Ursula couldn't wait to get home. She'd left before Stephen had woken because her tutor needed her to talk to her about the work she was doing in class. They talked to every student around this time in order to make sure they were on the right track for the end of the semester just before a break and the start of a new one. Her tutor felt she'd be able to graduate within the next year or two. She wanted to share her news with Stephen. Ursula walked out of reception area of the college building where she'd signed all necessary tutorial forms for the following year, to see Paul waiting for her. She went in the opposite direction in the hope of avoiding him. No such luck, as he followed her. She'd told Stephen not to bother picking her up after college. There was too much left to do with her courses, and she needed the extra time. Whenever she was with Stephen none of her work got done. She knew something was going on in his life. He wouldn't share. After they made love and she fell asleep, he would go downstairs. Most nights she woke to find him talking on the phone in his office. Whatever was happening he didn't want her to know about it.
Putting her bag higher on her shoulder she tried to ignore Paul. He kept catching up with her. She wished she'd told Stephen to pick her up. The time she had to walk home she'd hoped to have to think about her situation. Instead, she'd have to deal with Paul, the last person she wanted to talk to.
"You can't get away from me," Paul said.
She stopped, spun around, and glared at him. "Why not? I did while we were dating. I'm surprised you're up. Have you watched all the porn there can possibly be available to you?" Ursula carried on walking trying to ignore him.
"You can say whatever you want. I'm not going until I've done what I need to do," he said.
"Leave me alone."
He grabbed her arm stopping her in her tracks. "I want to talk to you."
"I don't want to talk to you. If Stephen finds out about this you'll be sorry." She tried to warn him away. It was dark outside, and she knew if he chose to be a problem then she'd be in trouble. There was no one in sight. She stood alone in the cold with her ex.
"I'm not going to hurt you." He held his arms up in surrender.
"You said that to me once. I don't believe you any longer. Stephen doesn't like you talking to me. I suggest you don't come near the college again." Ursula didn't like threatening him with Stephen, but she liked having a man she knew she could count on. Her feelings for him were intensifying every day. The time they spent together never seemed to be enough. Leaving him every day got harder for her to do. She wanted to be with him all the time. The other night she'd almost admitted to him that she loved him.
"He doesn't bother me. I've got someone with lots more protection and plenty of money. Besides, this is not about him. I've got something you need to see." She stared at him and saw the expensive suit. There was a change in him, which made her more nervous than comforted. If he had someone spending money then he would be causing some kind of trouble.
"What do you want?" she asked, growing irritated with him being in her company.
Paul handed her a file. She frowned but took it anyway. She noticed the card Stephen had given her several weeks ago was pinned on the front with a paper clip.
"What's this?"
"Give it a read and then see. Your lover-boy isn't what he seems." Paul stroked her hair. "If he asks, tell him to watch his back because he's coming."
He turned to walk away.
"Wait. You can't give me this then leave."
"Read it, Ursula. You have a right to know who you're
dealing with. It's a little fucked up if you ask me. Take care," he said. She didn't stop him when he walked away. His cryptic message infuriated her.
Ursula stood there staring at the file. "He's coming? How fucking lame." She shivered regardless of her thoughts. The night made her uncomfortable. Pulling her coat around her she put the file in her bag then walked the distance to Stephen's house. The time she'd wanted to clear her head had been ruined by Paul's presence. Now all she could think about was the file burning a hole in her bag.
She let herself into Stephen's house. It was too strange to call it her house. Stephen still wasn't home. She put the kettle on trying to ignore the curiosity about the file. Paul had given her something to doubt the man she was with. Ursula thought about Stephen and all the secrecy surrounding him. Pouring the hot water into the cup, she tried not to think about the file in her bag. She sat at the table, staring at her bag. Drumming her fingers on the table she tried to think of all the reasons not to listen to Paul. Finally, when she could stand it no more, she took the file out of her bag. She sipped her coffee then settled down her pounding heart. Opening the first page on the file, she began to read what was inside. There were photographs, names, places and information, all about two exclusive gentlemen's clubs. There were several names she recognised, including a few photographs of her and others.
The more she read, the more she started to feel sick. Stephen wouldn't keep something like this from her, would he?
****
Paul walked round the corner and got into the waiting limousine. Eugene had company in the form of a high-class call girl. At least he thought it was. The woman was pretty with all the assets to please a man. Over the last few weeks he'd gotten used to seeing his boss with a woman sucking him off or in some stage of sexual activity. Watching it up close and seeing it on the television screen were two different things. He settled back with a glass of wine as he watched the woman bob her head in Eugene's lap, sucking his cock. His own shaft stirred in his pants. He wondered if Eugene was up to sharing her oral talents.
Glancing away he thought about what he'd just done. Ursula looked good. Before she spotted him, she'd looked happy. He pushed any thoughts of guilt to the back of his mind. The money, the women, were all worth it.
"Did everything go to plan?" Eugene asked.
"She took the file. I know Ursula. She'll read it." When he forgot about the guilt he was able to let his needs over ride his conscience. He sipped his wine thinking about the change in his ex. She looked hotter than he remembered. Her full body would be glorious to pound. There was a time he had enjoyed tapping her. Maybe, after she read that file and realised what a sick fuck her boyfriend was, she'd come crawling back to him.
"Good. I want to cause Stephen so many problems it will make his head spin. Harder." Eugene's fist tightened in the woman's hair. Paul winced from the viciousness of the action. "Have you talked to the guy?"
"Yes, he'll do as you asked." Paul didn't understand half of the instructions he'd been asked to do. He'd done them for the money. Every time he completed a set of instructions he got paid.
"That fucking club is about to be turned on its head. I can't wait to see what happens when the world sees it." Eugene grunted.
Paul looked away.
"Go and deep throat my friend. I want you to swallow his cum as well." The woman crawled to him. Paul let her pull him free and laid his head back.
"You've done well, Mr. Mellor. Just watch the chaos about to happen."
Paul closed his eyes letting his boss's voice drown out. ****
Stephen opened the door. The scent of beef stew greeted him. Christmas was a couple of weeks away, and he was considering the decorations for the home. Ursula's family had invited them 'round to theirs, but he thought his place would be big enough for all of them. He hadn't decorated his home in so long. It had never felt like his home until Ursula entered his life. He knew her family would love the experience of staying with him. For once he'd have the whole house filled with the festivities. He smiled thinking about it. The more he thought about Christmas with Ursula the more excited her got.
"Ursula, are you home?" he asked. When she'd told him not to pick her up, he hadn't argued. He knew walking could be therapeutic. He fingered the box in his jacket. After visiting James and then his own club, he'd gone to the jewellers to find the perfect engagement ring. He didn't want a family heirloom. He wanted a design he picked. There was no response. He hung his jacket on the rail then turned to find Ursula standing staring at him. She looked angry as she held a file in her hands. Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying. Most days she ran into his arms. This time she stayed where she was. There was no welcome to her person.
"Who are you?"
He frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"This ... stuff. What are you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Are you really going to try and lie to me?" He saw the
anger. Her whole body was shaking with it.
"Tell me what you're talking about, and then I can try
and make sense of these accusations." His own anger was increasing.
She slammed the file against his chest. "You want to know what I'm talking about?" He nodded his head. She moved away, and he caught the file in his hands. Stephen kept his gaze on her. "Does Club Possession ring a bell? Or perhaps Ravage? Men who feel the need to own women and to beat them with canes or whatever else. Tell me, Stephen, what does it all mean?"
He glanced down at the file in his hand. Before he had chance she started ranting again. In that moment he wished he'd told her truth.
"Possession is a secret society where you manipulate women into doing as they're told? Or a bloody BDSM club where you share women? Tell me about it, Stephen. I want to know the man I've given my body to. The same man I'm sharing a house with. Tell me what the fuck is going on," she said without taking a breath. He flicked the file open seeing as much detail as possible to raise questions. He recalled his conversation with James back at his own club. Someone was trying to cause problems, and they were hitting at the women.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"Why does that matter? I want to know who you are. I have a right to know."
"You've thrown your accusations at me. I have an obligation to know the person who has this information on my business." He shouted all the words at her. The fact someone was able to gather pictures as well as the type of information to place in a file put him and the members of
both clubs at risk. The images were more explicit than the ones James had received.
"You think those people are more important?"
"I think keeping the secrecy of a club that has been going since before I was fucking born is more important than dealing with any kind of issue. Some of these men are fucking powerful people, Ursula. Whatever you know, I need to know it now." He hated shouting at her. The tears filled her eyes. He saw them, and they cut him deep to know he was the cause for her tears.
He moved closer to her, but she took several steps back. Stephen followed her until she had her back against the wall. He cupped her cheeks. "I love you," he said. For the last few weeks he'd been aware of the way he felt about her, but he had never told her. He thought it would be best if she said the words first or at least say them when he proposed. He knew proposing would be the last thing he did now.
"How do you know?" she asked.
He pressed her hand against his heart. "I've known for a long time. I know this has shocked, maybe even scared you. I promise you that I'll love you no matter what. My club is important. Please, tell me who gave you this file."
She paused for several long minutes. He thought she wasn't going to tell him. "Paul stopped me outside of college. He gave me the file."
"Did he say who gave him the file?"
She shook her head. Stephen nodded, kissing her lips. "I need you to give me some time. I have some calls to make."
"Why?"
"This can cause some serious problems. I can't tell you everything you need to know right now. Give me this time, and I promise you I'll tell you everything."
"I'll be in the library. Studying." She left him. He saw the change in her. Her back was ramrod straight.
When she was out of sight he went to his office, closing the door for added privacy. He stared at the pages more closely then picked up the phone. James answered on the third ring.
"Mr. Knox calling me from his home once again. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Stephen ran his fingers through his hair. "Ursula was given a file today by her ex."
"Really? How fascinating."
"Inside it were pictures of you at Ravage with your sub. These images do not look good. The same goes for the pictures at my own club."
There was no noise from the other end.
"You need to show me that file."
"Agreed. I've got to deal with Ursula first. She's not in
the best of moods at the moment. I'm going to bring her to my club. Be there by ten tonight, and call the other men."
"Since when am I your slave, Knox?"
"Since this can cause us some serious shit and I've got a woman to calm. Do this for me. You'll get to meet Ursula tonight."
"And you think your woman will be an incentive for me?"
"I thought Lucas was handling this problem. I don't think anything has been handled," Stephen said.
"We've done everything we can. Eugene is either more intelligent than we gave him credit for, or someone else is working the scenes," James said.
"We've not had any contact but this. I think they're targeting us because of Dominic." Stephen ran his fingers through his hair, the stress of the moment finally getting to him.
"I'll be in touch with the others. I'll see you at Possession in a few hours."
The call ended. Stephen flicked through the pages, hating the images he saw of Ursula in his arms. She didn't deserve to be mixed in the trouble the clubs could cause. The stuff he was learning put her in too much danger. The information annoyed him. Possession and Ravage were not about defiling women. The men loved their women. He was growing annoyed with every word written on the page. He slammed the file shut then went to find her. She sat in the library with her arms wrapped around her legs. The coffee table in front of the couch where she sat had her college books. The silence unnerved him. Ursula had never ignored him, but he felt ignored as he moved closer to her. Stephen moved the books she'd piled onto the table out of the way, then sat down where the books had been. He placed the file next to him. He didn't want to sit next to her. Being face to face was for the best. His heart ached for the pain she must be going through. She'd left before he'd even woken that morning. He hadn't anticipated Paul beating him to it. He should have known. Stephen knew he'd made a stupid decision to keep it from her. He went to touch her, but she moved her hands away. It was as if she couldn't bear his touch.
"I need you to listen to me," he said, pressing his palms together and resting them between his legs.
"Is that true?" She nodded her head to where the file lay next to him on the coffee table.
"Some of it is true. Not all of it. No, listen. I need to talk to you about this."
"I'm listening," she said. The tears in her eyes killed him.
"I know you hate me right now."
"I don't hate you, Stephen. I could never hate you. What I don't like is finding this stuff out about the man I love from someone else instead of you telling me yourself." She looked down at her hands after she spoke. He'd heard the words but didn't know what to say.
His heart stopped beating. "You love me?"
"Of course I do, you dope. How could I not? I've given you so much of myself already. I spend most of my days not wanting to be anywhere else, but I need to understand what that is." She rubbed her hands over her knees. The tears spilled down her cheeks. "Explain it to me, and I'll try to understand."
It was more than he expected. He nodded and waited for the words to come to him. "I own an exclusive gentlemen's club called Possession. That part was true. There is also a BDSM club known as Ravage run by James, the guy who pulled me away from Lucas and Sean. There is a belief that there are men out there who are particularly possessive about their women."
"Most people are possessive about the partner in their lives. It doesn't mean they go to a club and do that."
"BDSM is James's field. I go to the club to watch but nothing else. I know some of the men who like to take it to the next level. I don't. This club has been passed down through generations ever since the Knox line began. The members of the club know they act with discretion. They can take their women and know they are safe. Men within the club will not try to hit on any of the women."
"It sounds reasonable."
"The jealousy is what makes it bad. When I saw Paul in your apartment I wanted to hurt him. No one can touch what's mine, and you're mine. It's a little joke among the men that we consider ourselves 'owners'. You're our women, and we own you. It's a very outdated part of the club, but the statements go with the history." He tried to explain. She sat forward getting closer to him.
"I get it."
"There was an incident a couple of years back. A guy by the name of Lloyd Black used the club to abuse his wife. He's in prison serving a sentence for attacking his wife. Rebecca ended up in hospital with serious injuries." He
didn't go into detail. Stephen reached for the file and flipped it open.
"In my club what happens is a lot of drinking and talking. A place for men like myself to socialise without fear of being ridiculed for our beliefs. Some men like to bring their women to the club and make love to them with an audience. In my club no one shares. I don't allow it."
He pulled out a photo of one of the couples. "This is a woman who has been happily married to the man in the photo for over ten years. He runs an investment group and is possessive about who she talks to. The club offers him the chance to be free and open with her away from the prying eyes of most of the public."
She nodded. He put the photo aside and reached for another. "That is James, and he's going to be pissed someone took a photo of this. He'd training a submissive woman. He's a dominant through and through. This is his whole life. I've known him since he was a boy. Our clubs are part of the same group. Our parents were close. What he is doing here is punishing a woman. It is convenient how the photographer left out the vital part of the picture," he said.
"What vital part?"
"She's turned on, Ursula. If they had gotten her pussy in the shot, you would see she was dripping with cum."
Her cheeks turned red. He caressed the red then went back to each picture discussing in great detail what each one was.
Afterwards, he put the file aside and stared at her. "Someone wanted to break us up?" she asked. Stephen shook his head. "They want me distracted. If
you leave me then my mind won't be on the club, and things will go wrong."
"Why didn't you tell me about this?"
He sat on the sofa and pulled her into his lap. "You're different from all the women I know. I'm used to them falling at my feet for my money or the power I have to make things
happen. I'm a wealthy, influential businessman, and that usually gets me what I want. You worked for me, argued with me, and challenged me at all points. I thought this possession was a load of bullshit." He stroked her hair as she sat across his lap. His cock stirred with her closeness.
"Don't you feel possessive towards me?"
"I almost started a fight with two men I considered friends because they were talking to you. I feel possessive more than you'll ever know. Lucas and Sean were trying to show me my possessive side. Up until you I never thought it was possible to be that connected with someone. I hate dropping you off at college. I want to give you everything, but I don't want to leave you alone." He never thought being open with her about this side of him would be so liberating.
"Do you really love me?" she asked.
"Yes." He reached into his pocket taking out the little box. "I did have a perfect plan to give you this. I was going to take you to an Italian restaurant, and we'd eat and have wine. I've told your father I was going to ask you. I thought there could be a better time to ask. I think the time is now."
Taking a deep breath, he opened the lid. "Ursula Mills, will you do this old man the honour of becoming my wife?"
She stared at the ring, then at him with more tears glinting in her eyes.
"I was hoping for longer time for my speech to be perfect," he said.
She grabbed him, pressing her lips to his. Stephen pulled away to stare at her. "Is that a yes?"
Ursula nodded her head. "I don't need a fancy speech. This is perfect."
He took the ring out of the box. She gave him her finger, and he slid it on. A perfect fit. The beast inside him calmed more when the ring was on her finger.
"I want you to take me to your club," she said. Stephen had every intention of taking her. He didn't want to,
but he knew they had to go.
"I'm taking you with me tonight. I've got to go to
Possession to talk to the men. James wants to see this file and meet you properly. I feel better knowing I've put a ring on your finger." He stroked her knee wanting to do so much more. She smiled at him. Her eyes were still red from her tears. Stephen hated the distance between them. "I know you're still angry with me at the moment. I shouldn't have kept this part of me from you. I hope you know and understand why I kept it away from you."
"No, you shouldn't." She looked past his shoulder. The tears swelled in her eyes. He noticed her playing with his engagement ring on her finger. "I want to be angry at you. You've proposed, and I'm so happy at the same time."
"Please, don't cry. I hate seeing you cry."
"I consider myself to be very liberated in my reasoning. I accept a lot, but I don't know why you would hide this from me. I've been more open with you than anyone. You met my family, and I've given you more of myself to you." She moved off his lap. Stephen turned to her.
He felt like a total bastard. She'd been nothing but honest with him while he'd kept a great deal from her. "I didn't believe in what my club was about until you walked into my life, and I didn't think you'd accept a man who feels possessive towards you. I thought I'd be able to hide it from you."
"What? Why? I know there are a lot of women who don't want a man to be there, but I'm not like them. I like knowing you'll be there. Your possessive nature is part of who you are, Stephen. I wouldn't want to change you. Even if you are a pain in the ass."
"The clubs have been going for years like I told you. I inherited them. Being a Knox means I have an obligation to keep them running, and I'll have to pass my information onto my son one day. There is the age gap between us, and
I didn't want to give you any more causes to doubt our relationship."
"You have a son?" she asked.
"No." At the mention of a son, he imagined Ursula swollen with his child. She would look so sexy. An ache hit him square in the chest at the thought of getting her pregnant. He shook his head. He wouldn't be able to get her pregnant unless they could get past this. "The only person I have is you," he said.
"What do I need to wear?" He sighed knowing they weren't going to get much more talking without her knowing more about his club.
"You can come like you are," he said.