Free MASTERED: (The Novel) by K.L. Silver

silent
prayer that it wouldn’t be the same driver as just a few short hours before . I'd
rather die on the spot than crawl into the backseat of that cab to die of
shame!
    Hurrying to the kitchen, she
gratefully reheated a to-go mug of day old coffee. She usually brewed fresh, of
course. But, that was on those more conventional mornings when extraordinary,
life-altering encounters didn’t transpire the evening before.
    She heard Christopher already
tap-tapping away, and figured he must be spreading the news of his college
acceptance. She had long worried about the momentous cost of tuition, and they
both did what they could to offset the inevitable. While student loans were already
in the works, Christopher had been delivering pizza since the day he
triumphantly got his driver's license. Conscientiously, he banked any and all
tips.
    Missy saved whatever meager
remnants her paycheck allowed. Sadly, all too often it was Christopher's tips
which accounted for the lion's share. His father would be contributing nothing
towards his son's bright future. Quite the contrary; he was a constant drain on
their meager resources.
    Luke's interests were short and
none too sweet: Pornography and alcohol, in any order. Third on the list was
accruing enough cash to indulge the first two. The end. This revered list excluded children - especially his own.
    Not that Luke hadn't been crystal
clear regarding his not wanting children. He had. Unfortunately, Missy was
allergic to oral contraceptives and Luke was irresponsible; two small details
that usually slipped his usually inebriated mind. Most frequently, this
occurred after his favorite watering holes closed. He would come home
slobbering drunk and horny. There was no reasoning with him.
    Thankfully, he lost all interest
in her when she 'accidentally' became pregnant. His only lingering attraction
to Missy revolved solely around her culinary skills. Luke had no qualms
whatsoever about sitting down shirtless at the dinner table with marks from
other women on his back.
    She left him shortly after
Christopher was born, and, of course, blamed herself. While she believed she
loved him when they married; she couldn't say for certain if she ever truly
had. She suspected that she married him merely to prove to herself and to the
world that she was 'normal'.
    Once, with her heart pounding,
Missy had offered to share one of her fantasies with her new husband. She
invited him to reciprocate. She fervently hoped that he might find her 'uniqueness'
of interest, at least.
    Instead, his response shattered
her. Luke told her he didn't have fantasies. Not only that, he wasn't the least
bit interested in hers. He served only to reinforce what she long suspected;
she was far from normal.
    Submissive...
    The taboo topic was never raised
again. The newlyweds engaged in silent, passionless sex. They did not make
love. The only sounds were Luke's guttural grunts as he sawed into her with his
eyes squeezed shut. His position of choice was missionary. He never inquired as
to hers.
    Not surprising, then, that he
never excited Missy sexually. Not even at the apex of his short-lived prime.
Instead, she masturbated regularly and successfully to the same wicked
fantasies of Dominance and submission that had always plagued her. When she
finally had enough of his abuse and left, he used the occasion as just another
excuse to get drunk and mean . Drunker and meaner . Nothing had changed to this day.
    Christopher didn't look up from
the computer when Missy tapped lightly and poked her head in. Best that he not
see the naked guilt which constituted her expression, in any case. Yes, she
wished she'd provided him an actual 'father' instead of simply a sperm donor.
But Luke had given her Christopher, and for that she would be forever grateful.
    Missy blew him a quick kiss, said
good morning and good-bye in the same breath, and turned to leave. Head down,
he asked, “How was your date last night, mom?” Before she could open her