Chelsea's Twelve Days of Christmas

Chelsea smiled hearing that he had included himself in needing to learn to love. It had frightened her on Friday night to discover how much his dark mood and dismissal of her had hurt. She had wanted nothing more than a loveless arranged marriage where she would go through the motions and live her life with the freedom and security a powerful and wealthy husband could give her. Now after a week with this man she wanted more. She wanted the commitment and love he was offering, and that scared her even more than the thought of losing him once he had learned the truth about her past had.

They ate in the conservatory again. Chelsea enjoyed the fact that his formality dropped when he was at home and relaxed. While the late lunch with Isabella had occurred in the formal dining room, his friends, Riley and Gary had been welcome here in the more relaxed atmosphere of the conservatory.

"You've been very quiet his evening," Harry commented. "If you have any questions or concerns now is the time to voice them."

"If I am honest, I have been quiet because I am scared," she said quietly taking him by surprise. Today she had spent almost all day sorting through her emotions. Her conversations with Riley forcing her to admit how frightened this man made her.

"Frightened of me?" Harry wasn't sure what to make of her disclosure. He could be demanding and unreasonable at times, but he had never meant to frighten her.

"In a way," she admitted dropping her head and looking at him through her lashes unsure if she should continue. She put down her cutlery and took a sip of her drink as he continued to look at her waiting for her to say more.

"If you don't explain what you are scared of I cannot help you through it," he said gently.

"It had been a long time since I have let myself be in a position of vulnerability. I have carefully weighed all of my choices since winning my freedom and becoming an orphan. I have let myself get close to exactly two people in that time, and both of those relationships have been on my terms, though it may not have seemed like it to an outsider," she admitted.

"Riley and Isabella," he stated knowingly.

"Riley needed me, like a big sister. She was failing out of Innamorata, even with the lightened schedule she was having difficulty, and I helped her. I advised her and went to Isabella often on her behalf. She was like a wounded bird I could look after, love and care for in the knowledge that I would one day let her go," Chelsea explained. "As it turns out she looked after me, though, more than I could have realised at the time by giving me the unconditional love and adult friendship I'd never had or understood before."

"And Isabella," he asked intrigued by what she was saying.

"How to explain Isabella," she mused. "I love her the way one would love a mentor. When I first met her, I no longer cared about much including myself. I was emaciated, my hair was long and stringy, and still being dyed black, badly. I was developing acne from the combination of a bad diet and poor hygiene," she admitted. "She encouraged me to dream of life entirely separate from what had happened to the girl named Charlie Gillespie and helped me make it a reality. She gave me a very generous scholarship to finish my university degree and mentored me in changing my life and my name," she smiled at the memory.

"She didn't seduce me or offer me love. She offered to show me a different type of relationship, one of mutual pleasure and benefit. One where the person dominating the relationship was at the mercy of the one who gave them that power. My submission was my shield. I made the guidelines, and though I was extremely open to all new experiences, I knew she would never push me too far for fear of losing the relationship we had. I revelled in the pain and the pleasure of it. It was never about love for me, and the more attached Isabella became, the greater control I had of the relationship," she said unemotionally.

Harry was quite shocked by what he was hearing but remained impassive as he let her talk. He took another mouthful of food and looked at her expectantly.

"Within the first two days of being here, I found in you both of those types of love. I embraced the fact that you would physically punish me when needed and use me completely as you did on that first day. I knew that we could have that relationship of mutual pleasure without the complications of love," she said seeing his eyes narrow in displeasure as he watched her. "Then I met your friends and people who knew you well and discovered that you were a warm and caring man with a good heart despite the formal, stiff and cold seeming exterior. We were able to talk and banter like I would have with Riley. I didn't realise I had been developing those feelings until Friday night when you dismissed me so coldly. It hurt and all of the pain and rejection of, of my past came flooding back to overwhelm me," she stopped talking and looked up at him willing the memory away.

"So you tried to force me to reject you completely and send you back to Isabella," he finished for her hearing her voice break.

"But you didn't, and all of those feelings became confused and all the more frightening. Riley gave me a few home truths today that I wasn't ready to hear, and I was dismissive of her concern for me when we spoke, but you found me in the shower after that conversation, so you know how much of an effect it had on me. She forced me to make some unpleasant decisions. She's still in love with you on some level, and she sold you like a prize bull at auction," Chelsea gave a small smile. "She even mentioned an attic that she knew I would enjoy with you." She laughed as Harry almost choked on his food.

"I believe she may have mentioned your fondness for such things to me," he said after recovering. "I, however, would never force that type of play on anyone. It must be something we both want," he said seriously. "I tried to get you to admit that you wanted me to punish you physically, but you couldn't or wouldn't, and I would rather use that room for pleasure than some masochistic need for punishment."

"I understand that now," again she smiled softly. "Today has been overwhelming and confronting on so many levels. Your acceptance of my past and forgiveness of my behaviour has made me feel," she paused at a loss for words, "Out of my depth. You scare me with your intensity and your absolute certainty that despite the fact that you know how broken I am, you still want me to accept your proposal."

"You accepted my proposal the moment you asked Isabella to tell me your secrets. You may not have done it formally, as yet, as there are protocols to follow, but I know you have accepted it within yourself," Harry said confidently. "It is why I have been so honest with you about my motivations for choosing you and why I'm planning a future with you."

"That certainty you have frightens me, and a million what-if's fill my mind," she said quietly. "I am so overwhelmed with what has happened today that I am barely dealing with trying to understand it all, let alone think about the future. You frighten me with your plans. I am happy to live this next week as if we are engaged. I will live up to every expectation you have for me, but I just can't think past that when I am struggling to process everything that has happened today," she admitted.

"It's been a long day," he nodded appreciating her honesty if not entirely happy with her struggle to accept her future with him. "Have you eaten enough?" He asked looking at her half-eaten meal.

"Yes, it was lovely, but I am not hungry," she admitted.

"Then come I have something for you," he rose and held out his hand to her.

*****

Seven swans a swimming hung on a pretty gold chain between her breasts. The loops tightly anchored to her nipples held the chain in place as her breasts rested on the folded cups of her corset. Harry enjoyed the sight of her like this.

"I'd like to see this with the five golden rings. Go and collect them for me," he instructed and smiled as Chelsea immediately rose from where she had sat on the edge of his desk and walked toward the door, her breasts jiggling enticingly above the corset. "Wait," he said in a low voice, and her step faltered. He moved behind her and undid the laces of her corset, helping her to remove it. Kissing her neck softly he turned her toward him and smiled, "Now you may go and collect them," he said handing her the corset to put away.

"As you wish," she said softly. Chelsea moved through his suite and to the other end of the first floor where her belongings still lay in the guest suite for one more evening. She threw the corset on the bed and retrieved the box she needed, stopping briefly to look in the mirror. After a week of having her waist cinched tightly, she felt as if her figure was conforming naturally to the hourglass shape, it had been forced into as her eyes ran down over the gentle curve of her hip.

The study was empty when she returned and confused she turned back towards the door to see him standing there with a length of soft looking rope in his hands.

"Beautiful," he murmured walking slowly toward her, his eyes raking over her body with a dark intensity that made her feel like prey to his predator. She shivered involuntarily, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you cold?" he asked taking the velvet case from her hands.

"No, Drake," she whispered a moment before his mouth descended upon hers. Once again he sat her on the edge of his desk. His attention falling to her breasts as his hands and mouth played over them while he removed the chain and placed the flower like golden rings over her nipples before replacing the chain. By the time the process had been completed she was panting in heat and need.

He stepped away to look at the effect of the jewellery. He felt the pain of his self-imposed restraint as his cock hardened impossibly within his pants. He groaned deeply moving forward to kiss her and pick up the length of rope he had brought down from the attic. Harry gently lifted her hands to her neck and held them there with looping knots made in the middle of the rope letting the two ends trail down over her shoulders. Then with precision and care, he bound her breasts taking the time to thread the rope beneath the golden chain that hung between her nipples. The soft flesh swelled quickly becoming firm and discoloured, and he gently pushed her elbows back making her arch and thrust them up toward him.

Chelsea breathed into the discomfort of the bondage he placed her in and closed her eyes absorbing the ache of her breasts as it increased. She whimpered and mewled softly has his hands squeezed the swollen flesh, and his teeth grazed over the exposed nipple. Her body trembled in need as he kissed her deeply again. The fact that he was still fully dressed while she was on the edge of a climax seemed to make her even more aroused.

With the tension of the rope, he had used, he knew that the time he could leave her bound this way was short. He cradled her in his arms and leant her back to lie on his desk. The softness of the sounds she made appealed to him on such a deep level he groaned and kissed her swallowing those sounds. He stepped back watching her chest rise and fall rapidly. The golden tips of her breasts seemed to beg for his attention and he kicked off his jeans and shed his shirt eagerly. Stepping between her wide-open thighs his hand grasped her breast making her wince and elicit a high-pitched whine that only fed his need for her. His other hand stroked over her body to the slick wet lips of her pussy, gambolling between the folds finding her more than ready for him.

Chelsea looked up into his eyes as he straightened his torso to tower over her. She wanted him as badly as he seemed to want her at that moment and she lifted her hips from the desk and breathed the word, "Please," softly making his lips twitch into a smile moments before he entered her roughly and with force making her gasp and cry out softly. His hands reached forward to grasp her breasts using them like handles causing tendrils of pain the launch into her body as he fucked her mercilessly. It was only a matter of minutes before she fell over the edge of her climax, bucking up against his fucking, as wave after wave of orgasmic pleasure assaulted her body.

Harry loved that this woman enjoyed the darker, painful pleasures of sex as he did and as he watched her orgasm take hold of her and milk at his cock through her inner muscles, he imagined all the things he would love to do to her in the safety of his specially made space in the attic. After the tension and concern of the last two days, having her here bound and sharing his pleasure pushed him to an explosive climax that left him feeling shaken.

Chelsea wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him as he slumped over her breathless and sated. It surprised her that she wanted that type of contact with him at this moment and she knew that the shift in her feelings towards him was complete. She had held herself back always questioning and denying it was anything more than respectful feelings of attraction but her need to hold him was a new sensation and she almost begged to be unbound. Instead, she lay still savouring the warmth of his skin on hers as she examined those feelings in the satisfying afterglow he felt.

*****

Chapter 7: Who dares wins

Chelsea woke alone and stretched in the huge bed. She looked around the room in the light of a new day. She had spent most of Monday supervising if not helping with moving her belongings into the suite of rooms she now shared with Harry. Unlike the guest room, there was nothing warm and cosy about it; it was utilitarian as if it had been stripped back to the bare essentials. There was no trace of Riley or any feminine touches in any of the furniture or accessories, and she wondered if once the proposal was official, she would be allowed to make some changes.

As with the events at the end of last week, they had stayed for the formal parts of the evenings on Monday and Tuesday nights. Harry worked hard and seemed to socialise very little outside of his business acquaintances and the few friends she had met on their first evening together. Propping herself up on her pillows she picked up her tablet to look over her schedule for the day before getting up.

She had an early morning appointment with Harry in the city and a luncheon for a White Ribbon Charity. She had found the perfect dress that would be suitable for both when she had gone shopping yesterday. She had loved the freedom of being able to shop by herself, despite the fact that Thomas hovered close by. She liked Trent, and they had developed a friendship, but he had a very particular view of what she should wear and left little room for her personality to come through in the clothes he advised her to purchase.She had enjoyed the opportunity to shop for herself and hopefully surprise Harry with her choices.

She swung her legs out of bed and slipped on some exercise gear. She liked having the mornings to herself as Harry always rose before the sun and went into work early. She did her daily check in with Mrs Thomas and Mrs Baker informing them of her schedule and went down to the gym. Today was her running day, and she jogged down the stairs and along the river front as far as she could go before turning back and having Beth join her for her morning run. Running the stairs had been difficult at first, but each time she did it she found it easier, to where she could manage forty-five minutes of her workout before calling it quits and continuing up to the house.

She took time ensuring she looked the way she wanted. She wore a strapless bar with a sturdy shelf-like base to hold her breasts high in the square neckline of the dress. Then she wriggled into a seamless girdle that spanned the area from just under her breasts to just over her ass so that no lines would show under the tight dress except for the faint lines of garter straps that would hold up her stockings and those would only be slightly visible when she walked. The underwear gave her that hourglass look Harry enjoyed; which was highlighted further by the style and cut of the dress she had chosen.

She wore all of the jewellery that he had given her over the last nine days and closed the lid of the specially crafted jewellery box depicting nine ladies dancing. She sang the song in her head and wondered briefly how he would manage to find something depicting ten lords leaping. She was enjoying the way he was commemorating their time together with the well-known Christmas carol. She had finally come up with what she hoped was the perfect Christmas gift for him, and she hoped she would have time between events today to organise it.

*****

Harry could hear a murmur run through the office as he stood talking to one of his senior account managers. Curiously he looked up to see what had caused the change in his staff. His face split into a wide grin as he saw Chelsea looking devastatingly sexy walking toward him. She looked as if she not only belonged in the business world but was here to make a take-over bid.

"Good morning Miss Gillian," he said formally.

"Mr Drake," she acknowledged with a smile maintaining the formality of his greeting.

"Bert, this is my girlfriend, Chelsea Gillian," he introduced her to the man beside him loud enough to dispel any rumours about who she was and why she was here.

"Hello Bert," she said warmly holding out her hand to him.

"It's a pleasure Miss Gillian," Bert said formally shaking her hand gently.

"Let's go to my office shall we?" Harry asked.

"Lead the way," she smiled as he took her hand in his and moved toward the rear of the office complex.

"Can you even breathe in that dress?" he murmured close to her ear making her giggle.

"Enough to stop me from getting light-headed," she laughed.

"Well you certainly made an impression," he said, in almost a whisper, as they approached a long desk where two people sat.

"Petra and Paul, my personal assistants," he introduced the two people who had stood at his arrival. "This is Chelsea Gillian, she will visit from time to time," he said without qualifying her status.

"Hello," Chelsea smiled at them and realised that the fact he was holding her hand probably gave her the girlfriend status he had announced in the outer office area. They responded politely, and he led her into his office. As soon as the door closed, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

"You caused quite a stir with your entrance," he murmured still holding her close. "I doubt much work will get done this morning after a distraction like that." His hand traced a line along her jaw and down into her cleavage smiling as his fingers pulled the fabric slightly giving him a glimpse of gold peaking from her bra.

"You don't approve?" she asked suddenly uncertain of her choice.

"I approve," he reassured her. "I very much approve." His hands cupped her breasts through the material of her dress. "You are very distracting, though, and I am finding it difficult to remember this is a place of business." He seemed to shake himself and stepped away from her to his desk. He picked up two envelopes and handed them to her. "I wanted you to have this for today's lunch event."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "I hadn't considered bidding on any of the auctions, so I hadn't taken a great deal of notice of them. Was there something you would like me to bid on?"

"It's a worthy cause, and I am happy for you to spend a reasonable sum today. The card is platinum, and I encourage you to be generous," Harry said noting Chelsea's uncertainty. "You're my girlfriend, in the new year you will be my fiancé. This is the way I choose to spend my money, giving it to worthy organisations that will spend it wisely. I expect you to do the same. Not everyone is as fortunate as I have been, as you well know." He skirted around the issue of her past and the domestic violence issues she must have endured as a child.