“Mandy was quick to enlighten me this morning.”
“I bet she was. This is precisely why I don’t want a girlfriend.”
I remained silent. What was there to say?
“And you saw the photo. I presume it’s also the reason for your lateness. You were jealous, weren’t you?”
I nodded and bit my lip, to stop myself from revealing how deep my feelings for him were becoming.
Brendon cupped my face, trying to make me understand. “I didn’t go on a date with her, we met up on the night; it wasn’t planned. But regardless, I never said I wouldn’t see other women.”
Now it was my turn to shake my head, effectively releasing his hold on me. “Does this mean I am free to see other guys?”
I noted his serious expression and saw I had hit a nerve. “No, it does not.”
I raised one eyebrow, as I silently questioned what he meant.
“You can have as many male friends as you like, as long as you don’t kiss them, fuck them and everything in-between.”
His tone was almost a growl and the look he gave me brooked no argument. Well I was not backing down, not without asking one more pertinent question.
“And this also applies to you and your girl friends?”
He broke eye contact, giving me my answer even before he replied. “No, at this stage I can’t make that commitment.”
That was a definitive statement if ever I heard one. I couldn’t believe the amount of jealous rage boiling inside me. I knew now, I could not bear to share him with anyone. I attempted to stand but he intercepted me, bringing me onto his lap.
He looked down at me again. “What happened to acting submissive?”
In an instant our submissive occasions flashed through my mind – Brendon in his car, stating he wanted someone who was submissive; Brendon saying I didn’t know the meaning of the word submissive and having to write down synonyms, and Brendon earlier tonight saying I didn’t act submissively.
I now knew the answer to his question was obvious, but it may not be the answer he wanted to hear.
“I’m beginning to think I am not submissive.”
He seemed stunned by my blunt admission. I again attempted to stand, but he held me on his lap, once more exerting his control. This was the essence of the relationship he wanted, where I submitted to his control. As far as he was concerned, there was no more to the arrangement.
I should have walked away the night he had visitors and, despite his pleas which convinced me to stay, I knew the way he was treating me was wrong. So why did I stay? Because there was some deep seated element which I still strongly felt, that I couldn’t shake the feeling he was the one for me.
I turned to look at his alluring features and then murmured, “I don’t think I can be what you want.”
He appeared distressed at my words. “No Suzanna, you are exactly what I want, can’t you see that?”
Yes I could see, he had even told me he was happy with how things were going, I recalled. But he meant my training towards becoming submissive; towards him having total control, to the point where I would never consider challenging him about his whereabouts or his friends, male or female. I didn’t think I could ever be submissive enough to satisfy him.
But I didn’t want to leave either. Despite the sometimes cruel way he treated me, I didn’t want to give up hoping that he could change, become the caring, loving person I felt existed somewhere deep inside him.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.” His voice held a pleading note, revealing a glimpse into his emotional side.
“Since we’ve had this arrangement, have other women stayed here?”
“No, only you.”
I watched his eyes as he spoke. I had received dating tips from police officers I had worked with over the years. One that had come in handy was being able to tell if someone was not telling the truth. Apparently if someone lied, their eyes went upwards to the left. It wasn’t definitive but a good indicator. He was either a good liar or he was telling the truth.
I closed my eyes and breathed in his cologne, his scent. There must be some middle ground, a compromise we could both be happy with.
I pondered our secret arrangement and why he didn’t want people to know. “How long do you want to keep me a secret?”
He sighed at my query. “You know why I can’t tell everyone and for this reason, I have to keep you a secret, for the time-being.”
I felt like the embarrassing relative no-one admitted to, or at least the other woman, good enough to fuck, but not to acknowledge. He was watching me, gauging my reaction. Well at least he was being honest, as he had from the beginning. Could he compromise? Would he?
“I’m not asking to be your girlfriend, but couldn’t we go out occasionally, as friends?”
“Hey, we’ve only known each other two weeks. Let’s see how things go leading up to the end of the year. By the way, I’m going to Melbourne over Christmas to see my family.” He winked and added, “See, I can share.”
The thought of not seeing him for more than a week, stopped me dead in my tracks. Here I was considering leaving because I didn’t like the arrangements, who was I kidding?
I didn’t smile at his remark. He frowned and, as was his habit when frustrated with me, ran his fingers through his hair for the second time during this conversation alone. I idly decided I would like to do that, given the chance. Holy cow, I was mixed up.
He grasped my chin and lifted my face to his, as he leaned down to give me a long, sensual kiss, the type you could drown in. As I was swimming in the tide of emotions only he could evoke, I realised my body was already under his control, it was my head that had yet to accept the fact.
He broke the kiss and then, still with his face close to mine, declared, “I want you to stay, not just tonight, for the whole weekend.”
And here I was thinking I needed time apart from his intoxicating influence, to sort out where my head was at.
I was saved from answering by Brendon’s mobile. He uttered an oath and then he excused himself, before retrieving his phone from the breakfast bar. During the short phone call, he sat on a stool, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Hey what’s up? ... tonight won’t work for me... tomorrow? ... sounds good... of course not... you know I don’t mind... whenever you want... great... see you tomorrow... bye.”
He turned towards the fridge and plucked out a pre-mixed can (UDL), along with and a lemon, lime and bitters (LLB). After pouring the UDL into a glass, he returned to the lounge offering it to me, “Scotch and coke is your favourite, I believe?”
“Yes, thank you.” I took the glass and had a sip.
I was puzzled by the implications of the phone call and how it may affect my staying the entire weekend. He didn’t seem too bothered by the situation, as he took a long draught of his LLB. I swallowed another mouthful as I contemplated my question. But as usual, he seemed to pre-empt what I was going to say.
“My phone call is bothering you, isn’t it?”
I nodded my answer, hoping he would explain if I remained silent.
“Hmm, it’s a pity you weren’t privy to the other side of the conversation.”
Now he was toying with me. How could someone be coming over if I was going to be here? It contravened what he had been saying about keeping me a secret. Was this his way of compromising, letting me meet one of his friends? No, he specifically stated he had to keep me a secret for the time-being. As I glanced up at his features, I noticed he seemed calm and in control, which meant, meant what?
Oh my god, Peter’s sordid words came back to me, a threesome! I glanced away, so he would not see my startled expression. No surely not? It wasn’t even on his list.
“Suzie,” he gently turned me, so I was again facing him. “Before we were interrupted, I asked if you would stay the weekend.”
What, he wanted my answer before I found out about the call?
He saw my hesitation. “Say yes, I promise you will enjoy it.”
“Will you tell me about the phone call first?”
“Sorry, it’s a surprise.” He held up his hand before continuing, “No more questions on the subject, you either stay or you don’t – what’s it to be?”
The threesome word kept rattling around in my head. I studied his face, looking for the answers I wanted, but his expression remained impassive.
If I chose to stay, I could still change my mind or use a safe word. Up until this point I hadn’t had to, not even during tonight’s discipline. Oh god, I was finding it hard to say no to this man but, regardless, I knew I would never agree to a threesome. A little voice inside my head warned, never say never.
“I’ll stay but....”
“No buts, yes or no?”
I blushed as I explained, “I will stay if you don’t mind me being naked for half the weekend, because I don’t have enough clothes with me.”
This at last changed his expression, as a grin broke out. “That suits me fine, as you probably will be naked for half the time.”
I rolled my eyes at his remark.
“And as far as clothes go, I bought you a couple of things, so it won’t be an issue. Don’t get too excited, there are only two outfits and if you’re a good girl, I’ll buy you another every week. They’re up in your room if you want to have a look – I hope they’re the right size.”
I was overwhelmed by his generosity. “I don’t know what to say, you don’t have to do this.”
He held my face, his mouth inches from mine. “Just say, thank you.”
I did, then his lips captured mine and we were once again back in that deep, carnal place which would inevitably lead to our ultimate pleasure.
I awoke alone in my room, slightly disorientated until I remembered where I was. I smiled as I reminisced about the previous night. Now we had christened three beds, all except the room at the top of the stairs, the one where the door was always closed. Brendon had made it clear that room was off limits.
My gifts consisted of one formal and one casual outfit, complete with underwear and shoes; all purchased locally online. He had one stipulation; if we were together he wanted me to wear the clothes he had bought. Hence, the reason he would buy more every week, one for each week of our arrangement. Outside of our time together, I was free to choose from either my own wardrobe or the Brendon collection.
I dressed in my new casual clothes, before making a trip to my bathroom. As I made my way downstairs I saw him in the kitchen, his back was to me and it was bare. A little thrill went through me, knowing his chest was also bare. I never got tired of admiring it, from his pecs down to the thin line of hair, beginning above his waist to disappear below his shorts. On this occasion, they were black polyester footy shorts that hung low on his hips.
“Mmm, something smells good.”
At my words, he turned and I could see him once again assessing me, as he did every time I had worn different clothing. I no longer felt embarrassed about it, especially now I was wearing his clothes.
The white tank top reminded me of my red nightie, in that it had a cut out section at the back that was permanently laced up. There were smaller laced sections at the side, which could be undone so the top could be put on and, more to the point, taken off easily.
I knew the faded cut-off white denim shorts, combined with the white cork wedge sandals, made my legs look longer. I was not surprised my casual shoes were high and was certain he would not be buying me pumps or flats any time soon.
He didn’t comment on my appearance, but his slow nodding was approval enough.
“I hope you like scrambled eggs.”
His words forced me to concentrate. I found this particularly hard, given his half naked state.
“Yes please.” I walked towards him as I spoke. “Would you like me to make you a cuppa?”
He gave me an irresistible smile. “Tea would be great. Do you know where everything is?”
“Yes, I think I remember from last week.”
We had breakfast outside on the back patio; a secluded, shady paved area with a large glass table and several comfy cushioned chairs. Off to one side, I could not help but admire the spa and the picture that came to mind could only be described as lewd.
It was a lovely warm sunny morning, confirming summer was only a week away. As we talked on inconsequential topics, I had the feeling we were both thinking about his forthcoming visitor. I knew I was, but he had said no more questions on the subject, hence we were making small talk instead.
The words “The ravens will swoop down and strike…,” broke into our conversation.
“What the hell?” Brendon’s words were accompanied by a confused frown.
The Ravenwood Football Club’s theme song was my brother’s ring tone. I had different ring and message tones for all my contacts, so I knew who was calling or texting me. Similarly, the Crocs club song was locked in for calls or messages from Brendon. With regard to Ravenwood, it was generally known you either loved them or hated them; there was no middle ground. Aiden, or Aids as I affectionately called him, definitely loved them and it appeared as though Brendon was one of the latter.
“That’ll be my brother, excuse me a minute.” I stood up and I went inside to answer the call.
It was the first time we had spoken since mum had told him about Brendon. Of course there was the usual friendly banter that had always existed between us. Even though he was five years my junior, we were quite close.
He was quick to point out Brendon did not play for my favourite club and goaded me about switching sides now. He wanted to catch up and hinted at meeting him. Mindful of my arrangement to stay the weekend, I put the meeting off and asked him over Sunday night, suggesting we could get pizzas.
I mentioned this to Brendon, when I re-joined him outside. “No, you can’t.” His reply was firm.
What? Now he was trying to dictate who I saw when we were apart? He was my brother, for crying out loud.
“Why not?” My words sounded defensive, which was how I was feeling.
He leaned over to give me a possessive kiss. “Because you’ve already agreed to stay the whole weekend with me.”
“But... I need to be home Sunday night; I have to go to work on Monday.”
He gave me a penetrating stare. “You can leave from here instead.”
“Not without clothes I can’t.”
He shook his head in frustration. “Not the clothes excuse again.”
“You know I don’t have any appropriate work clothes with me.”
He sighed, before offering a solution. “We’ll have to collect some then, won’t we?”
Stunned, I tried to comprehend what he meant by we. “Do you mean go to my place to pick some up?”
He grinned at my dumb question. “It’s where they are, right?”
Was he going to come with me? I was surprised at his words.
Once again he answered my unspoken question. “You wanted us to go out as friends, didn’t you?”
I blushed and nodded. “But Diane may be there, she’s just worked a night shift.”
He cocked his head to one side. “Do you have a problem with that? You’re not ashamed of me are you?”
I could see a mischievous gleam in his eyes and knew he was joking. Still, it was a telling comment, given this was how I believed he viewed me.
“No, of course not. But what about your visitor?”
“Oh the phone call, no he won’t be here until later.”
So it was a ‘he’. This quelled my fears of a threesome, as I couldn’t imagine Brendon sharing with another guy. He had already made how he felt about male friends perfectly clear.
But there was still the matter of catching up with Aiden. “What about my brother?”
He blew out a long breath and raked his fingers through his hair, as he addressed the issue. “He can come here instead.”
My eyes bulged with surprise. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
“He’s coming on his own, ri
ght?” I nodded in response.
“Well it’s settled then. We might as well collect your things now, in case you change your mind.”
We met up with Diane in the kitchen.
“Hi, I’m Brendon.”
“I’m Diane Simmons, the long suffering flatmate.” She gave me a wink as she spoke. Even though Di was tall at 5’7”, she still had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
He smiled in reply. “I suppose you’ve heard a lot about me?”
She shook her head. “No, she’s been keeping you under wraps and now I can see why.”
I blushed while he laughed, seemingly totally at ease.
Over a cup of tea we talked; well, to be honest, Brendon and Diane talked. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. He even asked about her job as she explained her role in the Contact Centre, which was to take the calls received through the normal Police number, not the 000 emergency calls; those went direct to Police Communications.
I could tell he had won her over when she asked him about AFL. Not only did she know nothing about AFL, but she did not have the slightest interest in the game.
He told her that although it was a winter sport, the players didn’t have much time off for the year. Following the end of season trip, they would get straight back into training by December. It became more intensive and more frequent from January through to March, when the season began.
I noticed Diane stifled a yawn. “We should get moving and let you get some sleep.”
I told Diane I was picking up some clothes for work and she gave me a questioning glance. “So I guess I’ll see you Monday night, it’ll be my last night shift thankfully.”
Once we were alone in my room, I saw him eyeing my double bed. “I think I’d enjoy having you here.”
I sat on the bed and looked up at him. “I’m here for the taking.”
He seemed to think about it for a second. “No, we don’t have time and besides, you’ll probably make too much noise.”
“You could always gag me.”
Wow, I had managed to shock him and myself as well, with my daring comment.
“I say when and how Suzanna, is that clear?” He sounded firm and harsh.
Bounce Down: 1st Quarter: Start of Play Page 10