Lock & Key Collection

by Rebel Rose

My father shakes his head. “She’s getting her hooks into you, Tristan. Turn her loose before it’s too late. Before she drags you down.”

  He isn’t listening to me. “I’m thinking of marrying her.”

  His eyes narrow and deep lines form around his eyes and forehead. “Marrying her? Oh hell no. You can’t marry that girl.”

  “I love Emma Lia. I want her to be my wife.”

  I didn’t come here to have a conversation about my relationship with Emma Lia, but he might as well know how I feel about her.

  My father slams his hand on his desk. “She will ruin you, son.”

  “Emma Lia will ruin me? I think you mean that Conrad will tell me all about your dirty little secret and ruin you.”

  He coughs, clearing his throat. “My dirty little secret? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure you do, Dad.”

  “I don’t know what Conrad Grant told you, but I’m sure it’s nothing but a bunch of lies coming from a man like him.”

  “Conrad weaved a very sickening tale.” I find it difficult to form the next sentence; once I reveal what Emma Lia’s father told me, my father will either have to deny or own up to what he did. “Conrad’s tale involves the rape of your little sister, which resulted in her becoming pregnant with me. He says she told him that you are my biological father.”

  “That’s a lie.”

  “You were thirty-two years old and she was a sixteen-year-old girl. You were the adult. You were supposed to be taking care of her. Raising her. Keeping her safe. But instead, you were abusing her and pleasuring yourself. It’s a despicable crime.”

  “It’s not true.”

  My father forgets that I have spent years learning to read lies on a man’s face the way I read words in a book. And his poker face has lost its touch.

  “I wouldn’t expect you to admit to it.”

  “I can’t believe that you would take his word over mine.”

  He can lie if he likes, but there’s one sure way to end this debate.

  “Conrad’s accusation is easy to disprove. All you have to do is take a DNA test and we can clear all of this up in no time at all. We can take the test tomorrow to prove your innocence.”

  He looks at me for a moment and then shakes his head. “No. A test won’t be necessary.”

  “Because you admit it? You are my biological father?”

  He looks away because he’s a coward. He can’t even look me in the eye when he admits it. “Yes.”

  Inside, I had hoped that he’d demand the DNA test to prove that he wasn’t a sick bastard like Conrad said. But Conrad is right.

  “How could you?” He stares at the papers on his desk, saying nothing. “How could you do that to her?” I yell.

  “Because I loved her. I loved her in a way that no one could accept or understand.”

  Fuck, I don’t think he has any idea how sick he sounds. “People couldn’t accept or understand because it’s wrong for a brother to love his sister in a romantic way. It’s not normal or natural. Why can’t you see that?”

  “I didn’t care what people thought. And I would think that you of all people would understand that; the things that you do aren’t normal or accepted.”

  I can’t believe he has the gall to compare what he did with what I do. “Nothing I do is illegal, and I do it with a consenting adult.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I say about my relationship with your mother. You’ll never understand. No one will.”

  “Did you hold her down and force her, or did you brainwash her into believing that what you were doing to her was okay?”

  “I didn’t force your mother to do anything, Tristan. She consented to everything we did because she loved me the same way I loved her. I know you don’t believe me, but what we shared was beautiful despite not being accepted. It was a love that most people never get to experience.”

  Sick, sick fucker. He was an adult preying upon a young girl’s vulnerability and innocence.

  “It’s difficult to believe that my mother loved you so dearly and was so happy when she committed suicide.”

  “She struggled with the dynamics of our relationship. She carried a lot of guilt and shame, as did I. After a while, that weighs on a person mentally and emotionally.”

  I don’t think he has an ounce of guilt or shame about what he did.

  “She killed herself because of you and because of me—a child fathered by her own brother. Do you hold yourself responsible for her death?” I know I do.

  “Every fucking day. And you can take comfort in knowing that I’ve spent the last thirty-five years in misery, grieving for her. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve considered joining her. You’re the only reason that I haven’t blown out my brains.”

  “Well, don’t let me stop you.” I get up and move toward the door, pausing in the doorway to issue a warning. “If you ever put your hands on Emma Lia again, I’ll kill you, and you won’t have to worry about blowing out your own brains.”

  “I know you’re angry, but I love you, son. You’re the only part of Lisette that I still have.”

  “Wrong. You don’t have me. Because I never want to see you again.”

  I sit in my car and stare at the steering wheel. Numb. The one person in my life that I trusted and needed the most has turned out to be one of the sickest human beings on earth. I’ll never forgive him for what he has done, and I must cut him out of my life.

  Emma Lia is it for me. The one and only person that I need in my life.

  I can’t lose her. I have to do whatever it takes to hold on to her.

  34

  Emma Lia Grant

  It’s been a tough, depressing month for Tristan. He is carrying some deep wounds, and although he’s still incredibly angry with Joseph Broussard, he’s mourning the loss of their father-son relationship. Shutting his father out of his life has been comparable to losing him due to death. But I’m hoping tonight will help him forget about his grief for a while.

  I’m leaning against the bathroom counter smudging a black kohl line on my lower lid when Tristan moves to stand behind me. He kisses the side of my face, watching our reflections in the bathroom mirror as I melt against him.

  He pulls my silk robe and hair away from my neck and shoulder, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses to that sweet spot below my ear.

  “What are you doing?” There’s a hint of scolding to my tone, but I can’t stop the corners of my mouth from tugging upward.

  “Don’t be coy. You know exactly what I’m doing.” His voice is deep and husky, and the sound of it so close to my sensitive ear ignites tingles down low in my pelvis.

  I place the eyeliner pencil on the counter and lean against his body, surrendering to him. “We’re going to be late if you start this.”

  “I don’t care if we’re late. In fact, I don’t care if we go at all.”

  Tristan isn’t looking forward to this—this, being my introduction to the club. I’m his and he’d prefer to keep me to himself… here, at home. He doesn’t want anyone from the lifestyle to so much as look upon me. His exact words.

  He confessed his jealousy when Easton saw and wanted me. Coveted me. That’s what Tristan called it. He said it was difficult, but he overlooked his best friend’s desire to have what belonged to him. He excused him because he said that Easton didn’t understand the feelings he had for me. But he wouldn’t be so forgiving of anyone else.

  “Easton is your best friend. We can’t skip his birthday party.”

  He places more kisses against my neck, provoking the tingles in my pelvis to strengthen. “I know, but I want to keep you all to myself. I’m a selfish fucker that way.”

  “Yes, you are. But I am all yours, Tristan. You know this.”

  “I know, bebelle.” I try to twist in his arms but he holds me firmly and sucks my earlobe into his mouth while gliding his hand around my waist. He lowers it so his hand cups my crotch, his fingers circling me through the silky fabric. “And t
his pussy is mine. Only mine. Say it.”

  “My pussy is yours. Only yours.” He never tires of hearing me say those words.

  “Good girl.” And I love hearing those two words. They literally have the power to make me do anything for him.

  He flattens his palm against the center of my back and pushes. “Bend over.”

  I lower my upper body and flatten my palms on the bathroom vanity. I’m in a teasing mood, so I sway my hips from side to side, rubbing my ass over his hardening cock.

  His hand comes down against my cheek. “Spread your feet.”

  He grasps the bottom of my robe and pulls it up, exposing my backside. He palms my ass and then glides his fingers through the part between my thighs, rubbing the barely-there crotch of my thong. I’m already wet. And I know that makes him very happy. And hard.

  He clenches the waist of my thong in his fist and pulls it down my legs, discarding it on the floor. His fingers glide through my slick cleft from behind and I rhythmically shift my hips, rocking against his hand.

  With his free hand, he reaches for my chin. He grasps it, forcing me to watch our reflections in the mirror. “Eyes on mine. I want to see them while I fuck your pussy. I want to watch your face when you come.”

  He drops his towel and guides his tip into my wet entrance. He enters slowly, giving me a moment to acclimate to the position before the savage fucking begins. “Your cunt is so damn tight around my cock in this position.”

  His mouth is filthy. And I love it.

  He grasps my hips and guides me on and off of his hard dick. I move forward and backward, tilting up my ass, and together we master the perfect motion. We speed the pace until his balls are slapping against me. My moans, his groans, and the wet friction sound grow louder, drowning out every other sound in the world.

  He tightens his grip on my hips and thrusts urgently. His tense jaw, the concentration on his face, his increasing rate of breathing—I recognize the growing frenzy. Our bodies are perfectly in sync with one another.

  I can no longer subdue my voice. “Please come inside me, Tristan. Deep and hard.”

  I’ve learned that this submissive can give orders to her Dom… as long as she says please in a very sweet and seductive way.

  As though his body obeys my commands, he groans, and I know that hot spurts of semen are flooding my womb. He pulls me onto his cock and holds me there, filling my body with every drop of cum within his body until he’s empty.

  The frenzy ends and he leans forward, pressing his forehead to my damp back.

  “My sweet bebelle.”

  He pulls out and I twist in his arms. He squeezes me tightly, lifting me to sit on the bathroom vanity. I drape my arms around his shoulders and wrap my legs around his waist, using my hold to pull him close.

  He rubs his nose against mine. “I have a gift for my little submissive.”

  My smile is wide. “Another gift already?”

  “Yes, but this gift is more special than any of the others I have given you.”

  He kisses my mouth and pulls away, tugging on my hands and leading me into the bedroom. “Come with me and sit on the bed.”

  He goes into our closet and reemerges a moment later carrying a silver foil-wrapped gift.

  “You spoil me, Tristan.”

  “I promised you that I would.”

  He places the gift in my hands and sits beside me on the bed, watching as I tear away the ribbon and paper. I briefly look up at him and smile when I get down to the jewelry box.

  I don’t have any idea how much he’s already spent on jewelry for me. I’m certain of one thing: it by far exceeds the hundred thousand dollars that I owe him.

  I lift the top and my mouth gapes when I see the diamond and platinum collar. “Tristan…” I can’t form words to follow his name.

  “I hope you like it. I had it made especially for you.”

  I touch the infinity links. Infinity, as in forever, and my hopes for our future are stoked. “It’s stunning.”

  “Do you know what this is?”

  I’m a little afraid to say the words in case I’m wrong. “You tell me what it is.”

  “It’s a submissive collar. Do you understand what that means? For you to be collared by me?”

  I only know what I’ve read online. “I’ve looked it up, but I want to hear you tell me what it means to you.”

  “This is an outward symbol that you belong to me. It reflects an internal stamp on your soul, marking you as mine. Only mine. I am your Master and you are my submissive, but still, it means more. We are locked together in our wants and needs. Our love…” He pauses for a moment. “Our love is beyond definition. Indescribable yet understood by both of our hearts. The connection we share is on a level beyond reason. I punish and dominate and control you, but those things are nothing without my cherishing, caring, protecting… and loving you.”

  The tears in my lower lids spill down my cheeks. “For you, I have pushed my body to limits I once thought impossible. I have learned patience and obedience, and truly developed a desire to give you pleasure in its rawest form.”

  I stand and lower myself to my knees before my Dom, bowing my face and placing my palms on top of my thighs the way he likes. “I want to be all you want, all you crave, all you need. I know I’m not there yet, but I want to continue to grow until I become your perfect submissive. Because I love you. With every beat of my heart, I love you.”

  Because I love you. With every beat of my heart, I love you. I want those words to be branded on his heart. On his soul.

  “Lift your hair, bebelle.”

  He takes the collar from the box and puts it around my neck, closing both clasps. “As long as you are mine, you will not remove this collar.”

  Then I will never remove it. Because I want to be his forever.

  He places two fingers below my chin, lifting my face, and admiring the symbol of his ownership around my neck. “Breathtaking, mon bien-aimé.”

  Mon bien-aimé. My beloved.

  Tristan does not use words like those lightly. And I don’t either. “I am your beloved, as you are mine.”

  He takes my hands and helps me to stand. Pressing his forehead to mine, he cradles my face with his palms. “Your debt with me is cleared. I’ve already destroyed all of the surveillance footage. I want to be the only thing holding you here.”

  My heart overflows with love for this man. Can he not see it? Feel it?

  “You are what holds me here, Tristan. I can’t leave you. But I also can’t let you clear my debt without my keeping my end of the bargain. That’s not how I work. I want to keep our deal. And when I pull the right key, my debt will be clear.”

  “All right. But since I no longer have to worry about your leaving, you should expect to be thoroughly fucked. And often.”

  “Promise?”

  “Swear.”

  He smacks me on my butt. “Finish getting ready, mon bien-aimé. I’m eager to show the other Doms the exquisite beauty that belongs to me.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  35

  Tristan Broussard

  Emma Lia is wearing the dress I chose for her. Black leather. Mid-thigh length. Deep V neckline to display her new collar for all to see. Hair up so it can be seen from every angle.

  No Dom in this club has ever collared a submissive with a piece comparable to the one mon bien-aimé is wearing. I spared no expense. No one in this club tonight will look at her and fail to see that. Its price is excessive but is in no way proportional to the feelings I have for her. A price can’t be placed on her worth.

  Doms and submissives alike, all eyes are on Emma Lia when we enter the club. She has piqued the curiosity of every man and woman in the place, but all they have to do is look at her neck to have every question in their heads answered.

  She leans closer to me as we walk through the club. “Everyone is staring.”

  “Only because they’re curious about the woman I’ve been keeping to myself for months.”
>
  “Did you bring your other submissives to this club?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why have you kept me to yourself instead of bringing me here?”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, you weren’t keen on the lifestyle in the beginning. I didn’t want to scare you off. But then somewhere along the way while you were growing accustomed to our relationship, I became greedy with you.” She grins and I’m certain that I know what is going through her mind. “I became greedier than usual. I didn’t want to share you with anyone. I became so obsessed that I didn’t even want them looking at you.”

  Her brow lifts. “And that has changed?”

  “Fuck no. We wouldn’t be here now if I had a choice. It’ll be a miracle if we make it out of here without my beating some fucker’s ass into the ground for looking at you too long.” I know Doms and the thoughts going through their minds. I let that shit slide with Easton, but I’m not cool with anyone looking at my girl and fantasizing about her.

  “I don’t want other women looking at you either.”

  “Taken submissives won’t lift their eyes to look at me. The ones looking for a Dom are a different story, but they’ll see my collar around your neck and get the picture.”

  “Tristan…” Cat says, walking toward me. “You finally brought her.”

  “Only because it’s E’s birthday party.”

  Cat maintains a proper distance. “It’s wonderful to see you again. Although I’m certain that you don’t remember meeting me, thanks to this asshole.”

  Emma Lia looks at me and then back at Cat. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”

  “I’m Dr. Catherine Miller. But please call me Cat.”

  “You did my exam and IUD?” Emma Lia’s voice is barely audible.

  “I did, but please don’t hold that against me. This jackass left out some pivotal parts of the story about how you came to be under his care.”

  Emma Lia smiles. “Oh, I’m certain that he did leave out many pivotal parts of the story.”

  “Tristan is one of my best friends and has been for years. Anything between us is strictly platonic. I’m telling you this upfront because Claudia was jealous of our friendship, and it posed problems. I’m a no-nonsense kind of girl, and I’d like it very much if we could be friends minus the lady drama.”