Curvaceous Heart (22 page)

“Yes!” Alan screamed into her breasts, his cock throbbing, swelling against her inner walls until she felt it, heat coating her already molten walls. He shuddered arching up into her, his hips rolling to meet each rock of her willing body.

She couldn’t hold back any longer, nor did she want to.

Sue sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly about his body, her nails digging into his back as her thighs tightened fully. Thought fled, emotion, sensation, that’s all she now knew, understood and accepted. Her hips rolled one last time as the pressure spiked through her body.

“Mine!” she screamed, her nails tasting his blood.

“Yours, Ma’am, always yours.”

Always…

Chapter Twenty-One

Charlie’s words kept repeating themselves in the back of her mind. Bill’s response had been the same, or so Barb had told her -- she’d been there when the police had collected him from the office and had reported the entire scene back to Sue the first chance there had been.

Just a bit of fun, they hadn’t meant any harm
.

So it was fun, was it, to ruin people’s lives.
To make fun of them.
And what about the third party involved? There was still no sign of either man being willing to hand over that name.

“Sue, it’s going to be fine. You’re with me.” Alan reached out and cupped her chin for a moment, brushing his thumb across her cheek.

Black tie, black pants, matching black shirt, her fingers itched with the desire to strip the clothing from him and remind herself just what lay beneath. Was going to the party so important? The past two days had almost been a blur, rushing from one thing to the next as they’d tried to tidy up the mess left behind by Bill and his friends.

That was the one thing she regretted, not being there to see Bill arrested at work, but perhaps it had been for the best. She might have lost control of herself and lashed out, but what good would that
have
done?

If anything, it could have backfired and given Bill a way of fighting some of the charges that even now were being levied against him. Charlie had been another matter. Apart from a few small comments when she’d bumped into him in the pub with Bill, he’d not actually done her any personal harm. Nothing more than the
snarky
comments she’d dealt with through most of her life.

It hadn’t been personal with Charlie.

Bill -- with that man it had never been anything other than a personal attack on every woman he had ever come into contact with.

“We could stay here and just have a quiet night to ourselves.” She reached out to tug at the tie he wore. It would have been so very easy to pull it free from his neck and start on the buttons. “There’s still some paperwork to go over, about the
blogger
ring.”

“Nothing that can’t wait.
The police will get the ISP to cooperate and we’ll have the rest of the names within a few weeks at most.”

“I just don’t think I’m ready for this.” Sue avoided looking at him.

“If we don’t go to this one then we’ll never make it to the next. There will be other excuses, other reasons we come up with to stay home together and they’ll assume that they’ve won.”

“Won?”

“That we’re afraid of them. They’ll start the whole rumor that we know we’re not supposed to be together, or that we’re not going to make it as a couple, or that I’m ashamed of you, or some other petty little excuse that fits their mood.”

She looked over at the door, then back at Alan. Hiding behind the closed doors, she’d done that for far too many years as it was. All those people who were too ready to judge her based on what?

Their insecurities?

No, she wasn’t going to play that game any longer.

“All right,
then
let’s do this before I change my mind again.” One night out, followed by what? Something more intimate? A slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips. They’d barely had chance to sit down for a coffee since everything had broken loose at work.

He looked good in his fancy suit and tie, she couldn’t deny that, and the dress he had paid for…she’d never owned anything so sensual and daring. Sue smoothed her hands down the soft midnight blue dress with its laces that cinched in her waist. Even with the extra pounds she carried, one thing Sue had always been proud of was the fact she did have a waist.

So it wasn’t as tiny as the models’ on a catwalk, but she no longer cared. Alan loved her for
who
and what she was, not some fake image that had been plastered across the magazines.

“You look beautiful.” Alan curled his arm about her waist. “I’m the luckiest man in the world and tonight I’m going to show you off.”

His father would be there, and who else? His mother, obviously, a woman she’d not met yet, and she’d already heard rumors that Victoria, the woman she knew had tried to seduce Alan in his own office, would be at the party.

Come on, you faced down Bill,
then
Neil, what could be so hard about meeting a woman Alan’s already turned down?

Just nerves; with Alan at her side she’d be able to face anything, including this so-called ideal woman. Oh, she’d heard the descriptions of
Victoria
, how she had a perfect 10 figure, and could have any man she wanted.

She glanced over at Alan, a smile claiming her lips.

Almost any man
.

* * * * *

Despite all his words to Sue, facing his family and assorted friends wasn’t quite as easy as he wanted it to be. She wasn’t the only one they’d be judging, it was just that he’d become too used to being sized up at these events.

So why hadn’t he told Sue?

Because she has enough to deal with right now.
I’m not going to add to the fears I know are there
.

“Do you think your dad will at least be polite today?” Sue closed the car door behind her and slipped her arm into his as they stood in front of the large house. A dozen cars were parked in the wide driveway, lights shone from the windows, and even from here they could hear the hum of life.

“Yes, with my mother around he wouldn’t dare be anything else but polite. She won’t let him forget if he disappoints her publicly.”

“It sounds as though your mum is the one in charge.” Sue’s voice trembled. “I shouldn’t be
afraid,
this is just a party, after all.”

“Yes, it is, but it’s one where you have to face my dad again and then the unknown quantity of my mum and everyone else there at the party. I’d be nervous too if I were in your shoes.” He shifted his arm, slipping it about her waist instead as he held her close. “But we’ll be fine. Trust me.”

With his arm still wrapped tightly about her waist, Alan led the way through the parked cars to the front door. Even though he lived in his own place he still couldn’t help but think of the house as home.
Until now.

The door opened up easily enough, unlocked with the constant coming and going of guests, each one well known to his parents. It was just a case of walking into the house and facing the crowds.

“I’m right here with you, Alan.” She leaned in and whispered against his ear. “It’s just a party, remember?”

His lips twitched into a full smile. “Turning my words against me just isn’t fair.”

“I’m not blonde.”

He chuckled and led the way into the wide entrance hall.

The swell of people swallowed them instantly. Just how many people had been invited this time? More than he had been expecting. Instead of being able to find his parents quickly, it took Alan and Sue almost half an hour before they finally tracked them down.

“Alan, I was wondering when you’d finally show up,” his father called out as they walked into the kitchen. The older man’s gaze flickered to Sue for a moment, his jaw tightening before he turned his attention fully back to his son. “Good to see you could make it. You’re looking well now that all that nasty business at work is taken care of.”

“There are still a few pieces of the puzzle to work out, though.”

From the large walk-in cupboard his mother
appeared,
her hair immaculate as always as she set down the spare glasses.
“Alan, darling.
It’s good to see you. Your father wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it tonight.”

“I told him we’d be here.”

That caught her attention fully, and she turned her gaze on Sue. For a moment his mother didn’t speak as she looked Sue slowly up and down, then a smile shone in the older woman’s eyes, the tiny lines about her lips and eyes tightening as she walked across the kitchen.

“You must be Sue. It’s good to finally meet you. I seem to have heard a lot about you in these past few days.” Margaret Martin reached out and took hold of Sue’s hands, pulling her a step away from Alan.

“Nice to meet you also, Mrs. Martin.”
Sue managed to smile, though she was well aware of the tension that now played across her shoulders. His fingers itched with the need to reach for those knots and work them out of her body.

“Please, call me Margaret, or Maggie if you’re comfortable with that. I get the feeling you and I have a lot to talk about.” His mother finally spoke again, her gaze flickering towards Alan’s wrist before she focused her gaze back on Sue. “Perhaps we can find a quiet place to talk?”

Alan’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. “Mum, we’ve only just got here. I don’t think we should be…”

“Alan, I don’t believe I mentioned including you in the conversation between Sue and I, did I?”

He knew that tone all too well. “No, Mum.”

“In that case, Sue, will you come with me? We’ve got a lot to discuss.”

“Maggie, I’d like to stay with Alan for a while.”

“I understand you’re a little nervous, but I’m not my husband. I don’t go around judging the women my son dates based on silly things like fashion. No, I’m already aware that you’ve made my son a very happy man, but there are a few things I’d like to discuss with you, including the gift you gave Alan.”

Alan paled and found himself stuffing his hand into his pocket before he was even aware of it.

“There’s no reason to hide it, Alan. I think it’s a perfectly sweet gift but I’m sure you understand why I would want to have a quiet chat with your
lady
, don’t you?” A merry glint danced within his mothers eyes, her lips twitched into a knowing smile.

God.
Had he been right? Did his mother know about that sort of thing?

“I think that it might be a good idea after all. Alan, we won’t be long. Would you mind hanging my coat up then? And getting some drinks ready?”

“Yes, of course.” Alan nodded, taking her coat. “Are you sure about this?”

“She is, Alan. And I think your father has something he wants to say to you as well, don’t you, dear?”

Neil paled, swallowed hard, and then nodded. “Yes, of course. Your mother is
right,
we do need to have a quiet chat, my boy.”

The last thing he wanted to do was spend time having a private conversation with his father, but Alan was also very well aware that his mother wasn’t about to be argued with.

“Sue?”

“I’ll be back soon.” Tiny lines tightened around the corners of her eyes. Her jaw had clenched, but her eyes glinted with sheer determination. “Trust me.”

“Always.”

* * * * *

“I’m sure you’re a little concerned about why I wanted to talk to you.” Margaret closed the door behind them once they were safely in the large bedroom. “First, I’d like to apologize for my husband’s behavior towards you.”

Sue froze in her tracks. “You know about that?”

“Neil and I have no secrets between us. He told me and he’s been punished for his behavior. He knows very well that…”

“Punished?” Sue’s gaze narrowed on the older woman, Margaret settled herself down into a high back chair. Had she heard correctly? “Did you just say punished?”

“Yes, which is something I am sure you’re going to learn a lot about with my son. Part of the duties of a Mistress
include
correcting behavior when there is a call for it.”

Sue felt the color drain from her face. “I think I need to sit down.”

“Feel free to. I doubt you were expecting the conversation to take this twist, and you’ve every reason to be a little unsettled right now.” Margaret nodded towards the second chair in the bedroom. “I realize this is a lot to take in, but once I realized the type of relationship you and my son shared, I knew that we would need to have a short chat.
No doubt one of many to come.”

“You know about -- oh, God.”

“Take a deep breath and calm down. It’s not that bad. I had a similar discussion with Neil’s mother not long after we were married, though of course things were a little more difficult then. There weren’t so many sources of information available, and now of course you have the Net, which I have no doubt you’ll use on a regular basis.”

“I think I need a drink.”

“You’ll be fine. And I’ve long since known that my son needed a strong woman in his life. Not just the type that would walk over him, but a woman who understands the difference between bullying and dominating. There aren’t that many men, or women, who are able to walk that line. Oh, I know the sort of women my husband kept pushing at Alan, they just weren’t suitable. Not when it came down to it.”

Sue was still trying to wrap her thoughts around the idea that Margaret Martin knew about dominance and submission, and that they were actually having this conversation.

“Are you telling me that you and Mr. Martin have a D/s relationship?”

“Yes.” Margaret leaned back in her chair. “And I’ve been waiting for the day that Alan would bring home a woman with the strength to take that role in his life. I just hope you realize what you’re taking on. Being someone’s dominant is not easy.”

Sue forced her thoughts into some semblance of order before she dared to reply. “I’m new to all of this.”

“Which can be both a blessing and a curse, but from the gift you’ve given my son I understand you two have taken a step into a formal relationship?”