Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
Beverly
Beverly could understand how she’d forgotten to submit. After all, the last time she’d done so had been five years ago. What she was having a hard time comprehending was how she could have possibly forgotten how submitting for a “reminder” of who was in control hurt. As the final one of the dozen was delivered, she was almost wishing she’d kept her mouth shut when reminding him he hadn’t bared her ass.
But only almost.
The hand he’d used to roast her had come to rest, strong fingers kneading soft flesh as if to ensure the heat of each stroke was driven deep.
“You’re far redder than I expected,” Gordon said as he leaned against her body to once again speak against her ear. “When was the last time you were spanked?”
Beverly turned her head slightly to meet his gaze. “The morning you sent me away.”
Gordon’s eyes showed his surprise before the color changed to the steel-blue she loved. “I didn’t send you away, Bev. I sent you to safety.”
She nodded. “The truth doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
“I know.” He straightened, pulling her up and against his chest again, crushing his lips to hers.
This was something she’d never forgotten.
Blake’s kisses contained the sweetness of submission of a Little.
Even when he was her Big boy, there was a gentleness to him that had wormed its way into her heart and her soul.
Gordon’s kisses were rougher, harder, containing the authority of domination and the expectation of being granted her submission.
They were different and yet she loved each equally.
When he pulled back, it took her a moment to steady herself. She pressed a finger against her lips, feeling his claim as if he’d branded her.
“Do you really think we can do this? You know, all of us together?”
Gordon looked toward the curtain. “I can’t promise we can,” he said before he turned back to her. “All I can promise is that we’re going to give it one hell of a try. Is that something you feel you can do?”
“Yes.”
“We say yes too, Daddy,”
Beverly noticed that this time Gordon didn’t bother to pretend he’d not heard the Littles or that Blake hadn’t given his own response. Perhaps her own Little was just allowing Lori to speak for the both of them. All she and Gordon could do was lead by example, letting both Littles know their Bigs had spoken the truth. She wanted this more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.
“Unless you want our Little ones to see how their Mommy’s bottom looks after getting spanked, I suggest you pull down your dress.”
Beverly gave a gasp and reached down, then bent forward, her hands going to her knees, and her gaze dropping to her ankles before looking up at him. “What happened to my panties?”
“I do believe I already told you my preference.”
Beverly felt her face begin to burn as hotly as her bottom. “Gordon! You can’t expect me to go without my underwear.”
“I do believe we’ve already established that as well. Not only can I, unless you safeword, that is exactly what I expect.”
“But I’m… I’m at work!”
“Babe, you work at a kink resort.”
How could she have forgotten how the quirk of his eyebrow affected her. Disbelief wasn’t all that flooded through her. Arousal curled in her belly. She might have stood there for hours trying to assimilate that her Dominant was really back, but the moment she saw his arm reach up and heard the first rattle of metal rings as he began to pull the curtain open, she forgot all about her panties as she tried to pull her uniform back down to cover her bottom. Once it fell past her hips, she sighed in relief, smoothing as many wrinkles out of the fabric as she could. When she looked up, it was to see Gordon’s slight smirk and two Littles who looked as if they were about to explode.
Huffing, she reached up to straighten her cap, only to discover it had come loose. Finding it on the bed she’d been positioned over, she took a deep breath and looked at Gordon, giving him her best glare.
Gordon simply held up his hands. “Don’t blame this on me. I wasn’t the mouthy one.”
Really? Then care to explain why my lips feel bruised?
Not about to go there, she knew it was going to take some time and probably a few more smacks on her ass for her to remember she was no longer the top link in this chain. That honor belonged to him though she had no doubt he’d share the authority when it came to the Littles who were watching like hawks to see what happened.
“Alright, you two, go ahead and get it out of your system before I have to do CPR when your hearts stop from lack of oxygen.”
Lori beat Blake by no more than a few seconds, both of them releasing the laughter and the tension she knew had built inside the moment she and Gordon had disappeared behind the curtain. She gave them until she’d pinned her hat back into its proper place and washed her hands. But once she’d returned to the tray, she was fully back in her role as Rawhide’s head nurse.
“Would you like to assist me, Sir?” she asked.
“I’d love to, Nurse MacIntosh,” Gordon said, kissing her cheek before accepting the cloth and bowl for a second time.
It was more like three-quarters of an hour had passed before the four walked out of the elevator on the second floor. “It’s that one,” Beverly said as they walked toward an open doorway. Not a soul questioned why they were late. Instead, Master Derek stood and gestured to the L-shaped couch that Beverly knew was not in its normal position. It had been pushed back several feet to allow room for folding chairs to be set up. In front of the those, bean-bag chairs of every color of the rainbow were currently occupied by Littles who’d become Lori’s friends.
“You and Scott sit here,” Lori directed Blake as she patted the cushion next to her. Once he had taken a seat, she tucked Fauna into the space between them and then slid her hand into his and smiled as Blake placed Scott next to the Powerpuff doll.
Their connection was uncanny and made every maternal bone in Beverly’s body sit up and take notice.
The four watched as Derek and Jared approached with cups of coffee for the Bigs, while Sadie and Erika set mugs of hot chocolate on the coffee table for the Littles. Hayleigh lost one of the cookies on the plate in her left hand, but her quick reaction of leaning forward enabled Lori to reach out and catch it instead of it hitting the floor.
“Impressive save,” Blake said.
“Five-second rule!” Lori said as she took a bite before adding it to the others on her plate.
But it was the tray Chef Connor placed on the table that had Blake saying, “Whoa,” at the same time Lori squealed, “Sprinkles!”
“She hasn’t changed much has she?” Beverly gave Gordon a huge smile.
“Name me a Little who doesn’t go bonkers over sprinkles.”
Beverly couldn’t, so they helped their Littles doctor their cocoa until she was pretty sure if they actually consumed all that whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate shavings, and marshmallows she’d be attending to upset tummies before bedtime. But wasn’t that often the case when the Littles of Rawhide were practically given the keys to the cocoa bar?
It was the lack of giggles, chatter, and exclamations of astonishment as they tried to outdo their past creations that had Beverly look toward the other Littles in the room. Frivolity had been replaced by unfamiliar decorum as Littles sat before their Bigs, all waiting silently, faces upturned in anticipation of hearing a story.
“What’s the matter?” Gordon’s question was asked softly so as not to draw Lori or Blake’s attention away from their treats.
A feeling of unease washed over her as she looked at the man she’d loved for years and the two Littles she would willingly die for if it kept them from being hurt more than they had been already.
“Maybe this isn’t a good idea.” Her eyes flicked to their audience, before returning to Gordon’s. “They are expecting to hear a… a fairytale. What Lori and Blake… what you went through was a horror story.”
Gordon slipped his arm around her and she knew he could feel her trembling when he pulled her closer. His breath was warm against her ear as he spoke to her and her alone.
“You’re right in that the last few years are better suited for M. Night Shyamalan than Pixar.”
Beverly pulled away just enough to be able to tilt her head back to lock eyes with his. “I’ll take Lori and Blake back to the infirmary. You can tell Derek we changed our minds and then come get us…” She stopped speaking when Gordon shook his head. “Right, it’s better if I can take them to my house and you…”
“No, Bev.”
“Why not! You can’t possibly want Blake and Lori to relive all this shit when they’ve finally put it behind them!”
Instead of answering, Gordon turned her slightly to see that Blake and Lori were no longer trying to outdo each other in constructing the best hot-chocolate masterpiece. Instead, their mugs sat forgotten as they stared up at the Bigs.
“There’s your answer. They haven’t put it behind them?—”
“They have!” Beverly knew her voice was a bit strident but she was desperate not to cause any more harm to her babies.
Blake reached out and took her hand. “He’s right?—”
“He can’t be! Not when you’ve come so far. Not when I’ve tried to protect you…” Her Little boy’s eyes told the truth. Reminded her of his terror every time the nightmare gripped him. “But I-I haven’t, have I?”
“Being with you has allowed me to survive them, but you can’t make the dreams stop. No more than I can fill the hole in your heart caused by the absence of those you loved before…”
“Oh, babyboy, please, please don’t think that. You’re my heart?—”
Blake cut her off. “I know you love me, Mommy. I love you too, but I saw your face when we were in the woods. I watched you with Lori and Gordon. I may be Little, but I’m big enough to know I’m not able to fill all your heart. You need Lori and Gordon for that.”
The pain in his voice had Beverly’s heart aching and Gordon taking charge.
“If we want to walk into a future free of fear, of pain, we have to break the hold the past has on all of us. The only way we will ever beat it is if we do so together. That is why the story has got to be told one last time. Are we agreed?”
One by one the others nodded, tears blinked back as Beverly moved to hug both the Littles while Gordon turned to address the others.
“First, you have to know this story isn’t just about one of us. It is about all of us.” He looked at Blake. “You are the only one who knows how it all started that night. Do you think you can share it?”
Beverly saw the hesitation, the flare of fear in her Little boy’s eyes. “Pumpkin, I know this is hard, but we all agreed it is the right thing to do.”
Blake looked unconvinced, his fingers visibly trembling against the cookie they held. “I-I don’t think I-I can.”
Needing him to know she was there, Beverly sat and tugged him onto her lap while Gordon did the same with Lori. The Littles were still close enough to reach out and hold hands or offer a touch of reassurance.
Beverly felt a loving warmth flood through her when Gordon’s arm draped against the back of the loveseat. She spoke to Blake. “We are all right here with you. If it gets too hard, you can stop. Do you remember what we talked about the night the nightmare came back?” With his nod, she continued, “Once you tell your story, it won’t have any power over you. It won’t be able to frighten you anymore.”
Her words were accompanied by Lori’s soft smile as she reached up to touch his cheek.
“I don’t want you to be scared to go to sleep again. Tell the story, Blake. Tell them how you saved me from the monsters. Tell them how you were my angel.”