How to Discipline Your Vampire (25 page)

“Okay,” I said, “then we’ll store away Master William for a long time. But can I keep him on the shelf for some point down the road?” I asked, clearly indicating it was something I’d like to try again.

“Whatever you wish,” he answered, “but keep in mind how hard it is for me to do something like that to you.”

I sat up in bed, determined to get him to see the situation clearly. “Even though the point of it was for me to submit to you, if you look carefully, you actually showed your submission to me at an even deeper level today,” I explained. “The fact alone that dominating was difficult for you and pushed your limits shows that. By dominating, you were submitting even more than you ever had. We’re challenging each other in new ways, William. With our situation, we need to get creative.”

He pursed his lips as realization dawned on him. “I guess you’re right.”

I laughed. “My favorite words in the English language—
you’re right
.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Cerise

The Following April

“I can’t believe you’re not changing your name, Miss Norrel,” Colby said. “At least the class won’t be screwing it up for the next few months.”

“We’re living in the twenty-first century, Colby. Times change,” I answered with a smirk. She didn’t know that it was William who would be taking my name tomorrow.

“Show us a picture of your dress again!” Allie shouted.

I did the “calm the fuck down” gesture to the class. My class. The kids I’d come to know over the past seven months and who made me smile every day. “Guys, I’ll show you pictures after April vacation, okay?”

“Come on,” Allie pushed. “At least tell us how you’re doing your hair!”

“Up.”

A chorus of booing ensued. “Fine, I’ll wear it down,” I acquiesced.

“Any fun colors?” Jimmy asked, joking about my penchant for extensions.

“Um, I believe we were going over last night’s homework, guys,” I pushed. They loved trying to distract me, and most of the time I won. Today, I gave in a bit.

Hell, today was my last day as a single woman.

This weekend, William and I were getting married. The last few months have been absolute heaven on earth. My mom and I spoke on the phone once a week. My therapist was helping me make real progress with my trust issues so much that I decided to have her officiate the wedding. My new job was fantastic—the faculty was really fun now that they’d accepted me into their inner sanctum, and the kids were sweet as usual. My days no longer needed tempting e-mails to motivate me through the drudgery.

But I still got them.

Today William was abstaining, however, since we were to be married so soon, and he thought a day or two off might be fun.

If you called sexual tension fun, which I didn’t.

So I told him he had to send me one naughty picture text per hour.

Which reminded me, it was almost one o’clock.

I snatched my phone out from behind my desk while the kids were in pairs doing some equations.

Yup, new text.

I opened the picture, and—

“HOLY F—”

The class looked up at once. “Miss Norrel?” Julie asked.

“I’m . . . practicing my prayers for the service tomorrow. Holy Father, you know.”

Colby scrunched up her face. “I thought you were an atheist.”

“Sometimes.”

That shut them up.

I texted William back.

YOU NAUGHTY VAMPIRE, YOU. HOW DARE YOU TEXT SOMETHING SO TEMPTING.

I THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE IT,
he replied.

HOW AM I POSSIBLY GOING TO FIT INTO THAT DRESS WHEN YOU TEMPT ME WITH ALL THOSE CUPCAKES STACKED ON YOUR STOMACH?

IT’S A CORSET BACK. AND I’LL BE DOING THE LACING AND UNLACING.

FUCK ABSTINENCE. WHEN I GET HOME, I’M GOING TO ABSOLUTELY DEFILE YOU. I HOPE FROSTING WORKS AS LUBE,
I responded.

The class began to scuttle about awkwardly, and I surmised they were up to no good. “What’s going on?” I asked, flushed from William’s “sweet” picture.

“Nothing,” they said, clearly hiding something.

“Come on,” I said, waggling my finger at them. “What’s behind your back, Jim?”

“A present.”

They moved away from the back table and presented me with a little buffet and a wrapped gift. “We decided we’d throw you a bridal shower!”

“Guys!” I said. “That’s so nice of you!”

They dug into the ice cream first, however, and by the time I got there, there was none left. Just a few slices of cake. So the party was for them. I just grabbed my bottle of water and sipped and chatted with them for a while. It was nice to let my guard down with them. I really was able to translate my lessons with William into every facet of my life.

I was firm, but fair, and sometimes fun.

I could discipline them when they needed it, but also loosen up and go with the flow.

William had changed me in so many positive ways. He was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

And now he was going to be my husband.

I packed up my things and was mentally preparing myself for the long and exciting week ahead when Deirdre accosted me.

“Scooting out early?” she accused.

I frowned in distaste at her mom jeans and collared shirt. Tucked in, mind you. It boggled the mind. “Just heading out since I don’t have class last period. Lots to do before the big day.”

“Did you forget about the faculty meeting in the teachers’ room?” she continued.

Argh, couldn’t I just leave early? It was my freaking wedding weekend, for Chrissakes. “Nope. Headed there now
.
”
Please don’t follow me, please don’t follow me.

“Good,” she said, “I’ll walk with you.”

Fuck
.

“Have some Funfetti cake,” I said, passing her a plate I was going to take home. “The kids made me this.” I’d rather forgo cake tonight than have Deirdre talk to me for a full minute. Luckily, she started stuffing her stupid face and I didn’t have to have any kind of inane conversation with her. All I did was stare at the butt of her mom jeans and wonder why any designer, even for Sears, would put the pockets so high up.

“Surprise!” the teachers shouted as we walked through the door.

They, too, had streamers and cake. Although they ordered theirs from the local bakery that puts grainy and unflattering pictures on their cakes, so on the front of this confection was my school ID photo. The one where the photographer snapped me midsneeze and I looked like I was crying. There were piped frosting wedding bells next to my sneezing face.

“Wow, thank you,” I said, sincerely touched that they liked me enough to eat cake in honor of my nuptials.

Deirdre gave me a sweaty hug that made me wish for a chemical shower like the ones they had in the labs in the science wing. A couple of people made polite conversation about how lovely my private little ceremony sounded. “Oh, just the two of you and some friends? That’s intimate.” I know they were thinking it was cheap—little did they know that William and his cronies were big spenders.

I walked out of school that day realizing I had everything I ever wanted—a great job, a great man, and an exciting life ahead of me.

Or unlife, depending on when I made a certain decision.

Last night, William and I talked seriously about my becoming a vampire.

“How does it work?” I had asked, feet up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream in my hands. I shoved a mouthful inside so he couldn’t read my expression as he explained.

He leaned forward and put his hands on my knees. “Are you sure you want to know?” he asked. “We can delay this decision all you want. Things are good right now. We don’t have to.”

I swallowed the fudgy mouthful and cringed at the brain freeze. “It will help me get a better idea of what we’re in for.”

He nodded. “Okay, just so you know, I have a donor lined up for you. Her name is Sarah, and she’s a sweetheart. And a submissive who just relocated from Atlanta. You won’t have to worry about being hungry or killing anyone. She’s donated several times to some friends of mine down South.”

“Ask them if she tastes as good as Chocolate Explosion,” I said, pointing my spoon at my bowl. “I’ll only request the tastiest of humans.”

“Be serious.”

I wiped my mouth. “I am! If you’re asking me to give up food and drinks, blood better taste like fucking Nutella.”

He chuckled. “Do you still want me to explain the rest?”

I nodded, mouth full of dessert.
Eat while you can,
my stomach said.

William stretched out next to me and put his feet up on the ottoman. “Well, it’s basically an exchanging of blood. We’d cut each other’s wrists and drink. You’d take in as much vampire blood as you could, and I would drain you of your human blood.”

I inhaled. “Until I’m dead?”

“You would die, yes. Just not for long.”

My spoon scraped the bowl. Damn. I was out. “How long?”

He smoothed my hair. “I would stay with you like that, mouth to wrist, until my blood took hold inside you. I’d be essentially re-sanguinating you with my own blood. Once the transfer was complete, you’d wake up the following sunset.”

I licked the remaining chocolate off the spoon and avoided his eyes. “And I could still go out in the sun? Just not too long or else I’d be itchy?”

“We’ll stock up on antihistamines. My first sun rash was nasty. I looked like I used poison ivy as an exfoliant.”

My skin prickled. “Okay, and what about fangs? You’ve never shown me yours. I thought they were supposed to shoot out and stuff.”

He shrugged. “We’d be filing yours down pretty soon after the change. No need to inflict large puncture wounds, right? The vampires of today are much kinder and more discreet than our predecessors.”

I handed him the bowl. “I think you may have convinced me. We’ll get around to it eventually. For now, just give me another scoop.”

He bowed, low and graceful. “Anything you desire.”

“Then just take the carton into the bedroom.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Cerise

Before I headed out the door, I fought the impulse to look in the mirror one last time. It wouldn’t be any different from how I looked before, so I stopped my compulsive nitpicking and just allowed myself to be fabulous. My hair was done in simple blond waves that fell in round swirls down past my shoulders. My dress was a mermaid-cut satin sheath with thin red piping around the edges that laced up my back with a sexy matching scarlet ribbon. The last hint of kinky color in this typically pristine look were my white Louboutins, with their slinky red underside.

Instead of a limousine, William hired a classic Bentley to pick me up at my doorstep. Our select little group of guests were already at the venue. They were all waiting for me. I preferred to take this ride on my own. I didn’t need anyone fussing over me any more than I was doing already. I needed quiet right now. I smoothed the dress over and over, feeling the satin’s calming whisper against my skin. Cool and silky, it reminded me of the man I was about to marry.

The chauffeur opened the door with a bow and flourish, and made way for me to step onto the dock. It was sunset, and the Portsmouth Harbor sky and sea were the colors of birthday-cake buttercream roses, pink and purple and white smeared across the horizon. Docked at the end of the long, petal-strewn pier was a large luxury yacht. I could make out the name,
Sea Bound,
from where I stood. I snickered at William’s little joke. Well, big joke. Big luxury joke. I swallowed and centered myself before taking the first step down the broad wooden walkway.

I felt the soft flowers squish slightly under my pointy heels, and part of me worried I’d take a nosedive and end up facedown on the dock while William and our friends looked on from the deck of the ship. Instead of panicking, I just put one foot in front of the other and assured myself I had nothing to worry about. I was only about to make an eternal commitment to a vampire.
Breathe in, breathe out, Cerise. Left foot, right foot
.

Once I had hit my stride, I was able to make out the shapes that were waiting for me at the end of the dock. William stood at the entrance to the yacht, hand stretched toward me, beckoning me to marriage. A few steps farther, I made out the figure of Erin, hands on her hips in a sassy pose, wearing a tight fuchsia dress that wrapped around her figure and wound around one shoulder. Then there was Harvey, who blinked and blotted his eyes as he saw me approach, and Claude, his partner, clasping Harvey’s free hand. Breanna rested her head on Steven’s broad shoulder and smiled at me with a dreamy expression. I was thrilled I had earned their approval. Joan, wearing a simple black dress and blazer, nodded at me as I continued my promenade down the dock. Then, a small figure came into view, a woman in pale green, the color of our eyes. Mom.

“You look stunning,” William said, slipping his cool hand into mine. I was shaking. He was not. He smiled at me so broadly that the corners of his eyes crinkled. “My beautiful bride.”

We ascended the stairs to the ship’s outdoor patio, where William had set up a dozen tall heat lamps, which stood over us like warm palm trees, allowing the guests to enjoy the beautiful April sunset without its blustery breeze. Several intimate cocktail tables dotted the deck, decorated in a nautical theme with white rope trim wrapped around the napkins and candles.
Oh, William, you scamp,
I thought.

Joan led us across the gleaming cherrywood deck toward the bow of the yacht, where she had a small book set up on a table, and several candles. Erin, Harvey, Claude, Breanna, Steven, and my mother sat in a semicircle, facing the sea behind me and William.

“Friends, we are here to show our love and support for Cerise and William as they embark on the journey of marriage. The couple has elected to speak their own vows, so I’m going to step aside and allow them to speak their words of love. William?”

He nodded to Joan, then focused completely on me. His eyes, blue and glimmering in the light of dusk, held my gaze for a moment before he began. “Cerise. The love I have waited a lifetime for. Today I bind myself to you.”

My mouth nearly unhinged at his wording. How cheeky! He was going to get a spanking before the night was out, that’s for sure. I clamped my lips shut and allowed him to continue his vows.

“I vow to fasten my life to yours, and weave the strands of our fates together. I want the future we have together to be trussed with the cords of respect, compassion, and love.”

I glanced sideways at Erin, who had covered her smirking mouth.

“Today, Cerise, I ask for your name, your commitment, and your permission to allow me to submit my very soul to your keeping.”

I blinked slowly, allowing the tears to brew inside my eyes. This was so perfect.

Joan handed him a ring. A lovely diamond and ruby band that matched my engagement ring—a pear-shaped diamond with pavé rubies encircling the center. “Cerise Norrel, with this ring, I promise to love and cherish you for all eternity.” He slid it down my finger and it felt like a caress. The little platinum circle didn’t strangle my finger, it hugged it. I exhaled at the feeling.

“Cerise?” Joan prompted.

I closed my eyes and pictured the words before I spoke them. I could do this. “William, you are my every fantasy. Each day, I find new ways to love you.”

Now it was his turn to hide a chuckle. I watched the corners of his mouth waver.

“You’re my prince, my knight, my Romeo. My everything. You have taught me to love, to risk, to challenge, all while being able to stay myself. You bring out the best in me even when you’re not by my side. Because of you, I’m proud of who I am and who we will become together. Here’s to a lifetime of dreams coming true.”

William smiled at me again and wiped a tear from his eye. “I love you.”

“It’s not your turn,” I whispered back through clenched teeth. Harvey guffawed and Joan snickered.

“Today I ask for your company, William. Come with me, be my companion and my everything. Take my name, be my husband.” I took his hand in mine and pushed the ring down his finger with a little twist. He winked at me. The pattern on the ring was Irish knots.

“Do you, William, take Cerise to be your wife?” Joan asked.

“I do,” he replied, again blinking back tears. Which, of course, triggered my own waterworks and a fat teardrop snuck down my cheek.

“Do you, Cerise, take William to be your husband?”

“I certainly do.”

“Friends, I now present to you, Mrs. and Mr. Cerise Norrel!”

Our guests clapped and hooted and William pulled me into a gentle embrace.

“We can kiss now, right?” I asked.

“Of course,” Joan replied. “Please do.”

I slid my hand into William’s silky black hair and pulled his face to mine. “You’re gonna get it, Mr. Norrel,” I whispered into his mouth as I leaned in for the kiss.

“Good,” he breathed, and met my lips with a fierce kiss. “Mistress Wifey.”

“Cerise,” he said, “I thought we were past these little delusions.” William laughed and joked as I held the long rope between my hands. “You know those can’t hold me,” he said, smiling, and flexed his muscles cartoonishly. Even though he was being cocky and silly, it was still hot. I glanced toward the door, even though I knew the guests had left long ago. The yacht’s quarters were perfect for what I had planned tonight. On open water, nobody could hear William’s cries.

“Is
that
what you think, my husband?” I asked teasingly.

“Are you really going to try to be fresh with me on our wedding night?” he asked, sitting up in bed, pretending to be shocked. “I thought this was supposed to be the most tender night of our marriage!” He raked his hand through his bedhead and I wanted to ravage him right there. But I delayed. This was going to be priceless.

I sneered at him in jest. “
Last
night was technically our wedding night,” I explained. “We woke up for a quickie, so technically it’s the next day.” Dawn was starting to peek in through the windows, so fair game.

“Of course, darling.”

“Mmm, I love the sound of those words,” I said, as his eyes scanned the rope with skepticism.

I approached him slowly, pulling the rope between my hands suggestively. “So you think you can get out of this?” I asked, indicating that he hold his wrists out for me. I had asked William to bring several bags of mine onto the yacht for our honeymoon cruise, and luckily he hadn’t peeked inside.

He looked at me audaciously. “Yes, I can get out—MISTRESS.” He shook his head to himself and muttered the word
rope
and made the
pssssh
sound.

I snickered wickedly, and before he could even wipe the smug look off his face, bound his hands together quickly with a two-column tie. “Okay, try.”

His expression was completely and utterly priceless.

His hands wiggled futilely, and he looked at me with sheer confusion.

“What the—” he muttered, desperately trying to free his wrists.

I laughed, then used another length of the stuff to wrap around his feet. When I finished, he struggled wildly, desperately trying to figure out what was going on.

After a few minutes of watching him squirm around on our bed and swear—which is always hysterical, considering what a tight-ass he can be about the English language—I told him:

“Werewolf-hair rope,” I said triumphantly.

His eyes bugged, and his eyebrows shot toward his hairline. “What?” he asked.

I nodded, still smirking. “I thought back to your journals,” I said slowly, pacing the room, enjoying each moment of his distress. “You mentioned a really strict vampire Domme named Laine. I had Breanna get her number, and I gave her a call.”

Again, priceless face. Good thing I was recording the entire honeymoon. Some people record their weddings from start to finish. Why waste all the good honeymoon sex?

“Laine gave me a lot of tips,” I crooned, approaching William slyly, bending toward his bound form and stroking the ropes on his wrists with my finger. “Including where I could buy some . . . interesting props.”

He shook his head in amazement. “You never cease to inspire me, Mistress,” he said, now reveling in his restrained position. “I hope you bought a lot of the stuff.”

I smiled. “A lot of werewolves are running around hairless because of my purchases,” I said, and proceeded to completely anchor my loving husband to the bed.

He wiggled; he writhed. He pulled, tugged, and even bit at the ropes with his teeth.

“Just imagine how difficult this is all going to be once you change me. Now, now, love, do you really want to get out so badly?”

He shook his head no.

“Then why are you trying so hard?”

He shrugged as much as the ropes allowed. “Curiosity.”

“Oh, my husband, I’ll satisfy every curiosity you have in that gorgeous body of yours.” I slipped off my robe and put on my wedding heels.

He tossed his head back rapturously. “Good thing we have eternity . . . Mistress.”