by Zara Chase
Cody and Justine stood behind Zac, clearly as stunned as he was by the woman’s calm explanation.
“I’m Susan Elliott, the administration manager here.” She laughed and shrugged simultaneously. “It’s not nearly as grand as it sounds. I’m really just a general dog’s body.”
Zac suspected she was a lot more than that. He’d only known her for thirty seconds but was a good judge of character and already suspected that the place would fall apart without her. He introduced the others, and handshakes were exchanged.
“This is a lovely place,” Justine said. “Very tranquil. Has it been here for long?”
“Thank you, we like it. It’s been run as some sort of care facility for over fifty years now. Let’s go inside and we can talk properly.” Susan led them through a grand entrance hall with several large communal rooms leading off it. “My office is this way,” she said.
Once they were in the rather-cramped room and coffee had been served, Zac got right down to business.
“You ought to be aware that I didn’t even know my mother and grandmother existed until after Mrs. Everton’s recent death.”
Susan nodded. “We thought as much, but Mrs. Everton was reluctant to answer our questions about you.”
“If Mary Elizabeth kept asking after Zac, why did no one attempt to trace him?” Cody asked.
“Because Mrs. Everton specifically asked us not to. When she explained the circumstances of his birth and rather-bungled removal to America, we had to agree with her.” Susan lifted her shoulders. “Besides, she was paying for her daughter’s care and we took our instructions from her.”
“Even if those instructions weren’t in Mary Elizabeth’s best interests?”
“Our doctors obviously thought they were. Had it been otherwise, they had the power to overrule Mrs. Everton.” Susan sounded firm yet defensive. “We always put our patients’ care first. That will become more apparent when you meet her and learn what’s wrong with her.”
“What is wrong with Mary Elizabeth?” Zac asked, finding it hard to even think of her as his mother, much less refer to her as such.
“Severe schizophrenia,” Susan said, shaking her head, “attributable to drug abuse when she was younger. We see a lot of that here.”
“Will she ever recover?” Cody asked.
“No, she’s here for life and, I have to say, institutionalised. She’s comfortable at Holmwood because it’s familiar. Her life here has structure and routine, which means she doesn’t have to think or make decisions for herself. She wouldn’t last five minutes on the outside.”
“Who picks up the tab since Mrs. Everton died?” Zac asked. “It doesn’t look as though the place comes cheap.”
“The state, at the moment anyway, but that won’t last indefinitely.”
Zac leaned his elbows on his splayed legs and frowned. “I’m surprised they’re doing it at all.”
“She’s been here for so long that it’s now officially her home, and they can’t just pluck her up and plonk her down somewhere else. They’ve tried it with other patients, with catastrophic results. Like I said, stability counts for a lot with the mentally ill.”
“Well, whatever else happens today,” Zac said, “you don’t need to worry about her fees anymore. I’ll take care of them.”
“That’s a relief. I so hate battling for my patients against the bureaucrats.” She turned toward Justine and offered her a friendly smile. “Was it you who called about Mary Elizabeth the other day?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad you tracked her down, and I’m glad you’re here,” she said, addressing the second half of her remark to Zac. “She never stops asking about you. Personally, I think being forced to give you up is partly responsible for her condition.”
Zac sighed. “Then I guess I ought to see her.”
“Yes, and you’ve chosen a good day to come. She’s going through one of her lucid spells.”
“We’ll wait here,” Cody said. “I think you ought to see her alone, Zac.”
Zac didn’t want to see her at all, not really. Coming here today was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. All the way down in the car he’d been inventing excuses in his head to put the confrontation off. Being civil to the woman who’d tossed him out like a piece of garbage was asking one hell of a lot of a man with Zac’s fiery temperament. And yet here he was. It seemed he was driven by a force greater than his own will and was unable to turn back now.
He still didn’t know why he’d even bothered to track Mary Elizabeth down—or have Justine do it for him. Perhaps he wanted to give her a piece of his mind, explain what a hellish life he’d had in the American care system. But he wasn’t capable of being deliberately cruel to a mentally ill woman, so it had to have been straightforward curiosity that stopped him from calling a halt to the trip.
“Yeah, okay.” Zac stood up, grinding his jaw so hard that his teeth protested. “Let’s get this over with.”
Justine reached up and squeezed his hand as he passed her chair. “Good luck,” she whispered.
The feel of her fingers closing about his, the empathy in her tone, affected him on a level over which he had no control. So he thought about things he could control. Like regaining Justine’s trust and keeping her at Grantham Park on a permanent basis.
Susan led Zac into a small day room where several women and a couple of men appeared to be occupied with artistic pursuits. Zac recognized Mary Elizabeth almost immediately, and any lingering questions about her actually being his mother became redundant. The resemblance to himself was too marked to leave any doubt. She must be almost fifty but looked younger. Her black hair was streaked with gray, but her face was virtually unlined and her figure was trim enough for her to pass as a young woman. She stood up when she saw him, her sketchpad falling to the floor as a wide smile split her face.
“Zac,” she said, opening her arms wide. “You’ve come to see me at last.”
Zac’s limbs refused to move, and he remained rooted to the spot, continuing to stare at the woman who gave birth to him. He still found it hard to look upon her as a mother. He ought to feel something—anger, delight, relief—but he remained emotionless, his heart an empty vacuum. Seemingly oblivious to his state of frozen accessibility, she hurtled herself at him, leaving him with no choice but to close his arms around her.
“Where have you been? We expected you days ago.”
“Zac’s been busy,” Susan said briskly. “You know that.”
“That’s right,” Zac agreed, taking his lead from Susan.
“Well, never mind, you’re here now. Let’s go into the garden. It’s such a lovely day, and we have so much to talk about.”
Zac glanced at Susan, who nodded just once and then quietly left the room. Zac, who seldom felt fear, was apprehensive at the prospect of being alone with this child-woman. Even so, he’d come this far, and she seemed lucid so perhaps he’d get a few answers to the questions that had plagued him since he was old enough to feel the lack of a family.
Feeling like a condemned man, he followed Mary Elizabeth into the garden.
* * * *
Justine and Cody sat in awkward silence—a silence that Justine refused to break. Cody and Zac had made it very clear what they thought of her. What more was there to be said? Okay, so Zac had tried to apologize, but that was probably only because he wanted to get her into bed. That might not have been as obvious as it was now, but when he held her in his arms and kissed her with such unbridled passion it was so damned hard to think straight. Thank God she hadn’t weakened, like she’d desperately wanted to. Well, she was thinking coherently enough now and wasn’t about to be taken in for a second time.
“Are you all set for the function on Friday?” Cody suddenly asked.
“Yes, don’t worry, I’ll be gone after that.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Justine quirked a brow. “Do I?”
“Nervous?”
She sighed. “Why
should I be?”
“Because, unless I read him all wrong, your ex will blame you if it goes wrong.”
She flashed him a look. “Well, at least we agree on one thing.”
“Why is Mansell so important to you? You didn’t really explain.”
“Because he’s the first major project that Jason gave me free rein with, and I need to prove something to myself. Jason persuaded him to employ us, virtually guaranteeing that we could deliver both sales and sponsors. He took a shine to me and insisted that I arrange everything, so Jason had to agree.”
“Will it be successful?”
Justine waved her hand back and forth. “Jason has influence but shouldn’t have made those promises. He can make people attend the opening. I mean, who isn’t up for a freebie? They’ll drink his booze, but there are no guarantees that they’ll put their hands in their pockets.”
“I know we’ve been… Fucking hell!” Justine followed the direction of Cody’s gaze in time to see Zac and the woman who had to be his mother walk out onto the terrace. They sat on a bench together, deep in conversation but close enough to the window for Justine and Cody to have a clear view of the woman’s face.
“She doesn’t look old enough to be anyone’s mother,” Cody breathed.
“Being tucked away from the world in this place has probably saved her from the ravages of life,” Justine said. “How do you think Zac’s coping?”
“He’ll take it in his stride, I guess. I’ve known him for a long time, and nothing ever fazes him.”
“Except this?”
Cody raised a brow. “Yeah, this has got him twisted right out of shape. How did you know that?”
Justine shrugged. “He’d be less than human if seeing his mother for the first time in his life didn’t affect him emotionally.” She paused when she recalled the arbitrary manner in which he’d treated her the day before. “Always assuming he has any emotions, that is.”
Cody covered her hand with one of his own, but she snatched hers back before his touch could soften her stance. “Oh, he feels all right, perhaps a little too much sometimes.”
Justine sniffed, trying not to let the empathy she felt for Zac’s situation influence her. “I’ll take your word for it.”
Susan came back into the room. “I think Zac would appreciate a little moral support,” she said calmly. “He looked as though he’d been condemned to a life of servitude when I left them alone.”
“Then why did you?” Justine asked, aggression in her tone. She was still employed by Zac, so he deserved her loyalty. “Can’t you see how hard this is for him?”
“Sometimes these situations are better handled in numbers,” Susan said, ignoring Justine’s fit of pique.
“Get this a lot, do you?” Justine refused to be appeased by the woman’s infuriatingly calm approach. “Long-lost sons turning up out of the blue. Sorry,” she added when Susan looked at her askance. This wasn’t the administrator’s fault, and Justine knew she was only sniping at her because she was so disappointed in the turn her life had taken. “Of course we’ll help out,” she said, getting to her feet. “Come on, Cody, Zac needs his hand held.”
An hour later they were back in the car.
Chapter Nine
“Thanks,” Zac said after they’d travelled some miles in silence. “I appreciate the support, both of you.”
“No problem,” Cody said from behind the wheel.
Justine said nothing, and Zac was wise enough not to push her.
A couple of hours after they got home, Cody sought her out.
“Something I can do for you?” she asked, looking up from the quotes for the woodworm that had just come through on her e-mail.
“Not me so much, more Zac.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s shut himself off. I can’t get to him.”
“Mentally, you mean?”
“Yeah. He won’t tell me anything about his conversation with his mother.”
“He probably needs time to come to terms with it himself first.”
Cody threw himself onto the couch opposite her desk, looking genuinely upset. “But he always tells me everything.”
“He’s never been in a situation like this before.” Justine hardened her heart. If Zac was hurting, it was none of her business. “Anyway, what do you expect me to do about it?”
“I rather thought a distraction.” Cody looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes. “He’s real sorry for the conclusions he jumped to about you and the jerk.”
“Oh no! After the way he—”
Cody stood up and pulled her into his arms. “It’s a lot to ask, but I know he feels bad about the way he treated you. I reckon having that on his mind, on top of whatever it was that his mother said to him, is too much.”
“I can’t believe you’d think I’d even consider it.”
“Are we so very repulsive? You seemed to enjoy—”
“That was when I thought you respected me.”
Cody’s lips brushed the top of her head. Against her better judgement she relaxed against him, her breasts squashed against his chest, her pussy pressed against his erection, and she died a little inside. God, she felt so hot she could probably come then and there, just by rubbing against him. How pathetic was that?
“It’s because we do respect you that we were so upset when we walked in on you and the jerk.”
What the hell? I was prepared to play with them before all this, expecting nothing in return.
“Okay,” she said on a heavy sigh. “No strings, right?”
“Of course.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Both of us,” he said softly, his hands running seductively up and down her back. “Are you still willing?”
Am I?
Justine paused for a long time, eyeing Cody as she thought through her decision. An opportunity she would once have grasped with open gratitude now required consideration. She was learning.
“Yes, all right,” she said eventually.
* * * *
“Then we’d better make sure you don’t regret it.”
And she wouldn’t, not while Cody still had breath in his body. Rather than kissing her into submission he released her, determined not to influence her decision. Now that she’d made up her mind, he swung into action and did what he did best, which was making a desirable woman feel good about herself. He cupped her buttocks, pulling her close against his erection as he ground it into her stomach. She was one hot babe, and Cody was crazy for her.
More than crazy. He had strong feelings for this mad hellcat who held conversations with a car called Malcolm and didn’t seem to have a clue just how attractive she actually was. Even when he thought she was still involved with the jerk—especially then—the urge to step in and protect her had been almost overwhelming.
“What do you have in mind?” she asked, the tip of her tongue protruding to moisten her lower lip as she spoke.
“Come with me.”
He took her hand and led her to his room.
“Nice pad,” she said.
Cody watched her as she glanced around the large space dominated by a huge circular bed. Everything neat, not so much as a stray pair of boxer shorts cluttering up the space.
“Glad you approve.”
“The tidiness is a bit intimidating,” she said, grinning.
“Feel free to make as much mess as you like.”
“Beware what you wish for.” Her laugh sounded nervous. “Shouldn’t we send for Zac?”
“I reckon we need to surprise him,” Cody said. “Take his mind off things.” He opened a closet and rummaged in a bag. “I brought you a present back from the States.”
“What is it?”
Justine opened her eyes very wide as he extracted a complicated-looking leather outfit and presented it to her with a theatrical flourish.
“It’s a leather ring harness,” he said. “You happy to wear it for us?”
Justine swal
lowed twice and nodded. “I guess.”
“Attagirl.” Cody sat on the edge of the bed, and she automatically dropped her gaze, waiting to be told what to do next. “Undress,” he said. “Take it all off for me, baby.”
She did as he asked, one garment at a time, slowly, making him wait as she ratcheted up the anticipation. Finally, it seemed she understood that she was the boss. Cody didn’t think it was possible for him to get any harder, but Justine’s striptease proved just how wrong he could be. His erection was painful, pressing against the thick denim of his jeans, so he unzipped and gave it its freedom. A tiny smile tugged at Justine’s lips when she noticed. She was fully naked now and Cody could see moisture seeping from her pussy and streaking down her inner thighs.
Good, she’s as turned-on as I am.
“Now put this on,” Cody said, standing to help her. “You put your legs through these gaps here.” He held the harness in place while she did as he asked. “Now we tighten the top around your neck. Your gorgeous tits hang out through the gaps, but your pussy gets covered in leather.”
“Why the ring on the front of the thong?”
Cody chuckled. “So we can lead you around by it or do what the hell we like with you.” He stood back to study his handiwork. “Christ, you look hot!”
“You like?”
“I like, but there’s something missing.” Cody went back to his closet and found what he was looking for. A studded collar with nipple clamps attached. “You want those hard nipples clamped?”
Justine licked her lips. “Yes, please.”
Cody fastened the collar around her neck with infinite care. The desire to touch her, to fuck her senseless, was overwhelming, but he could wait. Just about. This was for his buddy, and he got to call the shots. Even so, attaching the clamps to her perky nipples gave him a perfect excuse to touch her, and he did so teasingly, deliberately rubbing his thumb across her areolas until she moaned and pushed herself more firmly into his hands. He tapped her thigh and she immediately stopped moving.
“Let me get you ready before we play,” he said, attaching one of the clamps. “Is that comfortable?”