The next morning, she woke with a high fever and the feeling that she would need to get better in order to die. After negotiating time off from the station, she contacted both the hospital and police department and let them know she would be unavailable until further notice.
Once her commitments were taken care of, she dressed in something public appropriate and dragged herself to the grocery store. The cupboards were bare and she needed to lay in supplies before she gave into being sick. Moving as slow as refrigerated molasses, she stocked up on juice, tissues, and all her favorite comfort foods. After returning home and putting the groceries away, she locked the doors, turned off her phone, and crawled into bed. Her plan was to stay there until she felt better, ran out of food, or died, whichever came first.
Chapter 9
Sinjin followed Gunnar and Jillian through the New Bern Airport Thursday afternoon, thanking the Heavens that his brother owned a private plane and they did not have to hopscotch flights across the country like he had when he went west. Though he was beyond exhausted, he was more worried about Mary Claire than himself. It was one of the few times in his life where he really, really wished he could hear and speak so he could call and apologize for his extended silence.
No matter how much the crazy creative team in California bugged him, he refused to buy a phone. The translators the production company hired had been idiots, asses, and incompetent. Sinjin fired them all, eventually e-mailing Gunnar, and begging him to find him a competent ASL translator who would not fuck around with his words. He was shocked when Gunnar arrived and took the job himself.
After weeks of bullshit and arguing through interpreters who did not seem to know what he was saying, Gunnar arrived. He and Jillian settled into the production company provided hotel suite with him, and finally work on the script moved forward. Once the script was finally finished, he had Gunnar tell the producers and his agent that any further work would be done by e-mail, or not at all, because he would not be returning anytime in the near future.
Once back in New Bern, he watched from the backseat as Gunnar unlocked the glove box and pulled out Jillian’s phone. He would have to remember that for the next time he and Mary Claire spent time together. Without a phone, there would be no interruptions like they had had nearly two months earlier.
Jillian listened to messages as they drove home, making notes on a pad from her briefcase. When she hung up, she had a worried expression on her face as she turned in her seat and held out her phone.
“You need to text Mary Claire right now. And tomorrow we are getting you your own phone.”
He frowned. “Something wrong?”
“She called and left a message yesterday and sounded funny. Text her and tell her you’re back in town.”
Sinjin took the phone and looked at it. Did she even care? Had she missed him at all? This was the first contact she had made with Jillian since the day they had spent together nearly two months before. Maybe she had moved on.
He wanted to argue against contacting her, but his gut knotted, telling him that something was wrong if she had been out of touch with her friend for that long.
He sent the text quickly then handed the phone back to Jillian. There was no response by the time he reached the house. Though sheer will was keeping him on his feet, he fished his keys out of his briefcase. After taking his bags to his room, he walked out back to the garage and climbed into his SUV.
The drive took longer than he remembered, but soon he pulled into Mary Claire’s driveway and parked behind her little car. He frowned when he noticed the trunk was open. His concerns deepened when, after closing the trunk, he went to the front door and found her keys hanging in the doorknob.
He knocked, but there was no answer. Using the keys, he unlocked the door and let himself in, his worries growing by the second.
The living room was neat, but in the kitchen he found dirty dishes, empty juice bottles, and frozen food containers littering the counter. The trashcan overflowed, emitting an unsavory odor that caused his nose to twitch.
Walking down the hall, he stopped at the end of the hall at what appeared to be Mary Claire’s bedroom. The queen-size bed was unmade with a Mary Claire-size lump in the middle. Crossing to the side of the bed, he scowled as he saw she was sleeping, sprawled across the bed. She looked too pale and had lost weight in the time they had been apart. Weight she did not need to lose.
She did not move or wake up when he sat down on the bed next to her. When he touched the back of his hand to her forehead, he was shocked to find she was burning up with fever.
Looking around, he found her phone on an end table in the living room. Turning it on, he found the text he had sent from Jillian’s phone waiting to be read. He texted Jillian the situation, and that he would be staying with Mary Claire until she got better. Jillian responded that they would bring his things over in the morning if he wanted. After agreeing to her suggestion, he changed the phone to vibrate and slid it into his pocket.
He spent a few minutes cleaning up the kitchen, washing dishes, taking out the trash. Then he looked through the cabinets and found the makings for soup. Once it was in the slow cooker simmering, he poured juice into a coffee mug since he could not find a proper juice glass. He then searched for, and found, a bottle of Ibuprofen. Carrying both, he returned to the bedroom.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached over and nudged the sleeping woman’s shoulder. She rolled away from him, so he nudged her again. She rolled away again so she was perched on the far edge of the mattress, just out of reach.
Smiling, he went around the bed and pulled the covers from her. She wore a T-shirt big enough to swim in with nothing else.
He placed the hand not holding the mug in the middle of her back then set the cold mug on the back of her neck for a count of three. He pulled it away just as she jolted, rolled away, and sat up.
* * * *
“What the hell?” Mary Claire screamed as she scrambled to get away from the cold against the back of her neck.
Opening her eyes, she found herself sitting in the middle of her bed, and Sinjin was standing beside her bed, grinning like a fool. But Sinjin could not be here. He had gone off somewhere without a word.
Frowning at the covers that were bunched up at the bottom of the bed, she reached for them. But the ghost slapped her hands away.
“Stop that,” she signed with her eyes closed. “You’re just a vision and I’m too sick for you to be haunting my dreams.”
When she went to reach for the covers a second time, her hand was again slapped. Opening her eyes once more, she frowned at the vision. “You’re a vision, aren’t you? Sinjin went away and never came back.”
The vision handed her two pills and the mug of juice. “I’m back now, pixie,” he signed once his hands were empty. “And I’m not going to leave without you ever again. Now take these and drink your juice and then we can take a nap together.”
Mary Claire took the mug and drank deeply, suddenly thirsty. Then other bodily needs made themselves known. After handing Sinjin back the mug, she crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After easing her bladder’s screams, she brushed her teeth and wiped her face before returning to the bedroom. She came back to find Sinjin’s clothes neatly folded on her dresser and the man in her bed, leaning against the headboard like he owned the place. She swallowed hard when she saw his tanned bare chest for the first time. A triangle of golden fur that went from pectoral to pectoral then narrowed down to his belly button.
If only she felt like something other than a pile of steaming dog shit, she would explore every ridge and valley of his six-pack, and beyond.
“Feel better?” he asked.
She shrugged then crawled under the covers and settled down so she faced him. “Where have you been?” she asked.
He scooted down the bed until they were face-to-face before answering. “I had to go to California to deal with some issues with a movie. Gunnar was supposed to tell you.”
“He didn’t.”
“I’ll beat him up for you later. For now, how about you let me take care of you?”
Though he had phrased his words as a question, there was no argument she could give that would change his mind. It only took a second to decide to give in gracefully. She nodded her agreement.
“Good girl,” he replied then rolled to his back and maneuvered her closer so she curled up beside him with an arm holding her. He then pulled her top arm across his chest and laced the finger of his free hand through hers.
Closing her eyes, she wondered if she would be able to sleep like this. It had been a long time since she had spent the night with anyone in her bed. She smiled when he brushed a kiss over her forehead and snuggled a little closer as sleep rolled through the room, claiming them both.
* * * *
It took four days before Sinjin would allow Mary Claire to do more than walk to the bathroom or the living room, usually with his body pressed against hers and his arm around her shoulder. She spent her days lying on the couch, watching television, and napping while he wrote or dealt with business on the Internet. On the fifth day, he allowed her to sit on the back porch while he did some yard work.
As easily as she had slipped into her submissive persona the night they had met, she became Sinjin’s submissive once again. By Friday afternoon, she was feeling better, bored out of her mind, and in need of something more.
“Please, Sir, can’t we go somewhere? Just for a ride in the car?”
She knew she was whining, but she did not care. She felt better and wanted to return to work. But Sinjin would not give her back her phone. The few times it did ring, he had somehow programmed it to tell the caller that the phone was not working and they needed to send a text, which he then answered.
“If you are a good girl and take a nap this afternoon, I’ll take you out with me tonight,” he signed with a look in his eyes that made the hairs on the back of Mary Claire’s neck shudder.
“Out where?”
Instead of answering, Sinjin walked away, looking pleased with himself.
Chapter 10
Later that evening, Mary Claire found herself escorted through Club Esoteria’s back door. Gunnar and Jillian had dropped them off without answering any of her questions, which to her seemed just rude. But at least she was out of the house and hopefully they were going to play. She had been teasing him for the last two days, hoping for some kind of reaction. Instead of taking her up on her blatant come-ons, he would smile, pat her ass, and walk away.
After dinner, he had given her the green baby doll nightgown he had bought her on their trip to the beach then gave her ten minutes to get ready to go. Which meant she did not have time to shower or shave. She barely had time to put on makeup and braid her hair in two pigtails. When she emerged wearing black stilettos, he nodded his approval. Then she saw the red butt plug in his hand.
He bent her over the arm of the couch and quickly, efficiently placed the plug in her. Once it was seated and stretching the muscles of her ass, he pulled the back of her top down, patted her ass, and pulled her to her feet again. After helping her into her coat, he led her to the driveway where Gunnar and Jillian waited.
Now they were staring at the back of the building and she was dying of curiosity. One other thing she had learned from living with Master Sinjin for the last nine days was that he would only answer her questions when he was ready to, and not a moment before.
Lacing their fingers together, he kept her close to his side as he approached the back door. Lifting his hand, he pounded on the door three times then stepped back. A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing Master Taurus dressed in his typical black leather. He nodded at Sinjin then stepped back and allowed them to enter the building.
Mary Claire looked around as they crossed what looked like an elevator lobby then passed through a locked door. She recognized the hall that led to the restrooms at the back of the club.
“Give me your coat and shoes, subbie,” Master Taurus ordered in typical, no-nonsense fashion.
After she undressed so that she was in submissive club attire only, Master Taurus handed Sinjin a piece of paper and a key. Then he backed away, leaving them alone in the hall.
Sinjin stopped her where the hallway opened out into the main room of the club. After reading the note, he slid it into his pocket and turned to the stairs that led to the second floor balcony and the private playrooms. Once on the balcony, he walked without hesitation to a door at the far end of the building.
Mary Claire peeked past him out and saw that because it was still early, there were only a half dozen people in attendance so far. She tried to peek in each room as they passed, but all the lights were off. When they reached what she assumed would be their room, Master Sinjin stopped and turned to her.
“Who am I?”
“Sir.”
“And who are you?”
“I’m your pixie,” she answered without hesitation.
“And what’s your safe word?”
“Red, Sir.”
He nodded then led her into their room. She watched as he flipped on the lights and secured the door. Only then did she turn around and see what kind of a room he had brought her to.
Her breath left her as she took in the room. It was decorated in the style of a royal bedchamber from England, complete with paneled walls, decorative embroidered wall hangings, and a four-poster bed with velvet curtains. Releasing his hand, she wandered around the room, stopping in the doorway to check out the bathroom. It was in a corresponding theme but contained the modern conveniences including a claw-foot tub that made her swallow to keep from drooling.
She had always wanted a claw foot tub to soak in.
A tap on her shoulder returned her attention to Sinjin.
“Do you like your princess room, pixie?” he asked.
She nodded, enthusiastic to be playing in such luxurious surroundings.
“And what does my girl want to do first?”
Unsure what her choices were, or what he had in mind, Mary Claire shrugged. “Whatever Sir wants, I guess,” she finally said.
“I want you naked and lying over the edge of the bed for your spanking.”
“Spanking? I didn’t do anything,” she protested.
“I saved all your punishments up from the past week while you were teasing me. Every time I patted your butt this week was the promise of a punishment stroke.”
“But you didn’t say anything.”
Instead of answering, Sinjin crossed his arms and put his stern Master face on. It was an expression that said if she did not get her ass in place, she was not likely to be able to sit down later. Turning away, she stripped off the little bits of clothing she wore as fast as she could without tearing the sheer material.
Once naked, she crossed to the bed. It was a tall bed. Too tall for her to keep her feet on the floor and her ass bent at the edge of the mattress at the same time. She stood on her tiptoes and took the position he wanted as best she could.
A moment later, Sinjin fixed her problem by lifting her by her hips and setting her back down so the corner of the mattress aligned with where her legs bent at an angle from her body. Her pointed toes wiggled a couple inches above the floor, and her ass jutted out at just the right angle over the edge of the bed.
He then stepped up behind her, spreading his legs so they were on either side of hers, then canted his hips forward. She felt his long, hard cock through his jeans as it pressed into the cleft between her ass cheeks. She was so enthralled with that feeling she did not fight him when he wrapped his fingers around her wrists and pulled her arms so they were perpendicular to her body.
She turned her head from side to side but could not see him. When both hands moved to the back of her head and positioned it so she was facedown with her nose in the covers, she huffed a frustrated sigh.
She wanted to see him. Needed to judge how he angry he was. She thought about talking, but without anyone else in th
e room to interpret, that was a useless activity. She gasped when he pulled and pushed on the plug, reminding her of its presence.
She gasped and then whined a moan when it slipped from her body, replaced a moment later by a larger one. He fucked the plug in and out, slowing pressing it deeper and deeper. Once it was completely inside her, he moved away, leaving her frustrated and needing something more.
That lasted only until his hand landed on her left ass cheek. The spanking had begun, and he rained the punishment down hard and fast. He alternated cheeks and spread the smacks around so that by the time he finished her entire ass from the top of her crack to the top of her thighs burned.
Her tears fell almost as fast as the punishment had. She was so caught up in her misery that he caught her off guard and was able to turn her over, pick her up, and carry her across the room to a large chair without any objection.
She hissed when he sat down and her ass ended up resting on his thigh. She buried her face in his chest, not wanting him to see her tears. But his hand running up and down her back told her he knew.
She closed her eyes and relaxed until a tap on her chin called for her attention. Opening her eyes, she watched as his hands spelled out a single word. “Apologize.”
“I’m sorry, Sir. Please forgive me for being a brat.”
She tilted her head back until their gazes met and locked. Then she stared deep into his pale-blue eyes and watched as the blue darkened and grew warmer. Then he nodded, lowered his head, and kissed her.
The hunger in the kiss, in the touch of his hands as they stroked and explored her body, told Mary Claire that Master Sinjin had missed her as much as she had missed him. She dropped her right leg to the side when his hand stroked up the inside of her right thigh. She could not wait to feel his fingers on her pussy, touching her, playing with her, finger-fucking her. All the things she had dreamt about for the past months.
A Pixie for Master Sinjin [Club Esoteria 16] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7