by Jamie Knight
“Order up room service,” he suggested, “and eat while I shower.”
Yes, sir, almost crossed my lips a second time, but I stopped it. That part of the pretending was over. I just nodded.
Ray gave me one last glance and then turned to go shower. It took all my will power to not join him, but I knew it was for the best. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.
Chapter Twenty - Ray
Returning to work at McKenzie Tech after Eileen and I’s crazy weekend felt odd, but odd in a good way. There was a bit more bounce in my step and I found myself humming—something I never do—but I couldn’t help myself. I was just so happy. I had proven to my uncle that I deserved his fortune. Eileen had really manned the stage at the Leather and Lace Ball, and I was thinking that she was almost to admitting that she liked it. Sure, there was the oddity that I now had to pretend to be her fiancé for a few weeks, but that wasn’t s bad. Part of me found that just as intriguing as the rest.
As I stepped onto the office elevator and wove my way through the workers to the back, I thought about how I would feel as a married man. I had never really thought about it before. Usually, I just took a lover or a pet and was with her until one of us got bored. A long-term commitment wasn’t something I had really done.
I straightened my tie and pulled at my cuffs to make sure my look was perfect. The cuff links were new, a pair that Eileen had insisted I buy in Vegas. They looked like large, flat pearl buttons. I liked the way they shimmered against the light blue of my dress shirt.
Suddenly, an itch started at the back of my mind. What if I made this commitment to Eileen for real and she admitted that she didn’t like being my pet? What would I do then? Maybe it was better to just pretend to be fiancés then to actually make the plunge. I frowned to myself and got off the elevator on the executive floor.
My office was just as I had left it, except for a new stack of mail pilled on the left side of my desk. Mondays were always filled with mail that had piled up over the weekend. I set down my briefcase, unbuttoned my suit coat and took a seat; my eyes falling onto a large manila envelope at the bottom of the mail pile.
I put a finger on it and pulled it from the rest of the mail. There was nothing written on the outside, no address or return address. Strange. It must have come from inside the office. I knew it wasn’t a report, all reports at McKenzie Tech were digital these days.
Taking in in hand, I pushed my finger through the envelope and ripped open the top. Inside was a few large eight by ten photographs. Curious, I pulled them out of the envelope. When I realized what they were of, my fingers slipped, and the photos fell down onto my desk.
It was a set of black and white pictures of Eileen and I having sex onstage at the Leather and Lace Ball. Her mask had been pushed up a bit and you could tell plainly who she was. There was no note or comment with the pictures; nothing written on the backs.
Who would send this? I wondered, and why? Was it just someone who saw the show and wanted me to have some cute souvenirs? Eileen did look sexy in the photos. Her mouth was slightly open in ecstasy as if she was just about to come. The thought gave me shivers.
Trying to ignore the strange pictures, I put them back into the envelop and pushed it to the side of my desk. I turned on my computer and got my mind ready for work. I had a major financial report due soon that I had been putting it off for a while now. My mind really hadn’t been on my work lately and that needed to change.
I signed into the financial apps for McKenzie Tech’s holdings, checked our stocks and the profit and loss statements. There was a flash of something at the bottom of my computer screen. Another app had been activated and was blinking for my attention.
“What the hell?” I muttered to myself.
The blinking app was Watercooler, the McKenzie Tech staff chat program. No one contacted me this way. I wasn’t a computer chat kind of guy. If I was going to talk to one of my team I would go down there and talk to them face to face.
My breath caught. Maybe it was Eileen. Maybe she was sending a dirty message or picture. Feeling a bit of excitement, I clicked on the blinking app and watched as a window opened on my computer screen.
The screen name of the person contacting me wasn’t one I recognized. Most of the staff just used their real names, but some got cutesy. This one said: Big Daddy. That seemed inappropriate for work and an odd choice for Eileen.
The message was one word: Liar.
Okay. Probably not Eileen.
Who is this? I typed.
Someone who knows you. The real you.
What the fuck does that mean?
I know that you are a liar and a fake.
Not sure what to say. I didn’t respond. I wasn’t quite sure what this mystery person was talking about.
After a few seconds, the person started typing again: Did you get my pictures?
Yes. So?
My fingers slid across the desk and found the manila envelope.
You may like them, but I bet others wouldn’t. Like your pet…
Are you trying to blackmail me?
I’m not trying.
I closed my fist and slammed it into the top of my desk. What was this fucker’s problem?
Swallowing the knot I had in my throat, I typed: What do you want?
Tell the truth and admit that what you have coming to you, you don’t deserve. Because you’re not a real dom and she’s not your real pet.
Who the fuck was this person? They had to be an employee at McKenzie Tech to be able to access Watercooler and no one here even knew about this weekend. Or at least no one that I knew about. Was there a disgruntled employee or former employee in the audience Saturday night? And how did they know about the deal I made with Eileen or why?
Who the fuck is this? I typed. I’m going to get you fired. I do not take well to being threatened.
The person on the other side of the keyboard started typing that they were laughing at me.
Figure it out and quick. That’s not the only copy of those pictures I have. And I’m sure there will be other interested parties.
A soft knock on my door pulled my attention away from the computer screen. Quickly I closed the Watercooler App. and told whoever was knocking to come in.
Eileen poked her head around the door; a tight frown was on her face. My heart sped up in worry. Had she received an envelope too?
Hoping that she didn’t, I put a big smile on my face and turned my chair towards her.
“To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure, pet?”
She didn’t flinch at the nickname at all and I felt pleased. I waved for her to come inside and close the door behind her.
“Ray, I’m worried…” she started, then pursed her lips and slipped down into the chair that sat in front of my desk.
Her long legs folded in front of her, giving me ample skin to look at. My eyes wandered up to her thighs and I was reminded of a few days ago when she was sitting just right so that I could catch a glimpse of her panties. I started to wonder if she did that on purpose. The thought made me smile, I hoped so.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked her in my most soothing voice.
“I’m worried about you meeting my brothers and father, honestly.”
“I’ve met them.”
“No, but as my fiancé. They are going to have all sorts of questions and expect us to act a certain way.”
“Eileen, you helped me get through one of the toughest things in my life. I can act any way I need to to help you get through this.”
She frowned at me. “It was crazy for me to say what I said to Sarah. I was just so embarrassed about how I was dressed and what we had been doing.” Her angelic face was pinched together, and she put a hand up to her for forehead.
I could feel my body shaking. Did she really hate doing the show? At the time it had really looked like she was enjoying herself, but since then, all she said about it was that it was embarrassing.
I frowned and clasped my hands together. “What would make you feel more confident about tomorrow?” I asked.
She looked up at me with her golden eyes wide and then looked down again. “Oh, this is going to sound stupid.”
“Just tell me.” I reached out and took one of her hands in mine.
Her full lips tipped up into a smile, but her eyes still looked worried.
“Well, it would help if we had a ring.”
“An engagement ring?”
“Yes, can we rent one or buy one and then return it later?”
She leaned forward and I traced a pattern up her arm with my fingertips. Her skin started to get goosebumps. “Of course, Eileen. Let’s be bad today…”
I leaned forward too, looking directly into her honey-colored eyes. Her eyes went wide, and her lips pulled together.
“Oh?” she breathed. “What do you mean?”
I liked the way her breath sped up at my touch. It made me want to touch her more.
“Let’s blow off work today and go ring shopping.”
“Oh!” she squealed, sitting back in her chair. “Oh really, Ray?! You mean it?”
I stood up and buttoned my suit coat. “Yes, go grab your things and meet me downstairs. I’ll just put us both in for some sick time. I’ll explain to anyone who asks that you came up here to ask me a question and realized that you caught the flu somewhere. And I did to.”
She giggled and was out the door in a second.
When I glanced back at my computer, the Watercooler App. was blinking again. The blackmailer was trying to get my attention. I ignored it, stuffed the envelope holding the black and white pictures into my briefcase, and headed out the door to forget that this morning had ever happened.
Chapter Twenty-One - Ray
Engagement ring shopping with Eileen went well and was very fun. We found a ring that we could rent at an antique jewelry store I frequented and knew the owner, but only after trying every other shop in the area. I had planned on going to this store the whole time, but taking Eileen to try on ring after ring, sifting our fingers through diamonds, and seeing what shapes and styles she preferred was really enjoyable. Her eyes would glow as she looked at all the gems and it pleased me. She and I always had a fun time shopping together, especially for jewelry.
The engagement ring we ended up with was smaller than I would have liked, just a one carat princess-cut, and I really thought it wasn’t what Eileen wanted. She seemed to prefer square cut gems with accent stones for a splash of color. But she was trying to be practical and pick the one ring she knew we could rent. I tried to argue with her and get her to buy something she liked—money really wasn’t a problem—but she wouldn’t be swayed. However, once the ring was on her finger Eileen smiled so much that she positively glowed, so in the end it was fine with me.
Part of me wanted to spend the evening with Eileen, to try and test the limits of her resolve to not have sex again, but there was something I needed to do first. Uncle Ronnie was back from Vegas and I wanted to see what the old man thought of Eileen and I’s performance. I was hoping that he was proud.
I felt like a bit of a star when I walked into The Dark Club Monday night. Most of the usual club goers had been to the Leather and Lace Ball and knew who I was during the performance. Reclaiming the club’s star status as the leading BDSM club in the nation meant a lot to them as well as to my uncle. People stopped me to shake my hand or compliment me on my performance. It was overwhelming, but in a good way.
There were the usual girls who tried to look alluring or catch my eye, but I didn’t even have to pretend to look this time. They weren’t Eileen. They didn’t hold a candle to her. No one would, ever.
I pulled myself away from my adoring fans and took the stars two at a time. The door to Uncle Ronnie’s office was open. He was expecting me, but I knocked softly anyway.
“Come in, kid.”
Ronnie looked frailer then he had before. Perhaps the trip to Vegas and the flight had been too much for him. He was hunched in his desk chair, which he had pulled up to the window that looked onto the Dark Club’s dance floor. There was a cane, one that I had never seen before, clutched in his boney hands.
He didn’t look at me. He kept his eyes on the dancing figures silhouetted in the flashing lights behind the window.
I eased into the chair in front of his desk and leaned back, feeling happier than I had in a long time.
Ronnie rubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t shaved, something that was very not like him, and there was rough black stubble on his chin.
“Got me a hospice nurse,” he muttered, still not looking at me. “The agency sent her over today to help comfort me in this dying process.”
I sat up straight, suddenly reminded of what was really going on here. This was the end of my uncle’s life. Whatever blissful cloud I was on, he was on a very different one.
“She’s probably in her late twenties, this nurse,” he continued. “Vanessa. She is supposed to stay with me day and night at my house. Wears those scrubs things—look like loose pajamas—but you can still tell. Girl has an unbelievable rack, the face of an angel, and a butt like a peach.”
I grinned at my uncle’s description. He wasn’t dead yet.
“Now if I could just catch her in the shower, I might believe in God and his kindness to this old dying man.”
Ronnie laughed at his joke. It ended in a choking cough. That’s when I noticed that he wasn’t smoking. In fact, I hadn’t seen him smoke the whole time we were in Las Vegas. I knew it was good for him to have quit, but it seemed odd and frivolous at this point. I was so used to seeing the old man with a cigarette clutched between his fingers and halos of smoke circling his head. Seeing him without one was somewhat unnatural.
I got up and poured him a glass of water from a pitcher that stood at the end of his desk.
“Did your nurse think it was okay for you to come out here?” I asked pointedly. He was sick and probably should be in bed.
Ronnie snorted as he took the glass of water, I offered him. He took a sip then cleared his throat.
“Vanessa is aware that I will do what I want. We have had several arguments about that. She threatens to leave, but I like her spunk, so I just keep upping the price on her contract. So, she deals with my…disposition…and gets into my best bourbon when she thinks I’m not looking.” He turned to me and gave me a big grin. “I’m always looking. With a body like that, how could I not?”
I laughed and took my seat in the chair in front of his desk. Ronnie turned back to the office’s window; his eyes went distant.
“How could I not come here?” he asked, more to himself than to me. He gestured towards the window with his cane. “This place is a hit again. It’s in its glory. Your show in Vegas doubled the patronage—even before that night ended. Such a thing sets fire to the community and passes from ear to ear like lightening. I knew it would. In the past, just sending out a flier with my name on it used to cause such a rise in ticket sales, but that time is no more.” His voice dropped at the end to a sad whisper.
I didn’t know what to say. I sat quietly and fought the urge to get up and pour myself a glass of scotch. Ronnie was deep in thought. I didn’t want to disturb him.
After a few minutes of silence, he turned his chair and looked into my face. “It was a good show, kid.” I grinned under his praise. “Although, it really was more due to your pet then you.”
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, I rubbed my hand over my face. Ronnie was going to make this difficult.
“Was the show enough?” I asked, cutting to the chase. I leaned forward in my chair.
Ronnie laughed, sat back in his chair, and took a sip of his water. His old eyes sparkled with mirth. “Was there ever any doubt, Ray?” he asked. His voice had a musical quality to it, and he grinned at me widely like this all had been a big joke.
I gripped the arms of the chair hard. “Was my inherit
ance ever really in question?” I asked him.
“Of course not,” Ronnie snorted. His gaze flitted back to the window facing the dance floor. “You are my blood. I wouldn’t leave Silver, Inc. to anyone else. I just wanted you to know how much it meant to me and hopefully instill that same feeling in you. Also, it was nice to meet your pet, too. You’ve never bothered to introduce me to anyone you loved before.”
I frowned and felt ashamed for my past negligence. I had always figured that a girl would think my uncle was weird, maybe lecherous, but a girl that truly loved me would understand him. Eileen had dealt with Ronnie’s attentions just fine.
Thoughts of Eileen brought a smile to my face. I remembered how hard she had come on stage and what her body felt like. “She was glorious, wasn’t she?”
“Oh yes.” Ronnie turned back to me. “I have never seen a woman that good on stage before. She is more pet then you deserve and if I was just a few years younger than I am, I would take her from you.”
“You would try,” I laughed.
Ronnie didn’t say anything, but he gave me a look like he was totally serious and that I had nothing on him. I closed my mouth and kept myself from arguing further. The old man could think what he liked.
“Would you like me to come stay with you?” I asked.
He raised a gray eyebrow. “And ruin my chances with Venessa?” he said jokingly. “Hell no, kid.” His narrow lips turned up. “Hell Ray, you moved out when you were eighteen and I don’t think either of us ever wanted to live together again. Don’t put yourself to that trouble. There would be no way you could help. It’s not like you can cook or anything.”
I almost went to argue, but it was true. I did mostly order out.
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. I’m fine, kid. Don’t worry.”
We sat in a comfortable silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. Mine kept circling back to Eileen and the smile on her face when she put on that fake engagement ring. I wanted to see her again. Was she still up? How would she act if I just showed up at her place?