Leigh Wilder - The Beauty and the Beast

The Beauty and the Beast

Leigh Wilder

Copyright Leigh Wilder 2012

Cove r art copyright Meckfisto at Dreamstime Stock Photos and Free Stock Images

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In the scene Kate had been called ' Beauty' for so long she didnt thin k anyone k new her real name. She rarely remembered it herselfsince she had become a professional Dominatrix after getting laid off the real world seemed so very far away. Sometimes she thought she lived in a fantasy land of leather and chains, and there was nothing else out there.

The castle sh e pulled her car up in front of didnt seem real either . It wasn't really a castle, but a massive Victorian house with a wrap-around por ch festooned in deep red climbing roses, like Sleeping Beautys castle. A lovely turret room jutted out from the second fl oor. When young she dreamed of being a princess in a round room just like that. As she grew up it became obvious she wasn't going to be a princess. She was a queen .

Kate got out of the car and walked up to the house with the strong, confident st eps of someone who not only got what they want ed , but expect to get it every time. She had no idea what to expect here. The house belonged to a man almost a s notorious in the scene as she. W omen called him 'The Beast,' but they tended to flutter and sigh as they did so, and the moniker was not a negative one. They said he would take submissive flesh and devour it, and titter like schoolgirls.

Kate did not submit for anyone or anything . B ecause the Beast did not play in public very often, she could only guess at his abili ty to devour. She stepped up to the huge porch , pausing to finger one of the roses silky petals and breathe in the fragrance. Not really thinking, just wanting the rose, she snapped the bloom off the stem and tucked it behind her ear, careful to let the tiny thorns catch in her hair instead of her skin. She approached the door and rang the bell. He had invited her to dinner in his home. She just wished she knew why she had accepted.

The Beast himself answered the door. A bit beast-like in looks as well as in manner, h e wa s a tall, broad man and wore a beard. F or one fright ening moment Kate felt like Red R iding Hood confronting the wolf. She didn't let it show. Hello Nathan , she said, having dug up his real name in the depths of a memory filled with names like 'Shadow' and 'Baby Kitten ' (one of her male clients) or Phoenix.

Kat e, he greeted her, and she blinked, taken aback that he knew her real name as well. Im so happy you made it this ev ening. He s poke with an easy smile, and stepped aside so she could enter the house , glancing at the stolen rose but not commenting . The hallwa y was painted in cool greys paired with pale wood and little color. If this were my place Id warm it up a bit , she thought. She had always wanted a big old house (impossible with the money she made) , and her favorite color, of course, was red.

Thank you for the invitation , she said . Forget the niceties , she thought. Tell me what you want . He had to have an underlying motive for inviting her to dinner. They moved down the cool hallw ay to the dining room, decorated slightly closer to the period correctness the house craved, with striped wallpaper and a heavy oak table, set wi th rose patterned dinnerware . She stared at it and imagined sweeping all of the fine china to the floor and tying him down to it, taming the big beast of a man at her side.

She had these thoughts about most men she encountered, but Nathan wa s nowhere near her type. Too big, too masculine. Like Kate, h e had the look of someone who liked to be in control. She wanted to yank that control away . He pulled her chair out for her and she thanked him, pretending she was not having dirty thoughts about his table. She placed her napkin in her lap and waited for an explanation .

She was surprised he served her salad and soup on his ownnot a submissive or pet or slave in sight, and he didnt really settle into his chair until the main course. Dinner was prime rib suita ble for the flesh-hungry beast across from her.

No doubt my invitation to dinner tonight perplexed you, he said, not touching his own meal. She had her fork raised to her mouth and stopped, setting it down again, waiting. He continued. I have a propositiona proposal, if you willfor you.

Im listening.

Beauty, will you marry me?

She nearly stood up at the table in shock. Excuse me?

I love you. I love everything about you. I want you to be my wife.

Certain her jaw had fallen on her dinner plate, Kate replied with, Are you insane? He didnt answer, so she answered for him, getting up from the table. Theres so many things wrong with that statement I dont even know where to begin! Her curiosity over the meeting melted away, and she was left with an agitation that would not let her sit still. She paced back and forth along her side of the table, careful not to get too close in case he might bite. Forget that weve never even been alone in the same room beforeyoure The Beast.

And you re Beauty.

She paused before answering. I dont see what that has to do with any of this.

We belong together, he said. Isnt it obvious? You and I, we understand each other. We know what its like to dominate , to take control. You are the only person Ive ever met that gets as much joy out of torturing some poor soul as I do. He stood up too to walk towards her, and she backed away, not frightened by his looming figure, but wary. And your grace and skill. When you play at the dungeon I can never take my eyes off of you. Ive never met a domme with such lust and zeal. He referred to Club Midnight, the local dunge on and swingers club. She was paid to do demonstrations and workshops at the club , and she liked to just play there. She had noticed him many times in the crowd, watching.

That i s your problem, she couldnt help pointing out. Im a dom . And so are you.

I want my wife to be my equal. I dont want a sub who needs direction from me every time I turn . I dont need someone to worship me. I can get that out of any sub. I want a partner. A woman who will fight me when we disagree and love me when we dont. He stopped speaking for a moment. I can see from your expression that you are not pleased.

No, Im not, she said. I dont do partners . Im in it for me and me alone. Even as she said it she felt a little lonely. She had her clients, she had lovers, but they always left at the end of the night. She couldnt relax in bed with them wearing sweatpants and watching TVit would spoi l the allure. She would lose control. Control was important. If things did not go her way, it meant they could go terribly wrong.

I understand, h e said. I do, because it can be the same way with me. But Im getting tired of it. Aren t you tired of not having anyone who can truly listen and care? Wouldnt it be a relief to have a man you could turn to in a weak moment?

I dont have weak moments, she said, her voice sq ueaking because she was in the middle of one . The situation couldnt get much more out of control. Thank you for dinner, and goodnight.

She turned to leave but he moved fast , blocking the doorway. Please , Beauty. Kate. Just hear me out.

What? she snapped. Do you think you can dom me into changing my mind?

A wager, he said. A bet.

I dont gamble.

No, he said with a smile. I dont imagine you do. You, Kate, would never let your hair down and take a chance.

She touched her hair, knotted up in a prim librarian bun at the back of her head. He had the gall to challenge her. Im listening.

We sit down to a lovely dinner. I have chocolate for dessert. And afterwards we will go upstairs. If you enjoy yourself, you consider my offer. If you dont we will never speak of it again. You can go back to your submissive boy toys, and I will continue to watch from afar.