by Becca Little
“I have to admit that I invited you out to dinner under false pretenses.” He said as he pushed his dinner away.
“Oh?” He usually had jokes, and I assumed this was the setup to a punchline.
“Indeed. I need to talk to you about something, and I want you to keep an open mind about it.” He picked up his wine and took a drink.
“I’m all ears, Stark.” I was ready for the elaborate setup—he always liked to take me to the brink of believing it, then slam me with it, but I was on to his tricks.
“Since your sister passed away, I’ve been pretty lonely.” He placed the glass on the table and looked into my eyes. “…Very lonely.”
“Well, no more than me, I’m sure.” It wasn’t headed in the direction of a joke unless it was going to be a bad one.
I put down my fork and listened. He seemed to be serious.
“No, you definitely got the worse end of this deal. Before I say what I’m going to say, I want you to know that I loved your sister very much.” I could tell he was nervous, and he was a man who never got nervous. I could feel my heart racing as he spoke.
“I know you did. You adored her and she adored you. I mean, I know you had problems like anyone. I don’t think she was actually going to break up with you that day.” I tried to keep my eyes on his dark ovals, unsure where it was going exactly.
“It is time that I started dating again…” He said that and he looked down as if he had just confessed a dark secret.
“Oh Stark, you don’t have to tell me that. Of course, I expect you to date again. My sister would not want you to spend your life alone just because she died.” I shook my head. It was nice of him to even tell me; I didn’t think he owed me an explanation.
“Well, there’s more…” His voice trailed off as he looked up at me again.
“Okay.” I reached for my own glass of wine.
“I don’t want to date just anyone. I want to date you.” His tone was flat as he said that.
“What!?” I almost spit my wine out as the words left his lips. “You can’t be serious! Stark, you were going to marry my sister…”
“I know that, which is why this is more difficult than it would normally be. You have a kind soul, you’re extremely beautiful, and if I would have met you as a single man, you would have still caught my eye.” He laid it all on the line with an air of confidence.
“Stark… I…” My voice got shaky.
“I’m not going to take no for an answer.” There was a certain edge to his voice as he said that. I looked at him and furrowed my brow in confusion.
“I know you’re hurting from losing my sister, but dating me is not the answer. You need someone stable—someone removed from the tragedy you suffered. You need to learn to live again, as do I. We are not in a position to date.” I shook my head as I tried to stabilize my tone.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to take you home and lock you in my closet.” He stared at me with a look of ice for a second, then his mouth spread into a grin.
The punchline caught me off guard, just like they always did.
“You… You actually scared me for a second.” I shook my head as our food arrived.
The rest of the meal was a little awkward. It was just my luck that the first tall, dark and handsome rich man to ask me out on a date was the man who was only single because my sister died before their wedding day. If he would have approached me on the street and asked me out, I would have said yes in a heartbeat—any sensible girl would have been smitten to even sit across from him for one meal.
I had a hard time believing he wanted me for anything other than the attachment I had to the woman he loved. Despite his words, I always considered myself quite plain, and the few extra pounds I had put on since my life came crumbling down did not enhance the image. His words just didn’t ring authentic to me. I did not think he would have given me a second glance if he saw me on the street. I was not the supermodel type my sister sculpted herself into. Like most women, I did dream of settling down and getting married one day—or at least I did before everything that happened.
“Thank you for dinner.” I said as we walked to the car. He stepped up to the car door.
“It was my pleasure.” He took my wrist and turned me around. In one motion, he gripped my shoulders and planted a kiss on my lips.
“Stark, don’t.” I pulled away and opened the door, sliding inside the seat and slamming it before he could react.
“I’m sorry.” He said as he climbed in and started the car.
“I told you, this can’t happen.” I shook my head and stared out the window as he put the car in drive and started towards my house.
Chapter 2
Over the next few weeks, I found numerous mementos left for me. I knew they were from Stark, but I never actually saw him. It started with a rose every day, then sometimes I would get a sweet card that said, ‘Just thinking of you’ or ‘Take a risk’ at work. I would often come home to find other things, like dinner waiting for me on my doorstep or a short letter explaining why he wanted to date me.
In some ways, it was quite flattering to be wooed like that by a rich, handsome man, but I couldn’t shake the fact he was so close to marrying my sister. I decided to see a therapist, who tried to get to the root of the problem, and finally asked me point blank if I wanted him to stop—I finally admitted as I sat in the chair that I didn’t want it to stop.
I left there more confused than ever, but when I got home, I picked up the phone and finally succumbed to a real date with him. In a way, I thought a real date with me would kill off those feelings. I wasn’t my sister after all, and it wouldn’t take long for the rose-colored goggled to wear off and he would see me for who I really was.
Unfortunately, or maybe the other way around, the date was absolutely incredible. I almost forgot he was the same man who dated my sister, but every time I felt happy, it was right there in my face again and I had to fight to suppress it. I had to see it through to the bitter end, regardless of the outcome. Either I would walk away with no feelings and he would do the same, or we would make something of what we had in front of us.
By the end of the night, I found him driving back to his place and I didn’t ask him to turn around. I wasn’t sure I was ready for what was obviously going to happen, but I needed to know if there was even a spark between us. He pulled up in front of his house and I was a little shocked at how big it was. I knew he was wealthy, but his house was rather marvelous. Thinking about the fact that my sister would have lived there with him and built a life send down another road of melancholy, but I pushed that out of my mind and let him lead me to the door. Once we were inside, he went for another kiss, but I pulled away.
“I don’t think I can, Stark…” I sighed. I had been so determined, but having him on my lips changed things quickly.
“You know, Emily. In some cultures, it is customary to marry a younger sister if something happens to the first. It is seen as a sign of commitment to the family.” He pushed my hair out of my face.
“That was more about honor and commitment than love though. It was also a very long time ago.” I knew he was talking about the Victorian era, which I was familiar with.
“Do you trust me?” He asked as he rubbed his hands up and down my shoulders.
“I do…” I nodded. Of course I did.
“Move in with me.” He said suddenly.
“Wait, what?” My eyes got wide and I took a step back.
That was a little rushed.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I think you need to be reborn. You need to let go of the life you had, and build a new one with me.” He moved closer, even as I pushed myself back. “Let me show you something…”
I followed him upstairs as he led the way. He was certainly lucky I trusted him, because I would hardly let a strange man take me upstairs on the first date if I didn’t—too many horror movies started that way. He took me down a dark hallway which was creepy enough without the photographs of hi
It appeared that they had old money, because the pictures were of lavish estates in what appeared to be England. There was even a family crest present in some of them, which suggested they were actually famous in some manner or another at some point. When we got to the end of the hallway, he opened the door and I stepped into a Victorian era room.
A big giant bed was in the middle with a canopy covering it, the furniture was all old an antique, and I could see an open wardrobe with dresses no person in my era would ever wear. I looked at him in confusion.
“What is this, the guest room for your ghosts?” I tried to feign a smile, but it was kind of creepy looking. There was even a cuckoo clock on the wall—it certainly fit the decor.
“In the old days, when a man would take a wife, they would sometimes have to train them. As you pointed out, at one point there was no real love, just honor, duty and loyalty. If a man found that his new bride was not quite ready to serve him like a wife should, he would teach her to submit. In my family, that sometimes meant forcing them to regress back to childhood and relearn everything.” He walked over to a wall, which had several long rattan canes. “…and they did learn, whether they wanted to or not.”
“Okay, Stark… Come on. This is one of your jokes, isn’t it? Give me the punchline…” I shook my head and looked around the room. My eyes froze when I saw a metal chain on the floor with a pair of shackles.
“Oh, this is no joke.” He took down one of the canes and swished in the air.
“Why would you have a room like this? What purpose would it have in your home?” I folded my arms as he put the cane back.
“Well, this wasn’t my home originally. It belonged to my uncle. He left it to me after he passed. He was a lot older than my father—almost by a whole generation. He took his wife from the old country, from a very traditional family.” Stark ran his fingers along the edge of the dresser.
“It was an arranged marriage?” I started to understand.
“It was. His new bride had no idea how to be a nice, subservient little wife, so he kept her in here until she was properly trained.” He got closer to me and reached for my wrist. “Just like I’m going to do to you.”
“Oh, hell no!” I pulled my wrist away. “This was a mistake.” I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist again.
“You want this…” He whispered into my ear. “You can be reborn. Think about all that pain melting away, all your troubles and suffering gone in an instant. You would never have to work, or worry about money again. You can be mine, and I will make you into the perfect bride.”
“That’s preposterous…” I started to pull away, but he held me tight.
“You’ve suffered so much loss as have I. I just want to take care of you. Emily, I have fallen for you.” He whispered as his lips drifted near my neck, then up to my ear.
I knew it was wrong, but my body was telling me it could be right. His lips on my neck and my ear was turning me on. He sensed me shudder and then he started to kiss down to my shoulder. I should have been stronger, but I wasn’t. There was still so much confusion burning inside of me, but for the first time, I felt some of the hurt melt away.
Could he really have fallen for me? I didn’t know if that was possible, or if he was just in love with the idea of who I was—the sister of the one he lost. I needed those answers, but my body refused to let me ask the questions required to get them. I had heard him tell me there was something more so many times I so wanted to believe him. Even his strange room and his words should have been a warning, but it just felt so good to be touched. It had been so very long.
“I feel the need resonating from you.” He said. “I have it too.”
“Stark…” I sighed. “This isn’t right.”
He turned me around and started to caress my body. His fingers went down my arms and then they sank into my waist. He squeezed and pulled me closer, pressing his lips to mine. When his tongue slipped into my mouth it was like fireworks going off. All the times I had denied his kiss seemed like foolish notions as his expert tongue rolled around mine and made me forget all the reasons I said no. He pulled his tongue free and kissed my lips several more times, softly at first, then harder until he had my hair in his hands and he was pushing my head back so he could kiss me deeply.
I sank into his embrace like a rag doll lost in the moment of absolute desire. His lips moved down the edge of my jaw, then to my neck again. He moved up to my ear and took a lobe in his mouth, sucking it gently. My ears had always been extremely sensitive and in his warm lips they ignited goosebumps through my whole body. I tingled and pulled away for a second, but then he moved back down my neck.
His lips drifted the other side of my neck as his fingers slipped underneath the straps of my dress. He pushed them off my shoulders. His tongue worked up that side of my neck and he began to gently caress my other ear with his finger while his kiss engulfed the one closest to his mouth. I felt like a novice in the hands of an expert. He was clearly quite experienced while my own attempts at sex had been quite awkward and clumsy with men who barely knew where to stick whatever they found near a hole.
“That feels really good.” I moaned.
His hands moved down to my breasts and he caressed them through my dress. I could feel my nipples getting hard underneath his touch to the point they were pushing through the fabric of the bra and the dress at the same time. I couldn’t remember them ever twisting into such tight little knots before. He took one of them in his fingers and twisted it slightly. I started to pull away when the pain ripped through me, but he held me close and gave the other the same treatment. My head spun and I found myself actually enjoying it.
Why did I enjoy the pain? How did he know it wouldn’t send me running away?
His twisting got a little harsher and I found myself squirming against his shoulder. He pushed my dressed down to expose my bra as he kissed down to it. His fingers went behind my back and he removed it with one quick motion. He was definitely an expert at that! With my breasts in his hands he brought the right one up and started to roll his tongue around the hardened nipple. It felt even harder and tighter underneath his tongue. At least my breasts were one natural thing I was gifted with.
He seemed to get more excited as he rolled each one of them in his hands and moved back and forth between the nipples, sucking on one and squeezing the other. I found that I rather enjoyed having him play with nipples and squeeze them. The pain was slight, but it made me started to get extremely wet—even more so than the feel of his hands on me.
He pushed my dress the rest of the way down until it was resting on my panties. With one simple push, the dress and the panties were around my ankles and I was stepping out of my high heels. My feet pulled away from my clothes and I was completely naked in his arms. He brought his hands down to my ass and squeezed as he kissed me again.
I didn’t feel like it was fair that he was completely clothed and I was naked. I started to pull at his tie. I got the knot pulled free a little and dug my fingers underneath his collared shirt, pushing it up so I could remove the tie completely. Once it was free from his neck, I tossed it to the floor and started to unfasten his shirt.
Underneath the shirt which was all business, his torso appeared to be ripped with muscles. I pushed the jacket off completely and finished unfastening his shirt. I pulled on the bottom of it until it was free from his pants and then ran my fingers underneath his white undershirt and found his muscles as hard as they appeared to be when they were stretched against the fabric of his clothing. I pushed the shirt off his shoulders and brought my fingers underneath the undershirt, pulling it over his head and throwing both on the floor. He kissed me again as I started to move my fingers up and down his muscles. I moved over to his neck and gave it the same treatment he gave mine. I kissed and sucked on his earlobes until I could feel his breathing getting heavier and then I became aware of his cock pressing against my stomach.
“I want to fuck you.” He said as he moved himself against me. “I want to claim you as my own and I don’t want you to leave.”
I shuttered at his words, but I was lost in the moment. He moved back to my neck and kissed while I started to remove his belt with both hands. I stripped it from his pants and tossed it to the side, and then I brought my fingers around the button of his pants. Once it was unfastened, I slipped his zipper down and felt his cock getting harder once it was free of the tight fabric enclosure.
He was well-endowed and larger than any man I had ever been with before. I stroked his cock through his boxers and he gasped with a smile spread across his face. I moved my fingers up the entire length several times before pushing his boxers down to expose the flesh. He seemed to be completely enthralled in the touch, and I realized he hadn’t been touched in a very long time—if he was telling me the truth.
I had to assume he was considering the way he quickly got hard to the point the blood was trapped in his engorged cock. Just feeling it in my hand made my pussy get even wetter. I stroked it over and over in a twisting motion as he stood there with his eyes closed, enjoying the moment. After I finally slowed down and kissed him again, he reached underneath my ass and picked me up.
“You’re strong…” I said, my fingers tracing his arms.
I had never been picked up with so little effort. He walked me to the bed in his arms, with my pussy pressed lightly against his cock, but sitting on the razor’s edge of actual penetration. He placed me on the bed and dropped down to his knees. The bed was a little higher than my waist, but he still had to crouch down to pull me towards him and kiss the interior of my thighs.
I was extremely happy I had taken an extra moment to clean myself up and shave. I certainly knew that sex was a possibility, so I prepared for it, even if I wasn’t sure if I could go through with it. In that moment, I couldn’t have stopped if I wanted to stop—and I certainly didn’t. He kissed up and down my thighs several times, just letting his tongue linger and leave a trail of saliva.
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