She was just dumping the grounds into the filter when there came a knock from the front of the house. Frowning, she pressed a button to start the machine before wiping her hands on a small hand towel. “Now, who could that be?” Folding up the cloth, she tossed it on the counter before hurrying down the hall. The last thing she wanted the person to do was wake up her Master and Sexy.
After unlocking the front door, she pulled it open - then wished she hadn’t when she took in the petite blonde in front of her. Dressed in a casual outfit of linen slacks and summer cashmere top with beaded sandals on her dainty feet, Allison Teelen arched a finely drawn brow.
“Well, are you going to invite me in?” The other woman asked archly.
“Actually, no, I’m not.” Steph glared down at her former client. “What exactly do you want, Ms. Teelen?”
“Other than your testimony at my upcoming trail?” Allison gave a put-out air. “I assume you received the summons, correct?”
“Yes.” Moving out onto the porch, she tugged the door shut behind her, uncaring all she was wearing was a short silk robe. “Why you think I’d be willing to give you a glowing character report is beyond all things logical.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Aw, come on, Steph. Surely you’re not holding what happened at the Gilded Lily against me. I was young and still learning…”
Anger, cold and pulsating, filled Steph. “Learning or not, there are tenements of BDSM that no one - neither Dom, switch, nor submissive, ever ignore.”
Sighing, Allison held up her hand. “Spare me the boring lecture on Safe, Sane and Consensual. Just because you were the one to introduce me to the lifestyle, doesn’t give you the right.”
The last thing Steph wanted was a trip down memory lane, or to revisit how stupid she’d been, thinking there was something more than a spoiled rich girl looking for excitement. “Get the hell off my porch.”
“Hit a little too close to the truth, Stephanie?” A bitter smile crossed Allison’s lips. “Can’t bare to think you might be responsible for putting me on the path to my current level of debauchery?”
“You were depraved long before I met you.” Fed up with the cat and mouse game the other woman was attempting to play, she turned to go back inside. “You have approximately two minutes to haul your overpriced ass off my property before I call the police.”
“And what? Tell them an old friend’s visiting?” Allison taunted. “Go ahead. I can stay here for nearly twenty minutes before they arrive.” She shrugged. “One of the perks, or rather drawbacks, of living so far off the beaten path. Plenty of quiet so your author boy-friend can write, but not so stellar in terms of response times by the emergency services.”
Allison reached inside her purse, and every instinct in Steph went on high alert. Around her, things started to slow down as her marine training kicked in, regardless of the fact all she wore was a thin robe, and had no weapon. She eyed Allison before giving her a soft warning. “You’re assuming I need them. I’d think about that before you try anything stupid, Allison.”
Allison laughed. “It doesn’t matter how bad-assed you think you are, Stephanie. You can’t stop a bullet.” She tugged out a small silver derringer.
A COP 357 Derringer if Steph wasn’t mistaken. The unique four-barrel construct of the compact pistol made it an excellent back-up gun for a cop. But how the hell had Allison gotten her hands on one? The last Steph had heard, the company manufacturing them had gone out of business. Steph’s surprise at Allison approaching her with a gun, on her own property, shouldn’t have been surprising but it was.
“Little debutante, you’d scare me with your audacity…” Steph moved forward until there were only a few feet separating them. “…if it weren’t for the fact you have the safety on. Not to mention by the time you figure that out, flip it off, and try to squeeze the trigger, not only will the recoil knock you on your ass, I’ll have disarmed you.”
Even before she finished speaking, Steph stepped close enough to invade Allison’s personal space. Grabbing the wrist of the hand Allison was using to hold the gun with her left hand, Steph used her right to push the barrel of the gun towards the other woman. Within seconds, Allison’s face turned crimson with pain as Steph rolled the weapon against Allison’s thumb, breaking the hold she had on the gun. The move bent the woman’s wrist and hand at a painfully awkward position, with the gun ending up pointed at Allison’s chest.
“Owwww! Let go!” Allison shrieked in pain, her knees buckling.
Using her superior strength, Steph kept her upright. The calmness her military training had ingrained in her had Steph’s voice cold as she spoke to Allison. “Unless you want me to use this pistol as a club and ruin your pretty face or perhaps pull the trigger and put a neat little hole in your sadistic black heart, I suggest you cease and desist.” To make her point even more obvious, Steph used leverage to pull on Allison’s hand until she strained the joint. “A bit more pressure and your wrist will break like a twig.”
“Fine, fine…I cease….let go of me.” Tears streamed down Allison’s face. A part of Steph wanted to say something about the woman having a very low threshold of pain for a Domme, but she refrained. All Steph wanted was the little bitch off her porch, off her property, and nowhere near Zebadiah.
Releasing the hold while maintaining control of the gun wasn’t hard as the other woman went to her knees in pain. Rubbing her wrist, Allison stumbled to her feet. “You think you’re such a bad ass security consultant who knows everything.”
“Not everything, but enough to realize the difference between a loaded gun and an unloaded one.” Breaking open the short barrel on the derringer Steph shook her head at the empty chambers. “You know if you’re going to threaten a person with a gun, you really should make sure you have bullets in it.” A smirk crossed Steph’s face. “However as inept as you are, you’d probably shoot yourself in the foot. Now get the hell off my property before I show you just what damage an unloaded weapon can do.”
“Bitch!”Allison cradled her injured wrist against her body. “Worthless piece of trash. He’ll never find what he needs with you…he needs a firm hand on his cock, and even an harder one on the crop.”
A sinking feeling pooled in Steph’s stomach. Allison was either fishing for information, or she knew about Nicky and her relationship with Zeb.
“Bet you don’t know how hard he comes from having his ass fucked with a studded strap-on, or how prettily he begs for the lash?” Allison taunted. “You’re too soft for him after the dark pleasures I’ve shown him.”
Forcing herself not to react, Steph gave the woman the cold shoulder, while keeping a tight grip on the gun. “You have less than two minutes to leave, Allison. After that, I’ll allow Nicky to deal with you.” She gave the woman a hard look. “And you’ll find he’s not nearly as tolerant or merciful as I am…especially when he finds out you tried to pull a gun on me.”
As if saying his name conjured him, Nicky pulled open the door, wearing nothing more than a pair of silk boxer briefs and holding a mug of his coffee. He’d obviously come out in search of the paper. His unshaved jaw clenched as he took in the scene in front of him. His eyes darted from Steph to Allison and then back to the gun in Steph’s hand.
“She pulled a gun on you?” The harsh rumble from his chest was beyond ominous. His brow furrowed until he looked like a dark storm cloud ready to break over them.
Steph gave a sigh. “She was just leaving - weren’t you, Ms. Teelen?” She hoped the woman was smart enough to take the opening she’d given her, but as usual Allison seemed to think she was untouchable.
“Do you honestly think I’m scared of your boyfriend? My family can sell him five times over. All it would take is a phone call from me and he’ll find his life very unpleasant. The wine shop he frequents downtown would suddenly not serve him anymore. The chief of police is a friend of my father’s. How long do you think he’ll be able to drive that monstrosity of an SUV through town without bei
ng pulled over?” Allison taunted. “So think about it. Is one little piece of ass going to be worth the headache? Especially when he turns on you once he finds out you’re testifying against him?”
Behind her Nicky growled, and Steph had a feeling shit was going to hit the fan. But she was shocked when Nicky showed great restraint. “Get the fuck off my property.”
A gleeful look crossed Allison’s face. “Look who’s grumpy. Didn’t get enough nooky last night?”
Steph’s eyes widened when she heard the sirens coming up the drive. What the hell? Allison spun around as a patrol vehicle pulled up behind her Mercedes, boxing her in. “You called the cops?” She spun around to face the approaching officer. “Reggie, I’d like to press charges against Ms. McKeown. She attacked me.”
The officer stopped next to her and looked up at Steph and the gun she was still holding. His hand went to the gun strapped to his hip. “Ma’am, do you have a permit for that gun?”
Steph sighed and set the derringer down on the railing. Her plans for waking up her men with light fluffy pancakes, fresh fruit and breakfast meat were gone. It looked like she was going to be spending her afternoon down at the police department straightening out another Teelen mess she hadn’t caused. She’d thought she was through with being Allison’s maid after she’d terminated her contract with Allison’s family. “No, Officer, it’s not my gun. I took it from Ms. Teelen after she threatened me.”
“I did no such thing!” Allison hissed. “I merely came out to talk to Stephanie about my upcoming trial. She greeted me with a gun.”
The Officer hit the small CB microphone on his shoulder. “Base, this is Officer Benton. Who called in the incident…” He rattled off the address.
* * * *
Wiping his hands on his hastily donned jeans, Zeb stepped out on the porch behind Nicky and Steph. Placing a hand on Steph’s back, he moved between them as the Officer radioed dispatch. There was something vaguely familiar about the man. Focusing on him, instead of the unease rushing through his veins, he tried to place him. Was it possibly an officer who’d pulled him over, or maybe the one who had taken his statement after Allison had shown up at his home? Deciding it didn’t matter and he had every right to call the police, he found his voice.
“I called, Officer, because Ms. Teelen is breaking a restraining order by being here.” Zeb kept his tone even, despite the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He just had to keep in mind Allison couldn’t hurt him anymore. She had no control over him he didn’t give her. He was tired of being scared of a woman who should have cherished his submission not abused it.
“How was I supposed to know he was here?” Allison batted her eyes at the officer, playing the victim. “I was visiting a former friend, not looking for him.” She placed a hand on the officer’s chest. “You know me and my family…I’d never willingly violate a court order.”
Reggie seemed torn, but he stepped back from Allison’s touch as the radio on his shoulder squawked. “Reggie, it looks like a Zebadiah Pellegrino called in the report nearly eighteen minutes ago. He filed a valid restraining order against Allison Teelen with Judge Kalicki.”
“Thanks, Base.” Reggie sighed. “Allison, my hands are tied. You shouldn’t be here. I’m going to have to take you in for breaking your restraining order.”
Allison’s eyes widened dramatically. “But I didn’t know…”
Reggie stood firm before glancing up at Zeb. “Mr. Pellegrino, how long have you been driving your current vehicle?”
Confusion swamped Zeb. Why the hell would the officer ask about his car? Unless of course, the officer had a point to prove. Moving down the steps, he came to a stop in front of Allison, standing his ground. “I’ve had the same car for nearly five years, Officer. In fact, Allison helped me pick it out.” After being with Steph and Nicky, he was hard pressed to remember why she’d scared him so. “So forgive me if I don’t believe her claims of not knowing I was here. My car’s in plain sight.”
Reggie nodded before turning back towards Allison. “Then it stands to reason, Ms. Teelen, you’d recognize Mr. Pellegrino’s vehicle. I’m sorry but…” He pulled the silver cuffs off his belt. “Allison Teelen, you’re under arrest for violating a sworn restraining order.”
“But you can’t…”
“Yes, I can. Seeing as you may be injured, I’m going to cuff you with your hands in front of you. Don’t make me regret my kindness.” Reggie moved closer and Allison panicked, backing away from him.
“No. I’ll leave. I’ll never come here again. Let’s talk about this. There’s no need to arrest me. It was an honest mistake. Surely you can let me off with a warning…please Reggie? I can’t go back to jail.”
Reggie scowled down at Allison. “Sorry. It’s not going to happen. This is the second time you’ve broken your restraining order. You’ve had your chance.”
“Fine. Arrest me,” she hissed. “But Daddy will have you busted back down to a meter-maid.”
“I’ll risk it.” Without taking his eyes off Allison, Reggie addressed the couple on the porch. “Who owns this property?”
“Both of us.” Nicky moved down off the porch, uncaring of his skimpy attire. Steph followed him as they flanked Zeb on either side, showing their support without words.
“And at any time, did either you or Ms. McKeown ask Allison to leave?”
“Yes. I did,” Steph gritted out. “That’s when she proceeded to pull a gun on me.” She nodded towards the derringer on the railing. “I’m a former marine, and disarmed her before she hurt anyone - including herself.”
Reggie shook his head. “Even if I didn’t have you on the restraining order, Allison, pulling a gun on a homeowner after they ask you to leave the premises, is a felony. You really should’ve left when they asked.” He snapped the handcuffs on Allison before pulling her towards his patrol car. “I’m going to need all three of you to come down to the police station so I can file my report.”
Zeb’s breath came out in a rush as the officer put the fuming Allison into the backseat of the car. “I’ll have her car towed to the impound yard.” He shut the door and approached the porch. “I’ll need to take the gun.”
Steph agreed. “I don’t want it. I merely removed it from her person.”
Reggie went to the trunk of his car and pulled out an evidence bag, then approaching the railing, he quickly bagged and tagged the gun. “I’ll expect you in two hours.” Zipping the bag shut, he paused on his way back to his cruiser to nod at Zeb. “You did the right thing, Zeb. What she did to you was wrong. BDSM lifestyle or not, a safeword is a safeword. I’m glad I was in the area this time before she tried to hurt you again.”
That’s when it hit Zeb. Reggie had been one of the officers who’d responded to Allison’s initial attack at the club. He gave a nod as the man stepped back and strode down the walk towards his parked vehicle.
As soon as the officer pulled away with Allison, Steph and Nicky surrounded him, Nicky with an arm around his shoulder, while Steph tugged him closer by the loop on his jeans.
“Are you okay, il mio colibrì?” Nicky’s concern was his undoing, and he began to shake.
“I…” He leaned towards Nicky. “I did it…she can’t control me any longer.”
A smile broke over Steph’s face. “That’s right, she doesn’t.” She laid a hand on his bare chest. “You’re free to choose who you wish to be with.” She pressed a kiss against his temple. “But I’d be lying if I said I’m not hoping it’s me and Nicky.”
A chuckle burst free of Zeb as he stepped into their embrace. “I’ll take that under advisement.” Then his stomach rumbled. “But do you think you have time to feed your soon to be submissive?”
“Of course.” Happiness shined from Steph’s face. “Let’s go. How does pancakes sound?” she asked as they headed back towards the house.
Chapter Eighteen
Zeb was sitting at one of the battered desks giving Reggie his statement when Davis walked into the squad
room, his briefcase in hand. Moving gracefully through the maze of desks, chairs, and filing cabinets, his lawyer stopped next to Zebadiah and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Officer Silva. I can’t thank you enough for protecting my boy here.” Davis’s smooth baritone had several heads popping up as the squad room grew quiet. It still amazed him how his buddy’s lawyer persona had such an effect on so many people, even those who knew him outside of his work.
“Davis.” Reggie paused in the report he was entering in the computer. “I was just finishing up here with your client. He’s been very forthcoming. Hopefully the judge doesn’t throw out the arrest because of some shark lawyer.” He glanced up at Davis. “No offense.”
Davis chuckled. “None taken. We both know Allison has several sharks on her legal team.” He set his briefcase down next to the desk. “As long as I get a copy of the arrest record for Zebadiah’s trial next week, I should be able to keep them at bay. We go in front of Judge Kalicki on Monday morning. The report will definitely show a pattern of recklessness as well as Allison’s ongoing harassment.”
Reggie hit a few more keys, then the printer sitting on a small table at the end of Reggie’s desk flared to life, spitting out the finished report. “Yeah, and you should be able to use the gun charge against her as well.”
Davis frowned and turned to look at Zeb. “You didn’t tell me she tried to pull a gun on you, Zeb. After her first assault, that could be construed as attempted murder.”
Zeb held his hands up. “Whoa, boss. She didn’t pull a gun on me.”
“Then…who did she pull a gun on?” He reached for the yellow legal tablet inside his briefcase. “I’ll contact them and see if I can call them as a witness. It will show a pattern of behavior.”
Essential Master (Doms of Napa Valley) Page 16