Tennessee Law Read online

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  Grant brought the cigarette to his mouth and took a long drag. His eyes were surveying the scene before him. There was a tow truck ready to take the wreck of the car away, and a few county officers standing around, waiting for the search party to start.

  “Boss.” He turned slightly toward his right-hand man Marco.

  “Phillip found some footprints leading toward the scene.” He nodded. Of course, the cuntstable wouldn’t check further away from the scene of the accident. They all thought it was a normal car crash. He knew better. Sophia was a tough nut to crack, but he’d broken her before, and he wasn’t going to let her get away with this humiliation. He’d let the papers run the story of his wife’s accident, his brother’s wife was already busy arranging a funeral. Yes, he was going to make sure she found out about it. Huge media coverage of her tragic accident and apparent death would set her mind at ease. She’d relax after a while and get careless and then he would find her and drag her back home kicking and screaming. Just the way he liked it. This time he wouldn’t be foolish and listen to her pleas. She’d be locked up in his basement until he grew tired of using her then he’d give her to the men or feed her to the dogs. It all depended on his mood that day. He looked at the footprints Phillip had found. The imprint on the loose soil showed someone running toward the wreck, yet there were no other car tracks even remotely close by. Clever little minx. She crashed the car without being in the car. That meant she was quite desperate to get away unscathed. That would change as soon as he had her back home.

  “Caden called. She must have snuck out at the service entrance. The guard was distracted by one of the maids the night she went missing.”

  Grant’s jaw clenched as he ground his teeth together. “Which maid?”

  “Elena.” He nodded. Of course it was her; she was constantly fretting around Sophia after a discipline session. He took out his phone and called his brother.

  “Take Elena to the basement. Give her the full treatment. I want her singing like a canary before I get back.” He ended the call abruptly and turned back toward the scene before him. Sophia might think she was being clever, but he knew her too well, knew how her mind worked. She was a smart little thing, but no one outsmarted him. Ever. And she would learn that no one humiliated him like this and got away with it. Ever.

  Chapter Four

  Sophie was humming softly to herself as she was sweeping the floor in the bar. It was strange at first, settling into this new life she had created for herself, but she had succeeded. She’d even started thinking about herself as Sophie Denton and not Sophia Connor anymore. She allowed a small smile to grace her face. Life was good. She’d been in Ripley for almost two weeks, two weeks of working at the bar in the afternoons till late at night, mornings spent sleeping in, and of course, avoiding Sam like the plague. He was busy at work the first week, she suspected using all his contacts to try to find out anything about her former life, but she doubted he’d find a whole lot except what he already knew about her.

  Bob had kept her busy as well, probably to get her mind off the nightmares that still haunted her. He wasn’t overworking her since her ribs were still healing, but her ankle was thankfully almost fully healed, allowing her to serve tables and work at the bar. There was only one customer left for the night. A petite little brunette, sitting alone at the bar and talking with Bob. They seemed friendly enough to her and she wondered fleetingly if she was one of Sam’s former girlfriends. The idea had her stomach clenching uncomfortably and she scoffed softly. No. She was not going there. Thinking about Sam in any way other than a friend was totally off limits. She was not running away from one man only to get tangled up with another one. He made her feel safe, sure, and that was something she needed, not another dominating man, controlling her every move, her every thought. She shoved one of the chairs out of her way as she remembered the spanking he’d given her the other day and she cursed her body for turning warm at the thought of it.

  “You okay there, Soph?” Bob inquired and she realized she was muttering to herself.

  “Just fine.” He turned back to the brunette just as the doorbell jingled. That sound was starting to get on her nerves. She kept expecting Sam to waltz in there and claim her like some caveman.

  “Hey, Pops, Riles.” Riles? she thought angrily to herself as she firmly gripped the broom and kept her head down. What kind of a name was Riles anyway?

  “Riley has just been telling me that Daniel will be coming for a visit tomorrow.” Sophie vaguely remembered the broad-shouldered, blond-haired block of man-boy who grew up with Sam. Would it be a good thing to see so many people from the life she was trying to forget? The life where she was still happy, carefree, and not emotionally scarred?

  “That’s excellent. We’ll have a barbeque at the house, I’ll call Luke later.” Another name she remembered. The three boys were like the three musketeers when they were teenagers. Daniel was the charmer, Luke ate like there was no tomorrow, and Sam was the serious one who kept the group together like glue. Did that make Riley Lady de Winter or d’Artagnan? Sophie drowned out their voices. She wasn’t here to interfere in their lives or to wiggle her way into a close-knit family and find a place to belong. She was here to survive for as long as possible before she had to get up and leave again. She wasn’t sure if Grant bought her fake death and until she was sure, her bag was staying packed.

  “Hey, Pops, turn that up?” The music dimmed and the sound of a news bulletin reached her ears.

  “Today saw one of the biggest funerals in the city this year. Sophia Connor was on her way to a spa retreat for two weeks when she lost control of her car and crashed on a small, deserted road near the Bear Island State Forest. More details about the crash were not revealed to us, but most of the elites from Manhattan showed up at the funeral to show respect to the Connor family for this tragic loss. Her husband, Grant, was not available for comment but a close friend of the family spared us a few words.” Sophie was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide and glued to the big screen that usually only showed sports. The breath got stuck in her throat as Marco’s face appeared on the screen, dressed all in black, wearing a mournful expression but Sophie knew better. He was the devil incarnated and she feared him almost as much as she feared Grant.

  “This is a very sad day. Soph was like a sister to me, she was a ray of sunshine on a dark day and everyone always wanted to be in the same room as her. The house won’t be the same without her.” Then he looked right at the camera and it felt to Sophie as though he could see her standing here, gripping a broom in the bar of a small Tennessee town. “I would give anything to have just a few more moments with her.”

  Then a big photo of her was on the screen, a rare moment where you couldn’t see the misery shining from her eyes, a small smile curving the edges of her mouth. The reporter’s voice droned on in the background about her husband’s success in the trade industry, but she couldn’t make out the words as three pairs of eyes were watching her. One with sympathy, one with curiosity, and one narrowed gaze that had her dropping the broom and dashing for the stairs to the relative sanctuary her small apartment had become recently. Her door hadn’t even closed properly yet before it slammed open and then Sam was there, right behind her and way too close for comfort.

  He opened his mouth to say something, but then he glanced over the apartment quickly, his eyes zoning in on her bag, still packed just inside the open door of the bedroom.

  “You haven’t unpacked,” he stated and looked down at her with glaring eyes. It wasn’t a question and she knew better than to answer. For a moment her thoughts scattered and she found it strange that she was skittish around any male who came into the bar, except for Bob and Sam. She knew none of the other men coming into the bar would do anything to harm her. Bob didn’t run that kind of establishment, but she still kept a safe distance and often jumped if the crowd was too rowdy during football games. Yet, even with Sam glaring down at her, fury clear in his posture, she didn�
�t even feel a trickle of fear. No. All she felt when he looked down at her in that way was horny. There was simply no other word for it. She shook her head slightly to clear it from the naughty images assailing her mind.

  “On the bed, face down, now.” He used his dom voice and her stomach dropped, wetness pooling in her panties, but despite that she raised her chin defiantly and shoved the sub in her aside.

  “No. You are not my dom anymore and... hell, I don’t even know you anymore!”

  “Well, then now is the perfect time to get reacquainted. Bed. Now.”

  “Sam, I...”

  “No, Soph, I’ve told you what my intentions with you are. I’ve given you space, allowed you time to settle down and to heal. I’m even getting used to calling you Sophie but the hell am I going to sit back and wait for you to run again.”

  Sophie had nothing to say to him, nothing to contradict him. He had given her space and she had hated every moment of it. She wanted his anger, his resentment, his bitterness toward her, but she also craved his attention, his kisses, his domination of her, of her body and of her soul. Was it time to give in to him? She wanted to, oh, how much she wanted to! But she would put him in danger if she did that. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him or Bob. They were the closest thing she had to a family and given the fact that she sought them out to run to, she realized that she had unconsciously thought of them as the people to keep her safe, so it was only fair to keep them safe as well. And the less they knew, the safer they were.

  “Sam, you...” Her voice cut off in a startled gasp as he lifted her up, carried her across the room, and threw her lightly on the bed. Before she could gather her scattered wits, her hands were tied together to the bedpost with two of her silk scarves that were lying on the floor.

  “Samuel!” He spared her a quick glance through narrowed slits as he moved about the room, looking for something.

  “If I were you, I’d keep that pretty little mouth shut before I gag you.” Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. He couldn’t do this to her!

  “You can’t be... what the hell! Samuel!” Her words were cut off as he shoved something into her mouth and she tried cussing him out as she realized it came from her underwear drawer. He’d just used a pair of her lace panties as a gag! She tried screaming at him when he started tugging her pants down her legs, shortly followed by her panties. When she raised her leg, aiming to kick him where the sun didn’t shine, he tsked, flipped her over, and his bare hand came down on her pale ass cheek with five resounding smacks. When he flipped her over again, her face was flushed, her eyes downcast and not a sound came from her gagged mouth.

  “That’s a good girl. Looks like I’ll have to start your training all over again.” She kept her eyes downcast; the submissive side of her had taken complete control and she was powerless against Sam’s determination and her own raging desire. Sam calmly spread her legs as wide as they could go and tied them to the bottom bedpost with two of her belts. With assured movements he moved toward her torso and her shirt and bra were soon lying on the floor in torn and tattered pieces.

  “This is what we are going to do. I am going to tell you what I know, and you are going to nod when it is the truth and shake your head if it is a lie. You will not make a single sound. You will be punished for lying and rewarded for telling the truth. Simple enough?” Sophie nodded, her heart hammering furiously in her chest. “Since you are gagged, do you remember the signal that would be your safe word?” She hesitated for a fraction before knocking the pit-pat pattern on the head post. Approval shined from Sam’s face and bathed her in the warm glow of their former relationship. How easily she had fallen back into the role when Grant had spent years trying to break her to his will but had never succeeded.

  “So, you married the guy from the carnival.” Sophie nodded and bit down on the panties to keep herself from moaning as his hands started roaming over her body. She tried not to think about Grant as Sam was touching her, but his line of questioning didn’t really help, and she was sure they were far from done.

  “You lied to me the night you left town.” She nodded again, her heart giving a painful thump as she remembered one of the worst nights of her life. Sam’s hands covered her breasts, massaging the supple flesh and plucking at her sensitive nipples with experienced fingers. She arched her back, eager for more but he removed his hands as he voiced the next question.

  “Were you seeing him at the same time as you were seeing me?” A frown plucked at the skin between her eyes. That was difficult to answer; she didn’t like Grant, she was taken by him as payment for her parents’ debt, he was always overly friendly and touchy, but she supposed since it was nothing she had wanted, she’d say no. She hesitantly shook her head and Sam returned her frown. Still not touching her.

  “Did he force you to go away with him?” Sophie could feel the tears forming, the emotion building, and the helpless frustration rising again. She swallowed, averted her gaze, and nodded again. She saw Sam taking off his shirt and she marveled at the chiseled perfection that was his torso. Tanned, cut, and splendidly on display for her eyes to feast upon. His jaw clenched at her silent admission.

  “Did he force you to marry him?” Sophie couldn’t help it; the tears spilled over, running from her eyes into her hair that was splayed out beside her on the cushions. She nodded and turned her head away from him. How could she look him in the eye after a confession like that?

  “Sophie, I know this is hard, but you won’t let me in any other way. If you can look at me right now and tell me that you’ll talk to me, I’ll stop.” Sophie took a shuddering breath. She couldn’t tell him, she had to keep him safe. She survived Grant only with her memories of a better time. A time when Sam was with her, when he loved her. She shook her head.

  “Then we’ll continue.” His hand on her face turned her head so that she was once again looking at him. “Did he force himself on you?” She started sobbing and knew he would know the answer to that question without her having to do anything. She waited for him to leave the room, disgusted with who and what she had become in the years that had gone by, but then Sam’s weight was on top of her. Not crushing her, comforting her. He took the panties out of her mouth and tossed them aside. His lips traced the tears on her face as he held her gently. By the time she had finally calmed down and pushed the memories to the back of her mind, Sam was busy playing with the strands of her hair. It felt good to have him with her like this, like a blanket of safety. Protecting her and keeping all the bad memories away.

  “Sam?” She felt his dick twitch again her thigh and frustration built that he was still almost fully clothed.

  He raised his head slowly, his gaze burning down at her. “Please make me forget.” The words rushed out before he could say something else and she kept her eyes locked with his, trying to convey the seriousness of her statement to him without having to repeat the question. Sam stood up from the bed and looked down at her but he saw no sign of hesitation. He quickly untied her legs and toed his shoes and socks off at lightning speed. He straightened and her mouth turned dry with anticipation at the passion and love blazing in his eyes. Even after all these years, after everything she had put him through, it was still there. As clear as the first rays of the sun after a dark thunderstorm.

  “Anything for you, love. Turn over, on your knees, breasts flat on the mattress.”

  Chapter Five

  Sophie could hear the floorboards creak as Sam moved about in the small kitchen; she heard him rummaging in the fridge and her nerves spiked, causing her to tremble in anticipation and wetness to leak from her exposed pussy. How she missed this. How she missed him. Her breath got stuck in her throat as she felt the bed dip behind her, but no matter how she angled her head she couldn’t see him.

  “Are your arms comfortable?” His fingers stroked the length of her arms up to the bonds where her wrists were crossed over each other, testing the bondage to ensure it wasn’t too tight.

 
“Yes.”

  “Good girl.” There it was again, the warm submissive glow she loved so much.

  His hands never left her skin, trailing over her back and wreaking havoc on her insides. When his hands left her body, she let out a dissatisfied moan, which earned her a hard smack to the ass. He gripped her cheek to keep the burning sting locked in before stroking it softly.

  “Such an ungrateful little brat, aren’t you, my little love?”

  “Yes.”

  Then she had to gasp as his mouth was on her exposed center, his tongue darting up and down her soaked slit, causing her to moan and wriggle in the steel grip he still had on her ass. One of his hands trailed down and he pushed a single digit into her tight channel, which had her grinding down on his face. She could feel herself edge closer to an orgasm and just as she thought she was going to come apart at the seams, his hand and face disappeared from between her legs.

  She made another sound of discontent, ending in a yelp as his hand slapped her right on her swollen and needy center.

  “Yes, we will definitely have to train you all over again.” He smacked her again and she bit her lip to keep the groan inside.

  “I think some sensation play is just what we need today. I don’t want to push you too hard and too fast. How does that sound to you?”

  “Oh yes, please, Samuel.” Sam groaned and gave her a playful smack on her ass as he leaned over her. His breath was deliciously hot while his teeth scraped the shell of her ear.

  “You know how much I love it when you call me that.”

  She smiled at him. “I do. I never forgot.”

  He gave her a quick kiss. “Turn on your back and let me blindfold you.”

  She turned over obediently, eager to please him. He slipped another scarf over her eyes, gently tying it behind her head, careful not to get her hair tangled up in the knot. This was exactly what she needed. To have him take control, even it was only for a little while. To give in to him and let him control her body, soul, and mind. This was one sure way of beating away some of her demons. Making new and happy memories with the love of her life could only be a good thing. She felt so comfortable with him, so content and happy, despite only just returning to him two weeks ago and rarely seeing him—it was like nothing had changed. Like no time had passed. Sophie welcomed the darkness of the blindfold; all her other senses were on high alert immediately, making her sensitive to even the slightest of touches and whispered sounds.