Rite of Submission (Rite #1) Unedited

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I was awakened by a light tapping on the bedroom door. Stretching, I was surprisingly disappointed when I found I was alone in the bed. The tapping came again a little louder, “Uh… Miss, um… Alexandria…” Blake’s voice stammered on the other side of the door. “I’m supposed to escort you across the hall when you’re ready.”

Panic hit as I bolted upright, clutching the blankets around me. “Uh, just a minute,” I answered, not wanting to have to walk across the hall naked. To my surprise, the pajama set he’d ordered me to strip off last night, was on the pillow in his place. Smiling to myself, certain now that I’d done something right last night, and without giving in; I pulled the clothes on and made my way over to the door. “Good morning Blake,” I greeted him with a beaming smile.

He looked surprised as he took in my smile. “Ummm, morning,” he responded, “Miss…”

“My parents called me Alex,” he looked unsure, “but my friends called me Lexi.” I smiled up at him.

He relaxed a little, “Uh, Lexi, Luna is waiting for you and seems awfully worried.” He seemed to be looking me over with just his eyes, like he was scanning for something.

“Let us not keep her waiting any longer then,” I looped my arm around his and led him back out into the hall.

He knocked on Sophie’s door and it flew open, making the pair of us jump back a little. She practically hurdled herself out the doors, throwing her arms around me like we were long lost sisters, or maybe like she’d never expected to get to see me again. “Are you ok? He didn’t break his word did he? What happened? Are you hurt?” she pulled away quickly with the last question, afraid she was hurting me.

“I’m alright, I’m fine,” I tried to reassure her, but the expression on her face told me that she didn’t believe me. Leaving Blake in the hall, I pulled her into the room and shut the door. “I’m sorry I missed breakfast, Dmitri must’ve let me sleep in.” I explained, not wanting to tell her why I’d been tired enough to sleep so late.

She turned me around in place, inspecting me. “Did he hurt you?” she whispered, I smiled and shook my head. “What did he do?” she accused, “I know my brother. He had to have done something bad enough to feel this guilty.”

“What do you mean?” I’d assumed letting me sleep in, and giving me back clothes to wear out of his room were my gifts for doing well last night.

She eyed me suspiciously again, “He was so mad about us going into my parents’ old apartment yesterday, but now he says you can keep the clothes.” She flopped down on the couch ticking her clues off on her fingers, “Plus he’s restricting access to the house! Only mated males can come into the house today. We’re even allowed to go where we want, within the house. Of course we have to stay away from his main office, and of course my parents’ suite from now on.” She chewed on her thumb nail thoughtfully. “He’s never restricted access to the whole house like this before, just the upper floors, or a wing of the house if I asked to go to a specific room.” She sat quietly for a minute before looking up at me again, “You’d tell me if he forced himself on you or if he hurt you, right?”

I sat down beside her and hugged her, “I swear to you, that wild dogs couldn’t keep me from telling you if he’d done anything that could help me get out of that contract.”

She burrowed her face into my shoulder, squeezing me tightly. “I’ve been going crazy ever since he yanked you out of here. I even found myself sitting outside his door in the hall, listening,” I felt my face heat up as I blushed at the thought of her being able to hear how much he’d made me moan. “I thought maybe his wolf would take hold and he’d lose all reason again.” Sitting back she brushed some tears out of her eyes.

“Well, if he’s allowing us to run amuck,” I smiled, “maybe we should get dressed and take advantage of it before he changes his mind,” I was hoping this would be a distraction so that she’d stop asking questions I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t know if it was because I was embarrassed, or that I didn’t want to admit out loud that I’d enjoyed some of it, and worse, that part of me wanted more.

The idea seemed to brighten her face, “You’re right. There are some rooms I’d love for you to get to see. We could have tea in the green house!” she clapped her hands excitedly and pulled me into her bedroom to find outfits. I felt like a little girl playing dress up, in my mother’s good clothes and that I’d be scolded at any moment. The high waisted cream colored dress pants she’d picked out, felt like they were made of butter, and pooled slightly around my feet. She’d paired it with a silvery sleeveless, silk blouse that made my chest look fuller than it was, and looped a long strand of pink tinted pearls around my neck twice. She spent a long time running her fingers through my hair and pulled it back into a bun. She giggled, saying that it looked like big red rose on the back of my head.

She dressed herself in a black knee length pencil skirt and cream colored camisole. Her hair was pulled back tightly into a French twist. Her tiny feet looked almost delicate in the black strappy pumps she grabbed to try and match my height. For jewelry, so wore a thin gold chain with a small simple cross on it and a thick gold bangle on her wrist. She looked like the CEO of some very profitable company, ready to take over the world.

I actually looked like I belonged here, but I wouldn’t have recognized my reflection if I hadn’t known it was me. The woman in the mirror, looked elegant, and confidant. Maybe it was lingering thoughts from last night, but also looked like she oozed s****l energy, the blouse tight over my breasts and the high waist of the pants exaggerating the curves of my hips. Even Blake looked confused when we returned to the hallway, staring intently like he didn’t quite recognize me either. It made me feel even more like a doll. He followed behind us, dutifully, still placed on guard duty even with our new found freedom.

Sophie led the way around the house. It didn’t take long for me to feel lost in the maze of rooms and halls, but Sophie always seemed to know exactly where she was. Some of my favorite rooms had been the small libraries. Each one had its own collection of knowledge and at least one reading nook to curl up in and read. I’d always been a bit of a book nerd and it was frustrating to know I would probably never be allowed to visit them alone.

There were also sitting rooms, some media rooms for either watching movies or listening to music. There was even a small room with a wall of mirrors and a piano, Sophie had taken ballet there as a child, until she got bored of it. The odd trio of us in the mirrors was comical, the muscle in a black tee and black slacks, the young mogul, and the sexy socialite walk into a bar… I didn’t know the punch line, but it looked like a genuine joke set up.

Our expedition was trekking through the house in search of the greenhouse Sophie wanted to use for lunch, when we stumbled across Dmitri sitting at a small table in the kitchens, contracts covering the entire surface. I worried that everyone would think I had flinched just from the sight of him. It probably wouldn’t have been better to have to tell them I had just instinctively almost clasped my hands behind my neck. Sophie hadn’t noticed, because she looked like a poisonous snake, poised to strike. But Blake following behind us couldn’t have missed it.

My eyes followed her line of sight to find the offender, only to land on Candy. She was standing beside the large island, bending over provocatively so that her already too short skirt rode up higher. It looked like she was wiping up a small spill, but it was obvious that she was taking her time with it on purpose, swaying her hips side to side. Hearing us file into the room, she snapped upright and scurried over to Dmitri’s side with a mug of coffee, leaning forward, damn near shoving his head into the cleavage popping out of her low neckline.

Looking up from the sprawl of paperwork, he smiled at the three of us, ignoring her. I still felt an urge to push her away from him, and tripping her so she’d be laid out across the floor. “You brighten the room like sunshine,” he sounded genuinely happy. “Where are such beautiful angels headed so early in the day?” A wide grin spread over his face with a bit of a twinkle in his eyes. Candy looked like she had a mouthful of sour milk as she glared at us, still holding his coffee.

Sophie wasted no time rubbing salt in the wound. Almost skipping over to her brother, she wedged between the two of them to give him a hug. I smiled as Candy stumbled a bit, forced to take a step back. “You must be working too hard if you didn’t realize that it’s already after noon now.” She frowned down at him, “You really should let me help you with some of the arrangements this year. It would help me feel more useful and,” her voice changed pitch, sounding a little sing-song like, “You do have something of a distraction on your hands this year.” She winked at me for emphasis.

I felt hot as my cheeks burned bright red, but Dmitri sat back and bellowed with a deep belly laugh. Behind me Blake choked back a chuckle as well, as Candy looked like she’d like to rip my face off. I tried to flirtatiously bite my lower lip and smile back. “It would be nice to have all this legal mumbo jumbo translated into more simplistic notes so I could sort through them all faster.” His brows knit together and he frowned dramatically, “But can you stand to work with Candice for an entire day while I’m,” he smiled slyly at me, making me a nice shade of crimson, “What did you call it, distracted?”

Sophie slapped his shoulder playfully. “Behave! You really are a cad sometimes, you know!” Standing up straight and looking very CEO again she sighed dramatically, “And as long as your little personal assistant can keep up with me, it’ll be fine. I can be professional, unlike some people.” Her meaning wasn’t lost on me, as Candy smiled smugly.

He laughed again, “Then I will make sure the contracts and menus are brought up for you after breakfast tomorrow.” She clapped her hands together happily, like a little girl that just got her first pony. He waited for her to finish her celebratory dance. “Where were you headed off too before you so graciously lightened my workload?”

“We’re going to have lunch in the greenhouse,” she bubbled. The same mischievous look that Dmitri gets before finding a new way to coax fresh moans from me, was plastered on her face. “You should take a break and join us.” She layered extra sweetness in her tone, “Blake and Candy can bring out the food if you’d be our escort.” She pouted. Before he could say no, she added, “It would make up for missing breakfast together the last two days.”

He pretended to think about the offer, rubbing his chin and furrowing his brows. “That does sound like an exceptionally fair deal in my favor,” he agreed as he got out of the chair. But then he looked at me, “If your companion will not take offense, that is.” They both looked at me expectantly.

It didn’t even occur to me that I could just say no. But it also didn’t register that I could have just said yes. Instead I found myself across the room, right in front of him. Leaning into his broad chest to grip his tie, I brought his lips down to mine. He was surprisingly gentle as he circled my waist, pulling me against him. His lips were soft and slow as kissed me back. Even when he slid his tongue between my lips to deepen the kiss, there wasn’t a hint of the aggression that I usually saw from him. Sophie squeaked excitedly, interrupting us. He lifted his lips away from mine and placed a soft kiss on my forehead, but still held me in his arms.

“So,” he cleared his throat, but I thought I could still hear the lust in his voice, “Lunch then ladies?” He shifted me to his side and offered Sophie and I each an arm. “If you’ll see to the arrangements Candice, Blake can take an hour himself. I’m sure his mate would be delighted to get some extra time with him today.”

“Oh course, Alpha.” Candy choked out, staring daggers at us as we made our way past her. I felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing she was jealous, and I’d gotten the attention she’d been trying so hard to get.

“Thank you, Alpha!” Blake called to us, belatedly before turning on his heels and going back the way we came.

The greenhouse was more like a glass walled room on a terrace with lots of tables and chairs filing the central space. Crystal chandeliers hung over the tables, and the walls were lined with meticulously pruned rose bushes, orchids and a handful of rare exotic blooms I’d never seen before in pots on glass shelves. It had been their mother’s favorite room in the house and she hosted baby and bridal showers for all the women of the pack in this room. She’d also thrown Sophie’s birthdays here, letting her pick a new exotic plant every year to add to the room.

Candy had arranged for some of the house staff to bring in the trays of finger sandwiches, cut fruit and little cakes. The siblings spent the lunch talking about the upcoming Lupercalia festivities he’d been working on, just two more weeks away. With the full moon falling on the same day, they’d planned a daytime carnival with a night run for the members that would shift with the moon.

Dmitri had insisted I sit beside him and found every opportunity he could find to touch me while we ate. Every time he sat back, his arm draped over the back of my chair so his fingers could trace the bare skin of shoulder. He ate with his left hand so that he could stroke my leg under the table. At one point I had to suppress a yelp because his hand had slid all the way up leg, then in between my thighs to cup where they joined together, curling his fingers up to tease the sensitive area shielded by clothing. I found myself wishing that I’d been the one dressed in a skirt, curious to see what he’d do with the barriers removed. How far would he take this, with his sister sitting across from us?

I spent the whole meal on edge. Half the time I was wishing that we were alone, so that he could do more than frustrate and tease me. The other half I was annoyed at my hope to be alone with the man who believed he owned me because our parents decided we were a pair. Luckily I didn’t have to agonize over either feeling for too long, because Blake was extremely punctual with his return.

He rushed into the room with a sloppy grin on his face that told me how he’d spent his new found free time even if I hadn’t been able to smell the change in his scent. A perfume of jasmine wafted towards me as he walked by, posting near the row of roses closest to us. I assumed it was to mask the new floral smell wafting off of him. If anyone else noticed, they didn’t seem to let on at all, so I didn’t say anything either. With our escort returned, Dmitri politely excused himself, because he had a lot of work to get back to. He walked around the table to kiss Sophie on the top of her head. He thanked us for the much needed break, and promised he’d have everything sent up to her tomorrow right after breakfast. He whispered something to Blake on his way out, making his cheeks turn pink. Then he sauntered out of the greenhouse, smiling like the Cheshire cat.