"What I sometimes mistake for ecstasy is simply the absence of grief."
- Sarah Kane
. . .
Alexandre Monet
"I think I was too rough," Andros muttered late at night as he marched into my office. I looked up from the watch I was working on and removed my loupes.
"She didn't say stop," I told him. He was used to being hard on himself. "She didn't say yellow. She didn't say red. And, believe me, she can take a lot." I had witnessed that first hand when I was overstimulating her sweet cunt. Even though the little brat tried to get me off many times.
He lay on the couch, shielding his eyes from the lights by throwing an arm over his head. "So what, she just cries a lot?"
"That can be it," I said. "I don't mind."
Her tears turned me the fuck on.
"I don't either. But, afterward, it didn't feel like she was crying because of the spanking."
"Her father is a bitch," I told him. "And she loves him. She and I talked about him a bit. I think she just needed to get a few tears out and found a way to do it. Let's just check up on her regularly. We need to make her open up."
"Yeah," he muttered and then he was asleep.
I continued my work but soon found myself wanting to check up on her. I didn't mind her crying during the scene, but after words...I hoped there wouldn't be a sub drop, and they probably wouldn't. Sub drops happened when the sub trusted the dom. And I didn't think she trusted us that much yet.
I gently opened her door, making as little noise as I could, and peeked inside. She was lying on top of her covers, a candle lit on her nightstand. Her one leg was folded upwards, letting me see a bit of her red ass as the shorts she was wearing were really short. Vaness was curled against her neck. Bobby was nowhere to be seen. He was probably bothering someone on night duty.
I walked deeper into the room and my eyes fell on Hedeon, who was sitting on a chair with a glass of whisky in his hand.
He raised it towards me and returned his eyes to Dahlia.
Lucian was standing at a corner, arms folded against his chest. He didn't acknowledge me. He didn't look away from Dahlia.
We spent the night like that. Vaness joined us. When the sun rose, we left.
. . .
"Will you go?" She asked, standing beside me and setting her elbows on the railing. Her hair fluttered in the strong wind.
"Would you like me to be there?" I asked. "I can easily decline the invitation. You are already taking Hedeon."
"I mean, I'd rather have one of you there, too. You or Lucain. And, Dad invited you. If anything about us ever gets exposed, I'd rather have you on his good side."
"Good side, hm?"
Her father was a pathetic man. I couldn't say that to her. She'd hate me for it. She respected her father more than he deserved. I wonder why she did that. Giving people what they didn't deserve was not something I was familiar with.
"Yes. I'll be there, then. Lucian has something to handle."
"Okay." She smiled, but her hands were clenched. She didn't want to go to dinner, but she felt like she had to.
I just hoped I wouldn't break her family's bones the second they said something unkind to her.
. . .
Dahlia
"You look beautiful."
Hedeon looked dangerously handsome as he stood behind me, his hands on my hips and his eyes scanning all of me in the mirror. I was wearing a dark green dress which hugged me just a bit. I couldn't really wear anything skin-tight. My mom would lose it.
"Thank you."
"You seem tense, Dahlia."
"I feel like Dad will be mean to you."
He chuckled. Actually chuckled. He rarely laughed at things. "Darling, I can handle him."
I nodded. "Okay. And Emilia will try something with you."
"How can you be sure?"
"Have you not seen your face recently?" I asked, looking at him through the mirror. "You're...gorgeous, Hedeon."
He looked at himself and a slight tinge of redness came on his cheeks. "I've never felt this flustered by a compliment before."
I smiled. "Glad to be the first."
. . .
Emilia hugged me. I hugged her back, sighing. Even though no one really believed it, I cared about her. "How are you?"
"Good," she said as she pulled back. She was wearing a fitted black dress with silver jewelry. Her earnings, in particular, shone.
And looked familiar.
"Your earrings," I whispered.
"Birthday gift. Dad bought them. They're really pretty. You have immaculate taste."
I picked up my champagne flute and took a huge gulp. "I do, don't I? This is Hedeon, Emilia. My boyfriend."
Emilia was already looking at him. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a gasp.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Wellburg."
"Likewise, and my last name is Davis."
A slight movement of Hedeon's eyebrows. "Dahlia is a Wellburg."
"Yeah, she never took Dad's last name."
Never took?
"Oh." Hedeon looked down at me. He rubbed my back and it relaxed some of my tense muscles. "That is weird."
"What is weird?" My dad effortlessly entered the conversation. We were all in the living room. It was a whole dinner party. Alexandre was yet to arrive.
"Dad," I said. "This is Hedeon Kozlov."
"The boyfriend you have been hiding." Dad sized him up and only lifted his hand when Hedeon lifted his for a handshake.
"A pleasure, Mr. Davis."
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr Kozlov. It's good to know who has been keeping my daughter so occupied she turned off her phone." Dad's eyes were accusing. "How old are you?"
Hedeon showed no emotion. It was a bit concerning how he could just...turn it off. "Thirty."
"Dahlia is twenty-one. You're a lot older."
"Dahlia is twenty-two," Hedeon said.
Dad chuckled. "Of course." He looked at me, his eyes filled with a bit of anger. I gulped, looking away. "Let's go to the dining room, Mr Kozlov. We have a lot to talk about."
Fuck me.
. . .
Hedeon Kozlov.
Dahlia's father was a cunt.
It was a wonder this man was related to her and Noah. I had met many men I'd wanted to punch in the face, but I had never felt that urge to do it without them opening their mouths.
He made Dahlia sad. She had made herself smaller as soon as we entered this showy manor.
Alexandre arrived soon. Dahlia's father was an angel to him, but I could see the tightness of Alexandre's jaw as he talked to Davis. Davis didn't know who I was. And even though he had appeared smug while talking to me, I saw the bastard shake.
I knew what I looked like. Menacing. And gorgeous, according to my sweet Dahlia.
Dahlia who wouldn't lift her eyes off the table.
I watched as Emilia, Dahlia's bitch of a sister, talked Alexandre's ear off. They were sitting across from us. I couldn't hear their conversation.
Soon, the dinner ended. Alexandre and Emilia stood up and headed away.
Dahlia's eyes followed them. I saw them water.
She stood up and walked out. "I need some air. Please don't follow me."
. . .
(1/4)