The Fool

Authors Note: Thank you once again to everyone who leaves comments and feedback on my writing, it is much appreciated. Thank you very much to Paul who continues to be my second set of eyes, he is a great friend to help me out so much. I hope you enjoy it. ~ellie

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The Fool Ch. 10

If she had wings.

Although she had seen him several times with the intention of talking to him directly about the things Edith had said, Carrie had been unable to find a time when she and William were alone together. She'd been honest but frugal with the information she'd given Sinclair about her time with her grandmother. He'd been unsurprised that Grant had been Jordan's contact with Edith and the family, reminding her that they had guessed that was the case a while ago. He'd pressed her about why her father was staying in London, and, honestly, she didn't know and couldn't tell him that. She'd also lamented that he seemed to be avoiding spending any time alone with her and she wanted to ask him herself why he was staying in London rather than returning home.

"Don't forget, you promised me today, all day." Sinclair reminded her again when her phone buzzed to life as they drove in early morning darkness.

"How could I possibly forget with all your reminders," she groaned, reaching for the phone.

"Hello," Carrie laughed lightly into the phone as Sinclair gave her a long-suffering look and turned back to the road.

"Good morning, Carrington," William's deep voice sounded in her ear.

"William!" Carrie exclaimed. "Good morning."

"I apologise for calling so early, but my breakfast meeting cancelled, and I wondered if you would like to meet with me at my hotel this morning, perhaps spend time together today." William invited.

"Oh, I would have liked that. I have wanted to have some father and daughter time with you. You know, just the two of us, but I am about thirty minutes outside London at the moment, and even if I hadn't promised to spend the day with Sinclair, I doubt I could make it back in time," she apologised for over-explaining her reasons why she couldn't have breakfast with him.

"That is unfortunate. I hadn't thought you'd be having a day away from the museum with the exhibition not far away now," he mused.

"Sinclair feels very strongly about celebrating our first Valentine's Day together, so he's dragging me away from all distractions, and by the look on his face I am about to lose my phone as well," she laughed lightly again.

"Well, I won't keep you then. Perhaps if you are amenable to having a day away from the museum you could accompany me to meet a family friend on Friday," he suggested. "The trip would give us some time together to talk, and it wouldn't hurt for you to meet a member from my side of your family."

"I would love that!" Carrie gushed. "Send me the details and I will make sure I can get the time from work. My team is amazing; they could probably do the exhibition without me. Not that I want them to know that."

"I will do that. Enjoy your day," William said, and hung up before she had even begun to say goodbye.

"So, you just made a date with another man while I am sitting right here?" Sinclair teased.

"On Valentine's Day too," she laughed.

They turned off the highway and drove further into the countryside, and, as the first rays of the sun peaked over the horizon, Sinclair helped Carrie from the car and into the basket of a hot air balloon. They had a champagne breakfast and took in the views of the patchwork countryside dotted by small villages.

"It's beautiful, seeing the world like this," Carrie said softly.

"You're beautiful," Sinclair murmured, bending to kiss her.

Carrie returned the kiss, and although she had become easier with Sinclair's compliments and affection, romantic moments like this still made her uncomfortable, and she extended the kiss rather than having to acknowledge his compliment.

"Where are we going?" she asked once the kiss had ended and she looked out at the countryside again.

"Oh, the places we will go!" he said, quoting Dr Seuss with a smile and regretting it, seeing her confused frown as she looked at him. "I guess your mother never let you read Dr Seuss books when you were little?"

"I know who cat in the hat is," she said in frustration and rolled her eyes at him. "I didn't have a totally deprived childhood."

"The places we will go is just another of his books, one of my childhood favourites. I always wanted to see the world," he explained.

"I guess you made that dream come true," she laughed.

"There are still a few places on my list of things to see. What about you? Any unfulfilled childhood dreams?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"I wanted to be a warrior princess," she laughed.

"I'd say you've got that down," he chuckled with her.

Carrie was about to argue the fact that she was not a princess, and nor was he a prince that could change that fact, but decided to let it go. She had promised him an argument free day of her time and attention, and she didn't want to ruin it by fighting so early in the morning.

"You didn't answer my question," she accused.

"You're right, I didn't," he grinned and kissed her again.

Some time later the balloon landed briefly in a field and Sinclair helped Carrie from the basket. As the balloon soared skyward again, Carrie looked around seeing no sign of life anywhere. Rather than voicing her concerns, she looked to Sinclair and raised one eyebrow.

"Trust me," he grinned and took her hand. As they walked, Sinclair picked wildflowers, threading them together by the stems into a garland which he eventually placed on her head. "Even Warrior Princesses need a crown," He smiled softly and kissed her lightly.

They had walked quite a distance from the landing site before she saw the small stand of trees as they crested a small hill. Two men on horseback looked up and waved in their direction before turning and riding off after Sinclair returned their wave.

Curiously, Carrie let him lead her down to the small stand of trees and gasped in surprise as she took in the blankets and pillows that decorated the small sheltered alcove made by the trees. Sun dappled down through the leaves creating spots of dancing light on the soft furnishings. She was enchanted and happily let Sinclair lead her to a place amongst the cushions and folded her legs to sit.

"Coffee, tea, or me?" Sinclair grinned, indicating a basket holding several thermoses and freshly baked treats. "We won't be disturbed here," he answered her silent question as she looked around.

"Then I'll take option three," she laughed, and for the first time that day took the lead, almost pouncing on him and knocking him back to the cushion floor of the clearing.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he smirked and smacked her ass. He began to unbutton her blouse as he kissed her again. Pushing down the cup of her bra to reveal her breast while keeping it lifted within the structure of the garment, he lowered his head to tease her nipple and helped her to remove his jeans as she fumbled with the belt and buttons.

Carrie gasped as she felt his hand slide up her thigh and under her heavy skirt, and she wrapped her hand around his cock and stroked it. Her breath quickly became ragged as he rolled her to her back, pressing up against her side as he gave both nipples equally aggressive attention. His fingers worked their way into her as his thumb settled over her clit, and she arched her back, climbing to a high that broke over her, making her cry out into the empty countryside.

Her hand gripped his cock tightly, making him grimace as she came. Rolling her still shaking body to her tummy, he pulled her hips up and pushed her legs beneath her. Giving her no time to reorientate herself, he smacked her ass and thrust into her. He fucked her brutally, leaning over her body to grab her hanging breasts and crush them in his large hands. Her cries of pain and pleasure sung out, and he groaned loudly, feeling his cum pump into her, leaving him feeling exhilarated. He collapsed back onto the blanket and guided the still quivering Carrie down his body to use her wonderful mouth on his cock so they could relive this moment at a slower pace.

In the last months, their lovemaking had become softer, less aggressive, and more about mutual pleasure than the fight for domination. He knew, though, that she needed that fight for dominance, and to make any man who thought to tame her work for everything she gave. He knew that deep within she enjoyed the pain that came with the fight and the eroticism of the forced submission of the conquered.

She was adventurous and open-minded about every kink he had used with her, and, although he hadn't gone to extremes with any of it, he was yet to find the limits of her willingness to endure and enjoy erotic pain for him at the end of those battles of will. Today he intended to push those limits without the initial battle of wills. To give her that erotic pain, just because they both wanted it, not because she needed to be punished. He knew now that her need for punishment somehow stemmed back to Robin's assertion that she had never been strong enough, smart enough, or beautiful enough to fit her mother's criteria for her role as the fool.

He moaned, closing his eyes, feeling her talented mouth work on him, and his semi erect cock begin to stiffen again. She wasn't masochistic, like some of the pain sluts he had known, but she was strong enough to take what he gave her and ask for more. To the outside world she was a confident, talented and strikingly beautiful woman. He now knew this was a façade and had fallen madly, deeply and passionately in love with the shy and insecure woman who craved control in her world and fell apart when surprised by unforeseen events, though she rarely let that side show.

She was more than beautiful to him, intelligent and strong-minded. She was loyal, good and kind. She submitted after a battle of wills, not because she was the weaker one, but because she was strong enough to know the bliss that came with that exchange of power. He had been overjoyed when he had seen her first real display of submission after the battle at Diablo's club. He hadn't been sure until that moment that her appearance at Diablo's side had extended to sexual submission. He had pictured her as being the high maintenance type of girlfriend, full of demands and retribution if those demands were not met.

He ran his fingers through Carrie's hair as she sucked his cock so beautifully. He'd slept with many beautiful submissive women, but they paled in comparison to being with the woman he loved in the way he needed to love her. He leant up on an elbow, watching her for a few minutes longer, then pulled her head off his cock by the hair. Her open mouth left strands of saliva hanging in the air between her lips and his raging cock.

"The basket, drag it closer!" he commanded, not releasing his grip on her hair and enjoying the indecision on her face as she battled her need to fight him for the dominance his commanding tone implied. He had made her make several promises about today, and he smirked as she argued with herself about having agreed to accept whatever he asked of her as her Valentine's Day present to him. His excitement and enthusiasm for being her first Valentine and the planning she knew he had put into this day had made her willingly agree to his terms and promise not to argue or battle him for the complete twenty-four hours that was the fourteenth of February.

Carrie winced as her hair pulled tighter when she moved to comply with his command. She dragged it forward and to his side where he could easily reach it.

"Perfect," he gave her a toothy smile. He sat up, wedging a cushion behind his back to lean against a tree, then he pulled her forward slightly to kiss her before guiding her head back down to his cock.

Carrie shivered in the cool air as he removed her shirt and bra, but, aside of lifting her arms when necessary, did not move from her place between his legs to grab a blanket to ease the winter chill. She felt, rather than saw him pull her arms behind her, and the tight leather cuffs that wrapped around her arms just above her elbows, pushing her chest out as her shoulders were drawn back. She kept her eyes down, only looking up occasionally through her dark lashes as he moved above her to undo her skirt and pull it off to toss it with the rest of her clothes beside the damp panties that had been discarded long ago.

Sinclair rearranged the pillows behind him and reclined back again, making her gurgle loudly as he bucked his hips up into her mouth and gripped her hair, holding her down. After long moment's he pulled her off his cock and dragged her forward, helping her to settle over his cock. He moaned as he felt the slick velvet walls of her pussy slowly envelop him.

"Oh, yeah, just like our first night together," he murmured, picking up a crop from where it lay beside him. He flicked the flat leather end at her nipple and she squealed, tensing and bucking slightly. Sinclair felt all of it and groaned. "Now for the riding lesson I hinted might be part of today's activities," he said, his voice thick with arousal. He flicked the end of the crop at her nipples several more times before landing it hard across both breasts leaving a long red welt.

"You never hinted at anything to do with today!" Carrie cried out, her eyes misting with the tears she knew would come, as the so-called riding lesson continued. A small part of her mind registered that he had asked her casually if she could ride about a week ago, but she hadn't registered the importance of the question at the time. Pain lanced into her thoughts as the crop landed on her breasts, and she blinked as her body responded to the punishment he dished out.

"Giddyap!" Sinclair commanded, and landed the crop again, making her shudder and cry out as she began to lift and lower herself slowly on and off his cock. He went back to flicking at her hard nipples, mesmerised by the bounce of her breasts and how beautiful they looked dancing unfettered before his eyes. The crop landed again, and errant tears fell to her cheeks as she dropped onto him hard and ground into him, crying out.

He dropped the crop then and reached up, grabbing both of her breasts and forcing her to lean forward as he moved to catch a nipple between his teeth. "Ride!" he growled as he bit into her and slapped her ass with the now free hand.

Without her arms to balance her, Carrie felt it was almost impossible to fuck him in this position. Then she felt his hand steady her hip, and he began to move from below her, bucking up into her and fucking her as his teeth tortured her nipples. Eventually, he pushed her back up to a sitting position and settled both his hands on her hips. The orgasm she felt building, she knew would be earth shattering, and, as he growled at her to ride again, she began moving up and down as hard and fast as she could.

Satisfied that she was riding as best she could without his help, he moved his hands back to her breasts, lashing out and slapping them as they bounced with her movements. "Fuck!" he roared, feeling her orgasm milk at his cock. She collapsed on top of him, and he wrapped his arms around her. Sinclair held her like that for a long time, his cock softening and sliding from her long before he was ready to release her from his arms and the restraints.

"I could stay here with you like this forever," he said quietly, looking into her tear stained face. He heard her sigh contentedly and kissed any words she might have said in response away. When he let her catch her breath again, she looked at him with a soft smile.

"If only we could, but we have to go back to reality eventually. Probably before we both freeze to death out here," she nuzzled into his neck and kissed him. With an unhappy groan, he released her arms from the restraints and pulled a blanket tightly around her, then he sat up and pulled a thermos from the basket.

"So, what now?" Carrie asked, running her fingers through her tousled hair and accepting a hot mug of tea from Sinclair. "Now that we've established that it's a bit too chilly to spend the day naked and at one with nature," she sipped the hot brew, feeling it warm her from the inside.

"What? That was plan A, so I suppose we should go with plan B, then, if you're sure you don't want to brave the elements with me, I can think of several ways to keep you warm out here," he smirked at her.

"Plan B sounds far more preferable to freezing to death between bouts of hot sex," she laughed.

"In that case, you'll need these," he said, digging to the bottom of the basket and bringing out a pair of her old comfortable jeans that she hadn't noticed were missing, as well as a fresh blouse and jacket.

"What? No underwear?" she laughed, overcoming her shock that he had packed fresh clothes for her.

"Give me a minute," he grumbled, rooting around in the bottom of the basket again and came up with a Victoria's Secret bag which held a scarlet red matching set of underwear decorated with a Valentines motif.

"I thought we said no gifts?" Carrie queried.

"No, what I said was that I didn't want you to buy a gift for me because I wanted your obedience and compliance as my gift today," Sinclair corrected. "That's more of a gift for me anyway," he chuckled, indicating the lingerie.

"Well, it will match the marks you left on my body," she teased.

"That was a gift for me as well," he smirked in the way he knew got under her skin, as if daring her to break her promise and argue with him.

"So this is how it's going to be? On my birthday, will you buy me gifts that are really for your enjoyment?" she teased again.

"I hadn't planned it, but now that you mention it, what a great idea!" he said with a perfectly straight face.

As if on cue, the men on horseback returned just as she had redressed and accepted another steaming mug of tea. This time they were leading two other horses. With a groan about more riding lessons, Carrie mounted a placid grey mare and thanked the two gentlemen for their assistance before turning and galloping away. She had no idea if she was going in the right direction, but she was sure that as soon as Sinclair caught up to her, he would let her know.

"We're heading to that forest over there," Sinclair pointed as he caught up with her and galloped ahead as if it was a race now.

Carrie kicked her horse on and followed him blindly, keeping her eyes on his back as she followed him toward the edge of the forest. He slowed near the forest edge and turned, realising she had caught up, and began to pick his way carefully through the marked trail.

"This is Sherwood Forest," Sinclair said over his shoulder to her. "Like you, Robin Hood and his merry men liked to rob the rich and give to the poor."

"No, I like to return missing items to their rightful owners," she qualified her business plan for the legitimate business she ran with Jordan.

"So did Robin Hood, it was just that it took the form of the taxes he liberated," he argued the semantics. "It's all a matter of perspective," he added as they rode through the quiet forest path. "The forest used to be much bigger, stretching almost all the way to Nottingham; now it's an hour's drive between the two places."

"Are we going to Nottingham?" Carrie asked curiously.

"Eventually, but first we are going to the market town of Mansfield," he smiled, enjoying the luxury of having her to himself and being in control of their actions and movements.

"Mansfield? Are there dubious links to your family that I should know about?" she asked.

"Happy coincidence, but the town lies pretty much at the heart of what used to be the much larger Sherwood Forest. It's more like a city these days, but it's on the route, so we'll be stopping here for a little bit of sightseeing and change of transportation," he said enigmatically, not telling her the full outline of his plans for this part of the world.