Charlotte reclines on the dining table, an envision of exotic beauty, legs spread over my shoulders with her thong drawn taut against her pussy. The remainder of her porcelain skin lays bare yet teasingly shrouded by her silken ebony tresses. My tongue traces the sodden, black cotton line before I nip it between my teeth and tug away.

"Now obey... every word," my seductress breathes, caressing her clitoris once more with a navy-manicured digit.

My mouth salivates as she plays before my eyes and explores her gaped pussy with two spread fingers, thinned sweet strings of cum dripping between. Tonight, she'd brazenly seduced a woman while I'd worked at the bar before taking a man back to the bathroom at closing, knowing I'd walk straight in on them to mop the floors. Still, I became a willing participant, drawn immediately to the scene playing out and fondled myself while they fucked. Between the both of them, they'd glazed her cunt both inside and out, and the sticky residue now remained for my torment upon her panties.

You could say that telling my fiancee I'd let my ex-girlfriend move in went down as well as expected.

"Stay still and watch what you cannot have," she admonishes, stroking a sizeable vibrating pink rabbit against my cheek. "Until you move her out, you only deserve the leftovers."

The squelching from the thrusting, thrumming toy in her sopping pussy is torturous in my current state, with my hands securely cuffed behind the dining chair. Especially with my inability to relieve my erect cock that's freely dripping to my bare thighs and pooling on the seat beneath me, dampening my leg hair.

"Ohh... Mmm," she moans again, lifting her hips away from the table so the fabric almost rips from my mouth. The toy continues to whirr as she fucks it and rides out another wave into the beginning of the next. Her calves and thighs are shivering in her multiorgasmic state, yet she doesn't stop giving in to pleasure and writhes noisily. "Fuck... Ahh! Your pathetic prick doesn't deserve my cunt... Nor that lying mouth..."

I remain silenced and fixated on the gushes of liquid expelling down to the tabletop from each pulse of her toy. Her moans and the scent of cum so pervasive I can taste it is agonising, but I'll endure it all for a chance to please her tonight like a good cuck. I've waited a whole week for this, and my appetite continues to grow while she plays relentlessly with her thick toy and smears each wrenched orgasm upon my lips.

"Tell me how much you want it, slut. Beg me to pity you," she demands huskily.

It's not the first time she's effectively gagged me through the fear of consequences. To lose my grip on the panties I've been tasked with comes with the uncertainty of physical chastisement or continued denial. I'm not ready to hedge my bets with the threat of the latter.

"Uh, 'lease?" I try to speak through my clenched teeth to a shrill giggle of laughter.

"Well, asking like that, slut, I won't. It doesn't seem like you want it at all." The cum-crusted tip of her toy is offered towards my mouth. "But, I'll give you another chance. Suck. I want you to show me that you deserve it. I want to see how you'll look on your knees when I make you suck dick."

The dusky, sullen eyes that oozed warmth a short month ago smoulder with renewed interest as I release the scrap of material and then lick over the tip of the toy. "Mmm..."

"Yes, a little more," she murmurs, encouraging me onwards. "Take it like a dirty slut would."

With caution, my lips part over the fullness of the flared head while she peers down at me. It's unyielding, and my teeth scrape against the silicone as it thrusts over my tongue, then deeper towards the back of my throat until I almost gag. But I can envision it would be thoroughly more satisfying with the natural, warm thing filling my mouth, and I fantasise about Justin before me, sharply tugging my hair and almost smothering me with his thickly curled pubis tickling my lips and chin.

In a merciless rhythm, she nudges forwards and back-ups over my tongue, then edges once more down my throat. My jaw aches, but these thoughts of him roughly skull-fucking me in the showers after a gym session while his sweat assaults my senses spur me on and desire more. I'll never be able to taste him, but it won't be long until this happens for real, with either someone Charlotte brings back or her elusive mentor. I'd half expected it tonight with the bearded, leather-clad biker-dude with hair shaved like Keith Flint. In that instant of seeing them together, I wanted him to pull out of her at climax, shove me onto the dirty floor and spew thickly into my mouth with his hairy, muscled abdomen rippling. It was a crying shame when she passed up the chance to share me.

Sharply, she taps her foot against my engorged penis. "Does my pet want it?"

I want to cry out, "God, yes, Mistress!" but with the dildo rammed so deep down my throat, I nod enthusiastically instead.

"But you seem to be having much more fun with the toy. Does it make you think about the taste of a man's cum? Or does it make you fantasise about who you want to do it with? Should I call him?"

"Mm-hm," I hum in response.

"But who exactly should 'him' be? L, or how about...?" Charlotte flips open her mobile phone and then flashes me the screen as she cycles through her numerous contacts. Both Justin and her mystery friend are one mistaken click apart. She tilts her head, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. "I wonder who'll pick up first?"

I remain silenced, half skewered and drooling, desperate to be filled at the other end. My mind is fogged with cum-lust, and though I know it'll be a terrible idea if she calls him, Charlotte sadly chooses her mentor instead. I figure it's unlikely he'll answer if we ignore the lateness of the hour, but surprisingly, he picks up before the third ring.

"Hi, L? I know it's late, but I've got an insubordinate slut here begging for a taste of your cock. Do you think you can get away for a bit?" There's a brief pause, but her eyes flare up at whatever was said, and she glances at me, dropping the toy with a clunk on the floorboards. "That's awfully mean, but yes, he's restrained right now. Why do you want to speak to him?"

The phone is pressed to my ear, and I finally hear Charlotte's enigmatic mentor's soft-whispered, velvety voice. "You're an impatient one, aren't you, when you haven't done anything to earn my cock yet. But I promise that when we do eventually meet, I'll be destroying that virgin hole of yours and breaking you in, body and soul. Something your Mistress appears to have failed in."

"I'd love to see you try," I murmur in my sexually charged stupor before realising my mistake. I know nothing about this man or his temperance. "Shit! I-I'm sorry!"

He deeply inhales, leaving my retort dangling in a long pause. The raucous nature of what we've interrupted with our call becomes abundantly clear from the audible, unmistakable thwacks, hellish moans and orgasmic bliss drifting through the phone. "Careful with that mouth of yours, or I might just come around there to punish you now."

My stomach lurches with the sudden realisation of his realness and the fact I'd been promised to be lent to him by my Mistress on several occasions. I've never even asked to see a picture of him, but now I can't help but wonder if he's just as attractive as I imagine from his words flowing articulated and smoothly like honeyed tea on a cold day, massaging me via my auditory senses.

"And do what, Sir? Spank me?" I nudge, my attention now thoroughly aroused. "Or perhaps you can find something else to keep my mouth busy with instead?"

His breath catches; I cannot tell whether in shock by my impertinence or his own deviant interest being sparked. "No, I have better methods at my disposal for an unruly, vacuous piece of shit like you. Techniques that'll have you wailing and begging for more until you're obediently in the palm of my hand. You'll think of nothing and no one other than me. Even that pathetic, weak-willed Mistress you tread all over."

His vitriolic hiss is startling, but I can hedge a guess he is educated and possibly privileged from his intonation. Still, it's not his potential looks and bank balance that's capturing my intrigue. It's the danger lurking behind his words, drawing me into wanting to tease out further responses and retaliation so he'll dish out what I'm sorely missing.

"Now you're speaking my love language," I continue to taunt in my sweetest voice. "I do very hope that's a promise. I'm game if you are."

Abruptly, Charlotte withdraws the phone, places it on the table and switches to speakerphone with a tap from her fingertip. My toes curl as her talon-like fingernail scratches over the slit of my wet helm, teasing me with the notion of entry. She taps again, grinning salaciously while probing inwards with the smallest digit. "Does it hurt, my slut?"

"A little... but it's good. Ah!"

I make the mistake of glancing downward as she inches deeper into my leaking cum-hole. Her other hand grips beneath my jaw, forcing eye contact as I writhe against my seat and restraints. "L believes I should teach you a lesson by not letting you cum until you agree to meet him. What do you think?"

"I don't know- Uh!" My teeth grit as the finger twists. Throughout this, he can hear us, and from his rasped breath, he's enraptured by my reaction to my Mistress and pleasuring himself. "I'll try swinging something with work even if I need to call in sick. Just please, let me cum, Sir?"

"You dare to speak to me informally?" he tuts. "Let's continue our stimulating conversation first. Tell me, how much do you know about who I am?"

I know in every fibre of my being that there's so much I can learn from him, and he'll show me erotic cruelty that I can only dream of with Charlotte. Yet, it would be easy to mistake my thirst for betrayal when I haven't forgotten my adored Mistress. This enigmatic mentor is a means to an end. A potential saviour who can guide her back onto the path she's wandered from out of fear of pushing too far again. Even if it means sparking her back into action out of jealousy before boredom ends us.

"I know you've viewed the videos she's made of me," I sigh as her hand wraps around my cock and pumps. I continue to poke, "But if you tell me what's your favourite, Sir, then I'll tell you mine."

"The time when you were made aware of me. When your Mistress strapped you to that chair, I'd gifted and toyed with you for hours. That was the first time I've been pleased to lose a bet."

"Mm, mine is the one we'll make next week when I give my body over to your control, Sir, and you use me as you see fit. I'm so turned on thinking about the punishment you'll give me while begging for your cock. I need to cum so bad."

"No fear of repercussions if anybody finds out? What I will do to you will leave no doubt in anyone's mind if it gets leaked. You'll be fastened down, stripped naked, exposed, gagged, then lashed and fucked relentlessly in front of everybody. I won't want to stop until there is nothing left, until you're delirious, entirely drained, and I need to carry you from the floor to my bed."

My stomach flutters with bubbling excitement. "So you're threatening me with a good time, huh? It'll be easier to have the decision taken from my hands than gain the courage to talk about it myself. Perhaps I'll finally feel free without the weight of hiding it. I only hope I'll meet your wildest expectations and don't safe out."

"I'm hoping for someone who won't need to," he replies simply without expansion. "You will present to me next week for introductions."

The phone falls silent as Charlotte rudely cancels the call, ruining my moment with her charming friend. I can tell she's irritated by my outright flirtation, even if I'm doing it for her benefit to save our dwindling sex life. "Enough of that. I want to hear how much you want me, Matt."

My heart drops at the sound of my name, dampening my mood, as she removes the key dangling between her breasts to unlock me, but I'm stirred by her light fingertips caressing the back of my hair. "Yeah, sure, baby..."

Her warmth surrounds me while we kiss, but it's hard not to feel disappointment stinging within my chest. The hot, lust-fuelled sex that seemed promised tonight now predictably descends towards lukewarm vanilla. There's a place for it, and in the early hours of a cold morning, slowly making love in the warmth of her embrace, I can't think of anything better. Still, it's been weeks of this tedium when I've been craving the primal, cruel sadist I fell in love with.

"Mm, just like that," she purrs against my ear as she unfastens my hand, pressing her breasts into my face. Dimpled, erect nipples brush against my lips, still smeared with sticky-sheened watermelon lipgloss from the woman at the bar. The saccharine flavour flows over my tastebuds as I suckle.

She squeezes her fist around my testicles and gently tugs. Her teeth nip playfully at my earlobe while her warm, laboured gasps tickle my neck. I wouldn't be surprised if she's drawn blood with her vicious nails dragging along my collarbone, and I groan with a need to urge her to hurt me. "More... You're still only toying with me."

Twisting upon my lap, she kisses me over her shoulder into effective silence. But I don't fight against the darting tongue violating my mouth, provoking me to react with my piercing in fervor that's now clumsily sweeping over her cheeks, gums and palate in hot pursuit.

"I love you," she murmurs against my lips. "Touch me."

Drawing up her feet to rest on my knees, splaying her legs and hips wide, she fondles my weighty sacks in her palm, using her thumb to rub circles until they're lightly rolling against each other. I continue to kiss her, suctioning against her thrusting tongue as the pad of my thumb arches over her labia and clitoris.

"Mm..." I hum against her tattooed shoulder, savouring the silken tendrils trailing over my back as she tilts her head. "It feels so good when I'm this deep inside you."

My mouth is at her throat, licking then sucking the tender flesh into reddened bruises while my fingers explore the edges of her lush entrance widened by my thick-veined cock. My other hand gropes at her pillowy breasts in turn, each nipple pinched into hardened bullets while she calls out in heat, "Fuck me. Fill me with your thick, yummy cum, baby."

She rises with me from the chair as I thrust until I have her bent over the table, each hand pinned beneath mine as our rolls entirely evaporate in a laughable reoccurrence. My ramming is relentless, and my heavy pendulums swing uncontrollably before smacking audibly off her cunt like a ping-pong rally. Briefly, I glance at the ever-present camcorder before snaking my arm around her waist.

I hope it's a good angle of my assets for her mentor's later viewing pleasure.

"Fuck! Fuck, I'm gonna!" Charlotte cries out, mewling into her folded arms as her head collapses. The shuddering contractions enveloping my cock bring me over the edge.

"Uh. You're making me..." I pull out as I orgasm, spewing ropes of hot pent-up cum from her pussy, crack, then finally across her buttocks, until it drips in viscous globules down the back of her thighs while she pants breathlessly beneath me. "Wow, there was much more than I thought there'd be. But I'm sure it'll wash out in the shower."

"You better not have got it in my extensions! Do you know how much they cost to install?" In sheer panic, she grasps at the ends of her hair until she realises I'm kidding. But there's no hint of humour behind her darkened, dead eyes as she slaps me on the arm and shoves me off her. "I swear I won't forgive you. Now carry me up to bed. It's late, and I've got an early start with a client tomorrow."

"I can't tonight. My dad expects me back, and I've promised to work down the shop in the morning," I reply, wiping off on my underwear.

"And Louise, I suspect? Must be nice having her warming your bed," she replies dryly. "Staying close in the hopes of recapturing your heart. How disgustingly sweet."

My tongue clicks with irritation as she twists the thorn in my side. The usual argument ensues while I button up my shirt. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not sleeping with her! It's only temporary until I can move her out, and Louise knows that. We have an agreement to co-parent, and that's all."

"Then you're too dense to see it. She's placed herself and your daughter beside you, so at some point, you'll realise you like playing happy families and won't want it to end."

I understand her frustrations, and I feel like a scumbag scrambling away the moment I've finished. Still, it's the best I can do in these circumstances. And none of this would have happened if she hadn't lost her cool in the first place, making everyone aware of the nature of our relationship to the point I needed to hide it.

"Do you think I'm that stupid? I'm already playing towards my end game and taking steps to ensure I'll win shared custody if I have to! I'm proving to be a good, hardworking father and keeping records of all my expenses to provide for my child. She might be acting nice now, but the moment I stop going along with the charade to be with you fully, it'll be game over. I'm planning ahead so as not to let that happen."

"So you have it all thought out?" she scoffs, folding her arms across her chest. "What if I don't want to play along as one of your chess pieces? What if I want you here with me right now and work to my own end game. Stay. I order you to."

"Don't do this. I'm only asking you to give me some time. I'll convince her to take a place up at the uni like she wanted and let me continue to co-parent instead of getting childcare. Just a couple more months is all I'm asking."

"It's already been six weeks, Matthew! I hate feeling like you're treating me like your side piece, and how do I know you're not banging her too to keep her sweet?"

Charlotte turns away, not accepting my kiss on her lips as I return to her. Instead, she weeps into my chest, staining my white shirt, clenched in her fists with mascara while I stroke her hair. I hate seeing this weak, pathetic side of her, and I wish there was more I could do to comfort the fears. "I promise it's not like that, and I enjoy being with you. I crave the things you do to me. It's like a drug, and I keep coming back wanting more. Why would I want to leave your side?"

She rolls her eyes as I wipe away the tears with my thumb. "So you have it good here? You're a terrible sub, and you're only getting worse. Even now, you're telling me what to do."

"It's because I've grown comfortable with you, and you're no longer the ice queen you think you are," I tease as I hold her softening body against mine. "We both know that your heart is warmer than either of us expected, and I have no intention of leaving it. So please, baby, learn to trust me? Let me get everything in order, then I'll be with you just like I used to."

"And now you're interrupting me!" she tuts, but finally accepting my kisses to her streaked eyelids and cheeks, then smudged, pouting lips. "Mm. You promise you'll at least meet L next week? I can't be humiliated like last time."

"Sure. A promise is a promise," I reply with a kiss on her forehead. "But in the meantime, keep playing along for my sake. I swear it won't be long until we're together for good."

-----

I stumble into the kitchen, less functional than a zombie, and switch on the kettle. I haven't seen Charlotte in days, but it was approaching four when I got home from work last night after diffusing a fight between some drunks. Then I spent another thirty minutes being chewed out by Louise for waking Rebekah, followed by almost an hour of walking around to settle her back down again. Before I knew it, daylight struck, setting me into my monotonous cycle without a wink of sleep.

Eat, work, fuck if I'm lucky and bed; how my father maintained numerous affairs for years, I'll never know. I'm clearly doing it all wrong.

"Does that kid do anything other than scream?" Sadie complains, placing a mug beside mine. "The least you can do is make me a cuppa while you're at it."

"Have you considered living at your own house if you don't like it?" I respond irritably. "I didn't think you wanted to be with John anyway?"

"When did I ever say that?" she says, playing dumb with a roll of her eyes.

"That disk you left on my desk says otherwise."

"Of us doing it? We look far too good together. Maybe I'll give you another chance to get me out of my clothes if you ask nicely," she coos into my ear, much too close for comfort. Unexpectedly, she yanks down the collar of my t-shirt. "Hey! Is that a hickey on your neck? I didn't realise you two were back on."

"We're not... I mean, we're just."

"So, who's the dominant one in the relationship? I don't think I can see Louise waving a whip around," she giggles, raising her voice. "Or are you the one spanking her?"

"We're honestly not like that." I move without thinking, taking hold of her hands in a gentle restraint from which she quickly slips away.

"Come on, you can tell me," she says, grinning ear to ear as she reaches across to playfully jab at my stomach. "I still find it hard to believe that Miss Know-it-all can get down and dirty like the rest of us."

"That is none of your business." Rapidly, it descends into a game of cat and mouse, with her darting behind the kitchen island as I make a grab at her, then another with the back of her crop top slipping through my fingers. "Stop, Sadie. Dammit, stop messing around. I'm not playing."

"Maybe I don't want to stop messing around." Sadie sticks her tongue out to taunt me. "But if there really isn't anything going on between you, then why don't we continue this later? I'll sneak into yours and…"

"Are you crazy? My brother's room is right next to mine!"

"He's out drinking tonight. I doubt he'll even notice a thing," she replies nonchalantly, turning as she allows herself to be caught against the countertop between my arms. She lifts her face up to mine, appealing to my worst nature. "You didn't seem so bothered previously. And like you said before, nobody needs to know, so nobody gets hurt. Win-win. I'll scratch your back, and you scratch mine."

I lift the loosened strap of her top back onto her shoulder. "We made a mistake. Let's leave it like that."

We both stop dead with Louise strolling in, half-asleep with a bird's nest of hair piled in a bun. Her pink nightdress, wet with a letdown of milk, does little to conceal her heavy breasts. In the cold light of this early morning, there's no contest with the girl-next-door-type, Sadie, who disappears from between my arms sheepishly. But it's not as if I'm faring much better in my jim-jams, unkempt facial hair and slitted eyes.

If we're lucky, she isn't aware of what she's interrupted. "Morning? I was fixing you a tea."

"Since when were you friends?" she snaps, much too aware than I hoped.

"Since when should you care?" I reply, switching the kettle back on, but deciding an explanation may be in our best interests. "She's John's girlfriend, and she practically lives here, so why shouldn't I speak to her?"

"You never want to talk to me, and I actually live here! And we have a kid together, which gives me the right to know exactly who's in your life."

I lean back, unable to hide the smirk. "Did anybody tell you that green is a hideous colour on you? Hell, have you thought about getting a boyfriend or whatever? Maybe you'll chill out and not feel so lonely if you get laid every once in a while."

"Okay, my bed or yours?" she taunts back. "Or should I come to this bar you work at tonight, and you can set me up with someone. You should know most of the regulars by now."

I shake my head. This is throwing a spanner into my plans to see Charlotte while pretending to be working. "That's not a good idea. Everyone's an asshole, and I don't know anyone who'd be a good fit for you."

"More of an asshole than you? I honestly don't care if it's nothing more than a one-night stand at this point," she says, rounding upon me with an accusatory finger. "Or does the idea of me screwing someone else upset you? I doubt you've remained celibate this entire time, so why is it fair for you to expect me to go without?"

"I don't have the time to date."

"Typical of you to be evasive. But I should have expected as much from someone who flirts openly with his brother's girlfriend. Have you fucked her yet?"

My voice lowers to a strained whisper. "I appreciate you're stressed, and this living situation is far from ideal when you have needs, but…" The doorbell buzzes, cutting me off, and Rebekah's shrill cries wail through the baby monitor at being woken. "Dammit, I'll get the door, then take over so you can shower. I'll see about getting back earlier so we can discuss it."

I unlock the front door expecting to confront the postman for ignoring the note to only knock when instead, I find my long-lost car on the driveway. It's sparkling clean, almost as if Charlotte never destroyed it. Even the dents and scratches have been buffed out to perfection, and the sleek black paintwork is so pristine and reflective that I could be mistaken to believe this is a new car.

My fingertip brushes over the gothic, black-laced invitation tucked beneath the windscreen wiper. It's a cute touch, albeit too brazen for my need for secrecy. Charlotte promised to stay away from the house and it's by chance I got to the door first. Louise wouldn't let this slide.

"Tonight, 8pm, The Ivy. Wear the suit. No underwear allowed. Dessert to follow with L."

The suit, black in colour with a white shirt and red silk tie, is laid out on the backseat. It's finer than anything I could hope to afford and another dead giveaway.

"I thought it had been vandalised," my father says, snatching the card from my hands as I turn around. He crumples it up without reading. "I suppose Justin happened to find it somewhere and dropped it off."

I say nothing, knowing he'd never believe a bare-faced lie.

"Just this once, I'll cover for you, but I swear if I catch her anywhere near this house or my granddaughter, you can clear out. In fact, you're going to cool it off tonight. You're lucky Louise believes you end work much later than you do."

"I can't do that. I love…"

"Love her? Don't make me laugh when you don't know the word. Yeah, I get she's a bit of fun, but do you honestly believe she's the kind of girl who'll play mum to Rebekah and you can bring around for a Sunday lunch? Get real. Have a proper think about it, and you'll realise you're living with your head in the clouds. Louise won't accept her, and neither will I."

"I don't need either of you to accept her. In fact, when are you going to realise this experiment of yours won't work? Can we move onto the part where she moves out, and I pay her for eighteen years?"

"How do you know it won't work when you haven't tried? You're out until late with work. You won't share your room, let alone…"

"So you want me to sleep with her? That's a new low even for you."

"I'm telling you to take her out. Date her and get to know her. Where's that scared, witless lad who stood up to her father, telling us you'll stand by her? She did the same to her parents to give you a second chance, so why won't you do the same? Is that other woman more important than that little girl needing her dad?"

"I'll always be Rebekah's dad, regardless of who I'm dating. She comes first, and Charlotte understands that."

"Does she truthfully? It must be hard sharing her time when you're working all hours of the night and raising a kid all day," He steps towards me, scrutinising my face. "You're exhausted. Surely something has to give, and a sex life is the last thing on the minds of most new parents."

This is the part when I should rush in to defend her honour. Still, I'm already dealing with Charlotte's paranoia and impatience, which is manifesting in some unpleasant ways. Coming to the house was unbelievably risky. Instead, I let him return to the house whistling, believing he has the upper hand, and whip out my phone. "Hey, babe, thanks for the present. Let's meet a little earlier and have a drink together first."

-----

The Parisian-themed restaurant is wildly ostentatious, decorated with ferns, leopard-print veloured loveseats, and gold-marbled tables beneath a mirrored ceiling. It's one of those fine-dining, opulent affairs with an extortionate price tag for those who want to exude money without any real taste, especially if the reviews are to be believed.

Charlotte is already perched at the deco-style long bar, clashing with the venue in a black Victorian bonnet and mourning dress like a porcelain doll. She takes my breath away with her poised elegance and doesn't look up as I sit beside her. Instead, she slides across a cocktail menu, which I open and shut in horror at spying the prices.

"Just a water with ice," I ask the bartender, passing him my card, before swivelling towards her. Several 8oz glass tumblers stand empty. "Thanks for meeting me early. I wanted a chance to talk before your friend got here."

"You scare me when you talk like that," she replies, pushing her cherry negroni away. "Don't tell me you're afraid to meet him? As long as you keep your mouth shut, you've got nothing to worry about."

"A little, but actually, there's something else we should discuss." I pause as I take her hand into mine. "It's about Rebekah."

The shift in her haughty expression is subtle, and it would likely go unnoticed by those who don't know her as well as I do. The malevolent glint drops from her eyes, which glass over and become hollow as she withdraws her hand.

She jabs at the cherry floating in her glass with her cocktail stick, then pops it inside her mouth, talking while chewing, "Are you trying to ruin our night? Why would you bring up that brat now?"

"I need you to stop calling her that for a start."

"Aww, is my little slut angry? What can I do to make you feel all better?" she taunts, now stroking her hand over the crotch of my trousers. My cock stiffens to her touch, with her fingers quickly searching out the bulbous helm which she traps in her grip. "There, there, my pet. Would kisses help? If you play your cards right, I may let you cum more than once when L shows you attention tonight."

My stomach flips at the thought of him, but I can't allow myself to be waivered like all the other times. I back down too quickly, pathetically and predictably, and Charlotte knows it. Tonight, I cannot buckle to distraction. I need answers. "But I... I'm losing my train of thought. Ah."

"Cat got your tongue? I'm thinking about how I want to rip all your clothes off, place you upon his bar and do tequila shots from your body."

"You really do like making this difficult, huh? But, I'm being serious."

Her finger presses to my lips, urging my silence. "And as a sub, you should only speak when a Master commands it. L won't accept this insult. Perhaps I should present you gagged so you'll remain attentive and won't blow it for us?"

Taking a sip from her drink, she then kisses me, letting the strong yet sweet concoction trickle into my mouth. Abruptly, I pull away and wipe her lipstick on the back of my hand as I swallow.

"I know what you're doing, and it won't work. But we shouldn't have this meeting tonight if you're not ready to talk. Not until we work through our problems."

"Ugh. Rebekah this, Rebekah that," she mimics childishly, flipping open her cigarette case on the countertop to light up. "I'm getting real tired hearing about that brat."

"And I told you to stop calling her that!" I reply, slamming my fist on the bar and spilling my drink over the rest of her cigarettes. I pull at my tie to loosen it, anxiety flooding through my veins at losing control of my anger. "I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. Your attitude hasn't improved at all, and I'm done ignoring it. I can't even speak about my daughter, let alone spend time with her, without you throwing a fit. Not once have you asked how she's doing or wanted to see a photo."

"Because I should be your priority! I'll even pay her mother to go away and stop ruining my life," she dismisses as she takes a long drag from her cigarette.

"How am I supposed to answer that? Frankly, you shouldn't expect me to make that kind of decision."

She exhales, enveloping my face in a haze of smoke. "Then I'll make the decision for you. Ditch the kid. It's not like I want to live with it anyway, and I certainly don't want to act like some mother to one unless I'm Xanaxed up to my eyeballs. Ugh! I'm going to tell that woman all about me tomorrow."

Her mannerisms are erratic in her intoxication and drink spills from the glass in her other hand, but I cannot forget what I've heard. To lose the person I love, or to cut off the contact with Louise and a baby I hadn't planned for. It doesn't take a second to decide. "So that's it, huh? We should have had this talk a heck of a lot sooner."

Charlotte seems surprised, and her eyes narrow. "Am I seriously hearing you right? There's no way you'd be foolish enough to chuck all we have away for a baby. We're getting married, Matthew! I put the deposit down on my dress only two days ago. Or is this your idea of a silly joke? Haha... funny, but be serious now."

I don't answer her and slide off the barstool. She isn't listening to my feelings, and after everything I've heard, I can no longer see her in the same light, so there's little point in further discussion. She's unbearably selfish, and I refuse to feel guilty about putting my daughter first.

As I turn, my shoulder bumps into a waiter, but I don't return to apologise. I'm sure the information dump and ensuing argument have already cast me in an unfavourable light.

"Where do you think you're going? How dare you turn your back on me!" she screams as something smacks me in the back of the head. The pain is deadening, and dazed, my hand touches my hair, becoming wet with blood. "Shit! I didn't mean it. Come here..."

I glance at the phone lying at my feet and then towards her in shock. I forgave the first mistake, but to forgive her a second time would be more than foolish. It's a pattern of behaviour, indicating her true nature when nothing goes her way. It took a while, but I see her now as the mean-spirited woman she's always been now, the delirium of love, or, most likely, lust evaporates. "You... I can't do this anymore!"

"You know I wasn't aiming at you," she shrugs, unable to feign compassion for long as an amused smirk reveals before hiding again. I'm beyond startled, and a chill runs down my neck as she smiles again. "It was an accident. A mistake, just like last time."

"You think you can pass it off as a mistake? A mistake is thinking you could be trusted to never let yourself go like that again. I made that mistake! Don't ever try contacting me again."

She tugs on my arm and giggles, unable to process the situation while we're stared at. It won't be long until we're kicked out. "Come on, I'll kiss it all better."

-----

I'm too tired to shower, almost to the point of paralysis. Without switching on the light, I stumble into my bedroom, undressing my trousers and flop onto my bed. The wait to have my head glued in A&E had been long, followed by a trip to the station to fill in an incident report. I'd prefer to have left it with my concussion, but the idea of her continuing to harass me when she sobered up urged it, especially with Louise and Rebekah at home. But I didn't think to bother anyone with the news of our breakup until Justin called me after she turned up drunk at Becka's.

I'd been the biggest fool to think a hastily arranged engagement and planning a marriage would fix our problems. But the worst part is admitting my father had been right all along about her. Is it much of a leap to trust him on the best way to handle Louise?

Sliding beneath the covers, I find the warm, bare skin of a leg pressing against mine as somebody cuddles into my back. I don't move immediately. "Why are you in my bed? In fact, I'm too tired to care. I'm gonna wash up, so take that chance to return to your room, and I'll pretend it didn't happen."

Louise peeks out from beneath the blanket, on her stomach and more adorable than I'd like to admit with doe eyes. "You said you were coming back early to talk... about my needs. So here I am."

"That wasn't an invitation into…" She sits up in my bed, allowing the covers to drop from around her shoulders. In a white, satin chemise, her hardened nipples are visible through the thin fabric and begging to be sucked and touched. I attempt to swallow back my nerves, but my body has other ideas. "We never had that kind of agreement...Shit!"

In full-blown panic mode, I attempt to leave the bed and pull my trousers back on to hide my sprung erection. But Louise's arms curl around my neck from behind, and she kisses my cheek. "Come back to bed and fuck me. Show me how you treat naughty girls who sneak into your room at night."

I've always thought the idea that men are simple creatures is ridiculous. Still, I quickly discover that it's certainly true of me. Her light kisses from her bee-stung lips at the nape of my neck, beneath my ear, and then temple elicit sighs I'm unable to stop myself from uttering.

Her hands slide to my crotch, exploring the shape of my erection through the material. "You're playing with fire, woman. I no longer play gently like... you remember."

Louise continues to taunt me with a lick to my ear and clawing beneath my shirt. My resolve dissolves fast as she strokes over my stomach, chest, hair, and then nipples. "You're the only man who has ever looked at me as a woman. I need you. I've desired nobody else but you. How much must I beg you to return to me and put our family first?"

My mind flicks back to our breakup, but the exact details remain foggy. I'm sure I did most of the chasing, but then her parents were involved. And once Rebekah arrived she chose me, landing her inside my house. "You're really persistent, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," she coos, following up with a coquettish flutter of her lashes, knowing I'm a sucker for a pretty face. "So you better give in now and make love to me."

A low chuckle escapes me at her demands. "Until I'm literally eating out of your hand, you're in no position to command me, woman."

"You mean figuratively," she says with an eye roll.

"I mean exactly what I said. Every word of it. But I doubt you'll ever be able to please me or control me. I need someone who'll make me feel bad."

"So do I! That's why I want you. I want to be with somebody who leaves me feeling like I've been a naughty, dirty girl. I'm prepared to learn how to please you, so teach me like you did my first time. My body has only known you."

I turn to her, now sitting on my bed crossed-legged. She appears determined with a serious scowl and frown lines on her forehead.

"Fine, but this doesn't mean anything," I reply, giving her a gentle peck on her hair as I unfasten my buttons.

Her vivid, emerald-glistening gaze remains fixated on me while I continue stripping down, and peel off my shirt. I imagine she finds me repulsive, my body a far cry from the one she'd lusted for now it's heavily adorned with tattoos, piercings and battle scars forged by my ex-mistress. Yet she doesn't advert her eyes even as I lower my zipper.

"You've changed," she says in a simple statement of fact.

"Do you not think it'd be odd if I had not? After the way you had treated me and destroyed all of my self-worth, I found solace in sadomasochism. It numbs the pain better than any drink or drug can, and the sexual thrill is... more satisfying and mind-altering than you can dream of."

"Show me," she murmurs, almost sounding entranced. "Make me feel good like you used to. Please?"

"Show you?" That's an appealing idea, and with my arms seizing both of her legs, I haul her down the bed until she's parted around my waist. 

She covers her bushy pussy with her palms in a futile attempt at modesty. "Wait! I-I haven't…"

One-handledly, I swiftly pin her arms above her. "What were you expecting when you decided to seduce me, vixen? I'm not the kind to do it only beneath the covers or with the light off, especially with naughty girls who creep into my bed at night. Tell me what you're so shy about when you were devouring me with your eyes mere minutes ago and trying to rip my clothes off?"

Louise shakes her head, unable to look at me as she stays quiet, but faint embarrassment blooms over her cheeks. I want to tease her further.

"This?" I tug at the curled hair, which is actually neatly trimmed. "Au natural is incredibly sexy. And it's certainly never stopped me from doing this..."

With her thighs pressed open, I gently kiss her labia and leisurely trail over the soft folds towards her clitoris. The squeaks, followed by sighs and moans, urge me to continue as the tension in her thighs eases and she parts her legs fully. The relinquished hands slide over my shoulders.

"Matthew... Keep going... I…"

"No. You're forbidden to cum until I let you," I chastise, following it up by giving her my sternest of looks and trying my hardest to not laugh as she nods earnestly. "I mean it. I'll never fuck you unless you're able to obey my orders."

I draw her sweet clit between my fingers, twirling the bead of my tongue bar around and over. I ordered that she isn't allowed to cum, but I never promised I'd go easy either, and as Louise digs her heels into the mattress, clutching the bedspread tight, I set out to ruin her by lifting her bucking hips to my mouth.

"Fuck... Ugh... I'm..." She moistens her lips with a flick of her tongue. "Kiss me..."

The temptation of dragging her over the edge of my bed for a hard fucking to teach her a lesson flashes. But she's not that naive, innocent woman she plays so well, and I'm not ready to kiss those luscious lips that lied to me so sweetly. I still need time to forgive her, even if getting back together will tie some problems up neatly.

"No. Only when I've punished you for befriending my father so you can climb back into my bed. The rest of my body needs to be earned. I'm gonna make you beg and promise you'll treat me well before I give you another chance."

"Earned?" Louise seems despondent, her eyebrows furrowing, but I mean every word. I won't be fooled into being played again. "Please... I need you, Matt."

My amusement ends as she reaches out to me, running her fingers across my brow, cheek and lips. This wannabe temptress thinks she can have me in the palm of her hands, but I won't give her that satisfaction. Not yet. I'm only delaying the inevitable, but she'll need to earn my forgiveness for treating me like a dirty secret and dragging my name through the mud before I roll over.

"Don't mistake me taking care of your needs for us being a couple again. It's me purely doing you a favour." I yawn to fake tiredness as I sit, but my head now thuds, "Now, off to your own bed. I'm no longer in the mood."

Louise snatches up my shirt and then fastens up a couple of buttons to cover her breasts while muttering under her breath about being humiliated. My bedroom door slams behind her as she storms out, waking Rebekah, who begins to cry. But instead of returning to her bedroom as I expect, I hear her run downstairs instead.

I quickly tug on some pyjama bottoms and pass my father in the hallway as I check on the baby. "Don't tell me you're fighting again. I thought we'd gone over this, Matthew?"

"Not exactly fighting, but I, uh, found her in my bed…" My father holds his hand up, stopping me from continuing.

"Well, regardless of what you said to her, she's run out of the house. I'll see to Rebekah, so go after her and apologise."

"What? Why should I- Dammit!"

I hate that he's right even when she crossed the line first by coming on to me, but then I didn't exactly turn her down immediately, either. It's unlikely she went far with few friends and no family she can rely upon, but it's late, she's wearing little and took nothing with her. I don't even put on my shoes as I follow her outdoors into the rain in my pyjamas and jacket.

"Louise?" I call out, running barefoot down the path and pulling up my hood. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to teach you a lesson... I only meant to tease you a little, but I took it too far. Forgive me."

I spot her standing at the bottom of the street some distance away without a coat, caught by the downpour. She appears lost with nowhere to go but clearly feeling like she can't return yet despite being wet through. With little thought but to keep her safe, I sprint down to her, wrapping my arms around her small, trembling frame to warm her up.

It takes her a moment to register that I'm holding her until she turns to face me. This summer rain is torrential, and her thick hair hangs as limp as a wet cat down her back and against my hand. But I'm most struck by her sad, heavy-lashed eyes as she glowers at me with suspicion, and I suddenly recognise the woman I used to love.

"Go away. I hate you. I really hate you! And I'm so alone I can't even get away from you."

Guilt strikes me like a freight train. Compared to Louise, I have everything. Family, even if I find them difficult and unbearable at times, friends who I've known for years and up until tonight, a lover. I am all she has, and I spend as little time with her as possible. How has it taken me this long to realise how isolated she is?

"I know, and I'm…" My shirt is see-through, and large, reddened nipples poke through the material as it clings to her body. I stifle the inappropriate laugh rising with the back of my hand, then wrap my jacket around her to cover her up, leaving myself bare-chested. She'll be mortified when she realises. "Come on, let's get you back inside, and I'll make you a hot tea."

My arm drapes over her shoulder as I guide her back home. I shouldn't have spoken to her the way I did this morning, and I shouldn't have teased her to stoke my own ego. We're parents and should have sat down to speak like adults. But the sobering realisation is that the future I had envisioned when I woke up this morning will irreversibly have changed by the end of tonight.

There's little point in holding out anymore. I have no reason to.

Louise glances at me as we reach the dimly lit porch, waiting for me to unlock the front door. "You did remember your keys, right?"

"Yeah, they're in my pocket. Just let me…" I seize her wrist and pin her against the door between my arms, threading my fingers through hers. "Forgive me, but you're too beautiful right now. I want to do this."

My lips press tentatively against hers, knowing there's no going back. I have no Mistress or any of her friends to distract me. Nobody is more important than my daughter's happiness or security. I'll fulfil my duty better than my father ever did and learn to love Louise again.

She breaks our kiss first, her pupils hugely dilated in the dark. "M-Matt, I don't understand you. Why did you tell me?"

"Because I'm a fool. An idiot who cannot see what's in front of him." I was straining to hold back upstairs when we were nude, but here, in our wet, dishevelled clothes, I feel more exposed than ever. "Can we try again if it's not too late?"

"I'm not sure. I'm…" Louise turns red as she notices the thinness of the shirt and then her lack of underwear covering her bare backside as she pulls at the hem. She quickly glances around. "You. Did you see? Did anyone else see me like this?"

I take a lingering look over her cold, hardened nipples poking through, then hook my finger beneath the topmost button to undo. It pings open, revealing the fullness of her cleavage.

"Mm... I see them." Louise gasps as I rub my thumb over one material-covered nub and then pinch. It stiffens fully as I twist it between my fingers. "Bad, dirty girl! What would the neighbours say if they saw you like this?"

"Kiss me... Touch me..." she urges, arching her hips into mine as I press my lips to her neck. My other hand unfastens another button, dropping the loosened shirt from past her collarbone to her elbows.   

"You're too eager," I murmur. With the final button undone, the shirt falls open, revealing her magnificent goosebumped bosom and puckered areolas, which I clamp firmly and tug. "But, you'll purr for me first."

My pyjamas drop with me loosening the tie cord, the two of us now entirely naked as we shelter on the doorstep. Little protects us from the potential prying eyes of my neighbours, apart from the privet hedge and partial tree coverage. Excitement soars to an all-time high as my hand slides between her legs.

She bucks against my hand, rubbing her moist slit over my fingers and encouraging me to curl inside. "I want you to fuck me... please? I'm close..."

"No, you're going to wait for me, and I'm not rushing for you, my bad, impatient little kitten." Louise bites down on her lower lip and nods, looking guilty and perfectly submissively from her chastisement. I snag her clit, rolling it between my thumb and forefinger as I continue to steer our encounter, "Learn to enjoy the process, of my touch, of the way I'm looking at you and how you feel and taste to me. Slow and steady."

She nods, kissing my hand as it clamps over her mouth, then nibbling on my thumb, which I slide inside her mouth to suck. "Mm-hm."

"This pleases me..." The pad of my thumb runs along her tongue and teeth as my finger pushes inside. She groans with encouragement as I slip deeper, spreading her around two, then a third digit. "Good girl. I want you nice and wet. Ready for my cock."

Louise moans into my palm as my fourth opens her up, filling her snuggly. Her head tilts back as my thumb rubs back over her clitoris. "Umm... Ah!"

I continue to thrust as she raises a leg up to my waist and moulds against my palm, resting her elbow against the brickwork. My fingertip caresses her bare skin, playing with the outlines of shadows falling across her engorged breasts and stomach. Unable to hold back longer, I drop to my knees, drawing her raised leg over my shoulder. "You're stunning when you show yourself to me without any shame. So beautiful..."

She covers her mouth to muffle the sounds as I spread her open and continue to give her the thorough tongue-lashing I stopped short on. Further words remain unsaid as she arches back, crying out to the night as the first of my planned succession of orgasms shudders throughout her body.

"Please... I want you," she murmurs, tilting my head to face her with a tug on my hair.

"Do you think you deserve it?" I tease before licking the slick, pearly liquid from my fingers.

She attempts to use her sultry gaze to her advantage. "I-I love you."

I shove Louise back against the wall as the beams of a car pass, covering her exposed body with mine. Neither of us has the business of throwing the word 'love' around, but I'm not repulsed by the idea of starting anew. With my hand on her chin, tilting her face away, I kiss her soft cheek, then whisper into her ear, "Don't say that when I know you're lying to me. No, you're just a filthy woman who likes to feel good with my thick cock filling your cunt."

"Y-Yes!"

"I bet you liked it when I deep-filled it for ya with my yummy cream, and I don't think you'll say no if I want to do it again. But it's going to be a while before you deserve it again—a long time of us learning how to respect each other. Am I wrong?" She nods in agreement, remaining silent as I remove my wallet from my jacket for a condom. "Mm, but for now, I want you to spread those legs for me and cum only when I allow it. I want to take my time feeling and tasting every inch of you, my naughty minx."

"Every inch?" she gasps as I lift her in my arms, spreading her open around my waist as I penetrate her. My hands cup over her luscious rump to continue my playtime.

"Yes... But tell me to stop if you feel uncomfortable." My fingertip runs over her labia and then presses at her perineum. From her gentle sigh, yet otherwise silence, I move onwards to stroke over her sphincter, which twitches to my light touch. "I wish to... explore... what's mine."

My wet thumb meets little resistance as I apply gentle pressure and carefully venture inside the warm, tight opening. Louise lets out a little squeak of surprise at my probing, "Oh God!"

"Should I stop? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No... keep going," she nods.

I'm uncertain of how to proceed from here, but my tongue laps over her neck, then the lobe of her ear, as I bury deeper inside with both my cock and thumb. Her eyes close in a delirium of bliss as I circle around her clit again. "Good girl... Good. You're dripping all over my cock, all over my balls already. D'ya like it like that, yeah?"

Louise's eyes flutter open and soften as I nuzzle my nose against hers before bringing our lips together. Our kiss is clumsy in eagerness, yet she throws herself passionately into it as we learn to touch each other again and allow our energies to become familiar as we share body heat and stop shivering. She's remained impassive until now, but her hands set out to examine the contours of my biceps, neck, and the tattoo spread over my ribs as I up the pace of my thrusts.

Her brows crease as she moans with urgency, "I'm gonna cum. May I cum?"

"Wait. Wait for me... Uh!" I'm suddenly aware of wetness as her bountiful, free breasts begin to let down, flowing over my chest as she comes undone. With her biting down on my shoulder, we climax together, and I unleash my load, propelled by the spectacular sight and warmth of her milk. "Mm... Ouch! There are some mean little fangs on my adorable kitty. I hope you'll kiss it better, or at least make up for it in other ways."

"And if I don't?" she taunts, now wiggling her bum against my palm as I lower her to the ground. "Do you think you'll punish me?"

I smile at her bratty attempt to be alluring in her post-coital glow, but I can work with this dynamic. I reach out to her mussed-up, damp, coiled hair and gently pat it with growing affection. Tomorrow, the real test will begin as we rebuild our relationship into something new. "Then this naughty pussy will be getting some new toys tomorrow for me to play with. But for now, let's go back to your room. I'm dead tired, and I just want to snuggle up and hold you close tonight."