Maddox
“That was weird,” Odessa says, and she starts to follow Piper up the stairs. “I should go check on her.”
“Not so fast,” I place my hand on Odessa’s shoulder and she turns to me, surprised. “Give her a couple of minutes.”
“You don’t know her like I do,” Odessa points out.
“You’re right, but you don’t know her the way a Dom does.”
“No offense, but you’re not her Dom.”
“Trust me, sweetheart. I know that better than anyone else.”
Odessa looks me up and down, and then she shakes her head.
“You’re really crazy about her, aren’t you?”
“It’s why I asked for your help.”
After I talked with June last week, I did a little digging of my own. As it turns out, little Miss June was correct. Piper does have a terrible ex-boyfriend. Luckily, she never married the guy, so she doesn’t have to deal with fighting for a divorce from her abuser. That’s one more nightmare she doesn’t need, but it doesn’t mean she’s in the clear.
Apparently, the brave little subbie reported him for attacking her and he was arrested. She had gathered enough evidence that he was arrested and sentenced to jail for aggravated assault. He got four years, but with good behavior, was recently released.
Thus Piper’s weird behavior.
As far as June and I could figure out, Piper fled Cherryville and left behind her family, her job, and her apartment. She left everything, changed her last name, and came here for a fresh start. It took some begging, but Odessa finally was worried enough that she caved and confirmed what I’d already suspected: that Piper is terrified of her former abuser.
“She knows he’s out,” Odessa glances around Piper’s home. “I’m going to start cleaning up,” she says. “I don’t know if she’s going to want me to stay, or if she’ll want you to stay,” she adds pointedly. “But let’s get things tidied up a little bit for her. It’s the least we can do.”
No, the least I can do is tie Piper up and make love to her until she forgets all about Tad.
The least I can do is spank her for hiding this from me.
The least I can do is give her orgasm after orgasm until she’s begging me to stop, until she promises not to keep anything this big from me again.
The least I can do is make her mine.
Odessa heads for the stack of dishes in the kitchen and I walk around to the kitchen table. It’s covered in papers. No, it’s covered in letters.
“Odessa,” I say, picking one up. “Did you know he’s been writing to her?”
The shattering of a dish lets me know she didn’t know.
Odessa doesn’t bother cleaning it up. There will be time for that later. Instead, she comes beside me and starts to read.
“What the hell…” Her voice trails off as she looks at the paper I’m holding. “I had no idea. She didn’t tell me.”
“I don’t think she’s told anyone,” I say, looking around, and suddenly, everything clicks into place. Not only is Piper feeling totally alone and scared, but now she’s feeling threatened. Now she’s worried he’s going to come after her, and she should be scared because these letters? These aren’t anything to mess with.
“We need to turn these into the police,” Odessa says. She goes and collects a couple of zippered baggies and then begins placing each letter in its own bag. She doesn’t bother reading the others. We don’t need to. They all say the same thing. They’re veiled threats, to be sure, but Tad’s intent is obvious.
He’s going to find her, and he’s going to take care of his little problem.
I don’t know what kind of connections this guy has that he was able to locate Piper’s post office box to send her these, but if he could start sending her letters, there’s no doubt he’s planning to pay her a visit in person. Piper Queen is one careful woman. Odessa and June are the only two people who even know where she actually lives, which is why I had Odessa bring me.
When Piper didn’t show up at the club the second week in a row, we were all nervous. June couldn’t sneak away to help us, but Odessa and I decided to pay Piper a visit and find out, once and for all, what’s been troubling her.
“All right,” I tell Odessa. “I’m going to go check on our girl.”
“I can go,” she says softly, but I shake my head, and Odessa doesn’t protest. When I get into the living room, I kick off my shoes and take off my jacket. Piper’s house is warm and cozy. She’s decorated it beautifully and showcased just how sweet and special she really is. Does she even know how fantastic she is?
The shower is still running when I reach the top of the stairs, but something tells me Piper isn’t in the shower. When I push open the door to the bathroom, I see her sitting in the middle of the floor and she’s sobbing.
Piper looks up to me, and then she does something that makes my heart clench.
She reaches for me.
Piper Queen, beauty of the dungeon, tech wizard of the world, reaches for me.
I drop to the ground, and I pull her into my arms, and I let her cry on me.
“It’s not fair,” I tell her, petting her hair. “It’s not fair what he did to you, beautiful. It’s not fair, and it’s not right, but I’m going to protect you, Piper. I’m not going to let him hurt you again, okay?”
She mumbles something, but I can’t understand what she’s saying, so I keep whispering to her, keep promising her it’s going to be just fine.
“June filled me in,” I tell her. “Although, to be fair, I already suspected something like this, sweetie, and I want you to know you aren’t alone. We’re not going anywhere, Piper. You don’t have to deal with this all by yourself.”
Her sobs gradually fade to sniffles, and I keep petting her hair, rocking her on the bathroom floor.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She whispers. “You aren’t even my Dom.”
“I could be, if you wanted,” I tell her, and her body doesn’t stiffen. If anything, she relaxes just a little bit more.
“You like me, Maddox Blake, don’t you?” She looks up at me. “Scars and all, you really care about me.”
“I really care about you, Piper.”
“Then take care of me, Maddox,” she whispers. “Because I can’t do this on my own anymore.”
It’s as if Piper Queen has given me the keys to her heart. I feel like she handed me the entire world on a silver platter. I stand, bringing her to her feet, and I place my hands on her cheeks.
“You are beautiful, Piper.”
“I’m a mess, Maddox. I’m a real, total, complete mess. Not a hot mess, either,” she laughs quietly. “A legitimate mess. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Let’s start with getting you cleaned up, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Lift your arms,” I tell her. For a minute, I think she’s going to protest. I think she’s going to say something about her modesty, about how I shouldn’t try to be getting into her pants, but she doesn’t, and that’s when I realize Piper is absolutely, totally worn out. She’s been dealing with everything on her own for so long, but this really is too big for her. That’s fine.
That’s what I’m for.
Piper doesn’t have to go through hell by herself. She has friends. She has me. Together, we’re going to get her through this, one step at a time.
Step one.
She raises her arms, and I pull her tank top off. Her breasts bounce free, and Piper watches me as I look at her for the first time. I’ve seen Piper play at the dungeon before, but it’s all been very casual, and she’s never taken her top off when I’ve been there.
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper.
Step two.
I untie her pajama pants and push them down, over her hips. She reaches for me, holding onto me for balance as she steps out of her pants.
“You’re beautiful,” I promise her.
Step three.
I step closer to Piper and slide my fingers under the band of her panties. I push those down and they, too, slide to the floor.
“You’re beautiful,” I tell her once more.
Then I take a step back and I begin to undress myself. She’s silent as she watches me. I take my glasses off first, placing them on her counter. Then my shirt, my socks, m pants, and my boxers come off. I’m naked before her, and I don’t bother hiding the fact that I’m completely hard for her.
I’m completely hard for Piper Queen. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m about to climb into the shower with her. She steps forward then, and places her hands on my chest. I don’t move. I’m worried that if I move, I’ll scare her away. I’m worried that if I breathe too fast, if I shift even a little bit, that she’ll stop touching me.
And oh, I don’t want Piper Queen to stop touching me.
She steps forward once more. This time, she slides her hands around my neck and presses her breasts firmly against my chest. My cock pushes against her belly as she leans up on her tip-toes and whispers against my lips.
“Maddox Blake, I want you.”
Then she kisses me, and my heart soars.