Matched for Keeps

by Stevie MacFarlane

  Kelsey moved to sit in the matching chair, but he snagged her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Cuddling close, she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt until he trapped her nervous fingers.

  "You know that you don't have anything to worry about, right?" he asked gently.

  "What do you mean?" she replied, trying to avoid the horrible thoughts that had plagued her all afternoon.

  "Kelsey, I spoke with Marcus and he told me everything."

  "And you're not mad?"

  "I not happy about it, but I don't blame you or Sue, however much I'd like to take a stick to that redheaded terror. I know she was just trying to protect you, and in a way, us. At first I was furious after listening to Shelly's version, but after talking with Marcus I saw things much more clearly. She has been making some subtle and not-so-subtle passes at me, but I've had other things on my mind, mainly you," he smiled, picking up her hand and kissing the back. "I guess I tried to ignore her most of the time, but I can't ignore this. I will never be able to just stand back and watch somebody hurt you, baby," he whispered, pulling her close.

  Ty felt her shoulders shaking and sat her up on his lap. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with tears that quietly spilled down her cheeks.

  "Why are you crying?" he asked, confused.

  "I… I was just so scared," she hiccupped, wiping her cheeks on her sleeve. "I thought maybe you wouldn't want me anymore. I mean after all we already, well you know. I have found that after a guy gets what he wants, he's not usually so nice, and Shelly said if you really wanted me… look let's just forget the whole thing ever happened," she suggested, sniffing.

  "No, we will not forget it," Ty insisted. "You actually thought you meant so little to me that after we made love I would just move on to someone else? That's not a very flattering impression of me you had in your little head, is it?"

  "I guess not," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Ty. I mean, I didn't think that you would throw me out or anything like that. You are paying for me and everything."

  "Oh my God, the money thing again," he roared, standing and dropping Kelsey to her feet. "Damn it woman, I love you. I want to marry you; do you think I give a shit about the money? Get upstairs and pack a bag," he ordered, reaching for the phone.

  Kelsey gasped. He was throwing her out. Why couldn't she just shut up? Wide-eyed, she backed away from him.

  "Well?" he demanded. "What are you waiting for? Get moving."

  "Where am I going?" she whispered, twisting her hands.

  Ty looked at her face and slammed the phone down, reaching for her.

  "We are going to Vegas, just as soon as I can get a reservation" he said, pulling her right off her feet and hugging her tightly.

  Kelsey heart soared like a helium-filled balloon until common sense yanked on the string bringing it back to earth.

  "What are we going to Vegas for?" she asked, holding her breath.

  "Because we are getting married as soon as possible," he told her firmly as he stared into her eyes. "After that, if I hear one more word about money, or me paying for you, or anything remotely like that, I will spank your little hind end until it glows like a brake light."

  "Oh, Ty," she sighed, tears falling and she took his face in her hands and smothered him with kisses. "I love you, but do we have to go tonight? I really wanted you to try my casserole."

  "Get me a fucking fork, baby. I'll eat it on the way." He grinned as he set her back down with a smack to her butt and headed towards the phone.

  Ty wasn't able to get an immediate flight out of Syracuse airport and by then he realized he had overreacted. Kelsey sat at the table with him as he mowed his way through the casserole until he noticed how quiet she was.

  "I'm sorry I sprang the whole getting married thing on you like that, Sweet Pea. I was just so frustrated with you always feeling like you don't really belong to me, that you're some toy I purchased. I should have realized you would want a real wedding with all the trimmings."

  "It's not that, Ty," she said softly as she pushed the food around on her plate. "I don't mind going to Vegas or anywhere else you want to go. It's just that I thought…"

  "You thought I would do things the right way, didn't you? Hell, I didn't even ask you to marry me; I just bulldozed you into agreeing." Getting up, Ty walked around the table and got down on one knee, taking Kelsey's delicate hand in his and kissing her palm.

  "Kelsey, I love you," he said, looking into her eyes. "I know the contract weighs heavy on your mind and your heart, but I want you to forget it. If we had met under other circumstances it wouldn't even be an issue. Let's pretend we met at a party that was just like any other party. When I saw you sitting at that bar looking like you wanted to run for the nearest exit, I felt an overwhelming urge to scoop you into my arms and take you home with me. I wanted to protect you and love you, and most of all I wanted to beat the hell out of whoever put that desperation on your face. You were about the prettiest little thing I ever saw and I had to at least try to make you fall in love with me. I never cared about the contract. It was just the only way I could have you for myself and keep another man from snatching you out of my life. I know you think the money is a big deal, baby, but I assure you it's not. You are the big deal. You are what I can't live without. Please say you'll marry me, honey. I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe always and love you with all my heart."

  "Oh, Ty," Kelsey replied, tears streaking down her face. "Of course I'll marry you, anytime and anyplace you say. I've never had a real home, Ty, and I thought when I came here that having a nice roof over my head and enough to eat would be the most important thing. But it's not, Ty. As lovely as this place is, it's just a house. It's you who are my home, Ty; your arms are where I'm safe and loved. I never cared about the money, and I haven't spent a dime of it. If I could crawl in your pocket I would stay there forever, always with you, your heart beating against my cheek."

  Ty pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair, so she wouldn't see his own tears as he carried her upstairs.

  Much later, as Kelsey lay snuggled in Ty's arms, her head on his chest, he rubbed her back before gently patting her ass.

  "Do you want a real wedding?" he asked. "Do you want the whole church, flowers and gown thing?"

  "No, I don't have anyone to invite," she said softly, surprised that the familiar pain those thoughts usually caused didn't come. "We can go to Vegas, but do you think we could ask Marcus and Susan to go with us? I'd like her to be my maid of honor."

  Ty laughed. "Of course we can, baby. In fact, turning Susan loose in Vegas should be very entertaining. Not for Marcus of course," he laughed, "but I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

  "Come on," Kelsey giggled, "she's not that bad. Susan's just full of life."

  "Susan's a hell-raiser, just what Marcus needs to pull him into the real world now and then."

  "Doesn't Marcus have to go on a book tour soon?"

  "Yes, I think he does so that will limit our time, but we can plan a honeymoon for my next vacation."

  "What about your parents?" she asked. "Will they want to be there?"

  "I'll call them as soon as we have the details worked out. A lot will depend on how my dad's feeling, but it would surprise me if they stayed away. What kind of ring do you want, baby?"

  "I don't know," Kelsey stammered. "Something small and…"

  "Not very expensive?" he finished for her. "You can forget that sweetie. No little diamond chip for my girl. I want everyone who sees it to know just how much you're treasured, and no arguments in the jewelry store, understand?"

  "Yes, Ty," she sighed, smiling. "At least the next time I run into Shelly, she won't be able to make any more remarks about how we're not really engaged."

  "I don't think you'll be running into her very often, honey. I fired her this afternoon."

  "You did?" Kelsey gasped, not even trying to hide her surprise. "What did you tell her?"

  "I told her that, given the current economic situation
, I was going to bring you into the office part time and she wouldn't be needed any longer."

  "So you lied?"

  "I guess I did," he admitted.

  "Oh dear," she teased. "You know what that means don't you?"

  "What?"

  "You're going to have to be spanked," she laughed.

  Ty roared and pulled her naked body completely on top of his, giving her several crisp slaps to her backside as she squealed and tried to wiggle away.

  "There is only one person in this household who needs to worry about spankings, and we both know who that is, don't we?" he asked with a mock growl.

  "Yes, yes, yes," she screamed in time with his smacks.

  "Good," he replied, marveling at how quickly he'd become hard again, pressed against her belly as he warmed her butt. Maybe there was more to the erotic spanking thing than he'd realized and he spread her legs and lifted her, sliding her down on his cock.

  Kelsey moaned and tossed her head back as Ty showed her how to ride him. It didn't take her long to catch the rhythm and then he was no longer thinking about anything but the woman driving him crazy.

  Chapter Nine

  At 9:25 Susan finished brushing her long red hair and set the brush on the bathroom counter. Slipping on her ivory satin robe, she padded barefoot across the room and picked up the two items Marcus requested, suppressing a shiver of excitement. It boggled her mind that she was headed downstairs to have her bottom spanked and most likely violated by the toy in her pocket, and she could hardly wait. Pausing, she rested her forehead against the thick door, her hand on the lever as she tried to calm her fluttering heart. What the hell was happening to her? Why did the thought of submitting to him, lying over his lap and allowing him to do as he pleased with her, have her body trembling with need? Hell, she was almost dizzy with it. Sex was fun, had always been fun, as long as she had a decent lover. It wasn't supposed to be this all-consuming fire, burning her from the inside out, searing her soul.

  It's him, she realized. Marcus was responsible for this shift in perception. Oh, she could say no to him, but in the end he would make her want it. Once he got near her, got his hands on her, he could brush aside her objections as easily as he brushed away an annoying insect.

  Physically he was much stronger. He could take anything he wanted from her, but he didn't need to use that strength. All he had to do was give her a taste of the pleasure and she was toast. She wasn't a teenager in the throes of her first love affair, eager to please; she was a grown woman in control of her own body and its responses.

  Squaring her shoulders she opened the door, determined to tell him that some things were just off limits. There was no way he was going to make her crave things she wasn't interested in. Suddenly she heard the grandfather clock in the great room strike the half hour, its deep tone reverberating through her in warning.

  "Shit," she mumbled as she ran down the hall to the stairway. Susan flew down the stairs at top speed, cursing herself for her weakness. She got to the door at the same moment Marcus opened it to come looking for her and ran smack into his arms.

  "You're late," he observed, taking in her flushed face and panting breaths. Her hair swirled around her like fire against her pale skin and silky robe. "Is something wrong?" he asked, gathering up her hair and bringing a shining handful to his face. "You smell like sugar cookies," he murmured, pulling her closer and smiling. "So are you running to something or away from something? Is there a spider I need to remove?" he teased.

  Susan stiffened in his arms. "The only spider around here is you," she spat, wiggling out of his arms.

  "How so?" Marcus laughed and let her go, leaning against his desk as she scurried to the other side of the room and took up a position behind the sofa.

  "Don't act so innocent, Marcus. You know what you're doing to me. This isn't exactly what I signed on for," she huffed, taking the items out of her pocket and dropping them on the sofa.

  "What did you sign on for? I never misrepresented myself as far as I know. From the very beginning I told you that my desires were slightly twisted. Do you feel that I have deceived you?"

  "No, it's not that; you were basically honest," she answered, twisting the sash of her robe as she avoided meeting his eyes.

  "Then what's the problem?"

  "I guess you're just more than I expected. I thought there would be a little spanking, a lot of sex and an incredible amount of money."

  "And how is that different than what you received?" he asked, confused.

  "It just is," she shot back. "I didn't figure on liking everything you did to me," she growled, her eyes flashing

  "I see," he said as he turned his head away and smiled. "What would you like me to do?" he asked, facing her again. "Do you want me to stop spanking you?"

  "Would you?"

  "No. How about the sex? Do you want me to stop making love to you, or maybe just resort to missionary style in the dark a couple of nights a week?"

  "Good grief, no," she shuddered, remembering all the times she'd dumped men for exactly that reason.

  "Well, Red, if you want me to consider your argument, you're going to have to be a little more specific," he informed her.

  "I don't know how to put it," she snapped, pacing behind the large leather sofa. "I feel out of control, needy, on edge or excited all the time. It's very frustrating for someone like me."

  "Go on," he instructed calmly.

  "I don't feel like myself anymore, Marcus. You've changed me somehow, woven a web around me that I can't seem to break out of. I can't believe the things I think about during the day, waiting for you to come out of your office."

  "Sue, fantasizing about sex is perfectly normal."

  "No Marcus, this is way beyond fantasizing. I get wet the moment you walk into a room. All you have to do is look at me and my body weeps with need. Sometimes I even imagine myself doing things that I know you will spank me for. I'm telling you it's just bizarre," she moaned. "And now this," she pointed at the toys.

  "Red, I would never force you," he insisted quietly.

  "That's the point, Marcus," she cried. "You wouldn't have to. You have a way of making me want things I would never have imagined letting anyone do to me. This is not who I am," she insisted heatedly. "I am not a submissive woman!"

  "Don't I know it," he laughed.

  "Marcus, this is not funny. It's shaken the very core of who I thought I was and it's scary as hell," she said, her fists clenched at her sides.

  "Come here, baby," he softly ordered, holding out his arms.

  "I'm not a baby," she insisted as she stomped over to him.

  "I know you're not, sweetheart," he replied, gathering her into his arms. He could feel her heart beating wildly against his chest and he ran his hand down her silky hair.

  "Red, you don't have to be a submissive woman to enjoy submitting to your man sexually," he said gently as he tucked her head under his chin. "And there is nothing wrong with anything we do in the bedroom or any room for that matter as long as we both enjoy it."

  "I don't enjoy it when you spank me," she said, her fingers gripping his shirt.

  "Apparently, sometimes you do," he contradicted, smiling into her hair.

  "Well I don't want to," she shot back.

  "I'm sure you don't," he conceded. "Do you think it was easy for me when I realized that some of my darkest desires were frowned upon by society? For years I tried to push them away, ignore them, and for a while I succeeded, but I was very unhappy and frustrated. Eventually it would have destroyed any relationship I had with a woman. Finally, I had to face the fact that I was somehow genetically different. Things were far more complicated for me, but at least I was no longer hiding behind a facade. I promised myself that someday I would find a woman who not only understood my needs, but hopefully could share them."

  "That's another thing that bothers me," she whispered. "What am I going to do with all these feelings when this is over? I would be terrified if I had to explain to another man t
hat I wanted him to…"

  "What do you mean, when this is over?" he demanded, sick at the thought of any other man even touching her, let alone exploring her beautiful body so intimately.

  "Well," she said hesitantly, pulling back to look at him and shivering at his blank expression, "when our contract expires we'll be going our separate ways. I thought that when it was over... oh what are you doing?" She gasped as he took her hand and pulled her towards the sofa. She was over his knees before she knew what happened and he was raising her robe to expose her bare cheeks.

  "I'm spanking you for even considering such a thing," he stated crisply. His hand connected with enough force that Sue immediately regretted her words. "Do you think for one minute that I would let you go?" he demanded as his hand fell in rapid succession.

  "Ow, ow, ow!" she squealed as she tried unsuccessfully to wiggle free.

  "Oh no, Red, you're not getting away from me," he said, pulling her tightly against him. "I guess I didn't realize that my feelings for you were not clear and I intend to remedy that right now. I'm not letting you go honey," he said, resuming the spanking with gusto. "There will never be another man doing this to you or for you. You're in my blood now," he informed her as he turned her bottom from pale pink to rose.

  "Ow, you can't just 'keep' me like I'm a toy or something," she shot back between cries and moans. "Stop, it hurts," she shouted.

  "Good, I hope it does. Do you not think it hurts me to know that even after everything we've shared it's still about the contract and money?"

  "That's because you've never been poor," she spat over her shoulder. "Money is everything when you've had nothing. It just doesn't mean anything to you because you have plenty of it."

  "You're right, money means less than nothing to me, you mercenary little twit," he agreed, picking up his pace, "at least not without someone to share it with. Does love count for anything with you?"

  "Love? Who said anything about love?" she howled, as he moved to her sit spots. "This is sex."

  Marcus's hand froze in midair, his face a mask of shocked torment as Susan's feet drummed against the cushions. Her struggles were useless, but they did give him the time he needed to conceal his pain at her words. He was her paycheck, her ticket out of poverty and nothing more, he realized. The connection he felt was apparently one-sided. Sexual satisfaction was what motivated all her sighs and whispered endearments when they made love and not any genuine affection for him. It was sobering and crushing. The pretty nails that she sank into the sofa in her attempts to extricate herself from his grasp might as well be clawing at his soul. The red polish was the blood she drew from his wounds. Suddenly he was furiously angry and cold as ice.