Late-Night Visitors

"Mr. Corrette," Reese says as we pull into the driver. "You have a visitor waiting for you, sir."

I frown softly, glancing at my watch. I don't want anything to interrupt tonight. Tonight, I wouldn't be lying awake jerking myself off. No tonight I would take Emery into my bed and for the first time in my life make love with a woman. I didn't want to fuck her silly, I wanted to give her the best experience imaginable.

"Mrs. Hendricks, sir," Reese says. Answering my silent question.

I frown a little. Joyce? What the hell was she doing here? I glance at Emery who is looking at me with a small, puzzled look.

"Who?" she asks.

"Joyce," I reply as I step out of the car.

"Your former Dominant? Why is she here?" Emery asks when I have walked over to her.

"Her and I are friends," I say.

"Friends?" Emery says, frowning deeply. Like she has never heard such a disgusting sentence in her life. "She exploited you. Exploited you when you needed help."

I frown deeply, "she did not Emery. She helped me. Watch your tone when you talk about her, I owe her everything. You will see she is very nice."

Emery frowns deeply "I doubt that."

I feel my gaze harden as I grab her arm turning her around to face me. "Emery, I am trying to be patient with you, I want to make tonight incredible for you, but if you keep disobeying my orders, I am going to take you downstairs and teach you what happens when I am crossed."

She falters and her eyes widen, she slowly nods. "Sorry."

I shake my head curtly, "sorry is not an apology Emery."

She frowns, "what?"

"An apology consists of a full sentence, not just a word. I am sorry, sir," I say, my voice is stern, the same one I have used for years with my Subs.

She hesitates but nods "I'm sorry, sir."

"Good girl, now we are going to go in there and you are going to be very respectful to Mrs. Hendricks. You will not look her in the eyes unless she orders you to, do you understand?"

Emery slowly nods. "Yes, I understand."

I look at her expectantly.

"Sir," she adds.

"Good girl," I say. I walk over to the door pulling it open for her, stepping in after her.

After passing London my jacket I proceed into the formal living room where Joyce is standing examining my newest addition to my painting collection. It's one of my favourite pieces it features a large wolf head and inside of it was a beautifully detailed forest.

"My dear boy, your taste in art will always amaze me," she says without even turning to make sure it is me. I have always wondered how she does that. I used to be convinced that she had eyes in the back of her head.

"Joyce when you said that we needed to see more of each other, I was expecting weekly visits, not twice in one day," I say with a warm smile.

"Yes, well I was in the area I wanted to come and drop off that dress I told you about this morning," Joyce says.

"And this couldn't wait," I say with an amused smile, walking over I give her my usual hug, tapping my lips against her cheek briefly.

"Well, I will admit I have an alternative motive," Joyce says. She turns her gaze past me smiling warmly as she looks over at Emery. "Colin, my dear, you seriously understated this girl's beauty."

I turn my gaze to Emery, she is standing in the doorway to the living room, wringing her hands a little together. Her makeup is a little smudged from when she was crying earlier. She startles a little as Joyce walks over to her.

"Miss Palmer, it is very nice to meet you," Joyce says, reaching her hand out for Emery to shake.

Emery hesitates only a heartbeat before reaching out and shaking Joyce's hand. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am," I am pleased that her tone is far warmer than it had been outside.

I cross over to stand beside her, touching my hand to the small of her back.

Joyce observes Emery and then me with a small warm smile. "The contract?"

"That is sorted," I say with a warm, almost prideful smile. "So, I'm sure you will understand my want to wrap this up, Joyce, Emery and I have a bit of celebrating and training to get started."

"Of course... I am, however, concerned about the phone call I had with Surnin," Joyce says looking at me with a warm concerned smile. "He says that you threw a man into a glass table, and I couldn't believe it."

"Surnin called you?" I ask, my voice hardens, and my eyes narrow a little at that admission.

Joyce looks at me with a small smile, "Colin, you know that I have Surnin help me keep track of my former Subs."

"All of them or just me?" I ask, and instantly I regret it. My tone is dark, and challenging, certainly not the tone I ever want to be using towards my former Dominant and friend.

Joyce's eyes flash with a warning and inwardly I flinch. "Colin, I understand that you are tense, filled with desire and probably anger since you seem to be awakening all those dark memories from your childhood, but I will not be spoken to like that."

I force a deep breath through my nose looking down at the ground. "I am sorry, Joyce. I lost my temper."

"You seem to be doing a lot of that these days. Have you been in contact with Mr. Anca?" Joyce asks.

"Yes Joyce, of course. You know I have weekly sessions with him," I say.

"Perhaps you need a bit more than weekly at the moment Colin. We don't want you making a mess of things. The man that you beat up..."

"I didn't beat him up, Joyce, I knocked my fist against the side of his face, end of story," I say dismissively.

"Colin if your henchmen are not out there right now, adding insult to injury I will leave right now," Joyce says.

I hesitate, glancing at Emery. "I gave him plenty of chances to back the hell off Joyce. If he had done so his face would still be perfectly fine. Honestly, the way you and Surnin are acting you would have thought I beat a hole in his skull." I drop my hand from Emery's back walking around I sit down in one of the elegant armchairs, crossing my leg over the other at the knee. "London, make me a scotch, and get Emery a blanket and some water." I turn my gaze to the girl making sure my eyes are warm when they meet hers, "sit down, you still look rather pale." It had been a long day for her. Would it be right to sleep with her tonight? I desperately wanted to but I didn't want to rush things either.

Emery stays standing, almost like she is rigid in her spot, glancing at Joyce and then back at me.

"Emery, sit down," I order.

"What is happening to that man?" she asks as she walks around, lowering herself onto the cushion. "Is Reese really out there beating him up?"

"It is being dealt with, it's not something you need to concern yourself with," I say simply.

"But he is getting beat up because of me," Emery says. She is once again picking at the corner of her cuticle.

I frown, uncrossing my legs, I get to my feet walking over to her, and lower myself into a crouch. "I thought we cleared this up in the car. What happened tonight was not your fault. Do you understand me?"

Emery frowns a little looking down at her hands, her cuticle is starting to tear away from the picking. Does she do that until it bleeds? "I think you're saying that to make me feel better. I think if I hadn't disobeyed you then he never would have come over and none of this would have happened."

At least she is taking the honest rule to heart. I could work with that. I hated when a Sub tried to lie or cover up some of the truth, it made my job a lot harder. I grab her hand frowning softly, "stop picking at your thumb. That man should have walked away the moment I told him that you were with me. Hard Metal might be a BDSM club, but we still have manners, most people understand and follow the unspoken rule to leave me and my Subs alone. I've shown most of the regulars what I can do with a belt, I think I scare them."

Emery looks at me with a hint of surprise and humour in her eyes. "Does that make you happy? When people fear you?"

"When the right ones do, yes. I shouldn't have brought you to the club tonight, and for that, I apologize to you. For whatever reason, the club has been getting more popular every day, as of late. Saturdays are usually filled with obnoxious men who think they own the place and every Sub that walks in..." I touch my hand to her cheek, brushing my finger over her lip. "Go get your PJs on and get into bed, we can start all of this tomorrow. When your nerves calmed a little and you've got a good night's sleep."

Emery nods slowly, "w-will you lay with me for a bit? At the very least until I fall asleep... or would that be against the rules?"

I smile warmly, taking her hand I press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "It would be against the rules for me to decline your request. I'll just finish seeing Joyce out and I will be right in."

"Thank you," Emery says as she gets to her feet and heads to her room.

I straighten up picking up the drink London has left for me on the table. Turning back to Joyce. "My friend, I will have to ask that we continue this later, my girl needs me."

Joyce is gazing at me in surprise, her face stretched with a smile. "You are different with her, very different."

I frown a little, "what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, telling you would take the fun out of it, my boy," Joyce says with a warm smile. She grabs her bag before turning to me, "just be careful, Colin. Don't let yourself change too much. You know what you need. You need a Submissive, if she can't give that to you, I don't care how pretty she is, she isn't right for you."

I gaze at her nodding slowly "I know Joyce." I slowly walk with her over to the front door, touching my lips to her cheek as she wraps me in a brief farewell hug.

"Have a good night, Colin," Joyce says.

"You too," I say. I stand there a moment watching her collect her coat from London and then head out the door. "You are dismissed for the night, London, have a good sleep."

"You too, sir," London says.

I make a quick stop in my closet to change into a pair of plain dark gray PJ pants and a black t-shirt before heading to Emery's room. She is sitting on the bed when I enter, her legs crossed. A book lies in her lap. When she hears me enter, she places the bookmark inside the book and closes it, turning her gaze up to me.

I look down at the book with a warm amused smile. "Careful, that book gets pretty dark."

She raises a brow, "you have read this?"

"I've read every book in this room," I say sitting down on the end of the bed. "Typically, my Subs aren't allowed to read a book I haven't read first. At least the darker stuff." Getting to my feet I cross over to the shelf. Selecting a light college romance novel, I turn the cover to her. "This is a pretty good read, much lighter and pretty amusing."

"Are you ordering me to stop reading this?" She asks nodding to the book in her lap.

"No, limiting someone in what they read is cruel torture. I am above torture. I am simply suggesting your next read when that one gets to be too much," I say. "Honestly, I think you have reached your limit on darkness for the moment."

She laughs softly, placing the book on the table next to the bed. "That might be true." Emery turns back to me, "she touched you."

I frown a little, returning to the corner of the bed. "She's allowed."

"Why?"

"Because she..." I frown looking down at the bed. "Look Joyce has been the only constant in my life. She saved my life multiple times. I trust her, she was the first person in my life that showed me any sort of respect or even cared about me. She took the time to make me feel... okay. She hugs me one way, every time, the same way, and she has always respected my boundaries, even back when I was her Submissive."

Emery slowly nods settling back against her elbow and the pillows. "I've never had a day so full of... excitement."

"Excitement?" I say with a small, amused smile. "That is your word of choice to describe today?"

"I have an incredibly caring man that sometimes seems to be my very own guardian angel," Emery says with a warm smile.

"I think guardian devil would be more accurate," I say, "don't you?"

Emery's face breaks into a warm amused smile and she laughs almost carelessly.

I smile listening to her laugh, it was almost like it warmed all the darkness that resides inside me. When the laughter dies down, I shift closer to her.

"Get under the covers, you need some sleep," I order.

Emery looks at me. "I thought we were going to... make love or something."

I touch my hand to her cheek, brushing my thumb over her skin. "I want to fuck you, Emery, more than anything... but you have been through a lot. Tomorrow, tomorrow will be full of excitement, true excitement. How does a trip to the bookstore sound to start it all off?"

"It has been a long time since I've been to a bookstore, I normally just go to the library."

I smile softly. "Get under the covers." When she obeys, I move up to lay beside her, resting against the pillow. "Turn around, tuck your arms into the blankets."

"So, I won't touch you?" Emery asks. Turning around to face away from me.

I sigh softly, grabbing the throw blanket from the bottom of the bed, I spread it over myself, before spooning her, pulling her tightly back against my chest. "You are really struggling with the concept that you can't touch me."

"I think I'll get used to it... it's just I had a picture of what my first boyfriend would look like, and this isn't exactly it," Emery says. "I mean in your own way you are far better than what I imagined... but you are..."

"Complicated?" I suggest when she doesn't continue.

"Incredibly."

I laugh, touching my lips to the side of her head and then her shoulder. "Get some sleep."

"Are you going to stay here all night?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

"Then yes," I whisper, resting my head against the pillow I let my eyes fall close, pressing my nose into her hair.

. . . .

The pain is consuming. Tears stream down my face as I try my best to escape inside my head. In my head, I am in another world, the newest world I am reading about in my new book.

"I am sick and tired of going over this, kid. You need to go out and get me another woman and this time she better be the way I like her."

When I wake, I am covered in sweat, my heart is racing, my hands are balled into fists and my body is trembling. I slowly sit up, glancing at Emery, she is still fast asleep, curled up on her side.

This isn't the first time I have had a nightmare, and because of that, I am terrified. I have been without a proper Sub for too long, I have not let loose in my Dungeon in three weeks! I run my hand through my sweat-drenched hair, I couldn't rush things with Emery, I couldn't, but I had to get downstairs. Today would be for her, but tomorrow we would go down to the Dungeon and begin her training. I had to do it if she didn't agree... I would have to leave her and find another girl. I had to for my safety and the safety of those around me.

Getting to my feet I head out to the kitchen to find London unloading the weekly groceries.

"Good morning, sir, coffee?"

"No," I say. I pause when I hear how shallow and... shaky my voice is.

"Sir, is everything alright?"

"Yes, fine," I say after clearing my throat. "I'm going to the gym. Text me when Emery is awake."

"Course, sir."

Instead of bothering Reese so early, I decide to drive myself. Stepping over to the dresser by the door, pulling open one of the drawers. Inside sits fourteen different key fobs to fourteen different cars. After a moment of consideration, I grab the key to the Chevrolet Corvette, it is the newest to my collection.

Walking to the back of the house, opposite the door to The Dungeon, I press a button for the elevator that sits at the end of the hall. When I reach my garage, I walk over to the car. Every single car I own is completely black, the windows of each are tinted as dark as I legally can, with black rims.

Sliding in I drive across the still-quiet city to the gym. Parking outside I step into the boxing gym and up to the draft table.

"Colin! It is good to see you, my friend." Denzel Morret is one of the few friends I have gained in my adult life. He is literally always at this gym; it helps to always be at the office when you have converted one of the back, never used storage rooms, into your own makeshift apartment. It wasn't incredibly legal, but I wasn't about to tell anyone.

This gym was the first place Joyce took me to after I got out of juvie. She believed that I needed a few healthy ways to dispel the tension and dark thoughts that I was feeling. BDSM was one of them, boxing was another. Back then Denzel was a seventeen-year-old boy helping his grandfather run the place, he inherited it when his grandfather retired and I helped him build his apartment. Apparently, every man has to know how to operate a screwdriver and saw, or at least that was what Denzel had said to rope me in.

"Denzel, put me down for your first open block, will you? I don't care what weight class the other guy is in as long as he is not lower than mine."

Denzel nods, looking down at his schedule. "You are in luck. I've got someone that needs a partner in twenty minutes."

"Great, I'll be warming up in that case," I say.