Disclaimer - All recognisable characters belong to their original owners. I do not make a profit from writing this; I simply do it for my own amusement. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter Two: Second Chance
Strong hands gripped Rose's hips as a large erection thrust into her back.
"Can you feel how hard you make me?" a deep voice asked.
This would usually be the part when the screaming started. When she began to sweat as if she'd run a marathon. When the fear would grip her.
But it didn't. She wasn't scared. She was wet.
Her hands were bound above her, the leather sticking to her skin. A blindfold was across her eyes. She was naked and vulnerable, but this was what she wanted; domination.
Hands felt their way up her body, gripping her breasts before pinching her nipples, the pain adding to the pleasure.
"Do you want me?"
"Yesss," she hissed, her entire body on fire.
One hand left her breast before her braided hair was wrapped around his fist. "Yes, what?" she was asked. The hand in her hair pulled lightly, making her tilt her head back.
Realising her mistake immediately, Rosalie rectified it. "Yes, Sir."
She felt him grin against the shell of her ear, his tongue laving the skin before he sucked the lobe into his mouth, biting down lightly. "Good girl."
She moaned. She was a good girl.
"And good girls get rewarded, don't they?"
She nodded feverishly.
"How do you want to be rewarded, Rosalie?" His hand untangled itself from her hair, and her head lolled back onto his muscled shoulder. "Do you want me to kiss your neck?" His lips caressed the skin, the lightest of touches. It sent her wild, and she leaned into his muscular body. "Do you want me to play with your breasts?" The hand that was already holding one, rolled her nipple between two fingers. "Or do you want something else entirely?" His free hand slipped down her body, fingers leaving a trail of fire in their wake. He fondled her clit. She was amazed at his control, at the gentleness of his fingers. They felt thick and long, and she could only imagine the pleasure they'd bring her if they were buried deep inside her.
"More," she cried. "More, Sir!"
Her nipples were taut peaks, begging to be sucked and laved with attention. The muscles in her stomach were tight and tense; her body throbbed with desire.
His fingers pressed against her clit for the briefest of seconds and then slipped lower.
A rush of pleasure hit Rose and she cried out, jolting awake and alone in her bed. Her skin was drenched with sweat and she was panting, her mind racing. Her underwear was soaked and her breasts ached with need.
She couldn't believe it. That was the first time in over a year that she had dreamed that way. Dreamed of a man touching her, dominating her. And it didn't scare her. She wanted to fall back to sleep and into the arms of her dream man. To feel his touch and caress and breath.
Closing her eyes, Rose recalled the way he felt and the way that he made her feel. It was like she was normal again. It made her think that she could go back to that lifestyle she wanted. The lifestyle she had revelled in before… before Royce.
Looking to her right, she saw that it was still early, only 4:30, but Rose didn't feel like she could go back to sleep. She was too awake.
It was as if she could still feel warm, strong hands on her body, tempting her.
For the next three hours, Rose lay against the covers of her bed, her mind whirring. She made a mental list of pros and cons. She considered her life now and how it was two years. She dreamed of a future and what she wanted from it.
By the time her morning alarm sounded, Rose knew what she wanted. It scared her. But it also made her tingle with excitement.
She sent a quick text off to the girls and got ready for work, pleased when they all responded, agreeing to meet with her tonight.
The evening couldn't roll around quick enough. Rose spent her entire day watching the clock. She worked as an exhibition designer and although she loved her job, she couldn't wait for 4pm to roll around.
When it finally did, she flew out of her chair, got into her car and drove home like a bat out of hell. Changing quickly, Rose arrived at the bar before her friends. Seth gave her a friendly wave as he wiped it down before serving two customers.
She liked Clearwaters. It was small, cozy and served great food and drink. Harry and Sue started it thirty years ago, and their kids, Leah and Seth, were being trained to take over. Seth was great with the punters, putting them at ease with his enormous smile and friendly demeanour, whereas Leah was much better with the business side of things. She could get… worked up when certain people entered.
Rose didn't have to wait long until her friends filed in. Esme was the first to come, probably straight from the school where she worked if her clothing was any indication. Bella arrived next, her hands full of books and her face red. She was such a bookwork that she always tried to squeeze in a quick trip to the library whenever possible. Kate was the third to arrive, her blonde hair twisted into a neat bun, a business suit on her svelte figure. Rose could only imagine what her business partners would think if they knew that this ball-busting lawyer spent her weekends on her knees begging for Garrett's cock. Rachel was the last to arrive, her laptop bag slung over her shoulder and her head buried in her phone. She'd started her own business designing websites a few months ago and was working hard to get it off the ground.
They ordered some drinks and food before all attention was on Rose. Suddenly, she felt nervous. Her fingertips were cold, yet her palms were sweaty. She felt slightly sick and had to take a quick drink of her water to wet her parched mouth. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, and the urge to stand up and leave was overwhelming. But she thought back to her dream. To the feel of solid hands controlling her, pulling her hair, lips caressing her skin as the feeling of submission flowed over like a comforting wave.
She could do this. This was the next step.
"I've been thinking," Rose began, licking her lips, "that I miss the lifestyle."
Four sets of eyes took her in, but not a single word was said. Rose wasn't sure if she found that encouraging or not.
"I've been feeling this way for… awhile." She cleared her throat, trying to stop her voice from wavering. "But I'd need someone who would understand my situation." Understand that the last Dom she had took everything from her, and she was terrified to let anyone else get that close again. "I think that if maybe I could find the right Dom, I could start playing again."
Rachel shared a look at the other women at the table and turned to face Rose.
"That's fantastic, babe." Her smile was wide. "In fact, we might be able to help you."
"I was hoping you could," Rose told her. "I just need to find a Dom and —"
Rachel shook her head, cutting Rose off. "No, I mean, we might have found you a Dom."
"I—what?" Rose asked, looking to her other friends for confirmation. They tried to give her reassuring smiles, but for Rose, they were anything but.
"We were talking about you yesterday and—"
"You were talking about me?" Rose's voice was small. This was what she had feared the most after what happened; people talking. Judging her. It was bad enough when the police spent hours questioning her, not understanding a genuine BDSM relationship. It was made worse when the trial was conducted, and a BDSM 'expert' was brought in. This was not an aspect of her life she wanted to be made public. Yet, complete strangers were being told about her sexual preferences. It was one thing for strangers to talk about her but another for her friends.
"Not in a bad way," Esme reassured quickly. "We'd never talk about you like that behind your back." She had a similar background to Rose, and Rose had come to value her advice and support.
"I was thinking about what you said at the barbeque, and I wanted to help. We—" Rachel glanced around the table "—were trying to think of Doms that might fit you, and we have an idea."
"Who?" Rose asked. Part of her wanted to tell them that it was a silly idea; she could never return to the lifestyle. Yet, another part of her, a larger part of her, was curious.
"Emmett McCarty," Rachel told her.
Searching through her memories, Rose could picture him. She had only met him a few times—maybe twice—but he had left an impression on her. He was tall, about six foot six, possibly a bit taller, with short, dark blonde hair and stubble to match. His eyes were an electric shade of blue and reminded her of the ocean on a calm day. He was muscled too. His arms powerful, and his thighs thick. Rose had drunk him in, intoxicated by the power he exuded. Their meeting had been short, Marcus introducing her and Rachel before Emmett was called away to scene with someone. A tinge of jealously had hit Rose, and she had tampered it down. He was an unattached Dom, and she was still in training; there was no way someone like him would want anything to do with her.
"I don't think—" she struggled with words. "I don't think he'd be right for me. He's an accomplished Dom and I'm a nervous sub." She had a list of limits a mile long and some soft limits that would be unacceptable to most. "I need someone with patience. Someone willing to work through my issues."
Rachel was silent for a few seconds. "Emmett is. We already contacted him."
"What?" It came out much louder than Rose had intended, and the result was several people turned to face them. Rose's face flamed, partly in embarrassment and partly because she was so distressed by what her friends had told her. "You shouldn't have done that!" she whisper-shouted. "I don't know if I'm ready."
"Well, you're thinking about it, so you must be," Kate said, rather diplomatically.
"That doesn't mean I am! You think about death, but that doesn't mean you're ready to die."
Kate—the bitch—actually rolled her eyes at Rose. "If you're not interested, that's fine. But Emmett is."
Rose froze in her seat. "What?" This 'what' came out a lot quieter. Kate actually smiled at Rose's response.
"He's interested?" Rose's chest was tight. But not from fear… from anticipation.
"Yep," Rachel confirmed. "He's interested, and he gave us his number." Reaching inside her laptop bag, she pulled out a small bright orange post-it note and stuck it to the table in front of Rose. "He's ready for you to contact him." She paused. "If you want."
Swallowing, Rose got rid of the lump in her throat. That was the thing. What did she want? Fear had ruled over her for too long, driving her away from the lifestyle she wanted. The thought of being with another Dominant sent something through her; she wasn't sure what it was. Her heart beat faster and her cheeks felt warm. Was it fear? No… it was exhilaration. The thought of someone controlling her, bending her to their will, dominating her… she was eager. She could see it now. She was taken back to her dream, except when she turned around to look at the man behind her, it was Emmett. It was his strong arms wrapping around her. It was his warm breath floating across her neck. It was his cock pressing into her back.
Realising she had yet to say anything, Rose nodded. She reached across the table and picked up the sticky note. Despite being paper-light, it felt like something heavier. The simple piece of paper that Rose held felt so much more than that. It felt like a second chance.
She studied it. Her eyes flickering over his name—Emmett McCarty—written in Rachel's neat handwriting to his number underneath.
Making a decision, Rose reached into her handbag that she placed under the table and took her phone out. Ignoring the questions and looks from her friends, she put the number into her phone, saved it, and started to type out a new text message.
Hello Sir. It's Rosalie Hale. My friends told me you were interested in being my Dom. I'd love to discuss that more with you.
Short, simple and straight to the point. She sent the message and then put her phone on the table, letting out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. She wasn't sure how to address him, so she figured 'Sir' was the safest option.
Her four friends continued to look at her, different levels of excitement across their features.
"Don't," she warned them. "Don't make this into a big thing."
"But Rose—"
"No." She stopped Bella in her tracks. "Nothing is set in stone. This is just the beginning."
No sooner had the words come out of her mouth did her phone buzz, indicating a notification.
With more nerves in her body than Rose knew what to do with, she reached down and picked her phone up off the table.
Slowly, everything faded away when she read the words on the screen. Hello Miss Hale. Lovely to hear from you. When's best for you? For me, the sooner, the better.
Her cheeks flushed with heat and around her, there were collective giggles.
"He wants to meet with me," Rose whispered, not quite believing what was happening.
"Well, that's great!" Esme said, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
"Yeah… but he wants to meet with me."
"Why wouldn't he?" Kate asked, confusion marring her otherwise perfect features.
"Because… I'm different. I'm fragile." The word left a bad taste in her mouth.
Esme's hand was across the table and she had her warm palm over Rosalie's. "You're not fragile. You're a strong, beautiful woman who has faced so much more than any single person should. Your past doesn't define who you are, Rose. You do." She said it with such conviction, such surety that Rose felt better. Esme's words resonated with her. She didn't want her past to define her. And this was the first step in getting over that.
Releasing another breath, Rose swiped her fingers at her cheeks and the few tears that had crept out. She picked up her phone and began to type out another message. I'm free this Friday if that suits you, Sir?
So, the wheels are in motion. Thoughts?
Special thank you to Jgaff, maniacalmuse, Ella Rose McCarty, Pearly Fox, and Maritimers Lovefanfiction. I loved getting your reviews!
Thank you for reading.