Saving My Submission BN (30 page)

Unknown: It won’t be
long now, bunny. My little funhouse is all set up ready and waiting for you and
that so-called Master you’re spreading your legs for.

Unknown: Tell me, cunt.
Why are you letting that prick ass motherfucker sweat and grunt all over you?
I’m a better lover and you fucking well know it. I’ve got a knife and I can’t
wait to scrape his worthless seed out of our pussy. Keep him off you from now
on bitch. When I’m through with him he won’t be able to fuck you again.

“Oh, god,” I whispered as I stood shaking.

Unknown: Where are you
bunny? Don’t make me come looking for you. You won’t like what I’ll have to do
to you if I have to hunt you down, you miserable cunt.

Unknown: Hiding on me,
slut? Wrong choice, bunny. I’m coming for you.

I cast a glance at Sanna, who’d gone ghostly white.
Turning on her heel, she began screaming for Dylan at the top of her lungs.

“Sanna. No,” I hissed.

Within seconds every male in the house pounded into
the kitchen, guns ready and eyes wild. Body tensed and poised to kill, Dylan
stepped up and gripped Savannah to his chest.

“What is it, kitten?”

“Davis… Mel’s phone... Oh god, Master. He’s crazy.
Davis is a lunatic. He’s going to take a knife and…”

“We turned your phone off for a reason, Mellie,”
Joshua scowled. “Give it to me. Everyone you need to talk to is right here.”

“You can’t keep shielding me from his threats,” I
hissed, shoving the device back into my purse.

“Mel,” Sanna whispered.

“No,” I snapped. “Look, I’m not going to—”

“Stop,” Joshua interrupted. “Giving me your phone
isn’t a sign of weakness, Mellie. Yes. I want to shield you from his vile
threats, but allowing me to do that isn’t an act of submission.”

“You promised me I could do, act, and say what I
needed to, remember?” I countered.

“And you still can. I’m not asking you as your Dom,
I’m asking you as a friend. Give me your phone so you don’t have to subject
yourself to any more anxiety.”

The other
Doms
in the room
stared at Joshua as if he’d grown three heads. “Since when did you turn to the
vanilla side?” Ian asked in absolute disbelief.

“It’s complicated,” Joshua replied with an unhappy
expression. “Until we sort this shit out, Mellie is her own woman. It’s the
only way she feels she can keep Davis from taking her control.”

Drake smiled. “You’re a wise man, Joshua.”

“No, I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to make
sure she comes through this unscathed, mentally and emotionally.” Turning his
attention back to me, Joshua held out his hand and waited.

When I made no move to give it to him, he sighed.
“Fine. If you need to keep control of your phone then do it, but as a favor to
me, don’t read any more of your messages unless I’m with you. Is that a good
enough compromise for you, Mellie? If not, I’ll be more than happy to draw some
hard limits. Are we clear?”

His scolding was like sandpaper chafing my pride, and
its burn warred with my melting heart. Joshua went to such lengths—laying aside
his pure Dominant nature—to ensure I kept my wits about me. I shot him a sharp
nod of my head.

Ian let out a low whistle. “Somebody make some
popcorn, this is going to be fun as fuck to watch.”

Drake’s big body shook in silent laughter and an
unladylike growl rumbled in the back of my throat.

“Why don’t we go upstairs and unpack?” Joshua
suggested, trying to redirect my mounting ire.

“Fine,” I replied in a clipped tone as I flashed a
sarcastic smile at Ian.

“Second door on the right at the top of the stairs,”
Dylan instructed. “Your room is flanked between us and Ian, and Drake is right
across the hall.”

“Isn’t that cozy,” I flippantly interjected, still
irked that Ian felt obliged to ridicule my need for control. “I’m all warm and
fuzzy.”

“Mellie,” Joshua warned as Dylan bristled and moved in
close.

Cupping my chin, Dylan zoned in on my eyes. Compassion
and anger swirling in his aqua blue pools. “You should be. Ian and I are both
expert marksmen. It might be what keeps your smart little ass alive.”

And didn’t that make me feel like a total raging
bitch?

“I’m sorry… everyone,” I exhaled on a heavy sigh. “I
know you all are here to help me and I’m acting like a spoiled child.”

“It’s okay, Mel,” Sanna whispered. “You’ve earned the
right to. After reading the stuff Davis is sending you, I don’t know how you’re
still keeping it together.”

I gave Sanna a little shrug. Gratitude began warming
as I scanned the faces of those who had put their lives on hold to come and
protect me; I paused on Joshua and smiled.

“I’m getting by with a little help from my friends.”

“Good girl.” Dylan nodded solemnly. “Just keep your
shit wired tight. We’ve got the rest.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Joshua guided me out of the kitchen and everyone
grabbed a suitcase and my boxes of files before we headed upstairs. Once inside
the room, I smiled. It was massive with a king-sized four poster bed situated
along the west wall. Tall, wide windows lined the north side of the room. The
sheers had been pulled, concealing the forest outside.

Dylan stepped up next to me as I inched the creamy
fabric open and glanced outside. “Keep away from the windows as much as you
can. Ian will close the hurricane shutters at dusk.”

“Okay.” I nodded then stepped back as the fabric fell
back into place.

“You two get unpacked. Dylan and I are going to start
dinner soon,” Nick informed us as he paused and darted a look at Joshua and me.
“Glad you both made it here safely.”

“Me too. Thank you… both of you, for taking such good
care of Sanna.” My chin began to quiver as I looked at both Nick and Dylan.
Biting back my tears, I inhaled a deep breath. “I’m sorry I never told you two
that before. You’re the loves of her life and everything she’s ever needed to
be complete.”

“She needs you too, girl,” Nick reminded with a soft
smile.

But I left her.
Guilt spooled, playing the same worn out tapes that had sung in my psyche for
years.

Ian’s cell phone rang. All heads turned expectantly as
he answered with an unusually serious tone.

“Fantastic,” he smiled. “Give me a sec. I’m heading to
the office now to pull it up.”

My brows tugged together as Ian turned and walked out
of the room. Dropping my purse on the bed, I followed him back down the stairs
and into a large study. The relaxing room had been overrun with computers and
printers all linked by coils of power cords snaking across the floor.

Ian slid into a tall leather chair before rolling up
to a large desk to begin pounding on a keyboard. Peering over his shoulder, he
gave me a cursory glance before opening a document.

Side-by-side images of the unknown stranger appeared
on the screen. One was the picture Pruett had e-mailed to Joshua, the other a
mug shot. The facial features were identical. I didn’t need to see behind the
sunglasses of the original image to know it was the same man.

Ian scrolled down further and we both scanned the
information his source had provided. The man stalking me was Gordon Tideway.
Forty-seven, six foot one, 285 pounds, brown hair, hazel eyes. His address was
in a sketchy part of Chicago and he had a long list of breaking and entering charges
as well as several for vandalism. He’d served a short stint in the Cook County
jail for assault with a deadly weapon in his early twenties. Gripping the back
of Ian’s chair, I continued to read. Tideway had spent the past seven years in
Statesville Correctional Center—a maximum security prison in Joliet—for
statutory rape, extortion and murder for hire. He’d been released just sixty
days ago and was currently on parole.

CHAPTER TWELVE

My heart hammered in my ears as I shook like a sapling
in a hurricane. Glancing up from the monitor, I locked eyes with Joshua.
Neither of us said a word; he simply strode into the room, pulled me away from
Ian’s chair and led me to a long leather couch.

“Hey, Drake. Do you mind getting Mellie a drink,
please?”

“Not that Scotch shit. Vodka. I’ll take vodka if
there’s any around.”

“Sure thing.”

With a concerned nod, the big tattooed Dom poured me a
healthy shot of vodka as everyone filtered into the study. Slamming back the
alcohol, I exhaled as the burn warmed the back of my throat.

“Thanks.”

After reciting Gordon Tideway’s extensive criminal
career, Ian steeple his fingers to his lips, sat back in his chair and
frowned.
 
“No doubt if he discovers our
location, he’ll be armed. I know Savannah doesn’t know how to shoot, but do
you?” Ian looked at me and I shook my head.

“Okay. Here’s how this is going to go. Since I’m
ninety-nine point nine percent sure Gordon is the same guy from your neighbor’s
surveillance footage, neither you nor Savannah will go anywhere unescorted.”
Ian glanced at the other men assembled. “From here on out, nobody steps foot
outside, at least not without an armed escort. We’re locking this place up
tighter than a virgin’s ass. Got it?”

“When are your guys coming to the cabin?” Joshua
asked, tension rolling off his frame.

“Tomorrow morning. They’re bringing provisions to last
till… whenever,” Ian explained.

“I’m going to go grab a nap. I’ll take the first
watch,” Drake announced with a grim nod. “Keep a plate of dinner warming in the
oven for me, will you?”

“Will do,” Nick assured him.

“Okay, for now everyone go about your business and try
to relax. We need to stay frosty but not to the point of being ready for a
guest shot on Wild Kingdom. Try to think of this as a vacation.”

“With deadly weapons,” I mumbled, trying to keep it
together and not uncoil like a damn spring.

“Yeah,” Ian chuckled. “Keep your weapons handy. I’m
going to get in touch with James. If we’re lucky, Chicago PD will have both
Walker and Tideway locked up before dinner is over.”

I didn’t share Ian’s confidence. The level of anxiety
thickening the air only increased my fears. Rubbing the tight muscles at the
back of my neck, my temples throbbed with a massive headache.

“We still need to unpack,” I reminded Joshua, anxious
to get away from the oppressive weight squeezing in on me.

“I’ll take care of it. You need to lay down for a
little while and rest.” He softly smiled. “Come on.”

“Let me know if you need anything, okay?” Sanna asked
as I bent and kissed her cheek on the way out the door.

“You know I will, sis. All I need is for you to relax,
too. Okay?”

The confident nod she gave me didn’t mask the fear in
her eyes.

Once inside our room, Joshua sat on the edge of the
bed. Tugging me onto his lap, he smoothed a hand over my hair. “How are you
holding up?”

Instinctively I wanted to say ‘fine’, but we both knew
it would be a lie. “I’m okay at the moment. Not sure how I’ll be five minutes,
or five seconds from now. How about you?”

“Well, this isn’t how I normally spend my days. The
pay’s lousy.” He cracked a smile. “But the fringe benefits are spectacular.”

Gliding his capable fingers into my hair, he gripped
my mane before pulling me to his lips. Dominant to the nth degree, his move
pulverized the capable ground beneath my feet and sent my sub soaring. The
sudden change of control sent me pitching and yawing, like a ship lost in a
blinding squall; I couldn’t find any internal balance.

Tensing, I tore from his kiss and reached back,
clasping his wrist. “Wait.”

“Mellie, I can’t cordon off the Dominant in me. I can
restrain some of it, but I can’t just shut it off. You can’t expect me to be
something I’m not.”

“You can’t expect the same from me,” I countered.

“No, but I’m not wired to submit to you or anyone
else.”

No. Joshua’s DNA wasn’t structured to sit passively by
and/or cater to someone else’s demands. By asking him to take my independence
head on, without a feather of opposition, I was really asking him to submit to
me.

I issued a heavy sigh and rubbed my pounding forehead.

“We’ve discussed this, little one. Use that internal
armor of yours as much as you need to and if you have to toss on your
Domme
hat, then do it. I’ve already promised to stick by
your side, and that’s what I intend to do. By. Your. Side. I won’t kneel at
your feet. And I won’t try to stifle my natural urges, either. I need you to
realize that I’m willing to deflect all that beautiful tenacity you toss my
way, because I want you to feel secure. Whatever it takes. Trust me. There’ll
come a time when I’ll command you out of your comfort zone, but it’s definitely
not now.”

Dammit.
The man
was understanding to a fault. It was one of the things I admired most about
him… until now. I didn’t want him being tolerant or supportive. I wanted to
argue and cuss and fight; to slam a stake in the ground and draw a safe
perimeter around me.

You want to throw a fit
like a five-year-old because he’s not letting you have your way. The man only
knows how to nurture in a specific way… Dominance. You can’t tell him to stop
who and what he is any more than you can tell him to stop breathing. Instead of
fighting his comfort, take it. You’re going to need it before this shit is
through.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to try and change you… I…”

Leaning in, he gave me a tender kiss, conveying he
understood my agitation. Scooping me into his arms like a child, Joshua stood
and turned, settling onto the bed.

“Close your eyes and rest. I’ll join you as soon as I
unpack.” I opened my mouth with an offer to help poised on my tongue, but he
pressed his finger to my lips. “Don’t argue with me about this. Save it for the
important stuff.”

I shot him a derisive smirk, then nodded in
resignation. Closing my eyes, I listened as he moved around the room. Comforted
simply by his presence, I wrapped it around me like a blanket and drifted off
to sleep.

I woke to the sound of snoring in my ear. Listening to
his masculine music, a grin spread over my mouth. Cupping my hand to his cheek,
I pressed my lips to his. Joshua let out a loud snort and jerked. I couldn’t
help but giggle.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you, but I couldn’t
resist.”

He grinned. “Is that so? Well then, I guess you’ll
understand if I can’t resist this then.”

Pulling me beneath him, he bestowed a tingling kiss. A
low, satisfied moan rumbled deep in his chest as he sucked my tongue into his
mouth, devouring me in demand. My body responded to his animalistic claim and
rapidly-growing erection pressed against my clit. I writhed beneath him, hungry
for more.

“Make love to me, Joshua. Please.”

“My way?” he asked in a gravely tone.

“Any way you want,” I purred.

As if I’d struck a match to the fuse of dynamite,
Joshua stripped me bare in seconds flat. Tearing at his own clothing, he
settled his hot naked flesh over mine before ebbing his lips down my body.
Kissing, licking, and nipping at my flesh, he worked his way to my aching
pussy. Cupping his hands around my knees, he spread my legs before plunging his
tongue inside me. I jolted at the wicked sensation and Joshua gripped my
thighs, holding me as I relaxed and rocked against his masterful mouth.

Consuming me in a frenzied fury, he filled me with his
fingers, driving my wicked delight. Peaking like a spire, Joshua coaxed me to
fracture hard beneath a rolling wave of bliss. As my tunnel contracted and
quivered, he slid up my torso and drove inside me with a feral grunt.

Gazing into my eyes, he dragged his cock from within
me, only to rock back in with a forceful thrust. Driving in and out of my
sucking cunt, Joshua coaxed one orgasm after another, until I was soaked in
sweat, boneless, and spent. When he rubbed his thumb back over my clit, I shook
my head.

“No more. I can’t take anymore,” I whimpered, satiated
and drained.

A gratified smirk curled on his lip before that
familiar tautness lined his features. Bucking against me in quick, feral
thrusts, he chased his own pleasure with a muffled groan.

Dropping onto his elbows, he lay atop me panting like
an Olympic sprinter. A tiny knock came from the other side of the door.

“Just a minute,” I called out.

Joshua hadn’t yet managed to catch his breath, but he
groaned at the inopportune timing of our visitor.

Nick laughed from the other side of the portal. “You
lucky fuck. Okay, well, dinner’s ready when you two can get your clothes back
on and come down.”

“We’ll be there in a few.” I grinned, trying not to
giggle.

Joshua slowly eased from inside me, then pulled me out
of bed. “Shower then food.”

Sitting at the table with wet hair and a sated smile I
couldn’t seem to wipe away, we ate and talked. Steering clear of the topic that
had brought us all together, I noticed that Ian had closed the windows off
beneath thick hurricane shutters. The motive for our ‘vacation’ could be
brushed under the rug, but such a visible reminder couldn’t be ignored.

Drake ambled down the stairs. Scrubbing a hand over
his face, he blinked then squinted against the bright lights. “I couldn’t sleep
with all the mouthwatering aromas filling my room.”

Grabbing a plate, he filled it and settled into the
vacant chair at the end of the table. Spearing a chunk of potato with his fork,
he raised his head and looked at me. “You hanging in there, Mellie?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m doing just fine.” Pausing, I gathered
my words, praying they’d come out right. “I can’t thank you all enough for everything
you’re doing for me. In essence, you’re putting your lives on the line for
Joshua and me. This isn’t exactly where any of us want to be, or the
circumstances we want to be in, but I’m wholeheartedly grateful for what you’re
all doing for me… for us.”

“Mellie, there’s nothing on this planet that would
stop me from keeping you safe. Not just because you’re Sanna’s sister, but
because fuck-knuckles like Kerr give us all a bad name,” Dylan announced with
grim determination. “Let’s just hope James calls back with good news.”

“James has news?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Ian interjected with a hint of apprehension.
“Chicago PD might have a lead on Gordon. We’re waiting to see if it pans out or
not.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that when we came down to
eat?” I challenged.

“Because we don’t know anything yet, Mellie,” Nick
replied in a quiet, calm voice.

Sanna forced down the food in her mouth and set her
fork down. The color drained from her face and for a minute I thought she might
pass out. Dylan snatched the glass of water from in front of her plate and
pressed it to her lips. Leaning in close to her ear, I couldn’t hear what he
was saying, but she nodded and took a sip.

“Try to calm down,” Joshua instructed. “No one is
trying to keep things from you. If Ian has information, he’ll share it with all
of us. You need to trust him. He knows what he’s doing.”

Trust
. Such a
simple word that to me meant taking a massive fucking risk.

With my appetite gone, I pushed my plate aside just as
Ian’s cell phone rang.

“Would you put the call on speaker phone if it’s about
this mess?” I asked. “Please?”

Glancing at the screen, Ian nodded. “It’s James.”
Enabling the device so we all could hear, he set the phone down in the middle
of the table. “Everyone can hear you, James. What information do you have?”

A humorless chuckle emitted from the phone. “Well, two
weeks suspension and a meeting with Internal Affairs when it’s done.”

“What? Why?” Sanna gasped.

“Captain caught me sniffing around where I shouldn’t
have been.”

“And where was that?” Ian asked with an amused grin.
“Gordon’s parole records and eavesdropping when I was talking to the guys I
sent over to check out his last known address.”

“Let me guess,” Dylan piped up. “Your captain didn’t
instruct you to put your own personal APB out on Tideway, did he?”

“It must have slipped my mind,” James replied with a
cynical snort. “Anyway, I figured y’all could use some reinforcements to hold
down the fort up there, so I’m on my way to join you. It’ll be a lot more fun
than sitting around watching TV. I might be officially off the case, but
unofficially? Well, let’s just say I’ve got a bunch of friends looking for
these pricks. They’ll find ‘
em
; they just know to be
more careful than I was.”

“Well, shit,” Ian groused. “Look, if your meeting with
Internal Affairs goes south, I’ll hire you, bro.”

“Thanks, man. Since this is the third time the
Captain’s busted me for pretty much the same shit, there’s a good possibility
you’ll be getting my resume real fucking soon.”

“James, I’m sorry I got you into trouble,” I moaned.

“You didn’t, gorgeous, I did. Trust me. It wouldn’t
break my heart if I got canned. I’d rather work for Ian. He doesn’t have a lot
of rules to follow. I think I’d like that kind of freedom.”

“When do you think you’ll be getting here?” Ian asked
with a wide smile.

“In about an hour or so. I need to grab some gear. Oh,
but I did find out something,” James remembered. “Tideway missed his meeting
with his parole officer last week. He’s also not supposed to leave the state,
so
Mellie’s
neighbor’s video is enough to land his
slimy ass back in a cell. My captain was kind enough to tell me he’d see what
he could do about it, after busting my balls for twenty minutes.”