I will if I don't think you're
dedicated to the program. Now get dressed and go get something to
eat.” Master Benjamin turned from me then, taking off the glove and
tossing it in a trash bin next to the door.
Patiently, he waited while I got dressed. For
some reason, I felt horribly ashamed of myself. I had told myself
that I would give one hundred percent, and for a while, I thought
that I had. Now, it seemed obvious that I really hadn't. No, that
wasn't it. Something had snapped inside of me when he began talking
about penetration. My body was sacred, and there were some things I
refused to do with anyone but my husband.
I knew I should leave. No amount of
pretending could make me comfortable with throwing my morals to the
wind. What kind of a man was Jack Kemble to want his virgin bride
defiled before her wedding day? I just didn't understand.
Instead of going to the dining room, I headed
up to my room to pack my things. My mind was made up. I would not
become a whore just because of Jack Kemble's strange fetish
desires.
Negative emotions attacked me from all sides.
Anger at Jack. Disappointment in myself. And depression over the
general situation.
I didn't want to go back to New York. There
was no way that I could handle facing Jack Kemble after I had
failed at this task he had set me upon, especially when he believed
that the happiness of our marriage depended on my compliance. So I
did the only thing I knew to do, I called Liam.
“I'm in Sacramento, California,” I told him
between sobs. “Book me a flight out of here. I want to come
home.”
“Alright.”
Just hearing his voice was enough to sooth my
nerves, and the thought that I would soon be safe in his arms was
grounding.
Before my hour lunch was even up, I was
piling into a cab without telling anyone where I was going. It was
time to disappear for a while, to get away from this crazy BDSM
school and my horrible arranged marriage. I needed some normalcy
back in my life, if only for a little while.
The flight back to Texas was somehow
comforting. I knew that when I got into the SAT terminal, I
wouldn't have to look around for a bodyguard holding my name on a
sign. Liam would be there waiting for me, with the warm genuine
smile I was so used to seeing.
And there he was, looking as stunning as
always. His long blonde hair was trimmed neatly, his normally gruff
beard shaven down to stubble. I always found it amusing how Liam's
facial hair was about two shades darker than the hair on his head.
Most people didn't believe he was a natural blonde, but I knew it
was true, because we had been best friends since we were
children.
“Melita,” Liam sounded relieved to see me,
scooping me up into his arms and hugging me like he'd never let me
go.
“Oh Liam, I missed you so much.”
He held me at arm's length. “Do your parents
know that you're here?”
I shook my head. “No on does. I didn't tell
Jack or my mom or anyone. I just . . . needed to get away for a
while.”
“Well, I'm glad you came to me. You can stay
with me until you're ready to return to New York.”
Would I ever be ready after all I'd been
through, I wondered. And even if I was ready, how would Jack
respond to my running off with Liam? The truth was that he had
pushed me away. He would have to see that.
By the time we got back to Liam's house, I
was absolutely exhausted. All I could think about was sleeping off
the misery I felt inside from everything that had happened.
Hopefully, I'd wake up in a better mood, with a fresh mind that
could handle sorting out the ungodly mess I had made for
myself.
As I walked into Liam's living room, I sighed
softly, wrapping my arms around myself while I looked at the quaint
country ambiance. Everything about it reminded me of home, from the
western landscape paintings, to the smell of leather. It was calmly
familiar, and for the first time since I left for New York, I felt
truly at peace.
“Can I make you something to drink?” Liam
offered,
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