Chap01 table in the woods
I sit in the woods, battered and bloodied. Shaking from the cold rain of June. I was supposed to graduate next week. But now I want to die. The world around me has shattered and splintered into a million shard, each one pointed to the sky. Waiting for me to step on them. I watch the water drops trickle down the fern leaves. Why do I exist? Why do I dream of things that will never be? My naked body racks with pain and humiliation. Just hours ago my world was neat and orderly.
Twenty-four hour before:
The family was called to a meeting. We sit around the great room. Elliot's being an ass. Mia flipping thru some fashion rag. I sit at the piano, stroking the keys. The Grand's enter sitting next to Mia. This may not be a happy time, by the looks on their faces.
Parents enter and sit on the love seat like always. Their faces are pained and stressed.
"Everyone we have an announcement. Ah We're getting a divorce." Dad states
The room erupts into shout and screams. I sit muted at the piano. Stunned and afraid, did I cause this?
"SHUT UP! We are still your parents. We still love you. The reason for the divorce, I'm gay. I've, I mean We've come to terms with it. No! I have never cheated on your Mother. She has never Cheated on me. But we can't continue to live like this. So we are divorcing." Dad calms the room.
"It's for best. We still love you. each other. But we are not turning this into a sham marriage. So things will go along relative the same. We've found two nice house close by in Medina. One for us, and one for Carrick. We have joint custody of you kids. Mia?" Mom wrings her hands a sure sign of stress.
"Why do we have to move?" Mia pouts, scared and huddle in Grandma T arms.
"This house is two big, to many memories. We need a new start and clean break. With Elliot in Stanford, and Christian off to Harvard. It's just the two of us girls next year. You still will have a room at each house. But the houses are smaller, more suited to our taste." Mom explains
"Ok, I'm going running." I say rising from the piano. Changing I running for a couple of miles. Ending up at Eliana's. she pissed I show up sweaty and tired. After a shower and belting, she rides me. Pegging me. beating me bloody. I see myself in the mirrored wall. Reflections of my mother, Ella. It done, I've come full circle.
Once released, I shower and change. I stare at the mirror, facet of me reflect in the mirror; the pimp, Ella, Mom, Dad, Eliana. I snap awake standing at the sink, has the shattered mirror tickle into the sink. My fist still extended into the remains. I am done.
Walking out, I find the Lincolns in deep conversation in his bedroom. They live separate lives. Something my parents couldn't do. I've suspected he knew for a while now, now there's no doubt. I see the recognize and evil in their faces. I've been a fool, for loveless sex and BDSM. Is not the answer.
"Leave now, wait for me over the bench. NOW!" screams Eliana.
"No, I'm done. No more. I see this is some sick shit. I'm out." I turn to walk away.
"How will your parents feel, watching the videos of Us. You with the others. Or maybe I publish them to the public. How will your dreams be then?" Eliana threats me. I turn back to the pair, this is going to be bad.
"you're going to give me all that shit. Now." I walk towards them.
"No, you're going to go down to the Dungeon, strip and present yourself for punishment. Or you're a porn star by tomorrow." Eliana commands in her best Dom stance and voice.
"you're going to give me all that shit. Now." I stand in front of them.
"you're going to do as we say boy, or your bitch mother will see the sissy she raised, touts to everyone. Not to mention your fag father, is that why you enjoy Eliana pegging you so much!" laughing in my face, Linc is insane with power over me.
The world plays thru my mind. I stroke my thigh with my bloody knuckles, washing the emotions from my mind. If I submit, I'm a slave forever. If I walk away, I'm an outcast forever. Logic locks my only options. The world has slowed down as my mind works thru the scene, like a dungeon scene Eliana likes to play.
All the working of my mind, slow to me are but a flash of a second, as Linc spittle still hangs in the air between us. My fist is even now rising to strike. He falls to the ground stunned. I back hand Eliana to the ground. A three-way fight ensues. We are all bloodied and savaged by the fight. I lock a whimpering Linc to his bed with his own handcuffs, his broken arm should keep him here.
I drag the beaten Eliana to her room, her closet. The safe. I mangle her nipples till she opens it. I take all the blackmail files. Grapping her face, leaning in, I calmly ask a question "Is this everything? If you have backups somewhere else, speak now." Looking in her eyes I see the truth.
Hour later at Eliana apartment in downtown Seattle. She opens a second safe. Her left hand is swollen and distended from dislocating her knuckle joints. She pissed and shit herself. I carry the second batch of files to the car. She follows robot like, returning to her house in Bellevue. I drag her into her dungeon. Tie her over the hated punishment bench. I demonstrate my learned knowledge of belt, cane, and whip. Her back is a bloody hash of welts and torn flesh.
I stand looking at the person who so ruled my life the last three years. I am the thing she unleashed. The monster. I have become my greatest fear. I am the Pimp mindlessly inflicting pain and suffering on the weak. I walk away. In Linc bedroom, I kick the sleeping wreck.
"I am exposing you. All the other people in the files, will get them by morning. You should run, as to the fight and well Eliana down in her room. Charge me, go to court on it. I Dare you. I have the files, including your pedophile exploits." I release the handcuffs, walking out the door for the last time.
I drive Eliana car home. Dumping the files minus mine on dad's desk. I head out the door. He appears in front of me. All I see, hear, feel is every time, he, they ignored my pleas, my begging to stop the torture at school. They never took my side in the fights, never ask why. It was always my fault for not behaving.
I stagger to the stolen car, my cloths a bloody torn mess. Dad lays on the stoop, stunned by the broken flower pot I hit him with. Elliot lays in the door. Crawling, trying to follow me. I drive away into the night, deep into the woods.
I sit in the woods, battered and bloodied. The dawn and setting sun have left me alone here in this forest glen. The new night turns cold as the late may rains dampen the woods. I shake from the cold, the dampness, the fears and pain. I don't know how long I've been here, as the darkness of day and my mind close on me. I feel a hand on my shoulder, looking up into Grandpa T worried face. He wraps a blanket around me, walking me to his truck. I turn inward on the drive to the farm.
I miss graduation from high school, heading to Boston to start Harvard during the summer session. Dad and I have talked on the phone. He found the files after I left. I confessed what happened. He still bloody and battered, charged into the Lincoln house. They had already left. Both have fled the country to Central America.
During the summer session, after my birthday, I enter and start my training to be a Dom in BDSM world. I don't give a shit who knows, it's me. what I am. The Sadist, the Dom, the future CEO of my dream company. I no longer fear the dawn.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Five years later. Seattle: site of the future headquarters building of GEH, Inc.
I turn the first ceremonial shovel of dirt on my new building. Roz my COO turns the second. I take the flash of the press and PR in stride. I don't like it, but have to live with it. Price of doing Business. I walk the golden shovel over to my parents and grandparents.
Handing the shovel to Dad. He cradles it like a baby. How much we've change the two of us. The cold aloof father is replaced with a calm, caring father. The fight that night broke the both of us. He was so afraid to make the mistakes his father made, of the conflicted inner turmoil of his sexuality. Just like me. We both realized how alike we were. When I wanted to drop out and start GEH, he loaned me the cash, with riders. If I failed, I had to get my law degree and work for him, doing pro bono work till the loan was paid off, plus attend every one of Mothers Charity events till I was thirty.
But I paid back the loan, which my parents donated to Coping Together. Mia bounces up to me, she graduates high school this year. She much calmer, focused. Really changed a lot, grow up. she pestering me to support her cooking school in Paris after her BA in Hospitality and Culinary Degree.
Big brother Elliot my contractor for the build saunters over, looking all normal and serious. Till that shit eating grin appears. "Well bro! beer and butts tonight at the Zag?" I shake my head, "No, whips and Chains at the club tonight, what to come?"
Mom doesn't like my lifestyle, if only she knew the real me. Dad coughs a warning. The Grand's wander up with the Mayor and the Lt. Governor. We chit chat, business and such. Till the booze, food and press are gone. I head home to my new penthouse Escala. My new housekeeper Mrs. Jones will have dinner waiting. I should call a sub for the weekend, but I don't. Things have changed a lot since the fight that night. I turn on my reel to reel and headphones and drift the night scape to sleep.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tacoma, Washington: Hazburton building site.
Elliot Grey:
I sit on the steps to the site office. My head in my hands. I've driven up this morning from Seattle and Christian well-oiled build site to this mess. The entire office crew, I inherited from my takeover of Tallinn Construction last month. Has tanked, screwed me, left me scrambling to get this project back on schedule and cost. The site superintendent hired some blonde, high school drop out to be the Facilitator of the project, his druggie brother and brother in law as the foreman, and half the criminal thugs as no-show employees. Already Clint, my foreman from Portland, and I have beat the crap out of halve the thugs and employees. The police hauled most away. Worse the local crafts are refusing to send people over, seem the site was a non-union site. This is not how I work.
Xxxxx
Three days later.
I just get the frigging job site here in lovely Tacoma going again, when Dad throws a wrench in the works. Some friend's daughter needs a very well-paying job for the Summer. He is going to pay the difference between my salary and what she needs. I don't see why he just doesn't give her the money. But I don't ask. Over the past years, I've met a few of Dad's Friends, boyfriends. It always the same, he's looking for long term, their wanting money, perks, sugar-daddy. It ends the same as it starts, fast and quick.
The next day, it's raining cats and dogs in wine barrels. A petite brown haired perky high school Graduate stands before me. This is going to be fun, she already has the job, the question is gopher or receptionist.
(Elliot-pov in regular type Anna-pov in italics)
Let's see how perk tits does "If I tell you we need to order self-sealing stem bolts; do you know what it's for?" I stump most of the female airheads and a lot of male as well with Clint's go to office quiz question.
Does tall blonde, clearly, believes himself to be god's gift to women. Arrogant, self-center asshole Elliot Grey think I'm an airhead, should I flick my hair, look all goggle eyes and pretend he just didn't insult me. screw him. It's not my fault the scholarship I was counting on disappeared with the takeover of Portland's Westcomm by some company in Seattle, GEH or some other acronym. Now, Ray had to ask one of his boyfriends to get me a job. That pays enough this summer to support me till Christmas
Dad coming out was so painful for him. He restarted an affair with an old Army buddy. Which ended badly, outing him to the veteran community and me. Worse the son, Jose Jr. is stalking and chasing me to date, or rape. I think rape revenge for his families image being tarnished. He's unbalance if anyone thinks he gay. His dad, Jose sr. has fled to San Francisco to live out his fantasy of middle-aged Gay life style. Dad just goes along, the last few months he's been more secret, I think he's someone dirty side piece. We keep getting calls from a Mr. Grant.
Back to Elliot asshole "well the stem bolts are used to attach panel to substructure, required to leak proof the connections, at least according to Mr. O'Brian. Or would you like Mr. Sissako opinion on the matter"
Shit! She has brains and sassy. I like it. "Who's up first plumbers or electricians?" I smirk at her pretty face, god she hot.
"Well, after the framers, the plumber with Electricians following as soon as the rough piping is done"
Ok I was wrong, she does have brains and some idea what to do. "Alright your hire as facilitator, glorified office secretary and materials handling, gopher. Pay for the summer is 15 grand. This is a 60 plus hour job. You start now, see what order you can make of this mess (pointing at the two-desk overloaded with files and stuff." I need to head out and smooth the unions this afternoon. Another bunch of chickens to corral.
Looking at the desks, I know my work is cut out for me, but 15 grand just for this mess. I need more money "20 grand for the three months, plus written recommendation." I watch as his eyes bulge out of his gorgeous head. He shakes like no, then run's his hand thru his head. I know I've won, when he looks at the desks.
"Alright 20 grand, if you can get this place in order, otherwise 12 grand." I smirk, till I see the confidences in her face. I think I've been had. "I got to leave, smooth the Union bosses to get back on track. Glem at the trailer next to the gate will let you out. good luck, Miss. Steele" I walk out and head over to the steakhouse. The craft heads are expected in a hour, I need to calm down an focus on the task at hand.
xxxxxxxxxx
(Elliot-pov in regular type Anna-pov in italics)
Next morning
I drive up to a locked gate. I pull out my keys, open and drive in. Steele bug is still here? I check she's sleeping in the car, great is she homeless. Bang on the roof. Wakes sleeping beauty. I wait for her to roll out of the car, shaking the sleep off "well sunshine the reason your sleeping here?"
"yea, I was here till midnight. Wanda my car wouldn't start. And o yea Glem was drunk, getting drunker with your ex-employee. Who had two tilt-bed trucks to steal the tool sheds. Which you will notice are still here. I fired Glem, he pulled out around 2am. The other, well they left after I shot out the windshields. So, unless you have coffee which I detest and breakfast. It'd leave me alone." I turn a head for the port-a-pottey.
I look at the very big pistol on the seat. The empty night watchman spot. Shaking my head, I walk in the office. What the hell happen in here. The mess is gone, a new printed schedule hangs on the wall with all the updates. I open a filing cabinet. Everything is labeled, and orderly. I shake my head. Pull out my phone. "Clint, my man. The asshole tried to rob us last night. Anna, yea the new girl ran them off. Stop by Black-Bear get her breakfast, I don't know" "Large stack, double bacon, fruit cup, and hot tea, English breakfast, bag out. if you could stop and get a box of the tea, preferable Twing" "you heard the lady. Bye. I think I love you."
"Elliot you're not my type or should I say I'm afraid of needles" I smirk as his head works out the insult.
"Hey, I always us protection. What your type? I could change?" I fire back, blushing brightly
You'll never be my type, my guardian angel is only one for me. "Did you get the unions to start, when I need to know when to order the next batch of materials. My type is monogamous, committed and serious and above all else NOT my BOSS"
"OK, ok! Gee take a pill. Maybe I should match you with my. Never mind. Yes, the union crews should arrive by 10am. Clint should be able to clear the material on hand by Friday. I'll call a tow and get your car looked at." I snort, if she can work this miracle overnight I wonder what time will bring.
Xxxxxx
Ray-pov
I hold Cary in my arms, watching the rain fall down the windows looking out toward the bridge. It's been a rough couple of months coming to term with our relationship. For all of his ability, courage and demeanor, he is racked by guilty and indecision. He needs a strong man to hold and care for him. I think I'm that man. I worry about Annie, how will she take this, change is relationship, living condition, his family. I worry about how self -assured she is. How she seems to have a secret, since that night.
The hero fantasy she created to cover her fears worry me, the older she gets the stronger it gets. She seems so level head most of the times, I catch her sometime day-dreaming about this mythical hero. Cary is afraid his youngest son will be the major problem. His SM son, I worry how Annie will react to a sadist.
My eyes grow heavy as Cary snores lightly into my chest. We had a great dinner with his ex, we really meshed well. I think she want him to be happy, just like he wants her to be happy. I slip into dreamland.