Surreal (Divine Trilogy #3) (4 page)

The girls chatted while the car made its way back across the Metroplex. Jillian relayed stories about her grandkids. Erin was excited to see everyone later that month for a big Thanksgiving feast at the Flying M Ranch. It sounded like the twins were growing up way too fast.

Their conversation drifted through various topics—Erin’s work, how her Da had settled in as part of the crew at the Ranch, and Landon and Paige’s honeymoon plans in Jamaica.

The last had Erin fighting not to laugh. She knew the couple were booked into a BDSM retreat on the island. However, Jillian did not, and Paige’s answers were as vague as possible.

In spite of a midday traffic jam on the George Bush Tollway, they managed to arrive at Tailored by Tanner with ten minutes to spare.

Diane, the dressmaker’s assistant, welcomed them with a broad smile that displayed chemically whitened teeth. After collecting their drink requests—sweet tea all around—she disappeared into the back.

To pass the time, Erin strolled around the compact sales floor, browsing.

London Tanner made one-of-a-kind dresses. When a wedding gown was custom, the price tended to fall into two categories—“a lot” or “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

Paige wanted a pirate-wench gown done in peach and white seashell colors. Erin had sat in on their initial consultation and had
not
asked about the cost afterward. The thought of that much money being spent on a costume that would be worn for just a few hours was ludicrous.

London’s business was steady enough that she was able to spend her days consulting and designing. The physical production of the dresses was left to her crew of skillful seamstresses. This left her time to create about one gown each month to go on the rack at a lower price. The catch for the reduced price gowns was that London designed each piece with a certain body type in mind. If a bride loved a dress and it wasn’t in her size, too bad.

Erin froze, her eyes landing on an ivory strapless gown mounted on a dress form in the corner. Though it wasn’t quite finished, it had an understated simplicity, and she was drawn to it. A moment later, she was fingering the draped material of the lower skirt.
Chiffon, and it feels so luxurious
. The thought pulled a tiny giggle from her. She couldn’t believe she was getting excited over a dress. It was so . . . girly.
How could she resist the gown, though?
It made her think of a Greek goddess but with a modern edge—the sharp points of the bodice’s edge and the angular ruching over the torso gave it a corseted look. When she stepped back to take it in, it dawned on her that the gown looked about her size.

A bustle of activity erupted behind her.

“Hello, hello, hello.” London made a grand entrance. “I’ll be with you momentarily, my darlings. Let me put my things down and grab the designs—”

“I have them here, Miss. Let me take your bag.” Diane stood by, ready to swap with London.

“Ah, wonderful. Remind me to give you a raise, Diane. Paige, Erin, lovely to see you again. And who is this?” London turned her attention to Jillian.

“This is my fiancé’s mother, Jillian Masterson. She’s up visiting from Sweetwater. Jillian, this is London Tanner.” Erin watched the women size one another up and rolled her eyes. She’d never understand high society. “I love the dress you’re working on in the corner, London. Is it for a customer?” Maybe a distraction would move this along.

London tossed her head back and laughed. “Aren’t you an observant little thing? In fact, it is, but we’ll talk more about that later. First, I’ve got some amazing ideas for your wedding ensemble, Paige.”

London’s voice faded into the background. The knowledge that the dress was spoken for hit Erin with an unexpected sadness and disappointment. Even so, she turned her head to look at it again and sighed. The longer she looked, the more convinced she became that it would fit her. If only she’d known what she wanted when she’d come with Paige last time, Erin could’ve put a bid in with London. Now some other bride would be wearing
her
perfect dress.

“Oh, what a great idea, and I love the color. What do you think, Erin?”

Paige’s excited twang brought Erin out of her thoughts. “I’m sorry, my head drifted for a minute. What did you say?” Out of her peripheral vision, Erin noticed that Jillian was observing her with a curious look on her face.

With a frown, Paige reached out to touch Erin’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay, sweetie?”

“I’m fine, silly. Show me.”

They spent the next half hour perusing sketches of Paige’s gown and her bridesmaid’s dresses from multiple angles. London had nailed Paige’s vision for her dress and had delighted her with a wrap-style bridesmaid gown design that would be fun but formal. Done in deep coral, the dresses would fall to mid-thigh and were designed to look like bathing suit cover-ups, except with fancy pleating and jeweled twist work at the neck.

“You’re pleased, then?” London asked.

“Absolutely. What you’ve come up with, London,” Paige clasped her hands and beamed, “has captured my vision and then some. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to see them finished.”

Relaxing, the designer let out a breath. “Well, that will be the next challenge. February isn’t much time, Missy.”

Paige blushed and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know what I wanted, not until Landon suggested we echo our beach trip. Once he said that, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and I came straight to you.”

“No worries, dear. I have every confidence my girls will get your order ready with no mishaps. Now, I’m going to let Diane take you to the desk and sort out your payment and fitting schedules while I have a little chat with Erin.”

Erin’s eyes snapped over to the woman.
Had she done something wrong?

London had a soft smile playing at the edge of her mouth. “Jillian, would you be a doll and join us?”

Jillian agreed at once. Erin fell into step behind the two women and soon found herself back in front of the ivory gown. “As I was saying earlier, Erin, you are observant. I think you know that I take on side projects when inspiration strikes?”

She nodded, her heart catching in her throat.

“Well, I was inspired when you came in last month with Ms. Halston.”

Now Erin’s mouth popped open while the pieces began to fall into place. “Oh? How’s that?” She brushed an errant red tendril from her forehead, trying to keep her encroaching excitement tamped down.

London turned to the dress and waved her hand over it. “This.”

Happy tears began to prick at the corner of Erin’s eyes, and she felt the smile spreading on her face.

“You were so subdued and patient while I talked with her. After you left, I envisioned this beauty. I sketched it at once, along with some ideas for bridesmaids and flower girl dresses. Those are still on paper, but I wanted to have the gown ready today to surprise you. Of course, the price will be reduced since I was taking liberties.”

Next to Erin, Jillian scoffed. “Money really isn’t an issue for my son.”

“Regardless,” Erin coughed, a bit embarrassed, “I’m gobsmacked at the gesture, London. Thank you. I’ve not been able to take my eyes off the thing since I noticed it. Even at full price, I’d buy it. It’s just what I wanted without knowing it.”

London squealed, and it was odd seeing the usually composed woman let her hair down.

“Wonderful! Let’s have you try it on so I can see how close I was on your size, and then we’ll see about setting a time to go over the rest of the sketches.”

Blinking, Erin found herself in a whirlwind of activity when Jillian ushered her into the changing room. Behind them, London followed with the dress.

“Everything off but your panties,” the designer ordered, drawing the curtain closed across the opening. “Given the bodice design, you won’t be wearing any brassiere with it, so I need to ensure we don’t leave it too snug or too loose.”

Eager to see the dress on, Erin yanked her shirt off and unclasped the front of her bra without thinking. She tossed her bra to the side then moved to step into the gown.

“Good God, Erin! What are those?” Jillian had one hand over her mouth in apparent shock while a shaky finger pointed at Erin’s chest—where her son’s initials dangled.

Oops
. At least she’d worn high-waist panties today—her tattoo hadn’t been revealed. Wouldn’t that have been awkward? Her mind was looking for an explanation but coming up blank. She knew their Lifestyle wasn’t an open topic between Jayden and his parents.
Shit, shit, shit
.

“Oh, Jillian, you know how the young kids are these days. Ink and metal all over their bodies. Though, I have seen some beautiful artwork,” London said, taking the lead.

Erin exhaled, blowing the curls back from her face. More locks had come loose when she removed her shirt.

“But why an initi—”

“I did it for Jayden,” Erin blurted out, cutting over Jillian, whose eyebrows rose with her sharp intake of breath.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, um, like London said, it’s a . . . thing. Anyways, I did it as a surprise for Jayden, to, um, well, show him that I belong to him . . .”

Jillian blanched, and Erin could’ve kicked herself.
Jesus, she was fucking this up
.

“Suck in, and puff those girls out,” London ordered while slipping the dress up over Erin’s hips and torso, covering the offending jewels.

Easy enough
, she thought and inhaled a jagged breath. The bodice cinched against her like a corset. Though snug, for the first time since this ordeal started, Erin relaxed, and her mind cleared. She felt safer when bound.

The silence was broken when Paige sauntered into the crowded changing room and her mouth dropped open. “Jayden’s going to bust a nut when he sees you in that!”

It was so crass, and so Paige-like, that Erin burst out laughing, and the others joined in. Catching her breath, Erin caught her friend’s eye across the small space. Paige winked.
Sneaky girl
. Erin owed her one.

The distraction seemed to do the trick, and once everyone had convinced Erin she had to get married in London’s design, they finished up and piled back into the car. For the moment, the incident seemed forgotten. After stopping at the spa to get mani/pedis done, they picked up some curbside dinner from a nearby restaurant and were soon on their way back to the Villa.

“Please, Erin, it’s been a busy day for you. You should be enjoying the first night in your new home and putting up your feet. Let Jayden and me do the cleanup.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Erin tried to argue, but Jillian wasn’t having it.

“I insist, dear. Go on upstairs and relax. It’ll give my son and me a chance to catch up with each other.” Jayden’s mother moved behind his chair and brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders.

Erin’s eyes sought his, probably hoping to see that he had some idea of what Jillian was up to. He didn’t, so he shrugged in response. The last thing he expected was Erin mumbling “I’m sorry” against his lips when she came over to kiss him before leaving the dining room.

She knew something after all—and had left him to face it alone. Jayden blinked at the spot where Erin had been, then turned to face his mother.

“Hop to it, son. I’ll wash, you dry.”

Fifteen minutes later they were almost done, but Jillian hadn’t said a word. It was bugging the hell out of him. His mother had always been excellent at the game of ‘let the subconscious guilt build until you cave and confess all.’
Dammit, she was going to win this round, too.
Except, he had no idea what he needed to confess.

“I thought you wanted to catch up, Mom? An actual exchange of words would be a good way to facilitate that,” he prodded while trying to keep his tone light.

“M’hm.” She rinsed a glass and handed it to him.

Jayden tried again. “Did you girls have fun today?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly?”
Uh-oh, here it comes
, he thought.

“Yes, Jayden. Mostly. The day had been delightful, and then I was helping Erin try on a wedding gown—”

“Mom! You weren’t supposed to hijack her today.”

“Hush your tone with me, young man. You should’ve seen how she was eyeballing that thing. Besides, London insisted she try it on. It was the one by the way—she’s stunning in it.”

Jayden groaned.

“Anyway, the cut of the dress doesn’t allow for a bra . . .”

This wasn’t going to be good
. He swallowed, bracing himself.

“I saw—well, that is to say, I think I saw—”

“Just spit it out, Mom.”

Jillian sucked in a breath. “Why does Erin have your initial hanging from her,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “breasts?” His mom stood there blinking at him.

He erupted with laughter, which carried on full and hearty for several minutes, while he watched his mother’s emotions warp and change from awkward defiance, to shock, and then concern.

It was the last which sobered him, and he stepped forward to take her hand. “Mom, you and I agreed several years ago that my personal . . . preferences were not open for discussion so long as I was happy and not hurting anyone.”

“Jayden Matthew Masterson,” she gasped his name.

He could see her gears turning and knew he had seconds before it clicked.

“Are you telling me you tie up and beat that precious girl?”

A slight nod was all the answer he was allowed to give before her hands started flailing around her head and she began to pace, murmuring incoherently.

“Mom, enough.” It still wasn’t her business, and at almost forty years old, he would not allow himself to be scolded like a child.

Jillian’s mouth opened then closed.

“Everything between Erin and me is consensual. I don’t do anything to—or with—her or her body that she doesn’t want. And I’m happy.” Jayden wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the balls to be this blunt with his mother, but she had to understand. He wouldn’t let her think, for one minute, that what he had with Erin was anything but right.

Her eyes shot up to his, studying him. “You are.”

He started nodding, a goofy grin reshaping his mouth. “Yeah, I really am.”

Though never one for touchy-feely moments growing up, Jayden had always had a soft spot for his momma’s hugs, and this time was no different. As soon as she wrapped him in her arms, a silent understanding passed between them.

With a final squeeze, his mother stepped back. “She’s a special girl, Jayden. And you’re special, too, son. I can see it when you’re apart, and it’s unmistakable when you’re together.”

“What’s that, Mom?”

“How much you two love each other.” She smiled and hung up the hand towel she’d been folding and re-folding while they talked. “I’m going to have the driver take me back to the condo now. Your father should be getting back from his meeting soon. You keep loving Erin with all that you are, Jayden. Pour your heart, mind, and body into it, and you’ll survive anything life throws at you. Remember that.”

Obediently, he nodded.

“See you in a couple of weeks at the Ranch. I can’t wait to have all of my kids under one roof again.” She kissed his cheek and walked out, tossing a wave back over her shoulder.

Jayden took a few minutes to consider the gravity of her words, not moving from his spot until he heard the front door close. His mother had said to love Erin with all of his being. Considering he’d been away from her most of the day, it was past time to show her just how much he loved her.

Starting with a spanking—for pleasure, of course.

*~*~*

“Catherine O’Chancey, you have some explaining to do, little girl!”

She heard him shout from the hallway right before the bedroom door flew open. He’d lost his tee, and his jeans were undone, the fly hanging open. With the way his hands were perched on his hips and how his dark, hooded eyes looked at her, he appeared intimidating—and delicious. Erin squealed and ducked under the covers to the echo of his laughter.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” His voice was near—he’d come closer.

The bedding disappeared, and her body tightened all over. Excitement prickled her flesh, drawing her nipples into hard rocks and sending signals to her groin to prepare for her lover.

“Fuck, Erin. Where are your clothes?” he rasped out.

“Pesky things would just get in the way . . .
Master
.” Aroused and wanting to be ravaged, she reclined back on her elbows and opened her legs, offering herself.

Large, powerful hands wrapped around her thighs, and then she was being dragged across the expensive cotton sheets. Seconds later, Erin discovered the rest of his clothes were now gone. In one swift move, he filled her with his cock, drawing a hiss from her at the force of the impact deep inside her.

With the next beat of her heart, he was gone and her body was being flipped over. Her hips were yanked upward, and his warm palm met the small of her back. Erin squirmed under the pressure of his hand while he slid it down her spine toward her head, where he gripped her neck then drove her face into the mattress.

She turned her head to the side, and a loud grunt escaped her when Jayden smacked her ass, which was sticking up in the air. This position allowed the strength of his strike to sink in and vibrate through her. Another pop echoed around the room, and white-hot heat danced across her bottom. Her body was responding, swelling and becoming slick—preparing to accept anything He offered.

Fingers slid into her wetness, making her choke on the air she’d been sucking in. Just as unexpectedly, they were taken back like his cock had been minutes before, leaving her open and empty. Yet another smack, chased by a flutter of gentle kisses upon her stinging backside, dragged a lusty sound from her lips.

“Are you a cock slut, Catherine?” He pushed a digit back in then teased it out of her. “I can see your welcoming hole. I’m watching those shiny pussy muscles of yours clench at the air in desperation.”

Again he teased her, running his fingers over her swollen lips but not penetrating this time . . . Back and forth he rubbed, coaxing her natural juices from within and heightening her need. At last, he pulled back to give her a succession of quick, sharp spanks, and then shoved his fingers back inside.

Grinding back against his hand, she huffed out a thank you to her Master. Resuming the slow, taunting rhythm, he worked in and out of her until she was begging for him to give her more, go faster—do something to get her
there
.

Then he stopped.

Again.

God, how she wanted to scream out in frustration. The whole of her body felt alive, like hundreds of pins were pricking her. Tingling all over, she didn’t have to wait long for his next move. This time it wasn’t his hand smacking her bottom. It was something heavier and wider, and it drew a loud satisfied groan from the submissive upon contact.

A peek over her shoulder revealed a martial arts target pad in his hand. With a loud
wallop
, the pad connected with her ass again. Catherine freed her mind to Him with a body-wracking shudder.

Master laid into her with the implement. Her lucidity faded fast with the rising levels of sexual need. One strike blended into the next until her bottom and the back of her thighs were nothing but a buzzing zone of warmth. The good feeling radiated outward from her core, and Catherine’s breaths leveled to a controlled in-and-out. She was dropping, each spank taking her deeper into subspace.

Everything became fuzzy—a melding, warping blob of sensation and euphoria during which He allowed her to come several times before satisfying himself with her body.

Erin woke a few hours later, needing a drink and to use the bathroom. She found a full glass of water on the nightstand, along with some ibuprofen, which she took gratefully once she scooted to the edge of the bed and discovered how tender her ass was.
He’d had fun with her
. The thought made her smile, and a warm feeling spread through her.

Coming back from the bathroom, she perched on the edge of the bed to watch Jayden sleep. A gap in the curtain allowed in enough moonlight for her to make out her man’s features. In repose, the lines of his face were less intense, and she imagined his younger self used to appear like that all of the time before life and adulthood sank in their claws. Funny what time could do, how it could shatter dreams—or make them come true—in the blink of an eye.

Thoughts formed in her head. What if she’d met Him first, instead of Spencer? Would they still be the perfect match they were? Did the what-ifs really matter at that point? This was her life now, and she was content.

She maneuvered herself under the covers and tucked in next to him, smiling when he wrapped an arm around her without waking. Sleep overtook her with a final, distressing thought.

Did content mean happy?