After all his rage and jealousy, and Carin’s eventual forgiveness of it, he wasn’t all too surprised to realize that he again thought excitedly about his fantasies. Adding it all up, he came to the innocuous conclusion that he just liked seeing Carin excited.
After Carin forgave him, the dominant/submissive chemistry began to slowly seep back into their relationship. His fantasy thoughts were like drugs. He couldn’t keep them from worming their way back into his system, even while knowing he couldn’t handle these particular narcotics too well. After being convinced Carin wasn’t the unfaithful slut he’d accused her of being, he again began envisioning her doing slutty things. One thing in particular kept him up at night but he wouldn’t dare bring it up until he was sure she was ready to hear it.
* * * * *
A month after his blowup, the subject of St. John came up again. Justin made sure Carin understood that it was his desires that had driven them to the threesome. Hearing him reiterate this with conviction seemed to make her feel better about what had happened and about her desire to please her man.
Justin started doing little things to get them back on track. Since St. John, their crazed, passionate sex life wasn’t what it had been before the blowup; but now they moved in that direction again. One night, Justin asked Carin to dress in a miniskirt with no underwear and go out with him, something they’d done many times in the past but not since the vacation. Carin agreed to do it. While sitting at a cozy bar, Justin played with her under the bar as the bartender served them drinks. Justin was beside himself when feeling how drenched Carin was under her miniskirt. When the bartender’s back was turned, he undid a button of Carin’s blouse. She did nothing to stop him. In the parking lot later, she was her old eager self and relieved him with her mouth before their drive home.
One night shortly thereafter, when Justin and Carin were in bed, he searched an adult video site on his iPad and found a scene with two men and one skinny, big-breasted girl who resembled Carin. Justin and Carin crossed their arms over each other’s bodies and worked one another up as they watched the scene. Soon, Justin had Carin straddled on top of him reverse-cowgirl, and they rode each other as they watched. He reached around her body and put two fingers into her mouth; he was lost in lust when she sucked them eagerly. Soon they came together, as they had in the old days.
Lying in bed later that evening with the movie off and Carin dozing in his arms, Justin realized he’d have to learn to better handle the consequences of their adventurous actions. Because there was no question—his puppet was back.
Part Four
Chapter Twenty-One
Carin heard a knock at the front door and jumped from the breakfast table. She raced through the house in her nightie and silk robe, leaving Justin sitting in the nook. When she came back, she had a package in her hands.
“What’s that?” he said, looking up from his eggs.
“I think you’ll like it!”
She sat down at the table with the box on her lap. Picking up a knife, she slit the package between its taped flaps and peeled them back. She peered inside and smiled while holding up the clear plastic package to Justin.
“Wow! It’s lifelike,” he said with a chuckle.
“You said you wanted me to have one, remember?”
“Yeah, about three months ago. Does it vibrate?”
“It’s supposed to.”
Carin pried open the package and pulled out a seven-inch dildo.
“I thought you’d like to see me with it.” She giggled.
“You know I would. You have no curiosity about it yourself though?”
“Of course I do. After all your talk. I can’t go to CVS without seeing those little discreet ones.”
“But you didn’t get a little discreet one.”
“Don’t make this difficult, baby. Do you want me to have it or not?”
Justin knew where this was heading. Getting Carin to admit she wanted it would have ruined it for her. Maybe it would have ruined it for him too.
“I want you to have it,” he said. “I’m very glad you got it for me.”
* * * * *
Through all the turmoil, life was moving on. Carin’s fall term had started and she was busy acclimating new students; meanwhile, Justin continued weaning himself from his work as best he could. Carin was happy he was finally sticking to his promise of working less and Justin realized she had been right in pushing him to ease back. By not working, he had less time to feel guilty about leaving for this trip or that. He had been going a hundred miles an hour for so long, it was refreshing to just hang at the beach house and buy art and think of ways to ensure Carin’s happiness.
In early October, a week before their one-year anniversary, Justin drove to Carin’s house on Drury Road while she was at school. Carin had yet to officially change her address so a few times a week either she or Justin would drive to Drury Road to pick up her mail. Justin sat in his car in her driveway, leafing through assorted junk mail, when he came upon a postcard showing a tropical beach scene. In the foreground, leafy palm fronds hung over the left side of the card. At middle view, waves crashed onto a pristine, white sand beach. In the background, a brilliant pink sun dipped into a shimmering sea. He flipped over the card and noticed a postmark from Tampa. There were only two cryptic sentences.
You looking for me? I guess I should come back to figure us out.
Justin put the card with the other mail, knowing he’d have to show it to Carin. If she’d been nervous about Kyle’s possible return before, this card would put her over the top, but he couldn’t keep it from her. Things were coming to a head quicker than he had anticipated and the plan he’d been formulating to ensure their happiness couldn’t be held off any longer.
He showed the card to Carin shortly after she got home from school. As expected, she became an immediate nervous wreck. She paced the kitchen floor with card in hand, reading the message over and over. She read the first sentence aloud to Justin.
“You looking for me?”
“Why, after all this time, is Kyle asking if I’m looking for him!”
She stared at Justin as if she needed him to make sense of it for her.
Justin understood the meaning of the sentence but said nothing. He knew Kyle wasn’t asking if Carin was looking for him. Kyle was saying, “I hear you’re looking for me.” Beyond that, neither of them knew for sure what was meant by, “I guess I should come back to figure us out.”
Carin went to bed that night fretting on Justin’s shoulder. After she fell asleep, Justin stayed awake, finalizing a plan to guarantee she’d never have to fret again.
* * * * *
The next morning, Justin told Carin he wanted to buy her house. It was an idea out of the blue and she couldn’t understand why he’d want it. Even after moving in with Justin, Carin hadn’t thought of selling it, and certainly not to Justin. It was her house free and clear, with no mortgage to pay, and the taxes were comparatively low. She figured she’d get around to renting it and if Justin ever asked her to marry him, she’d sell it then.
Justin didn’t want to scare Carin but he explained that if Kyle came back with the house already sold, he wouldn’t have it to argue over, as he had before he left. Quickly moving to a better point, Justin said he wanted her to have some money in her bank account to do with what she wanted. Even though Justin paid for whatever Carin desired, he figured she’d feel more self-supporting with lots of money in the bank. Being able to pay for things beyond what she could otherwise afford on her salary would give her independence, which he thought was important for both of them.
After a day of talking, he convinced her it was a good idea and Carin sold him her little house for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. She was concerned Kyle might now go after the money but Justin told her not to worry about that and helped her set up ways to hide and lock away the money.
To Carin’s chagrin, Justin then went back on the road again, telling her he had urgent meetings. She cou
ldn’t believe he was traveling again, especially when she most needed him with her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Because of Kyle’s ambiguous postcard, a hectic school calendar and Justin’s sudden and unexplained travel, Carin was on pins and needles again. Maybe Justin should have told her more of what he was doing but she was used to him keeping his business dealings vague and didn’t ask questions. He went on three quick trips and Carin’s demeanor made it very easy for him to say little about any of them. Upon return from what he hoped would be the last, Carin confided that she’d begun experiencing occasional but incapacitating headaches.
Justin said the headaches were surely due to the stress she’d been feeling, but Carin’s worry was more open so he quickly found a neurologist.
A year earlier, Justin had met a young brain surgeon by the name of Demitre Komonov at the New York Athletic Club; they played squash together occasionally, but, as was Justin’s way of living, he never developed a friendship with the young doctor. Komonov had a reputation as an up-and-coming talent in his field but when Justin telephoned Komonov about Carin’s headaches, Justin admitted concern that the doctor didn’t have enough experience to handle the case. Instead of taking offense, Komonov put Justin in touch with his partner, a world-renowned specialist by the name of Dr. Bernard Shapiro. Within twenty-four hours, Justin had booked an appointment with Shapiro, who shared offices with Komonov in New York and Greenwich.
* * * * *
Over the following few weeks, Carin saw Dr. Shapiro three times. It was a long few weeks, but in the end she received an optimistic diagnosis. She had migraines, plain and simple, likely caused by stress. The headaches were completely benign and the doctor thought they would subside as her stress level calmed.
The night of her diagnosis, Justin broke out champagne. He and Carin drank a bottle of Dom Perignon while sitting on the living room couch and were halfway through a second when she let on that she thought Shapiro’s young colleague, Dr. Komonov, was cute. In the past, before the St. John trip, Carin would tease Justin in this way, knowing it excited him, but she had stopped doing so after the big fight. Now, with the stress of her health scare in the past and her head bubbly with champagne, she obviously felt comfortable being playful with him. She cuddled into him while casually mentioning that Dr. Komonov made eye contact with her whenever she was in Shapiro’s waiting room.
Seeing a way to pursue the predominant fantasy that had been boiling in his mind, Justin said, “If you knew Dimitre Komonov was making eye contact with you, it follows that you were making eye contact with him, right? I hear he’s quite a lady’s man.”
“I’m not surprised. Too bad I hadn’t seen Dr. Komonov from the start, instead of old Dr. Shapiro!” she teased.
“Maybe you need a second opinion?”
“Aren’t you a funny guy! What a shame Dr. Shapiro already told me he discussed my case anonymously with his colleagues.”
* * * * *
The next day, when Carin got home from school, Justin breezily told her that he’d called his old squash friend and scheduled a second opinion.
“Ha, ha.”
“It’s a good idea,” he replied calmly. “Due diligence.”
“You didn’t, did you? Really?”
Justin smiled. “I’m going to pick the perfect outfit for you.”
“Oh brother. How ’bout you pick the perfect outfit and I’ll wear it for you tonight, and tomorrow you cancel the appointment, if you really made one.”
Her nervous giggle made Justin hard.
“We’ll see,” he replied.
* * * * *
That night, Carin did try on a few different outfits at Justin’s request. And later, as they made love, Justin pulled Carin’s new vibrator from the nightstand and began referring to it as The Good Doctor.
After that first playful night, Justin continued joking. One minute he’d say there wasn’t an appointment; the next he’d say there was but he had time to cancel it. Carin didn’t know what to believe and at some point she even began playing along.
One night in bed when he was teasing her with the vibrator, she whispered back in his ear, “We’ve never considered someone so close to home.”
Justin kept up the banter until the night he told her for certain that there really was an appointment, and it was scheduled for the next morning.
“It’s too close to cancel now though,” he continued. “We’ll just have to go and have fun with it.”
“Can’t we just call them in the morning?”
“No, it’s okay. Let’s do it. I mean, not what we’ve been fantasizing about but maybe you could be a little playful. Like wearing one of those cute outfits you modeled for me.”
Carin didn’t argue.
* * * * *
The next morning, Carin was up early. She was dressed and ready to go by the time Justin woke up.
“Wow! Interesting attire for November,” Justin said from the bed with a wink.
“It’s balmy out, my love. And it’s the one you liked best, remember?” She bent down and kissed him, giving him a view of her thigh-highs below her pleated mini.
“I love the outfit,” he said, running his fingers along her leg. “I bet a hundred dollars you’re wearing a tiny thong under it.”
“A safe bet because I always do now, baby,” Carin said. “Thanks to you.”
Justin kept his hand flat against her as he ran it up her leg, not stopping until feeling the skimpy lace of one of the dozens of thongs he’d bought for her since they met. Sliding his hand inside the material, he found her drenched and smooth. He touched her tenderly, playing with her lips and rubbing her clit.
“Hmmm, Puppet’s going to see her good doctor and surprise, surprise, she’s shaved herself clean, just like in St. John.”
“Oh baby,” Carin squeaked. “I’m sure he’ll just want to talk about my headaches. Nothing is going to happen.”
“He’ll want to know your symptoms, yes? Maybe you can tell him one of your symptoms is getting completely wet when dressing for him.”
“I’m wet for you, my love,” Carin said, rolling her eyes. “And I’m dressed for you too. He is a cute doctor though.”
The playfulness continued on the bed with caresses and more teasing until Justin stopped abruptly and told Carin they didn’t want to be late.
It was a Saturday, and while none of the other doctors had weekend appointments, young Dr. Komonov had been encouraged by his partners to work more hours and expand his client base. On the drive over to Greenwich, Carin sat in the passenger seat, wondering why Justin had stopped their playful lovemaking earlier. Just as she was about to mention it, he broke the news he’d apparently been saving.
“I have a bunch of errands, Puppet, so I can’t go in with you. I want you to have your appointment, just as we’ve planned. You can tell me about it later.”
Carin looked at him almost in shock. For a week, he’d joked about the two of them going in together, sitting in the waiting room together, going in for the consultation together, and letting something happen with the good doctor. Now he said she should have her appointment as they’d planned and go alone!
He reached over and slipped his hand under her short skirt, putting his fingers inside her thong. She was wetter than she’d been in the house. His fingers entered her easily and stayed wiggling inside her as she parted her thighs.
She sat quietly staring out the window, mouthing the words to “How Deep is Your Love” playing on the CD player. She remained quiet as Justin played with her. She bit her lip and wouldn’t look back from the window.
Finally, while looking away, she whispered, “What nationality is he? Russian?”
“Yeah. I think.”
“He doesn’t have an accent.”
“You’ve talked with him?”
“We’ve said hi. During my appointments with Shapiro.”
Carin turned and looked at Justin.
“He’s cute?” Justin asked, his fingers wig
gling inside her.
Carin spread her legs more and resumed staring out the window.
“He’s cute?” Justin said again.
“He has a cute way about him. Like you.”
Carin’s voice had become shaky and Justin quickly pulled his hand away. She looked over to him.
“You’re really not coming in with me?” she said.
“No.”
She rubbed the bump on her nose, sucked air between her teeth and exhaled heavily.
“Maybe you should make me come right now then,” she said. ”I mean, before we get there.”
“Why?”
“If you do it now, you might be less tempted to want me to do things for real.”
“I’ll be less tempted?”
“Oh baby. I don’t know what to think! You get me so confused.”
“I want you to tell me about your appointment later, when you get home.”
“All that talk over the last week. You weren’t kidding, were you?”
Justin answered Carin’s question quickly and honestly. “No.”
“You make me want to do what you want. You know you do, but—”
“You get excited doing things I want. Isn’t that what you say? Isn’t that what being a puppet is?”
“I love being your puppet, baby, because I love you.”
Her head went back against the headrest and she closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Justin brought his fingers from her honey-coated pussy lips to her bee-stung clit. She spread her legs until her miniskirt rode up her thighs. She opened her eyes, pulled her thong to the side and watched as Justin’s fingers touching her with intent.
“Oh good,” she said, panting.
He played with her for another minute before pulling away his hand and resting it on her inner thigh. Her hips bucked.
“Baby!”
“I don’t think I’ll make you come before your appointment,” he said. “You look so cute in your pigtails and miniskirt, all on fire like you are. I’m going to drop you off, okay?”
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