Nathaniel’s Gift: A Submissive Series Holiday Novella Read online

  Julie shrugged. “Still has to be more exciting than anything happening here.”

  I debated about not saying anything, but didn’t see a reason not to tell them. “Nathaniel brought up the two of us going to Switzerland two weeks before Christmas for a week.”

  They both covered their surprise well, but Julie was the first to speak. “You have a chalet there, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “It’s where we went for our honeymoon. We’ve been back since, but always with the kids.”

  “You don’t look very excited,” Julie said. “Don’t you want to go?”

  “It’s more complicated than that.”

  Her expression showed she didn’t understand what could be so complicated that it held the potential to keep me from hopping on the next plane out. At her side, though, Dena nodded as if she saw the issue.

  “Who would keep the kids?” she asked.

  “Nathaniel’s Aunt. For all intents and purposes, my mother-in-law,” I explained. “She’s a retired doctor and lives in Brooklyn. But it’s not her. She’s great and the kids love her.” I sighed. “To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m not jumping up and down.”

  “You think it’s more than leaving the kids for a week?” Dena asked. “Jeff and I had one night away and I think I almost drove him crazy wanting to check on ours every five minutes.”

  “No,” I said, thinking. “I don’t think that’s it. We’ve left the kids before, even though it’s been awhile.”

  “But you want to go?” Julie asked again. “It’s not like you’re sitting there thinking I’d rather do anything than spend a week alone with my husband, right?”

  I bit back a laugh at how ridiculous the words sounded. “That's not it. I love the thought of the two of us getting away alone together, even if it is so close to Christmas. I just get this strange feeling whenever I think about going.”

  There was no other way to describe it, but I hoped it made sense on some level, even if I didn’t completely understand it myself. Julie still looked as though I was bat shit crazy, but I think Dena got it a least a little.

  “You know,” Dena said after a few minutes of silence. “When I worked for the District Attorney, there was a woman in our office. I can’t remember what it was her husband did. Something to do with pharmaceutical sales, I think. But whatever it was, he was forever having to go on these international trips, and she’d go with him.” Dena wrinkled her eyebrows. “It was so strange, or at least I thought it was at the time. I kind of get it now. Whenever they flew and it was only them and not their kids going, the two of them would never fly on the same flight. Ever. Going or coming home, they always took separate flights.”

  “That is strange,” Julie said. “Why did they do that?”

  “She said it was because if one plane crashed, the kids wouldn’t be orphans,” Dena explained.

  “I guess I get it, but it sounds morbid to me.” Julie shivered. “Who wants to think about things like that. Besides, isn’t it safer to fly than it is to drive?”

  “That’s what they say,” I told her. “And since we have a jet, I doubt Nathaniel would let me fly commercial even if I wanted to.”

  I thought about what Dena had said for a minute. Was it fear of something happening to both of us and the kids not having either parent? I didn’t think that was it. The only way it would make sense in my mind, at least, was if we lived every aspect of our lives to that degree. Since car travel was said to be more dangerous, so did that mean whenever we drove somewhere we should drive separate? I couldn’t imagine that being the answer. If it had been, I’d have thought Nathaniel would have insisted on it long ago. After all, he was left an orphan at age ten when both of his parents were killed in a car crash. He had been in the backseat with them, and from what I’ve gathered from Linda, it was a miracle he survived.

  “Man, we’re depressing today,” Dena said, breaking the silence.

  “And morbid,” I added. “I blame Julie, she should have told me the Delaware news. At least boring isn’t morbid. Come on, Julie, there has to be some news worth sharing.”

  Her expression changed the second the words left my mouth. And just in case I thought it was my imagination, Dena obviously noticed as well.

  “What aren’t you telling us, Julie?” she asked.

  Julie bit her lower lip. “I wasn’t going to say anything today because I thought there would be more people, and it didn’t feel right not telling Sasha first because she’s my best friend and I always tell her everything first.”

  “But she went off with her man to Finland, which means you can tell your other girlfriends in her place and we’ll act surprised when she gets back and you tell her,” Dean said.

  Julie’s smile lit up her entire face. “Daniel and I are pregnant!”

  Dena gave a whoop and hugged her. I jumped out of my seat and did the same.

  “That was fast,” Dena said. “You guys haven’t been married that long.”

  “We knew we wanted three and we’re not getting any younger,” Julie said. “And we know so many people who’ve had trouble conceiving, we thought it’d be best to start right away.” She shrugged. “Apparently we’re one of the lucky ones. It didn’t take long at all.”

  “How far along are you?” I asked.

  “Ten weeks,” Julie answered.

  “Ten weeks?” Dena asked. “And you haven’t breathed a word to anyone, not even Sasha?”

  Julie shook her head. “I wanted to make sure. I was afraid something would happen, and I’d miscarry or something. It’s so common.”

  Dena nodded and wiped the tear off her cheek.

  “But,” Julie continued. “When we went to the doctor’s earlier this past week, we could hear the heartbeat. They said chance of miscarriage goes down a lot after that.”

  My mind was somewhere else. “Did you say three?”

  Julie giggled. “We’ll probably change our minds, but that’s the current plan.”

  “Jeff and I thought about having a third, but decided we’d stop at two,” Dena said.

  We spoke for a few minutes about pregnancy and babies. I’d loved being pregnant both times, but that alone wasn’t enough of a reason to have a third child. Nathaniel and I had always said we only wanted two children, and our lives felt complete with the four of us. We were all so busy now, I couldn’t imagine what adding a newborn would do to the mix.

  Julie asked me a question about the obstetrics group I had gone to for both of my pregnancies, and I turned my attention back to the conversation at hand.

  3

  Abby

  Two weeks later, we stepped out of an electronic taxi in front of our chalet in Zermatt, Switzerland. I called it ours, but technically it’s mine since Nathaniel gave it to me on our honeymoon here. I made my way to the stone pathway that led to the front door while he gathered our luggage and tipped the driver.

  As property owners we had an electrical car, as those were the only type allowed in Zermatt, but it mostly stayed in the garage, even when we visited. Most people walked, but it was too far to walk to the village and by having our own vehicle, we didn’t have to rely on taxis.

  I took the quiet minute to breathe in the crisp winter air. There was nothing like it anywhere else. Nor had I ever found another chalet like ours.

  The three story home appeared to have been carved out of the side the mountain where it was located. Though we had neighbors, they weren’t close enough to be seen. Standing from the top level of the chalet, you could almost see the village in the distance during the day. It was easier to locate at night, the lights made it appear like a child’s toy set.

  The floor to ceiling windows found on the second and third levels also allowed an incredible view of the Matterhorn.

  Even though I’d made a fuss initially, I truly loved our chalet, and treasured any time we spent in Switzerland. The kids enjoyed it was well, and this was actually only the second time since they’d been born that we were here withou
t them. The first happened years ago, following Cole and Sasha’s collaring ceremony in England. But that had only been for a weekend.

  Our visit this time would be for a week.

  My heart raced at the thought. An entire week with only the two of us. When we were still at home, the concept of having that much alone time together sounded wonderful, but in a vague, somewhat cloudy vision. Standing at the doorway to the chalet with the next few days a blank canvas stretching out before me, that vision became less cloudy.

  I wasn’t aware of any change in my demeanor until Nathaniel stood at my side, took one look at me, and asked what was wrong.

  “Nothing,” I answered. “Why?”

  His lips pressed together. “You looked worried about something.”

  “I’m not,” I said, taking my key and unlocking the door. “Must be my subconscious mom-self worrying about the kids.”

  He nodded and waited for me to enter before following with our bags. I don’t think he believed my subconscious mom-self statement. But at least it sounded plausible. Unlike the actual thought running through my head which was so preposterous, I refused to acknowledge it.

  I stepped inside and took a quick glance around. Nathaniel had arranged for the chalet to be prepared for us, including having the refrigerator and pantry stocked so we wouldn’t have to worry with grocery shopping.

  I continued walking and made my way up the stairs to our bedroom. Nathaniel followed only a few steps behind, knowing from living with me for over ten years exactly where I was headed.

  Travel always made me feel icky and dirty. International travel, even more so. Nine times out of ten, the first thing I did after reaching our destination was take a shower, and I always packed with that in mind. Placing my carry-on on the bed, I took out my travel toiletry bag and a set of clean clothes.

  Nathaniel gave me a knowing grin as I passed by him on my way to the bathroom. But just as he knew me, I knew him. While I showered, he’d be double checking to ensure everything he’d requested had been taken care of.

  Which was why I nearly shrieked when the shower door opened no longer than thirty seconds after I stepped in myself. I swallowed the sound before it made its way out of my mouth. Instead, I took a few seconds to admire his naked form, and then I slapped his chest.

  “What the hell?” I asked. “You scared me half to death!”

  “Why? Where you expecting someone else to pop up in your shower?” he teased.

  He was naked, but wasn’t touching me, and he called me the tease? I’d show him a tease. I turned away, and said over my shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. I thought you’d be checking the place out.” I soaped up my hands, and ran them across my body, acting as if he wasn’t there.

  “That was my plan,” he said. “But then I thought of you in here alone, all naked and hot and wet, and I realized I needed to fuck you before I did anything else. ”

  His reply, talking dirty and managing to do so while keeping his voice calm and nonchalant, sent bolts of need and desire that heated me quicker than the warm water.

  “Oh?” I squeaked.

  All at once he was behind me. He reached out and turned off the shower heads above us, keeping only the side ones on us. The movement had his cock brush against me, and I couldn’t stop the moan from leaving my throat.

  He chuckled and grabbed my upper arms, pulling my backside closer to his front. “Oh, yes. And with that sound, I can tell you want it just as bad.”

  We had all week. I decided to keep playing. “I’m pretty sure that was my, wonder if we can find more of that cheese we liked so much the last time we were here, sound.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “No. I’m pretty sure it was the cheese.”

  He remained silent as he walked us over to the bench built into the shower. “Bend over. Hands on the seat.”

  Anticipation and need washed over me in equal measure as I bent over with my ass in the air. I sucked in a breath at the unexpected sensation when he brought his hand down for a sharp slap against my most sensitive skin.

  Oh.

  “Are you expecting me to believe cheese got you this wet?” he asked, with another slap.

  My.

  “Or was it the thought of something else?” Slap.

  God.

  “It might have been something else.” As much as his current actions were arousing me, they weren’t enough to get me off, and he knew it.

  Slap. “Might have been?”

  I wanted to whine, but from years of experience I knew whining would do me absolutely no good whatsoever. He slapped the same spot and I bit the inside of my cheek. Nothing to do but to be honest. I felt so empty and I needed him inside me in the worst way.

  “It was something else,” I said, though it sounded more like a whine than I intended.

  He stilled his hand, but it didn’t bring the relief I thought it would. Mostly because he kept it cupped between my legs.

  “Tell me,” he said, while doing something with his fingers that almost filled me, but not quite.

  I wiggled my ass a bit to see if it would help or if he would move just a tiny little bit.

  “Stop,” he said.

  Truthfully, I could have told him to go jump in the lake because I wasn’t wearing his collar, and he couldn’t tell me what to do. But there would be no fun for either of us in that scenario. I’d long ago accepted the fact I was a sexual submissive and there was nothing wrong with me if at times I wanted my husband to exert his dominance.

  I stilled my body.

  He shifted position. It wasn’t until I felt the tip of him barely touching where I needed him that he spoke. “Could this have been what made you so wet?” His voice was low and rough, telling me he was just as needy as I was.

  “Yes,” I said, a moan than an actual word. My hands instinctively tried to grasp something, but found nothing on the slick shower bench.

  I expected him to continue his teasing, and wasn’t prepared for him to thrust all the way inside me with one powerful move.

  “Fuck!” I dropped my head as he bottomed out, bracing myself the best way I could for what I knew would follow. He didn’t disappoint, taking my hips tight in his hands to hold me in place as he began a pounding rhythm.

  I would have thought it impossible for me to become more aroused, but I would have been wrong. Having Nathaniel take and use me for his own pleasure always turned me on. Not only when I wore his collar, but even when I didn’t. Maybe especially when I didn’t, because I rarely expected him to do so.

  “I think maybe I should just keep fucking you this way and only worry about getting myself off,” he said, not slowing down one bit. “That would allow us to finish quicker, allowing time to go see about getting you some of that cheese you want. What do you think?”

  What I thought was how truly unfair it was he still had the ability to talk in complete sentences. I’d have told him as much if it’d been possible for me to talk in complete sentences. I could not, and proved the fact when I tried to answer and all I got out was something sounding like, “Nahhhh.”

  “What was that again?” he asked.

  I came close to telling him he was mean, but I knew he could easily get himself off doing nothing more than what he was currently doing, while at the same time leaving me high and dry. Needing both of my hands to keep balance, I couldn’t even reach down and take care of the problem myself.

  More than likely, though, seeing as how I hadn’t been able to say even, “No,” less than a minute ago, it was highly unlikely I’d be able to say anything soundly remotely coherent.

  I grunted in frustration.

  Behind me, he chuckled and changed his angle. His next thrust made me see stars, and I almost wept with thanks when he dropped a hand from my hip and circled my clit.

  “No need to fret.” His words didn’t sound as forceful as they had moments before, and his breathing boarded on panting. Obviously, no longer as calm, cool, or collected as he’d been momen
ts before. “I won’t deny you today.”

  He’d worked me into such a frenzy up to that point, it only took a few passes of his fingers before my release crashed over me with the force of a tidal wave. Nathaniel didn’t last long, either, following behind me seconds later.

  “Oh, my God,” I said, when I’d caught my breath, and he’d helped me up from the bench. “That was totally unexpected.”

  Though our sex life had always been regular and satisfying, it’d been a long time since he’d taken me so unexpectedly. I was starting to feel his insistence of a week in Switzerland with only the two of us, might be one of the best ideas he’d ever had.

  “In a good way, I hope,” he said, lathering up his hands, and helping me to shower.

  I returned the favor, taking the soap from him and washing his chest. “You naked in a shower could never be anything but the best thing ever.”

  “That’s good to know,” he said. “The truth is, though, I hadn’t planned on doing that today.”

  I wrinkled my brow trying to understand what he was saying. “When you say that, do you mean sex in the shower, or sex period?”

  “I didn’t plan on anything physical until we talked.”

  “Talked about what?”

  He dropped his hands. “About your reluctance in wanting to come with me for this week.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him it wasn’t reluctance, and that even if it had been, it had nothing to do with him, but he held up his hand.

  “We’re not going to discuss it right now,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because when we talk, I don’t want it to be when we’re naked and wet.”

  His reply sounded so crazy, it took me a second to realize those had actually been the words he said. But before I could ask him what the hell he meant by them, he answered for me.

  “It’s much easier to take you over my knee and spank your ass when we’re both dry,” he said.

  4

  Nathaniel