Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Helena carefully stepped out of her bathtub and into her fluffy black towel. She looked into her mirror, posing this way and that and pinching certain areas she thought needed improvement. No way Grayson didn’t notice her tummy pooch or double chin as she hunched over and studied her material. But he didn’t seem to care. All he was concerned about was making sure she was safe and taken care of as he walked her out of the bookstore.
She brushed out her hair until her phone pinged on the bathroom counter. Her chest briefly sank when the number flashing was one she didn’t recognize, perhaps one she forgot to block and delete. Nervously, she picked it up and sighed. Just a spam message.
She scrolled through her contacts for the hundredth time to be sure there was no name she saw in there that was unwanted.
She was sure she had blocked Daniel’s number, but he always had a way of finding her contact information again. He would change his name and find her social media or get a new number.
Helena blocked every single attempt, but he was relentless. Her skin crawled as she remembered his face nose to nose with hers, doing his best to intimidate her while barely raising his voice, or being eons too rough with her when they were in bed.
She slammed her phone down. No. He would not ruin her night. He was hours away, probably drowning himself in booze at this hour. Just like her father used to.
She hadn’t seen him since she was a child. Was he even still alive? She and her mother made it out and survived. But the damage has already been done. Her mother was with a nice man now and they had a nice comfortable life. But she’d never truly bonded with her stepfather, though not for lack of trying. Raymond was nice enough, but he wasn’t her father. As for her stepsiblings, about the kindest thing she could say was that they tolerated one another… if only just barely. None showed much interest in her life or interests.
Grayson did.
She couldn’t resist picking up her phone again and googling his name. He said he was an addiction counselor in the area. Sure enough, his name popped up on a local treatment center’s website, complete with a little biography and a professional photograph.
She bit her lip and called him. He’d said he wanted her to. So why did she feel like she was disturbing him?
Surely, he had better things to do.
In two rings he picked up.
“Hey, gorgeous. Finished with your bath?”
“Yeah, I’m just settling in for the night.”
Helena had forgotten she was still in her towel and shrugged it off to get her pajamas on.
“Good. You didn’t drink too much did you?”
“And if I did?”
“You’ll have a headache in the morning, and I may have to come over there and take care of you.”
Helena balked and covered her mouth to keep from laughing.
Wait, he couldn’t come even if that was the case. Her apartment was on the second floor, and it was an outdoor breezeway.
“Um… speaking of that. If we wanted to get together like you said, I think I would have to come to you. I live in a second-floor apartment.”
“That’s perfectly okay, it isn’t your fault. I’d love to have you over for dinner.”
He cooks too.
Helena beamed as she tugged her sleep shorts on.
“I thought buildings had to have ramps by law or something.” She remembered reading about it in her search.
“Well, units aren’t required to be compliant with the ADA. That’s the Americans with Disabilities Act. Legally, I can’t be denied a rental property because of my disability, though rarely are there available units which would be ground floor. The public space around it, like the sidewalk and parking lot, must be compliant, like with a curb cut.”
“Oh… that doesn’t make any sense, that’s so unfair.” How the hell did she not know any of this?
“It doesn’t. But I got lucky and I own my house. It wasn’t easy, but it’s been modified to suit my needs. I have a ramp that my father and I built to get me in and out, and most things are easily within my reach.”
His father built him an accessible ramp? Helena could rarely remember a time her own father did something for her.
“So, you wouldn’t mind getting together again?”
“Mind? Babygirl, it would kill me never to see you again.”
And just like that Helena was a puddle, falling onto her bed and hugging her pillow like a teenage girl talking to her crush.
“Then it’s a date?”
Shit, was it a date? Did she go too far?
“What does your week look like? I see clients until three most days and I’m off on weekends.”
Her heart beat faster as she thought about her schedule. Was this really happening?
“It depends on the day. But Wednesdays are my shorter days, I only clean for one couple with a big house and I’m usually out of there by noon.”
“Wednesday is a date then.”
He wasn’t asking. And yes, it was a date.
“O-okay.”
“Great, I can’t wait to see you.”
Helena lay in bed cuddling her body pillow as they spent the evening talking. But as the sun descended, she noticed his voice sounded slightly hoarse, and she wondered if he was all right. She had read about vocal weakness.
“I’m sorry, am I making you tired?”
“Not at all, it’s just my voice that is. But I could listen to yours all day.”
Helena felt her body flush. She hated the sound of her voice
“Well, I can let you go to bed if I’m bothering you.”
“You could never bother me.”
She had never met a man so interested and invested in what she had to say.
“But it is getting late, and you need some rest.”
She frowned at being told what to do.
“I could just as easily stay up late, you’ll never know,” she teased.
“Oh, believe me, I will know. Because you’re going to call me in the morning, and I’ll be able to tell if you stayed up late.” His tone dropped but contained a hint of a chuckle.
“So bossy.” Helena rolled over and stared at the empty side of her bed. She playfully giggled, hardly recognizing herself.
“Just you wait, princess.”
Helena bit her lip. Her favorite pet name. As if he knew how it affected her, he let out a dark laugh.
“Ready for bed now?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good girl. Call me in the morning.”
“Okay. Goodnight.”
“Night, princess.”
He hung up, and she squealed. He was a Dominant. He needed to be.
The thought wrapped her mind with a flood of passion and glee, but also became clouded with fear.
Daniel was a Dominant too. Or so he liked to say. All he’d done was use how young and naive she was to his advantage, claiming every Submissive would do what their Dominants ask, no questions asked. Helena had jumped all in with him, entrusting him with not only her body but her heart. He’d kept her at arm’s length but pulled her right back into him when it was convenient for him to get his rocks off. There had been no discussion about hard or soft limits, and so Helena had been used as his personal toy.
Nausea brewed in her stomach. No matter how happy Helena was, thoughts of Daniel always creeped back in and snuffed it out. Either in the form of pushing away any man who got close enough or shutting herself away from the world.
It had taken a great while before she was able to walk around in stores again without feeling the need to look over her shoulder.
Grayson would find out. She couldn’t hide it forever.
Helena curled up in a ball, hugging her body pillow to her. Did she lock her doors? Every window?
She jumped up and jiggled the front door, then tugged on the windows. Tight and secure. Rubbing her hand over her face, she groaned. How long would she feel the need to do this?
She padded back to her room and locked the door behind her, letting sleep find her shortly afterward.
Helena felt the warm sheets rustle across her limbs as she rolled on top of Grayson. Her lover guided her, forcing her head down for a claiming kiss. The way his hand fisted her hair made her cry out, and he released her, but kept his tight grip on her hips.
“Ride me, hard.”
Helena felt her lust-filled smile spread across her face and she lifted her hips, tugging her panties to the side as she sank down onto his cock.
“Oh fuck…” She sighed as he filled her depths.
Grayson gasped as she began to grind her hips, letting her swollen button drag along his pelvis.
“Yes, baby, just like that.”
She felt a sharp slap to her ass and yelped. Then another.
“I love how you moan for me.”
His jaw clenched as he wound her hair into his fist, forcing her neck back as he began to fuck his hips up into her.
“Yesyesyesyes!” Her mantra filled their space. It was joined by the sound of their hot flesh slapping against each other and each of their lusty groans coming out of the dark.
Helena forced her eyes to remain closed, trying desperately to retain hold of the dream.
“That’s it, baby… come for me.”
His voice drifted off into the abyss, and the sun began to blind her, along with her alarm.
“Dammit.” She reached over and slapped her hand on it, annoyed at its audacity to interrupt her dream.
The sheets were suddenly too hot, and she kicked them off, refusing to get up just yet. The chilly air drew her attention between her legs. Her panties were soaked through, and she realized she was throbbing.
Without hesitation, she tugged them off and spread her legs, pretending Grayson was still there giving her pleasure.
Helena threw away any cares, allowing herself to delve deep into her fantasy as her fingers played between her legs. So wet. It wouldn’t take much.
She curled her toes into the sheets as she planted her feet flat, forcing her thighs open even more as she rolled her clit between her fingers.
So achy, so hot. She took her fingers away briefly, ripping her tank top off and tugging on her hardened peaks.
Helena’s mouth opened in a silent moan as she worked herself harder, faster. How long had it been?
The pressure built deep in her belly. She felt her back arch obscenely as she plunged two fingers inside her sex. Her pussy clamped down, and she brought the other hand down to give attention to her clit, exactly how she liked to come.
Involuntarily, she moaned Grayson’s name, and her body began to convulse. She screamed, maybe a little too loud at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Praying her neighbors didn’t hear, she let go and straightened out her legs, giving in to her pleasure.
It was too good to stop, and she remained working her fingers over her womanhood until she was forced to by how sensitive she had become.
Helena flopped back down on her bed, happily smiling and deciding to lay there just a little longer. It was her day off after all.
Suddenly, her head snapped up. Grayson had wanted her to call him. Was it too early?
She decided on a text instead, and padded to her kitchen and began her coffee.
Suddenly self-conscious at her nakedness, she pulled her silky black robe over herself.
Helena selected some high-protein bread and popped it into the toaster, having the avocado ready.
She leaned against the countertop and, unable to keep her body from reacting to the chill of its surface against her backside, felt her nipples harden beneath her thin robe. What was wrong with her?
She tapped her foot as she anxiously waited for a text from him back. As Helena began to spread the avocado over her toast, her phone began to buzz, nearly making her drop her knife.
Nervously, she picked it up. Grayson’s number. Her anxiety melted away.
“Hello?”
“Morning, Helena. I thought you were going to call me.” His voice sounded deep and slightly hoarse, like he hadn’t been up for long.
“I didn’t want to wake you, it’s a bit early.”
“I’m always up around this time to get my morning workout in. You wouldn’t have woken me, sweetie.”
Helena bit her lip.
“You work out?” She instantly regretted asking the question like that.
“In my own modified way, yes. I can’t exactly do hardcore world’s strongest man dead lifts if that’s okay with you, but I can find my way around a kettle bell and weights.”
She heard rustling on his end of the phone, like he was dressing. Helena licked her lips at the image.
“Did I lose you, princess?”
“Oh no, no!” she stammered, realizing she had been silent for a minute. “I’m here, just making my breakfast.”
“What will you do today?”
“Umm… I’m not sure, clean up and do some studying.” She looked around her apartment which was in desperate need of mopping and tidying.
“Well, lucky for us, I had a cancellation around noon. Would you like to come over and have lunch with me?”
Today? As in a few hours from now?
Helena looked at the clock, smoothing her hair back.
“Ah, sure! If it’s okay with you. I don’t want to bother you before you have more patients or anything.”
“You won’t bother me in the slightest. Tell you what, why don’t you do what you need to do, study for about an hour, do any cleaning you’d like, and get yourself all ready for me.”
His voice dripped with promises of desire.
“Any special requests?”
“On what?”
“What should I wear?”
“Princess, you could wear a trash bag and I think I would take you to bed.”
Helena giggled as she almost dropped her toast, pressing her creamy thighs together. “Okay, I’ll see you then, Grayson.”
“Be good.”
She could almost hear him wink as he hung up. Dear god, what was he doing to her?
It was already eight o’clock. She had to move if she wanted to be on time.
Something about his instruction made her want to obey in his exact order. Helena imagined she would tell him exactly what she did and how she did it. Would it earn her praise?
She bit her lip and plopped down on the couch, pulling up her books with her coffee cup in the shape of a witch’s cauldron and dove into her work.
At precisely noon, she pulled up to the address Grayson sent her. It was unmistakably his home, complete with a large ramp that went from the ground to the doorway. It looked elaborate and well maintained.
As she exited the car wearing her black sundress, she hoped it wasn’t too much as she smoothed it over her wide hips.
She heard the front door open, and he smiled back at her as he wheeled out of the door.
“Oh my god…” He leaned over, bringing a veiny hand to his beard and running his fingers over it.
He was devouring her with his eyes as she carefully ascended the ramp, almost afraid she would crack a piece of the wood.
“You are fucking beautiful.” He shook his head, inhaling deep as he backed up into the house.
Helena knew he smelled her lotion. “Hi.” She shyly moved past him and into the house, swearing she could feel his eyes on her ass, maybe exaggerating her posture to show it off just a little bit more as he closed the door behind him. She finally had his full attention.
“Good god, if I had known you were coming in that, I may have been more prepared.”
“Is it too much?” She self-consciously looked down at her curvy body.
“Hell no. Come here.”
He held out his hand and guided her over to him, motioning for her to sit on his lap. She wriggled away, not wanting to break his chair… or him.
“Nope, right here.” He wrapped a hand around her waist and propped her up on his lap for a kiss.
She pressed her lips against his, letting a hand come up to his gelled black hair. His thick, almost black beard slightly pained her sensitive skin, but she loved the feeling of it as he moved down her throat.
“I swear, I can’t stop thinking about you.” He breathed against her skin.
“Really?” Helena relaxed in his arms, allowing herself to feel only him.
“You are more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”
He lifted his head, and two brilliant hazel eyes with flecks of gold looked back at her.
“You mean it?”
He held up one pinky, making her laugh as she hooked it with her own small finger.
“Now, how about a tour before I ravish you right here.”
She nodded and moved to get up, but he tightened his hand around her.
“Where do you think you’re going? You stay right here and hold on tight.” He moved the joystick and the chair clicked to life as he moved them to the kitchen with her on his lap.
“My kitchen. As you can see, decorating isn’t my strong suit. I don’t suppose you could help me with that?”
Helena looked around the beige kitchen. It did need a little personal touch.
“You’d trust me?”
“Absolutely. I saw the way your living room looked in the picture of your dinner you sent me. I love your taste. Skulls and witchy decor as far as the eye can see.”
She hid her face in his neck, catching a whiff of his whiskey-scented cologne.
“I suppose I could take you to my special decor place.”
Moving on, she held on to him tight as they reversed back into the living room. One nice-sized couch for guests sat beneath the bay window with a side table to the left. Nothing impeded the path between the couch and TV stand.
So he has room, she figured. A little corner held some workout equipment.
“Not the most exciting living room.”
“I could work with this.” She put a finger on her chin, imagining some wall hangings softening the expanse of bare paint.
The hallway was considerably wider than she had seen most houses possess, with an archway and much more space.
“I picked this house purposely for something like this. I have plenty of room to move around, and the bedroom is just a straight shot this way.”
He playfully sped up the chair, making her cling to him tighter. He reciprocated and held her close, pressing his nose in her hair.
“I’ve got you, princess.”
They were in the bedroom, the large bed pressed all the way to the farthest side of the room with one small night stand, and a modest dresser. Nothing large or overly heavy-looking. Another TV was mounted to the wall, but almost no other personal touches existed. A box-shaped thing with cords sat next to the dresser.
“My chair charger. Goes in every night when I go to sleep.”
“What if it dies on you when you’re out?” Helena considered the thought, and it was terrifying.
“Won’t happen. I’m very careful. Worried about me?” He wiggled his well-trimmed eyebrows, and she laughed.
“Yes, I worry about everyone.” She moved to get up, which he allowed, though his hand lingered on the hem of her dress.
The bathroom was connected to his bedroom and was the perfect size for him and his chair to easily move in and out. She peeked in the nice walk-in shower.
“That’s my shower chair, it’s too dangerous to stand in the shower.” He shrugged.
“Have you fallen?”
“Sometimes I lose my balance, I won’t lie. It hasn’t happened in a while, and I can pull myself back up.”
Helena worried her lip at the thought of him potentially hurting himself.
He must have noticed because he moved closer to her and took her hand.
“I’ll be fine, babygirl.” His eyes moved over every curve beneath her outfit, right down to the tips of her toes.
“Now how about some lunch? You like chicken and broccoli?”
Her stomach growled in response, making her hide her face in embarrassment.
“I’ll take that as a yes, come on.”
She followed him down the hall and around the corner to the kitchen, only just now noticing he had a tattoo of a star on the back of his neck. When they’d met yesterday, she’d noticed he had some ink but now wondered where else did he have tattoos.
“Do you need help?” She was unsure of what to do, or if asking would be considered rude.
He had cooked on a single camping stove plugged in at just the right level on his table.
“No, I’ve got it. You can sit your pretty self right there.” He gestured to a single chair pulled out, and her heart fluttered a little at the thought of him bringing it out just for her.
He grabbed two bowls stacked conveniently on the counter not too high and dished out their delicious-smelling meal.
“So… cooking isn’t hard for you? I don’t want you to burn yourself.” Helena jumped a little when she noticed his sleeve get a little close to the hot camping stove.
“No, I love to cook. Yes, I am a bit limited in how elaborate I can get. I usually stick to one pot meals if I can.”
He must have noticed how she nervously shifted and fiddled with her hands.
“You can ask me any question, Helena, honestly. Nothing you say could offend me. Promise.” He offered a kind smile and handed her a bowl.
Chicken and broccoli with rice and a little cheese. Her mouth watered. They ate in silence for a little while until Helena finally spoke.
“I did some research. You know, about cerebral palsy. It says that birth injuries are the most common cause.”
“They are, but I don’t have a birth injury. I caught some kind of virus when I was around a year old. My father started noticing I was missing milestones, not walking quite right. He sent videos of me to specialists. I was in the hospital and they ran all the tests they could think of, took samples of my skin. They wanted to perform a surgery on my brain.”
Helena’s eyes widened as she listened, imagining a tiny baby going through so much and having no answers as to why.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”
Grayson smiled. “I’m not. I love the way I am. I’m proud of my disability and I don’t have any resentment. All the doctors and nurses, they saved my life. I would run into some of the same staff if I had to go in for more procedures.”
“Oh… were there more surgeries?”
“About half a dozen. I also underwent some rounds of Botox in the backs of my knees when I was little to help with the tightness, but all it did was cause pain. So I cursed the doctor out.”
Helena covered her mouth to keep from laughing. The image of a small child unleashing a flurry of curses at a doctor was too cute to resist.
“I’m sorry… you just seem so gentle. I couldn’t picture you doing that.”
“I was a very angry and anxious kid. That turned into being a very bitter teenager. ‘Why did this happen to me, why me.’ Things like that. I had a lot of growing up to do.”
Helena continued to poke around the food in her bowl.
“Do you have pain?”
“If I’m in one position for too long and don’t remind myself to lie down and stretch. When it’s about to rain, my hip tends to hurt. I’m basically an old man.” He laughed, and little wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.
Helena could stare at them forever.
“I could help you know. If you have pain. I’ve been told I give good massages.” She clamped her mouth shut. Saying it out loud made it seem that she had a string of other lovers just waiting for her hands.
“Oh really.” He hummed as he popped another forkful into his mouth. “I’d like to take you up on that some time. But I think you need it now more than anything.”
Helena hadn’t even realized she was rubbing her own neck, which had been sore since she woke up that morning.
“Oh, it’s fine, just a tight muscle. The vacuum pack at work is pretty heavy.”
He pushed his lunch away and wheeled over to her. The closer he came, the more she blushed as his fragrance entered her lungs and wrapped her in a delicious fog.
“Right here?”
She felt his warm hand caress the side of her throat, toward the base of her skull, right where the knot was.
“Y-yeah…” She wanted to shift away, but the way he gently moved her hair to the side to grant him access to her vulnerable throat forbade it.
He gently applied pressure in the sore area, making her roll her shoulders as the pain disappeared under his hand.
“Ohh…” she hissed as she felt her eyes shut in bliss. No one had ever taken the time to take care of her.
“I’ve got you, beautiful. You’re safe in my hands.”
Helena knew deep down he meant it. But a nagging feeling knocked at the door in her head, reminding her she was damaged goods, and once he found out about everything, it would spoil it.
“What are you thinking so hard about, Helena?”
Her eyes had fixated on the dark wood of the table, and she met his own now that she could move her head with no pain.
“Nothing.”
He lifted a brow, obviously not believing her, but he continued his ministrations. Helena couldn’t help but feel bad, the man in the wheelchair caring for someone when he may have needed it more.
“I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m sure there’s a lot on your plate.”
“Wrong, I would very much like to take care of you in all ways. I’ve been the dominant partner in all my relationships if you couldn’t already see that.” His hand froze, as if he were waiting with bated breath.
“I-I can tell.” Helena almost whispered.
Did he say relationship?
“And I think I know what you are, little girl.”
Finally, their secret was out. Like a weight had lifted off her, she breathed a sigh of relief.