2. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Elise

As the sun starts to rise, we are finally getting into the truck. This time, Bradley is driving. Lucian is sitting in the back, and I am laying with my head in his lap. I am physically tired, but my mind is busy. I groan when my phone rings.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Mrs. Voss. This is Robert Keens. I am the CEO of Stratagem Software,” he says. I abruptly sit up and put the call on speakerphone.

“Yes. Mr. Keens. Hello,” I say.

“I know it’s a bit early, but I wanted to know if you’d be willing to sit down and talk with myself and the new manager, Alan Pierson,” he asks. “We will come to you, and we’d love if your husband could join as well.”

“Uh…” I say, looking at Lucian. He smiles at me, and I relax. “Yeah. When?”

“Preferably today. We will be close here in a bit. I have to sign something for Detective Clark Bishop, so Alan will be coming with me if you’d like to meet.”

“Uh. That’s fine,” I say.

“Where would you like to meet?” he asks. “Your comfort is the most important thing to us right now, so I’d like for you to choose whatever is easiest for you.”

“Uhm… I live in the Luxe Fortuna housing development in Maple Falls. We have a community center at the back of the property. Can we meet there?” I ask.

“That works perfectly. We will be there at ten,” he says.

“I just want to warn you that…” I start to say.

“Elise…,” he says. “You do not owe me an explanation. I am a very patient man. I understand more than you realize.”

“Thank you,” I say simply. When I end the call, I look at Lucian.

“I’ll have Bradley and Laura sit with us,” Lucian says reassuringly. “No one will leave you alone.”

“I don’t think they’ll hurt me or anything,” I say.

“It doesn’t matter. He was correct when he said that your comfort is the most crucial part of this. He obviously has a business to run, and that’s why he needs to talk with you. It doesn’t negate the fact that something awful happened to you and that should be respected,” Lucian counters.

"Yeah,” I say with a sigh.

“Rest and I’ll wake you when we get home,” he says, kissing me. I lay back in his lap and drift away as he gently strokes my hair.

I groan when I feel warm hands on my face. “Elise,” Lucian says softly.

“Mmmm. I don’t wanna,” I mumble.

“Come on,” he chuckles. “I’ll do dirty things to you after.”

I sit up and Bradley cackles. “That got her attention.”

“Why? Because I’m a whore?” I ask flatly.

“Whore is not a bad word, Elise,” Bradley says. “Also, I think it’s plenty acceptable for me to say that you like to be a whore with your husband. Whore means a prostitute, though, and no one will fault you for fucking your husband to get him to give you things.”

“I’d totally fuck you for some tacos,” Laura says to Bradley.

“I mean,” I say. “I kinda want some tacos, too.”

“We can take you two out for tacos for dinner,” Lucian laughs. “They will be here soon.”

“Okay,” I sigh. “How did I get inside?”

“I carried you,” Lucian says. “You were pretty out of it, so I just brought you in.”

I get up and go to the closet to get different clothes. Lucian comes over to help me dress. I can definitely dress myself now, but I think he actually enjoys taking care of me like this. He seems happy when he takes care of me, even with simple things.

Before helping me put my shirt back on, he carefully takes the bandage off my back and inspects the wounds. “It’s healing nicely he says.

“Great,” I deadpan. “I was hoping it would get infected so they would have to cut a big chunk out or something.”

“As soon as it’s completely healed, we will rebrand it,” he says, kissing my shoulder. Lucian replaces the bandage before helping me back into my shirt. My back is still incredibly bruised and tender, but at least I can move without crying now.

When I am ready, we walk down to the community center and sit in the conference room. I am sitting as close to Lucian as I can get while Bradley is on my other side with Laura beside him.

A few minutes later, I feel panic setting in when Robert and Alan come in. “Mrs. Voss,” Robert says happily. He and Alan sit across from us, and Lucian shakes their hands.

“Hi,” I say, trying to force myself to be calm.

“It’s nice to meet you, Elise,” Alan says. “I have heard amazing things about your work. I had the pleasure of looking at your latest project.”

“I thought… Did the client actually get it?” I ask.

“Yes. It was submitted. I went through the program to ensure it had not been altered since you had submitted it,” he says.

“So, the main reason we wanted to talk is because a letter of resignation had been sent from your email to me the morning of the… incident,” he says. “First, I need to know if that was you.”

“No,” I say tearfully. “I’m sorry.” Lucian wraps me in a hug, and I focus on his heartbeat for a moment to calm down before pulling back.

“Elise, you are one of the best software engineers that I have ever met. You might be young, but you are brilliant. Honestly, I don’t care if it was intentional. If you want the job, it is still yours,” Robert says. “You are on paid leave right now, so you can take however much time you need.”

“I can start back as soon as you want,” I say, wiping my face.

“What I want is for you to be sure that you’re ready,” he says. He sets a bag on the table, and I recognize it as the laptop bag that I left that day. “We replaced your laptop. I personally ensured that everything was transferred and that any trace of what he had done to it is gone.”

“What exactly did he do?” I ask.

“From the beginning, he has had a program installed that essentially cloned what you did onto another laptop. This gave him complete control to anything and everything you had. If it was logged in on yours, it was on the other as well. After submitting the program, he went into yours and replaced the files and sent himself a corrupt file. That, from what I understand, is how he got you to the office.”

“Yeah. I’m just glad I took the time to call Lucian,” I say. “How did he get away with no one knowing his last name?”

“Because after his background check, but before he started, he hacked the HR system and changed it. By the time he started, we had someone new working in HR, so it wasn’t caught,” he says. “Susan is a saint and figured it out luckily.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I’m glad Lucian didn’t let them think I ran off with him.”

“Mhmm. Susan was originally under the assumption that you two were having marital problems. Jake told her a few times that things were bad, but now we understand why he was saying that.”

“He was hoping no one would come looking for me,” I confirm.

“I am very sorry that this happened, Elise,” Robert says softly.

“You said you understood. How?” I ask.

“My daughter is your age,” he says. “She was kidnapped and raped by a drug dealer and his friends when she was sixteen. I was the one who found her tied naked to a bed. She had been beaten so severely that I hardly recognized her.”

“Is she okay?” I ask.

“April is great,” he says.

“April Kinsley?” I ask.

“Yeah. She got married when she was nineteen, so no one knew that she is my daughter,” he says. “I may not know what it was like by experience, but I can still hear her cries like it was yesterday. I know exactly what Lucian is feeling right now.”

“It’s a type of helplessness that makes you angry,” Lucian says. “You want so badly to turn back time and save them, but you can’t. You can’t make the memories disappear or the pain go away. It takes time, but time won’t move quickly enough.”

“Exactly,” Robert says. “Elise… Don’t force yourself to be normal again. The old normal is dead. You have to learn to face the world all over again, and I don’t want you to worry about your job. It will be here when you are ready.”

“Is there anything I can work on without a strict deadline?” I ask.

“Yes, actually,” he says. “Robert and I need help redoing the company software that everyone uses. After finding out how Jake was able to get past multiple checks, I want to start over. It will take as long as it takes, so you are free to go at your own pace.”

“I graduated less than a year ago,” I say.

“I know, but I know you are more than capable. All of our big clients trust you with their systems, so I trust you with mine.”

“Uh… Okay,” I say. “Just email me the plan and I can start messing around with things in the next few days.”

“Okay. At some point, I will need you to come into the office for an incident report, and with this project, it will be easier on all of us if you come in every now and again, but you are more than welcome to bring Lucian. I will get him to sign an NDA, then he can be there when we talk about the software.”

“Do you have his office?” I ask Alan.

“No. It’s being turned into a storage area. No one wants that office now, so we are rearranging a bit. I have the office on the bottom floor.

“The one with windows for walls?” I ask.

“Mhmm. We thought it would make you and everyone else more comfortable if it was open like that,” Alan says.

“Did Jake… Did he hurt anyone else working there?” I ask.

“The night that someone drugged you, Jane told me and the detective that he raped her after Lucian got you back to your room. She told everyone in a staff meeting a few days ago as well,” Robert says.

“Oh my God,” I say. “That’s awful.”

“Not surprising,” Lucian says. “Until she is comfortable, I will be attending everything in person with her. I’ll sign whatever NDA you need me to.”

“The first time you come in with her, I’ll have you sign it then,” Robert says before looking at me. “How are you?”

“That’s… I don’t know how to answer that,” I say honestly.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

“Uh. Better. I don’t know if you want specifics, but I’m getting there,” I say vaguely.

“I won’t lie. I am curious, but I am more so wanting to know if you are okay,” he says.

“Have you seen the pictures you had me take?” Lucian asks.

“I have,” I nod, and then turn to Robert. “How curious are you? I’m not afraid to talk about my trauma or discuss it. No one should have to hide what happens to them.”

“Do you want me to see?” he asks.

“I want you to know who exactly you hired,” I say bluntly. “I am not blaming you, but someone should have noticed. I think it’s important for you to understand what that cost me.”

“Okay,” he says softly. Lucian hands me his phone and I navigate to the picture. I had Lucian take it about twelve hours after I was found one of the times he woke me up to use the restroom. I hand the phone to Robert and his eyes go wide.

“Holy fuck, Elise,” he says. Alan glances and shakes his head.

“Is that a burn?” Alan asks.

“Yeah,” I say. “When it’s fully healed, I am having Lucian brand over it. I’ll spare you the details of why he did this or why I am having Lucian cover it, but it was a way to try to force ownership in a way.”

“You don’t have to spare us any details if you don’t want to,” Robert says.

“Well… Maple Falls is home to Luxe Fortuna, but Luxe Fortuna is where the top members of a community lives that… It’s a cult. Not a bad one, but it’s a cult,” I say. Lucian and Bradley laugh heartily.

“She’s not wrong,” Laura says.

“In what way is it a cult?” Alan asks innocently.

“Luxe Fortuna is a group of people who all essentially worship the Roman Goddess, Lady Fortuna and the Roman God Bacchus. We keep faith that they will lead us to our destiny and that everything has purpose. We have certain rituals and in short, everyone is open with their sex lives when in appropriate situations. It is something that is considered a normal part of human interaction, and it is celebrated. It is heavily influenced by dominant submissive relationships, so we have celebrations that lean into that,” I explain. “The turn of winter and spring are important, and so is Halloween. Marriages are ritualistic and the bond is an important ceremony. For example, Lucian is my husband. He is who my destiny intertwines with. We believe that we are fated to be together, so protecting that bond is important.”

“Soul mates,” Robert says. “By open.. What exactly does that mean?”

“It means… it’s like a nudist colony only instead of just naked people, it is normal to see people openly having sex. Submissives are expected to serve, no matter where they are. It is obviously kept appropriate in the sense that discretion is used around children and those who do not believe or understand,” I explain.

“Who is the leader of Luxe?” Alan asks.

“Lucian,” Robert says.

“Yes. It is generational, so our children will also lead if they choose to be a part of this community,” I say.

“And if they don’t want to?” Alan asks.

“Then it would go to Bradley’s children,” Lucian says.

“That is interesting,” Robert says. “I wouldn’t call it a cult, though.”

“We have giant orgy’s and the submissives get hunted like prey on Halloween,” Laura laughs. “I’d say it’s a little bit like a cult.”

“I’m sorry… What?” Alan asks.

“The dominants are called the predators and the submissives are called prey,” Lucian explains. “The predator will present the prey with a black or red rose. Black meaning just for the evening and red meaning a proposal of marriage. The prey run and the predators hunt. If they are caught, then the predator has consent to do whatever they want. If a predator catches prey that they presented a rose to, they are at the predator’s mercy until dawn. If captured after being given a red rose, the two will marry in forty-eight hours. Other predators are allowed to interfere and do as they wish with the prey, but they have limitations to ensure safety of the prey.”

“Hide and fuck,” I say, and Robert laughs.

“Shit, I’m sold,” Alan says.

“If you are serious, our way of accepting new members have become stricter, but I can get you the information,” Lucian says.

“Is that how the two of you got married?” Robert asks. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Yeah. He stalked me for a while, and then I consented to the games,” I say. “I… am a bit traumatized now from Halloween, but that’s not Lucian’s doing.”

“Jake was a member of Luxe,” Lucian says.

“You mean he… Oh,” Alan says. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s only traumatizing because apparently, Jake is my half-brother. He knew, but I didn’t because I grew up in foster care,” I say.

“Next Halloween will be better,” Laura says to me.

“Yeah, it will,” Bradley says with a grin, nudging me.

“Why not focus on giving Laura a red rose this year?” I ask.

“I’ll always have time to have a reason to tease Lucian,” he laughs.

“That’s fair. Doesn’t take long at all,” I say and Lucian laughs.

“Brat,” Bradley frowns at me, but I smile.

“Any way, I don’t think they want to be part of this conversation,” I say. “I will start messing with the new software when I can comfortably sit in my office chair again.”

“Take your time,” Robert says. “I need to meet with Clark Bishop. He is with Sheriff Donaldson.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because I have the money and the means to help ensure the rampage you all went on disappears,” he says bluntly. I look at Lucian, worried.

“They asked me first and I vetted both of them,” Lucian says.

“I trust you,” I sigh. “Why has no one asked me, though? I also have the money. Maybe not the means.”

“Because none of us are asking you to give anything more than you already have,” Lucian says. “Robert, thank you for your help.”

“It is my pleasure. The fucker got what he deserved,” Robert says.

“They all did,” Alan confirms.

“I liked the part when he cried,” I shrug as we all stand up. I wince and stumble a bit when I get up too fast. Lucian puts his arms around my waist before softly kissing me.

We walk Robert and Alan out before going to the house. I am tired, but not so tired that I don’t want to have sex with my husband. I miss being close to him on that level. When we get to the bedroom, he helps me undress before undressing himself. ‘

“Are you sure?” Lucian asks me softly. “Don’t do this because you think it’s what I want.”

“I want to please you and I want to be close to you,” I say. “I can’t hide behind my trauma forever. Just be patient with me is all I ask.”

“We can take our time,” he says. “You have a safe word, so please use it if you need. Okay?”

“Okay,” I say happily.

Lucian gently lays me back on the bed and peppers kisses up my thigh. I relax in the bed, and he slowly spreads my legs. “Fuck, I’ve missed this sweet pussy,” he says before slowly licking across my clit. I moan softly and he continues with quick flicks.

“That feels so good,” I pant. “Please, make me come.”

When Lucian starts to suck on me, my eyes roll back, and I moan louder as I lift my hips. I haven’t been touched by him in what seems like forever, so I am more sensitive than usual. Every time I start getting close, my movements make pain shoot through my back and I lose it. I start getting frustrated, so Lucian moves to lay on the bed.

“Come here, love,” he says. “Take a seat and let me make you feel good.”

When I move up to my knees, he helps guide me to straddle him. I gasp when he wraps his arms around my thighs and pulls me down on his mouth. He sets back into sucking, only he is nipping as well. “Oh, God. Yes. Just like that. Please don’t stop.”

I grip onto the headboard and rock my hips, desperate for release. He sucks harder and harder until it all explodes inside of me. I grind my pussy against his mouth and moan loudly as he sucks my soul out through my now swollen and ultra-sensitive clit. He doesn’t stop and pressure continues to build in my belly. Every time I rock my hips, his teeth tug at my clit, making me move more. The pleasure is near blinding.

“Fuck. Oh, fuck. I’m gonna come. It’s… Oh, God. I’m gonna…” before I can warn him, my second orgasm detonates and my arousal floods out of me. Lucian growls against my pussy as he drinks from me. He doesn’t stop until I am nearly limp.

He moves me down and kisses me hard. I know he’s doing his best to distract me because when he slowly lowers me onto his cock, panic slams down around me and I try to pull away. “Wait. Wait. Wait,” I yell when he wraps his arms around my body to prevent me from moving.

“Say the safe word, Elise,” he encourages.

“Please, don’t stop. I want this,” I say tearfully.

He kisses me again and continues. I groan as he stretches me. My body isn’t used to his size anymore, so the pressure is overwhelming. When I start to cry, he takes my face between his hands. I am completely filled by his cock, but I don’t move.

“Relax, love. I’ve got you, remember?”

“It hurts,” I cry.

“Mentally or physically?” he asks.

“Mentally,” I admit quietly.

Lucian brings me down to lay on his chest as he slowly starts to move. I cling to him, but I focus on his heartbeat. It is rapid, like my own, and he groans as he starts thrusting slowly and deep. I am still tender, but this pleasure sneaking up on me is muting the discomfort.

“Fuck, you feel amazing,” Lucian grunts. “So fucking tight.”

“More,” I murmur. “I need more.”

He answers this by quickening his pace, little by little. It’s not enough and I keep begging him for more. I know what I want, but I don’t know how to ask him. Eventually, I reach a point where the only thing I can do is to be direct about it.

“Fuck, Luci. Please,” I moan.

“Tell me, Elise,” he says.

“Hard. As hard as you can,” I beg. “Please, just make it hurt. Make me scream.”

He hesitates for a moment before slamming deep, pulling a scream out of me. He falls into a speed that makes pain rumble through my body, but the pleasure he creates is much greater. I bury my face in his neck as he pounds into me, and he moans when I sink my teeth into him. He grabs a tight hold of my ass and rapidly quickens his movements as he pushes deeper. My arousal suddenly floods out of me again and I groan deeply as he comes.

Lucian rolls us so that we are on our sides and tears suddenly burst out of me. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Lucian says softly, kissing my forehead. I don’t know why I am suddenly turning hysterical, but it doesn’t phase Lucian in the slightest. He holds me close as I sob, but eventually I calm down enough to talk.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“Baby, this is the first time you have consented to sex since the rapes,” he says. “It’s overwhelming and emotional. You are not expected to be okay, Elise. It is a process, and I am more than happy to navigate this with you.”

“Being close to you… Not having to think… It helps,” I say. “Knowing that I can trust you with my mind, body, and future helps.”

“I vow to you right now and for the rest of our lives, I will always put you, your comfort, your needs, and your happiness first,” he says. “I love you with everything that I am, and I am so blessed to have found you.”

“I love you too,” I sniffle. “I’m sorry I keep biting you.”

“It’s okay,” he laughs. “I kinda like it.”

“I’ll say,” I remark with a smile. “You moan every time I do it.”

“Mmmm. I do, don’t I,” he grins.

“Mhmm. How about a nap before dinner? I prepaid,” I say, and he laughs.

“Yeah, I think you might have overpaid. We will have to go get some frozen yogurt after,” he says, kissing me again. “You rest, and I’ll get you cleaned up.”

“Mmkay,” I say with a sigh as I close my eyes. Lucian cleans me before returning to lying in bed. I snuggle against his chest and fall asleep to the sound of his heart beating.

I have faith and hope for the future. The pain and suffering I endured are unbearable at times, but I have to think that it is for a reason. I have to believe that there is a silver lining to the heinous things that have been done to me. I know that no matter what, I have Lucian. I have our people. In the beginning, I was his obsession, but now we share and embrace the obsession. We take everything around us and use it to further solidify our bond as our destiny is tangled together into a pleasurable hell. I could have run when I first met Lucian, and maybe I should have, but why run from the Devil when I look so good on my knees for him?