Vulnerable [Club Pleasure 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Allyson Young

  “I’m sorry I lost my temper, Elise,” he began, only to have her shake her head.

  “It’s fine, Ross. I heard the phone. I did. I just couldn’t answer it. I’m sorry.” Her dispirited, humble voice bothered him. If she believed he had been fucking around on her with Maura, and the smack in the kisser supported his assumption, then why was she being so meek now? He decided to take the bull by the horns.

  “We need to talk about Maura, Elise.”

  She lunged away from him as if struck by an electrical charge, her light floral skirt twisting up her thighs, her breath audibly catching in her throat, and her eyes flew to his. “No! It’s fine. I understand and again, I apologize. Tell me what you want to do. Tell me what you’ve decided.”

  “What do you mean you understand?”

  Elise smoothed her skirt down and pleated the hem between her fingers. She was back to looking at the floor, and Ross hated the mockery it made of her true submission. “Do you want me to leave? I will, but if you want me to stay until you decide, that’s okay, too. It’s a bit complicated now, and I expect you’ll need some time to think about things.”

  Ross felt his temper rise again. He had been worried to the point of illness by Elise’s apparent disappearance, his secretary had fucked his business partner and made the inference to his wife that he had been the recipient of her favors, and Elise had felt betrayed, yet she was making like a supplicant. Now that he had found Elise and she was all right, he felt incredibly hurt that she would believe he was capable of cheating on her despite the fact that she had pegged Maura from the get-go, and there was something else operating that he had missed.

  “Elise, goddamn it. Quit talking in riddles and explain yourself, or I’ll make it so you can focus.”

  Elise made a tiny squeaking sound and Ross knew it for what it was. There had been no dominant/submissive play for months and months. He had missed it but had easily set it aside for Elise’s greater need to conceive. Perhaps that had been a mistake on his part. Perhaps he should have balanced things, because his Amazon had just responded to his verbal Dom, and Ross decided to go with it.

  “Go to our room and prepare yourself. Wait for me by the door.”

  Elise stood on obviously shaky legs but obediently walked toward their bedroom. Her shoulders were still slumped, and she walked like a wind-up doll, but she went. Ross scrubbed his hands over his face and screwed his eyes shut. He had to get a grip and make this right. It was his job. He dropped his head back against the couch and decided to give Elise several minutes to prepare and ramp up the anticipation of the familiar. His phone vibrated, and he reached to turn it off, then recognized Jason’s number. He answered.

  * * * *

  Elise pulled her clothing off and dropped it into the hamper before going to the sink to wash herself. She avoided looking in the mirror. She knew the sight she would see. She had never cried prettily, and that jag in the kitchen had been the cry of all time. It had been the release of rage, pain, fear, and sadness. No, not fear, terror. Terror that Ross had had enough of her obsession with making a baby and had found distraction with the woman who had been panting right under his nose since he and Jason started their company. All those intense days and working late at night had served up some forbidden fruit. She was angry at him and hurt, because she had hoped he was above cheating and still had a hard time believing it. Yet she hadn’t fulfilled her role in their relationship, so perhaps that explained it.

  She had sat outside by the pool after forcing some sustenance down for the child’s sake, thinking about Ross and Maura, trying to find an excuse, an explanation. But the malice and victory displayed on the other woman’s face kept intruding, making it impossible to think clearly. The sadness had set in, all pervasive, because once Ross found out she had conceived, he would feel honor bound to her and if his thing with Maura wasn’t fleeting, then he might feel forced to break it off. Ross hated being put in a corner, and while his care of her during her emotional storm had felt like a balm, Elise wished she hadn’t broken down. She wouldn’t even allow herself to remember how striking him had given her such satisfaction, for that feeling had immediately been followed by horror. Elise had never been pushed to physical violence against another person in her life, despite the men in her history who more than deserved it. It was likely just another indication of her intense emotional tie to Ross that she had felt driven to acting in that manner.

  Elise felt so badly for placing the man she loved to distraction in this position. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t take him back. She would, in a heartbeat, and try not to compound her stupidity. She had known who she was marrying when she said her vows, and had not honored them in the way she needed to. He had broken one of his, but Elise pushed that kernel of fury down, believing she had pushed him to it, and then felt furious again that he could have been so weak, if he truly loved her. Through sickness and health, through good times and bad, against all adversity. Damn him. But the long and short of it was that she didn’t want to leave him, and if she had to share him with Maura, then she would, even if it crushed her soul and broke her heart. Elise shook her head. It hadn’t come to that yet, and she would accept whatever punishment Ross chose to dole out for her recent behavior and refusal to communicate. Perhaps he would indeed help her focus and sort out her cacophony of emotions until she made sense to both herself and him. And then he would decide what was best.

  She quickly washed with warm, soapy water in the basin that had been assigned to her in their master bathroom. Maybe this was where it had all started to go wrong, a sink for him and one for her. Separate. She was being fanciful now and stupid. She found the anal douche under the sink and hastened to use it. Ross would be taking her ass for certain and Elise admitted how she had missed their kinkier sexual times, despite herself, despite what had happened today. It must have been very difficult for Ross. She hurried back into their bedroom and knelt by the bedroom door to await him, her nipples hardening and her pussy moistening in preparation. She could hear him talking on the phone and his words drifted down the hallway.

  “What the fuck, man! She’s my secretary! You have no right to decide whether she stays or goes! It’s my decision, Jason, and you can butt out.”

  Elise’s breath caught in her chest, and her arousal winked out. All thoughts of any form of reparation faded with Ross’s voice as he moved out of her range of hearing. His secretary. His decision. And Jason, was he getting involved because of how an office affair would impact the business? What had Ross told him? God, she didn’t know what to do. She felt so humiliated. Maybe she should just leave. The level of feeling in Ross’s voice when he talked to Jason about Maura was intense. Elise fought the panic that rose up in waves from her belly, and she curled protectively over it. It was enough already.

  As the sweat that had broken out over her body began to cool, Elise stood and crossed to her closet. Two sinks, two closets, one for each of them, separate. She knew her thinking was skewed, but her brain didn’t process anything other than the sublime. She had nearly gone crazy with fear once, long ago. She had been immobilized by it. But she was a different person now and had Ross to thank for most of that. The best way to thank him was to act like a civilized human being and have a polite chat with her adulterous husband. She drew on reserves she didn’t know she still had, the ones that helped her move away from her first husband and his family, and her own, and make a new life for herself.

  She chose a tailored pair of dark pants and paired them with a short-sleeved, loose-fitting top in subtle shades of charcoal and gray, donning them over a bra-and-panty set she had chosen that day she’d been shopping with Emily. It felt like forever ago. She decided against hose, and stepped into a pair of black flats, then crossed to the dresser to brush out her hair and put on some lip gloss, squinting into the mirror. She looked like the same person who had left the house that morning, hoping against hope that the doctor would have good news for them, except for the fact that her eyes looked vacant. Li
ke no one lived inside. If only Ross could have made the time to come with her. If only she hadn’t lost sight of their life and her place in it. And if wishes were horses…she reached out and laid a shaking hand flat against her reflection, but the two Elise’s didn’t seem to be connected.

  “I gave you specific instructions.” Ross’s cold voice had her whirling around to face him and against her best efforts, Elise wasn’t able to prevent her hands from lifting up to shield her face. Ross was in front of her instantly, his voice now incredulous, his big hands reaching out for her, albeit hesitantly.

  “Elise? You can’t think I would strike you!”

  She marshaled her thoughts and shook her head. “No, you just startled me. I was thinking.”

  He ran his hands up and down her upper arms, and she felt warmed and soothed for a moment before she turned to the task at hand. “We need to talk, Ross.”

  She watched as he stepped back and his face darkened. “You missed that window of opportunity, Elise. I gave you instructions.”

  “So you did, Ross. And I’ve decided not to follow them. You would have paddled me and taken my ass, and I would have surrendered, and life would have gone back to the way it was. I’m not having it. We are going to have an adult discussion, as equals.” She turned on her heel and walked out to the living room. Ross would follow, or he wouldn’t.

  * * * *

  Ross shut his mouth with an effort and stared after his wife’s retreating form. No, that wasn’t correct. She wasn’t retreating. She had just thrown down the gauntlet and damned if he wasn’t proud of her, not to mention how hot it made him. He had been geared up for a scene, although the conversation with Jason had cooled some of his ardor. His partner clearly felt like a schmuck, and had apologized at least ten times or more for thinking with his little head, especially on company time. It had taken a raised voice to establish the fact that Ross would deal with Maura. Ross moved after his woman, and found her sitting primly on one of the wing chairs in the front room. His heart actually felt like it lurched in his chest at the sight of her. Their relationship had just changed and grown, and he loved her beyond measure, not that there weren’t going to be reparations at some point. He took a seat in the chair opposite, although he hitched it closer, crowding her.

  Elise swallowed nervously and then quite obviously drew on her courage. Ross watched, fascinated, as his vulnerable bride, his submissive, his more than equal could she just accept it, chose her words.

  “I regret my outburst this afternoon, Ross. I should have stayed and confronted you, and it wouldn’t have come to that. And you would not have been worried.”

  “And why didn’t you?” he asked silkily.

  She flushed, and Ross watched the pink rise up from the vee of her top to delicately color her cheeks. He knew the tops of her breasts would be the same color, setting off her nipples, and he wanted to have her remove her shirt and show him. His cock nodded its agreement.

  “I was hurt and disappointed. I was furious.”

  Ross nodded. “And if you had stayed?”

  “I, I don’t know what I might have done. I came to tell you, and it felt so wrong, so I told her to have you call me when you could, and I left.”

  Ross knew he had missed something. He debated a moment and then said, “You should have stayed, Elise. Do you remember my promise to you?”

  She nodded. “You told me you would never hurt me, never cheat on me.”

  “And yet you believe I broke my promise.”

  Elise searched his face, and her face paled, leaving no evidence of her previous high color. She closed her eyes and then opened them after a long moment, and they were clear and calm. She stood and began to remove her clothing, carefully folding each item and placing it on the chair. When she was naked, she knelt at his feet and bowed her head, quiet and submissive. Ross put his hand on her head and soaked in the moment before drawing her up to sit on his lap.

  “Maura will be gone, Elise. I didn’t have time to take care of it, because I was heading out to find my wayward submissive. And Jason thought he should toss her out for me, but he’s in a bit of a tenuous position seeing as it was him doing her, and being one of the bosses and all…Well, he’ll have to let me do the honors. I apologize for not listening to your assessment of her.”

  Elise said nothing, simply leaned into him, boneless and relaxed. “Why didn’t you stay, Elise?”

  She stretched in his hold like a big cat and tipped her head back to smile like the one who had caught the canary. “I thought I had to protect our child, Ross. I was wrong.”

  He thought someone had punched him in the gut and had the most insane urge to run out onto the street with her in his arms, to share their news with the world. He felt like the most virile man on the face of the planet, and he marveled at how smug he felt. Ross caught Elise’s face between his hands and kissed her until neither of them could breathe.

  When he thought he could maintain a stern visage, he spoke again. “I suppose that news affected your thinking, Elise. I’ll let it go this time.”

  Elise touched his cheek with her fingertips, tracing the mark she had left earlier. “You shouldn’t.”

  Ross shook his head. “I won’t endanger our baby, Elise. It’s vanilla for the next, how many months?”

  Elise pouted. “Seven.”

  “Well then, vanilla for seven months, honey, and then we’ll see. And the venue will be the Club.”

  He could smell her arousal as she responded to the dark intent in his voice and reveled in the effect he had on her. He took her hand and placed it on his cock. She released him from his pants efficiently and moved to straddle him, her wet folds stroking him, tantalizing him. There was no need for words. He took her by the hips and lifted her, his cock pointing like an arrow to her core. He lowered her, and she supported her weight on her knees, making every inch of her sheath create a slow drag and clasp. Ross fought to maintain control, his brain shouting to him that he was to be a father, his heart swelling with love for Elise, while his cock cared only that it had found its home.

  She seated herself fully and leaned back, her spine arched, hair flowing around her shoulders, her face glowing. Ross looked down to where they were joined and reached to gently stroke her clit. Elise clenched on him and began to rock and then hitch in small increments up and down on his shaft, the silken heat of her warming him to his soul. She shuddered, her pussy rippling along his length, and opened her eyes to stare into his as his own orgasm came over him and bathed them both with heat.

  “Mine.” Ross stroked her belly and pulled her close.

  “Yours.”

  THE END

  WWW.ALLYSONYOUNG.COM

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Allyson Young lives in cottage country in Manitoba, Canada, with her husband of many years and numerous pets. She worked in human services all across Canada and has seen the best and worst of what people bring to the table. Allyson has written for years, mostly short stories and poetry, published in small newspapers and the like, although her work appeared in her high school yearbooks, too! After reading an erotic romance quite by accident, she decided to try her hand at penning erotica.

  Allyson will write until whatever she has inside her is satisfied—when all the heroes man up and all the heroines get what they deserve. Love isn’t always sweet, and Allyson favours the dark side of romance.

  Allyson writes whenever the mood strikes her, sometimes in the middle of the night when she is awake and simply thinking about life. She hears others talk about their lives and relationships and is inspired to recreate some of their passions and dreams within her characters.

  She can write for hours at a time, quite lost as the story unfolds, or haul out the little book she always carries with her to jot thoughts and ideas down as they occur, whether in the local grocery store or while out walking with her dogs. She sometimes has two or three stories on the go at the same time, not that they all come to fruition.

  The BDSM lifestyle intri
gues her, and as she continues to do her research, it becomes ever clearer that the players and the levels of involvement are as varied as any other interest people may have. She claims poetic licence and may offend the purists! There is always a flavour of the dominant male in everything she writes, but the women ultimately are appreciated and cherished and have the power in the relationship, despite the fact that their love is sometimes quite blind.

  Also by Allyson Young

  Siren Classic: Club Pleasure 1: Wishes

  Siren Allure: Club Pleasure 2: Madness

  Siren Classic: Club Pleasure 3: Reason

  For all other titles, please visit

  http://www.bookstrand.com/allyson-young

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com