Chapter 14

Grant arrived home to see his mother holding and consoling Becky Long. “What’s wrong? What happened? Why is Becky upset?”

Cecilia looked at her son. In just a week’s time, Grant had transformed from the typical shy virgin teenage outcast she’d watched grow up into the head of their very strange and unconventional family. A man who cared deeply for those he had promised his love, protection, and provision to. Even those not yet officially his. “We stopped by the courthouse to get your LLC paperwork filed and validated so you’d have them for the bank. While we were there Becky checked into something Annelise Hill mentioned.”

Grant’s eyes narrowed. “What did Ms. Hill say?”

“She told Becky that Clarence had a professional forger for a client. One who paid for his legal services with documents made for Chadwick. One of the things Annelise knew he had forged in the past was bank paperwork such as deeds and title liens.

“Okay, so why is Becky upset?”

“Because Grant, there is no mortgage on their home. There hasn’t been since Jonathan paid off the house loan two years before his death. Clarence and the bank don’t have cause to take their home.”

Grant smiled. “That’s great news, so why is she crying?”

Becky looked up at him, tears running down her face. “Because there is no reason for me to belong to you, Grant. I don’t need your protection or a place to live. I can go home.”

If there was one thing Grant had learned these past few days, it was to listen and ask questions. He’d almost lost Tiffany because he gave orders instead of asking questions. He’d lost years with Abi because he hadn’t listened to what she was saying and asked questions, instead making assumptions. This time, he would not do that. He walked over and kneeled in front of Abi’s mother and lifted her face until she was looking at him eye to eye. “Is that what you want, Becky? Do you want to go home to the house you own? Or do you want to accept my collar, stay here with us and be one of my ladies? Part of my family?”

She looked at him. “It isn’t necessary anymore, Grant! Don’t you understand that?”

Grant smiled and laid his hand against the side of her face lovingly. “Isn’t it Becky? Isn’t it necessary? You are right, it isn’t necessary because of your need to be safe from Clarence’s threat of taking the house from you. But I think for you to be happy and cared for the way you desire it is necessary. Isn’t it? I’m not asking you if you must do it, Becky. I’m asking you. Do you still want to do it? Do you want to belong to me?”

His future mother-in-law looked down and whispered. “Yes, I want that more than anything. But I’m not like your other women, Grant. I’m not sweet and innocent like your sister, or playful and loving like Tiffany. I’m not forceful and dominant like Abi or even nurturing and passionate like your mother.”

Grant smiled. “Do you think I haven’t figured that out, Becky? I saw you last night. It was the humiliation and degradation that excited you. I’m going to guess that you need the bite of humiliation with your pleasure. The darkness you refuse to let out in front of the world needs a safe place to escape from you.”

Her face snapped up and eyes locked on his. “How?”

“I’m learning to watch and listen, Becky. I have a houseful of women, each with different needs. My sister needs a loving yet authoritative man to replace the one who abandoned our family. Tiffany needs someone strong and protective who will take the decisions of what to do away from her and give her orders. Mom needs, well, mom needs someone to fuck her stupid and meet her heart’s desire of a baby and grandchildren. Who will run the business side of a home and let her run the nurturing side. Abi needs a strong, equal partner who will allow her to control herself and others without criticism. You each need something different.”

Grant shrugged. “I’m learning that and trying to be that for each of you. You, Becky Long, need a disciplinarian who will give you a touch of pain and humiliation with your love and pleasure. You need to feel the sting of punishment with the orgasmic touch of your lover. I’ve never done that before, but I am willing to try it. If you are willing to place yourself in my control.”

Becky stood and wrapped her arms around the man in front of her and started kissing his lips, cheeks, and neck. “Yes, Grant, that’s what I want. Oh, thank you! Thank you for wanting me.”

He placed his hands on either side of her head and sealed his lips to hers. Then, before pulling away, he bit her lower lip. Not enough to draw blood, but hard enough that she felt the sting of pain. Her mouth opened as she gasped in pleasure. His tongue was in her mouth, tasting her, teasing her, before he withdrew with another stinging bite. “Tonight, after dinner and our business discussion with Mom and Mia, then we will return to the basement where Abi and I will collar you and claim you. I’ll have everything we need. When I return, there will be a uniform for you as well. It will look like mothers only in Black or Grey. You will wear it tonight and every night from here on out. Same as all the other sluts and slaves. No panties or bra, downstairs uniform down here; sleep uniform or naked up stairs. Understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

He kissed her once more. “Good Girl Becky. Now go wash your face, no more crying. Have what you and Abi need moved over here. Have both beds and bedroom furniture moved into whichever bedroom upstairs is empty now. I’m assuming it’s mine.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then work on putting together what you think we need to do to get G. L. Creations up and running.”

“So you’ve decided to keep ClickTalk?”

“I haven’t decided to keep it, but I’m not selling it for six million. If they want to talk about real money, we will talk. Until it’s sold I’m saying we run it like we’re keeping it and I want to keep working on other projects as well.”

“Then I will make a list of positions we need to fill and start putting word to the staffing agencies that we want to have some interviews. Office staff first then advertising then whatever technical staff you want.”

“Okay then, Mom, Abi and I are heading to the bank to set up the account. Then Abi and I have some shopping to do. Please ask Fiona to figure out something for dinner tonight.”

“I’ll take care of that since I’ll be here today. Call me if you think of anything else we need.”

Grant stopped as something washed over him. A feeling of concern. “Security, find us a really reliable security company. I’d like a couple of guards on site during the day and good security systems installed in both houses.”

“What are we going to do with my house, Grant, if Abi and I are staying here?”

Grant smiled. “Offices for the company of course.”

“Then I’ll order office furniture too.”

“Sounds good. We can talk more tonight. Keep the house locked today and make sure you keep your phone close. I’m worried, things have been too quiet since last night. Especially since Abi broke up with Dean and you served notice to Chadwick.”

“You think they are going to cause trouble?”

Grant nodded. “I think they are. Once they decide what trouble to cause.”

“I’ll research and hire security first then.”

“Good idea.”

With those words. Grant, Abi, and Cecilia headed for the garage. Cecilia grabbed her son before he got on his Harley and kissed him soundly. “I’m so proud of you Grant and the man you’re becoming.”

Grant felt his eyes tear up and his heart fill with pride. “Thank you, Mom. Coming from you that means everything.”

They headed downtown to set up the bank account Grant needed for the business. It didn’t take long for them to get the business account set up. By the time they had gotten to the bank and Grant had checked, there was almost three hundred thousand in his personal account that two hundred and fifty got transferred to the business account. Grant had taken out forty thousand to pay off his outstanding bills and pick up an engagement ring and possibly buy the bike he was using.

It thrilled the bank manager to have such a cash rich business opening an account with them. He’d even offered to let Mia come in after normal hours on Friday to sign her signature card as the company’s Financial Officer and an account user. He also offered them a line of credit that would be based on the evaluation when they had a physical copy of that. Grant told him they would discuss it as a company and get back to him.

Cecilia said goodbye to Grant and Abi after they were done at the bank. She headed in for a part day of work at Anderson Advertising. She really needed to talk with Westly about his suggestion that she resign and start working for Grant. As much as she loved her Job at Anderson. Westly was right with a baby coming, then working at home for G. L. Creations might be a better idea. But she hated change, if she was honest. After Liam’s abandonment and divorce, she was afraid to let go of the stability of her current Job. Should she take the chance that Grant’s company was indeed going to be at least a multimillion dollar company if not multibillion in the next few years? She wasn’t sure what to do.

Grant was deep in thought himself. Things were changing fast. His little family was growing. And the home he had grown up in didn’t feel big enough for the growth that was coming. It was already obvious that his women didn’t want to sleep away from him. Yet they didn’t all fit in one bed. The only solution Grant could think of was to have a custom bed built for them. However, the Master bedroom wasn’t big enough for a bigger bed. It was wall to wall bed now with just the king and full size in it.

Then there was the conversation Abi had whispered in his ear that morning. His mother was probably already pregnant. Fiona wanted to have his baby and had already stopped taking her birth control. Plus, Abi planned on getting her mother to have his baby, too. There wasn’t room for three babies and all of them. He was hoping Mia would join the family, too. Without the babies, they were looking at seven people living in a house built for four.

Then, as if to further torture him, he remembered that his grandmother, aunt and cousins had planned to spend the holidays with them. Where the heck was everyone going to sleep? Would his mother’s family be able to accept his family’s alternative lifestyle? He bit his lips. This polyamorous life wasn’t as simple as those stories on the internet made it seem. That was another conversation he needed to have, and soon. For now he was going to stop overthinking everything and focus on getting Abi an engagement ring.

They entered the jewelry store, and the clerk looked at them, bored. Grant told them what he was looking for, and the guy behind the counter sighed. “How much are you looking to spend on your ring?”

His attitude pissed Grant off. “Is there someone else we can talk to? You seem like you don’t want to deal with us today.”

The guy sighed again. “Look kid, no offense, but you’re what nineteen, twenty? That means the two of you aren’t likely to buy an expensive ring. The cheapest engagement ring in this store is probably more than you can afford.”

While Grant had been dealing with the clerk, Abi had been looking at the rings in the cabinet. She gasped. “This one, Grant. This is the ring!”

Grant looked and saw a twenty-four karat yellow Gold ring. It was in a braided Celtic knot style with a moderate size diamond cut in a heart shape with two smaller triangle shaped diamonds in the knot on either side of the heart in the center.

“That ring is a two carat heart with two triangle shaped half carat Diamonds and it costs ten thousand plus two thousand more for the Celtic knot matching wedding ring.”

“I’ll give you ten thousand cash for the entire set, right now.”

The clerk started laughing. “Thps joke has gone far enough, kid, get out of here.”

Grant reached into the backpack he was carrying and pulled out a bank wrapped bundle of hundred-dollar bills. And laid them on the counter. “This look like I’m joking?”

“No, it doesn’t. Let me get the manager for you. I’m not allowed to make any deals.”

“Fine.”

An older gentleman was soon standing in front of Grant. “I was told you need me?”

“Yes, my fiancé has her heart set on that Celtic knot wedding set. I offered your associate ten thousand in cash but he said he wasn’t allowed to negotiate the price.”

The man reached into the cabinet and pulled out the set and handed them to Abi. “Put them on, let’s see how they fit.”

Abi slid the engagement ring on her finger, and then the matching diamond encrusted wedding ring. They fit perfectly, like they had been custom made just for her hand. The old man smiled at her. “I think they made this set just for you, my dear.”

“Me too. This is the one Grant.”

The old man looked at Grant. “Eleven thousand and I’ll throw in the man’s Celtic knot wedding band.”

Grant nodded. The old man wrote up the sale, took Eleven thousand seven hundred and seventy dollars with tax and handed Grant a velvet box with two empty slots and a solid gold male wedding band in a braided Celtic knot pattern. Grant had Abi put the wedding ring back in the box before he put the box in his backpack and they left the store.

Just down the street was Pink Cherry’s Adult Toy Store. So he and Abi walked there to pick up one more collar and a few specialty items that Grant would need for Becky’s collaring ceremony later that night.