Michael

by Marilize Roos

Judith nodded

  “I need the words, subbie,” Derek said, and Judith was reminded that despite his easy-going nature, he was very much a Dom.

  “Yes, sir,” Judith said.

  “Good girl,” Derek smiled. He selected another skein of rope and knelt behind Tristan to tie it around his ankle and bent Tristan’s knee at a tight angle to tie his calf to his thigh by wrapping the rope around the bent limb, leaving him balanced on one leg.

  Michael stood behind her again and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Feeling better?” Michael murmured.

  “I think so,” Judith whispered.

  Derek had threaded another length of rope through a series of loops he’d left on the bindings on Tristan’s leg and the overhead ring, and with efficient tugs, he cinched Tristan’s leg up higher until he was just barely maintaining his balance on his other leg.

  Tristan’s eyes were wide with discomfort at feeling so off-balance. Derek tied another rope to Tristan’s remaining ankle, and after a quick glance up at the rigging, he shot Judith a wicked grin. “Now, think happy thoughts, Tristan.”

  “Huh?”

  “Not ‘huh,’” Derek tsked. “It’s ‘huh sir’.” With his elbow, Derek pushed behind Tristan’s knee so that it buckled. Tristan yelped with shock as he was suddenly left swinging and tilted sideways when Derek hoisted his remaining leg up into the air as well by the ankle.

  “That was a dick move, sir,” Tristan growled.

  “That’s better,” Derek grinned, and gave Tristan a little push so that he spun lazily in a circle. “Now just relax, and enjoy the feeling of weightlessness. How do you feel?”

  “I feel like Elijah Wood in Lord of the Rings, when the spider wrapped him up and hung him from her web.”

  “Perfect,” Derek said happily. He rocked the rig again. “I’ll give you another few minutes in there while I truss Judith up in her own harness, then I’ll unwrap you and give Judith a turn on the swing. Sound good?”

  “Sounds great,” Tristan said, already sounding more relaxed. “I think I could get quite comfortable like this.”

  “Good,” Derek said, then turned to Judith. “Ready?”

  She was tempted to nod, but checked herself. “Yes, sir,”

  Judith tugged nervously on the bottom hem of her tank top, wishing it covered more of her stomach, maybe even her hips, while Derek turned back to the trolley to select another length of rope, this skein somewhat thicker than the others he’d been working with.

  He turned back to her. “Grab your elbows behind your back,” Derek said, and coming behind her, he repositioned her hands to his liking before he started to wrap her in coils too. While he worked behind her, Judith looked over to where Tristan was still swinging gently from the rig. Michael was standing beside him, slowly rocking him and speaking to him in tones too low to overhear.

  She felt Derek pause, and when she glanced over her shoulder she saw he was also watching Tristan and Michael. “It’s good to see Michael happy,” he said softly. “He’s been alone for a very long time.”

  “He has?” Judith asked.

  “At least two years,” Derek confirmed, turning back to his work. He stepped around her to work on her front. “Ever since his accident, he’s had a hard time letting anyone in, let alone a sub.”

  “What happened?” Judith asked.

  Derek pulled a long section of rope through a loop on her back. “That’s his story to tell,” he finally said.

  “I’m glad he has you for a friend, then,” Judith said.

  “Ah, but I’m too stubborn to let him drive me away,” Derek gave a lop-sided smile. His fingers paused and he looked her in the eye, suddenly serious. “Please, don’t break his heart, Judith. He barely survived his first broken heart; if it breaks again, I’m not sure we’ll find all the pieces afterward to put back together again.”

  “We won’t,” Judith answered, meeting his eyes with sincerity. He searched her gaze for a moment, and apparently satisfied with what he saw, he returned to his task.

  “Hey, Derek,” Michael grinned when Derek led her to the centre of the basement. “I just love these macramé centrepieces you brought me for my dungeon. They really liven up the place.”

  “Why thank you,” Derek curtseyed. “I do so like to give practical gifts.”

  Michael chuckled. “Well, I think this macramé would like to be let down; he’s had enough.”

  Derek undid the ropes on Tristan in reverse order, letting down one leg, then the other, releasing him from the ring overhead and finally removing the harness from Tristan’s body.

  Everywhere the ropes were wrapped, the braided indents marked Tristan’s body, and Tristan traced a mark or two with a finger before Michael led him off to the couch for aftercare.

  Taking a moment to recoil his ropes, ready for their next use, Derek turned to her. “Ready? Just like you saw me do with Tristan.”

  She took a deep, steadying breath. “Ready.”

  “Good girl.”

  With every strand of rope Derek connected between her and the ring overhead, the more the harness around her body felt like a firm hug. When he tied her calf to her thigh it felt strange, but the moment he hoisted it up and tied it to the ring, she felt secure again.

  “How does that feel?” Derek asked once she was swinging gently.

  “I think I could fall asleep like this, if it didn’t give me a crick in my neck,” she said drowsily.

  He considered her for a moment, then unwound another coil of much thinner rope. Stopping behind her, he gathered her hair in the direction of the overhead ring, combing through it with his fingers and taking care that the hair was tensioned evenly, and tied the rope about mid-way down the ponytail in a complicated knot before attaching the other end of the rope to the ring as well.

  “Urgh, that’s better,” she sighed, finally able to relax her neck and shoulders too.

  “Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. Now just relax, and I’ll go see how Tristan’s getting along in his aftercare. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Derek stepped away from her, and almost immediately Judith felt like silence was wrapping around her like a warm blanket. After a few minutes, she realized that she could rock herself by slightly bending and relaxing the knee that wasn’t tied in a frog-leg, sort-of like a playground swing, and Judith allowed her eyes to close and her mind to slow to a meditative state.

  “Are you sleeping, Princess?”

  Judith opened her eyes slowly to see Michael’s warm, dark eyes searching hers. He gently touched her cheek, and she wanted to cuddle into his touch like a sun-warmed kitten. “I don’t know, was I?” she said drowsily. She could feel movement on the rope of one leg; Derek was untying her.

  Michael steadied her when both feet touched the ground and Derek unwound the harness from her body; she found that although her legs could hold her weight, it didn’t mean they were at all co-ordinated.

  He helped her to the couch where Tristan was sitting upright, a can of Coke in his hand, and pulled her onto his lap. Tristan pulled her legs up onto his lap and offered his soft drink for Judith to sip.

  “Hey, Sweetheart,” Tristan said. “Did you enjoy that?”

  “That was amazing,” Judith slurred. She nuzzled into Michael’s shoulder like a kitten and got comfortable for another nap. “Thank you for organizing it.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” Michael smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  Judith became aware of Derek crouching beside her. “Hey, Judith, how’re you feeling?”

  “Haaappy,” she purred.

  He chuckled. “You’ve got a regular rope bunny there,” Derek said. “I may want to borrow her one day for a demonstration, if she agrees. You relax, I’ll go start the fire, and by the time you’re done, I should be ready for the steaks.”

  “Thanks, Derek,” Michael said softly. He glanced down at Judith and when he looked to the side he saw Tristan’s contented smile. “I owe you one.”

&nbs
p; “No you don’t,” Derek said. He stood and dusted his hands on the seat of his pants. “Glad to help, brother.”

  ~*~

  Chapter 14

  Tristan stepped back from his desk, hands on his hips, and surveyed the surface. He had to face it – he’d lost his phone. He’d come in early to look for it, and the bell would ring in another ten minutes to summon everyone to class. He’d unpacked and rifled through all the documents on his desk, unpacked his desk drawers, looked in his filing cabinet – well, he’d heard of worse ideas – and was just contemplating asking one of his colleagues to dial his number and hope there was enough charge left on his phone battery to ring so that he could find it. Of course, if he’d dropped it outside, then that phone was long gone.

  “Excuse me, Mr B?” He looked up from contemplating his desk and saw Edie in the doorway. “Have you got a moment?”

  Tristan sighed. He’d have to continue the search for his phone later. Maybe one of the cleaning assistants found it and handed in to the office? “Yes, Edie? What can I do for you?”

  “I, um, was wondering if you could explain again about the differences between sucrose, glucose and fructose.” She headed straight for her seat right in front of his desk and slung her backpack onto the small table. Then she rounded his desk and sat down familiarly on his desk, her feet on his desk chair, and he was flabbergasted at her shocking familiarity.

  Tristan sighed. “Edie, I’m a little busy right now, and class starts in less than ten minutes. Can’t this wait?” Like when the rest of the class is here too.

  “What are you doing, Mr B?”

  “Looking for my phone,” he said, standing several feet away from his desk. I haven’t seen it all weekend. I thought I left it here, but guess I was wrong.”

  “I can help you find it,” she offered. “Maybe it fell out of your pocket when you sat down?”

  “I’ve looked everywhere.”

  She shifted, and jumped with shock when the movement pushed a large text book off the opposite end of the desk and onto the floor. “Sorry, Mr B!” She hopped off the desk.

  Tristan sighed with frustration and stepped around the desk, bending over to pick the book up. “Edie, you really shouldn’t be here.”

  “Maybe if I try to phone it?” She pulled her own phone out of her blazer pocket. She had it to her ear before he could protest, but seconds later, he heard his phone ringing and followed the sound to where it lay behind the little two-bar heater under his desk. When he had it in his hand, Edie disconnected and the screen flashed ‘13 missed calls’ before the screen went dark. “There you go!”

  “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver,” he said. He flicked the power button and the screen lit up. It still registered a full battery; perhaps the battery had lasted that well because he hadn’t used it all weekend.

  “You’re welcome,” she beamed. “So, have you seen the new Aaron Donner movie yet?”

  “Not yet, but my wife is a die-hard romantic suspense fan. She’ll probably want us to go see it.” Personally, Tristan thought from having seen the trailers that the movie was too explicit for teenagers, but he wasn’t about to tell Edie’s parents how to raise their daughter.

  Edie’s expression hardened. He heard a scuffing sound from the direction of the door, but when he looked, there was no-one there. Okay, time to wrap this up.

  “Edie, the other students will be here any minute, and it would be highly inappropriate to find you sitting on my desk.”

  “Sure thing, Mr Bennett,” she said coldly. She slid off the desk, making sure to scrape past him on her way to her own desk. She grabbed her bag and stormed out the door.

  She never did return to class that day.

  ~*~

  Judith slapped her steering wheel and threw herself against the backrest of her driver’s seat. She fought tears as she processed this latest disappointment in a long day of frustrations.

  First, Anderson had torn her a new one shortly after her tea break for not being back at her desk when he’d come looking for her. That she’d only been gone ten minutes instead of fifteen hadn’t mitigated his rant in the least, even if she’d left late in the first place because he’d given her another last-minute task.

  At lunch, she’d just sat down to eat her sandwiches, when Anderson had come looking for her. He’d invited her to have her sandwiches in his office, but she’d declined, and when he insisted, she’s gathered up her lunch and made a hasty retreat.

  The last straw had been when she was gathering her things at the end of the day. Her handbag over her shoulder, he’d intercepted her and handed her a document. She was to make ten copies of this document for the meeting scheduled first thing in the morning.

  It wasn’t until the original had already run through the automatic document feeder, and the printer was spitting out collated copies, that she’d thought to read through the content of the document. In the document, Anderson took credit for a major client that she’d brought in to the company, and highlighted all the work he’d supposedly done in winning the tender.

  And now this fucking car won’t start! Judith seldom swore, but sometimes ‘fudge’ just didn’t cut it.

  For just a moment, she indulged in a pity party for one. A moment to acknowledge the absolute shittiness of her day before she pulled herself together again out of necessity.

  She leaned forward and turned the key in the ignition again. The engine gave a sluggish huh… huh… huh… before she gave up again.

  She reached for the lever by her ankle and popped the bonnet, then climbed out. It wasn’t until she was looking under the bonnet, using her cell-phone as a flashlight that it occurred to her that there was no point to looking under the hood, when she didn’t have the first clue what to do to fix the problem.

  She was no expert, but it looked to her like a flat battery.

  Which… meant she needed a jump start.

  And since she didn’t have a set of jumper cables, even if a good Samaritan were to stop, it would do her no good.

  Might as well wait in the car, out of the wind.

  She tried the door handle. “Fuck!” She’d locked the door, and she could see the keys dangling from the ignition.

  It was late enough that the parking lot was deserted and the twilight was leaving menacing shadows in the corners.

  Normally she’d phone Tristan, but it would be pointless to do so now. Although he’d sent her a text that morning to let her know he’d found his phone, even if he left now, it would be at least half an hour before he could get to her.

  And Michael

  It felt strange to ask another man for help for a problem she’d normally turn to her husband for, but she was desperate. And he’s not just any other man, is he? She’d much rather sit at the practice for half an hour, which was just around the corner, than stand outside her car in a gloomy parking lot. She fired off a quick text to Michael:

  ME: Hi! My car won’t start, and now I’ve locked my keys inside. I don’t feel safe here; I was wondering if I could come hang out by you until Tristan can come get me? I’m just around the corner – I could walk there.

  6:27√√

  She didn’t receive a text reply. Less than a minute later, her phone rang.

  “Where are you now?”

  Hello to you too.

  “I’m standing next to my car in the parking lot at work. I think my car’s battery is kaput.”

  “Have you tried Tristan?”

  “No,” she admitted, “but even if he left work or home right now, it could take anything from 30 to 40 minutes before he got here. I just... It’s getting dark, and I don’t like feeling like a sitting duck.”

  There was a moment’s silence on the phone. “I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”

  “I don’t want to put your out,” Judith said. “I can walk – you’re literally five minutes’ walk away. Ten minutes, tops.”

  “No, it’s not safe. I’m done for the day anyway; I’ll take you home,” he said.
<
br />   “Thank you,” Judith breathed.

  “Five minutes.” The call disconnected, and Judith’s exhale felt wonderful, relief leeching through her whole body; it felt wonderful to have at least one burden lifted off her shoulders. Michael would take her home, and Tristan could bring her back to retrieve her car later.

  She closed her bonnet and leaning against the driver door, she dialled Tristan’s number.

  “Hey, Sweetheart,” Tristan’s voice sounded over the phone.

  “Tristan, I have a problem; I locked my keys in the car.”

  “Fuck – where are you?”

  “I’m standing beside my car in the parking lot, but I’ve already phoned Michael; he said he’d take me home.”

  “Good,” Tristan said. “Thanks for letting me know.”

  “Love you, Baby,” Judith said.

  “Love you too.”

  Judith disconnected the call, then called up the social media app on her phone while she waited.

  “Judith.”

  She startled and looked over her shoulder. Asshole Anderson was heading for her, his brief case in one hand, his jacket dangling from one finger over his shoulder like a wannabe GQ model. The man seriously thought he was God’s gift to womankind.

  “What are you still doing here,” he asked. He glanced around her and saw her keys in the ignition. “You know, you could come wait in my office,” he said. “Or I could take you home.”

  Judith shuddered. “No, thank you – I’ve already phoned someone. He’s on his way.”

  “Roadside always takes hours,” he smirked. “Let’s go wait in my office.”

  “No!” She said, then softer, “thank you. I didn’t phone roadside assistance.”

  “I know. You don’t need an excuse to be alone with me.” He stepped closer, crowding her against the car.

  “I – I don’t!” She cried.

  The distant sound of a motorcycle became louder as it separated from the evening traffic and entered the parking lot. Anderson stepped away from her and moments later Michael rolled to a halt beside her.