Chapter 35
Iawake to movement around me. I stretch and feel hands brushing my legs. I jolt awake, opening my eyes to see the brothers dressing me. Jacob is pulling panties up my legs and Angus is putting socks on my feet.
“What are you doing?” I giggle.
“You looked like Sleeping Beauty. We didn’t want to wake you but your driver will be here soon. I am experiencing what Angus enjoys and helping him dress you. I think he may be onto something.” Winks Jacob as he draws closer and pulls the panties up to the apex of my legs covering me.
Angus threads my legs through my jeans and jibes good naturedly, “Hey find your own kinks, this one is mine.”
I wriggle and help Angus pull the jeans up my legs and bum and do them up around my waist. I wince from the soreness between my legs as I sit up. Looking down I ask, “Whose clothes are these?”
“Yours since I sliced up the ones you arrived in,” says Jacob bashfully.
“You shopped for me?”
“Online I did,” he replies with a wide grin spreading across his face.
“Thank you, that’s really sweet of you. I was fond of those jeans.”
“I had no idea how much I’d enjoy putting them on you as well as slicing them off.
” He sits in front of me and lifts the t-shirt over my head.
His eyes travel my body and the tiny nicks he left on my skin four days ago.
“I wish I’d given you more,” he mutters, running his fingers lightly over the tiny cuts.
I reach out my hand and hold them over his. “I wish that too, but I’ll cherish the ones you gave me and the memories I’ll take with me.”
Jacob’s eyes heat as they stare at my naked torso hungrily. And there he is, my beautiful beast, I think to myself.
“You mustn’t look at me like that, otherwise I won’t be leaving here on time.” Or at all.
“I can’t help it, I want to keep you.”
“You can’t keep Roxy. Here, I’ll put her bra on, you’re no good at dressing women, clearly,” says Angus pulling the lacy bra out of Jacob’s hands and threading my arms through before lining it up over my breasts and clasping it at my back.
Jacob stares on, heat emanating from him and for a minute I think he’s going to pounce.
“Jacob,” Angus says in a cool voice. “We have to let Roxy go home, she’s not ours to keep.
Even though I want to keep her too. We have to give her up.
” I don’t know if Angus’ words are having any effect on Jacob as he looks at me like his next meal.
Angus tugs down a red top over my head and I pull my arms through, staring back at Jacob.
I get to my knees and pull Jacob in for a kiss that turns heated and passionate.
Our lips lock and our tongues mash together in a tangle that has me almost pulling everything the men have just dressed me in off again.
I tangle my fingers through his dark locks and hold him closer drinking in his taste, his scent, his breath and his power coiling between us.
I break apart and press my temple to his.
“Be a good boy, Jacob,” I say softly and I see his pupils blow out, he pulls away and I feel the power transfer to me.
He is a beautiful submissive in the making, I so wish it was me to make it happen.
Regret coils in my stomach for having to leave these two men but I’ve broken the spell with Jacob, he sits back on his knees running his hands through his hair likely wondering why my words turn him on so much.
I know exactly how he feels and it’s quite empowering to see it happen from the other side.
Angus tugs at my hand and I follow his lead to climb off the bed.
I can’t believe for one minute he frightened me when I first laid eyes on him.
I could love this man for his gentle care and tender loving, a beautiful elegance emanates from him and in another life I would have fawned for him.
He slides his hands around my waist and kisses me tenderly, meeting my tongue with a tenderness and soft passion that only he can own.
“Goodbye Roxy, I’ll never forget you.”
“Goodbye Angus, I’ll never forget you either.”
“It’s time.”
I try and hold it together as the men take a hand each and help me down the stairs. I’m moving slower than normal, my body reminding me exactly what I participated in yesterday. I slide on my boots that wait for me at the front door. “Where’s Mateo?” I ask.
“He had to leave last night, he regrets not being here to say farewell. He did give us a message to give to you. He said firstly thank you for everything, including Pandora’s Box.
” Angus looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
“And he said ‘I’ll be seeing you around little rabbit, you can run but you can’t hide. ’” Ominous.
We all laugh at the inside joke of it although I do wonder how serious he is in his words.
Mateo is, after all, an owner and thus has all the access he’d need to arrange to see me again…
But that’s not important right now. I pull both men into a giant hug of manly muscle and testosterone, breathing them in one last time.
Jacob pulls out an eye mask, I look between them trying to drink in every detail and feature before my sight is taken away.
Tears spill down my cheeks as Jacob fastens it around my eyes.
Both men lead me out of the door and into Frank’s awaiting car, each kissing me on the cheek before closing the door.
Frank places a box of tissues on my lap as I buckle myself in and I cry into them until my senses take over and I remind myself of where I am going and why I just completed the five days’ job.
My tears stop as I think of hugging my children, I think of hugging my husband and remember the weekend we have planned with Matty.
My eyes dry and I blow my nose. I need to start learning to manage my feelings after a job, but damn, I’m grateful they are tears of sadness for leaving them and not tears of relief—things could have gone so very differently with a different kind of man out there.
I lay my head back on the headrest and listen to the radio Frank has playing softly from the front seat. Eventually Frank slows and says, “Roxy, you are home. You can take the blindfold off.”
I pull it down and blink into the morning light of Saturday morning looking back at Frank.
“Thank you,” I reply warmly. I take a deep breath, open the door and climb out quickly.
I stride up my path as the front door swings open.
James practically bounds out and collects me up in his arms and just holds me.
Tears fall and I cry hard into his neck feeling his silence surround me, I know he’s been hurting.
James carries me in through the front door and deposits me onto the counter top in our kitchen.
I can’t seem to stop the flow of tears that stream my face as I look back blurry eyed at the strained face of my James.
“My god Roxy, are you ok? Are you hurt?”
“NO!” I squeak out, wiping my nose on the back of my hand. “I’m just overwhelmed and I’ve missed you and I’m sorry for taking this job and being so reckless. It could have been so much worse and I realise it, I realise what I have put you through. I’m so sorry James, can you forgive me?”
“Rose Petal, shhh, it’s ok. Hey now, stop crying, you know it wrecks me seeing you like this. Do you promise you’re ok and unharmed? They didn’t harm you mentally or physically?”
“They did not harm me in any way. They were unique men with unique kinks but they were human and treated me so. I was fed well, had a beautiful, light attic room and have just walked away with more money than we’ve ever dreamed possible.
” And damn the tears start again, I can’t hold back.
So many feelings colliding all at once, I don’t know what to do with them.
James walks between my thighs and hugs me close, tight and familiar.
He doesn’t let me go for minutes as I stupidly cry and let the emotions wash over me.
When my body stops shuddering with the sobs, James pulls away to look into my watery eyes.
Everything about him is familiar, his fierce eyes trying to determine whether I’m telling the truth, his handsome face and blond hair that looks like he’s not showered this morning yet.
“I’ve been so worried Rosie, imagining all sorts of dangerous and absurd things they could be doing to your body. Worried they’d have you hanging from a meat hook and whipping you 24/7.” That raises a small smile from me until I see he means it.
“James, they’d never allow cruelty in such a way,” I say softly.
“I know, but not knowing the kinks made it almost unbearable. I’ve had this churning fear in the pit of my stomach all week and I’ve picked up the phone to call the Clarendon at least five times a day.”
“You could have phoned Sandy, she would have helped.”
“I didn’t want to cause a fuss but I also didn’t know what to do. Rosie, I don’t know if I can go through the not knowing again, the fear and unknowing was eating me alive.”
“Oh James, I feel sick knowing I put you through this, that was never, ever my intention.” I almost inaudibly wail as he steps into me again and holds me. I feel wretched putting this job over him. My own curiosity and greed has strung James out and created this giant mess.
“I know that, it’s my own fault, not yours. You were doing this job for us, I know it. The money is life changing, I just didn’t know if you’d come back to me in one piece.”
“I am in one piece, not entirely whole, I left two tiny parts of my heart with the brothers who needed me. They were good to me, I think I’ve helped them and maybe even set them free from themselves and their preconceptions.
I’m glad I did it for them, but I hate that I have put you through this hell by doing so. ”
“You are back now, and I’m beyond grateful they were in fact good to you and looked after you. My imagination has probably got the better of me, it can be a bit wild apparently.”
“The five days were wild and you could not even begin to imagine the things I have done. Please don’t worry about them though, I can tell you all about them in time. I just need to know if you’re ok, are the kids ok?”
“The kids are fine. They’ve had to put up with me for the last five days, I don’t think I’ve been overly pleasant, and I regret that, I was just consumed with worry.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re already with your parents. Your folks booked up a campsite last minute and are taking them camping for the weekend.”
“Wow, how did the kids feel about that?”
“After a little gentle persuasion, they were stoked.”
I laugh and feel normality seeping back into my reality again. “What are the plans for this weekend?”
“We have the hotel booked and Matty will be meeting us there this evening. Is that still ok? Are you up to it?”
“Of course,” I grin back, “I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”
“I packed you a bag, we can leave now unless you need anything?”
“You packed my bag for me?”
“I think you’ll like what I packed.”
“Ok… My makeup?”
“You don’t need it, but yes, I packed it.”
“Well, that was a test and you passed. I’m ready to go into the city then.”
“Wait, I have something for you. It was delivered this morning.”
“This morning, early?”
“Yeah, I didn’t think couriers worked on Saturdays. Looks important, here.”
James reaches behind him to the messy corner and lifts a white envelope with the Clarendon seal. I’ve never been sent a letter from Clarendon, everything is usually over email.
I take the letter and tear it open and read the neat scrawl.
Dear Roxy,
To confirm, 1 million dollars has been wired today to your nominated account, congratulations on another job well done. That is, however, not the reason I write.
We have an unusual situation I was hoping you could help us out with. It’s a secret proposal, one which we will need an answer by Monday. I have emailed you the details, I wasn’t sure if you’d check your email over the weekend and wanted to ensure you saw it in good time.
I stop reading and look up at James. “I am not reading that email until after we have shared some quality time together. I cannot think about another job until my head and heart are filled with you and Matty. The most important piece of information in this letter is that today, husband, we just made one million dollars.”
“I’m ready to share some quality time. Rose Petal, my millionaire wife, are you ready?”
“I’m ready.”
“Then let’s go.”
James lifts me up under my bottom to my shrieks of joy, he carries me through the hallway and out of the front door, pulling it closed behind us.
He continues until we get to the car where he lowers me down and opens the car door for me.
I climb in gratefully and close the door.
James gets in beside me and pulls us out of the driveway, I spare one more thought as we head towards our weekend away in the city, What on earth can the secret proposal be?