by L. J. Dee
“He was only about fifteen and there was a rumour doing the rounds that he’d been caught screwing the librarian in the school grounds by the wife of the caretaker. The story goes, that the only reason he didn’t get expelled was because he fucked her too. Roman never confirmed or denied that story, but it sealed his reputation. I heard the housekeeper joking with the maid once that he should be permanently double sheathed, and that they could crack his bedding in half if they left it unchanged for more than two days,” he laughed.
“Eww, Lucas” I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust as he laughed heartily.
“He was supposed to be going to Oxford like me and Charlie, but the fucker never turned up. I’ll never forget the look on the old man’s face. He’d gone and enlisted in the army and there was nothing my father could do, and believe me he tried. By the time he got to Tyler, he was so grateful he wasn’t like Roman that he eased off a bit and cut him more slack. Let’s put it this way, if I’d have said I was playing guitar in a band for a living, he’d have broken all my fucking fingers,” he laughed. I didn’t. I’d met Silus Hunter and I could imagine.
“Academically Tyler wasn’t that bright, but he certainly isn’t stupid. When he dropped the band bombshell, my father was just about to lay into him when he suddenly announced that he was also bi-sexual and his boyfriend was coming to stay for the holidays.” There were tears of laughter clouding those beautiful eyes and I was giggling uncontrollably. It was rare to see Lucas this way.
“What happened?” I grinned as he shook his head, trying to compose himself.
“My father shouted “You won’t be sucking cock under my roof, son” and Tyler started running. To this day, I’ve no idea why, but he just took off and Dad followed. He chased him all over the lawns, right the way down to the lake and back as we stood there, howling with laughter. Roman had put him up to it. He told him ‘if you know the shit is gonna hit the fan, throw two lots of shit, then everyone will forget about the first and you only get punished once’. No one saw the bi-sexual thing coming – even Roman was shocked,” he laughed.
“And is he bi-sexual?” I asked. “I’ve no idea, sweetheart, but he was allowed to join the band and we never saw the boyfriend.”
“What did your mum say?” I asked, realising that Lucas had never mentioned her. A brief flicker of sadness flashed across his features.
“Funnily enough it was the only time Mum ever really shocked me. She was a real lady, beautiful and classy. She took my father into the study when he got back in from the garden, purple faced and ranting and raving. She was telling him that Tyler needed to experiment, something to do with artistic temperament, and she called me into the room. She said, ‘Tell your father, Lucas, he seems to have forgotten that any hole is a goal at that age’. Honestly, Jess, I was speechless,” he laughed as I gasped.
“What did you do?” I asked, loving the insight into the young Lucas Hunter and his family.
“I told them they’d be better off asking Roman that, and got the hell out of there. No man wants to be discussing with his mother where he sticks his cock.”
“So when did you join the business?” I asked, trying to glean as much as I could while he was in this infectious mood.
“I was twenty one when I got my first taste of standing on my own two feet and I made the most of it.”
I couldn’t resist asking the question; even now I wasn’t entirely sure. “How old are you now?” I grinned as he laughed.
“Older than you! Anyway, I’m pretty headstrong and wanted to show I had a different way of doing things and prove I was right. Twice I wasn’t and we would have lost a lot of money, but I pulled in another investor, Roberta, and reclaimed my losses. From that point she wanted in.”
“To the business and to you,” I sighed as he nodded.
“Yeah. So there you are. A whistle stop tour of the Hunter family,” he smiled, brushing my lips softly against his, the familiar soft zing of electricity lighting up my mouth as he nipped my lips playfully with his teeth.
“Is Roman still in the army?” I asked as he shook his head.
“He was in the Special Forces for a while, but right now, sweetheart, I don’t know where he is or if he’ll ever come back,” he said sadly as I frowned, desperate to ask why until he seared me with a look that said ‘conversation closed’. I decided to change the subject.
“Just one more thing,” I smiled, yawning and cuddling into his chest. “When you first visited Zac’s club, was it strange for you, or did you just take to being a Dom?”
“Like a duck to fucking water,” he laughed and it was the last thing I remember hearing before I fell soft and warm into a deep and blissful sleep.
CHAPTER 27
I woke with a start, staring at the clock for a moment, panicking wildly, shooting out of bed and shouting at the top of my lungs. “Lucas, I’ve overslept and Dex needs to get to school.” I pulled on my clothes haphazardly, knowing I’d never make it across the city in the fifteen minutes before the morning bell. Lucas walked into the room, lounging casually against the doorframe, looking utterly glorious in a tailored three piece suit. There was amusement etched in every feature as he watched me curiously, holding out a steaming cup of tea.
“I let you sleep in, you needed it. Dex is already at school, baby,” he smiled as I sighed deeply, shaking my head, taking the tea, before I started to laugh. “You look a little flustered, sweetheart, and you know how much I love it when you blush,” he said, walking over as I sipped my drink and kissing me softly on the forehead.
“You look lovely in that suit,” I smiled and it was true. He oozed sex appeal, looking every inch the model of success, the stubble shading his jaw adding a dark sexual edge that was utterly irresistible.
“Stay here and keep my bed warm. I have a meeting but I’ll be back soon. That’s not a request, it’s an order,” he said firmly as his lip curved and I giggled warmly, biting mine.
I made a coffee and showered, lying back on the bed and flicking on the huge TV that dominated the far wall. There seemed little point in dressing and I figured I’d save Lucas some time when he returned, lounging in my underwear as I clicked my way through the channels.
I hated daytime television, exposed to endless hours of it in that squalid flat when Dexter was a baby and I had no desire to immerse myself in it any further. I walked across to the small cupboard by the wall mounted plasma, deciding I could watch a film if there were any in here, rifling through the handful of disks. I imagined most of them would be in the cinema room, and I had no idea how to get that thing up and running.
My heart stopped dead in my chest at the plain silver DVD, with a single word scrawled across the front. ‘Amelia’. I recognised the name instantly from the conversation I’d overheard between Lucas and Zac on the day of that fateful spanking. Before I could stop myself it was in the machine and I was pressing play.
It was a room at the club, similar to the one we used but smaller. A pale thin girl with long caramel hair was kneeling naked before Lucas and I felt instantly sick. He was gazing down at her, yielding a whip and looking utterly menacing.
“I can’t, Sir,” she said over and over again, irritation etched firmly across his brow. Her pleading eyes glanced up at him as he shook his head.
“Can’t, Amelia? That is not a word I will tolerate. If you really can’t, you know what to say.”
There was no compassion in his words as she bowed her head. “Tulip,” she sighed regretfully as Lucas strode away, out of shot of the camera, returning without the whip. He offered his hand to help her from the floor, as cold as ice and nothing like the man I knew.
“Can we try something else, Sir?” she asked, naked and vulnerable as his face softened slightly and he shook his head again.
“Amelia, you have asked repeatedly to be my submissive, knowing in detail what would be expected of you. My requirements and demands are all fully stipulated in the contract you signed.”
“I really wanted a
chance, Sir. I thought I could do it,” she said as the slightest of smiles formed on his mouth. “Can we try again?” she pleaded and it was evident she was desperate for the chance to ‘play’ with Lucas and it was a feeling I understood all too well.
“No we cannot. You know as well as I do that a safeword signals the end of a scene. You are experienced enough to know not to use it unless you are serious about it,” he said as she nodded.
“We are not compatible, Amelia,” he said firmly as she hung her head, dismissing her suddenly and abruptly and I was stunned at how hard and callous he seemed. He had never been that way with me.
The recording stopped briefly, firing to life again seconds later and I knew it was the same day. The camera was in the identical spot, and Lucas was wearing the same loose denim jeans hanging low on his hips and nothing else.
A beautiful auburn haired woman entered the frame in killer red lingerie and my stomach began to churn. “You know what to do,” he said as Marianne knelt, kissing his bare feet as I stared at the screen wide eyed, my heart hammering in my chest. They were familiar. I could tell by their body language and I’d known it instinctively that night in the wine bar, unable to bear it for another second. I shot off the bed, ejecting the disk and throwing in back in the cupboard as I tried to normalise my breathing.
What the hell had I been thinking?
“Watching me with other women is a fundamentally stupid idea for a girl with your jealousy issues,” I heard, almost jumping out of my skin. My cheeks flared as I looked across to the doorway to see Lucas lounging casually against it, watching me closely. He was wearing the familiar impassive expression, while mine betrayed the fact that I’d been caught red handed, snooping through his stuff. My hand was in the cookie jar and I was in no position to deny it now.
“I’m sorry. I was looking for a film to watch and I came across that. I know I shouldn’t have Lucas...” I stumbled over my words as he calmly gestured for me to sit on the bed. He sat beside me in a move that surprised me and I still had no clue what he was thinking. “Are you mad?” I blurted out quickly, betraying my panic as a small smile spread across his mouth.
“No, Jess, I’m not mad,” he said as I exhaled in a huge sigh of relief. “I assume you have questions about what you saw.” He tilted his head, searing me with that incredible gaze as I nodded shyly. I couldn’t be certain but he almost looked amused.
“If I used my safeword, would it be the end?” I asked as a look of pure horror spread across his face.
“No, Jess, of course not. I hope it would never come to that. You have ‘Amber’, and if you ever used that word I would strip the scene back to the last time you were comfortable,” he said as I giggled.
“I’m rarely comfortable,” I smirked, “But I know what you mean.”
“If you ever need to use your safeword, Jess, use it. It stops the scene immediately, but it does not signal the end of the relationship.” I was warmed by his words, but it didn’t fit with what had happened on the film.
“You dismissed Amelia,” I said, looking up at him, slightly puzzled.
“Yes I did. We were not compatible, Jess and that is far from the case with you, sweetheart,” he smiled, brushing my lips with his as I melted into him.
“You seemed harder with them, Lucas, more distant and strict, a lot colder,” I said as he nodded.
“I was harsh. I was a strict Dom with a reputation for being firm and those subs knew what they were signing up for. They requested it. I liked being the most in demand Dom at the club, that’s what drove me, what I got off on. I liked to see how much I could push their boundaries, humiliate them and make them vulnerable. Sexually I was determined to master every one of them. It was egotistical, Jess, but the truth is I was driven by variety and the thrill of a new conquest,” he said as I swallowed hard.
All that admission did was ram home how temporary our strange arrangement was. I felt the blood drain from my face, worrying suddenly that Lucas would tire of me, that I wasn’t experienced enough to be the kind of submissive that would keep his attention.
“You’re not as cold with me. If that’s what turns you on, I’m worried I’m not doing it right,” I said as he frowned deeply, shaking his head.
“Who is in charge sexually?” he asked as I glanced up at him.
“You are,” I said as he nodded.
“So if you were doing something wrong, whose responsibility is it to rectify that?” he asked, tipping my chin up to hold my gaze.
“Yours.”
“Have I ever been in any way dissatisfied with you sexually?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“I don’t think so, Lucas,” I said as he smiled and nodded.
“The answer is no, sweetheart. You were new to this, so I toned it down a little. I didn’t want to scare you off, but I want to do things with you that I have never wanted to do with any other sub. That’s not because you’re inexperienced, but because of who you are. You look incredible when you’re wide open, begging for my cock or dripping with my cum. I want to exploit that vulnerability and utilise that need, drive you on to sexual highs that you’ve never even dreamed about, but that’s not driven by ego, Jess. I want to fuck you on a soft bed, not a stone floor and I want to hold you afterwards for every second as you float back down from your high. I want to ruin you every fucking day, so when you close your eyes you see my face; when you want to be held, it’s my arms that you dream about, and when you need to be loved, it’s my body that you crave. It’s different with you. Everything is different with you, baby.”
I swallowed hard, stunned at Lucas’s admissions as my heart soared in my chest. I was smiling broadly, unable to hide my joy at his words and realising there was a lot to be said for open communication. There was only one more thing I needed to know.
“Did you ever film us, Lucas?”
“Have I ever asked permission to film you?” he smiled as I shook my head. “And have I ever told you you’re being filmed?”
“No.”
“Then you’ve answered your own question. I made the films when I first joined the club. Zac suggested it. It’s a good way to learn to read the signs. I’m an impatient man, Jess, and I wanted to gain as much knowledge as possible, as quickly as I could. There were things I picked up watching the scenes back that I hadn’t noticed at the time. I’m experienced enough now not to need them. Although that’s not to say I wouldn’t like a film of you and me, but not for the same reasons,” he winked. “If you keep insisting on this separation and I’m sleeping alone every night, it might come in useful,” he said as I laughed.
“Are you pushing me again?” I asked, looking up at him as he laughed softly.
“I’ve just blown off a meeting, come and make it worth my while,” he grinned, pulling me on top of him and in a flash I was underneath him, pinned to the mattress. I was never quite sure how he managed to do that. The rest of the morning was just incredible.
CHAPTER 28
I hadn’t seen Lucas for two days. He’d been in New York, due back this morning and my body was aching for him as it always did. He knew every inch of my flesh, working it expertly and the absence manifested itself like a physical ache.
The last two weeks had been incredible. Sexually we were closer than we’d ever been, intensifying his orders and commands and always one step ahead of me. He was teaching me to embrace fear, surge out of my comfort zone and I knew it wasn’t just about my behaviour as a sub. The compartments of our lives were colliding, the rules were changing, but the one thing I still hadn’t capitulated on was Dexter.
It was infuriating him and I knew it. When he pushed, which he often did, I found myself gently reminding him I needed space. Lucas didn’t do space. He did in charge, he did control and he did dominance.
I reached for my ringing phone seeing Chas’s name on the caller display. I assumed she wanted an update on the pitch we were preparing for our aristocratic clients. It was the most audacious event I’d planned to date;
a garden party with a budget of a hundred grand. I’d almost fallen off my chair when they’d told me. Who the hell spent that much money on a party? Lucas hadn’t even seemed surprised, which only served to reinforce the huge economic gap between the circles that we moved in.
“Hey, Chas,” I smiled brightly, my face lighting up as Lucas walked into the office, blowing him a silent kiss as he realised I was on the phone.
“Jess,” she said and I felt instantly sick with the tone in her voice. It was the same tone I heard when she told me Jake had died, an unmistakeable mix of fear, hurt and pain as the colour slowly drained from my face and my heart slowed in my chest.
“I don’t know how to tell you this. There’s no easy way, so I’m just going to have to say it, Sis. Dex has gone missing. I was a few minutes late to pick him up and he’s not here. The supply teacher said he went home with his Granddad. I’m so sorry. We’ve called the police,” she said as my heart stopped beating altogether, my phone crashing to the floor as it slid from my hand. I stared at Lucas as my world stopped spinning, mute and paralysed, crippled by fear.
“What is it? Jess, what is it?” he shouted, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me hard, but I couldn’t answer, couldn’t breathe, clutching my chest and crouching on the floor as he picked up the phone.
“Hello, who is that?” he asked, listening intently as he knelt before me, taking my head in his hands as he stared at my ashen features, choking sobs heaving through me. I needed to get a grip, needed to get to school, speak to the police, had to find Dex; a thousand thoughts sweeping through my brain at the speed of light. I stood, grabbing my bag and running for the door as Lucas caught up with me, sliding his hand firmly around my waist.