A Rose by Any Another Name

I'm so sorry for the delay, been having some personal stuff going on so I haven't had a lot of time to write! It might take some time before I update, but I promise that the story isn't finished yet and (thanks to all of you) I WILL finish it! :)

*

The next morning I got a phone call from Kevin.

"He's here," he said, and I immediately understood who he was talking about.

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders even though I still had mixed feelings about this whole thing.

"Is he okay?" I asked. "Did he tell you where he's been?"

"He's a mess, Rose," he said quietly, probably so that Mike wouldn't hear him. "He has hardly told me anything but honestly, I haven't seen him like this in a really long time. He's afraid to talk to you because he thinks you want to break up with him. What the hell happened?"

"We got a two-year-old patient with seizures that we couldn't stop," I explained. "We did everything we could but he didn't make it."

"And Mike didn't take it too well," Kevin assumed.

"No, he didn't," I said. "He told me about Autumn and showed me some of her things that he had kept. I thought it went really well and he actually opened up to me, but something happened... It was like he closed up again. We had a fight and I left, and that's the last time I saw him."

"He thought you were going to break up with him and decided he would rather leave than have to deal with that," Kevin realized, putting two and two together.

"I can't believe he would do something like that," I said with disbelief.

"You mean everything to him," he told me. "But it doesn't matter. He's back now so you can just talk to him and assure him that you don't want to end things. Because you don't, right?"

Suddenly I felt a lump in my throat.

"I love him," I told Kevin. "Of course I want to be with him. But I did something stupid. You have to understand, he left me without a word and he didn't call me or anything. I thought it was his way of breaking up with

me

."

"What did you do?" he asked in a low voice.

I swallowed, wishing I could make things undone.

"I slept with someone," I whispered.

Kevin didn't say anything for a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity to me.

"You can't tell him," he finally said. "It will crush him."

"What if he finds out?" I asked. "He'll feel even more betrayed if I keep this from him and he finds out on his own."

"Why would he find out?" Kevin inquired. "You're not going to see that guy again, are you?"

"He's a friend," I explained, embarrassed. "But he won't tell anyone and nobody else knows, so you're right, I guess there is no way that Mike would find out. I just don't know if I can lie to him, Kevin."

"You have no idea how great it's been to see him with you," he said. "He's never been that happy since Autumn got sick. I don't know how you did it but you brought out the best of him and I just want to see that again. He's miserable, Rose. I'm not going to tell you to lie to him, but whatever you do, don't let him go."

"I won't," I said, trying to sound confident. "Will you tell him to come by my apartment today?"

"I'll take him myself if I have to."

After what seemed like forever, the doorbell finally rang and I immediately jumped up from the couch, eager to make things right and go back to normal. When I opened the door I saw Mike with an awkward smile and a big bouquet of roses in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't know what else to say. I don't know how to make up for it."

He held out the roses and I threw myself into his arms, burying my face in his neck and inhaling his earthy, masculine scent that brought back so many feelings and memories. He dropped the roses onto the floor and wrapped his arms around me tightly as if he never wanted to let go. He nuzzled his nose into my hair and I could feel the warmth of his breath against my scalp as I closed my eyes and tried to forget about all of our problems.

"It's okay," I said. "It doesn't matter."

"No, it's not okay," he answered. "I messed up. But I want you to know why I left."

"You don't have to explain anything," I told him. "The only thing that matters is that you're back."

He didn't say anything for a while, perhaps considering whether or not he should tell me. We just stood there, in the doorway, holding each other.

"I panicked," he finally said. "I tried to open up to you, and I don't regret it because I really wanted to, but suddenly I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore. Then you got upset and I lashed out, but when you left, all I could think about was how I had let you down and how you deserved a better boyfriend."

"Don't say that," I pleaded.

"I want you to know," he said. "I thought you were going to realize I wasn't worth it. I thought you were going to break up with me and I figured it would hurt less if I was the one who left. But it didn't help because I've been miserable anyway."

I looked at him and ran my fingers through his hair and down his cheeks. His beard had grown longer than usual and his eyes looked tired, as if he hadn't slept since he left.

"You should have talked to me," I said. "I love you, Mike. I'm not going to let your past get in our way, even if I get frustrated sometimes."

"So you'll take me back?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course I do," I said with a smile.

"I love you so much," he said and kissed me gently on my lips. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

For a brief second, I wondered if he would still feel that way if he knew I had slept with David while he was gone, but I didn't have time to think about it because he suddenly lifted me up in his arms and closed the door with his foot.

"Don't step on the roses!" I exclaimed. "We have to take care of them."

"We can do that later," he said, grinning. "I have something else in mind that is far more important."

"I wonder what that might be," I teased as he carried me into my bedroom and threw me onto the bed.

He slowly climbed on top of me, exaggerating every move, and my heart raced with anticipation as he gazed into my eyes with a ferocious look. He lowered his head as if he were about to kiss me but stopped right before his lips touched mine, making me moan with disappointment.

"I've missed you so much," he said in a low, seductive voice. "In fact, every time I managed to feel a little less miserable, all I could think about was how much I missed your big, beautiful ass and your wet little pussy."

He ran his fingers delicately across my stomach and up to my chest before he unbuckled my bra and slipped his hand underneath it, squeezing my breast. He pinched my nipple and rolled it between his thumb and his index finger and I cried out with both pleasure and pain. My pussy was already throbbing and aching for him to touch me but I knew he would tease me and make me wait until I thought I would go crazy if I had to wait one more second -- something I absolutely loved even though he made me suffer.

"We should probably buy some toys that we can keep at my place," I suggested, thinking about his nipple clamps, butt plugs, leather cuffs and floggers.

Mike looked at me and smirked.

"You don't think I can do this without toys?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before I had time to say anything, he pulled up my shirt and used it to cover my eyes.

"Don't move," he warned, and came back a few seconds later with another one of my shirts which he placed in my mouth and tied tightly around my head.

"All right," he said pensively. "We have a blindfold and a gag. What's missing?"

I didn't know if he expected me to answer his question but I couldn't say anything with my shirt in my mouth anyway so I lay still, waiting in nervous anticipation. When Mike took his belt off, I immediately recognized the sound and I knew what he was going to do next. He knew that dragging things out like this was sweet torture and that I loved every second of it, so he took his time.

"Take off your pants and get on your knees," he commanded, and I did as I was told. "Now lean forward. I want your head on the mattress and your ass in the air."

It was a vulnerable and slightly humiliating position, but the fact that I was so helpless and exposed made me so wet that a trail of my juices was already running down my inner thigh.

"You have no idea how much I've missed this ass," he said, softly caressing my butt cheeks. "It looks amazing, but I like it even better when it's red and warm, don't you?"

He ran his hand along my inner thigh.

"Already wet?" he asked, although it was more of a statement than a question. "It's almost like you don't need any foreplay, but I know how much you love it so I won't disappoint you."

All of a sudden, he lashed the belt against my ass and I startled, almost as if I had forgotten what it felt like to be spanked during the time he had been away. The following strikes weren't as bad but as he continued and my buttocks became increasingly sore, the pain and the burning sensation got more intense.

"How many do you think you deserve?" he asked, well aware of the fact that I couldn't answer. "Have you been a good girl while I was gone?"

I was extremely grateful that I couldn't say anything and tried my best to forget about the night before and only focus on Mike. Without a heads up, he thrust two fingers into my dripping pussy and slowly moved them in and out.

"Do you like that?" he asked. "Or would you prefer my cock?"

I moaned, wishing I could tell him that all I wanted was for him to shove his dick into me and fuck me hard, to pin me down and let me take it all while he used my body to satisfy his hunger for me.

"Don't worry," he said, as if he had read my mind. "You getting fucked is inevitable. The only question is how long I will make you wait."

He continued slamming his fingers in and out of my pussy while he spanked me with his bare hand, a combination that felt absolutely amazing, and I tried to push my ass as far up in the air as I could, as if that would increase the pleasure somehow. The burning sensation increased with every blow until the touch of his hand on my skin felt like fire, both hot and painful at the same time. I was getting more and more aroused as well, and although part of me wanted him to continue and make me come this way, I knew I would have to beg him to stop before the pain got stronger than I could handle. I don't know if he read my mind somehow or if he could tell I was getting close to my limit by the way my legs had started trembling and my breathing had become heavier, but he suddenly stopped and gently caressed my ass instead.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice, and I nodded. "If I find out you only said that to please me, you're going to be in so much trouble."

I smiled and slowly pressed my hips against his hand, filling my wet pussy with his fingers while deliberately letting out a small cry of pleasure.

"Fuck, Rose," he moaned, slipping out of his jeans. "You make me feel completely powerless, do you know that?"

He slammed his cock into me and I cried out again, much louder this time, as a wave of pleasure shot through my body without taking it all the way to the top.

"Your body, your eyes, your lips..." he continued. "Not to mention those sexy little moans and the way your pussy gets soaking wet when I tease you... It's like I'm under a spell. I'd do anything for you, anything to feel your soft skin against mine. I can't get enough of you."

I wanted to turn around, kiss him and let him know that I felt the same way about him, but he held me in place with a firm grip around my hips, forcefully thrusting his cock in and out of me. My ass, which was already sore from the spanking, burned every time he slammed his hips forward and my legs quivered from all the intensely erotic sensations I was experiencing at once.

"Lie on your stomach," he commanded, pressing my hips down onto the mattress before thrusting his cock into me again.

A muffled moan escaped my lips as I tried to spread my legs open wide, welcoming the sudden intrusion.

"I didn't say you were allowed to move," Mike warned.

Before I had time to react, he pinned my legs down with his own and dropped his full weight on me, making it impossible to move.

"You like this, don't you?" he asked, pulling on my very sensitive nipple.

I cried out as he pinched it even harder.

"I asked you a question," he said sternly. "The fact that you have something in your mouth doesn't mean that you can't give me an answer to a simple question. Is that clear?"

I nodded.

"Good," he said. "Now, let's try it again. You like this, don't you? You like lying on your stomach, getting fucked with me on top of you, knowing that you can't go anywhere until I'm done with you. Am I right?"

I swallowed and nodded again. How was it possible that he always knew what I was thinking, before I had even realized it myself? I loved it when he talked to me that way, even though I couldn't figure out why. It didn't make any sense to me to enjoy being humiliated and demeaned, yet there I was, horny as hell while he mocked me. The entire situation turned me on; the thought of him being so attracted to me that he was unable to control himself, the way he used my body for his own pleasure and the fact that he somehow made me admit to my most secret desires -- things that I would never dare to say out loud, let alone reveal to anyone else.

"You are so sexy, Rose," Mike said in a low voice while moving his hips up and down rhythmically. "Do you know what the best part is? You're mine. Only mine. I get to do exactly what I want with this beautiful body."

In that moment, I would probably have let him do anything to me. I loved the thought of being his, of belonging to him.

"You like that, don't you?" he asked as if he had read my mind. "You like being mine. You like that I can do anything I want to you, whatever I need to satisfy my hunger."

He slammed his cock into me harder as he said the last words, making me moan loudly as my arousal grew.

"I asked you a question," he snapped, grabbing some of my hair in his fist and giving it a hard tug.

I nodded in response but he slowly pulled my head backward and kept it there in a firm grip.

"You need to learn to answer when I ask you a question," he whispered into my ear. "From now on, I want to hear 'yes, Sir' or 'no, Sir,' and if you're gagged I want you to nod or shake your head. If you forget one more time, I'll spank you, and it won't be the fun and light kind of spanking. Is that clear?"

I nodded, intimidated and extremely turned on at the same time.

"Good," he said and pushed my head onto the bed. "Now turn around."

I rolled over on my back and he removed the shirt that was covering my eyes.

"We never decided on a safesign," he said. "I'm going to try something new and I want you to tap my arm three times if you want me to stop. Three times and I'll let go immediately. All right?"

I nodded, eager to find out what he was going to do. He thrust his cock inside me again, wrapped his hands around my neck and tightened his grip until I could hardly breathe. I closed my eyes as he forcefully slammed his cock deeper and deeper into me and let out a small moan of pleasure.

"Look at me," he ordered.

I opened my eyes and he gazed into them with a look of intense concentration before he released my neck.

"Don't forget the safesign in case you need it," he reminded me and I nodded.

He put his hands back around my throat and squeezed, harder this time, until I couldn't breathe at all. His firm grip kept me in place as his cock plunged in and out of my pussy and I realized that this might just be the sexiest thing I had ever done. He looked at me passionately, his eyes darker than usual and boiling over with desire, but there was also a hint of concern in his look, as if he was trying to protect me from something. He loosened his grip for a little while, allowing me to take a few deep breaths before wrapping his hand around my throat again.

"Do you like this?" he asked. "Do you like the way my hand feels around your throat?"

I looked deeply into his eyes and nodded. I loved it -- all of it; the passion, the roughness, the vulnerability and the way it turned him on. He tightened his grip until I couldn't breathe while he fucked me desperately, and I just lay there, getting more and more aroused. Several seconds went by and I placed my hand on his arm in an attempt to gain some control over the situation even though I knew I wasn't strong enough to stop him if he went too far.

"You know the safesign," he said and I nodded. "Do you want me to let go?"

I shook my head, partly because I found the defenseless situation I was in extremely sexy, and partly because I didn't want to disappoint him by giving up too fast. I knew he loved being in control, but I was also starting to realize that I loved giving it to him just as much.

"I don't know if you're good at holding your breath or just really stubborn," he said, raising an eyebrow, and loosened his grip around my neck, allowing me to breathe again.

I couldn't help but smile at his comment, and when he saw my reaction he leaned over and tucked my untamed hair behind my ear.

"But I'm always up for a challenge," he whispered, sending shivers down my spine.

He wrapped both hands around my neck and slowly shifted his weight forward, gradually increasing the pressure on my throat until, once again, I was unable to breathe. He looked me in the eyes while repeatedly thrusting his cock deep into my pussy as if he wanted to make it clear that he could do whatever he pleased with me, and his barely visible smile revealed that he knew I was enjoying it just as much as he was.

As Mike's hands tightened around my throat, I started seeing black spots in front of my eyes and a wave of dizziness washed over me, kind of like a euphoric high or an adrenaline rush. Even though part of me was curious to find out what would happen if I waited a little more, I reached for his arm and he let go of my neck before I had even touched him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You almost dozed off."

I smiled and nodded, reassuring him that I had enjoyed it. I found it both amusing and comforting that he never stopped putting my pleasure first, no matter how authoritative he was. Of course, he could snap out of his thoughtful mood as fast as he got into it and go back to being the strict and dominating man who made my heart jump and my limbs quiver with desire every time he spoke to me.

"I think you like breath control a bit too much," he said in a dark, seductive voice as he slowly pulled out of me. "It makes me think we should probably move onto something else for a while."

His teeth dug into my lower lip and I moaned loudly as he sucked on it with just the right pressure to make me close my eyes and forget about everything. I wanted him between my legs, his fingers inside my wet pussy as he pinned me down, teasing my sensitive clit with his tongue, licking and sucking on it with voracious ferocity. Our lips parted and he slowly moved down, his fingers trailing over my stomach. He was deliberately taking his time and every second felt like sweet torture, arousing me and making me suffer at the same time. He continued stroking my hips and my thighs, and when I felt the warm touch of his hand at my groin I opened my legs, revealing what I was longing for him to do.

"When will you learn?" he hissed, grabbing my legs and closing them again. "If I want you to move your legs, I'll let you know. Do you think you can finally start following my directions?"

My cheeks turned crimson and I nodded.

"It's only going to take longer if you don't," he stated. "This is sexy as hell. Believe me when I say I could continue teasing you like this forever."