There was just enough lighting in the hallway to find my way back to my room. The door to Martin’s room was closed so I knew it was safe as I walked past it. Opening the door to my room, I flicked the light on. Sitting in a chair near the window like he was part of the décor, I could feel Martin’s eyes burn into me. “Somehow I get the feeling he had an ulterior motive in staying the night, other than not wanting to drive in the dark.”
As he rose to his feet, there was nothing I could say to him. He read me well, and even if I tried, there was no way I could hide the look on my face after being with Lanie. Unbuttoning my shirt, I avoided looking at him as I asked, “What do you want, Martin?”
“I think it would be better for both of us if you packed up your thing and left. The last thing Lanie needs is to fall in love with a man who does not understand what she needs.”
There was no way I would justify what he said. He was wrong on all levels. I knew exactly what Lanie needed. The last thing she needed was Martin. Who was he to decide? The more I digested what he said the angrier I got. Turning to face him, my eyes seared into his. “How could you possibly know what Lanie needs?”
When his eyes fell to my feet, I looked down and saw that the picture that Lanie had given me had fallen out of my pocket. What were the chances that it would fall face up revealing the woman who looked just like Lanie? Pushing to his feet, his eyes never left the floor. His voice was cold as I bent down to pick it up. “Where did you get that? You had no right taking it.”
Ripping it from my hand, he stared at the picture like it had a spell over him. “She meant everything to me,” he began. His tone softer than a few moments ago. “Her name was Isabelle. She was one of Winston’s girls. The minute I saw her, I knew I had to make her mine.”
I wanted to ask who she was, but held back and listened to what he had to say. “I had gone too far with her training. She never said a word. Always obedient. A true submissive. If only she had used her safe word, she would still be here today. How was I to know that the tie around her throat was cutting off her air more and more every time she pushed against me? My emotions got in the way and I ended up killing her.”
I had sympathy for him. To lose a submissive, knowing that you were the cause, was a dominant’s worst fear. Being what it was, I couldn’t help but ask. “What does this woman have to do with Lanie?”
“A second chance. Having Lanie is like getting my Isabelle back.” Tucking the picture in his pants pocket, he walked away from me to the window.
“If you were looking for a second chance, why didn’t you just outbid me that day at Winston’s mansion?”
“Call it shock. Maybe guilt. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to chance hurting Lanie like I did Isabelle.”
When he turned to face me, I could see that this conversation hit home. Not only with Lanie, but with what happened to Isabelle. Opening the door, he stopped in his tracks. “Now you know why I don’t want you to get emotionally involved with Lanie. I can see how she looks at you, Michaels. My only advice is, don’t let your love for her impede your training.”
I wasn’t Martin, but it was making sense why he would be so concerned about my feeling for Lanie. He wasn’t jealous. He wanted to make sure that what happened to Isabelle didn’t happen to Lanie. No way in hell would I ever let that happen.
♥ ♥ ♥
I knew Lanie was safe with Martin when I left. I assured her that I would return as soon as I could. There were some important matters that I needed to take care of at the club. When Kevin contacted me, he sounded concerned. Stuart Nelson seemed to have kept his word. Thankfully, Kevin was smart enough to leave the police out of the mess Stuart caused to the club. The last thing the club needed was attention.
Driving down the highway, the thought of having Lanie in my life other than as a submissive was consuming my mind. Martin knew about our feelings for each other. There was no way I could ever be anything but emotionally involved with her. She was more to me than any other woman I had trained in the past. I wanted her with me 24/7. I needed her with me 24/7.
The more I thought about it, there was only one thing to do. As soon as I finished with the shitstorm at the club, I would confront Martin and let him know exactly how I felt. He had to know that Lanie belonged with me and nothing would stop me from taking her with me. If he had any feelings for Lanie at all, he would do what was best for her and let her leave with me.
Pulling up to the club, I could already see the damage done to the outside. The glass door was shattered and the marquee above the door was dangling on one bolt. The minute I opened the door, I knew Someone upstairs was looking out for me, as the marquee gave way and hit the edge of the door before falling to the sidewalk.
If the outside wasn’t bad enough, the inside was worse. Spotting Kevin sweeping glass from the floor, I headed in his direction, assessing the damage. “Holy cow, was he pissed off or what?”
“Somebody was,” Kevin remarked shoving the broken glass onto the dustpan with the broom.
“What do you mean somebody?” I questioned.
“Yeah. It wasn’t Stuart that made this mess. He sent those guys here to do his dirty work.”
I was confused as I looked over to Kevin. “Wait… If Stuart wasn’t here, how do you know it was his guys?”
“Because they left his calling card.” Kevin lifted his arm towards the bar.
I couldn’t help but look at what he was pointing at. Plain as day, they painted SN with black spray paint on the mirrors. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what SN stood for. Shaking my head, I promised myself that one way or another Stuart Nelson would pay for what he did.
~Fourteen~
ALANNAH
It had only been an hour since Roman left and already my heart was missing him. When he left, I wanted more than anything to go with him. After what we shared last night, I knew that my heart belonged to him. Martin was kind and a wonderful master, but he wasn’t Roman.
Placing my hair in a pony, I decided it was time that I faced Martin. I wasn’t sure what he had planned for me since Roman had left. The house seemed quieter than normal as I headed down the stairs. Checking the living room first, there was no one there. I thought this was a little odd. Walking over to the window, I looked out to see that Martin’s car was still in the driveway. He had to be somewhere, so I headed to the dining room and then the kitchen to see if he might be there.
With no luck in the house, I knew there was only one other place he could be. Heading down the short hallway to the back door, it was like déjà vu, remembering leaving the house to venture down the path. The only difference was instead of Martin looking for me, I was looking for him.
Reaching the cobblestone house, I found the front door open. Every other time that I had come here, it had been closed. I began to get an uneasy feeling. As I ambled up the steps to the door, I could see that the lights were on. The only explanation was that Martin was here. Pushing the door further open, I entered the house and headed to the basement where I knew Martin would be. When I got closer to the basement door, I could hear music playing. It was soft and I could hear violins and a piano. The music was very subtle and reminded me of two lovers embraced together.