Bound and Freed Boxed Set (23 page)

"Just one minute everyone," said Kelly, knowing
that she had to do something fast. Lord, to her he looked as if he was going to
throw up. "C'mon John." Kelly grabbed his hand and dragged him out of
the dining room, through the living area and into the den. "Jesus, John,
are you alright?"

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," he said.
"I've been worried that I may throw up. I really don't do people, Kelly. I
do everything through the phone, and other than in a scene, I don’t interact. I
haven't for years."

"But why?"

"I'm nervous, and when I'm nervous I become wooden I
guess, and even more emotionless," he said. "I am pretty sure that if
this constant interrogation keeps up I'm either going to pass out, or throw up,
or both.

Kelly gave a bark of laughter and John frowned at her,
either hurt or more likely surprised by her levity. "I'm sorry,
John," she said, "I know it isn’t funny, but it isn’t the end of the
world either. Here, sit down."

John sat on a black leather couch. "Why did you
laugh?" he asked in that familiar peremptory way of his.
Ah,
she
thought, relieved.
This is the John I know and love, he is clearly not
insulted, but simply curious.

"I don’t know, it just seems funny," Kelly
said. "To my mind you are perfect at everything, John. I respect you so
much. Somehow, you being anxious seems so odd to me. It kind of makes you
fallible and human, John. I'm afraid that it makes me love you even more. What
are you afraid of?"

"My counselor says that because my father always
terrified me with threats if anyone found out our secrets, that I am frightened
to interact with others. It feels unsafe talking and telling anyone anything.
You have no idea how scary my father is. He has all the power, Kelly, even now.
He just does. I feel anxious even being here in case he finds out – that is how
terrifying he is. I know it's irrational but I just can’t seem to get around
it."

"This seems so unlike you."

"But this
is
like me, Kelly," he said.
"I honestly can't do people. It's never bothered me before. I manage
pretty well." He took her hand. "But now I'm worried that if I can’t
overcome this you won’t want me."

Sitting down on his lap, she said, "Well then, I
guess we will have to figure it out." Kelly kissed his cheek. "But I
won’t give you up, John, so just forget that stupid idea. You know when you
dominate a scene? Why can you do that so well, yet not be as capable when
outside a scene?"

"When I am dominating a scene the sub is mine,"
he said. "I'm in control, and they are under my care. Everything is my
responsibility. It's hard to explain but I find it easy because my job as a Dom
is to take them through their experience, to scrutinize everything about them,
body, mind, soul, and to not let them get away with anything. I'm observant and
particularly skilled at noticing a sub that is under my care, Kelly."

"You're the best," she said reverently, giving
him a cheeky smile.

John smiled at that.

"Well that's it then," she said. "Just
imagine everyone is naked and you have your bullwhip. Treat them like your
subs, John. Observe them and ferret out their secrets. Have you ever tried
that? Maybe that will work."

John appeared to be giving this consideration.
"Alright."

They stood up, and John pulled her hands behind her back,
and pressed her to him. Kelly's flesh melted against him and her body went into
instant overdrive as he captured her mouth and kissed her.
Jesus.

"Why can you be yourself with me, John?"

"I don’t know. Even at grade school I could be
myself with you, Kelly. You're the only one, I swear." He kissed her
forehead and let her go. "By the way, you are an expert and extremely
experienced liar. That story you told everyone of how we met?" He tugged a
lock of her hair. "Don’t ever try anything like that with me, will
you?"

Kelly laughed and shook her head, placing her hand on her
heart. "Never, John. But trust me, if you had a mother like mine you would
have learned how to tell lies like that, too." She giggled. "It's
simply self-defense. If parents don’t
want
to hear the truth, children
learn not to speak it."

She put her arm in his. "Okay, well let's do it.
Remember John. They are naked, and you have your bullwhip."

When they returned, John did appear different. No one
would have noticed, but to Kelly he seemed much better.

"Mr. Flynn," John said, "you must be very
proud of all you've accomplished. You have this beautiful home, and your
wonderful family. I don’t know everyone here of course, but I judge by Kelly.
You and Mrs. Flynn have obviously been outstanding parents to her. Kelly is
quality, through and through – and she was even as a child. Kelly is the very
definition of Class. I think she is a wonderful girl."

Kelly felt a flush of heat radiate across the skin on her
face, neck and breasts. She wasn't embarrassed; she was flushed pink with
pleasure. Wow. What a complement. Could there be anyone more appreciative of
her than John Taylor?

Kelly's Dad was beaming. "John," he said.
"You must call me Rodney, and thank you. I agree with you about Kelly. I'm
so glad you can see her value. I promise you that I've never heard a single
negative comment come out of her mouth, and that is from when she was little
girl. Our little bundle of joy, that's what we called her. Always so cheerful
and good-natured. Yes, John, I'm very happy with my life. I have been
blessed."

"Your cup runneth over," John said, apparently recalling
one of the bible quotes he had recently learned from his philosophy, religion
and ethic's course. John had never been to church a day in his life, but Kelly
had told him that her family was Catholic.

"Oh," Kelly's mom said, apparently impressed.
"What religion are you, John?"

"None."

Kelly's mother frowned, disturbed by this revelation.
"But you believe in God don't you, John?"

John turned to look at Kelly, and she watched as his
anxiety and tension seemed to soften even further. "I'm beginning
to," he said, continuing to stare at her.

Awww,
Kelly thought.
Wow.
Underneath Father John the sadist, there is the heart and soul of a poet.
Kelly's
own heart was so full that her eyes stung and she had to blink a number of
times to stop herself from crying.

The rest of the dinner seemed to go well for some time.
It was clear to Kelly that both her sisters, Maria, sixteen, and Katrina,
nineteen, were pretty well in love with John. What woman wouldn't be? The man
was so handsome, and fascinating. John was successfully hiding any nervousness.
Kelly was sure no one noticed the way he had been acting earlier. Even Jamie
loved him for inventing "Violent Vipers."

John asked Richard about his profession, and listened in
that intent perceptive way he had. Amused, Kelly studied her brother Richard as
he replied. John coaxed numerous tidbits out, and Kelly saw how Richard easily
began to loosen and chatted away, telling John far more than he would have
intended to, treating John like a trusted long term friend.

Kelly understood Richard's reaction.

With John's interested and attentive eyes upon him,
Richard would feel as if he was the only person in the room. John could do that
to someone, make them feel special and make them forget everything. Yet John's
interest wasn't in any way faked. Right now, John really was absorbing and
fully assessing her brother, Richard's personality.

Kelly wanted to laugh out loud.

The fact that John usually did this in order to better
sadistically torment a sub into mind-less bliss had no real bearing on the
matter.

Kelly's mom, unfortunately stuck in her old habits, began
to talk about Kelly's faults. It started small and went from there.

"So Kelly, when are you going to give up that silly
job?" Marguerite asked loudly. "A woman with a degree can do so much
better, don’t you think, John? Even if it is only an Arts degree, I do think
she could have done something more substantial educationally. And I wonder if
you need me to go out with you, Kelly, so we can get some style into that hair.
Would you like me to take you to my hairdresser? Jean Paul is a marvel. He
could do wonders with that unfashionable mop top of yours."

At the end of that sentence John sprang loudly to his
feet.

John shoved his chair back so ferociously that the rear
feet of his chair moved off the white carpet, and scratched loudly on the dark
wood floors.

Every single person looked up at him in shock and
astonishment, as if he had just landed from Mars or turned florescent purple or
something. John was breathing heavily and his face was pure, unadulterated,
stern uncompromising Dom.

Oh shit!
Kelly thought.

It was a bit like watching a car whose parking-brake had
disengaged roll down the hill and into a thick crowd of people who were all
looking the other way. There sure was nothing Kelly could do about it, except
scream 'Look out!'

But screaming "Look out!" wasn't going to help
in this situation.

OMG, John!
Kelly thought wildly.
You can’t take her over your knee. That's my mom!

"Excuse me," John said in an icy tone, his face
turned toward Kelly's father. Kelly figured that John was addressing her dad as
her mother's theoretical Dom. Little did John know that mom wore the pants in
this family.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave," John
said with barely disguised fury. "I can't sit here and listen to anyone
criticize or malign Kelly in my presence, no matter who is doing it - even if
the disparaging comments are coming from your wife, and Kelly's mother."

"Oh," said Kelly's dad, "Now just sit
down, young man. I'm sure Marguerite didn’t mean anything by it."

"Nevertheless, I can't stay," John said
remaining standing without backing down in the slightest. "In fact neither
Kelly nor I can remain here in your home without an apology."

John's head turned from Kelly's father, so his eyes could
focus on Kelly's mom.

"You'll have to forgive me, Mrs. Flynn," he
said. "Kelly is the best person I know. There couldn't be a more
wholesome, honest, kind or ideal woman in the entire world, and I won’t have
anyone belittle her achievements, or her beautiful hair, or any other single
thing about her. Not while in my presence. Kelly is perfect exactly as she is,
or exactly as she chooses to be. And an Arts degree is the ideal choice of
study for an inspiring, creative woman who sings like an angel."

There was a remarkably long silence, and like
Madame
Tussaud's
waxworks, not one person moved.

Kelly's mother had initially been white as paper, as the
blood had drained from her face. But now her countenance was becoming quite
red. Kelly wouldn’t have been surprised to find that her mother's heart had
stopped with shock, and then her mother's pulse had picked up again. Was she
angry? Embarrassed? Just what was she feeling now?

Kelly had absolutely no intention of interfering. This
was 'Father John' at his best. Stern and domineering, John, the man she loved,
wasn't going to take crap from anyone. Kelly wondered how her mother would deal
with the social faux pas. John was handsome, and clearly rich: Husband
material. Kelly's mom wouldn’t want to make him leave.

Mrs. Marguerite Flynn finally said, "I'm sorry,
John. I meant no insult. None at all."

"Thank you," John said, giving her a curt nod.

Kelly was glad that John's fiery gaze was on her mother,
and not her. Honestly, she had to give it to her mother – mom was meeting
John's eyes – she hadn’t looked away. That took guts. Kelly had encountered
John's heated disapproval before, and she never wanted to endure it again.

"However," John said in that deceptively mild
voice that indicated further discipline was on the way, "I believe that it
is Kelly who deserves your apology, Mrs. Flynn."

Jesus,
Kelly thought, uncertain if
she wanted to sing 'Halleluiah,' or cheer John on, or hide her face with shock
and mortification. Kelly's brother, Richard had wanted to say those things to
their mom a million times, but he never had. It probably wouldn’t have helped
anyway. Even her dad didn't have the courage to make their mother back down, at
least not in Kelly's presence.

"Kelly," her mom said after a long moment.
"Please forgive me. You are a good daughter. I didn’t realize that I was
coming across so negatively."

All in all,
Kelly thought,
it's
not a bad apology.

"Apology accepted, Mom. And I really appreciate it.
I admit that for some time now I've been feeling like you weren't pleased or
proud of me."

"Oh, darling," Mrs. Flynn said looking
genuinely contrite.