Page 1

Almost a Year Ago

The gun shook in Monique's hand. She had never fired one before – today should not be that day.

"You don't get to play games anymore." Although her heart thumped in her chest, she had to be steady, cool. For the first time in her life, Monique must appear that she was in complete control before her nightmare.

A dozen pairs of eyes were on her. Jamie, the woman she was trying to protect, and Jacqueline Love, the awful sack of shit who called herself Monique’s girlfriend, her Domme, her Mistress… they were the only ones that mattered. Jamie, scared out of her wits, and Jacqueline, who didn't believe in a million years her demure submissive would ever shoot her.

"Now, my pet, that is a dangerous weapon you have there. You should put it down and give it to me."

The bitch actually held out her hand.She can't be serious.After so many years together... after all Jacqueline had given her… after all she had done to Monique… she thought she couldsay a few nice words and Monique would back down? What kind of broken spine did Jacqueline think she had?

"Don't you dare ever call me your pet again. You don't deserve to call me that. You lost that privilege when you began hurting me." The gun was hot against Monique’s skin. She hadn't even fired it, and she already anticipated the burn of revenge.

"Hurting you? What are you talking about?"

Monique's lip trembled. Don't cry in front of her!How many times had Jacqueline made her cry? "I don't have to tell you. You know damn well what you have done. I may be submissive, but I'm still a human being. I'm not sure about you anymore. I don't think you're human at all."

"Monique." A few yards away Etta, a friend and the person who had come to take Jamie away from this terrifying situation, slowly approached. "This isn't necessary. Let's go."

Somehow, Etta coaxed the gun out of Monique’s hand, emptying it and showing how serious she had been as each bullet clattered to the floor.I would have done it.Monique’s lip continued to tremble.This woman stole my life. She would continue stealing the lives of other women until someone put her down.

Etta took both terrified women by the hand and drew them toward the front door of Jacqueline's lavish mansion, the place Monique had called home for years. She also called it her prison. This wasn't what she had in mind for a jailbreak.

"You both will be nothing but whores for the rest of your lives!" Jacqueline called after them. "You may not be our whores, but women like you can't help themselves. You will always be somebody's whore!" Monique never expected it, but she was content with Etta going up and punching the fucker right in the face.

"There must be something we can do..."

"She’s too powerful. It's their word against hers. That lawyer of Jacqueline’s will do everything in his power to discredit Ms. Grant, especially. She pulled a gun. They'll get her for being mentally ill, at best."

"Do you have any idea what she did to Monique?"

"I saw the bruises, Ms. Coleman. They would claim it's a result of their lifestyle."

"That's not BDSM. That's abuse."

"Even so..."

"I'll testify against her myself."

"I can tell you care for these women very much, Ms. Coleman, but I'm afraid it will never be that simple. As your lawyer, this is my advice. Drop it."

One day passed. Two days passed. Soon enough, a month had passed, and Monique had no idea how to live life on her own. Funny thing, being in a relationship with a Domme like Jacqueline for so long. She had controlled every aspect of Monique’s life. She liked it, at first. It was welcoming and suited her wishes for that kind of relationship. Except the queen transformed into a dragon over the years. The words, the smacks that were more pain than pleasure, and then the…

Other people would ask why she didn't leave sooner. Wasn't Monique strong enough? Didn't she know her worth?Love. She stayed for love. As toxic as Jacqueline had been, she wasMonique’s Mistress… and Monique wanted nothing more from life than to love and serve her Mistress.

Now she was broken. A sub without a Mistress. Sure, she could move far away from Jacqueline. Sure, she could rely on friends with connections for a while. And, sure, she could open her own business and stay busy… but her thoughts would always go back to that woman, and her heart would always pine, hope, and dream.

Monique wanted to believe that there was something better out there. A better life, a better love…

Wasn't that the same thing?

Part 1

Pursued

Chapter 1

Rose Vines