The pangs of jealousy deep in her tummy at the mere thought of that were something she decided to ignore as she picked up the phone and dialed Marshall’s office.
It wasn’t until she heard it ring that she realized how early it still was. But then a soft, female voice answered, “Hello, Kaylee speaking.”
“Hi Kaylee, it’s Nayla—sorry, Una Greaves in room Eleven-eleven.”
“Is everything all right?” The concern in Kaylee’s voice was unmistakable.
“Yeah… well, no, not really. Look, I’ve had an emergency come up and I need to leave as soon as possible. I’d rather not wait for the bus back to Granger. Is there any way I can get a cab, or an Uber or anything?” As she said it, Nayla realized how desperate she was to get away and held her breath, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t have to spend several more hours waiting for the daily bus.
“I can drive you into Granger, if you like,” Kaylee said.
“Seriously?” Nayla could hardly believe her ears. “Look, I don’t want to inconvenience you. I really don’t mind getting a taxi or whatever, but I’m not really sure of the address here, and—”
“Trust me, it won’t be any trouble. And we can’t really call a cab, not to come here…” Kaylee trailed off. “How soon do you want to go?”
“As soon as you can. I’m all packed.”
“If you’re sure. Meet me outside Marshall’s office in ten minutes, okay?”
“Thank you so, so much.” Hanging up, Nayla blinked back a fresh onslaught of tears. It was better this way, surely. If she waited around for the bus, she might run into Landon again, and she really wanted to avoid that. Besides, the sooner she got home, the sooner she could smooth things over with her boss.
True to her word, Kaylee was waiting outside the double doors leading to Master Marshall’s office when Nayla arrived with her suitcase. The petite brunette was stunning, her curly hair tumbling over her shoulders and her grey eyes full of concern. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked as soon as Nayla was within hearing distance. “Is it a family emergency?”
“Something like that,” Nayla muttered, suddenly unwilling to go into any detail. “You’re already doing me the biggest favor by driving me. I so appreciate it.”
Kaylee smiled. “You’re welcome. Just follow me.”
They headed down the stairs and out of a back entrance into a parking lot Nayla hadn’t even known existed. “It’s interesting to see behind the scenes of the illusion,” she said, the wheels of her case crunching over the gravel. “I guess it’s easy to forget that the people who live and work here have lives and needs too, errands to run, that kind of thing.”
“That we do,” Kaylee said, unlocking the car and opening the trunk. “D’you need a hand lifting that?”
“No, I’ve got it.” Nayla hefted her case into the trunk and got into the passenger seat.
There was an awkward silence as Kaylee closed the trunk, got into the car, started the engine and set off, navigating her way onto the main road with the deft ease of someone who had driven the route a thousand times. “Did you enjoy your stay?” she said at length.
Nayla bit her lip and stared at the open fields as they sped past. “Most of it.”
“How did you find Master Landon?”
The question took Nayla completely by surprise. “How did you know I was with him?”
Kaylee shot her a rueful smile. “It’s my job to know things like that. Marshall likes to let everyone believe that he’s the only one running the operation but you know what they say: behind every great man is a woman—”
“Rolling her eyes,” Nayla finished for her, and they both giggled. “Master Landon was…” kind, funny, intelligent, gorgeous, the perfect combination of sweet and sadistic, able to turn me on with just a raised eyebrow , “nice.”
“I’m glad. It’s good for Sam, too, to have his brother under the same roof.”
Nayla thought about what awaited her upon her return: a stark, cold office, mountains of paperwork, and no thanks or appreciation other than numbers on her bank statement. “It must be amazing to live and work at a place like the Castle,” she said wistfully.
“It has its moments,” Kaylee said, “but no, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You’re in accounting, aren’t you?”
“I am. So let me know if you ever have any positions available.” Nayla realized she was only half-joking.
“Actually, we could do with some help in that department,” Kaylee said, “but I doubt we’d be able to afford you.” She smiled.
Sure she was only being kind, Nayla smiled back. A couple of times over the course of the last few days, she’d indulged in the fantasy of picturing herself as a Castle employee, working and living in that gorgeous, opulent building where people went to escape reality for a while. Not to mention coming home to Landon every evening, seeing the way his eyes lit up when she took off her clothes, the feel of his chest against her cheek when he pulled her close, the husky tone of his voice when he said, “Brat,” and ruffled her hair…
No, it wasn’t meant to be. Swallowing hard, she dashed the sudden tears from her eyes and noticed the black bracelet still on her wrist. Tugging it off, she held it out to Kaylee. “Before I forget to give this back, here.”
“Thanks.” Kaylee slipped it into her jacket pocket. “We’re nearly there. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Even as Nayla shook her head and expressed her thanks yet again, she couldn’t ignore the first thought that popped into her head: Tell Landon I’m sorry. And that I’m going to miss him more than I can say.
Chapter 10
T here were at least three jackhammers in Landon’s skull when he woke up, and his throat felt like he’d swallowed sand. Opening a bleary eye, he noticed the nearly empty bottle of whiskey on his coffee table and thought he might retch. The Castle had a one alcoholic drink a day policy for visitors, but employees often kept a bottle or two in their rooms for emergencies or celebrations. Marshall trusted them enough to know their own limits and when they could no longer play safely. Still, these days, Landon drank so rarely that he was now feeling every sip of the cheap Scotch someone had given him as a gift.
Dragging himself into the shower and turning it as cold as he could stand, he began to piece together the events of the previous evening.
His initial anger that Nayla had disobeyed him had abated somewhat, and while he didn’t necessarily think that she had handled the situation well, he could see her point. Today she was leaving, going back to her job, and would have to face the consequences of having ignored important messages. Her work was literally her life, and it was no wonder she was scared of fucking that up.
Sighing, he stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. Caning me is your job, and fucking me, too, for all I know . Her bitter, resentful words echoed in his ears. The ironic thing was that he couldn’t even argue that it wasn’t… but he didn’t want her to leave thinking she’d been nothing but a client to him. She had wormed her way into his heart, and there was no denying the deep, heavy ache in his gut whenever he thought about her leaving the Castle.
As he tugged on his clothes, the black bracelet on his wrist caught his eye. Today he’d be exchanging it again for the blue one to signify the ageplay program. And with that, his last memory of Nayla would be gone.
He wouldn’t be able to stop her from leaving, but it was vital that he got to talk to her before she left. He wanted to apologize and explain. He wanted her to know that she wasn’t just an assignment for him.
Raking his fingers through his damp hair, he left his room and marched down the stairs to the second floor, heading straight for room 1111. The bus wasn’t leaving for a couple of hours yet; he still had time.
Rapping sharply on the solid wooden surface, he held his breath and listened. No answer. Landon knocked twice more, then figured she must be down in the Café, having her usual morning coffee, so he made his way down there.
Heart pounding, he
scanned the faces of the crowd, searching for a curly, reddish-blonde mop of hair. No dice.
Where the fuck was she? The aroma of freshly brewed coffee teased his senses and made his mouth water but he didn’t want to waste a moment so he spun on his heel and continued his search.
By the time Landon had looked everywhere he could think of, barreling past guests and tearing around corners, he was practically beside himself. A quick glance at his pocket watch confirmed it was only just past nine in the morning. Nayla couldn’t have left yet.
With no other options remaining, he took a deep breath and made for Master Marshall’s office. The doors were closed and he could hear voices from within, so he perched on one of the seats in the little nook, feeling—as was the intent—like a naughty schoolboy who’d been called in to see the headmaster.
“Landon?”
He looked up to see Kaylee hovering above him, her grey eyes wide with concern.
“Are you all right?” she went on. “You’re pale.”
“I can’t find Nayla,” he said. “We had a fight last night and now—”
“Oh.” Kaylee sighed and he thought he saw a flash of guilt flicker across her pretty face. “You’d better come with me.”
Landon followed her to the office she had adjoining her husband’s, grateful when she offered him some coffee and a seat. Once he’d sat down and taken the first sip of piping hot brew, she stared down at the floor, picking at her fingers nervously.
“Nayla already left,” she said quietly.
Landon almost dropped his mug. “But how? The bus doesn’t leave until—”
“I drove her into Granger very early this morning. She said something about there being an emergency, and not wanting to wait for the bus.”
Landon closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. It wasn’t Kaylee’s fault. She was just doing her job.
Why did everything always come back to that?
“I see,” he said slowly, unable to ignore the way his heart felt as though it had dropped through his stomach.
“I’m sorry,” Kaylee said. “I didn’t know anything about any kind of argument. I figured you two had already said your goodbyes. She was desperate to leave immediately, and when she said she had an emergency, I offered to drive her.” She gave a little smile. “She was going to call a cab.”
“Figures,” Landon muttered, then drained his coffee. “Well, that’s that then.”
“I’m here, you know, if you need to talk. Now, or ever,” Kaylee said.
Landon’s first instinct was to decline but then curiosity got the better of him. “Did she mention me?”
“She didn’t really talk much. Seemed very distracted. Said you were nice, but didn’t go into any detail. She asked whether we were in need of any accountants here—”
Landon couldn’t believe the sudden bubble of hope which rose in his chest. “And?”
“And I said actually, we did, but that we probably wouldn’t be able to afford her. The woman must make six figures, at least.”
The bubble burst like a dam breaking.
Kaylee regarded him intently. “What happened between you two?”
For a brief moment, Landon was tempted to open up to her, to tell her every last detail and try to sort through his feelings of hurt, anger and betrayal with a kind, compassionate listener, but then he spotted the piles of paperwork on her desk and decided there was no point. Kaylee had work to do, and Nayla was gone. “Doesn’t matter. Thank you for letting me know… I guess I can stop looking for her now then.”
“If you change your mind, my door’s always open,” Kaylee said. “I’ve seen that look before, you know. I’ve been here a while—you learn to recognize the signs.”
“What look?”
“You’ve fallen for her,” she said simply.
“I have not!”
Kaylee shrugged. “The first step is usually denial. Then acceptance. Listen, I can ask Marshall to refrain from assigning you to any new guests for at least a couple days. They could use you back in the Nursery.”
About to protest that he was perfectly capable of doing whatever work was given to him, Landon pictured himself re-entering Marshall’s office and being introduced to another woman who was at the Castle for a good time. It hardly bore thinking about. “Thanks,” he said. “I think I could use a day or two.”
“I thought so. Which reminds me…” Kaylee rummaged in a drawer and extracted a blue bracelet. “You can give me the black one back.”
With no small measure of regret, Landon tugged the black bracelet off his wrist and handed it to her before replacing it with the one which signified the ageplay program. The blue looked softer, less stark against the white of his Dominant bracelet.
“Take the morning off,” Kaylee said. “And try not to run into Marshall. This whole remodel has been a nightmare from beginning to still-unforeseeable-end. He’s not in the best mood.”
“Thanks,” Landon said, getting out of his seat and grimacing as a bolt of pain shot through his bad knee. “You’re an angel, and he’s lucky to have you.”
Kaylee smiled and pushed a stray curl back over her shoulder. “I meant what I said. If you do decide you want to talk, I’m here.”
“That’s very kind but really, there’s no point.” Landon indicated the masses of paperwork on her desk. “I’ll let you get back to it now.”
As he made his way back to his little apartment, the excited chatter of people around him faded into white noise.
Landon felt numb… and there was a gaping hole in his chest where his heart used to be.
“I am strong.
“I am beautiful.
“I am worthy.
“Whatever challenges are thrown my way, I can overcome them.
“I am grateful for another day to shine.”
Nayla swiped away the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes and rolled over in bed, Beaky clutched tightly in her fist. Ever since she had returned home from the Castle a few weeks ago, everything in her life had gone to shit.
She hadn’t been back in the office five minutes before her boss had summoned her and threatened to fire her if she ‘ever went incommunicado’ again. Nayla’s protests that she worked seven days a week, sometimes up to twenty hours a day, that she had scheduled her vacation months in advance and had been loyal to the firm for years fell on deaf—or completely uncaring—ears.
“You think that makes you special?” her boss had sneered. “Or entitles you to special treatment?”
“Not special treatment, but a scheduled—and approved—vacation every once in a while.”
“Provided you remained on call.”
“I never realized that was a requirement for accounting!” Nayla had snapped hotly.
Her boss had pinched the bridge of his nose and taken a deep breath. “Mr. Tan is one of our most important—and lucrative—clients. We couldn’t have foreseen this audit but once he found out about it, I shouldn’t have had to call you thirty-seven fucking times with no reply!”
Nayla had clenched her fists and it had been on the tip of her tongue to quit and tell her boss to shove his job up his ass… she still didn’t know what had stopped her. Especially when he continued talking.
“I have a stack of resumes in my drawer from people who are hungry for your job. I want you to remember that, and remember how precarious your position is right now. You’d better get Mr. Tan through this audit without a single hitch.”
The implied threat was unmistakable, and Landon’s words had echoed loudly through Nayla’s mind: they’d replace you before you were even in the ground . She hadn’t wanted to believe it then, but now…
Trying to get comfortable, she rolled over and let out a loud, frustrated sigh. Why did everything always come back to Landon?
The effect he’d had on her life in such a short time was astounding. While she still worked crazy hours, she was making healthier choices at mealtimes and drinking more water. When the stress got to be
too much—which was happening more and more often—she took a little time out at home and did some coloring. She’d ordered more coloring books and pencils online, and even a unicorn onesie. Every night before she went to sleep, she repeated the mantra he’d given her.
But while all those things helped her feel closer to him, nothing could replace having him beside her in bed at night, his strong arms around her, his husky voice in her ear.
She hadn’t known it was possible to miss anybody that much. She missed the way he made her feel small, cherished and cared for. She missed the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. She missed his smell, his taste, his touch. She missed the way he reduced her to shuddering, helpless orgasms with a single fingertip.
Upon her return home, the urge to call him, to hear his voice at least one more time, had been so strong it had taken almost all her willpower to refrain from picking up the phone, dialing the Castle, and begging to be put through to him. And instead of abating, it had only gotten worse over time.
The only thing stopping her had been her fear that he wouldn’t even remember who she was. Nayla didn’t think she could bear it if that were the case, or if things felt awkward because she really had been nothing more than an assignment to him. Surely, if he missed her the way she did him, he’d have called her? They had all her details on file. It would take practically no effort on his part to look her up and call—or, hell, shoot her an email.
The fact that he hadn’t done so was all the confirmation she needed with regards to his feelings for her… or lack thereof.
So she had buried herself in her work to the best of her ability. It just sucked that she no longer enjoyed a single aspect of her job.
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