Chapter Sixteen
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Saturday 12th June 2011
"I don't know what you're making but it smells delicious." Christian grins from his place at the breakfast bar.
"In the oven there's beef roasting with onions and herbs, I've got potatoes boiling for them mash, carrots and broccoli chopped, ready to be steamed and right now I'm slicing more potatoes for the potato roses."
"Sounds delicious. Do you have a free moment." He whispers coming to stand next to me pressing a kiss to my neck.
"Later."
"Now, please." He whispers once more his voice small. I put my knife down and turn to face him wrapping my arms around his neck before pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Christian." I groan, as he grabs my ass pulling me flush against him I can feel his erection against my stomach.
"I need you." He pleads, he needs comfort, I lick his neck while undoing my jeans.
It doesn't take long before we're naked on the floor of the kitchen, our clothes scattered around us screaming the others name as our mutual release flows through us like a tsunami of pleasure.
I try not to feel defeated when Christian wordlessly goes back to his office without another word, his jeans undone, still buttoning his shirt. I know today is so difficult for him, so I put all my energy into cooking. I steam the carrots with cilantro (coriander) for extra flavour, and decide to serve the broccoli with crumbled up pieces of stilton, the flavour combination of my favourite soup. By the time everyone has arrived the table is set, the food is ready to be brought over and the cheesecake for dessert is in the fridge. Christian is a bit distant, but he's trying to distract himself by talking to Elliot about baseball.
I squeeze Christian's thigh his beautiful face is marred with a frown, the conversation around us is flowing happily and I know he's scared about what's going to happen later I catch his eye and mouth 'I Love You' making him smile.
"Ana how where did you get the idea for the potato roses?" Grace asks breaking our moment.
"Pinterest, it's where I got the recipe for the cheesecake as well." I reply starting Mia off into a tangent about her wedding board. Christian rolls his eyes, I smirk before taking another bite of my dessert looking at him sucking on my spoon slowly I enjoy watching his eyes darken.
"Christian, we all know you didn't bring us here for Ana's delicious cooking." Carrick inquires after the dishes had been cleared from the table.
"I know dad, there's something I need to tell you all about. Why don't we take our drinks to the drawing room." Christian suggests.
Carrick, Grace and Mia share one sofa, Elliot and Kate share the other, while I sit in one of the armchairs we all have our attention on a very nervous Christian; he's pacing with his hands running through his hair.
"I need to know from every one of you that what I'm about to say will not become knowledge of anyone not in this room." He begins looking pointedly at Kate.
"Christian, Elliot and you have made me and my best friend happier than either of us has ever been in our entire lives. And everyone else in this room has made us both feel like part of the family. That is a huge amount of trust, I could never break that trust. Whatever happens from this moment on, you have my word that I will never betray you or anyone in this room." Kate passionately declares making everyone smile, even Christian.
"You know what I was like at fifteen, completely out of control, getting in fights. Then seemingly overnight I changed. There's a reason behind that." Christian begins nervously.
"Did you start getting laid?"
"Elliot! Let your brother finish." Grace scolds
"I'm right aren't I." Elliot grins
"Sort of, I was introduced to a certain type of sex where my haphephobia wasn't being triggered."
"What's haphephobia?" Kate asks.
"Fear of begin touched, the most impacted part of me was my back and chest." Christian explains.
"It's okay Christian." I console reaching out to squeeze his hand, he forces a smile.
"I started practising BDSM." He confesses his shoulders sagging, his head bowed not wanting to see anyone's faces. I don't look at everyone behind me, I was confident for Christian but I can't look at everyone.
"You were fifteen?" Carrick seethed. "Who introduced you to this?" He continues.
"Elena." Grace whispers, I look at her there are tears rolling down her face. Christian nods.
"So she raped you." Carrick growls.
"It was consensual, dad." Christian replies softly.
"Consent is irrelevant if you are underaged in the eyes of the law it's is rape, Christian you know this."
"What happened specifically, I mean like. How did this help you." Mia questions bewildered.
"Whenever she found out my grades were slipping, or I was getting in trouble I was punished. There are different types of BDSM individual to those practising, how we practiced there was a dominant and a submissive, if the submissive does something that displeases the dominant then he/she is punished. I was Elena's submissive." Christian robotically replies, his head still blowed. I'm glad he can't see his families reactions Elliot is skipping between shaking his head in bewilderment and refilling his wine, Grace is softly crying, Carrick looks furious and Mia has her face in her hands while Kate is resting her head on Elliot's shoulder rubbing his back in an effort to comfort him.
"Every time I confided in her, she used that to punish you? How would she punish you?" Grace seethes.
"There are hard limits, which are things the submissive does not consent to, the dominant must never do something that is a hard limit. If the dominant does something the submissive doesn't like they use a safeword they say yellow for when they're close to reaching their limit, if the submissive says red then the dominant stops immediately. Whatever she did was nothing I couldn't handle."
"Christian, how would she punish you?" Grace presses.
"Paddles, canes, whips." Christian whispers slowly, he finally sees his mother's tear streaked face.
"When did this, arrangement with Elena end?" Carrick asks his voice even.
"When I was twenty one."
"Why?"
"I wanted to train as a dominant myself." Christian confesses through gritted teeth as though he were trying to stop the words from leaving his mouth.
"So you beat women." Mia states.
"I'm not going to show you a contract, but every woman I was with was well over the age of consent, and in total agreement." Christian defends, Mia smiles at him.
"Is that what you and Ana are?" Kate growls, I down my full glass of wine, Christian sits on the arm of my chair holding my hand.
"No. We play, but I'm not his submissive. Originally, that's what Christian wanted." I explain
"But, my need to dominate was nothing compared to my need for Ana in any way she would have me." Christian proclaims.
"Where would you do this?"
"When I was with Elena we were at her house, or she would bring things to a hotel while I was in college, during my training sometimes at Elena's house or at a club, then when I moved here I have a room I use."
"Can I see it? I need to, morbid curiosity." Carrick hesitates, Christian sighs but nods. Elliot and Kate get up with Carrick and Christian to go to the playroom.
"Was I such a bad mother?" She whispers when the others leave.
"Mom you were amazing, you did everything right." Mia implores
"Grace, Elena is a predator. She manipulated your kind nature to take advantage of a child with severe issues. At fifteen most teenage boys would jump at the chance to have sex with an attractive older woman and certainly wouldn't tell their parents about it." I explain making Mia and Grace laugh.
"He was fighting all the time mom, he was persona non grata after being kicked out of so many schools. You and dad were terrified at what his future would hold if he kept on that path, when he changed we were all happy to see he was actually studying and not beating up every kid who came too close in the locker room." Mia reasons.
"I can't help but feel that I failed my son."
"You didn't mom. Think about how he is now, happy and in love telling us about all of this."
"Mia's right, Grace. I didn't know the Christian back then, but underneath the hard persona Elena created for him is a loving, kind and gentle man and that is because of you all."
"I don't know what to do now." Grace whispers.
"Bring that bitch down for taking by brother away, and worship the ground Ana walks on for giving him back better than ever." Mia grins getting out of her seat to sit on my lap wrapping her arms around me, I return her hug.
"That bitch is going down." Carrick announces his face pale with Elliot, Kate and Christian behind him.
"But how, dad?" Elliot asks.
"I'll see if I can find a new salon." Mia suggests
"Mia this isn't the time to talk about your nails." Elliot snarks.
"I'll find a new salon, and tell all my friends about how much better it is, therefore taking business away from Elena's salon. Less customers, less income." Mia condescendingly explains making Elliot blush.
"Good idea, Mia." Elliot sheepishly congratulates.
"I can keep an eye out at work, see if there's any rumours in the society pages about her." Kate offers.
"And since you're in a relationship with a member of the family, you can add fuel to those rumours of you find any by saying you have inside information with a former friend of Elena." Carrick adds,
"I can suggest she is removed from all the boards of charities we support because I overheard her being called a pedophile, and we wouldn't want someone like that associating with charities especially ones that aid children." Grace suggests.
"Is she a member of the country club, dad?" Elliot asks, Carrick nods
"I'm working on the house of the owner, if mom calls me one day I can quietly mention to him that mom doesn't want to associate with her and mention you wanting to end your membership if she's a member. They would rather lose her than our entire family." Elliot suggests. I look at Christian who's sat next to me, I catch his eye and we share a grin. Not only do his family still love him, they're helping bring down his abuser.
"Christian, don't you own some of Elena's salons?" Mia asks
"Yes, I was going to gift her my shares but I've decide to sell them to the bank. I had a close look at her accounting reports and there's a few things not adding up. I doubt the bank will be happy with that." He grins
"Good. Is there anything you can think of on your end to bring her down, Christian?" Grace asks.
"A few years ago I bought some of the BDSM clubs around Seattle and surrounding areas, I'm going to make a call tonight to have her membership revoked. My clubs became the most reputable, the others tend to get a lot of police raids. It isn't illegal, but some of the clubs are shady. That's why I own my own, I know everyone walking in the door is being treat well." Christian conspires.
As the afternoon becomes night everyone slowly leaves each person stopping to give Christian a hug telling him they're proud of him for telling them, then hugging me to thank me for loving him. No one needs to thank me for that.
"Steele we're doing girls night soon!" Kate grins, I know she wants to know what we get up to in the playroom.
"I promise." I grin hugging her tight.
"The three of us will do shopping or lunch, I'd ask to come to girls night but I don't want to hear about you having sex with my brothers." Mia laughs.
Finally it's just me and Christian, we fall into the sofa holding hands letting out a sigh.
"What did I tell you." I grin.
"Marry me."
"One day, yes. But can we have a few days of peace before more life changing decisions?" I ask kissing his cheek.