“Antonia, this Mama.” Honoria’s voice was soft as a cloud and thick with emotion.
“Yes, Mama, I knew you’d call. I don’t understand what’s happening there, but I need to speak to Papa now. Please.” She feared her impatience showed.
“My darling, y-you, you can’t speak to your father.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“He’s had a … at least we think he’s had a heart attack. I’m afraid we’ve lost him.”
“What? Lost him? What do you mean?”
“He’s gone, darling. He’s died this afternoon while riding the ranch with Hector.” Honoria barely got the words out before she broke into a sob.
Something in Antonia’s body seemed to explode—head, heart, gut, she wasn’t sure. She repeated the words to herself over and over, “We’ve lost him, we’ve lost him, we’ve lost him,” but it would take days before the fact they conveyed finally sunk in.
***
Benito’s funeral went by in the blur, with Antonia standing with Rupert stalwartly propping her up with one arm, her mother with his other, as if he had charge of them both. When the pressure of formal appearances was unnecessary, Antonia disintegrated into the shadows of depression, becoming no more than a shadow herself, sullen and despondent. Only stolen moments with Rafael kept her sane. She didn’t eat except what Rafael forced on her. She hardly slept, and only soundly after the sex with her lover allowed her to rest for a few brief hours. But that had only happened twice in the weeks since her father’s death, when Rupert was forced away on business. Otherwise, her husband stayed close by, guarding his asset, and Rafael kept his distance.
An asset was all that she was to Rupert now, an heiress with a fortune that became his to control. For the first time since the horrid training sessions began, he acted like a husband in the carnal sense, sleeping in her bed and feigning concern for her terrible grief. But Antonia never believed that Rupert’s compassion was honest. She squirmed uncomfortably every time he made the effort, knowing that his words were hollow and his fawning behavior just an act.
Sex with Rupert was as ruthless as it had been when they first married, and as foul as her training sessions. He might have defended himself saying, “At least I’m with you and not with Sonia,” who was, at the time, home with her mother in Granada. He played the role of concerned husband, but had little true regard for her emotional state, expecting no less than her complete surrender in bed. He even had the gall to say it would take her mind off her troubles.
Finally, when her troubles, her grief, got to be too much for him to bear, he chided her for it, telling her after three weeks, “Time to move on, wife, and forget. Enough with the tears. Your father’s dead and grieving about him won’t bring him back.” Of course, by then, Sonia had returned and Rupert was anxious to return to her bed. At least he had the decency not to slip out of his wife’s room and into Sonia’s the first night she was back.
Three weeks after her father’s death was marked by more than just the change in Rupert’s sleeping habits. Honoria was coming to live with them!
The thought of having her mother living in her home raised Antonia’s dark spirit, even though it was not exactly to Honoria’s liking. But the arrangement had been Benito’s wish for his wife, specifically stated in his will. As a domineering husband, he believed that his sheltered wife would be unable to care for herself and it would fall on Rupert to be a guiding force, assuming the role of custodian until another marriage could be arranged. Of course, the del Gallo property would then be Rupert’s to manage and hold in trust for both women.
At least for Antonia there was some consolation in having her mother with her. The girl’s depression lifted at the news.
Mother and daughter hadn’t seen each other since the funeral. Then, they were both too numb to weep all their tears. Once she arrived in the Reyes house, it took several days for the two women to vent their sadness. Rupert considered the occasion of Honoria’s arrival as a sign that he could put away his false concern and get on with matters more pressing—Sonia’s ass, the delayed soirée he still planned for his wife, and the matter of the del Gallo estate, which he grabbed with covetous fists, reveling in his good fortune. Benito might have lived another thirty years until they were both old men—that is what they both expected. Now, having so much wealth at an age when he could truly enjoy it was a blessing that fed Rupert’s already rapacious appetites, and inspired his lust.
He had no idea how close he came to losing the del Gallo estate, no idea about the belated phone call to Benito that never took place. If Antonia had only made the call a day earlier when her father was still alive, her life and Rupert’s might have been very different.
“Tell me, Antonia,” Honoria addressed her daughter, one afternoon, “you called for your father several times the day he died. I have wondered since, if you knew then…if maybe the spirits were guiding you seek him out at the hour of his death?”
The girl smiled. “No, Mama. I’m afraid I wasn’t thinking of papa at all. I had, actually, called to talk to him about Rupert.”
“Oh?”
“Uh huh.”
“You’re still troubled by him? I’m surprised. He seems so attentive, especially for a husband with a lot on his mind.”
“It’s a good show, mama. But,” she sighed, “that doesn’t matter now. I guess I’ll have to get used to my marriage and forget its faults.”
“Oh, I so hope you will. I want you to be happy.”
There was so much she could tell her mother, but at the same time, she was afraid that Honoria would never understand why they were so very different.
“Ah! Here you are together!” Rupert entered the morning room with a gracious smile that Antonia knew was despicably false.
“We spend a good deal of time together,” Antonia reminded him. “Most of the day.”
“Yes, I suppose you do. Although that may change.”
“Oh?”
“Well, I have some thoughts for your mother that might interest her. Why don’t you run along, Antonia, so I can discuss them with her.”
“Run along? Like a child?”
“Sweetheart, you should be more respectful of your husband,” Honoria scolded her.
“Oh, he knows how much I respect him,” she said, with as little venom as possible.
“Trust me. You wouldn’t be interested in this conversation. It’s sure to bore you. There are matters regarding your father’s estate…I really should speak to your mother in private. You can leave her for a few minutes. Take a walk if you like, it’s a beautiful day.”
“Yes, of course,” she agreed, rather surprised that Rupert allowed her this small freedom.
Although she had an unsettling feeling about these matters with her mother, she left the room and moved through the back of house, slipping outside in hopes of finding Rafael on the construction site. Luisa spotted her from the window, as Rupert’s wife moved purposefully toward the pool house. She too, found it strange that the master would allow Antonia to roam the area at will. She stared for some time, wondering what to make of it.
“Well, Honoria, I hope you’re getting settled in the house,” Rupert turned his attention to the woman who sat on Antonia’s yellow couch looking like a lovely flower. Her hair was swept off her face, pinned behind her head, giving her pretty features prominence. Though there was a degree of sadness in her eyes, her skin glowed radiantly in the warm light. From the way she gently cocked her head and her lips naturally parted, Rupert could see that none of the traits of her submission were lost because of her husband’s passing.
“I am getting settled. Thank you. I am so grateful for your generosity following Benito’s death. His passing was so unexpected.”
“Yes, it was. I haven’t wanted to say anything for a few days, but I think now’s a good time for me to make things clear to you about your position in my home.”
“Of course. I don’t want to get in the way. In fact, I was thinking that I coul
d return to the estate for a time. I’m sure I can get along there fine.”
“Well, no, I don’t think that will be possible. I have other ideas for the use of Benito’s estate in keeping with his wishes. You’ll stay here until I make other arrangements for you.”
Honoria wished that Benito had told her more about his plans for her future, but then neither of them figured he would die so young. To now be under the rule of a man she hardly knew, and didn’t know if she could trust—Antonia’s misgivings kept rattling around her brain—she was both afraid, and like the submissive woman she was, a bit exhilarated. It would be easy to get caught up in this man’s domineering allure, but she was wise to be cautious.
“What kind of arrangements would those be?” she asked him.
“You’re young, still beautiful and I imagine that you have much life left in your loins that could be shared with a man. As a submissive, you are a highly trained commodity. I know that will be a great advantage in finding you a new husband.”
“Oh, I hardly think I’m ready for that.”
Rupert’s face soured a bit. “But then, being ready has no bearing on the matter. You’ll do as I say.” His voice became clipped and cold. “You’ll obey me just as you obeyed your husband. I can show you his will if you like; it states there quite specifically that I’m to govern you until you’re handed over to another man.”
“Yes, and I mean no disrespect. I just think emotionally, I’ll have some difficulty giving as I should to a man who will expect my complete body, soul, and mind.”
The man was not persuaded. “Perhaps. But you’re a submissive. You adapt. You put your own needs aside to take care of a man’s needs. You can do all the grief you want in private, but when you’re called on, you do as you’ve been trained and follow orders. That is what Benito would expect of you and it is what I expect.”
“Of course.” She could feel the force of his controlling rule fall like a web around her body and mind.
“So, with that understood, until other arrangements are made, you will have certain duties with me. I want you prepared for what comes next. I don’t want you shocked or suddenly filled with misgivings because you’re told to surrender to the extremes you have adapted to in the past. You’ll keep in practice. As long as you live here, you’ll be roomed with the servants—a fact I do not wish Antonia to know. She has a willful tendency that I frankly don’t want to tangle with over this. But since I don’t let her roam the house, there should be no need for her to be aware that you’re not sleeping down the hall. And,” the man’s eyes narrowed remaining fixed on her like daggers so she wouldn’t miss a word, “whenever I choose to have you sexually, I will have you. You will submit in any way I choose, although you’ll find me partial to anal sex. You’d better know now that I am quite well-endowed. I’ll give you a few days to prepare for that on your own, but when I decide to take your ass, I will not care how much you hurt or bleed.” An angry fire appeared on Rupert’s face that Honoria did not understand. She quaked, unsure if it was lust or terror motivating her physical response. “Again, Antonia will know nothing about this.”
“Rupert…Sir, I don’t understand. You act as if I’ve offended you. And I don’t believe I’ve done anything of the sort.”
He backed down slightly, but his voice remained curt, his diction abrupt. “Offended me, likely not. But don’t mistake me for a civil man, as your daughter once did. Benito failed to read my intentions as well. I’m a sadist. I don’t apologize for it. While your husband was also a sadist, he managed to keep his humanity to some degree, at least that was what I assumed. But you’ll find no such humanity in me. I was raised to be a despot, to use women strictly as vessels or chattel, as my whims dictate. I have a long history of abuse that stems from my childhood. At one time, I spent some years trying to confront what I felt inside. But I finally decided to accept it, since I discovered that there was a real playground for my desires readily available to me.
“Besides being a most attractive female, you’re also a masochist. I learned that when we first met, the day before I married your daughter. There should be no problem in your submitting to me. I’m sure the pain of sex will help to alleviate the emotional pain you’re feeling. Regardless, I’m quite thrilled with the idea of having my wife’s mother as a lover. In fact, I may just let her watch us together. Tie her up and make her watch.”
His words sent chills up Honoria’s spine.
“No! Please. You can’t bring her into what should be private between us. Please. I’ll give you anything you want.”
Rupert’s strained smile followed. “Yes, I know that.” He took a breath, sighing, the tension in him waning. He strolled to the patio door and looked out. “Let’s just say the possibility remains open, Honoria. Don’t fail me.” He turned. “You fail me, and I will not only show my wife what I can do to her mother, I will,” and his eyes took on the dark glimmer of a demon, “sell her.” He practically hissed. “I have several buyers who would like to take her off my hands. In truth, that would be a blessing for me, she’s become a bit of a bitch recently.” His eyes were alight now with inspiration. “In fact, you might, without saying anything of this conversation, give her a little motherly advice, suggesting that she be kinder to her generous husband.”
Honoria bristled. She had no idea Rupert’s mind was this twisted and his aims so dark.
“Maybe it would be better for her if you did sell her.”
“Oh, I doubt that. If you think I’m a villain, you can be sure that the men I’d sell her to would not be as nice as I have been. All I’ve done is train her for anal use and she’s bitched about it. The men who have their eye on my reluctant bride shop around for succulent morsels like Antonia. They like them rich—or at least the dishonored rich. They like them pretty as she is, sexy as she is and a bit haughty. They like them just like our Antonia. But they won’t want her for appearances the way I do. They wouldn’t give her a soft bed to sleep in or pretty clothes to wear. They’d market her for sale, for quick sexual fixes, then take her back and auction her again. They will do that for year after year, trust me, I’ve seen it. Yes, you want to cooperate with me, Honoria. And maybe you want to be sure your daughter changes her tune with me, so that when I want her, I’ll have nothing but the loving, surrendering, sweet-faced girl I married.”
Honoria was too horrified to speak.
“You looked shocked.”
“I am. I never…”
“Too bad you didn’t listen to your daughter when she called you to complain about me. You didn’t tell your husband, did you?”
“No.”
Rupert smiled. “Of course. But…let’s not get too dour. You can prevent your daughter’s demise and your own very simply.” He began to remove his suit coat, then unbuckled his belt. “Take off your clothes. We’ll make this a special occasion. Why not? We’ll do it right here, now, just so you get a good taste of what’s to come. However, most of the time, I’ll use you in my dungeon.”
Honoria had obeyed commands far more offensive than this one. It was only the shock of it that made her hesitate. She suspected that the man was ruthless, as ruthless as her husband, but she never expected that he’d be so cold and soulless. For the first time in some years, she shivered from fright, from a fear so deep that her bones quaked in the icy wind that cut through her like a paring knife. That she was sexually thrilled by this man scared her even more.
“Take off your clothes.” Rupert only had to repeat himself once and she was scurrying out of her gray skirt, her pale pink blouse, her slip, her bra and panties. While she disrobed, Rupert looked at her with the cold eyes of dominance and she trembled more, her hands hardly able to accomplish their tasks.
Once she was naked, the man moved directly in front of her, and with a scowl of delight, slapped her face, brutally claiming his power. “You take too long. Don’t do that again.”
“Yes, sir,” she answered meekly.
Rupert glowered as he dragged her to
the back of an overstuffed chair and pushed her over the cushioned top. He stepped back far enough to admire the rounded bottom she presented him; he couldn’t wait to plumb its treasure. Invigorated by the sight of her resplendent white flesh, he drew his belt from his waist and whipped her ass with the leather for five long minutes. Honoria hung on attempting to remain detached as the pain increased and tears pooled in her eyes. She was determined to contain her distress, though soon, the pain, as it so often did, became her kind friend, changing into pleasure she had no right to expect now.
Rupert witnessed the transformation with a degree of awe. He knew then that this woman would be hard to hurt; her masochism could ride waves few could. Yes, his benefactor, Benito del Gallo, was a master trainer, which meant that as her new master, Rupert would use the mother differently than he would a woman he wanted to hurt. She would provide a different sort of entertainment, although she would be as satisfying as other, more naïve subjects.
Once having Honoria’s round ass as flushed with red as he desired, he moved forward, opened her anal crack with his hands and spit a wad of saliva in the crevice. This was all the lubricant he used before he stuffed his turgid organ into the woman’s ass. Not her vagina, but her ass. Impetuous. Inspired. The change in plans was a brilliant trick that would make this female take notice. Benito was gone, she had a new master now.
Honoria almost fainted from the wild burning sensation that followed when Rupert thrust his erection in her nether hole. The man hadn’t lied about his generous endowment. She abruptly moved spaces inside her mind and body, peeling away layers of fear, hurt, shock and indignation to find the core of her submissive self. She knew where she had to go, what she had to become, and was one with that role within seconds, bearing up to the hate-filled blitz in her nearly dry bottom, forgetting that this man for reasons she still did not understand, despised her and the child she loved. She had surrendered as much to other rapists; certainly for her daughter, she could do this with the same grace.
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