Southern Comfort

Ch. 4: Answers, Pt. 1

BPOV

I'd only been asleep for a few minutes when the front door slamming shut woke me up. Instinctively, I knew Charlotte wasn't in the house but didn't know the reason why she left. Pain seized my heart when I realized that the vampire was mad at me because I'd failed to please her. The need to please her and prove that I belonged to her overpowered every other thought in my head. The sound of Charlotte coming inside let me know that I only had a few minutes before I had to prove my devotion to the blonde. My hands moved on their own accord and made short work of getting ready.

Charlotte eventually came in then crawled into the bed. She was able to tell that I wasn't sleeping and she hissed when she discovered that I was naked under the quilt. I glanced into her eyes and whimpered after I lowered them to show proper respect. My head tilted to the side, exposing my throat and her bite, at the same time my legs spread and opened myself to her. Where my mind failed to understand why I'd done these things, the more primal part of me knew I belonged to this vampire. My body was hers and I needed to offer it up for her pleasure.

With a growl, Charlotte pulled me to her as her cold arms wrapped around my body. Her body hovered above mine, all of her weight being supported by her forearms. I chanced a look into her eyes and they were black as night. The vampire's lips ghosted along my jaw then placed a chaste kiss on my lips. Then, abruptly, there was a swoosh of air and the petite blonde was on the other side of the room breathing heavily. Never had been so vulnerable before anyone before, not even Edward, and the pain of her rejection was worse than I'd ever experienced before. That's when I knew that he'd been right, I was worthless and nothing was going to change that.

I hadn't realized that I was crying again until Charlotte had me in her arms, her clothed front pressed into my naked back. My mind wanted me to struggle to get out of the room but my heart and body refused to put up any kind of fight. Only after she started to purr, did my body relax and my crying stop. She waited for a few minutes after I calmed down then started talking.

"I'd wanted to wait till morin', Sugar, but after this little reception I think now is as good a time as any to explain things," Charlotte said in my ear and I had to force myself to pay attention.

The vampire went on to tell me about how Edward had never been my mate because she was, and then explained the basics of mating. Hearing about the effects of the first bite put a lot things into perspective for me. I understood the reason why I felt so confused by my reactions toward her but it all wasn't just mystical vampire crap. There was no way to hide the whole truth from her when she smelled how aroused I became when she told me that I was submissive to her.

Charlotte asked me about it but I refused to answer. When she ordered me to answer, I had no choice but to obey. It was a secret I hadn't shared with Edward, or any of the Cullen's for that matter, because I knew that he'd never accept it. Before he came back to the States to play in the Minors, Phil had played baseball in Japan. While he was there, a teammate introduced him to a whole new world by taking him to a Bondage Club. One trip was all it took for him to embrace the B&D lifestyle.

He'd been dating Renee for a few months when I accidentally walked in on them in the middle of a "Scene." Instead of running away embarrassed, I wasn't able to stop watching and becoming oddly aroused. Thankfully, there had been no sex involved because it was already creeping me out enough when I finally came to my senses but it was too late to bail because they'd seen me. The end result was an awkward conversation that lasted for a few hours.

Renee had always been open about her sexuality and we often talked at length about it. She'd admitted that night that she'd been worried because I'd never shown any sign of sexual interest whatsoever. After I'd reluctantly told her how what I'd just seen had made me feel, she was actually thrilled in some weird, Jungian, way. The three of us discussed Bondage and Discipline from various perspectives then both my mom and Phil suggested I read up on the subject. Phil loaned me books that he thought had the best information for the curious and beginners.

I'd been sixteen at the time and spent the rest of the year devouring every book on the subject Mom and Phil were able to find. Two days before my birthday, they had taken me out to eat and seemed rather anxious. There was a lot of tap dancing during our dinner conversation but they eventually got to the point. They asked about my research and I told them that after everything that I'd read the idea not only still appealed to me but felt right. Not that I'd been able to do much about it before I left Phoenix.

Charlotte laughed a little then explained that she was fine with it because B&D wasn't just about sex, which she was fine with, but respect. It was the same with being the submissive in our mating. There were going to be rules for me to follow but that was going to have to wait for now. For the moment, I needed to get as much sleep as possible because the next few days were going to be stressful.

"I can't sleep," I whined and she sighed.

"I think I know a way to help you out," she whispered huskily and my body automatically tried to open itself for her.

"Not yet. We'll have sex eventually but you just lost both your father and your first real relationship all in one day, Sugar. Until you've had the chance to mourn the loss of each of them, I ain't touching you below the waist and you're not allowed to do it either. There will be absolutely no penetration till after you change. There are other ways I can give you release, however," she purred.

Tingles of pleasure shot through my body when Charlotte brushed her nose along the scar she'd left on my neck and I gasped. My gasps became moans as her delicate fingers lightly stroked my breasts and play with my hardened nipples. I felt my already wet core pulse in time her mammary manipulations. I started to pant as the waves of pleasure built and the muscles in my stomach tightened as I taken farther and farther to the edge. Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, I screamed as my body shook from the first orgasm I'd ever experienced. There was no more energy left in me and I drifted to sleep in a blissful haze.

CPOV ( Charlotte)

Bella had shocked me when I got back to the room and found her awake but naked under the quilt. Her whimpering and submissive posture as she opened herself for me made my beast growl in delight. It was hard not to change her, fuck her and give her the third bite then and there. To prevent that, I flew out of bed and stood in a corner until I was calmed down but Bella had thought I rejected her and acted accordingly. My inner turmoil was pushed to the back of my mind and forgotten as the need to sooth my mate took over.

Once she was back to normal, I explained everything about mating that had been thinking about earlier. I smelled her arousal when I mentioned submission but wasn't surprised when she told me her deep dark secret because I'd found three books on the subject as I was searching her room. I glossed over the fact that she was going to have some rules, briefly touched on the sex thing and finally helped her body relax enough to get some sleep. The bond between us was working well enough that I knew she'd just had her first orgasm and couldn't help that I felt smug about it. Unfortunately, I'd been so wrapped up in meeting my mate's needs that I failed to sense Jasper and Alice when they walked through the back door. When I was sure that she wasn't about to wake up anytime soon, I climbed out of bed then went down to face the music.

My older brother and his wife were waiting for me in the living room. The Pixiepire looked pissed off about something and the Major was rubbing a bite mark on his neck. From the smell of the venom, it was still pretty fresh. He glared at me when I gave him a questioning look.

"Alice had a vision about your little talk with Bella on the way over and bit me before I could find out why she was so angry," he fumed.

"Serves ya right, fucker. If I was her, I'd have waited until I was goin' down on ya then bitten your dick," I shot back with a more pronounced drawl. Alice grinned wickedly at me while Jasper growled for giving her the idea. To diffuse the situation, I started in on the usual small talk. What they'd been up to, how the rest of the family was; that kind of shit. Once they were both mellower, it was time to move on to the heart of everything.

Jasper's cell phone rang and he smiled briefly when he noticed the caller id. He answered as he walked out the door, "Hey Sam, it's been a while."

I stared after my brother with incredulity but when I turned to ask Alice to explain, she was gone. From the sounds, the psychic was up in Bella's old room. I'd remembered that I hadn't straightened up after my search when I heard her giggles. A few minutes later, she came down the stairs pouting with a book in her hands as Jazz walked back in.

"Jazzy, how come we don't have this one," she complained and held up the book so we could read the title.

"Our little Bella is freak, it's always the quiet ones," he chuckled then answered her question, "Because ya never showed interest in Japanese Rope Tricks, Darlin'."

They both noticed that their exchange was a little TMI for me and quickly got back on track.

"Sam wanted to know if he, Leah, Seth and Sue could come over tomorrow. I told them that to wait until the afternoon then everything would be fine. Bella's as much a part of their family as she is of ours," Jasper explained about his call.

"You know Sam and the wolves," I asked intrigued.

"Yep. About two months before Bella moved here, Harry Clearwater had a heart attack while out fishing with Charlie and Billy Black. Despite Black's protests, Charlie called Carlisle for help. Being a doctor, and the compassionate man he is, Carlisle risked death by breaking our treaty with the wolves and saved the Tribal Elder's life. Esme worried for his safety so I ended up going with him as protection. While Charlie was on the phone giving the ambulance directions, Billy claimed our actions was an act of war. Sam and the other two members of the Pack at the time, Jared and Paul, showed up and agreed that we'd done nothing wrong.

"Black wheeled off in snit and swore that he'd go to the Council and we hadn't heard the end of this. That left us alone with the wolves for the first time since the treaty was made. Harry's ex-wife and kids showed up and we all went to the hospital together. Those hours we spent together waiting for word on Harry were the first steps toward a better understanding between our kinds. The rest of the Council, much to Black's annoyance, agreed with the Alpha and some clauses were added to the existing treaty.

Sam and I eventually became friends. When I told him about my past, he asked me to help train him and the others," my brother replied.

"How's Bella doing, besides all blissed out in her sleep? Did she tell you what Edward said," Alice enquired with concern and a trace of hostility.

"About as well as can be expected. She was borderline hysterical when I found her, then crossed the border. But the whole time we were at the hospital she toughed it out like a Trooper. With only a couple of slips, she never let the La Push crowd or the staff see her pain. Once we got home, she cracked and I just let her cry herself out then put her to bed but she never said a word about Edward. She was sleeping when I left to call y'all but was awake by the time I finished searching her room," I replied thoughtfully.

"Yeah, we were here for the tail end of things," Jasper smirked but looked at his mate questioningly when he sensed her mood.

"I looked through her room while you were on the phone with Sam. It looks and smells like Edward piled all of Bella's clothes up then rolled around in them for a few hours before he put them back. Because I buy all of her clothes, I know that three pairs of her panties are missing. Based on what day it is, they should've been in her dirty clothes hamper but they're not," the Pixiepire told him.

"Peter and Victoria are going to be here a little after sunup. I know she's gonna want to apologize to Bella. I think it would be best if after Sugar is up and fed, that you and Torie talk with her. I'll take my brothers with me when I go grocery shopping and y'all should have plenty of time to find out what that pillow bitin' asspirate told her," I explained and she and Jasper nodded in agreement.

"Since when have Victoria and Peter been mates? How do you know that she's safe," my brother wanted to know.

"They've been together for a few months. She told us a little about James and Laurent; she even told us about an encounter with a large coven that kept a human pet and the aftermath. Peter knew she felt guilty about what she did with her companions but he and I also knew that she never told the whole story. I think that'll change today," I commented and he nodded again.

Alice started to bounce up and down then said she needed to go back to the Cullen place to get the clothes that Bella had left there from past shopping trips. I knew my mate wasn't gonna be comfortable in them but we were burning all her old ones. Jazz gave me a look that said we'd protect the box of her mother's old clothes from the Pixiepire's zealousness. I left my older brother on the couch reading the book Alice had brought down while I went back upstairs to lay with my mate.