A Thousand Yesses (9 page)

Rodney
talked about rules, and safewords, and building trust in the relationship. He
talked about expectations, and punishment. Maverick was vaguely aware of the
questions that came up as Rodney answered them, repeatedly trying to give
Maverick a silent signal to jump in and help him out, but Rodney was handling
things fine, and Maverick was grateful to take a back seat.

A
tall, gangly guy with thick glasses raised his hand. Rodney nodded to him.

“How
soon in the relationship should you spank?” he asked.

Rodney
sighed patiently. “Dominance and submission isn’t all about the spanking,” he
said. “And there is no right or wrong time to begin, if spanking is something
you’ll be doing in your relationship. Some establish a relationship online
first, or elsewhere, but basic trust has to be established.”

“Why
would we be here if we weren’t looking to spank some tail?” someone asked. He
was a shorter guy, sitting back in his chair, arms crossed over a hefty gut,
balding in front.

Rodney
looked to Maverick.

Maverick
stalked to the front of the room. “Yeah, we know most of you guys are here
because you want to hook up with a submissive. Hot, isn’t it? Having a girl do
anything you damn well ask her to?” Cackles were heard, as the audience perked
up. “Sounds easy, doesn’t it?” he said. “She’ll suck your cock and you can take
her to bed, and all you have to do is turn her over your knee if she gives you
lip, right?” Hoots and hollers, and Maverick
was
acutely aware of Celia’s eyes boring into him. He spun around to face the room.

“Well,
I’ve got news for you,” he said. “It doesn’t
work
that way.” Silence
descended.

“Before
you can even
think
about taking a girl over your knee, you better be
damn sure you’ve got your head screwed on right.” His eyes went straight to
Shane, who met his glare squarely. “Spanking a girl brings about all sorts of
feelings you need to be prepared for. It puts
her
in a position of
vulnerability and
you
in a position of authority, and neither of those
should
ever
be taken lightly.”

Shane
looked at him unflinchingly.

A
soft murmur went up, as several people nodded.

“Domming
isn’t for pussies,” Maverick growled. “It’s tough shit. You’ve
gotta
be willing to lead. You’ve
gotta
be willing to listen.
If she’s giving you her submission?
You treasure that. It’s not something that comes on a silver platter. Her trust
in you needs to be fucking
earned.”

Shane
narrowed his eyes but Maverick didn’t look away. “And yeah, I know some of you
are looking to spank some tail. Some of you are looking to get laid. And you
get the right girl, and you’ll get all that and more. But unless you’re willing
to lay yourself on the line for her, that won’t last. A quick lay and a sexy
spanking can be had anywhere. Cheap thrills are just that – cheap. You
want the real deal? You man the fuck up and do what it takes.”

Rodney
was tugging on his arm. The tone in the room had shifted, and Maverick knew
Rodney was ready to move on.

“All
right, then,” he said. Who’s ready for the demo?” Hoots and hollers went up around
them and Rodney nodded to Louanne. Maverick strategically ignored both Celia
and Shane as he went to the back of the room again. His phone buzzed.

He
looked at the screen. Marianna?

Come
home. Mom is acting weird. I’m scared.

A
chill went over him.

* * *

Celia
could feel Maverick’s tension from where she sat.

What
had just happened?

His
eyes on his phone, she looked up at him and saw the flash of concern pass
through his eyes. As Rodney arranged his items up front for his demonstration,
and a people chatted as he prepared, Celia caught his attention.

“What’s
going on?” she asked in a low voice. She felt Shane’s eyes boring into her from
behind, but she ignored him. He was hot, and shit, that guy could deliver a
spanking, but it all seemed like play-acting to her. Nothing in her really
wanted to obey him, and she knew he was in it for the kink, too. Still, he
didn’t like to share.

When
Maverick looked at her, he didn’t have any more of that red-hot anger she’d
detected earlier. It pleased her to see that anger, to know she had the ability
to cause that kind of stirring within him, even if he
was
going to
freaking ignore her for two solid weeks, the asshole.

“Marianna,”
he said in a low whisper. “She’s freaking out. Said Mom’s acting weird.”

Celia
felt the hair on her arm stand on end. This was not good.

Not.
Good.

She
wasn’t used to seeing Maverick’s eyes looked panicked, and in that moment, she
knew, even though he’d been a jerk, even though he might never love her the way
she wanted him to, no matter what, she’d do anything to ease that look in his
eyes.

“Let’s
go,” she whispered.

Two words that said everything.

He
blinked. His eyes warmed, a look that spoke back to her.

Thank
you.

He
looked to Shane.

Shit.
Shane.

She
turned back to him. His eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was set. He was no
fool. It was why she’d been attracted to him to begin with. Shane jerked his
head to the doorway, and Celia and Maverick nodded. Maverick went up to Rodney,
said a few things, and Rodney shooed him out.

When
Shane, Maverick, and Celia joined each other in the hallway, Celia grabbed the
phone from Maverick. “What’s going on with her?” she said. “Is your mom okay?”

Maverick
shook his head. “Don’t know. I tried calling and she didn’t answer.”

“Shit.”

His
eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Yeah, he hated it when she swore but
whatever. He couldn’t do anything about it, and she had no motivation to keep
her tongue in check.

“Go
with him, Celia,” Shane said. His hands stuffed in his pockets, he was leaning
up against the wall. “I get it. I’m not a dumbass.”

Celia’s
stomach twisted. Damn it. She liked Shane. He was a good guy.

“I’m
sorry,” she said. “His sister is disabled, and she likes me. She listens to me.
If I go with him, I can come later and—”

Shane
shook his head. “I said
go,
” he said. “And I don’t mean for the night.”

Celia
looked from him to Maverick, but Maverick was already taking out his keys,
oblivious to what was going on between Shane and Celia.

“You
ready?” Maverick asked her.

Looking
back at Shane, she silently begged him to understand. To her immense relief,
she saw that he already did. He crooked a finger at her, and she took a step
closer.

“I
get it,” Shane whispered in her ear. “You’ve been with me for two weeks now,
and it’s been good.
Real good, babe.
But you’re not
mine and you never will be. You won’t ever be anyone else’s.” His eyes went to
Maverick. “Go. I’m not mad. But we’re done. Got it?”

Celia
swallowed, the impact of what he was saying screwing her up, making her want to
laugh and cry and scream all at once. “Yeah,” she whispered in a shaky voice.
“Thanks, Shane.”

He
nodded, and kissed her cheek. “Be good. Bye.”

The
bye was more than for the night, and she knew it. Shoving all her feelings and
emotions down, she turned and raced down the hall to catch up with Maverick.

* * *

They
drove to his house in silence. She had so much going through her mind, she
didn’t even know where to begin. How could she? Where were they? And what did
they need to talk about now, anyway, when something could be going horribly
wrong back at the house? He drove so
fast,
she feared
they’d be pulled over.

“Jesus,
Maverick, you’re
gonna
get a ticket,” she chided. He
ignored her. Hell, she could swear he even accelerated. She tried a different tactic.

“You’d
be okay with me driving this fast?” she said. Growling, he slowed down.

He
pulled in front of his house, screeched the car to a halt, and she was
following behind him in seconds, the echo of the car doors slamming still
reaching her as he yanked the front door open. Her heart skipped a beat when
she saw Marianna sitting on the couch with Maverick’s mom. His mom looked at
them, as if her eyes were unfocused and unseeing. She was confused, and didn’t
seem to recognize either one of them.

“I
can’t... seem to. I don’t know where I am,” she whispered.

“Maverick,”
Marianna said, her voice trembling. “Help her! What’s the matter with her?”

His
mom stood, and as she did, her legs trembled and she pitched forward. Maverick
grabbed her just in time, carrying her in his strong arms as he settled her
back down to the couch.

“My
head hurts,” she said. “I can’t see out of one eye. It’s all blurry. Where are
we?”

Maverick’s
eyes met Celia’s. “Call 911,” he said, but she was already dialing.

* * *

They
decided in the brief interval between the
ambulance
arriving and the phone call that it would be best for Celia to stay with
Marianna. The paramedics arrived in record time, and as Maverick explained the
symptoms, the young EMT nodded his head. “Let’s get her in,” he said. “Sounds
like she’s suffered a stroke.”

By
then, Celia had Marianna in the kitchen, and was heating up leftovers in the
microwave. “You like sauce on your pasta, honey?” Celia asked. Marianna nodded,
staying right where she was, planted in the seat she always used, the one near
the window. She could look into the living room from where she sat.

“Where
are they going?” she asked softly.

“They’re
here to help your mom,” Celia said. She knew Marianna was subject to panic
attacks, and that it was important to distract her. “Cheese, honey?”

“Yes,”
Marianna said, biting her lower lip. “I want sauce and cheese.”

“Say
please,” Celia reminded. Maverick was constantly reminding Marianna to remember
her manners, and Celia knew it would help if she kept to the normal routines.

“Please,”
Marianna said.

“Good
job,” Celia praised, as she settled the bowl of food in front of Marianna. The
paramedics had already taken Maverick’s mom out the door, and Maverick ran back
to the kitchen.

“You
girls good?” he asked.

Celia
nodded. “I’ve got this, Maverick. Go,” she said.

He
looked at her, one silent look of thanks, before he reached out and gave
Marianna a quick hug. “Celia will take care of you,” he said. “You be good for
her, and I’ll bring you a surprise home. Yeah?”

Marianna
nodded. “Yeah,” she said with a sigh.

And
he was gone. Celia felt a little twisting in her stomach.

Why
couldn’t he give
her
a hug goodbye? She blinked back the tears that
threatened to fall.

It’s
not all about you. He needs to focus on his mom and sister right now. And he
doesn’t think of you that way anyway.

They
ate a quick dinner, and Marianna kept asking about Maverick and her mom. Celia
checked her phone, but hadn’t gotten anything, so she brought Marianna into the
living room and put on a movie. Focusing specifically on keeping her charge
content and happy, Celia felt that it was best thing she could do for Maverick.
It didn’t matter that they weren’t a couple. He was her friend, and she cared
about him. She needed to do what was best for him.

Wasn’t
that what it was all about, being a submissive, anyway? She didn’t know, and
she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get the chance to find out. But she did know she
needed to be a good friend, and she would do her very best to be just that. A
friend.

“What
do you like to watch?” she asked.

“It’s
Friday?” Marianna responded. Celia nodded. “We watch Disney movies every
Friday,” Marianna said, as her lower lip went out.

We?
Did that mean Maverick? Celia stifled a giggle.

“You
all do?” she asked.

“Yeah,”
Marianna said, oblivious to Celia’s amusement. “Mom’s favorite is
Beauty and the Beast
. Maverick’s
favorite is
The Little Mermaid
. My favorite
is
Cinderella
but we just watched
that last week.’”

The Little Mermaid?

“Oh,
I love all of those!” Celia said, as she put it on. She felt a twinge of guilt,
as her heart began to pound. “Let’s watch
The
Little Mermaid
.”

She
kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch, tucking her legs up under her. At
the back of the couch lay a crocheted afghan, the light browns and greens woven
into squares, hearkening back to the early days when Maverick’s mom crocheted.
Celia tugged it down, and placed the blanket over Marianna’s lap. Marianna
didn’t respond, her eyes trained on the television.