My whole body becomes numb as chills take over in response to this foreign invasion.
I look over at my parents as the single tear continues to fall slowly down my cheek.
The Adonis turns my head toward him again, kissing me with passion he’d held back until now. His movements are so slight that no one would notice, but I am consumed by his slow thrusts as he moves deeper and deeper inside my body.
When his hands begin caressing my hard nipples, I feel the deep ache again, the one that invited this invasion, and I am satisfied. I need his hardness to fill me up.
I close my eyes as people walk by us, ignoring them as I concentrate on the pressure and movement of his shaft.
“I am making love to you,” he growls in my ear.
My pussy contracts around him, accepting his truth.
“Kiss me,” he demands.
I turn my head and offer my lips to him. As he leans in for the kiss, he pushes even farther inside my sex. I can’t breathe.
The man consumes me with his body and mouth.
When he breaks away and I look back to my parents, I see that both are now looking around wildly. They have finally noticed I am missing.
I tense, feeling the overwhelming instinct to flee, but Adonis stares at them as he holds me tight. “I am going to come inside you now.”
His cock stills and I start to feel the pulsing of his shaft as his warm seed fills my soul to bursting. My father spots us from across the pool and calls out to my mother as they start toward us.
Adonis gives me one last thrust as he kisses me on the cheek. He slowly disengages and covers up my ass with my bikini bottom, carefully straightening the material of my cover-up afterward.
He pretends not to see my father rushing toward us as he adjusts himself with his unseen hand while tilting my head up with a finger of the other. He kisses me gently in front of my parents.
“What the hell is going on there!” my father bellows.
Adonis smiles cordially as he stands up, holding out his right hand to my father. “I asked your beautiful daughter to join me on my towel, sir.”
My father snarls, looking him up and down disapprovingly. “She is far too young for the likes of you.” He grabs my arm, pulling me beside him protectively.
Adonis puts his hand to his chest. “I am sorry if I offended.”
“It’s not right to drag a girl off without her parents knowing,” my mother sputters.
“He didn’t drag me off, Mama,” I protest, finally finding my voice. “I was right here all the time.”
Adonis winks at me, and my heart melts.
“You are too old to be kissing innocent girls,” my father roars protectively.
“Again, I am sorry for offending you.” Adonis turns to me and takes my hand, kissing it all gentlemanly-like. “It was a pleasure connecting with you.”
I don’t want him to leave, but know this is good-bye. I will never know his kiss again or the feel of his masculinity inside me. “The pleasure was mine.”
Adonis picks up his colorful towel to leave, but not before I notice the bloodstain on it. Physical evidence of my lost virginity.
My parents don’t notice it.
“You’re going back to the hotel room, young lady. Apparently, I need to lecture you again about not talking to strangers.”
I would have been dying of embarrassment at the loud scene my father was causing, but—I’m officially a woman now.
Both Adonis and I know that.
I gaze at him longingly as my father drags me away.
Adonis smiles, nodding his head. That beautiful man will always and forever be my first…
While he read, Brad nonchalantly put a pillow from the couch over his lap and called Cayenne to him so he could pet her. He’d done it as a precaution to hide any reaction he might have to her unusual fantasy.
The decision was a smart one, as he’d found it quite arousing.
“Well?” Brie asked when he closed the journal.
He raised his eyebrows. “Have I ever come across a similar fantasy? No, I can’t say I’ve ever read anything quite like this.”
“It is too disturbing?”
He chuckled. “Disturbing? Not at all.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but the idea of a man taking a virgin in public with no one aware—while she’s under her parents’ protective watch—totally turns me on.”
Brad smiled. “Do you think your fantasy might be in reaction to how you were raised? I mean, your father is the overly protective type.”
“Please don’t tell me that my sexual fantasies have anything to do with my parents,” she whimpered.
“Naturally our upbringing can have an influence on our sexual lives. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or even concerned about, young Brie. I personally find this fantasy charming because the girl is empowered by the secret, albeit public, deflowering.”
Brie breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh good. I was really hoping you would tell me you see this fantasy all the time, but I still like your answer.”
He handed the journal back to her. “Your creativity is fascinating. I’m sure your Master enjoys role-playing these with you.”
She smiled again, which gratified him.
“We do, Master Anderson. Thank you for your insight.”
Brie pressed the journal to her chest and headed off to bed. Brad picked up Cayenne, placing her on the floor, and lifted the pillow. His shaft was still hard after reading her unusual scenario.
“Down boy,” he commanded.
Getting up stiffly, he went to the kitchen and starting chopping vegetables for tomorrow’s meal.
Aftermath
Brad felt sick when he was informed Brie had fainted and was unconscious at the hospital. The nurse who met him at the door hurriedly explained that Thane’s sister, Lilly, had come to visit and they’d allowed her into Thane’s room, having no idea there was a restraining order against her.
He looked down at Brie, his heart breaking inside. He shook his fist angrily up at the heavens. “I told you to do right by this girl, damn it!”
Brad called Thane’s attorney while he sat waiting for Brie to awaken. He wanted the man’s advice on what needed to be done to prevent another unwanted encounter.
Thompson explained, “You need to file a police report and if you see Lilly again, call the police immediately. She is breaking the law by being anywhere near Mrs. Davis.”
“Understood.”
With that taken care of, all Brad could do was sit and wait, but waiting was not something he did well. He paced around the hospital anxiously, unable to sit still more than a few minutes.
One prevailing thought kept ringing in his head. I failed to protect her…
The relief he felt when Brie finally opened her eyes was overpowering. She smiled up at him as she gazed into his eyes, but her pleasant expression soon turned into excruciating pain as her memories came flooding back.
The girl had been completely shaken by the encounter with Thane’s half-sister, so he assured her, “I called Thane’s attorney about Lilly and he’s on it.”
Instead of looking relieved, she seemed even more distraught. “Do you know why she came to the hospital?”
“Thane told me about the incident in China. She’s obviously come back to stir up trouble while he is lying unconscious in the hospital. A despicable act from a cowardly woman.”
“What did Mr. Thompson tell you when you spoke with him?” she asked hesitantly.
“He advised that you make a police report and call them if she should attempt to contact you again. I have already informed everyone at the hospital about the restraining order against her. She won’t be getting in here again.”
Brie still looked uneasy. “Did you see her, Master Anderson?”
“No,” he growled, pissed that anyone would dare to harass Brie at a time like this.
It shocked Brad when Brie insisted on seeing Thane’s lawyer. What the hell had her running so
scared? No matter how much he prodded Brie, she wouldn’t tell him what had happened with Lilly.
When he still wasn’t convinced, Brie struggled to get up from the hospital bed, claiming she would go to the lawyer alone if she had to. At that point, he finally gave in. If the girl felt that unsettled, it was his duty to see her there safely, no matter how angry he was about being kept in the dark.
“Are you going to say good-bye to Thane before we go?” he asked her.
Brie turned away from him when she answered. “No.”
It wasn’t until her refusal to say good-bye to Thane that Brad understood just how serious things were. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him.
“Holy hell, what has that witch done to you?”
Brie dropped her gaze, unwilling to look him in the eye, and started to cry.
“I will strangle that woman to within an inch of her life when I see her!”
“Don’t go anywhere near Lilly, please,” she begged, the fear easy to read on her face.
It only served to anger him further. “You do realize it’s my duty to protect you.”
“If you care about Sir, you will heed my warning.”
Brad growled in frustration, tired of these games when it was obvious that Lilly posed a real threat.
“Promise me,” Brie insisted.
He snarled irritably, distressed by her odd behavior. “This is not like you—this is beneath you.”
“Master Anderson, Lilly has the power to change the course of our lives. Any direct contact might set off a chain of events that we won’t recover from,” she warned ominously.
Brie was clearly terrified of the woman and there was nothing he could do about it other than to get her to the damn lawyer as soon as possible. He sincerely hoped the man could talk some sense into the girl since he could not.
Brad stood idly by while she met with Thompson in private. It was inconceivable that Thane’s bitch of a half-sister was terrorizing Brie—especially now. With Thane incapacitated, Brie was far too fragile to handle the insane woman’s antics.
When Brie finally emerged from the lawyer’s office, she seemed more like herself and he naturally assumed things were okay.
“Will you tell me what’s going on now?”
“No, under the advisement of my lawyer.”
Brad was stunned and could only shake his head in disbelief. “She’s legitimately got you running scared.”
“As Sir’s friend, I need you not to engage Lilly in any way.”
Her request alarmed Brad, knowing it had to have come from the lawyer. “I give you my word, but I’d prefer to know why.”
Instead of answering him, Brie wrapped her arms around him, pressing her head against his chest. “I wish I could tell you.”
He now understood that whatever Lilly held over Brie was a direct threat to Thane. Brad grasped her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “Never question Thane’s integrity. He is one of the most honorable men I know.”
“I agree…”
“And yet you still doubt,” he stated in disbelief. Brad was stunned and asked pointedly, “Do you not carry the brand of your Master?”
Brie nodded in answer.
“Did you not vow to love him through better and worse?”
He saw her bottom lip quiver, but she nodded again.
“Whatever has you questioning that must be profound.”
“It is.”
Her answer hit him in the gut. She distrusted Thane—the man who’d both collared and married her.
That was simply not acceptable.
He insisted she hold on to what she knew was true, but when Brie answered that she would try, he declared, “Succeeding is what Thane would expect.”
Brad suspected that if Lilly sensed any weakness in Brie, the witch would go for the jugular, possibly causing irreparable damage to both Brie and Thane. So he felt a real sense of relief when Brie asked if she could go back to the hospital to say good-bye to his friend.
He needed these two to remain a strong couple. If Thane and Brie couldn’t make it, what in the hell chance did he have? He settled down in the waiting room, grabbing an old magazine and flipped through it mindlessly, wondering what the future held for all of them.
Brad stood up when Brie came running out of the ICU crying joyously, “Master Anderson, Sir’s eyes are open!”
“He’s awake?”
“You have to come see, Master Anderson! You have to see,” she insisted, pulling him toward the closed doors.
Nurse Abby came out to let Brie know Dr. Hessen had been called. She purposely looked the other way when Brie pulled Brad through the threshold of the ICU.
Following behind Brie, he was excited to spy Thane through the glass, his eyes very much open. As he approached his friend, however, Brad quickly realized that Thane was not conscious.
He lay there motionless, unresponsive to Brie’s excited voice as she called out his name.
Abby came into the room to check his vitals. “The doctor will be here soon,” she informed Brie. She looked up at Brad, exchanging a glance that confirmed to him that Thane was still in a vegetative state.
In a sense, nothing had changed.
Brie squeezed Brad’s hand. “I asked Sir to give me a sign. I begged him to. And then, just before I was about to leave, I looked back and saw his eyes were open.”
Brad only nodded, not wanting to crush her newfound hope.
Dr. Hessen entered the room and started assessing Thane’s state of consciousness, calling out his name several times, flicking his cheek and holding up his hand and letting it drop.
Brie peppered her with a number of questions, but the doctor remained focused on her task and did not answer them until the testing was complete.
“Mrs. Davis, he is still unconscious,” she announced.
Brie let out a stifled cry, not wanting to believe it.
“However, the fact his eyes are open is a good sign.”
“Do you think he did this on purpose? To let me know he can hear me?” Brie asked in a pleading tone.
Dr. Hessen gave her a gentle look. “He certainly may have, Mrs. Davis, but I cannot confirm from a medical standpoint. What I do know, however, is that this is one more sign that he is improving.”
“How long until he awakens?” Brie asked excitedly.
“No one can predict that. Some patients become conscious after a few hours, others remain this way for months before recovering, and unfortunately around five to ten percent never do.” When the doctor saw the devastation on Brie’s face she added, “However, I have every reason to believe this is a positive step forward in Mr. Davis’s recovery.”
Brie looked at Sir, her eyes brimming with tears. “I know you did this, Sir. I know you heard me…”
Brad stared down at Thane, disturbed by how still and unresponsive he was. This was the first time he’d seen his friend since the crash, and it was sobering. Thane was a strong, commanding individual, but seeing him now, so still amongst all those tubes and wires—it made the man look small and vulnerable.
“You’ve got to pull out of it, Thane,” he stated. “Brie needs you, buddy.”
Brad hoped to see some flicker of recognition or response, but Thane remained unnaturally still—like the dead.
He shivered at the thought and put his arm around Brie. “It’s going to be okay, young Brie. Thane is tough. He ain’t giving up.”
She nodded, her whole body trembling as she looked up at him with fresh hope in her eyes.
Gazing down at Brie, Brad thought, Thane may be tough, but you have a will of iron.
He squeezed her even tighter.
And I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone hurt you.
Brad found a delivery waiting for Brie outside the door of the apartment. He picked it up before entering and was pleasantly surprised to see the gift was from Samantha.
He was glad the Domme was reaching out to Brie. If the community knew how much she was suffering, they would
have flooded her with support. But Brie didn’t want anyone to know, especially now that Lilly was involved. She’d been very adamant about presenting a strong front to everyone—including all her friends.
Although Brad questioned her decision, he respected it, knowing this was her battle to fight. He agreed not to call in reinforcements, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t at some point. The girl didn’t seem to know her own limits.
To be honest, Brad admired Brie’s stubbornness, as well as the deep love she held for Thane. It amazed him, actually, how well Brie had handled the crash and its aftermath. Even when her Master’s integrity was called into question, she’d made the choice to stand beside her man and keep fighting—never losing hope. Damn, what Brad wouldn’t give to know such love and devotion himself…
“Looks like you got flowers,” he announced as he entered her apartment.
“Really?” Brie asked, getting up from her desk. “Who are they from?”
He grinned. “They’re from Colorado.”
“Oh my goodness, Lea shouldn’t have!” Brie cried in delight, hugging the vase and pressing her face into the arrangement of flowers, looking an awful lot like Cayenne with catnip.
“Well, she didn’t,” he informed her.
Brie crinkled her brow and removed the card attached, reading it out loud. “To Brie: A reminder of the beauty of life in dark times. I’m thinking of you, and sending my prayers for Thane. Call me should you need anything. ~Samantha Clark.”
She tilted her head, staring a long time at the note as if she were reading extra meaning into the simple message.
“Well, that was mighty nice of her,” he stated, breaking the silence.
Brie looked up at him with an expression he could not interpret. “Yes, it was very kind.”
She placed the card on the table and carried the bouquet to her room. Upon her return she said almost apologetically, “I wanted to wake up to something pretty in the morning. That room has been like a tomb since the crash.” She leaned down and gave the cat a scratch on the head. “Of course, Cayenne has also helped with that.”
“She has that effect on people,” he agreed.