The Art of Control

Chapter 15

Dylan

Warm hands are everywhere, touching me in places they shouldn’t be touching me. I only want Isa’s hands on me, damn it. Stop! Why won’t my mouth work?

“Master, I love you… I need you. Please come back to me,” Isa cries in my ear.

How long has it been? I feel itchy. Someone scratch that itch, right there by my nose. Damn it. Where’s someone when you need a good scratching? Where the hell is Isa? And where the f*ck is Sawyer?

“I’m right here, Master. Come back to me…”

My p-ssycat sounds so needy. I want to make love to her. Yes, good old fashioned vanilla with a twist. God damn it, my balls itch. Where’s someone when you need a good sack scratch?

This is complete bullshit. I’m not sleeping. I can hear people talking about me like I’m not even in the room. Hello? I’m right here you douche bottles. Look at me! The bad ass alpha over here! What the f*ck ever. Just shut up and let me sleep then.

“Do you know how much I love you?” Isa says sadly, squeezing my hand.

No, tell me. I want you to tell me, Isa. I need to hear it.

“I love you more than life itself. I can’t live without you. I won’t.”

She heard me! Now if I could just move my hand, the right one. Move, hand.

“Come back to me, sugar.”

Move… I will it to move.

“He moved his hand!”

I did it… I moved it… now for my left one… move… I will it to move. Nothing. Damn. How about a big toe? Move you little motherf*cker… nothing. F*ck this. I just need to sleep a little more.

What time is it? It’s quiet and dark. Where’s the light? Isa was just here; I can still smell her.

“I’m here, my sweet lover. Right here. Can you feel me?”

No, but I can smell you, p-ssycat. You smell delicious and enticing. I miss your hands and mouth all over me. I miss your tongue and I yearn to have it caress every inch of me. I miss climbing the curve of your lower back and the taste of your savory sweet skin. Can I wake up now? Please tell me it’s time to wake up.

This is complete and utter bullshit. I’m bored with this; I have work to do. More importantly, I want to be f*cked and f*cked hard. And I want to spank, whip and flog my sub. Where’s my p-ssycat?

Voices again. Sawyer? I think so. Who else is that? Hey douche bags I’m over here!

Just tell me to wake up, love. Just say the words and I’ll wake up for you. Only you, Isa. I just want to hear you say that you need me and that you can’t live without me. I need to hear it. Give me a reason, my precious angel. Give me a reason to wake up from this hell of being without you.

I haven’t heard Isa’s voice in so long. Where did she go?

“Isabel, Young will be fine. The doctor’s have said the brain swelling has gone done significantly and it’s just a matter of time for him to wake up. You’ve been so quiet. Come sit next to him. He needs you.”

Thank you, Sawyer.

Isa’s warm hands can finally be felt. She feels so good.

“Master… I need you. Please come back to me,” her voice cracks.

I can’t f*cking take this anymore. Open your eyes, God damn it. Open your motherf*cking eyes, Young!

Slowly, my eyes oblige and the image of my exquisite p-ssycat comes into focus. Her eyes widen and tears flow down her pale cheeks, but she remains wordless. She looks gaunt and thin and if it weren’t for her blazing amber eyes, I wouldn’t recognize her ghostly image. I try to speak but my throat and tongue are unbearably dry and only a bullfrog croak comes out.

Sawyer moves next to me and his eyes gloss over as he grips my hand.

“It’s about f*cking time, Young. You took your sweet ass time coming back around, didn’t you?” he barks with a half-smile on his rugged and tired-looking face.

Isa moves away from me and sinks into the chair next to the bed, pulling her knees up and watching me from behind them. I try to reach out to her but my limbs feel like heavy logs and the various tubes and wires prevent me from touching her. I smile at her and she blinks rapidly.

Looking back at Sawyer, I finally squeak out, “How long?”

“Almost four weeks,” he tells me, reaching for the nurse call button.

What the actual f*ck? Four weeks? I want Isa to hold me, but a nurse and a physician soon take over and Isa disappears.

I drift in and out of sleep for the next several hours and when I’m finally able to sit up, Sawyer shows up.

“Where’s Isa?” I ask, mildly irritated at her lack of presence.

“She’s in the lobby.”

“Why’s she there?”

Sawyer shakes his head and frowns at me. “She’s been quite a handful while you’ve been out, Young.”

“What do you mean? Difficult?”

“No, not any more. She was at first, but now… she stopped talking two weeks ago. She’s not communicating at all and she’s barely eaten. She’s completely shut down. Maggie has been here every day, but still… I shouldn’t be telling you this. You need to focus on your recovery,” he sighs.

Christ, my poor baby girl. “Get her in here. I want to see her.”

Sawyer nods and comes back with an unwilling Isa in tow, practically dragging her by her upper arm. He brusquely pushes her down into the chair next to the bed and pushes it close to the bed.

“Talk to your husband, Isabel,” he says gruffly.

Isa glares at him and for a moment I think she’s going to throw down with him but instead she looks down at her knotted hands.

“Talk to me, p-ssycat,” I tell her, trying to draw her out.

She shakes her head and peeks up through her lashes. Her cheeks are sullen and her complexion is ruddy. She looks miserable and so unlike the beautiful girl I married.

“I thought I lost you,” she says barely audible.

“I told you I’m invincible. When are you going to start believing me?”

She stands and moves towards me but just then her phone rings. Sawyer quickly moves in and makes conversation with me, but I keep my eyes on Isa the entire time.

“Shit, Young. I thought for sure Isabel wouldn’t…”

“Was she hurt in the crash?” I cut him off.

“Yes, a mild concussion. About the crash – what the shit happened?”

Isa doesn’t say anything to whomever she’s speaking to and only listens, her eyebrows furrowed. I didn’t think it could be possible but her already pale complexion gets even whiter. She drops her phone to her side and gasps. I sit up abruptly at the horrified look on her face.

“What is it, Isa?” I ask.

She shakes her head emphatically. “I can’t stay here with you. I can’t… I have to go now.”

I’m confused. “What do you mean? Where are you going? When will you be back?”

She swallows hard and closes her eyes briefly. “I won’t be back,” she answers.

What the f*ck does that mean? Sawyer stands up and looks questioningly at Isa, voicing my words before I can speak them.

“What does that mean?”

“I have to go now. I’m sorry, Mast… Dylan, but I have to go. Please forgive me…” she cries.

“Isabel Young, you get back over here right now,” I say loudly as she quickly moves towards the door. She halts to my command but then her hand slowly moves towards the door handle.

“Isabel, don’t. Get back here,” I repeat even louder.

“No. I can’t do this with you anymore. I almost lost you. I’m so sorry to leave you like this, but I can’t lose you like I did my mother,” she sobs.

My heart sinks. She’s leaving me? She’s really f*cking leaving me? Now of all times? When I need her the most? No. F*ck no. This isn’t happening.

“God damn it, Isabel! You’re not leaving. This is ridiculous. You didn’t lose me. I’m sitting right f*cking here. I need you…” My voice cracks and Sawyer winces at the sound of my pathetic plea.

Isa looks back at me one last time with the most heartrending look on her face and mouths I’m sorry and then walks out.

I jump up, tearing at the tubes still in my arms, but my body doesn’t work like it should. My legs feel heavy and everything around me starts to spin out of control.

Sawyer swiftly pushes me back down in bed.

“Stop, Young! You can’t,” he yells.

“Then go and get her! Bring her back here, God damn it. She can’t f*cking leave me!”

Sawyer trots to the door and I wait impatiently for several minutes, my mind reeling. What happened? If she was so broken up about nearly losing me, then why the hell would she leave me? Because she’s f*cking selfish, that’s why. She’s afraid of losing me like she lost her mother and instead of thinking about my needs right now, she’s only thinking of herself and the pain of losing a loved one.

Sawyer comes back in minus Isa. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I try to force my legs to move but Sawyer practically leaps at me and holds me down.

“No, Young, stop! She’s not coming back right now. She just needs some time, okay. Give her time,” he says with conviction.

“F*ck that! I own her, God damn it! She’s my f*cking property and I want her back!”

***

Sawyer

This is a nightmare. Dylan is screaming like a four year old about owning Isabel. What kind of craziness is that?

“Isabel isn’t property, she’s a woman. You don’t own her!” I yell back at him.

“You’re wrong; I do own her. She’s mine. Now get her back, Sawyer,” he bellows, his yells turning into a deep growl.

Finally a nurse shows up and sees Young’s frantic state and proceeds to dose him with something to knock his ass out. As soon as he fitfully falls out of consciousness, I rush to the lobby hoping to catch up with Isabel. Just as she’s making her way into a cab, I accost her.

“Isabel, what the hell is going on?” I say, grabbing her arm.

“Please, Sawyer, I can’t do this anymore. Dylan will be fine without me. He just needs time. I’m so sorry to leave him like this, now, but… just let me go.”

“You’re being completely irrational. This isn’t about you right now. Young needs you and you’re being selfish.”

“I know it’s not about me. I know that. You can think what you want, but Dylan will be better off without me. He’ll be safe now. I’ve ruined his reputation and my being in his life has caused him nothing but grief and anxiety,” she wails.

“Do you think for one minute that Young believes that?” I ask as she tries to free herself from my grip.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

“Like hell it doesn’t. Do you know how many work accounts we lost because of what’s happened?”

“I can only imagine…”

“None, Isabel. Not one, single f*cking account! Now get your stubborn, scrawny ass back up to your husband’s room,” I forcibly say, yanking on her frail arm,

“No. Let go of me, Sawyer. Please, you’re hurting me,” she cries.

F*ck. Fearful of breaking her arm, I quickly let go of her, not wanting to cause any physical damage, but as soon as my grip loosens, Isa disappears into the waiting cab and they speed off.

I remain standing on the sidewalk for several minutes, trying to process what’s just happened. What a selfish little cunt. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I feel disgusted with myself. I don’t know what the f*ck happened, but she’s no cunt. Her actions are selfish, yes, but Isabel is no cunt.

I reluctantly make my way back to Young’s room but, thankfully, he’s still sawing logs. I pull out my laptop and decide to get some work done.

Three hours later Sonya shows up with dinner for me. When I tell her everything that transpired between Young and Isabel, she looks distraught. Maybe Sonya can talk some sense into Isabel. She leaves briefly to give her a call and when she returns, the expression on her face tells me everything I need to know. Isabel isn’t coming back. Not now. Not ever.

***

Isabel

My husband will be safe now without me. I repeat it over and over until it becomes my mantra. It helps me get through the task of packing my belongings. I shut down completely and move like a robot. No more tears, no more self-pity - my husband will be safe now without me. His frantic and pained expression when I was walking out… God, what have I done? No, I can’t think about that. Dylan will be safe now without me. Packing only what I can carry, I think only of each fraction of time in front of me and try to remain numb. I make my way to the garage to my car, but decide instead to call a cab. I can’t accept anything Dylan has given me because it will only serve as a reminder of the beautiful, generous and loving man I’m leaving behind. My Master will be safe now without me.

I don’t know what my future will hold or where I’ll go from here and frankly, I don’t care about what happens to me. All that matters is that now and forever, the love of my life will be safe without me.