Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ashleigh
A low hum fills my brain as I force my eyes open. Dimness shrouds me, making my heart kick up for just a moment. It’s not until I see the dean’s broad, bare back as he sits on the edge of the bed that it quiets down. Even the darkness is okay as long as he’s here with me.
Sappy as that sounds.
Sentimental, as that may seem.
A nineteen-year-old waxing poetic. Who would have thought? When everyone said I was an old soul, I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean this. And yet, as I lie there naked on a set of silken sheets, staring at a man at least double my age, my soul feels weary.
How am I going to explain this? Who’s going to listen? Who’s going to even care to hear my side of it?
Father would be disappointed. That much is for sure. But then, just me being at this damned school is enough to make him disappointed in me, much less fucking a man who should be off limits. It would probably be yet one more thing filed into the category of ‘I just don’t understand you.’ Or, ‘why can’t you just be like the other little rich girls who dream of marrying and continuing the bloodlines?’
Mother had these very plans for me. No doubt she’s spread them far and wide, including such prominent members into the planning as the esteemed gardening club. Granted, those plans involved Caldwell, and the very thought of his tepid hands touching me makes my stomach churn as bile rises in my throat.
No. No matter what happens, the good dean has ruined me for all men.
No one else will make me burn like he did. No one else will bring my mind to the brink of madness, only to yank me back to safety. Am I really safe, though? All I know about the man is my infatuation with him.
Now that I’m lying here without any sort of stimulation, reality does its best to settle in. I can only push it away so far before my mind will demand answers.
“I can hear you thinking,” he grumbles as a dark chuckle dances in the air. “Seems as if your orgasm wasn’t as good as I thought it was. You should still be a pile of goo in the bed right now.”
As he turns to me, his eyes hold a slight glint, as if he finds the whole thing completely humorous. That’s good at least.
“I suppose you’ll just have to make a repeat performance then,” I tease. “The first one didn’t stick.”
“About that. There are some things that need to happen before I can actually fuck you again. Here. Take this.”
From off the side table, he pulls a glass of water and a small pill. Confused, I take them both and stare up at him. “I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t use protection. I can’t and won’t let you get pregnant.”
Relief floods my veins, making me nearly sag against the bed. “Is that all? God. I thought you were going to tell me you have, like, a month to live or something. Like, dude. Read the room. It’s all good. I’m on the pill. It’s okay. I don’t want babies either. At least not for a good long while. And that’s still a major if.”
Dean Anderson’s shoulders drop a good inch or so as his face goes slack. “That’s good to know. Either way, I need you to take this. Just to make sure nothing happens.”
“I don’t think it’s necessary, but if you insist.”
“I do.”
His gaze bores into mine as he watches me, studying every move as I take the pill and swallow it down. Even after it leaves my mouth, he continues to watch me. With a soft giggle, I open my mouth and stick out my tongue, showing him there’s nothing left.
“Satisfied? I’m not trying to trap you. I promise. I have goals and ambitions that don’t include a child. I may be young myself, but I know who I am and what I want.”
Finally, a soft smile eases the stern expression off of his face. “I can see that. It’s one of the many things I find so admirable about you.”
“Admirable,” I joke, running my hand down his forearm in an unpracticed attempt to flirt and seduce him. “Admirable? That’s the best word you can come up with?”
“What word would you use instead, my wicked fae? You who caress words with your lips as beautifully as they nestle my cock between them?”
“Well, that was poetic. Didn’t expect that from you.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” And with that, his expression shutters once more.
“No,” I agree, sliding closer to him. “I don’t. But I’d like to learn.”
“We’ve been here too long. I’ve got to get you into your new dorm.”
Everything freezes as he yanks on a pair of sweats and a simple t-shirt. Somehow, even dressed so casually, he exudes a sexual lethality that makes my insides clench and arousal gather at my pussy. There’s such an ease to how he moves in this space. It’s very clear he owns it as much as he owns me.
“Don’t worry, pet. I’m not going to make you go out there naked.” The soft pajamas he hands me are plain yet speak of an intangible quality.
We’re both silent as we finish dressing, and with each passing second, the unease grows until it’s difficult to bear. “D- Dean... I mean Master... I mean...”
Instead of answering, he pulls me close to him and tips my chin so he can smother my lips with his own. Heat swirls through me, gluing me to the spot until I sway further into him. I feel nothing, hear nothing, know nothing other than the demand of his body as he forces his tongue into my mouth.
Harsh breaths intermingle as he pulls back and stares down at me, his gaze searching for something I can’t even begin to guess. Still, he doesn’t speak as he pulls my hand in his and walks me out into the castle. We pass by room after room outfitted for all manner of deviant activities, and as much as I want to explore, Dean Anderson seems hell-bent on getting me out of here.
Sorrow lances my heart as we enter the main room where the initiation took place. I’m no longer allowed back here. I get it intellectually, but to know I’m not allowed in a main facet of Dean Anderson’s life just drives home how distant we really are.
“Keys.”
“Oh. They’re probably still with my clothes in the other room.”
We grab them and as I move to take them from his hand, he dances them out of reach. “I am more than capable of driving whatever limited-edition car of the week you might have.”
My brows furrow as we step out into the icy chill. “Do you really think so little of me? It’s a Toyota. Pure and simple. I got it for my sixteenth birthday because I knew Toyotas were reliable and easy to deal with. It has all the normal accessories with nothing added. I’m not nearly as impractical as you must think I am.”
“Forgive me,” he grumbles, squeezing my hand. “I’m not really myself right now.”
“Well, that’s evident. If you don’t want to fuck me anymore, just say so. I’d rather you get it over with than let me continue thinking we’re something we’re clearly not.”
“It’s not that simple, my pet. And there is no getting over you. Not now. Not ever. I cannot let you go. But that doesn’t mean things haven’t changed. They have in the most fundamental way.”
“Then tell me. Please. I’d rather know than wonder.”
“First, I need to get you into your new dorm.”
“You said that. But what’s wrong with my old dorm? It’s just how I like it.”
“It’s not safe.”
“From who?”
“Anyone? Everyone? I need you to be safe for me. I need to know you’re okay. I can only do that where I know I can keep an eye on you.”
“So spying on me. That’s what it’s come down to? You’re going to spy on me?”
“I already told you I own you. That means I take care of my property. If it means taking away your precious privacy, then I’m more than willing to do it. Let’s go. I don’t want to keep Todd waiting.”
* * *
The sterile walls threaten to close in on me as the men speak, as if I’m not there. Though I catch bits and pieces of it, it’s not as if I really understand what’s being said. Technobabble and whatnot. All I really know is that no one can come into my room without the dean knowing about it.
I suppose that should make me feel safe, but it would be better to know what or who I’m being protected from. Not that Dean Anderson is saying anything. Granted, given what I’ve seen from the company he keeps, maybe it’s really better if I don’t know.
Eventually, it’s just him and me alone in this small room about half the size of my other one. Not that I really care all that much about the space, but it doesn’t feel fair. The one good thing about it is there’s an adjoining bathroom I don’t have to share with anyone. It almost makes it worth it. Almost.
A soft sigh slips from my lips as I sit down on the bed and look around. “I suppose there’s no making this space mine?”
“What makes you say that?”
“As we passed by the closed dorm doors, there’s nothing to indicate who lives there. There’s no personality here. No individuality.”
“Very astute. Correct as usual. For most of the submissives here, they’re unowned and must conform to a standard so that it’s easier to control the situations as they arise. Also, most of those in The Society are here because they did something wrong. So, in essence, this could be seen as part of their punishment.”
“And me? What did I do that was so wrong?”
“Until you showed up at the initiation, nothing. And that’s the problem. If you were any other normal student, I would have found a way to get you in my clutches a lot sooner. I just had to fall for a highly intelligent girl who doesn’t need anything.”
“Except you.”
The words hang between us for a moment, and as he stares at me, I worry he didn’t hear them. Or worse, he heard them and didn’t give a shit.
“And I need you,” he eventually murmurs as he pulls me into a tight embrace. “That’s the real reason you’re in here. It’s why no one can know who you are to me. It’s imperative you keep this a secret, Ashleigh. For many reasons, but your safety is paramount.”
“What’s the worst that can happen? So people know you’re fucking a student. I’m sure it’s a thing that happens.”
“If I were a teacher here, you’d be right. But even Professor Richards is careful about who knows he’s engaged to Melody. Not every teacher here is in The Society. Sure, he could get away with a lot, but again, he’s just a teacher. I’m the head of this whole damned school and The Society. Until I met you, I didn’t give a damn about either of those things. But now I have more than just myself to think about. I have something far more precious than me.”
Though his words are flattering, there’s still that niggle of unease that courses through me. What isn’t he telling me? Should I actually be concerned? Or is he just being overprotective?
Exhaustion floods my body as my brain struggles to keep thinking of all the questions I could possibly have. “What happens now?”
“Now, I take care of my property. Into the bathroom.”