by Sam Crescent
“I’m here to see Vicki.”
“What the fuck for?” Zoe asked.
With Zoe being in the foster care system she’d never gotten over her dislike of law enforcement.
“Don’t take that tone with me,” Tristan said. His hands moved on either side of the door.
“Don’t talk to my fucking woman like that.” Connor pulled the man out of the way. Zoe’s man stood like an angry beast ready to do battle.
“You can’t do that,” Vicki said, worried in case Tristan started arresting her friends.
“He’s not wearing his complete Sheriff’s uniform. No one talks to my woman like that, not even him. How are you doing, Vicki?” Connor asked, leaning against the door.
Tristan stood. The anger displayed on his face was clear to see. Not wanting anymore trouble, Vicki waved the others away.
“Are you going to be okay?” Zoe asked.
She smiled and nodded at her friends. “I’ll call when he’s gone.”
They left but glared at Tristan on the way down her front driveway. Turning back to the man in question, Vicki saw the determination on his face.
Chapter Three
Tristan waited for the others to leave. He could have ended Connor easily, and the bastard knew it. Connor also knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt him in front of the women. Turning back to Vicki he was struck by how much weight she’d lost and the red of her eyes. His woman had been crying.
Stepping up close he was shocked when she took a step back. He frowned.
“What do you want?” she asked. She wasn’t looking into his eyes but at some point at his chest.
“I need to talk to you.”
“I believe we’ve spoken enough to last us a lifetime.” Vicki made to shut the door on him. He pressed his foot in the gap stopping the door.
“Why are you leaving Law Castle?” he asked.
“How do you know?”
“Stefan likes to gossip. You should never talk to that man.” Seeing as she didn’t deny the claim Tristan owed the other man. Vicki would have left Law Castle and he’d be alone. Always alone.
You’re married and still alone.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I only want to talk.”
She nibbled her lip. There was a time he devoured her lips in an effort to stop her nibbling. The action showed her nerves, and he hated her being nervous around him. He cared about her, and he hated the thought of hurting her.
You’ve already hurt her, asshole.
Vicki took a step away and allowed him to enter.
Once the door was closed she led him into her living room. He watched as she swiped the bottle of red wine and drank from the bottle. When they’d been together she’d never drunk a drop of alcohol.
“I’ve drove you to drink?” he asked.
“No. Telling Zoe I was leaving was a lot harder than I thought. She’s my friend.”
“Why are you leaving?”
Vicki took a seat on the far end of the sofa. Her body was wound so tight he wondered if she’d snap under the slightest pressure.
He didn’t like how thin she was. The dress hung off her body. He remembered the dress had once moulded to every curve she possessed.
“It’s time I moved on. My parents don’t like how I’m turning out. They think a fresh start would be good for me.” Vicki started peeling the sticker from the wine bottle.
The urge to grab the bottle from her and pour the contents down the sink was strong.
You haven’t got that right any more.
Did he ever have that right? When they were together, even without the sex, they’d connected. Their age gap never was an issue, and now he felt at odds. He didn’t know what to say or do.
He was a fucking Dom and Vicki a submissive. The first time he’d seen her he knew. They’d explored some spanking and light bondage together but never actually delved into a true relationship.
Because you pushed her away and fucked it up.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“What do you have to be sorry for? You’ve never done anything wrong. You’re part of law enforcement.” She sneered the words, but Tristan wasn’t thinking about that.
“I wish I’d known about the baby.”
Vicki gasped and stood. Her eyes blazed as she glared at him. “You have got no fucking right to talk to me about my baby.”
He stood, crowding over her. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at him.
Vicki was looking him in the eye. “Don’t fucking bring anything we had into this. You made it clear to me we were nothing but a good time.”
Her lips wobbled before she turned away. He saw the pain on her face. Reaching out, he stroked her shoulders. The need to touch her was strong. He couldn’t deny himself. Her shoulders felt fragile beneath his touch.
For a few seconds Vicki allowed him to hold her, and for a few seconds he found some peace.
Then like all good things reality came crashing down as Vicki pulled away. “No, I can’t let myself fall for it a second time.”
“Fall for what?” he asked.
“You’re married. You have a wife somewhere and I bet a couple of fucking kids. If you were married why did you fucking touch me?” she asked. Her voice rose with each passing second.
Nothing he said could stop the ache inside his chest.
Vicki shoved him. Tristan didn’t move. After he’d told her about being married to another woman she hadn’t stayed around to find out. She ran from him and found every excuse in the book not to be alone with him. He didn’t blame her. When he’d confessed to being married he’d done so after she spoke her true feelings for him. He’d known she was in love with him, and yet he continued on.
For a forty-five year old man he still made mistakes.
Grabbing her arms, he pulled her in close. The bottle in her grasp fell to the floor. Staring down into her beautiful, innocent face, Tristan slammed his lips down on hers. He couldn’t stop. Kissing her lips, he sank fingers into her hair, pulling her closer. He wanted to drown in her very scent.
Vicki responded. Her grip tightened on his arms, and her lips opened, welcoming him inside.
His cock thickened. Moving down to her ass, he gripped her flesh and brought her closer to him. The contact wasn’t enough.
He tore the clothes away from her body. Seeing her slenderness concerned him, but he wanted the woman far more. Vicki tugged at the belt holding his trousers up. She pushed him to the sofa. Without warning she climbed on top of his lap.
Within no time he sank inside her tight wet heat.
She gasped, and he groaned.
She stared down at him with tears in her eyes. The intimate moment was gone and replaced by pain.
****
What the hell was she doing? Tristan was married, and he’d broken her heart. No, not broken. He’d shattered her heart and soul. She couldn’t eat and rarely slept because of him. She was moving out of Law Castle to get away from him.
The thick pulse of his shaft felt strange inside her. He was the only man she’d ever been with.
He’s married. This is wrong.
She moaned as his hips flexed pushing more of him inside her. Vicki shook her head, pressing a hand to his covered chest. “Stop,” she said.
Tristan froze underneath her.
“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take care of you,” Tristan said. He stroked her hair. She wished with all of her heart that she didn’t care.
Shaking her head, Vicki squeezed her eyes closed tight and then climbed off. Even as his cock left her body she felt branded by him.
Grabbing the nearest pillow she covered her naked body.
“You’re married,” she said.
“I know.” He let out a sigh.
Tears fell from her eyes in waves. “Why?” she asked.
“Why what?” He fixed his pants placing his cock inside his pants.
Tristan didn’t get up to leave. She didn’t know what was worse, the fact he didn’t or the fact she didn’t want him to leave.
Great, now I am a sucker for a guy who likes to hurt me.
“Why are you doing this to me? You’re married, and you’re here with me. Why can’t you leave me alone?” She needed answers. There was no way to live with what she’d done without knowing the truth.
Tristan stood, running fingers through his hair. She saw his muscles bulge, and the tattoos decorating his arms seem to move as if they had a life of their own.
“It’s a long story,” he said.
Throwing the pillow at him Vicki gave herself over to the rage inside her.
He caught the pillow before it hit him. Pulling on the dress he’d torn she sat down on the sofa.
“You’re an asshole. It’s a long story? Don’t you think I deserve the fucking time to tell it? You fucked me and then brought the news of a wife to me when I told you how I felt. Now your whole life is a long story?” She stood and walked towards her kitchen. “You know what, forget it. I don’t want to know. Get the fuck out of my house. I’m leaving, and I don’t want to see you again.”
Storming into the kitchen she opened her fridge and then slammed it closed. Going to the sink she wrung out a cloth in order to clean the mess the wine had created in her front room.
Tristan’s hands appeared either side of her. He held a picture of a beautiful woman in a white dress. She’d seen the picture before when she thought his wife was a joke.
“You know I’m a dominant man. I’m a Dom, and I like to be in control.”
He’d been honest with her about his nature. They’d explored some spanking, and he’d even tied her up a time or two, nothing too heavy or scary.
“Yes. You trained in the city under someone. I can’t remember.”
“William Johnson. Remember I told you he moved to Cape Falls to start a new club?” She remembered but had never met the owner who trained him. Tristan when he spoke of his past, talked very highly of William.
“Well, he started out my training, and then I moved on to something deeper. My wife, Kate, needed something more.” She saw him grit his teeth as he spoke the words. “Kate and I didn’t have a loving relationship. We had a mutual understanding with each other. I liked to control, and she liked pain.”
Vicki frowned. “Kate? Your wife?”
“Yes. She loved pain. Nothing I ever did was enough for her. She always wanted more.”
His hands tightened on the counter. “I’ve never told anyone this, not even William.”
From what she recalled apart from knowing where the other man lived, Tristan hadn’t been in touch with the other man.
Staring at the picture she was shocked to think of the woman craving pain.
Turning around in his arms, Vicki stared into his eyes. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked.
“You’ve got a right to know, and I’ve been a complete bastard to you.” He handed her the photo. “Get some coffee, and I’ll grab your bed shirt. I’ll tell you the truth.”
She took the picture from him. He walked out the door without looking back. Gazing down at the woman, Vicki wondered if she really wanted to know the truth about her. She loved Tristan. Her whole life was devoted to him. How could she handle it if he was really in love with his wife? Being the rebound woman wasn’t on her list.
You’ll never know unless you open up.
What if there was more pain than she could handle?
Moving toward the kettle she filled it with water and started making cups for a hot cup of coffee. There was nothing she could do unless she knew the truth. Tristan was willing to give a part of himself to her, and she wanted to know more.
While she waited for the kettle to boil she kept looking at the woman. Kate had an easy smile. Her hair was blonde, and she possessed startling blue eyes. Vicki’s own hair was blonde but had seen better cleaning days. Instead of blue eyes she had green.
Shaking her head, she poured the coffee and made her way into the sitting room. Tristan held one of his shirts in his hand. He’d removed his shoes and loosened the buttons on the shirt he wore. His trousers were gone, and he sat in boxer briefs.
“I thought you’d gotten rid of all my clothes,” he said, pointing at the shirt.
“I was getting around to it.”
Vicki took the shirt and went back to the kitchen. She may have been naked in front of him seconds ago, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable being naked in front of him now.
Chapter Four
Tristan waited for her to come back through to the sitting room. One of his memories of her house was when they’d moved the coffee table out of the way and made love on the floor. Those times were long gone as he observed her walking back to take a seat next to him on the sofa. The distance between them felt huge even though they were seated on either side of her large sofa.
“I’m ready,” she said, handing him a cup.
He’d never wanted her to know the ugliness of his past. What he’d tried to do to keep his wife happy. None of it succeeded. Kate wanted something from him he couldn’t give her. He should have gotten a divorce. He knew that now. Kate was still a good friend.
Sipping at the dark liquid he winced at the bitter taste. Vicki may be able to pour a decent beer, but make a coffee she couldn’t.
“Sorry, I haven’t improved any. Stefan drinks tea or fruit juices when I’m around,” Vicki said.
After tasting her latest attempt at a good coffee he could see why. He wouldn’t fault Stefan for no longer liking coffee. Vicki sipped at hers without wincing. Brave girl.
“I’m ready when you are,” she said.
He took another sip of the brutal coffee before turning fully toward her. Seeing her walk into the other room had made him realise he only had two options. Option one was to walk out and leave her alone. Maybe if he left her alone Vicki would start a life somewhere without him where he didn’t get a say in what she did. His second option was to be open with her and risk losing her love.
Vicki kept pushing him away, so he was shocked for her to even be in love with him. Taking a breath he saw her holding the picture of Kate.
Part of him still didn’t want to open up to her. He needed to.
“Wait. Before you get into your story of why you’re separated and whatnot, can you tell me if you love her?” Vicki asked.
“No, I don’t love her. Kate and I married because we were in the lifestyle. We both thought we’d be able to satisfy our wants and desires. None of it turned out to be so. We were not suited for each other as anything but friends,” he said, admitting the truth.
“You’re still friends.”
He nodded. Tristan wasn’t going to lie to her even though the temptation was there.
“Tell me what you want to tell me,” Vicki said, settling back.
“Kate and I met at a different club. This one wasn’t run by William. I can’t even remember the bloody name of the thing. All I remember was it was a bad club. The atmosphere and the way the club was set out held the feel of a real BDSM club. The people, however, were nothing like the people I know. I don’t know. Maybe I was pampered into a persona of how a person was supposed to be.”
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“I have strict rules of making sure a person has a safe-word that they use. Yours was butterflies, remember?”
“Yes.” Her voice was a mere whisper.
“Anyway, there was no safe-word. When a woman shouted no the men just kept going. There was no stopping them. There was so much abuse going on. I met Kate as she looked as disgusted as I was. I found out she was a lawyer and liked to be dominated. She was looking for someone to take her needs to the next level.” He stopped to take a sip. Kate, at the time had looked so fresh-faced and new to the scene. The truth was a whole different ball game. “We left the club, and I made William aware of it. I don’t know what happened to it, but Kate and I never went back there. We s
tarted meeting on weekends, and I trained her to be my sub. She was amazing and responsive, and soon, the weekends turned into weekdays. Before we knew it, we were dating, and I was introducing her to other friends.”
Vicki sat back listening. He saw the pain in her eyes. She deserved to know the truth. His and Kate’s relationship didn’t have a happily ever after.
“We got married, and then Kate started to want more. The spanks needed to be harder. From my hand to the cane and more until eventually I hit her to the point that she bled.” Tristan licked his lips recalling the vile taste in his mouth at seeing the blood. “Kate liked it.” He ran a hand over his face. “She liked it so much that we’d fight. When we were doing a scene she’d tell me to go harder and harder, but I couldn’t. She tried to control the scene and screamed at me to give it to her.”
“It sounds awful.”
“It was. Being part of it was the worst. I couldn’t give her what she wanted, and in turn she couldn’t give me what I wanted.” He stroked Vicki’s hair. The colour was a darker blonde than his wife’s. Kate wasn’t his wife. She was a name on a piece of paper linked to his. “One day I came home to find Kate trussed up and bleeding. A guy who liked to inflict pain with knives and shit was there. I went mad. I’m not going to go into the gory details. What I saw on Kate’s face made me realise we were mismatched.”
“What do you mean?” Vicki asked.
“Kate was happy. She was in pain, but there was real happiness on her face. Nothing I did would ever match that. I’m a Dominant, Vicki. I’m not a sadist or a masochist. What Kate wanted she needed a real professional for, which wasn’t me. I found her someone to take care of her needs.”
“You mean to tell me Kate is with someone right now?”
Tristan nodded. Last time he heard was about a year ago. Kate was in a tight relationship with the man he’d left her with. They were very much in love, but the guy didn’t need Kate’s hand. Their devotion to each other was in a collar and the trust between them. Tristan understood it.