by S. E. Lund
"You better make sure to bring John along with you when you testify."
"John waits outside. It's pretty safe in court." Drake finished chopping some red bell pepper. "He'll push any pesky reporters out of the way and lead me through the throngs of paparazzi to the limo."
"They'll love it," I said, and took the chicken out of the freezer. "The news will carry video of you leaving the courthouse, claiming you're a real-life Grey. You'll probably get more fan mail." I thought about the letters and texts and emails Drake had received after the last trial from young women hoping to become Drake's next submissive. He'd had to change his email address, phone number and twitter accounts so he no longer received them.
"Oh, God, I hope not."
We worked together for the next fifteen minutes to fix the stir fry, with me cooking and Drake watching over the rice and preparing the sauce.
Finally, when the food was ready, we dished out our servings and Drake sat beside me. Then, he got up abruptly and went to the refrigerator. "I got this for us," he said, holding up a bottle of white wine. "It's South African. I hear it's all the rage now."
He brought over two wine glasses and poured us each a glass.
"To my beautiful wife," he said. "May we weather this coming storm, and look forward to smooth sailing afterward."
"Hmm," I said and clinked my glass against his. "Sounds like you need a vacation."
Drake laughed and took a sip. He made a face of appreciation and then set his glass down. "I wouldn't mind a vacation, actually. My schedule in California was pretty grueling. Somewhere warm and sunny with white sand beaches and everything done for us. How does that sound?"
"Sounds wonderful. As soon as the trial's over, we should go for a couple of weeks. Maybe before Christmas?"
"Before Christmas. I want to be here for Christmas and New Year's, unless I can convince Maureen to let me take Liam along with us, and unless Dad and Elaine decide to come along as well."
"I'll talk to him about it and maybe we can plan. It would give us something positive to look forward to."
"You wouldn't miss the snow and Macy's and the Christmas tree lighting ceremony?"
I shook my head. "Nope. White sand, surf and all-inclusive services with a Santa in Bermuda shorts sounds like heaven."
"I'll talk to Maureen and see if she'll let me take Liam over Christmas. She'll probably want to get him to come visit them on his vacation."
"Well, if she does, there's no reason for us not to go somewhere as a family. Maybe we can go somewhere close to him and he could come for a quick visit."
"Sounds like a plan."
We finished our dinner, thoughts of a nice vacation to somewhere warm making me feel more optimistic.
Drake
I lay in bed beside a sleeping Kate, and remembered, my mind going back to the first time Derek suggested I top his submissive.
We were at a masked party at his mansion in Yonkers. Everyone wore a mask of some design to hide their identity, but everyone had been vetted before being admitted. Everyone also signed an NDA about the events and people who attended.
"You like bondage, if I remember correctly from seeing you at Perry's party last month," he said to me as we stood at the bar in his mansion and watched the guests talking in small groups. Derek was a man of about my age and height, a bit more grey in his hair than I had, and dark brown inquisitive eyes.
"That I do," I said and raised my glass of vodka tonic with a lime wedge. I usually didn't have more than one drink when at a dungeon party. I wanted to be completely in control so one drink before was all I allowed myself. Derek was similarly cautious, drinking a single glass of white wine. We were both sons of wealthy businessmen who carried on in our father's footsteps. Derek's father was in securities and of course, my father Liam was both a trauma surgeon and medical implements inventor and manufacturer.
"I want you to top my sub while I watch," he said, his voice hesitant, as if he was uncertain that I'd be interested.
I raised my eyebrows and considered. Usually, my subs were all found through Lara, whose judgement I trusted. She knew what I wanted and what I liked -- someone submissive without any interest in masochism or humiliation. Basically, I wanted a woman who enjoyed being bound and controlled, but who ultimately wanted pleasure, not pain.
"I'm pretty tame when it comes to BDSM," I said. "If you want to watch something rough, you've got the wrong man."
"I had you researched," Derek replied. "I know what you like. I'd like to watch you top my current sub. That's what I like."
"And?" I asked, not wanting to get into any heavy SM scene or thinking one took place after I was done with my parts. "After that? What happens between you and her?"
"After that, I punish her by denying her an orgasm while I take mine. Then, we have great makeup sex where she's ever so submissive and on her knees. Don't worry," he said and shook his head, giving me a look that said no problem. "She's not into pain and neither am I. Just the game. The mental game."
"I understand."
I did understand the mental game. It was my specialty. I liked to find out what made a woman really hot, what really turned her on, and then I liked to give it to her. Did she like to feel like a bad girl? A nympho? Did she like to watch herself be fucked hard? Did she want to crawl on her knees and please a man? As long as it didn't involve children, pain, scat or animals, I was fine. Whatever mental game that got a woman off, I'd play it as long as I was in control. The most aggressive I ever got was mock-rape, and then, there'd be no pain, only mental excitement about being forced and getting off anyway. For some women, it was a way to master their fear of the real thing. For others, it was a way to overcome their past experiences. I wasn't judgmental about why.
"Here's the scenario," he said. "After both of you sign contracts, I leave you with my sub, you take her upstairs to her bedroom and tie her up, fuck her, and I catch you in the act. You continue to fuck her while I watch. Then, you leave. That's it. Sound good?"
"Sounds good on my part. Do you have papers ready?"
"They're in my office."
We left the large room where the party was being held and took a narrow hallway to an expansive office, with floor to ceiling bookshelves and an ornate desk in front of a bay window. On the desk was a contract that I would read and sign to ensure I knew the sub's limits and agreed to abide by them.
I read over the contract and noted that the submissive was willing to engage in pretty much any kind of sexual contact and bondage. After discussing it with Derek, I signed the contract and we left the room.
I saw Derek nod to a small crowd of people standing off to our right and a young woman walked over, pretty even under the mask that covered half her face, her dark hair long and flowing, her lips reddened and swollen -- obviously injected, her breasts pert and round under a push up leather bustier. She wore a skirt slit at the side, showing off a shapely thigh.
She was attractive enough to get me hard thinking of tying her up. Given there was no pain involved, just bondage and exhibitionism, I'd find the scene to be quite enjoyable.
"Mia, this is Master D. Why don't you two talk. I have to take a phone call."
"Yes, Master," she said, her eyes downcast.
When Derek walked away, Mia turned to me and looked me directly in the eye. I was surprised at her impertinence for she should have stayed in submissive mode. Was she looking to be disciplined right away? Maybe she needed to feel my dominance before she could comply.
"Your manners," I said softly.
She held my gaze for a moment longer and then looked down. "My apologies, Sir."
Some submissives enjoy being disciplined before sex. It made them feel released from any guilt at enjoying the sex that followed. Mia must have been one of them. It reinforced the power exchange between the Dominant and submissive.
"You're allowed one transgression, but be assured that if you don't obey, you'll be punished."
"Yes, Sir," she said with an emphasis on S
ir. Her tone was a tad more impetuous than I would like. I didn't want to manage her as much as get my pleasure from her body and the scenario. I had a feeling she was quite the handful.
Of course, I was right but I had no idea at the time how right.
Our scene was brief, and consisted of us speaking in the main room, then leaving to go to her bedroom where I tied her up and had sex with her. On cue, Derek walked in and stood in the shadows not far from where we were on the bed. I continued to thrust to orgasm after Mia came very vocally. Once both of us had finished, I withdrew from Mia's body and removed my condom, dropping it in the wastebasket beside the bed.
"So, the little slut convinced you to tie her up and pleasure her, did she?" Derek said from the shadows. At that, Mia became all apologetic.
"Please forgive me, Master," she said. "He tricked me into coming upstairs with him. I didn't know he'd tie me up and rape me."
"Leave us," Derek said, his voice hoarse with desire. I pulled on my clothes, my part in this little scenario finished, and left them alone. I had no idea what transpired after I left, but I trusted my sense of Derek that he wasn't into pain either, or humiliation, but that both he and his partners were titillated by exhibitionism / voyeurism. Based on what I'd read in the contracts and what we'd discussed was truthful and that Mia -- Lisa -- would suffer no abuse when Derek was alone with her.
That may have been a mistake. I didn't think he seemed like a sadist, nor had I heard that about him when I first met him and talked to others who knew him in the community.
Regardless, I now knew more about Lisa than I cared to. She had been mentally unstable before she met Derek and became involved in the BDSM community. She was mentally unstable when I did several scenes with her. She remained mentally unstable, although obviously very smart and calculating. It wasn't my fault, but it was my responsibility to ensure my sexual partners were healthy and mentally stable. I'd obviously failed in that sense, trusting my gut too much instead of my ability to do my research. I should have said another time and let Lara handle things between us as I always had before.
That was my mistake and now we were all paying for it -- Derek, Jones, myself and Kate.
* * *
I turned over and watched Kate sleeping beside me.
With her eyes closed and her hand tucked under her pillow, she appeared so innocent and trusting. She had no idea when we met that night at Ethan's fundraiser what she was getting herself into. I sensed an interest in me that night, but of course, tried to shut off that interest. She was Katherine. Ethan's beloved daughter. I had no right to her. I should have left her as she was -- young, beautiful, innocent.
Instead, I discovered that this young, beautiful and innocent woman was curious about submission. I was a goner from that moment on. Not only was she beautiful and curious about submission, she was also smart and principled.
She was perfect -- for me. I realized I couldn't go back and right my wrongs, take back my yes to Derek, but I could try to make it up to Kate for the rest of our lives. That's what I intended to do once the trial was over and we were free of the daily headlines about Lisa, Derek and my relationship with them. Once that part of our lives was finished, I hoped that everything could get back to normal. I could quietly go back on the board at the foundation, at least, and I could finish my fellowship at NYU. I could start up my practice again once the news died down. Kate could finish her MA and continue painting. Maybe Liam could come and live with me during the week and stay with Brenda or Maureen -- if she returned to the US.
We could be a happy family.
Then I remembered Michael's offer of heading up the robotic surgery unit at the Southampton Children's Hospital but that was pretty much impossible. I couldn't ask Kate to move once again.
My most fervent wish as I lay there, listening to Kate breath slowly, her sleep peaceful, was for life to get back to normal for us. I loved her and Sophie beyond all reason and I would do everything I could to make sure we could be together.
* * *
I woke in the morning and saw that the bed was empty. The noise on the monitor told me that Kate was up with Sophie, who was talking in the background, naming her toys and babbling happily as she did in the morning. It was Kate's day to get up with her but I wanted to see my two girls and so I got up and pulled on my pajama bottoms and robe so I could join them.
"There's my girls," I said when I entered Sophie's bedroom. She was lying on her back on the change table, a toy bunny in her hand, one long bunny ear in her mouth. She smiled at me, a wide toothy smile and my heart melted. Kate glanced over at me, her smile adding to the effect.
"Good morning, Daddy," Kate said and continued her actions, wiping Sophie's bottom and putting on a fresh diaper. "You're up early. It's my day so you could have slept in."
"And miss seeing my two girls first thing in the morning on a sunny day? Not a chance."
Kate turned to the window and smiled. "It is sunny. We should take advantage of it and go for a walk."
I kissed her and then kissed Sophie. "I have the trial this morning. Maybe I could meet you and Sophie in Central Park at noon and we could have some lunch and take a walk? Then you could go to the studio."
"Sounds perfect."
"I'll go take a shower and get ready," I said and kissed them both once more.
* * *
Later, after my shower, I held Sophie in my lap at the kitchen island while I ate my breakfast of toast and coffee.
"What's happening in the trial today?" Kate asked, pouring herself some coffee.
"More of the same, I guess. The prosecutor will continue to build her case against Lisa and the defense lawyer will cross-examine and try to poke holes in it."
"When will you testify?"
I shrugged. "I'll get a call. I imagine after the state has presented all its forensic evidence and interviewed all its experts."
"I'm sorry you have to do it," Kate said and came over to me, taking Sophie from my arms. "It'll soon be over. A few more weeks."
"Let's hope so. Either way, we'll go somewhere warm and get away from it all."
Kate smiled and bounced Sophie on her hip. "I'll talk to my dad today and see what he says. I'm sure I can talk him into a vacation."
I stood and drank down the last of my coffee. "I hope so."
I kissed them both again, and then texted John, to let him know to bring the car around. After getting my coat and boots, and pulling a baseball cap low over my eyes and wearing sunglasses, I left the apartment, hoping I could maintain my anonymity as I had the previous day. Outside, John, opened the rear passenger door for me.
"Good morning, Dr. Morgan," he said.
"Good morning, John. And I've told you, please call me Drake." I got in the back and once John was inside, we drove off towards the courthouse. I didn't relish having to avoid the reporters and paparazzi, but I'd escaped their notice before and hoped my luck would hold up.
The streets of Manhattan were busy at that time of day and there were a few delays so I arrived a bit later than I would have liked. Still, I managed to make it into the courthouse without being detected. John parked several blocks away and we took a less-traveled route to the side entrance, where he left me after he saw I got in safely. Once inside and past security, I took a place at the back of the courtroom. I was just in time for the judge's arrival but unfortunately, when I sat in the back row, Lisa's brother glanced around and saw me. He did a double take, and then shot me an angry glance that unnerved me a bit. A big man with thick arms, he looked like a dock worker or construction worker instead of a security guard. He was big.
Crap. Now he knew I was there. I'd have to make sure I left before he did so I wouldn't have to face him. I knew from reading the gossip columns about the case that he blamed Derek -- and me -- for Lisa's 'corruption' and felt that if anyone should be going to jail, it was me since Derek was dead and couldn't be punished further. He looked so angry all the time when being interviewed on television, glancing at the c
amera, like he was trying to call me out. I was glad to have John waiting for me outside the courthouse.
Once court was in session, the first few witnesses -- several police officers -- described their part of the case and how they had gone about collecting evidence. We listened to a forensic team member report on the location of the body, and how Derek's corpse had been buried in a shallow grave just a dozen feet into the woods beside the cabin. Finally, the medical examiner talked about the wounds and estimated time of death.
Just before noon, Lisa's brother Jeff got up and left the courtroom, passing me as he did. When he walked by me, he pointed at me and spoke almost under his breath.
"I'm not done with you," he said and then disappeared outside the door.
The woman beside me, middle aged and clutching her bag on her lap, turned to me. An expression of shock spread on her face that would have been humorous if it had been for any other reason.
"Who are you?"
I shook my head. "No one."
I leaned back as the heads of a few people seated around me turned to look my direction.
Damn...
When the court recessed about ten minutes later, I texted John and said I'd be out right away. We'd listened to the final cross-examination of the medical examiner, and the state had asked the judge to recess for lunch while they waited for the next witness.
I stood up and left the courtroom quickly, taking the side door out of the building instead of the front doors. I hoped to avoid any reporters who might be hanging around wanting to talk to observers. I saw John on the street waiting beside the car, and felt a sense of relief flood through me. Before I could reach the car, I felt someone grab my shoulder and jerk me around.
The next thing I knew I was on the ground, seeing stars after a fist slammed into my cheek.
Kate
The call came in around 12:10, just as I was mixing some yogurt and fruit for Sophia's lunch.