Red Collar

by Cartharn, Clarissa

  He grinned. “Next time, we race the stairs together. I’ll beat you in no time. These abs…,” he started, pointing at it.

  “No, not the abs again,” she cut him off, rolling up her eyes.

  “I haven’t finished what I wanted to say,” he said in a hurtful voice.

  “Save it Lorenzo. Don’t want to hear it.”

  “But…”

  She shook her head despairingly and then opened her apartment door with a smile. The children were sporadically spread over the carpet watching television. They instantly looked up at her as she entered the room. Libby was sprawled on her stomach, reading a book with her legs pendulously bobbing in the air. She turned and glowered at her. Lily ran up to her to hug her, her face beaming with glee.

  “Hi,” she said, tousling Lily’s sliver blonde locks. “Everyone, this is Lorenzo,” she pointed behind her.

  Lorenzo didn’t say much other than nod his head. His eyes had darkened, his jaw-line stiffened. With Kate’s shopping in his arms, he followed her quietly into the kitchen.

  “Just leave them on the table,” Kate directed. “I’ll sort them out later. Do you want a cup of coffee or tea?”

  He shook his head as he put down the shopping.

  “Hi, I’m Rudy,” Rudy introduced himself as he stepped into the kitchen. “Thanks for helping Kate with the shopping.”

  Kate smiled to herself. Rudy had suddenly metamorphosed into an ideally protective brother during her absence, electing himself as man of the house.

  “No problem,” said Lorenzo, shaking Rudy’s out-stretched palm.

  “Do you live in the building?”

  “First floor, number three.”

  “Rudy,” Kate said. “I need to go away for a few days for work reasons. Lorenzo, here, will keep an eye on things while I’m away. Is that okay?”

  “How many days?” Rudy asked, his eyebrow in an arch.

  “Six days.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Rudy shrugged and turned to the other man in the room. “Thanks, Lorenzo. But we will be fine on our own. Kate bothers needlessly about us.”

  “She’s your sister. She’s meant to. I think it’s nice having someone worry about our whereabouts like that. It makes life worth living.”

  “I think people should reserve their opinion when they’re not asked for it. It makes life less stressful,” Libby interfered. “Particularly if they’re standing in someone else’s kitchen and talking about someone else’s family.”

  Lorenzo turned at her, his face taut. A muscle moved in his jaw.

  Kate intervened quickly. “Libby,” she scolded. “Hold your tongue. Lorenzo is a guest in this house. And my friend.”

  “I can see that,” Libby mocked. “You keep wearing his shirts.”

  Kate reddened, her face burning with rage.

  Lorenzo stepped up to her angrily, glaring down at her.

  Libby glared equally back.

  “That’s enough, Libby!” Rudy growled.

  Libby stepped away, taken aback by Rudy’s outburst of anger.

  Kate stared at Rudy in astonishment. She had never seen him as riled before. He never intervened in her squabbles with Libby and she certainly never heard him shut her up like he just did.

  Libby stomped out of the kitchen in a terrible ire.

  Rudy glanced embarrassingly at Lorenzo. “I’m sorry about that. My sister has this temper which stubbornly refuses to leave her sometimes. We don’t know where she got it from. We only know she was born with it.”

  Lorenzo attempted a smile but instead it appeared as an awkward simper. “It really is fine. I have a younger one too and equally terrible with her temper if not more.”

  Rudy nodded appreciatively.

  “I’ll see you in seven days, bella dama,” Lorenzo said, turning to Kate.

  Kate smiled apologetically. “I will, Lorenzo. And I don’t expect for you to come up and check on the kids. Certainly not after that attitude.” She grimaced.

  Lorenzo shrugged. “Of course, I will bella dama. I gave you my word.” He ruffled her hair. “In a week, bella dama. And don’t you dare forget to leave me here with your feisty sister.”

  *****

  With Lorenzo now gone, it was inevitable that Kate’s mind would return to her dooming future with Clayton.

  She made a quick call to Bridget asking her to watch over her family and after a series of investigative questions to which Kate gave as many elusive answers, Bridget finally agreed.

  She was glad she didn’t need to pack a bag as Clayton must have arranged for that. She however did gather a set of lingerie. She blushed at the thought of Clayton choosing her underwear for the weekend.

  But after their morning showdown, she vowed to detach all emotion for her employer. Clayton hurt her more than anyone had and in such a short time too. She had been stupid to have felt for him any more than she should have. She had forgotten she was simply a contract to Clayton.

  She now stood in the centre of Clayton’s living room. She wore an old jeans and a tee-shirt. She held onto the sides of her pants, her hands clutched tightly onto the fabric in agitation. She raised her head obstinately at Clayton, her lips drawn into a tight, thin line.

  Clayton roved his eyes distastefully down her. “Is this how you intend to travel with me?”

  “You told me not to bother about luggage or clothes. I was merely following instructions.”

  Clayton smirked. “I can see I made a wise decision after all.”

  He pointed towards a Samsonite silver travel bag. Its rib-caged scratch resistant exterior told her it was far more expensive than her weekly family expenses.

  “Pick out something from there. Just make sure it’s both comfortable and presentable because the flight’s gonna be a long one,” he said. “You can use my bedroom to change.”

  He left her to sort herself out while he escaped into his study.

  She heard him making a few more calls. She picked up the bag reluctantly and walked despondently towards his room. And when she saw his bed, tears whipped her eyes. Only two nights ago, they had spent a burning passion in this room. Clayton had spoken endearing words into her ears and she, like a fool had believed them.

  She wiped away her tears roughly and threw the bag onto the bed. It contained a luxurious assortment of garments catering to both her casual and formal needs. She wondered if Jesse was responsible for putting her bag together.

  She pulled out a pair of casual beige pants and a matching striped, polo collared shirt. The long sleeves provided her with the much needed reticence.

  She stepped into his dressing room and stripped out of her clothes. As she slipped into her new attire, she caught her reflection in the mirror. A shadow of self-contempt fell over her. She was every bit the harlot she had been afraid to be.

  Another set of tears walloped her eyes. She stiffened herself and brushed her hair irately into a tight ponytail at the crown of her head.

  If she was going to be a harlot, she was going to be damned well sure she was a sophisticated and attractive one.

  She walked out of the dressing room and retrieved a pair of nude pumps she had seen in the bag. They fit her perfectly. Jesse had remarkable memory, she thought.

  She straightened up from the bed to try walking in them and found Clayton standing in the doorway, watching her.

  His eyes narrowed. “If you’re ready, may be we can start leaving,” he said, his voice crisp and heavy.

  “You’re not going to give me the approval? You criticize everything else I wear,” she remarked briskly.

  A muscle tensed in his jaw. He sauntered up to her and pulled her close against his chest. A hand rested on her nape and the other captured her tiny waist. “I don’t need to. You’re already in the clothes I approved of. There is something though that has irked me even since I’ve met you.”

  He leant closer to her to breathe her fragrance on her neck.

  She closed her eyes from the sensuality he was driving into her. She threw
her head back; her body leant feverishly into his as she felt him run his hand from her waist, up to her sides and to her breast.

  His other hand travelled sensually up into her hair. He widened the opening in her shirt, laying a tiny kiss on her bosom.

  She let out a moan inspite of herself. She felt her hair fall loosely at her shoulders.

  He raised his head and stared into her eyes, his breath warm upon her face. “You should wear it down,” he whispered, thickly.

  He released her roughly and walked out of the room, leaving her standing shaken and in disdain over herself again.

  *****

  He escaped into his study in the hopes to calm the throbbing pulse in his groin.

  He had walked up to his bedroom to inform Kate of their need to leave soon but instead found her sitting on the edge of his bed, trying on the nude pair of shoes he had bought for her yesterday.

  He had seen them in a boutique’s window after dropping in to see Jesse, instructing him to assemble a week of needed outfits for Kate. He remembered running his hands over its sleek leather, imagining them on Kate’s slim feet.

  But he never knew how aroused he would be just watching her slip them on.

  He had sworn that he would have more control over himself with Kate. But even as she stood in his room with her chin in the air, her face obstinately inclined to him, he had known that he was fighting a losing battle.

  He managed to stay aloof and withdrew himself to his study. A few cold business phone calls, he believed, should have rested his urge to draw her into his arms and take care of his need to release himself into her.

  However, all his conversations were dominated by an uninterested and indefinable mutterings of ums and ahas. He knew he was sounding like an ignoramus dunce after a little while, his mind completely subdued by his visions of Kate in his bedroom.

  “Miles has threatened to sue for a breach of contract if we don’t meet his demands in five months,” Bob Whitton said at the other end of the phone. “What do you want to do?”

  “Aha, yes,” he muttered. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Clayton,” Bob said. “You okay? I asked what is it that you wanted to do?”

  “About?”

  “About Miles Bradbury. The bastard is…,” Bob paused and then added cautiously, after a few seconds of silence. “Listen, you don’t sound yourself today. I know you’re going to see your family in Sitka. I’ll probably meet up with you there later in the week and we’ll sort this out, okay?”

  “Thanks, Bob,” he replied, combing his hands through his hair in frustration.

  He placed back his phone, knowing that it was futile to make any more calls. He shifted mindlessly through his papers on his desk.

  Finally conceding to his fleshly desires, he had gathered up an excuse to see Kate in his bedroom.

  But then, here he was again in his study, further tormented by her heat branded onto him. He had succumbed to his weakness for her, pulling her to himself, molding her to him, kissing her neck and the arch of her breast that peeked above her lacy bras. And in one swift movement, he had slid off her hair tie, releasing her dark, silky tresses, watching it tumble down loosely to her shoulders.

  He had stood there, frozen in time, eager to devour her lips and explore the desires that lay in her soft mouth. He felt his hard, throbbing manhood, press against her slim waist and he took in a sharp breath as he reluctantly let her go.

  Even as he wanted to take her there and then, back in his bed, he knew this wasn‎‎’t the time to indulge in his carnal pleasures.

  He covered his face in exhaustion. He was taking her to his family. Why was he doing that?

  “Matt Newell,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s why.”

  Chapter 9

  They had shared very little as they travelled to Clayton’s Boeing 737 jet waiting for them at the runway and even lesser when they were in it.

  Kate gulped down a glass of white wine as she watched Clayton seated in the area ahead of her, working on his tablet. She didn’t understand why he was taking her to something so personal as his family. He probably needed an escort, she reasoned. There was nothing more in it, she attempted to convince herself.

  She looked out her window but there was nothing much she could see in the now dark night sky. They had been travelling for almost eight hours. And in all that time, Clayton refused to not once as glance at her.

  “Shall I serve dinner now, Ms Ripley?” asked the tall, leggy blonde hostess, breaking into her thoughts.

  She looked up from her magazine and stared slightly dazedly at her. She had been flipping through it mindlessly, her thoughts on Clayton and his family.

  “I’m fine,” she blurted finally, managing a smile.

  “You should eat something,” she heard Clayton command from behind the hostess. “You haven’t eaten anything other than drink all the wine I have on board.”

  “Well, I needed it,” she grumbled.

  Clayton waved the hostess away.

  “That’s enough,” he said, his eyes boring into Kate. “You’ve had too much already.”

  “I haven’t even started.” She glared at him.

  “You’d be drunk by the time we get there. And I have no intention on introducing you in such a state.”

  “And explain who the heck you were bringing to the family home? Some tramp you paid to escort you there?”

  His eyes flickered angrily. He hauled her up to him, pinning her against him, his fingers digging hurtfully into her arms.

  “Isn’t that what you do? This is your profession. Why are you so bitter about it then? Why blame me for the choices in your life?”

  She writhed in his arms. “You’re right,” she gave a mocking laughter. “It must be the wine talking. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m just another escort who warms up your bed when you need it. But what does that make you? Oh yes, a bastard.”

  His grip tightened and she bit back a painful cry. Her only sign of how much he hurt her were in the tears trickling down her cheeks.

  He raked her face with his angry, steely grey eyes and he slowly and gently released her.

  “If it bothered you to visit my family, you should have said so,” he muttered.

  “I don’t recall you giving me a choice,” she flung back at him.

  “You were too happy to take my money,” he snapped. “You named your price!”

  “So I did,” she sighed wearily. “I’m such a bitch when it comes to money. I can never refuse it. And you were practically offering me my dreams.”

  She turned around so he would not see the pain in her face.

  She felt his arms encircle her waist and immediately she was aware of the emotions he was stirring inside her.

  “Kate,” he whispered against her nape.

  “Go away,” she whispered back hoarsely, through her tears. “Leave me alone.”

  “Kate,” he said again, turning her around. “We can’t keep doing this. You know how you make me feel. I want you.”

  “As your mistress,” she mumbled, staring down at the smooth flesh of his chest in the unbuttoned opening of his shirt, afraid to look up at him.

  “I can’t offer you more.”

  She stiffened and began pulling away but he held her there, tight, in his powerful frame.

  “I didn’t ask for anything more,” she said, defensively.

  “Maybe not so in words.”

  She bit her lips, fighting back another rush of tears from escaping her eyes.

  “Kate, look up,” he said, thickly. “Look up at me.”

  She hadn’t realized she had held on to his shirt front, scrunching it tightly in her fist. She raised her head, obstinately and was met with dark, molten eyes. Immediately her anger subsided, replaced by her need to have him. Her legs wavered beneath her, her finger travelling into his shirt opening, hungering for the feel of his flesh.

  He leaned down to take her mouth but she turned her head away swiftly so he grazed
her warm cheeks instead. He nibbled at the sides of her neck, his hand curved her small buttocks drawing her closer to him so she could feel his swollen hardness against her pelvis. She ground herself against it, letting out a tiny moan of pleasure. She tilted up her head and he took full advantage as he laved at her scented skin.

  “Kate, I want you,” he muttered savagely against her. He straightened up so she was looking up at him again. He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her lips as he stared hungrily at them. “So much…”

  She stood mesmerized by his gaze, as she leant on to him, her weight partially supported by his strong arms.

  He leant down to her, his nose caressing hers. “Let me have you,” he whispered roughly.

  “I am here,” she whispered back. And tipped her head so she could kiss his chin.

  “No, I want you. All of you. For me only. No one else’s but mine.”

  She traced his jaws with her lips. “I am yours.”

  “I’d give you everything. Everything you need…want. I’d get you an apartment where I could visit you. So long as you’re mine, you wouldn’t worry about anything. I’d take care of you.”

  She stiffened. So long as you’re mine, she repeated in her thoughts. Her face clouded as the meaning dawned upon her. She jerked back sharply.

  He looked at her puzzled as the cold air of the plane’s air conditioner froze the warmth that once lay between them.

  “Kate,” he started.

  “I don’t think this is the time and place,” she sputtered brokenly. “We could take it to the bedroom if you want but I don’t indulge in an open spectacle, however much to the amusement of the staff on board.”

  He nodded, letting his hands drop from her sides. “But you didn’t answer me.”

  “About what,” she pretended, busily straightening her clothes.

  His eyes narrowed. “About my proposition.”

  “To be your mistress,” she said. “No, I’m not interested. I promised you six days and that is all you get. To tell you the truth, I’m a little tired of this game. And I’d really like to get back to my previous routine where I could just shag the guy and get paid without all this angst we keep having between us.”