Saving My Submission BN (6 page)

“I know, but I should have never given that bastard
the power to hurt me, or make me believe the only way I could hold onto my
sanity was to get as far away from him as I could. Please, you have to believe
that I never
wanted
to leave you. Back
then, I simply didn’t think I had any other option than to get as far away from
Davis and the awful memories as I could.”

“I believe you, Mel, but please tell me you haven’t
been beating yourself up all these years for moving away?”

My throat closed off with a sob and I nodded.

“Mellie, Mellie. My sweet Mellie,” Sanna choked
through her tears as she wrapped her arms around me.

“God, Sanna, I’m so sorry. If I could go back and
change things, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” I cried. “I’m so sorry I never told
you the truth.”

“Me too,” she whispered on a defeated sigh.

Clutching her tighter, I apologized over and over
while mourning the precious time I’d selfishly stolen from the two of us. After
several long, emotional minutes Savannah pulled away and wiped her tears.

“Okay, I have a solution to this problem. While I hire
a hit man to take out Master
Asswipe
, you sell your
house in Phoenix and move here,” she announced with a watery smile.

I choked out a sobbing laugh and sniffed.

Smoothing back my hair, she looked into my eyes. “I
understand now why you were always so tense at Genesis, and why you never
wanted to scene with any of the
real
Dominants there.”

I nodded with a frown. “I’m sorry I never told you the
truth, sis.”

“No. Don’t go there,” she warned, narrowing her
red-rimmed eyes. “We’ll only start bawling again. Besides, I’ve already
forgiven you. You’re my sister. I love you.”

“I love you, too. So, so, much,” I sniffed.

She poured us each another glass of wine then we
leaned against the railing of the deck and stared out at the lake. “Do you miss
it… submission, I mean?”

“Not until I come here and spend time with you three,”
I softly confessed.

“Oh, Mel,” Savannah groaned. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You have no idea how happy I am that you
found those two wonderful, Dominant…
truly
Dominant men. And I’m even more ecstatic that you let them into your heart and
your life.”

A slight blush rose on her cheeks.

“Do you know how proud I am that you’ve come out of
hiding and have spread your wings? Or what a fucking gorgeous woman you’ve
become?” I asked with a broad smile.

“Stop,” she giggled, shaking her head.

“No. I’m not going to stop. Since you found those two,
you simply glow. You’re so full of life and so… illuminating. Hell, you walk
into the room and it’s blinding… you’re blindingly beautiful, baby. And you did
that all on your own.”

“Not on my own,” she argued with a sappy smile. “I can
say the exact same of you, and don’t you dare try and deny it. Honesty, last
night Scotty was all but humping the damn table to get to you. Men are
naturally drawn to you, like a lighthouse in pea green fog. So, if you’re going
to start blowing smoke up my ass, you damn well better bend over, too.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. She’d always had a feisty
side…like a little tornado. For years she’d hidden it away, but it was back for
the world to see. For a split second I almost felt sorry for her two
Doms
. No, they knew exactly how to handle my spitfire
sister, and they handled her with perfection.

As if sensing the coast was clear, Dylan and Nick
joined us, announcing that dinner was ready. Both men wrapped a protective arm
around Sanna as we walked back inside. Watching the special bond they shared,
her question echoed in my brain:
‘Do you miss
it… submission, I mean?’

Yes, Sanna I do, with
each beat of my heart, but that’s one secret I’ll always keep.

Throughout the scrumptious dinner, I felt as if a
great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The food tasted richer, laughter
sounded sweeter, and the outpouring of love between my sister and her Masters
didn’t scrape my heart as deeply.

When the meal was done, Dylan turned to me, his
expression bordering on concern.

“We’re going to take Savannah to the club for a bit
this evening. You’re more than welcome to join us if you’d like.”

Darting a glance at my sister, I smiled as she nibbled
her bottom lip.

“Thank you for the invitation, Dylan, but I think I’ll
stay here and take care of some work I’ve been neglecting.”

“Very well.”
He nodded with a
hint of understanding. “We hope to have a chance to talk to you soon.”

With a quick nod, I cast my eyes to my empty plate.
Dylan’s message was loud and clear. Both men would know my story by the end of
the night. The rules of submission were cut and dry; Savannah was not allowed
to keep any secrets from her Masters. I didn’t take her having to spill my
story as a betrayal of confidence. Sharing everything with her Masters was
necessary for them to maintain open, honest communication in their
relationship. Besides, the cat was out of the bag and with it, the realization
it was time to bury the wounds Davis Walker aka ‘Chain Master’ had inflicted.

#

I woke the next morning with butterflies swirling in
my stomach, and a hum of excitement pumping through my veins. It was crazy for
me to feel so giddy. I’d been to hundreds of gallery showings, yet this one had
me on pins and needles. I was going to meet the man… the legend... Joshua Lars.

I’d seen pictures of him years ago, after the tragic
death of his wife and daughter. He was strikingly handsome. Tall with defined,
masculine features, but in the photos his green eyes appeared haunted—they had
every right to be. The death of his wife, Victoria, and four-year-old daughter,
Camille, rocked the art scene—hard. Victoria had been driving with little
Camille to surprise Joshua at one of his local exhibitions. The weather was
brutal. Caught in a massive downpour, the car was swept away by flash flood
waters. Search and rescue teams discovered the vehicle and their bodies the
next day. Joshua Lars went into seclusion and hadn’t come out…until tonight.

My heart ached for him. I knew firsthand the hell of
healing enough to rejoin the living. There are no words to describe the void
left inside when a loved one is ripped from your life, or the struggle to gain
closure when you didn’t get a chance to say good-bye. But losing a child… I
couldn’t image surviving something like
that
.

Shaking my head, I cleared the morose thoughts from my
mind before wandering down to the kitchen in need of a caffeine infusion. The
room was empty, and I stood in front of the intimidating coffee machine wearing
a frown as I tried to remember what buttons to push to make a cup of coffee.

“Technology, you’re a pain in my ass.”

I managed to brew a cup, but it was black and bitter
as tar. Digging through the cabinets, I spied a container of sugar behind a box
of rice. Holding the weapon of Savannah’s most feared punishment, I couldn’t
help but grin. Lifting up onto my toes, I reached for the sugar.

“Can I help you?”

In the quiet room, Nick’s deep voice vibrated through
me like a sonic boom. With a startled shriek I launched the box of rice into
the air. It landed with a thud, spilling out all over the marble floor.

“Dammit, Nick, you scared me half to death!” I
shrieked as he started to laugh.

“I’m sorry, Mel. I thought you heard me come in.”

“Well, obviously I didn’t,” I huffed as I dropped to
my knees to scoop up the mess.

That was about the time Dylan and Savannah entered the
kitchen as well. My sister’s eyes nearly bugged out of her skull.

“Mel, what did you do?” she gasped in an accusatory
tone before turning a beseeching gaze Nick’s way. “Honestly, Master, you can’t
punish her. She’s not in the lifestyle anymore.”

The tall Native American pinned Sanna with a look of
disbelief. “I wasn’t attempting to punish her. I accidently scared her and she
dropped the box of rice, precious.”

“Oh,” Savannah murmured on a quiet rush of air.
“Oops.”

“But since it’s already laid out so nice and pretty,
would you like a few moments to kneel on it, pet? Maybe think about why you
assumed I’d dole out punishment on anyone other than you?” Nick’s brows arched
and a ghost of a smirk played over his lips.

“Oh, no thank you, Master. I’m fine. I…” she
stammered.

Both men started to laugh, and I bit back a grin while
a wry smile spread over Sanna’s mouth.

“Where’s the broom?” I asked, flashing my sister a
playful smile.

#

The day dragged on and on, and even though I had my
sister and her Masters to keep me company, I was antsy and unfocused. After an
early dinner outside on the deck, I raced to my room to get ready for the
gallery event. Primping far more than usual, I wondered if Joshua would show up
for the gala. No doubt he’d have some svelte, blonde model on his arm.

Hell, he could be
married again for all you know. And why on earth are you entertaining
sophomoric notions about him in the first place?

“You’re certifiable, Mel,” I scolded my reflection in
the mirror. “Go buy Abbas his art and get your ass back home.”

With one last look, I smoothed my hands over the silky
fabric, sucked in a deep breath and snatched up my red beaded clutch. Savannah was
waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs and as I made my way down on the
vampy red stilettos, her eyes grew wide.

“You look gorgeous,” she cooed.
“Like
you just stepped off a Paris runway.”

I chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far, sis, but thank
you.”

Nick joined Sanna and issued a long, low whistle. “I
guess we won’t be waiting up for you tonight, Mellie. Just try not to break
whoever ends up dragging you to his lair.”

“Oh for the love of… I’m not going to bed some
stranger. Give me a break,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“
Wanna
bet?” Nick chuckled.
“Come on, we’ll drop you off at the gallery. It’s right down the street from
the club. Our little smart-ass here needs a gentle reminder that it’s not nice
to question her Masters.” Nick issued a sideways glance at Sanna and smirked.

“I can call a taxi.”

“Nonsense.
It’s on the way,”
he insisted. “But you might need to grab a cab home. I’m not sure how long
we’re going to be handing down our discipline.”

He wore a quirky grin as he watched Sanna’s nervous
expression. It was obvious Nick loved to pull her chain just to watch her
squirm.

“The club’s open already?” I asked.

“No. We have the code to get in. We’ll be busy in our
private room for quite some time,” Nick explained as we met up with Dylan, who
was waiting for us in the garage.

“Holy shit!”
Dylan grinned.
“You look amazing, Mellie.”

“Thank you.” I giggled, feeling the heat rise on my
cheeks.

Dylan reached into his pocket then palmed a stack of
condoms in my hand. “You’ll need these tonight. Trust me.”

“Oh, my god.
I will not,” I
gasped, trying to give them back to him.

“Keep ‘
em
.
Just in case.”
He winked.

I quickly shoved the foil packets into my purse with
an exasperated sigh.

“Oh, before I forget,” Savannah announced as she
handed me a piece of paper. “It’s the alarm code, in case we’re not here when
you get back. Are you sure you can find a way home? I hate the thought of
dropping you off and just leaving you there.”

“Nice try, kitten,” Dylan chuckled. “
Mellie’s
a grown woman, with a cell phone. I’m one hundred
percent convinced she’s capable of calling a cab.”

Savannah pouted and I giggled. She might like to think
she had both men wrapped around her little finger, but they were more than
capable of keeping her in line. Each time I observed the by-play between the
two, I became more confident she’d found her happy ever after.

“I think you’re just looking for a reason to spank
me,” she grumbled.

“Who said anything about spanking, pet?” Nick arched a
brow. “But now that you mention it, with a slathering of contempt, I might add…
we might just have to accommodate your wishes, and give you a few with the
mother-fucker.”

Sanna groaned and opened her mouth to argue but wisely
snapped it shut. I didn’t know what the mother-fucker was, but obviously it
wasn’t my sister’s favorite toy.

The entire ride downtown, Sanna fidgeted while Dylan
and Nick taunted her with various implements they intended to use on her. They
were giving her a royal mind fuck, but I knew while I tended to vanilla
business, my sister would be drowning in submissive bliss. I thought it ironic
that we’d somehow switched places over the years.

Standing in line outside the gallery, I watched Nick
drive away. The butterflies I’d tried to calm all day came fluttering back to
life with a vengeance. Inwardly scolding myself for my immaturity, I inhaled a
deep breath and thanked the elderly man who held the door for me. Stepping
inside the foyer, I scanned the crowd, wondering what eye-scalding eclectic
outfit Christian would be sporting for such a grand occasion. The man had a
penchant for anything neon, and wore it proudly. Spotting him immediately, I
smiled while his spiked bleached white hair tipped in neon orange assaulted my
eyes.

“Mellie,” Christian squealed as he rushed toward me,
wearing a subdued black tux with tails. With a dainty hug he air-kissed my
cheeks then stepped back. “You look stunning.”

“Thank you, Christian. You’re looking handsomely
formal this evening.”

“It’s a special night,” he announced with a shiver of
excitement.

“Yes, indeed it is. Is Joshua Lars here?” I asked,
trying to keep my tone as blasé as possible.