Owned by the Dom: Part Two (The Owners) (31 page)

“How are we getting home tonight?” she asked.

“We’re staying here tonight. I’ve got a room we can go to soon. Arthur is picking us up in the morning. We’re honeymooning in Italy,” he said. All the arrangements were made the moment the wedding had started being planned.

He kissed her fingers then greeted Lucas and Sean.

Prudence took the drink offered. For the rest of the night they sat around the table, drinking and enjoying the event. Several couples came over to congratulate them. James couldn’t stop touching his woman. The collar looked stunning wrapped around her neck. He looked forward to buying more collars for her in the future.

When the party started to die down, James took her hand
, bade his friends good night, then took her through to his personal room.

He closed the door
and turned to find Prudence knelt in the submissive pose he’d trained her to do. His heart pounded, and his cock thickened at the sight before him. She looked so fucking beautiful. The black dress she wore covered her curves, but his memory was good enough to put the curves in place. The dipped neckline highlighted her large breasts.

“You please me, Prudence,” he said. James went to her where she knelt on the floor. He stroked her hair watching the two colours mingling through his fingers. The clip that had been placed in her hair during the ceremony was already removed.

He helped her to her feet before removing her dress. “For tonight I want to hold you in my arms.”

Together, they moved to the bed. His cock thickened at the sight of Prudence naked
, but he was determined to only hold her.

James lay down on the bed with Prudence in his arms. He stared at her where she smiled up at him.

“What are you thinking, Master?” she asked.

Running his thumb along her lip, he saw her eyes dilate with arousal. “That I can’t keep my hands off you even though I only want to hold you.”

“You can hold me anytime. I’m all yours. Look,” she said, holding her hand up. The ring glinted in the light. “I’m your wife. Prudence Castleden. It has a nice ring to it.”

He chuckled. James helped to remove the collar then caressed the cross he’d given her. The cross lay nestled between her breasts. She shivered from his touch. “I can’t think when you touch me like that,” she said.

“Then you know how I feel most of the time. You’re my life, Prudence,” he said, capturing her chin. He pressed his lips against hers never wanting to let go. “I couldn’t think straight when I thought I lost you. You’re my woman, and I couldn’t bear the thought of a life without you. If I hadn’t found you, I would never have given up. You’re my life, my world, and I intend to make you the happiest woman alive.”

“Look what you’ve done,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“I love you so much. I never blamed you for what happened, but part of me is a little glad. I know I sound like a sicko for thinking it, but we’re closer now than we’d ever been.”

James pulled her close, holding her tighter than ever before. The woman in his arms possessed the key to future in his life. Until she entered his life he’d only been half a man. No woman breached the walls he’d erected over the years. One by one, Prudence
had knocked them down and forged her way into his heart.

With Prudence by his side, he wanted it all, children, the white picket fence
, and the family dinner at Christmas.

“I want to make you pregnant,” he said. The words came out without thinking. He stared into her eyes waiting for her answer.

“I thought you’d never ask. Cuddling is nice, Sir, but I want you inside me.”

James opened her legs wide to find her wet heat ready and waiting. Guiding his cock into her vagina, James kept his gaze on hers. He loved her with so much passion he couldn’t think straight.

Their relationship had survived the hardest of hits when she was taken. James knew in his heart there was nothing they couldn’t battle so long as they faced the battle together.

Tate stared
across the room at the woman of his dreams, Rebecca. The garden party was hosted by Ursula after she and Stephen had come back from their honeymoon. Prudence and James were still away on their honeymoon and were not set to return for another two weeks. He’d spoken on the phone to James last night. The other man sounded downright happy and joyous for being married.

Three of his friends were now taken in wedded bliss. Tate was happy for them. He was happy and downright envious of what they had. Cadeon stood with Violet as they took it in turns to hold their baby. The couple couldn’t stop smiling, which was like a knife to the heart. The secret smiles between Ursula and Stephen were driving him crazy. If the other two love
-birds were in residence, Tate would gladly run into the nearest wall to have some peace in unconscious bliss.

He downed the water he held in the bottle. For the past few weeks he’d been drinking too much alcohol and needed to cut down
. Kevin was walking toward him looking fierce with the angry scowl on his face. His friend wasn’t handling rejection too well. They both were in love with Rebecca, and their love was verging on obsession. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for the woman who sat alone even during the sociable garden party.

“This is torture. I can’t handle this shit. How can we get over her when we do nothing but be around her?” Kevin asked.

Tate stared over his friend’s shoulder. She was talking with Ursula but only because the hostess was standing at the table.

“We do what we can,” Tate said.

“I’m tired of this. I need to walk.” Kevin slammed the bottle against Tate’s chest before storming off out of the garden and down the street. The summer sun bore down on them all. The heat wave was a killer. Stood in shorts and a light shirt, Tate was uncomfortable in the heat. Most of his days were spent behind the computer dealing with security for some of the wealthiest men in the world. He gathered information and sorted security. Kevin was the whiz behind the computer while Tate was good at gathering clients and getting people to put faith in them as a team. They were the perfect partnership. They were the best of friends when they were kids.

Tate recalled meeting Kevin on their first day of school. After an argument about the blue crayon, they’d shared the crayon and become the best of friends from there. None of the other kids picked on them. They
worked together, studied together, and when the time came for sex, they played together, too. Possession and Ravage were a part of them. They were not major players in the BDSM scene, but they liked to watch and participate on occasion.

Ursula moved away from Rebecca. He was surprised to see Rebecca get up from the table. What surprised him more was when she started moving toward him. Sipping his water, Tate waited for her to make the first move. For
so long he’d been waiting for this woman to come to him that he had given up hope that she ever would.

“Hi,” she said.

The sound of his voice sent illicit thoughts running through his mind. Even when she’d been a married woman he and Kevin had wanted her. Their combined need to claim this woman was startling. They did everything they could to be near her. Nothing was more important to them than her safety and comfort.

“Hi, Rebecca,” he said.

Silence descended on them.

“It’s nice weather we’re having,” she said, filling the silence.

Tate smiled. All he wanted to do was pull her in his arms and kiss her deeply.

“You’re going to talk about the weather when you’ve been avoiding me and Kevin for the past few months?” he asked.

Cursing his lack of decorum Tate went to apologise and then stopped as she started to talk.

“I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never known how to be this person.” She looked down at the ground, tucking her hair behind her ear. The length had grown out
, and she was in desperate need of a cut.

“We’re not asking you to be anything other than you, Rebecca. Talking to you or sitting with you shouldn’t make us feel like criminals. Shit, I didn’t want to have this conversation with you,” Tate said, annoyed with himself for the discussion they were having.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“No, it’s not you.”

****

It was always her fault. How did they not see that? No matter how hard she tried to please them or Lloyd she always fell flat on her face. Rebecca fisted her hands at her side wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. She was tired of trying and always failing. She never did anything right.

Lloyd had told her enough when he was in her life. She’d done everything to please the man who’d given her a better life.

Being that bastard’s toy was in no way a better life.

Tate reached out touching her shoulder. The small touch sent goose-bumps erupting over her skin. His touch was caring and gentle. He didn’t scare her the way other men scared her. Tate would never hurt her. James’s words echoed throughout her mind. There was so much about her life that she regretted. She regretted not being strong enough to deny Lloyd. She regretted marrying him, and her biggest regret was not going to Tate and Kevin when she had the chance. For too long she’d put her life on hold.

She was about to speak the words when his cell phone went off. Rebecca waited while he checked the caller.

“I’ve got to take this,” he said.

Nodding her head, Rebecca watched him walk away. She followed in the direction she saw Kevin disappear. He stood out on the front lawn out of sight from the back garden. A cigarette dangled from his lips. Rebecca hesitated. Would he even want to talk to her?

Squaring her shoulders, she headed over to him.

Kevin turned to look at her. He removed the cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke.

“Are you all right?” he asked. His throat sounded gruff.

“I wanted to come and see you,” she said. Both Tate and Kevin made her
wish she was different and that she’d never met Lloyd.

“You’re here,” he said. “I can see you.”

She licked her lips trying to find the courage to speak the truth to him once and for all. “No, I don’t mean now. Well … yes, I mean talk to you now, but, wow, this is so hard.”

He inhaled from the cigarette.
“Look, if what you’ve got to say is going to tear out my heart then don’t bother.” Kevin threw the cigarette to the ground.

Rebecca watched as he died the flame out underneath his boot. She’d once been a flame like the lighted tip of a cigarette. She was full of life and couldn’t wait for the future. When Lloyd
had come along she’d been in love or what she thought was love. Bit by bit, Lloyd had torn her down. He’d chipped away at her self-confidence until, like the cigarette, she’d died out with nothing there inside. Tears sprang to her eyes as the harsh reality of her life hit her full in the face like a slap.

“I’m so sorry. I never want to hurt you or give you cause to be upset,” she said, sobbing the words.

“Fuck, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Kevin reached out, closing the distance between them. His arms wrapped around her in a tight cocoon of protection. “I hate to see you cry. You’ve cried too much in your life already.”

His words were true. She
’d spent too much time crying and regretting her past.

Rebecca pulled away from him. All she wanted to do was go into his arms and be safe. She needed to be strong and pull away to tell him the truth.

“I wanted to come and see you. Lloyd knew about your feelings for me. I never wanted to be the cause of pain for anyone. I didn’t fall in love with you in the beginning. I loved Lloyd with all my heart. When he changed, I wanted to get away from him, but he threatened you. I considered you and Tate friends. I liked your company when it was allowed. He warned me that if I didn’t do as I was told then he would make sure you and Tate were killed or hurt in some way.” She stopped speaking to take a breather. “I couldn’t risk you or Tate getting hurt because of me. I didn’t want you two to get hurt for protecting me. He’s in jail, but I know he’s there watching and waiting for me to fuck up. Lloyd couldn’t use you because of how powerful you were. He knew you’d take him out and get James and Stephen to help. He was smart.”

She looked into his eyes and saw the shock on his face. “I
grew to hate Lloyd, and what he made me do repulsed me. He broke a part of me, and I’m afraid he’ll hurt you even with him in jail. I’m not the woman you deserve. I’m broken inside. I stay away to protect you. Why don’t any of you see that?” she asked.

Her voice rose along with her desperation. Rebecca needed them to understand her plight.

****

Kevin had come to think of Rebecca as being a cruel woman. From the moment he first saw her, Kevin knew she was the right woman for him and Tate. When Tate saw her that had sealed their fate. When they discovered she was married to Lloyd Black, Kevin had never felt so much hatred for another man
as in those minutes of watching the older man touch her.

All the times he’d met Lloyd, Kevin hated him. He was a nasty piece of work and
one Kevin wouldn’t wish him on his worst enemy. Seeing the fear in Rebecca’s eyes from that one touch was all it had taken for Kevin to make himself a promise. Being a member of Possession you had to obey by the rules set by Stephen. They were not allowed to interfere with another man’s woman. Every man who was a member of the club was decent. They never hurt their women or abused them, but Lloyd was different. He abused the rules of the club like he abused his wife.