Chapter Five

Bernard caught up with them in the library that afternoon, and signalled that he wanted to speak with them. They followed him out of the library, along another bewildering maze of hallways, to a large, airy, office.

Arched windows looked out over the fields around the building, blue skies, green earth and farmland as far as the eye could see. The room itself was sparsely furnished, just a desk, a telephone, some chairs and two filing cabinets. And a computer. Joely smiled when she saw that. It seemed incongruous. None of them sat down.

“I called you in here because I want to express some concerns about Joely’s continued presence here in the monastery,” Bernard said. Joely’s stomach dropped. She’d interpreted his expression at breakfast correctly, it seemed.

“Why is that?” Dominic asked, before she could.

“A number of reasons,” the monk said. He sat down on the edge of his desk. “Firstly, having seen how she’s reacted a few times and how she looked while being punished last night, I’m not sure that she’s up to it.” He looked at her, raised his eyebrows, the same colour as his sandy brown hair. She remembered thinking of him as nondescript, the first time she’d met him. Now he looked stern and in charge.

“I’m coping,” she said. “I’m not going to pretend that I like some of what’s happened, but I’m coping.” He nodded.

“Our processes aren’t geared to women,” he said, only his terminology differing from the intent of what Duncan had said to her that morning. “I hadn’t thought through the implications of some of them on you.” She knew very well what he was referring to, and she couldn’t help blushing.

“I don’t propose to change the processes to suit you,” he went on. “We’re not a nursery school here.”

“Or a country club,” she couldn’t help herself adding. Dominic sent her a quick look.

“Exactly,” Bernard said. “So if you stay, you will continue to be treated no differently to any of the other students. Which brings me to my last concern, which is the fact that I am concerned that your presence here will be disruptive to the monks.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.
”Because I’m not blind, child,” he smiled, just as he had when he welcomed her to the monastery. “Your stepfather told me you were pretty, but not that you are the image of your mother. If I’d know we were going to have a younger version of screen goddess Jane-Ann Mistrall here, I’d never have said yes.”
”You knew my mother?” she asked, kicking herself immediately as he smiled again.

“I saw her from my seat in the picture theatre,” he said. “Long before I came here. You are just as beautiful as she was, and having you here has the potential to make things difficult for men who are no longer used to being around women.”

Joely wasn’t sure how she felt about this. Was he implying that she was irresistible? It was hard to be offended by that. But if it meant she had to leave, it was a problem.

“None of them seem to be having any difficulty,” Dominic said. “Daniel, Andy and Duncan are dealing well with her, as are all of the others.” Bernard nodded.

“I’m aware of that,” he said. “But I’m going to watching carefully, just in case. I don’t want you to be put in a difficult situation, Joely. And even more than that, I don’t want your presence to impact on the community that we have here.” He stood up again, walked around his desk and sat down.

“At this stage, I feel that things are working sufficiently well for you to stay, but I was disappointed in your behaviour last night.”
”She got a fright,” Dominic said.

“It’s all right,” she said to him. She turned back to Bernard. “I’m sorry. I should have known better than to react like I did. Duncan and I have spoken about it.” Bernard looked directly into her face for what seemed like forever. Then he looked to Dominic.

“I’m even more disappointed in you,” he said. “You know you should have let her take her own punishment. I let you do it, but I wasn’t pleased.”

”I hadn’t prepared her properly,” Dominic said. “It wasn’t right that she be caned.”
”That’s not up to you,” Bernard said. “She has to face up to the consequences of her own actions.”
”I know,” Dominic said. “But I thought that…”
”No buts,” Bernard interrupted him. “And it’s not up to you to make those sorts of decisions, Dominic. You’re no longer a student here, but you’re not a monk either. And there’s no fear that you ever will be, I’m sure.” He permitted himself a small smile, which Dominic returned.

“So, I will expect Joely’s punishment to continue tonight and tomorrow night. No caning, unless she misbehaves again, of course, but more of the same.” Joely’s mouth had already dropped open before he was speaking. She’d already resolved to do everything she could to make sure that she never had to walk into the dining hall like that again. She drew a breath to protest. Bernard’s eyebrows went up.

“I think that’s a little harsh,” Dominic said.

“Nevertheless,” Bernard responded, his eyes still on Joely. “If Joely wants to stay, she has to know that she has to follow the rules.”

Joely felt Dominic looking at her. She turned to meet his eyes.

“What do you think?” he asked. She shrugged.
”I don’t want to go home yet,” she said honestly. “But I don’t think I can do that again.”

“It’s not really your choice,” Bernard said. “I will contact your stepfather and give him the choice if you don’t think you can go on with it. It will be up to him.”
”No!” Joely reacted quickly. Wouldn’t Justin love to hear about that punishment? She couldn’t bear the thought of it. “Please, no. I’ll think about it. Can I have a little while to think about it?”
”You can have tonight,” Bernard said, his quick mind noting down her reaction. “But you’ll have to go without dinner if you don’t make up your mind beforehand. I can’t let my people see that you’re getting away with bad behaviour.” She said nothing. Bernard nodded to them.

“Are you all right after the caning, Dominic?” he asked as they turned to walk away.
”Yes,” Dominic said shortly, obviously not pleased.

“Show me,” Bernard said, standing up. Dominic backed away.

“Duncan’s already checked,” he said. Bernard stopped and sat down again.

“That’s all right then,” he said. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow if not sooner, Joely.” He opened a drawer of the desk and took some papers out, signalling that the interview was at an end.

……………………….

She was still undecided at dinner time. Dominic had done his best to convince her that it would easier the second time, but she refused to be convinced.

“I can’t do it,” she said, for the twentieth time, sitting on the end of her bed. “I felt sick last night. I can’t do it again.” Dominic sighed.

“If I thought they’d let me, I’d do it with you,” he said. “But they wouldn’t. Bernard wouldn’t. And then we’d both have to rely on someone else to feed us, wouldn’t we?” He bent down, put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her hair.

“I’ll leave you, then,” he said. “I’ll talk to you when I get back. If there’s bread, I’ll try to smuggle some back in my pocket.” She managed a smile.

“Thank you,” she said, trying to invest the two words with real meaning. He wasn’t to know that she was thanking him for a lot more than just offering to bring her some food.

She waited until he’d been gone five minutes before she opened the door. In the meantime, she’d checked the wardrobe, under the beds and even in the bathroom cupboard for clothes or shoes or anything else she could wear. There was nothing, not even another of the drawstring skirts. So, when she opened the door and slipped silently into the hallway, all she was wearing was the white robe – her third for the day.

Familiar enough with the passages now, she found her way easily down the stairs, out through the tapestry and across to the sink. The door opened with a creak and she looked guiltily over her shoulder before going out, closing it behind her and walking to the door in the wall of the garden. The last light of day was fading, but she could see the green wall at the end, and she smiled. That was an achievement. Even if she had coated herself with paint and nearly brained herself in the process. She opened the door, went through, and began walking.

As far as plans went, it wasn’t very good. She had thought of trying to find the keys to Dominic’s car, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to drive the monster, despite the fact that Justin had let her be taught, because he sometimes liked her to provide a chauffeur service for his guests. And she was very sure that Dominic would track her down and kill her if she attempted to drive his car. So what she did was walk in the direction the boys had come from that day. She remembered travelling through a small town on the way to the monastery and figured that had to be the place they’d come from. It had some homes and some shops.

She had no money, not even enough to make a telephone call, and no friends she could call on even if she had. But she wasn’t going to be delivered back to Justin as a failure, and she couldn’t bring herself to willingly walk naked into that dining hall again with her hands behind her back. She just couldn’t. Despite the fact that there was panic lurking in the reasoned part of her mind, there was also a flutter of excitement. Of freedom.

She walked for more than thirty minutes before she saw lights, her bare feet dusty and sore by the time she found the road. It was another ten minutes to the town itself, and she found that it was bigger than she’d thought. There were some neon signs advertising agricultural equipment and insurance, and one, a lurid purple and yellow sign that read “Club Paradise”. An improbable name, in Joely’s opinion, but probably the only place open at this time of night.

As she neared it, she could hear music and voices from within. Lots of voices. Obviously, this town was a central point for a lot of homes and farms. She tried to calculate days. Was it Friday? She thought about it. Yes, it was, so it was probably a big night out in town for many of the people. She looked down at the robe. And sighed. Then she ran her fingers through her hair, straightened up and assumed the air of confidence that had got her through so many political dinners and galas.

It worked. The man at the door smiled broadly when he saw her.

“Well, hello,” he said, investing it with all of the charm he could muster. Since he was about forty, with a huge belly, a red nose and very little hair, he was someone who needed to rely on charm.

“Hello,” she smiled back. “Can I come in?”
”Of course you can,” he said. “I won’t even charge you.” Too late, Joely saw the sign that read “Five dollar entry fee.”

“You’re sure?” she asked, for all the world as if she had money.

“I’m sure,” he said, angling for another smile from the beautiful blonde. He wasn’t disappointed.

“Go on through to the bar,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll be welcomed. I’ll come over and buy you a drink later.’
”Thank you,” she said, moving past him and into a throng of people drinking, talking, dancing and relaxing. Several people looked up immediately, and Joely straightened her back. Confidence, she told herself. She didn’t realise that she didn’t need it. The flowing robe made her look exotic, and her bare feet were hidden under it. Her face was pale and lovely, like a painting, and her golden hair spilled around it in a riot of curls. Two men approached and asked what she’d like to drink at exactly the same time, and she let them lead her to the bar, where she settled onto a bar stool with a sigh of real pleasure. The walk had been tiring.

“I’d love some peanuts or pretzels,” she admitted. Lunch had been a long time away. Now, she was trying to decide who to confide in, who to ask for help, and what sort of help she wanted anyway. She was still deciding over an hour later, the crowd around her growing larger.

It was the first time Joely had ever been out on her own, and she was finding that she liked it. She enjoyed talking to the people around her, she enjoyed the open admiration in the eyes of the men who were buying her drinks, and she had no trouble conversing with them. It was much easier than trying to look interested while a boring Senator droned on about how important he considered himself to be.

Conscious of her lack of underwear, even under the coarse, thick material of the robe, she refused to dance, but she enjoyed watching those who did, moving around the large dance floor to music with heavy, pumping beats. A solid, good-looking man with short black hair stood beside her, a cluster of other men on the other side of her. The dark-haired man – Paul, his name was, she remembered, had put his arm around her, claiming to be helping her to stay steady on the stool. She didn’t object, but she didn’t lean into it either. She just smiled, flirted, drank and enjoyed the feeling of freedom.

“So where are you staying?” he asked. She glanced at him, trying to decide whether he looked reliable enough to ask for help. He did, but she had a feeling that she might be expected to pay in some way, and she had some idea what the payment would be.

“Not far from here,” she replied obliquely.

“Where?” he grinned, leaning closer. Then he looked up as there was a stir across the other side of the room, near the entrance. Joely looked away, relieved that he’d been distracted, but she looked back as he spoke.

“Is that who I think it is?” he asked one of his cronies, a blonde man who’d been trying to attract Joely’s attention from the other side of the stool.

“It looks like him,” the blonde said. “What would he be doing here?” Joely swivelled her stool to look, and saw a tall, good-looking man walking slowly through a crowd of people, listening to them, laughing and shaking his head in response to whatever they were asking him. He wore blue jeans that looked as if they’d been poured on – expensive blue jeans, she could tell even from this distance, and a black and white t-shirt that fitted smoothly across broad shoulders and a toned, muscled torso. He had dark hair and a wide grin. She caught her breath at the same time as he caught her eye.

“Do you know him?” Paul asked her. Joely said nothing for an instant, watching as Dominic came closer.

“I thought I did,” she said.

And then he was there. He stopped just short of her, leaned in and kissed her cheek quickly, whispering in her ear.

“Call me Peter,” he said. Eyes wide with surprise and confusion, she nodded as he straightened again.

“You’re Dominic Blake!” accused Paul’s blonde friend.

“I get that all the time,” Dominic replied. Joely’s eyes widened still further. As he had with the young boys that day, he had lost the Irish accent and was sounding no different to any of the other men now, in fact.

“You mean you’re not?” asked Paul.

“What do you think?” Dominic grinned. “I’d love to have his bank balance.”
”Wouldn’t we all,” agreed Paul.

“So, you gonna dance with me, Joe?” he asked, catching her hand in his.

“Joely isn’t dancing,” the blonde man said.

“She’ll dance with me, won’t you?” Dominic said. “Come on. Dance with your old friend.”

“I don’t think so…Peter,” she replied. “I’m not really dressed for it.” His eyes skimmed over her robe.

“Sure you are,” he said, tugging on her hand. The look in his eyes said that he really was not going to take no for an answer. So, before any of her admirers intervened, she let him pull her down off the stool and lead her onto the dance floor.

“Who is Dominic Blake?” she demanded as they walked, conscious of the attention he was getting from everyone in the bar. There was a tug of familiarity in her head at the name. She couldn’t track it down, though.

“I am, of course,” he replied softly.

“But who are you?” she demanded. He grinned as he spun her out from him on the dance floor.
”Dominic Blake,” he replied. “Dance, Joe.”

She danced, and so did he, with the sort of style and fluidity that only came from years of practise. She’d noted the grace with which he moved at the monastery, but would never have guessed that it would have translated so well into the sort of moves he was making to Ricky Martin’s “Loaded”. She suspected that some of those moves would have got him arrested in more respectable parts of the country, but none of the women around her seemed to be objecting.

In fact, she wasn’t either. Man, he could move. She found herself forgetting about the paucity of her clothing, the unusual nature of it, and letting herself dance with him, letting him swing her around, pull her close to him, letting herself go with it. All of those lessons she’d had as a child had ensured that she had no trouble dancing to anything, and she was never more pleased of them than she was now, dancing with Dominic Blake – whoever he happened to be.

“Great!” he said as the song finished. They’d drawn attention from everywhere as they danced. “Let’s have another dance before we go back.”
”I’m not going back,” Joely said firmly.

“Really?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. The song started, slower this time, Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love”, and he pulled her towards him, into his arms.

“Really,” she said.

“Hmmm,” he said, easing her head down onto his shoulder. The material of his t-shirt was thick and soft. “Well, we might have a problem, then.”

“No problem for me,” she pointed out, trying to lift her head up to look into his face. His body felt strong and solid, warm against hers. She had to remind herself that he was a representative of the enemy.

“I’ll reserve judgement on that,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be a hell of a problem for me, though.”

“In what way?” she asked. He was moving them round the floor, his hips and shoulders swaying as he stepped in time, taking her with him easily.

“Well I’ll have to pay for it, naturally,” he said. “I’m responsible for you.”

“Pay in what way?” she persisted. He shrugged, lifting her head with his shoulder.

“Whatever way they think is appropriate,” he said. “They might say I can’t come back. Or that I have to start all over again. Shit. I hope not.” He’d been masking his accent, because people were close to them, but it came through as he swore.

“So don’t go back,” Joely said. “Come with me.” That could work. She lifted her head to look up at him. He smiled down at her.

“No,” he said, his hair moving as he shook his head. “I can’t do that. I need that place.”

“I’m not going back,” she said again, her face set. He said nothing. She put her head down on his shoulder again.

She looked up as she sensed someone approaching. Two women stood beside them.

“You’re Dominic Blake, aren’t you?” one of them asked. She was tiny, undernourished, with a stud through her nose and spiky blonde hair. Her friend was the quintessential goth, with razored black hair and loose black clothes over a chunky body.

“It’s times like this that I really wish I was,” Dominic answered. “Or that I could put on a passable Irish accent.”

“You look just like him,” said goth girl.

“You think so?” Dominic responded. “He looks taller than me on the posters, and his eyes are a weird colour.” It was too dark in the club to see what colour his eyes were anyway, but the two girls scrutinised him carefully.

“Yes, I think you’re right. He is taller,” said goth girl. He nodded.

“Thanks anyway,” he said, returning his attention to Joely.

“Who are you?” she asked again.

“Your tutor,” he said. “Or your ex-tutor, it seems. Damn, and I though we were doing so well.”

“What did you mean when you said they’ll make you start all over again?” she asked, deciding to let the question of his identity lapse for now.

“I mean they might make me start as a student again,” he said. “Right back to when I first arrived. I’m even in street clothes now, just like I was then.”
”Where did you get them?” she asked, plucking at the material of his t-shirt with one hand. She was resolutely keeping her other hand from settling on his tight, jeans-clad butt.

“They don’t withhold them from me now,” he said. “Once it was up to me whether or not I left, they let me keep them. They were on top of the wardrobe in our room.”

”So…if it’s up to you whether or not you leave, why would you go back?” Joely asked. She turned her head more comfortably into his shoulder.

“Because I have some more lessons to learn yet,” he said. “And although I don’t like the idea of being punished because I was stupid enough to let you get away, I’m damned if I’m going to lose the one bit of sanctuary and peace I have in my life.”

“I’m not going back,” she said again.

“So you said,” he agreed. “You dance well, Joe.”
”So do you,” she said, in the understatement of the night. It felt very odd to be dancing with him like this, like an equal, as if he were just a man – an outrageously good-looking man, but just a man, rather than the all-powerful, teasing tutor of the last few days.

“So, they’ll give you a tutor again?” she asked. She felt him shrug.

“That, or they’ll punish me some other way,” he said. “I don’t know. It won’t be up to me. I won’t be responsible for anything or anyone any more. Just my reactions to whatever they do to me.”

“And if I went back? Which I won’t,” she added.

“Then, if they found out about your little escape, it would be up to me to punish you, I expect,” he said. “And I’m very imaginative, so it’s probably just as well you’re not coming back.”

“They won’t hit you, will they?” she asked, smoothing the flat of her hand down his back. She didn’t like to think of him being hit for her again.

“Possibly,” he said, not sounding too upset about it. “To be honest, I’d prefer that to the other stuff.”

“What other stuff?” she asked. She felt him laugh softly, even though she didn’t hear it.

“Do you think you were the only one who was restrained and tickled and all of that?” he asked. “And made to work until you dropped?”

“They tickled you?” she asked, lifting her head again. He grinned ruefully.

“Where are you ticklish?” she demanded. He laughed again, and she heard it this time.

“Only in a very few select places,” he said. “And the bastards found them all. Dance, Joe. Let’s just enjoy ourselves for a few dances before you fly back to your life and I go back to face the music.” They danced.

Paul tried to cut in once, but Dominic smiled and shook his head, and Joely, to her surprise, found she didn’t want to leave him either. She was feeling guilty. She didn’t want him to be punished for her. But she wasn’t going back. There was no way she was going back.

…..

“Do you think we can get back in without them knowing we left?” she asked, looking at the dark shape of the monastery, silhouetted against the bright night sky. Dominic swung the car round the building, travelling slowly, so as not to make any noise.

“Perhaps,” he said. “But if we can’t, we’re in for it, Joe.”
”You mean I’m in for it,” she said flatly. She still couldn’t believe she was here. He hadn’t even asked her to come back – she’d just decided to come with him. When the time came to leave him at the door of the bar, she’d found she couldn’t do it. And he’d just walked with her, wordlessly, not acknowledging her changed decision at all. He’d led the way to where he’d parked the Lamborghini behind a grocery store, in a dark area where it wouldn’t be seen.

The seat had been plush and laid back, she’d felt like she was sitting in a reclining armchair. The dash had lit up with more lights than the cockpit of a plane.

“How do you drive this thing?” she’d asked.
”Fast, usually,” he smiled. “But I won’t let it out on these roads. It needs freeways and autobahns and good sealed roads to do its stuff.”

She’d been silent for the short drive back.

“Who are you really?” she asked. He smiled.
”It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Let’s wait and see how things pan out.”
”At the monastery, or between us?” she asked, feeling brave. His smile wavered.

“At the monastery,” he said. “There can’t be anything between us while you’re here, Joely.” The fact that he didn’t call her “Joe” told her that he was serious.

“Okay,” she said calmly, looking out the window and smiling. Silly man. There already was something between them, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

Her calm disappeared when they got out of the car and left the dark shed he’d parked it in. They closed the doors of the car and the shed quietly. Then Dominic took her hand and they walked around the building to the entrance to the kitchen garden. At the door that led into the building from there, he stopped.

“Wait,” he whispered. “My robe is just inside the door. Can you get it for me?” Nodding, she opened the door, bent down and picked up the folded brown garment from the floor. By the time she turned back, he’d already pulled his t-shirt over his head and was bending to undo his shoes.

“Thanks,” he smiled at her. He stepped on the backs of his shoes to remove them and took the robe from her, putting it on. Then he reached under it for the rest of his clothes.

“Spoilsport,” she said softly, making his smile broaden.

Feeling like naughty children, they tiptoed through the main hall, up the stairs and along hallways, stopping whenever one of them stepped on a loose floorboard, or whenever there was a noise. They reached the door of their room with great relief, and it was with even more relief that they saw that no-one was inside waiting for them.

“I don’t believe we got away with that,” Dominic said, lying down on the bed.

“I don’t believe you didn’t ever try that yourself,” she said.

“Well I could hardly just wander down there and ask for help,” he said. “I’m too recognisable. And no, I’m not going to say any more about that.”
”Why couldn’t you wander down there and ask for help?” she asked. “The fact that you’re famous would have meant they would be more likely to give you help.”

“I wasn’t left unattended at any time,” he said, ticking points off his fingers. “I think I spent almost all of the first two weeks naked, because I wouldn’t do what I was told without fighting, and I was tied to the bed at night, just as you’re going to be tonight.”

“No,” she protested automatically. “It’s uncomfortable for me to sleep like that.”
”Bad luck,” he said. “I didn’t go to the trouble of bringing you back to have you escape again, woman. Go wash your feet and do whatever else you have to do in the bathroom, then come back out here and get ready for bed.”

She couldn’t shift him on it, even though she argued all the time she was washing her feet in the bathtub, washing her face, going to the toilet and cleaning her teeth, all the while with him leaning in the doorframe of the bathroom.

“I’ve still got some paint between my toes,” she observed during the feet-washing part.
”You’re still got some between your legs, too,” he said. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him in surprise. He smiled.

“I couldn’t bring myself to keep going,” he said. “There’s only so much a man can take. There’s not much left, just a little bit.” She looked away and went back to cleaning her toes, hiding the satisfaction in her eyes. It was embarrassing, yes, but it was a nice little confirmation that he was wrong about there being nothing between them. Even if it was just lust.

Something had happened to Joely in “Club Paradise” that night. She’d realised that she was a woman of resources, someone who didn’t need her stepfather’s permission or her mother’s money to survive. She wasn’t a child or a victim, and it was time she did something about it, and about the things she wanted in life. And while she didn’t know where Dominic Blake was going to fit into that picture, she wasn’t finished with him yet. Not by a long shot.

When she went to pull the robe off in the bedroom, he shook his head.

“Hop under the covers first,” he said. “You can wriggle out of the robe then without showing yourself.”
”And the reason you didn’t suggest this before now was…?” she asked, indignantly thinking about how many blushes he could have spared her.

“That would be because I’m not a complete fool,” he smiled. He held the covers back.

It was only after he’d tied her wrists, made sure she was settled as comfortably as possible, that he gave in a little on the tight reins he had on himself.

“Good night,” he said. “Thank you for coming back with me. Why did you do that?” He sat down on her bed. She would have shrugged, but it wasn’t possible.

“It seemed like the right thing to do,” she said. “But I still don’t know how I’m going to face that punishment again. And I can’t bear the thought of Justin gloating about it.”

“He doesn’t sound like a very pleasant man, your stepfather,” Dominic said carefully.
”He’s not,” she said. “And he brought me here under false pretences. I have really lost my temper with him about ten times in my life. He, on the other hand, has lost his temper with me on an almost daily basis. Nothing I do is good enough, even though he dictates everything I do. He’s ambitious and he’s controlling, and I’m going to have to get away from him, even if it does mean that I have to walk away from my inheritance.”

“Interesting,” Dominic said. “Tell me more.” She shook her head.

“No point really,” she said. But she did anyway. “In a nutshell, my mother left me everything, but under the guardianship of Justin until I’m thirty. He controls how much money I get, which is almost nothing, and if I do anything that displeases him, he can withhold it completely. If I do anything without his permission, he can invoke a clause in my mother’s will that allows him to donate the inheritance to a worthy cause. The worthy cause in this case would probably be his election campaign.”
”That sounds like a conflict of interest,” Dominic said. “And the will could be contested, you do know that, don’t you?”

”How would I find a lawyer or pay for one?” Joely asked. “I told you, he doesn’t let me leave the house without him. I’m a modern day Rapunzel, just trotted out every now and then for political functions. He won’t even let me cut my hair.”
”On that, I agree with him,” Dominic said, picking up a few locks of the hair in question. “Does he lock up the scissors too?”
”No,” she said. “And I did try that once. I cut it shorter. He cut my allowance off for six months, until it grew back. And he wouldn’t let me put any items on the household grocery list without asking him for money first. I even had to beg for money to buy tampons.” Her voice became very quiet. Dominic was quieter still.

“When did he start hitting you?” he asked. Joely blinked in confusion, then remembered that she’d told him the night before. When she thought he’d been asleep.

“He was always a bit of a smacker,” she said. “He moved in when I was eight, and he’d give me a smack across the back of my legs if I cheeked him or was difficult.”
”Your mother let him?”
”She wasn’t around much,” Joely said. “He hit me across the face for the first time when I was twelve, when I brought home a magazine he didn’t approve of. I told my mother, but she said I had to learn some manners. She didn’t do anything else.” Dominic’s opinion of Jane-Ann Mistrall dropped dramatically.

“Poor little girl,” he said. He dropped the hair he was holding and stroked his fingers on her face. A million thoughts were being sorted in his brain. He bent down and pressed his lips to hers, warm and closed. “Don’t think about all that now, Joe. Sleep. I’m going to talk to Bernard tomorrow and see if I can’t change his mind about the punishment.” He kissed her again, just as softly and chastely. “I can be very persuasive.”

…………..

Dominic was determined that he wasn’t going to make love to her. It would be an abuse of trust, not only of Bernard’s trust, but of Joely’s. She hadn’t come to the monastery to be seduced. She hadn’t known what she was coming for, but she didn’t deserve to be taken advantage of by someone who’d taken advantage of more than his share of women over the years. She was innocent in many ways from what he could tell, and more modest regarding her body than any woman he’d ever met. Which was ironic, because she also had the most beautiful body he’d ever seen. He shook his head on the pillow. That sort of thinking wasn’t helping.

“Dominic?” she said from the other bed.

“Yes,” he responded, thankful for the interruption to his thoughts.

“Can I talk for a while?”
”Can I stop you?” he managed to tease. She made a huffing noise.

“Yes, you can talk for a while,” he laughed softly. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, Bernard said I’m the image of my mother,” she said. “Justin said the same thing, the day he decided he was going to bring me here.”
”And..?”

“Well, my memories of her are a bit clouded, but I always thought she was much more voluptuous than I am, and very beautiful. She always smelled of perfume and she was always perfectly dressed and made up. I don’t think I look a bit like her. Not from the photographs I have of her.”
”I never saw her in the flesh,” Dominic said. “Only in movies, same as Bernard, but you do have a definite look of her, in your eyes and the shape of your face and mouth. Your body…well, that’s hard to say, but you’re pretty darned voluptuous yourself, Joe. All of those men in the club tonight were having a difficult time keeping their eyes off you.”

“They were, weren’t they?” she smiled in the darkness. “I’ve never had that experience before. It was interesting. What’s the word? It was heady, that’s it. Heady.” She tasted the word.

“What do you mean, you’ve never had that experience before?” he asked, rolling onto his side to face in her direction. “Men must have been attracted to you before.”
”They don’t get near me as a rule,” she said. “Justin has always tried to keep me away from any of them.”
”And has he succeeded?”

“Not entirely,” she admitted, with a laugh. It was easy to talk to him in the dark. “There was a pool boy six years ago.”

”I don’t want to hear the details,” Dominic said quickly, but there was amusement and invitation in his tone.

“There weren’t all that many details,” she admitted. “It was a bit quick and nasty. But the playboy was better.”
”Which playboy?” he asked. She hesitated.

“Raoul Curtez,” she said. Dominic pushed himself up on one elbow, shocked.

“Raoul Curtez has to be fifty!” he said.

“You know him?” she was surprised.
”I know of him,” Dominic amended. “The man has about eight children, and he’s been married three or four times!”

“He was between wives at the time,” Joely said. “And he was a fellow guest on the private yacht a senator had invited Justin and me to spend some time on. Justin did his best, but he couldn’t hold private conversations with the senator and keep an eye on me twenty-four hours a day, so Raoul pounced.” Dominic laughed.

“Anyway, he was a bit old and far too fond of himself, but he did demonstrate that sex can be more than an uncomfortable wrestle on a sun-tanning mat.” She sighed.

“And…?” Dominic asked again.

“And what?” she asked.

“Who was next?” he asked.
”That’s it,” she admitted. Dominic was quiet. He sank back down onto his pillow.

“Why did you tell me all that?” he eventually asked. It was her turn to choose her words. He asked difficult questions.

“I guess I wanted you to know that I’m not a virgin, and that I’m not completely naïve,” she said.

“No, you’re a regular woman of the world, you are,” he said. “With your international playboys and pool gigolos.” He realised he’d said the wrong thing from the quality of the silence that followed.

“Don’t laugh at me,” she said.

“I’m not laughing at you,” he said. “I’m just amazed that someone with your background and your looks hasn’t experimented more than that. Your stepfather must really keep you on a short leash.”
”He does,” she admitted. “He doesn’t know about those two men. I think he’s planning to sell me off as a virgin bride to the son of one of his main backers.”

“Any one in particular, or will any son do?”

“Thad Quinlan,” she said flatly.
”Thud?” he repeated, disbelieving.

“Thad,” she said again. “Thaddeus Charles Quinlan the fourth, to be precise.”

“I’ve always wondered,” Dominic said. “Do they brand the number on their bums when they’re born?” There was a gurgle of laughter from the other bed.

“I haven’t seen his butt,” she said. “Or his ‘bum’ as you put it.”
”Well, you must always check out the bum before you commit yourself,” he said, sounding serious. “The bum can be a deal breaker. Make sure you put it into all contracts. And check out several other bums before you commit to one. That’s important, too.”

”I’ve only seen three,” she sighed. “Hardly enough to make an informed decision.”
”Three?” Dominic asked. “You said you’d only been with two men.”
”Yes, but I’ve seen yours, too,” she reminded him.

“So you have,” he said.

“No number branded on yours,” she said.

“No, I’m not from that sort of family,” he smiled to himself. “Just a very ordinary Irish boy.”
”I’m not buying that for a minute,” she said. “There’s nothing ordinary about you at all.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I think. Are you comfortable?”
”As comfortable as I can be with my hands tied above my head,” she replied, sounding hopeful.

“Good,” he said.

After a long period of silence, Joely sighed.

“What?” he asked.

“Could you untie me, please?” she asked. “I don’t like this.”
”I told you, Joe, I’m not prepared to sit up all night watching in case you make a run for it,” he said.

“I didn’t make a run for it last night,” she pointed out.

“You did tonight,” he pointed out in return. “No. If I untied you, you’d have to sleep here with me, and…”
”I don’t mind,” she said quickly. Too quickly. He shook his head, even though she couldn’t see it..

“You know damned well what would happen if you were in bed with me,” he said, unwilling laughter in his voice. “And your stepfather isn’t the only one who’d be displeased if I moved into number three on your list.”

”Not that I’m agreeing, because you’re not that irresistible, but who else would care?” she asked.

“Well poor Thud, for one,” Dominic said. “He’d be devastated.” The silence from her bed told him she was not going to be distracted.

“Bernard, Daniel, and probably you in the morning,” he said finally. “And I’d be angry at myself, too. I didn’t bring you back here to have sex with you.”

“So don’t,” she said. “Just lie beside me in the bed. I’m quite sure you can manage that.”
”And I’m quite sure that I can’t,” he said. “There is no way I could share a bed with you and not make a move on you. And I am not going to take advantage of the fact that you’re a bit lost and lonely at the moment. It wouldn’t be right.”

The tone in his voice told her that there was no point in pushing harder. She was just going to have to put up with the tied hands. It was a pity. In terms of increasing her experience base, she had a feeling that Dominic Blake might be an even better tutor than he’d been in the ways of the monastery. But he wasn’t going to take advantage of her. Joely smiled to herself. Well, she might just have to take advantage of him instead.