Knight

by Kristen Ashley

  He was so right.

  So I agreed quietly, “Yeah.”

  “Your other bitch looks fit to be tied and hangin’ on from lettin’ loose by the skin of her teeth. You should be too,” he told me.

  “That’s what Viv says.”

  “She’s right and so am I.”

  I pressed my lips together.

  Knight watched, took a drag from his cigarette, blew out the smoke in a thin, pissed off stream then he crushed it out on the ashtray on the railing. Then both his arms curved around me.

  “Right,” he started. “Kurt got the full story and the fuck of this is, this guy last night, he’s loaded. Serious as shit. And somethin’ else, he’s had his eye on Sandrine a while. And not to fuck her up and play with her in ways she doesn’t want. The stupid fuck actually liked her. He thought it was him needin’ to prove somethin’ to her. Partier. Player. Big man. High roller. Show her he’s got connections. He’s cool. Hip to the fuckin’ scene. Do not know how this dude makes his money but he has fuck all confidence. He’s never even smoked meth. Why the motherfucker had it is beyond me. Those two smokin’ meth when neither of them knew what the fuck they were doin’ is so fuckin’ ridiculous I can’t even begin to describe it. To have meth at all is jacked. That is not my problem. My problem is, I got a woman who’s got a girl who’s got her head jammed so far up her ass, she cannot fuckin’ see. This guy was her ticket. And instead of just bein’ classy and beautiful and sweet, she put herself out there when this guy only wanted the classy, beautiful and sweet and to lay the world at her feet so she’d take his cock and, probably, take it long enough to get his ring on her finger, make babies and spoil her until she died. Now, he’s got puke all over his house, he’s had a visit from Kurt and me that was extreme and if she was even together enough to give him her number, he’s probably erasing it from his phonebook right now if he hasn’t already. So that’s my problem, Anya, because you and Vivica don’t pull her head outta her ass, this is gonna stay your problem, and through you mine, for a long time. And I’ll give you this one head’s up, a man fucks with her which means through her you experience a crash and burn, and I’m talkin’ he date rapes her or we’re takin’ a trip to the hospital for any fuckin’ reason, by association, she gets my services. And that means, the guy who did it is breathin’ through a tube and that’s only if I’m in a good enough mood to leave him breathing.”

  I held my breath and held his eyes.

  Knight kept talking.

  “I am not kidding. I’m also not exaggerating. So save me that hassle and pull her head outta her ass.”

  “Okay, Knight.”

  He stared at me.

  Then, softer but still firm, he told me, “I had a man who saw and heard the entire fuckin’ thing that went down with Nick. She put your ass out there, Anya, and I know it. I wasn’t at the club that night, my man wasn’t close, I do not like to think where Nick woulda taken that with you. You say Vivica is protective, you are too and what you did to pull Sandrine outta that shit proves it. You made the wrong decision then, baby. Don’t make the wrong decision today. In this situation, your protection needs to run the way Vivica’s does. Don’t buckle and be sweet. Don’t swing your ass out there. Don’t swing mine out there. Don’t swing Vivica’s out there. You get me?”

  I nodded.

  He pulled in a sharp breath through his nose then his eyes drifted over my shoulder.

  I watched him get lost in thought then I slid my hands down his chest so I could wrap my arms around him. His chin dipped down and his eyes caught mine.

  “Told you about my Dad,” he stated apropos of nothing. “Didn’t tell you he isn’t my Dad. He’s my stepdad. I have no fuckin’ clue who my Dad is because my mother was a prostitute before she met him.”

  I blinked and my body went solid.

  Oh my God.

  “Oh, Knight. Honey,” I whispered.

  His hand slid up and curled around the back of my neck but his eyes never left mine.

  “She was fucked up. All I ever knew until Carl came into our lives and sorted her shit out. Nick’s his. He never made me feel I wasn’t. He adopted me legally, gave me his name. I was a little kid but I remember all that shit before Carl. Makes no sense, don’t know how she did it but even fucked up, she was a good Mom. She loved me, took care of me the best she could. They obviously never talk about it and I sure as fuck never asked but my guess, he was a john, he was a regular and he fell in love with a street walker. Got her off the street. Got her clean. Gave her a good life. It’s jacked but it worked.”

  “I’m pleased you’re sharing with me, sweetheart,” I told him softly and cautiously. “I wanna know about you. But I’m wondering why you’re sharing this now.”

  “Why is because she had a good life, good parents, good schooling. She went off the rails doin’ stupid shit for men. It got messier and messier until her whole life was mess. I don’t know my grandparents, neither does Nick. They got shot of her and she made them do it in a way where they never looked back. Even for grandchildren. I am not clairvoyant. But I learned really fuckin’ early a lotta bad shit can happen to women. A lot of it. And, you might think I’m wrong but I’m not, a lot of that happens because they do stupid shit and they’re weak. Your girl is weak and not because her Dad thinks she’s beautiful and precious and told her so. Because she just is. It’s time she sorts herself out before, one way or another, she’s beyond anyone saving and protecting.”

  “Viv and I’ll talk to her,” I promised.

  “Do it until you’re blue in the face and break through. You don’t, I’m gonna keep an eye on this and the time comes you need to scrape her off to protect yourself, I’ll be leanin’ on you to do that. She’s your girl and that’ll be your decision. But I won’t let up. Get me?”

  “Get you,” I whispered.

  His arms gave me a squeeze.

  “Right,” he muttered. “Now, I’m gonna make you and Vivica lunch. Is there anything she doesn’t eat?”

  God, God, God, this was a good, kind man even if he calmly talked about making people breathe through a tube.

  “Anything green and healthy on the weekends. She keeps to a strict, twelve hundred calorie, heavy on the veggies diet Mondays through Fridays so she can do whatever she wants on the weekend. So, don’t make salad. Viv won’t eat it.”

  I watched his lips twitch then he murmured, “I think I like this bitch.”

  “She’s a submissive.”

  Oh God! Did I blurt that out?

  I watched Knight do a slow blink.

  Yep, I blurted that out.

  I pressed deep and gave him a squeeze of my arms. “Don’t tell her I told you,” I begged on a whisper. “I don’t even know why I told you.”

  “She out that before or after you told her I own you?” he asked, totally clued in.

  Oh boy.

  “After.”

  He grinned. “Built-in advisor. Lucky for you, babe.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  I felt his body shake with his chuckle as his arms gave me a squeeze.

  When I rolled them back he asked, “She owned?”

  I shook my head and whispered like Viv, who was space and walls away, could hear if I didn’t, “Looking.”

  “Won’t look long,” he muttered.

  “She made it sound like it wasn’t easy to find the right one.”

  His eyes held mine and he replied, “It fucking isn’t.”

  Oh.

  My.

  His eyes got lazy, his head dipped, he kissed me lightly then he pulled back.

  “Lunch,” he declared. “No salad.”

  Yes, a good, kind man.

  “Thanks, honey,” I whispered.

  “You’re welcome, babe,” he whispered back, I got another squeeze, he let me go and we walked in together.

  Knight went to the kitchen.

  I went to Vivica and Sandrine.

  * * * * *

  “Roll, baby.”

  My b
ody sated, my wrists tied to the slats of the headboard with soft, strong, black silk scarves, I rolled to my belly which meant I rolled close to Knight whose front was now pressed to my side.

  It was much later, Viv had taken Sandrine home and it was finally just us.

  “Pull yourself up, cock your elbows out. It’ll be more comfortable,” Knight said softly, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back.

  Apparently, he wasn’t going to untie me. And he’d just done me while I was tied to his bed and I’d come hard.

  Twice.

  But still, knowing that Knight wasn’t going to untie me, I quivered.

  I wrapped my hands around the scarf and shifted up, cocking my elbows out and found he was right.

  “Rest your head on the pillow, keep your eyes to me,” he ordered gently and I lay my head down and kept my eyes to his beauty.

  His face dipped close to mine.

  Then he went on softly, “Spread for Daddy.”

  I licked my lips as I quivered again, this time stronger, and I opened my legs.

  “Wider, baby.”

  Oh God.

  Another quiver.

  I spread wider.

  His hand slid down to my behind and his fingers dug in.

  His voice was firm when he ordered, “Anya, wider.”

  I went as far as I could, my left leg having to push through his heavy ones and he hooked one around.

  “That’s it,” he said softly, his hand now stroking my bottom then it was just his fingertips trailing light along the skin of my ass and the small of my back.

  He pulled back and settled in with an elbow in the pillow, head in his hand, eyes and fingertips on me.

  Then he asked conversationally, “Tell me, you get through to your girl?”

  I didn’t expect this, to be tied to the bed, naked, spread open and then have a chat.

  God, weird.

  And hot.

  “She felt like shit but she totally freaked when I laid it out. She expected that from Viv. Not from me. It freaked Viv out too but Viv rolled with me and we tag teamed her.”

  His fingers kept at me, lazy.

  “You think she took it in?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered quietly. “There was a lot of crying and excuses. She was embarrassed. We went over the Nick situation. I told her what you told me about the guy being into her and her losing her chance at that. She was upset at that news and Vivica was pretty harsh. So I hope so.”

  “Good,” he muttered, his eyes wandered to my behind as his fingers kept drifting.

  I stayed still. Knight watched his hand move. This lasted a long time. Long enough for it to go from hot and sweet to hot and torture.

  Then Knight whispered, “Love my baby’s ass.”

  I loved it that he loved my ass.

  His eyes came back to mine.

  “And she gave me Sundays.”

  I smiled up at him, it was lazy and my eyes were hooded because I was getting way turned on but I did it.

  “What should I give her back?” he asked.

  Another quiver.

  I had a thousand ideas but I bet he had more and his were better.

  I didn’t say that.

  Instead I pointed out, “You’ve already been super generous to me, Knight. I just moved some clients. It’s not a big deal.”

  His head tipped into his hand. “It is to me.”

  “Okay,” I whispered. “But I also owe you for stepping up for Sandrine.”

  One side of his mouth went up and he agreed, “Yeah, you do.”

  I grinned back but I used my whole mouth.

  Suddenly, he leaned into me, his face to mine, his fingers slipped in a barely there touch between my legs and my hips jumped.

  “So what’re you gonna give me?” he asked.

  “What do you want?” I whispered.

  “To know what you’ll give me.”

  “Whatever you want,” I replied immediately and his fingers came back up in a barely there touch. Then they did it again, there but not there. I could feel the hint, the promise but they weren’t really touching.

  I squirmed.

  “Whatever I want?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  “Whatever I want,” he murmured as if turning this concept over in his mind.

  “Yes,” I repeated on a breath and squirmed again as his fingers kept giving without giving.

  “Still, baby,” he warned and it took effort but I stilled.

  His fingers moved giving everything and nothing.

  I closed my eyes.

  His hand went away.

  “You know I don’t like your eyes closed, Anya.”

  I opened them.

  His hand came back.

  “You wanna know what I want?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I panted.

  “I wanna know how long you can take this before you lose control.”

  Oh God.

  “About two more seconds,” I whispered.

  “That would be disappointing,” he replied.

  God!

  “You gonna try to hold on?”

  “Yes,” I breathed as his fingers kept at it.

  “Good girl, holding on for Daddy.”

  God, just those words nearly made me lose control.

  He watched my face, held my eyes as his fingers played. I held on. He kept doing it. I kept holding on.

  I was holding tight with both hands to the end of the scarf tied around my wrists and panting, my legs and bottom tight and quivering and he whispered, “Fuck me, magnificent. How much more can you take, baby?”

  “Keep giving it to me and we’ll see,” I gasped.

  “Fuck, magnificent,” he growled.

  Then he kept giving it to me without giving it to me.

  Finally, to keep control, my head went back an inch and my teeth sunk into my lip.

  “Okay, Anya, you’re done,” he decided, his finger grazed my clit, my neck arched, my hips bucked and I came instantly.

  When I was coming down, his fingers were slipping through and his lips were at my ear.

  “Saturated,” he growled. “Roll to your back, you know how I like it. Offer that pussy to me. Daddy’s gonna lick you clean.”

  He pulled away and I didn’t hesitate. I rolled to my back, lifted my knees high and spread my legs wide.

  Then my Daddy licked me clean and made me come again doing it.

  Then he fucked me hard and he made me come doing that too.

  Then he didn’t untie me after he turned out the lights and settled tight to my side. He made me fall asleep with his hand cupping me, two fingers inside.

  I slept like a baby.

  Not a single dream.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mr. Sebring

  I wandered down the hall in my platinum high-heeled sandals, wearing my kickass, platinum satin dress that clung to all the right parts of me. It was super short, had some intriguing drapes and was held up at my shoulders by slim, oval metal links. My clutch was tucked under my arm and my neck was bent, head twisted, forearms raised because I was still putting in my earring.

  I heard Knight on the phone and I knew he was somewhere in the kitchen-living room area.

  It was Friday, three weeks from Sandrine Scene, the Sequel.

  The good news was, as of Wednesday, I was officially a certified skin technician. Classes were done and three of my nights were free. The other good news was, Knight’s employee, Kathleen, booked a weekly manicure on Monday nights. Weekly! Sixty extra dollars a month and that didn’t include tip. Crazy cool. Further good news was, Sandrine was laying low and licking her wounds that she messed it all up and strange, somewhat loser-ish rich guy who was still into her slipped through her fingers. She hadn’t been out since which meant she might have learned her lesson (hopefully). More good news was that it was the end of April, the weather was warming up and summer, my favorite season, was around the corner.

  And the last good news was all t
hings Knight.

  We didn’t see each other often but we slept in the same bed every night (well, some of it, at least, since he was never home before two thirty). Sometimes, though rarely, he simply joined me and I didn’t even know it until the alarm sounded and I woke up beside him. Most times, he woke me and did me bossy. A few times, he woke me and made gentle love to me.

  I liked all three.

  We talked on the phone at least once every day. Depending on when this was, it could last a few minutes to longer. If I was at work, he just checked in. If he was at work and I was at home, sometimes he’d have time, sometimes he wouldn’t, sometimes he’d get called away.

  He’d come to work to take me to lunch one day, though and, since I told him, and he thought it was uproariously funny, and I knew this because he laughed uproariously when I told him, he knew he was going to be given the once-over by the office girls.

  He showed up in a suit, an electric blue tailored shirt and he still hadn’t had a haircut.

  It was reported to me that he also smiled at one of our receptionists, Rosie, when he asked for me. And since everyone was hanging out in reception, they all caught the smile.

  Not surprisingly, he was given enthusiastic thumbs-up all around.

  When I informed him of this, he again laughed uproariously.

  We had our Sundays together and I knew these were sacrosanct because after the first one blown by Sandrine’s antics, he didn’t take a single call all day the last two. He was always in demand, having calls come in when I was on the phone with him or people wanting his attention. So I knew he laid down the law.

  For me.

  After the first Sunday when his phone didn’t ring once, the second one, I turned mine off.

  For Knight.

  Now, even though it was nearing ten on a work night for him and he was usually long gone by then, he was taking me to Slade. I didn’t know why but I was going because it was an order.

  “Pick a dress. When I look out the window of my office, I wanna see you,” was all he said.