Protecting the Mistress (29/31) (FemDom, Romance)
Part 29: Interludes

It had been one hell of a fight, Gerry thought happily.  Even
fighting with this woman was wonderful.

"God dammit, Gerry, NO!  We are NOT going to do that." Mary
bellowed again at her fianc‚ of less than three hours.  She
waggled her index finger in his face and repeated herself, "We
are NOT!"

Grinning at her fury, Gerry caught the hand that threatened to
break his nose and brought it up to his lips to kiss.  He
lingered on the finger that was now decorated with a square
cut emerald, chosen because he thought it matched her
unusually dark green eyes. "Yes we are," he said with calm
assurance.

"Gerry, there is no reason for us to go up there anymore."
Mary entreated.  "I have everything I want right here, right
now.  I don't need to finish the contract. You have nothing
else to prove. Not to me, not to the Cabal, not to anyone.
I've told you and told you - after standing up to those two
scenes without losing it, there is nothing at all you need to
do to make me believe that you are safe for me to play with
and I am the only one who counts in all this.  There is
absolutely no reason for you to have to display yourself in
front of all those people again."

"Except that I promised I would, and I am not going to take
the Cabal away from you on the same night that I gave you my
ring.  We're going, and we're going to finish this."

"Gerrr-rrry!" Mary almost whined in exasperation.

"Marrrr-rrry" Gerry parroted.  "Sweetheart.  I need to finish
this.  I have been through so much with you, for you.  I can't
stop now, not when we're so close to having it all again."

"You're supposed to be the sub in this partnership, dammit. 
Why the hell aren't you surrendering gracefully to my Domme-ly
power?" she growled under her breath.

Then he took her in his arms and held her close.  "We have to
do this, Mary . . . Mistress, so we can get beyond that awful
night, and go on with our lives together.  There is nothing
you can do to me up there, nothing that you or anyone else has
done to me up there, that could be worse than the fate I had
sentenced myself to . . .  a life without you.  As you pointed
out . . .  if I can get past those first two, I can get past
anything.  Having you just makes me stronger still."

Mary went limp in his arms, and sighed her defeat.  "You're
right.  All right, Gerry.  One last time, and after that you
are mine and I only share with a few, very special friends. 
No more having every damned Domme in the Cabal lusting after
what's *mine*."

"Does that special few include Sally, Mistress-darlin'?" Gerry
asked slyly.

"Oh ho!  So you liked Lady Sally, did you?"

"She was okay, but the one I really liked was Pet," he said
lasciviously and then watched her eyes go wide with
indignation.  "She wore this perfume that I *really* like, and
she just fit perfectly in my arms, ya know?" He pulled her
close again.  "Kinda like you do, Mistress-darlin'.  Almost
exactly like you do, Mistress-darlin'."

"You DID know!" she said jumping back to pin him with a
furious glare.  "You knew it was me making love to you that
night!  Since when?"

"Since the moment I had my arms around you . . .  I mean, Pet. 
But, I might have been wrong, you know.  Maybe we could go do
little experiment to test out my theory?" he asked looking
hopefully toward the upstairs door to the Mistress Bedroom.

"Welllllllll." Mary drawled before snatching his arm and
dragging him up the stairs.

~-------------~

Mary shifted the phone into her right hand so that she could
continue to gaze at the sparkling green ring on her left hand
ring finger.  It felt enormously heavy, and it distracted her
constantly, but that made her look at it, and that made her
feel wonderful each and every time.  She was so deliriously
happy that she did not mind a bit that originally, an
engagement ring was the male's mark of claim on the female
wearing it. Still, she thought, there were ways of dealing
with that, too.  She had found this really nice masculine onyx
ring that would make a perfect laying-claim engagement ring
for her Gerry.  She couldn't wait to put in on him.

"Hallo?" her party answered, making Mary smile. Gemma's
British was showing.

"Gemma! Guess what!"  Mary realized she was squealing and
tried for a modicum of decorum.  And failed.  What the hell,
she thought, a woman doesn't get proposed to every day. 
"Gerry proposed!  We're going to get married!"

A lilting chuckle answered her.  "And you sound so
disappointed about it."

"Oh you." Mary chided.  "He did it last night, even after I
had spent two hours torturing him ruthlessly.  Even took away
his safe word for the night."

"MARY!" Gemma's scream made Mary snatch the phone away from
her head. "TELL me that you are joking!  NOW!"  This command
was from the Chairperson of the Cabal High Council.

"No joke, darling.  Forced the poor man to sit through two
solid hours of opera.  Didn't even let him go to the men's
room except during the intermission."

"Dammit, girl, don't DO that.  I am already having trouble
with the last Domme who denied your intended his safe word."

That reference caught Mary's full attention.  "Anything new?"
she asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately no.  She is being very careful.  None of her
regulars will say anything against her, and the newbies she's
tried out and then discarded apparently thought and still
think they were simply mismatched.  I think she steps over the
line regularly, but she only keeps the ones who seem to like
that kind of game or who won't say anything about it.  With
Gerald, I suspect she saw an opportunity to get really nasty
and took it."

"His name is Gerry." Mary corrected.  "One of my little
demands for agreeing to marry the lad - my special friends get
to call him Gerry."

"I am honored." Gemma said solemnly.  "So, what are you and
Gerry going to do about the third demonstration?  Everything
is already set up for the one you planned.  Everyone you asked
for has committed to being there."

"Damn.  In all the excitement, I'd forgotten that we'd set
that up.  And Gerry, the honorable fool, is insisting that we
go to the Lodge and finish that damned contract. He says he
owes me that and that we need to get past it." She sighed. 
"Well, I'll let you know what I will need for Saturday when we
arrive at the Lodge on Friday."

"Mary?"  Her friend's voice became very grave, "Don't you
think you should go with the original script?  People have
changed their personal plans around to be there on Saturday. 
At your request, by the way, and besides, I think you and
Gerry need the closure."

"But I don't want to do that scene, Gemma.  I never did." Then
she amended quietly, "Well, maybe I did, but maybe that should
stay in the past where it belongs."
,
"You still planned it, and I think it would be a good idea to
finish it."

"I don't think a whole helluva lot about what you think are
good ideas, Gemma, not after last time."  Mary said coldly. 
"And this is my call - not yours."

"I guess after my poor judgement last time I deserve that,
Mary," the other woman replied sadly.  "Okay.  I've told you
what I think.  All I ask you is that you give it some thought.
If you tell me on Friday that you are changing the plan, fine. 
I won't say another word.  And you're right.  It is your call
to make."

Shit, Mary thought.  "Gemma, I am sorry.  That was a cheap
shot, and as you told me that morning, the fault really lies
with Freda.  I don't know what I am going to do, Gemma, and
that is the truth.  Even if I do go forward with the basic
plan, I will be departing significantly from the letter of the
plan that I gave you originally."

"It's okay, dear.  You were completely correct, after all. 
You are his Domme, his Mistress and now his fiancee.  It is
your call, and I will back you fully if anyone questions you
changing your agenda.  Well, enjoy your new relationship,
Mary.  I look forward to being able to hug both of you soon."

"Me, too, Gemma.  We'll be arriving late on Friday, so if
nothing has changed after all, I won't wake you up.  Gotta
run.  Be well."

"Same back at you." 

Mary held the dial-tone-buzzing phone until the computer began
to tell her that if she wanted to make a call, she should hang
up and dial again.  

What the hell was she going to do?