Submission Under the Mistletoe (11 page)

“
It looks good on you. Keep it.”
He stepped toward her and cupped her face. “I’ve thought about you
a lot over the last couple days.”

She stood there for a moment, absorbing his touch
and the warmth of his hand. Then she gave herself a mental shake
and stepped back. “Did you set this up?”

His brows pinched into a frown. “Set what up?
Following you outside?”

“
No.” She waved a hand toward the
house. “This…the party.”

“
If I would have known how to
contact you…maybe. But, this is all Alesha. My sister loves
throwing parties since she was small. Tea parties, Easter parties,
Christmas… doesn’t matter the holiday.”

“
I guess you told her about us?”
She glanced over at him.

He took a step closer to her, shielding her from the
soft night wind. “Alesha found out that I went by Strong Blends the
next day around noon. Thanks to Brian.”

The next day.
That didn’t make since. That was over a week ago when she’d
kneeled before him. She faced him. “You came to my job?”

His frown deepened. “You work at the coffee
shop?”

Damn, he didn’t know.
“Yes. I even worked the next morning, early
morning prep.” She rubbed her forehead, a few hours earlier and he
would have seen her.
And what?
She asked herself. However she didn’t know. The
connection she had with this man scared her.

“
I missed you. I don’t even know
why I was there.”

“
How much have you told your
sister about us?” She liked Butterfly, she didn’t want the other
woman to think she was some kind of slut. It was bad enough
everyone thought she was hopeless in the sticking with a Dom
department.

“
Nothing else.” He placed a hand
on her back, his thumb stroking her skin through his shirt.
“Anything else that is between us is our business.”

His touch was making her body ache; sexually and
emotionally. Her heart beat hard in her chest.

“
You should go back inside, Brad.
You shouldn’t have followed me out here.” She moved toward the
steps that led to the lawn. It was imperative that she get away
from him, this man was dangerous to her heart and mind.

“
Come back in with me. I’m not
leaving you out here in the cold.”

“
Why? There’s nothing bet—ween
us.” Her voice broke and her head was beginning to pound with so
much thoughts and emotions bombarding her.

“
The hell there isn’t.” He closed
the distance again and took hold of her shoulders. “I’m starting to
care pretty deeply for you.”

“
And what? What? You can’t be what
I need.” She felt the heat of tears rolling down her face. She was
pissed that she was crying, she abhorred crying over relationships.
Or lack of one as it was between her and Brad.

“
What is it that you need,
Gabriella?”

A Dom. A lover. A friend.
She stared into his intense dark eyes. Only if,
her heart sighed.

The laughter and music from inside
changing to a lively version of
Santa
Clause is Coming to Town
broke into her
thoughts.

“
It doesn’t matter.” She pulled
away. “I need to get Jennifer and her Dom and see if they’re ready
to go.” She hated pulling her friend away from the festivities, but
she didn’t feel a part of the jovial atmosphere.

“
If you’re ready to go, I’ll take
you.”

“
Why?” She squinted, eyeing him
suspiciously.

“
There’s no need to end Pepper’s
evening so soon.” Lifting his hand, he slowly caressed the side of
her face with a finger.

“
I don’t think that’s such a good
idea.” It was most likely a bad idea considering how drawn to this
man she was already. The last thing she needed was to develop
stronger feelings for him; it would be two easy to fall. Then where
would she be when he returned home to Baltimore.

“
Please. I just want to know you
got home safe.”

Against her better judgment she agreed. “Great.”

Guiding her to the door, he slid it open and allowed
her to enter first.

Moments later, she had pulled Jennifer and Meyo
aside and let them know she was going home because she had a
migraine. Which wasn’t far off from the truth, her head was
throbbing. They had originally insisted they were leaving also, but
she had pleaded with them to remain.

Brad had step forth at that moment and insured Meyo
he would see her home safely.

Next, Brad escorted her to his sister, where
Gabriella was about to hug her hostess and thank her for the
invitation. Unlike Meyo and Jennifer, Alesha didn’t appear shocked
or bothered that one of her brothers was leaving the party.

“
We must get together one day
soon.” Butterfly hugged her.

“
Maybe after I get back from my
parents house.” Gabriella stepped out of the other woman’s
embrace.

“
Oh, when are you leaving?” Now,
her features showed concern.

“
Christmas Eve. I’ll only be gone
for a few days.” Gabriella felt the tension in the man’s body
beside her, but ignored Brad.

“
Okay, I’ll contact you
then.”

“
Perfect,” Gabriella
agreed.

“
Alesha, I’m grabbing your car
keys. That way if things get to much for Brian he can get back to
the hotel.”

“
Fine.” Stepping over, Alesha
kissed Brad on the cheek. “We have Master Mustang’s truck and
Master Ursus’s car we can make do.”

“
Thanks.”

It took them less than five minutes for them to be
heading out the front door with both their coats on.

Gabriella slid into the leather seat of Alesha’s
luxury sedan as Brad held the door open for her. Closing it, she
waited while he walked around to the driver side and wondered.
She’d been doing too often, if she was making the right decision.
Allowing herself more time around Brad was only prolonging the
inevitable—them saying good-bye for good.

~YH~

Thirty minutes later, after a comfortable drive with
nothing but the sound of holiday jazz music playing in the car, and
the occasional direction from Gabriella, Brad pulled into her
apartment complex.

During the silence, he had taken her hand, held it
in his own. He’d been grateful when she didn’t put up a fuse or
remove it.

Now, they sat there in the darkened interior of the
car. He shut off his headlights not wanting to shine them into one
of her neighbor’s windows. He wanted say something to her, prolong
the moment. This was it for them, he knew it. There was no other
reason for them to be in contact, no matter how much he wanted it,
desired her.

Holding her smaller hand, he stroked the back of it
with his thumb enjoying the satin feel of her skin. His gut
clenched tight and his heart thudded hard in his chest, with the
thought of ending things with the beautiful, vivacious woman. It
had to be done. There was too much space and distance between
them—more emotional than miles.

“
If you want to wait, I can go
change and return your shirt to you.” Her fingers flexed in his,
but she didn’t attempt to remove them.

He gazed at her face in the dim light. Her make-up
was more subdued. She still wore the bright red lipstick, something
that seemed her trade mark, but her hair was pulled back into a
simple bun. He almost missed her normal retro appearance.

“
I’d prefer you keep the shirt.
You know…something to remember me.”

She glanced from the front window to him. “There’s
not anything about you, Brad, that I will forget.”

“
Good to know.” He wanted to pull
her close, kiss her, just taste those succulent, full lips one last
time.

She leaned toward him as if she had been thinking
the same thing, but she moved away, inhaled through her nose loudly
and took her hand from his. “I need to go.”

“
May I walk you to your
door?”

Shaking her head, she said in a low voice, “No. It’s
hard enough from here. The walk alone will clear my head.”

He understood what she was saying. However, he
didn’t have to like it.

“
I’ll wait until you get into your
place.” It appeared to be a safe enough area, but would take any
chances.

“
Thanks.” One final glance and
then she was out of the car and walking down a pathway passed the
first set of apartments, onto a back building.

The lights were so dim where she
was walking; he kept the lights to the car off so he could see her.
Getting ready to switch on the lights and pull out of his temporary
space, he caught a shadow in the distance and stopped.

chapter eight

Gabriella felt as if her mind would never stop
running with questions and thoughts surrounding Brad. It was
useless for her to continue to debate with herself over the man.
She’d been correct at his hotel and at the party, there was nothing
for them to pursue. It didn’t matter that her feelings were already
invested or how much she wanted him to be more than he was. Or for
what she needed to be different, it wasn’t going to happen.

She’d tried vanilla relationships and they never
gave her what she needed—to be a true submissive. Tonight that was
even more apparent to her as she watched her friends and their Doms
and Masters cater to them. Care for them. How her friends seemed to
bask in a joyous glow in submitting to those over them. She wanted
that for herself. Tonight she’d seen how wrong she had been in
keeping her two lives separate. A boyfriend on one side and a Dom
on the other.

They had to be one.

Too bad it can’t be the one you want.

Disconcerted, she exhaled and removed her keys from
her coat pocket as she moved along the last few steps to her
door.

“
China Doll, you disappointed
me.”

Someone stepped out of the shadow of trees by her
building and grabbed her arm, slamming her back against the
wall.

She stifled a scream from the sharp pain of hitting
the hard surface and looked up into the angry face of Reel. “Reel.
How did you find out where I live?”

He sneered at her. “You thought to get away from me.
I followed you from your job. Several times waiting for just the
right moment.”

Oh, hell.
How many nights had she thought she was safe in her bed while
he was lurking around her complex?

“
Why? You could take on a new sub
more to your liking. What are you doing here, Sir?”

“
You bitch, now
you want to
Sir
me. After you treated me like shit before everyone in the
community.” He stared down at her from eyes that were venomous
slits, more narrow than his Malaysian genetics normally shaped
them.

The vise grip he had on her made it impossible for
her to move away. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“
You did!” He growled his mouth
held an angry twist as he shook her, knocking her against the
bricks again. “For some other Dom.”

She didn’t think this was the moment to correct his
assumption on Brad’s role in the lifestyle. No fool, she realized
it was better for her that Reel believed she had another Dom in her
life. Even if it wasn’t true.

Why did I send Brad away?

“
I asked you to free me. It wasn’t
working out for us.” She knew it didn’t make since to try and
rationalize with an insane man, but wanted to keep him talking
until she could figured out how to get him to leave or break
loose.

“
I owned you. You think you could
walk away from me?”

Owned me?
No one owned her. “Submission is a choice made by the sub.”
She was pissed now. She’d defended this man to others. Felt sorry
because the loss of his wife. But, she wouldn’t be anyone’s lap
dog.

She slammed the spike of her heel into the arch of
his foot as she twisted her body away. She didn’t get but a step or
two away when she felt him grab her bun and jerk her head back.

Screaming, she balled her fist so that her keys
stuck out between her fingers like claws. Shifting back to him, she
started swinging and jabbing at any area she could hit.

“
You dare
preach
the lifestyle to
me?” His voice crackled with rage as deflected most of her blows
and grunted when she made contact.

“
How
about
I dare
to
beat your mother fucking ass if you don’t let her
go.”

Reel’s hand didn’t slacken as he turned to the
person behind them that had spoken.

She didn’t have to see the owner
of the compelling and threatening voice, she knew who her knight in
shine armor was—
Brad
.

From where she struggled against Reel, she caught a
glimpse of Brad, tall and broad with his fist balled looking like
an avenging angel.

“
Yooou…” Reel’s features twisted
in scorn as he stared at Brad.

“
I’m not going to repeat myself.”
Brad’s voice dropped to a deep menacing pitch.

Whether from Brad’s threats or because Reel stupidly
thought he could best the bigger man, he let her hair go and shoved
her away.