and eyes me.
“Now, Kat.”
I roll my eyes and climb onto the bed obeying his orders. I settle on my side and Hunter nestles behind me.
“I don’t want you to have any more bad dreams.” Hunter says softly. “You talk a lot in your sleep and you always look sad.”
“How do you know?” I turn my head so I can see his face.
“Because I watch you.” He says, kissing my forehead before closing his eyes.
I close my eyes too w
ith a settled feeling coming over me. He watches me..... The fear I feel now isn’t for what I dream. It’s for what I feel in this moment.
Chapter Eighteen
I wake, feeling too warm. Hunter’s arm lay across my stomach holding me tight against his body. I can feel his chest against my back, rising and falling with each even breath. I move a little to test how heavy he sleeps. When he doesn’t move, I wriggle my way out of his grip and sit on the side of the bed. My dress is pulled up and my bare snatch is showing to the world. I laugh to myself thinking about someone walking in and seeing me.
I tiptoe out of the room and open the door, turning around to check Hunter when it clicks open loudly. He snuggles deeper into the bed as I pull the door and walk into the hall. I can hear the fuss downstairs as I make my way to down the bar. The first person I see at the bar is David with a bottle of Gin in front of him. He smiles towards me and raises his glass before he pours the liquid into his mouth in one swift movement.
Arrow makes an appearance from the cellar along with Angel. They both carry boxes of wine and spirits to the bar, placing them on the counter. I walk around the bar and start to unpack the boxes one handed.
“Get out of that, miss. You are not on duty tonight.” Angel smacks my good hand and makes a shooing motion.
“I’m helping, shut up.”
“No, you’re not. The boss’s rules.”
“You suck.” I say, pouting.
“I do, and men love it.”
We both start laughing as Arrow shakes his head and giggles. I look up and see David with that same sad face as earlier and instantly I feel bad for asking those questions. I nod towards him and Arrow points for me to sit while he pours me a drink. I take my seat next to David and straight away his hand covers mine.
“You look well rested.” He says, patting my hand.
“I feel well rested.” I say, surprised by own answer.
“Feeling secure will do that to a woman.”
I ignore his comment when Arrow hands me a drink. David picks up his glass and we clink them together before we both down the smooth fluid. I sit and chat with him for almost an hour about the palace and renovations. He’s such a friendly man and I don’t feel as though he is hitting on me anymore. What I feel is that he is lonely and just wants someone to talk to.
“Miss Lock?”
I cringe at the sound of my last name.
Turning around, I see a short woman standing with a tape measure around her neck and a nervous look on her face.
“Yes?”
“I have come to help you get ready for tonight, Mr Ford requested for me dress you.”
“No fucking way.” I say, getting off my chair. “I can dress myself just fine; I have since I was two.”
“But, Mr Ford said...” I hold up my hand to silence her.
“Mr Ford, can go fuc...”
“Kat, just do as you’re told.”
I turn towards David who tapes his drink with his fingers. The clinking of his wedding band hits the glass as he does. Growling, I turn towards the dressmaker and let out a sigh. Everyone in the bar area has stopped working and is staring in my direction. I look towards David again and growl once more before gesturing the woman away. As I follow her, I wave my hand in the air.
“Get the fuck back to work, shows over.” I shout following the woman up to my room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours later I am standing in front of a full-length mirror staring at an image of myself. The woman I see isn’t me, but someone who is made out to look like someone else. I do love the dress, however. I would love it more if it were thigh length instead of floor length. The pink, yes fucking pink, silk sticks to my skin and its light. My shoes are silver heels and I feel short in them. They are sexy, but not my style. My hair is in tight ringlets that bounce when I shake my head from side to side.
I got away with doing my own make up and went for a smoky look. The grey and silver brings out the colour of my eyes along with the heavy liner. Because my dress is pink, I opt for a light pink gloss that blossoms the red in my lips. The woman stands back and smiles as she watches me twirl in the mirror. The front of the dress is low cut, and it shows off my assets. When I flick my hair over my shoulder, I can see the bite mark Hunter left earlier.
“You look stunning, Miss Lock.”
There is that name again.
“Call me Kat. Miss Lock is my mother and she is dead.” I say, sucking my stomach in.
“Sorry, Kat.” she says. “My work here is done.”
I watch as she exits the room and Hunter enters two minutes later. The normally delicious man is extra dangerous and looks more charming than ever. His black and white tux makes him look different, gentler and less dominant. I laugh when I notice his tie is the same colour as my dress.
“You look breathtaking.” He steps towards me and takes my hand.
“It’s too long.” I complain, doing a little twirl.
“It’s beautiful, and you look gorgeous it in.”
“Are you hitting on me, Mr Ford?” I put on my flirtatious voice and fake giggle.
“If I was hitting on you, you would be bent over a bench and your ass would be burning.”
“So charming, Sir.”
“Master, Kat, Master.” Hunter corrects, winking.
Hunter threads my arms through his and we exit the room. The music is pumping hard, and the bass is rattling the door. Oh wait...I still don’t have one. When we hit the stairs, I see seas of people all dressed in eveningwear. The men wear suits and the women wear cocktail or evening style dresses. People are flowing through the main door as I hit the bottom step, and the bar is full. Several people say hello and shake Hunter’s hand as we walk through the crowd of people.
“I’m going to the bar.” I lean in, shouting in his ear.
“Wait.” He grips my arms as he excuses us from the swarm of people that have flocked towards us. He walks me over to the corner of the room where the lounge suites are. People are seen in passionate embraces, women kissing women, men kissing men... it’s erotic. It’s gorgeous.
“Your next sin is Envy.” Hunter whispers as he pushes me against the stone wall. “Envy is the feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another.”
“Envy.” As I say it, I feel mildly aroused.
“Be a good girl, Kat.” Hunter says, kissing my lips quickly before backing away. I watch him walk through the crowd, until his body becomes swallowed by the people and I can no longer see him.
“Envy.” I test the word again.
I shake it off and walk over to the bar where Angel is running back and forth. The other girls are flustered, dropping ice and bottles on benches and the floor. Without thinking twice, I walk behind the bar and serve the first person that waves money.
“What can I get you?”
“A shot of Tequila for me, and something for yourself.” The bold guy winks after he orders and I don’t argue. I pour two shots of tequila and slide one to the gentleman. He hands me his note and I put it in the till beside me before moving onto the next one.
“Do you ever work?” I laugh, when James leans over the bar. He’s been missing in action lately and god knows where he’s been.
“I’ll have a nice drink of you when you’re free.” He smirks, licking his lips.
“Never tempt a Mistress, James.” I wink, moving onto the next.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Two hours of serving and my wrist aches and my head spins. Almost every drink I poured for another, I poured for myself. The pros to working in a bar is the about of people willing to buy you drinks and get too drunk for their entertainment. And I am an entertainer...
I see Arrow standing to the side of the dance floor with a pretty blonde. She is shorter than me, has a black gown on and she looks like a china doll. So fragile, so scared...He whispers something into her ear and I can literally see her shiver. He’s seducing her. And she like
s it. A small smile spreads across her face as her cheeks flush. She’s adorable and I have to introduce myself. I walk towards the two and when Arrow sees me coming his lips lift into a grin. Bodies push me and pull me, but I finally make my way until I’m standing in front of them.
“Kat, don’t you look stunning this evening?” Arrow leans in and kisses each cheek and I do the same.
“You scrub up alright yourself.” I say, wiping the gloss off his cheeks.
“This is Reyner, my date tonight.” Arrow steps to the side and nods to the girl.
When she puts out her hand and I take it, it’s sweaty.
“I’m his girlfriend.” She spits, making Arrow choke.
“I’m Kat, nice to meet you Reyner.”
“I’ve heard so much about you, and you are so fucking beautiful. I think I might have had too much to drink now because I’m rambling and I’m nervous and I don’t even know why I am here apart from to please Arrow and he is like my master or something and I’m just so fucking stupid.” Reyner lets my hand go and covers her mouth to stop herself.
I look at Arrow and the poor guy looks somewhere between shocked and mortified.
“Well, Reyner.” I say, lightening the mood. “Masters love to be pleased by their subs. You being here tonight has pleased him to no end.”
“Do you really think so?” she looks hopeful when she speaks.
“I do. Now, what would please him even more is if you joined me for a dance.” I say, putting out my hand and stepping to the side so she can see the masses of people dancing.
“Dance with a girl, I have never... I mean...I ah.”
“I’m not asking you to fuck me, baby girl. I’m asking for a dance.” I shake my outreached hand. She looks from my hand to the Arrow and he nods before whispering something in her ear. She smiles, and then reaches out for my hand.
Arrow mouths ‘thank you’ to me and I nod in return. I pull Reyner through the crowds of people and into the middle of the dance floor before I twirl her to me. I place my hands on her waist and her arms wrap around my neck. She’s not as innocent as she looks. We sway to the music together. Her eyes drift around the room and I know she is looking for Arrow. He’s moved from where he was and his new location is unknown. I giggle.