by AJ Schippers
They moved from the living room, past the kitchen, and into a hallway.
“This,” Ms. Ortega said, “is one of six guest rooms.” She opened the door and motioned for Julia to step inside. “That door leads to the bathroom. If you want to freshen up, I am happy to give you a few moments.”
“Thanks,” Julia said. “I appreciate that you’re offering me a place to stay, but I’m still worried.” She tried to remain calm despite the storm that still was raging inside her.
Ms. Ortega sat down on a black leather couch underneath the window and crossed her legs. “What is it that you do for a living, Ms. Quinn?”
“I hardly see why that matters,” Julia shot back.
“Indulge me.”
Julia sat down on the edge of the bed. She couldn’t help gasping at how comfortable it was just to sit on it. Her fingers dug into the silk covers, and she scanned the room. Ms. Ortega certainly had style, and while the room was gorgeous, it reeked of money and was probably worth more than her entire apartment. Her place might be tiny and run down, but it was hers. All she had on her walls at home were her own photos. Here, yet another expensive-looking painting hung on the wall, this one made of bright colors that reminded her of a forest she’d once strolled through.
“Ms. Quinn,” Ms. Ortega said with a force in her voice that startled Julia. “I do not like to repeat myself.”
“I work for Caroline’s agency. I mostly do PR work for her clients.” Julia took a deep breath. “Look, Ms. Ortega—”
“You may call me Alexandra.”
“Okay. Alexandra. You’ve got to understand that this whole thing is just a bit surreal. What did you mean when you said you didn’t have a session?”
The smile on Alexandra’s face lasted a mere second. “I understand your confusion. With Caroline’s agency being one of the best in the country, her clientele varies from actors to high-ranking government employees. And, how shall I put this delicately…” Alexandra folded her hands in her lap. “Are you familiar with the more esoteric aims of Caroline’s agency?”
“If I knew what esoteric meant, I’m sure I could answer that,” Julia answered.
Alexandra let out a short laugh. “In this case, I mean confidential; a subject or information only meant for a select few. Simply put, Caroline’s clients have needs and desires that they desperately want to keep hidden from the general public.”
Julia sighed. “I am aware of that. I do PR. I have to twist so many stories.”
“I am sure you do. How long have you worked for Caroline now?”
“Three years.” Julia wasn’t quite sure why it mattered or why they were having this conversation in the first place.
“Would I be right in assuming that it is Caroline who is paying for your trip?”
Julia’s cheeks flushed a crimson red as she nodded.
“I have known Caroline since I was nineteen years old. She likes to reward her employees. If she pays for your vacation, it means she is pleased with your work and you do a good job. You should be proud of that. You are not the first person who has been sent here, but you are the first person who does not know the intimate details of my business relationship with Caroline.”
“Which are?”
“Let’s say…I am in the entertainment business,” Alexandra said. She waved a hand around. “I cater to an exclusively female clientele.”
“So, what?” Julia asked. “You’re like some kind of high-end call girl?”
“Hardly, Ms. Quinn.” Alexandra scoffed. “Look around you. Does it look like I spread my legs for a few bucks?”
“Nothing wrong with people who do,” she replied with a shrug.
“Agreed. However, when Caroline’s clients come to me, they have a desire to be dominated.”
Julia’s jaw dropped. “You… You’re a dominatrix?”
“If that is how you wish to label it,” Alexandra said. “As you may understand, in this society, a need to be dominated is something that is still frowned upon. My clients have a need for privacy.” Alexandra spread her arms. “And that is exactly what Shadow Haven provides for them. They are flown in, we have a session that can vary from hours to days, and then they fly back to their day-to-day lives.”
Julia gulped. She knew this sort of practice happened; she wasn’t dumb. But to actually meet someone who was a dominatrix…well, that was an entirely different thing. “I’m not one to judge,” she said. “Caroline has a successful agency, and if this arrangement works for her clients, then that’s great. I still don’t get why I’m here, though. It seems you use this island for work, so why let me stay?”
A short but gentle smile appeared as the woman’s lips curled up. “That is the million-dollar question, is it not? After her secretary e-mailed me, I had a conversation with Caroline. She informed me that you could do with a vacation, and it seemed this place and its remote location would be ideal for you. I do not entirely appreciate the mix-up of dates, however. As I said, it caught me off guard.”
Julia slowly blinked as she took it all in. It seemed so ridiculous, and the headache that grew stronger with every passing second made it hard for her to gather her thoughts. “Okay. So, to sum up, Caroline sends me on vacation, but her secretary mixed up the dates. You weren’t expecting me, but you’re letting me stay anyway. On top of that, you’re a dominatrix and…” She slammed her fists down on the bed. “Do you not see how completely ridiculous this is? What if you hadn’t let me stay? Where would I have gone?” She took a deep breath. “I want to talk to Caroline.”
“Of course. Follow me.” Alexandra stood up and led Julia to her office.
The walls of the office were painted white, and each one displayed a painting. A dark wooden desk stood opposite a window. The view outside was of a bay that would look even more stunning when the sun was out. Julia sat down in the leather office chair that Alexandra offered her. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Caroline’s gift.
“What’s this?” Julia picked up the bulky phone. It felt like holding a brick in her hands. “Some kind of satellite phone?”
“You may want to hold off on the questions and give Caroline a call while you still can, Ms. Quinn. With the impending storm, it can be hard to place calls.”
“Jesus, fine.” Julia dialed Caroline’s number and turned her back to Alexandra as it rang.
“Alexandra, dear, calling back so soon?”
Julia rolled her eyes at Caroline’s seductive tone. “Yeah, it’s not Alexandra. It’s Julia. What the hell, Caroline?”
“Oh d-dear,” Caroline stammered and cleared her throat. “Someone has a temper. I assume you’re a bit mad at me?”
“That would be the understatement of the year. What the hell happened?”
“Are the accommodations not up to your standards, Jules?”
“Cut the crap, Caroline. You book me a vacation and tell me to go relax, and so far I am anything but relaxed.”
“You should let Alexandra take care of that—”
Julia’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not in the business of being dominated, thank you very much.” She lowered her voice and hissed into the phone, not wanting Alexandra to hear her. “She’s not the friendliest, you know? So, whatever you had planned, it backfired. I am furious at you.”
“It was an innocent mistake, Julia. You just arrived two months earlier than Alexandra expected, that’s all. I apologize for that, even though it was my secretary’s fault. You know how it is. One wrong keystroke, and plans have to be changed and adjusted.”
“What if she hadn’t let me stay? Where would I have gone? You almost put me in real danger.”
“I did no such thing. I understand that you are frustrated, and that everything didn’t go exactly as we had planned. For that, I apologize. But now you’re at your vacation destination, and it’s time for you to go enjoy it.”
“What am I supposed to do? There’s no one here! It’s just her and me, and she hates me.”
“I do not—”
/> Julia whipped her chair around. “Can I have some privacy, please?”
“Certainly.”
Once Alexandra had closed the door behind her, Julia took a deep breath. “What if she changes her mind, huh? So far, every person I’ve met has talked about the storm season and how charter companies won’t come and collect people. Do you expect me to swim back to the mainland?”
“Julia. Please calm down. I’m sure Alexandra will have no issue with letting you stay. Why don’t you let me talk to her? You’ve had a very long day, and I know you must be tired. I am honestly sorry about this mistake and that your vacation started off like this. Just…just let me talk to Alexandra, okay?”
“Fine,” Julia said. “But I’m still mad at you.” With that, she put the phone down and swung the door open. “She wants to talk to you.”
“Go freshen up, Ms. Quinn. I promise life will look much brighter after you have taken a shower and had a chance to…calm down a bit.”
Julia threw her hands up in the air before stalking off to her room. She emptied the contents of her backpack on the bed, glad that nothing inside was wet from the rain. She took several deep breaths to try and relax. When that didn’t work, a shower seemed like the best option. Her entire body felt tense, and it wasn’t until the warm spray engulfed her that she began to relax a little.
She tried not to think too much about what was going to happen once Alexandra decided she was no longer welcome on the island. Closing her eyes, she rinsed the shampoo from her hair and coughed when some of the water went up her nose. When her body was warm enough and she felt clean, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower onto a small rug on the floor.
“At least the shower was decent,” Julia murmured to herself as she toweled dry.
She let her gaze wander through the bathroom and shuddered at the thought of the previous guests that had stayed here. Julia honestly wasn’t someone to judge a person for their interests, but the idea that Alexandra was some kind of hardcore dominatrix left her feeling unsettled. And that feeling was only multiplied by Caroline’s lack of information regarding this trip. Why hadn’t she told Julia about Alexandra’s profession? Surely that was something you’d share with someone before sending them over to stay with a stranger? Caroline knew Julia better than anyone, and it infuriated her that she had thought it was okay to do this without giving her all the details.
It wasn’t as if she was opposed to spontaneity; she welcomed it, even. But this… This left her anxious, and Alexandra’s initial hostility toward her did not help the situation. With a big sigh, she brushed her hair and put on a pair of black sweatpants and a gray sweater before taking off to find Alexandra to get to the bottom of this.
Alexandra sat in the living room in much the same fashion as she had in the guest bedroom. She looked almost regal as she sat in the chair—her black pants perfectly pressed at the seams, a white button-down shirt perfectly accentuating the curves of her body.
Julia averted her eyes, suddenly feeling shy.
“Are you feeling better, Ms. Quinn?” Alexandra arched an eyebrow.
“Physically, yes. Mentally, not so much,” Julia said. “Can I sit down, or do I need your permission for that?”
Alexandra let out a small laugh. “You may sit. I am not here to dominate you, Ms. Quinn. You are free to do as you wish. Would you like to know the details of my conversation with our friend, Caroline?”
Julia sat down in a chair opposite Alexandra. She tried to sit up as straight as Alexandra’s pose was—she wasn’t afraid of her—but somehow, her pose didn’t end up regal at all. Her shoulders hunched inward, and she found herself looking at the floor, unable to meet Alexandra’s steel-eyed gaze. Julia folded her hands together in her lap to hide some of her discomfort.
“I normally leave the island during storm season. It so happens that this time, I chose to stay, something I discussed with Caroline at great length. She has royally compensated me for your expected yet unexpected company. You are welcome to stay here for the next few weeks. Caroline seems to be under the impression that we would get along and that we both could use a friend.”
Julia frowned at the mention of Alexandra having been compensated but only said, “Captain Horace mentioned that the storm season lasts for two months. You said yourself that getting back to mainland is difficult. How long am I staying, exactly?”
“I am not sure. If you decide that you are too uncomfortable and want to leave, I can probably bribe some private contractor to come and get you. But you should know that the weather here can turn in a second, and I cannot guarantee your safety if you decide to go.”
“I have no money to hire a private contractor. Unless Caroline will pay for that as well. On top of that, I do value my life. This whole situation is still awkward to me, you know? I mean, do you even have enough food for two people?”
“I have a vegetable garden and a very well-stocked pantry. When it is not storm season, I have a boat come in for a supply run once a month. Since I had to prepare for my stay here, and there being no supply runs, my pantry is currently stocked to the brim. There is plenty for both of us.”
“Well, at least we won’t starve. But what about other things? This place is in the middle of nowhere, yet you have electricity. I’m not dumb or anything, but how does all this work?”
Alexandra tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “There is a generator on the island with enough fuel for six months. The diesel tank itself is able to withstand the weather conditions. There is an underwater armored utility cable that runs from here to the nearest resort. It makes it possible for us to have the Internet, though it is not the fastest. We can set up your phone to connect to it, if you wish.” She leaned back in her chair as she continued. “I inherited this island from my grandparents, and while I understand your agitation, I guarantee that you will have every luxury you can think of. There is an indoor swimming pool, and I have a theater room if you want to watch a movie.”
“You have a swimming pool on an island. An island that is surrounded by water?”
“Trust me, Ms. Quinn,” Alexandra said. “When the weather turns and the storms hit, you do not want to be out on the open water. The indoor swimming pool is heaven-sent on those days.”
“And you’re really okay with me staying here? You don’t even know me. I mean, for all you know, I’m a serial killer. For all I know, you’re a serial killer…” Julia coughed. That sounded ridiculous, even to her ears.
“I trust Caroline. She would not send a dangerous person my way. I promise you that I am not a serial killer and that I will return you home safely when the time is right. So, yes, I am okay with you staying here, Ms. Quinn. The question is, are you?”
Julia was silent for a long time. Truth be told, she was torn. On the one hand, she desperately wanted and needed a break. On the other, she didn’t want to spend her time with some stranger who had been hostile from the very first moment. Yes, that hostility had been replaced by semifriendliness as soon as money had been added into the equation. Still, Julia wasn’t sure how she felt about staying here alone on an island with a stranger.
“I don’t know.” She pushed her hair back away from her face.
“Give it one week, Ms. Quinn. If you are not happy at the end of that time, we will look into the possibilities of returning you home.” Alexandra stood up and made her way over to Julia. With a smile, she held out her hand. “It is nice to meet you, Ms. Quinn. My name is Alexandra Ortega. Welcome to Shadow Haven. I do hope you will enjoy your time here.”
Julia swallowed thickly as she took the offered hand. “Thank you” was all she managed to murmur as Alexandra’s thumb caressed the soft spot above Julia’s thumb for the briefest of moments before dropping her hand. She caught herself when her gaze dropped to Alexandra’s luscious lips, and for a moment, she could see the appeal in being dominated by someone like this woman.
Chapter 2
Julia was, admittedly, quite enjoying the tour of th
e house Alexandra had offered her. “Do you clean all of this yourself? I mean, it must be a lot of work.”
“To be fair, if I have a client, it is easy to make them help out. Although I must say, my male clients were much more willing to help than the female clients are. But yes, I mostly do it myself. I do not mind cleaning all that much. It gives me something to do.”
“Do you get bored a lot?”
“Not in the slightest, but between all my work sessions, it is nice to do something simple like cleaning. My work requires me to be fully engaged. I cannot, even for a moment, let my attention wander…that is when accidents happen.”
Julia watched as Alexandra, with a grin on her face, pointed to a door. She leaned in closer to read the letters on the plaque and snorted as she read them out loud. “Royal Chambers.”
“My bedroom. You are more than welcome to freely roam the house, but I would appreciate it if you would stay out of my room.”
“Of course.”
The next room was the theater room. When she first heard Alexandra mention it, Julia thought it would be a room with a television and perhaps a comfortable chair. Instead, the room was spacious, and the walls were painted a shade of black that almost made it feel as if she had stepped into a universe without light. Six red, large chairs were pointed toward the immense screen.
“These are love seats,” Alexandra said. “Comfort is very important to me.”
“I am… I don’t even know what to say. I’m impressed. Your entire house is just beautiful. It’s hard for me to imagine why you’d share this with total strangers.”
“My clients do not come in here,” Alexandra said. “They are restricted to their bedroom, my playroom, and the living room. I was not kidding when I said that most of them come in for a session and leave immediately after.”
“Still,” Julia said. “This is your private home, and you’re sharing it with strangers. Even the island itself you’re sharing with them. What if they don’t leave?”