When The Gavel Falls (Masters of the Castle)

by Tabitha Black

  "Any time." He smiled, and turned to Rosa. "I think Kaylee is in the room next door at the moment—she'll be able to give you a spare key. I will be expecting it to have been handed back in by Monday morning, at the latest."

  "Of course, Sir. Thank you." Rosie put an arm around Silver's shoulders, and led her away.

  * * * * *

  A short while later, the two girls were in Silver's guest room; which was still as neat as the day she'd arrived. The bed hadn't been slept in, and her suitcase was still sitting, fully packed, in the corner. At the memory of how different she'd felt upon her arrival, Silver broke into fresh sobs.

  Rosie steered her to the couch and sat her down, ignoring the gasp she let out as her raw backside took her weight. "You stay put." Looking around, she dashed to the bathroom, returning a moment later with a box of tissues. "Cry it out," she said. "Let it all go. I will be back in less than five minutes with a coffee. Or, if you don't feel you need one, I could stay..."

  Silver felt a wave of affection for her friend. "I think I can sit here for five minutes," she said, "thank you so much. Oh, and if you see Travis or Trevor—"

  "I will not have any time to chit-chat with them," Rosie said firmly, squeezing her hand. "Be right back."

  True to her word, the adorable young woman soon returned with a huge cup of steaming cappuccino.

  "God, you're amazing. Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you, if you—"

  "Stop it, Sylvia," Rosa said, firmly. Taking a seat beside her friend, she laid a comforting hand on her thigh. "Now, spill it. I want to know everything."

  In between sobs and gulps of hot coffee, Silver relayed the events of the past few days, right up to the session she'd just had with Master Marshall and the emotional breakdown it had led to. "And then I had him call for you," she said at last. "I-I couldn't face seeing the twins."

  "And why do you think that is?"

  "Why do you think? They're all about fun, Rosa. They woo women for a living—you know that better than I do." Silver blew her nose loudly. "I don't want to be another of their conquests... yet another desperate guest who's pathetic enough to imagine that she could be the one to succeed where all the others failed… by getting them to actually care about—or shit, even love—her."

  "Oh, sweetheart." As more tears began to spurt from Silver's eyes, Rosie pulled her into her arms. "You poor thing."

  "It's my own fault, really. It's so typical of me—come here to get over a broken heart, and manage to end up with it being far worse, instead of better. Who else would do that? The divorce was nothing... nothing compared to this."

  Rosa thought for a moment. "Do you think the way you're feeling might just be like some kind of rebound thing?"

  Silver sighed. "I had considered it, but... Christ, if it is, it certainly feels like the real thing. I can't explain it. I know it's silly, considering I've only known them for such an incredibly short time, but when I'm with them I can't shake the feeling that it's where I belong. That I've come home." She raised streaming eyes to her friend. "Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?"

  "Actually, no. You're looking at someone who thought she'd be purchased by a Daddy, but ended up being bought by a married couple, instead. Talk about the unexpected!"

  "Oh, fuck, Rosie!" Silver moaned, suddenly taking in her friend's pigtails, her adorable short dress, her lacy white socks and, most wonderful of all, the pink ribbon around her neck, from which a little teddy bear dangled. "I've been so absorbed in my own misery that I completely forgot you've done the exact same thing! How did it go? What's happening now? Master Marshall said you'd extended your time through the weekend! You must tell me everything. Right now."

  "I can tell you another time. You don't need to listen to me babbling on," Rosie said, suddenly shy.

  "Please tell me now. I could use the distraction—you know I love you like a sister, and I'd feel so much better if I knew that at least one of us was happy."

  "Only if you're sure."

  "Please."

  Silver listened in awed fascination, the tears drying on her cheeks, as her friend relayed her own auction experience, beginning with her shock at having been purchased by a couple, rather than just a single man, and leading all the way up to the moment when her new daddy had received a phone call from Master Marshall because Silver needed her friend. She was astounded to hear that Rosie and her parents had attended the Supper and Show at which 'Silver in flames' had been the main attraction, and blushed as her friend described what an amazing experience that had been for all three of them. By the time Rosa had finished, she had fresh tears in her eyes—of excited joy for her best friend.

  "Oh," she breathed, "that's amazing. Oh sweetheart, I'm so delighted for you. And you look so wonderfully happy, almost as though someone's switched a light on inside you. I suppose, in a way, they have." She giggled, and gave her friend another squeeze.

  "But that's enough about me," Rosa said, firmly. "What are you going to do?"

  "If only I knew." Silver sighed, and picked at a loose thread on her plaid skirt. "Get out of this ridiculous outfit, for a start."

  "You should probably tell the twins where you are. They'll be getting worried by now if they were expecting you back from Master Marshall's office within an hour. Believe me, you do not want those two starting a man—or, rather, a girl hunt."

  Silver snorted in disbelief. "I doubt very much that that'll happen. They're probably downstairs now, chatting up their next plaything." She sighed. "It's okay, sweetheart. I knew what I was getting into when I came here. Well, that's not entirely true, but I knew I had issues I was trying to escape from, and as Master Marshall so rightly told me; you can't hide from your inner demons. They'll only follow you."

  "I'll be here with you for as long as you need me," Rosa said, earnestly.

  "And I love you for it, but there's really no need. I'm fine, honestly. I think, deep down, that I knew a session like the one I just had would be what I needed to break down the walls I've put up inside myself, so I can deal with what's happened in the past. It's weird, I've had far harder play sessions than the one just now—which amounted to what, fifteen strokes with the strap and ten with the paddle—but it was the way they were delivered, and what Master Marshall was saying to me throughout... it broke me. Just like I'd hoped it would. This is the first time I've cried properly since the divorce. I think I needed it."

  "A good cry can be so cathartic," Rosie agreed. "Now, are you sure you don't need me to stay? 'Cause I can let Grant and Valerie know where I am, and I'm sure they'll let me—"

  "No, honey, it's fine. You go on back to them. I'm going to lie low for a little while and have a think about where to go from here. You've helped me enormously, and I can't thank you enough."

  Getting up, Rosie marched to the desk in the corner and scribbled something on the Castle notepad. "That's the room I'm in. Promise to call me if you need anything, anything at all."

  Silver smiled. "Unless you can somehow smuggle me a bottle of brandy, I don't think there'll be any need."

  Rosie grinned. "Sorry babe, coffee was the best I could do."

  "It's okay. I think I'll feel sore enough tomorrow without adding a hangover to my misery. Now, scoot young lady, I'm sure your parents are wondering where you've got to."

  They both giggled. "Okay. Promise you'll be all right?"

  "I promise," Silver assured her. If only I could believe that myself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  As soon as Rosa had left, Silver went to her bathroom, so like the one Travis and Trevor had in their apartment, but so stark and empty by comparison.

  Stripping out of her schoolgirl costume, she turned and examined her buttocks in the mirror. They were a mottled, bright pink, with two pale spots in the centre of each cheek, where the huge paddle had come close to blistering her. Master Marshall certainly hadn't been holding back, she mused, prodding the flesh, which was still hot to the touch. Still, her face looked far
worse—her nose was scarlet, and the make-up around her eyes made her look more like a demented raccoon than a cute panda. Deliberately refusing to look at the faint scratches still visible from Trav's knife the previous day, she reached out and turned on the shower.

  Ordinarily, Silver loved the sting when a jet of hot water hit her bruises after a session, but this time all she could think was that they had been put on her by someone other than the twins, and, far worse, that she would probably never be marked by either of them ever again.

  Lowering her head, letting the stream pummel her body, she broke into fresh sobs. It's a wonder I have any tears left. But Rosie and Marshall both told me to let it all out, so I might as well. God knows I feel like I need to.

  * * * * *

  "Travis, Trevor, please come in. I've been expecting you." Master Marshall indicated that they should sit down, but they remained standing, their arms folded, their jaws set, mirror images of one another.

  "Where is she?" Travis said, with barely concealed anger.

  "She needed some time to think." Marshall frowned. "And I don't think I like your tone."

  "What did you do to her? She was fine when we brought her here not two hours ago." Trevor had a muscle ticking in his cheek.

  "I did what both you—and she—asked me to. A formal disciplinary session, no frills. Now, I would strongly recommend that you remember in whose employ you both are, and take a seat, instead of standing over me like a couple of thugs."

  As one, the brothers sat down, still glaring at Marshall across his wide desk.

  Trevor took a deep breath. "Look, we're sorry. We're worried about her, that's all. What exactly happened?"

  Marshall's expression softened. "Silver is dealing with a lot of her past issues. I think the intensity of the past few days has overwhelmed her, that's all. Her emotions were very close to the surface, and I helped her release them."

  "So she cried?" Travis sounded surprised.

  "Yes, she did."

  "A couple tears, or full-on sobbing?"

  "The latter," Marshall said, evenly.

  "Christ, how hard were you hitting her, to make her do that?"

  "What exactly are you implying, Travis?" Marshall's tone had grown less friendly.

  Trevor decided to intervene. "What my brother is trying to say, is that we've spent three days and four nights with Silver, and we've had a few fairly intense sessions. She's a pretty hardcore masochist, even by our standards. And not once have we seen her break down and cry. So... what did it?"

  "I gave her fifteen with the prison strap and ten with the paddle, mostly full-force, although the last couple of paddle strokes were barely more than taps. It wasn't the spanking which made her cry. And you both know that as well as I do."

  "I guess she needed to let it all out," Travis said eventually.

  "She did."

  "And where is she now? When you were through with her, and she was crying, why didn't you call us to come get her?"

  "Like I said, she needed some time by herself to think."

  "You let her leave on her own, as emotional as she was? That's unlike you."

  "Careful," Marshall said, "I don't appreciate being judged or second-guessed. Of course I didn't let her leave on her own. But she needs some time away from you."

  "What the hell makes you say that?" Trevor was clenching his knees so as to prevent himself from grabbing Marshall by the throat and shaking him until he told them where Silver was. Usually so easy-going, he was astounded by the sudden anger and fear he'd felt when she hadn't returned from her appointment on time.

  "What do you think, Trevor?" Marshall's pale eyes were serious. "Because she's extremely vulnerable right now. The last thing she needs is the two of you continuing to give her any sort of false hope."

  Trevor didn't need to look at his twin to know that they were probably wearing exactly the same expression—one of livid disbelief.

  "Look," Marshall went on, leaning back in his chair, "it's no secret that you two are players. And here at the Castle, that's wonderful, it's exactly what we need. Women fall at your feet all the time, you're used to it, and I've lost count of the number of guests you've managed to make very, very happy, in a variety of physical ways. Unfortunately for Silver, she bit off more than she could chew when she hooked up with the two of you."

  "She didn't hook up with us," Travis said, furiously. "We bought her."

  "Yes, and that's fine, but the purchase period officially ended at ten o'clock yesterday morning. You no longer have any rights to her, unless she decides you do. And to be perfectly honest, I'm surprised you're still so interested in her."

  "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Trevor exploded.

  Marshall fixed him with a steady look. "Watch it. I will not warn you again. I mean that it's very unusual for either—or both—of you to have a continued interest in a girl once you've had her. It's all about the chase, after all, isn't it?"

  "Silver's different," Travis muttered.

  "Yes. She is. She's especially vulnerable. She came here to have a good time and live out some fantasies, as a treat after her divorce, not to have her heart broken all over again by two men who eat girls like her for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

  Trevor decided to try a different tack. "I understand what you're saying," he said calmly, "but we've gotten to know her very well over the past few days, and we really do care about her. So I'm sure you can see how it's important to us to get the chance to make sure she's okay. At the very least, to say goodbye."

  Marshall's eyes flicked from his face, to Trav's, and back again. After what felt like an eternity, he spoke. "I'll think about it. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do."

  The twins knew better than to push their boss when he used that tone of voice. Exchanging knowing glances, they left his office.

  "That fucking prick!" Travis spat, as they strode furiously down the hallway. "I don't think I've ever wanted to punch anyone so bad before."

  "Well I appreciate that you didn't, I'd really prefer that we keep our jobs here," Trevor said. "But I get what you mean. I came close a couple times myself."

  "What in the hell are we gonna do now?"

  "First of all, we need to calm down," Trevor said, shocked at the expression in his brother's eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Trav so distraught. "We calm down, and we think this through..."

  "Man, when we find her, I don't know what I'm gonna do first—put her over my knee for running off, or kiss the fucking life out of her."

  "Let's go back to our place first and work this out," Trevor said, clenching and unclenching his fists.

  "No! I'm not gonna sit around like a jackass, twiddling my thumbs until Marshall decides whether or not he's going to tell us where she is!"

  "Travis! Calm the fuck down and let me think!"

  The edge in his brother's voice seemed to work. "Okay. Sorry, bro."

  "Right. We know for a fact that Marshall wouldn't have sent her off alone if she was so upset. He didn't call us. So that would leave... Kaylee?"

  "Rosa!"

  "What?"

  "Rosa and Silver are best friends, remember? I bet you anything Marshall called Rosa to come get her."

  "That makes sense. But Rosa took part in the auction, too. So how will we know where she is?"

  "Dude, the auction period ended yesterday, remember?" Travis said, excitedly. "So she'll probably be back at work."

  "It's as good a place as any to start looking. Let's go to the Nursery."

  * * * * *

  After a long stint in the shower, where she'd washed her hair and scrubbed her face, Silver had rummaged in her suitcase until she'd found an oversized t-shirt and pulled it on, before collapsing, face-down, on the bed.

  Some fucking treat this turned out to be. I mean, look at me. I'm twenty-eight years old, divorced, unemployed and smitten with the two biggest playboys in Ohio. Great job, Sylvia Reigns.

  Rolling over, she sighed. I always did have
the worst taste in men. If they're not emotionally abusive, they're vanilla and disinterested. And even when I do find not one, but two, who are perfect for me in every single way, they live at a BDSM resort—in America, of all places—where they pleasure women for a living, and they don't see me as anything more than a plaything, purchased for a few days, after which it's on to the next girl. Fucking unbelievable.

  She really wanted another coffee, but as per the Castle rules, she would have to either don that schoolgirl outfit once more, or pay another visit to the Wardrobe, which was tainted with memories of the time she'd spent there with Travis and Trevor—and she couldn't face doing either.

  The urge to head out of her room and find them, run to them and throw herself on her knees at their feet, was so strong she could barely stand it. But she also knew that it was pointless, it would only be prolonging her agony, and besides, she didn't think she could take it if she saw them all over their next conquest already.

  What was it her therapist had always said to her? "You're stronger than you think." Well, bollocks to that. It might have helped with the anxiety attacks she'd developed after her abusive relationship, but whether it had really been that mantra, or the Valium she'd been prescribed, she wasn't...

  Silver sat bolt upright. Valium. She'd brought some with her, for the flight. One tablet calmed her down, two put her to sleep. Scrambling off the bed, she went to her handbag and hunted through it until she found the bottle. Perfect. I'll take two of these, set my alarm for eight o'clock tomorrow morning and get on the ten a.m. bus. I'm sure they won't mind if I leave a day early... frees up the room for someone else, after all.

  She had hoped to be able to spend some more time with Rosa, but she knew her friend would understand why she couldn't take one more day at the Castle.

  Then, once I'm in Granger, I'll get a hotel room and work out what to do next. A wave of sadness washed over her as she realised that she had no idea where she was going to go. She'd moved to Australia to be with Stephen. The six month lease she'd had on an apartment after they'd separated had expired shortly before her trip to the States. She'd quit her tedious clerical job just before leaving too; hoping to work out some kind of career plan while she was away—her divorce settlement was enough to live on for a little while, at least. She supposed she could always go and stay with her relatives in England...