I reminded myself to tread carefully. Kitten still had to go home with her for the time being and I didn’t want to make the situation even more horrible for her than I was sure it already was.
“I’m sorry but you’re going to have to find someone else. Paulette has left strict instructions that these things must be taken care of and she’s only given us a limited amount of time.”
“But…shouldn’t we discuss this first? I am her guardian after all.”
“Oh? I wasn’t aware of that I thought you were just looking out for her while she was here until she got on her feet. I must’ve misunderstood the situation. At any rate she’s already spoken with her parents and they’ve given her their blessing and the contracts have already been signed.”
She didn’t like that one bit if the indrawn breath was anything to go by, but I really didn’t care. Either she had forgotten all that she had said to me about her reasons for inviting the young girl to come stay with her, or she was narcissistic enough not to care.
Whatever the case maybe, I wasn’t falling for her concerned act one bit, as she prattled on about how she should’ve been consulted. I kept my voice as neutral as possible even as I smiled at Kitten as she sat wide eyed, no doubt worried about the other woman’s reaction.
I hung up the phone after it looked like we were just going around in circles. “You ready?” At her nod I walked over and helped her out of the chair. I took her down in the lift with my hand in the small of her back. For this, our first outing, I planned to use touch to convey what was going to happen between us. Touch sometimes said more than words I found, and she seemed starved for it.
***
I helped her into the back of the limo, not letting the driver anywhere near her. That was another thing I found myself being very fastidious about. Like the lion when he’s doing the mating dance, I won’t allow any other males anywhere near her scent.
In the back of the car I sat close but not too close, just close enough to keep her aware of me without making her uncomfortable, as I asked her about her week.
It was very telling that not once did she mention her poor treatment at the hands of her benefactor. “You have the most amazing head of hair I’ve ever seen on a woman.” I dropped the compliment casually in the midst of her recital.
She sucked up the small praise and gave me a half smile. The thing about my Kitten, is that I didn’t have to feed her a line, she truly was the most extraordinary being I’d ever seen. The fact that she seemed totally unaware of her appeal only made her that much more endearing.
“I’m thinking of cutting it it’s such a bother to take care of.” She looked at me for direction.
“Don’t you dare, that might definitely earn you a spanking. I love it just the way it is.” I’m going to love it even more when it covers my face as you ride my cock. Down boy, damn!
The conversation gave me the excuse I needed to touch her as I played my fingers through her hair. I wonder if she noticed how she moved so that my hand had easier access, just like a purring kitten under its master’s petting touch.
I wanted so badly to kiss her then, but I didn’t want to spook her, not just yet. If all went as planned, I’ll soon be kissing her lovely lips and more. “We’re here.”
She looked out the window at my announcement. “Where are we going?” She stretched as if coming out of a daze after I released her hair.
It wasn’t lost on me that she’d so naturally given over to me. I didn’t fool myself that she reacted that way to everyone. I knew that just as she’d touched something in me, it had been the same for her.
It was that knowledge that had propelled me to do the things that I’d just spent the last week orchestrating. Not that I would’ve done any different if I hadn’t sensed her attraction to me, I wanted her, it was as simple as that; and if I’d had to work on her to get her under me, then so be it. But it was good that she so obviously felt the pull as well.
“First to get you a phone.” I helped her out after the car pulled up to the curb and led her into the store. The attendants rushed to attention as soon as they saw us walk in.
I let her choose which phone she wanted and she was a bit hesitant about letting me spend that kind of money on her, so in the end I took the decision out of her hands and chose the top of the line one with all the bells and whistles, as well as a nice diamond encrusted case, over which she almost had palpitations.
Not once did I stray too far from her side, in fact you might say I was crowding her. And by the time we’d wrapped up our transaction, she was all but leaning on me.
I made every stolen touch seem as casual and nonthreatening as I could, never once giving away any hint of the hunger that coursed through my blood.
***
After that I took her to lunch. I didn’t really have anything else planned for her today. Tomorrow she was meeting with the stylist and the wardrobe people before having some headshots taken.
I wasn’t needed for any of that, but I planned to be there nonetheless. It was all part of my plan to overwhelm her with my presence. If she’d missed me half as much as I’d missed her in the last week, then she’d be more than susceptible to whatever I had planned.
Marion called just as we were about to be seated, but I let it go to voicemail. “Okay my sweet, what will it be?”
“Do I have to eat different now? I think I read somewhere that models have to eat less.” She seemed worried about that so I set about putting her mind at ease.
“What do you usually have for lunch?”
“Well I love burgers and fries or sometimes I have pizza. We didn’t really have that stuff back home, I mean they had a Dairy Queen but momma usually cooked all our meals…”
She drifted off from her nervous rambling as if thinking she was talking too much. Little did she know that I could listen to her drawl on and on in that sexy sweet accent of hers, with that innocence that was like a beacon for a predator like me.
Not for the first time I was happy as fuck that I’m the one Marion had chosen to pick her up that night. I can’t imagine any other man being able to resist her, and it would’ve been a grave injustice if I’d missed the opportunity, if someone else had gotten to her first.
I’d sweated over that while I was away from her with no means of contact, that’s why I’d set things in place while I was gone to ensure that no one got close.
At least I’d tried to, but Marion had stood in the way of that. Unbeknownst to her, she’d done an even better job of keeping my Kitten well preserved and out of the clutches of any other predatory males that may have picked up her scent.
In the end, her insufferable attitude had played well into my plans. Not that I appreciated the hell my poor little Kitten must’ve endured, being closed off in that apartment with the vulture night after night, with nothing else to do and no means of escape. But that too was almost at an end.
“Well I’m sure a burger is okay every once in a while, but you should try to eat healthier, not to lose weight or any of that other hogwash, you’re perfect as you are. But it’s good to eat healthy.”
“Okay so what should I have?”
I hid my smile behind the menu as I pretended to be looking for an answer for her.
“How about a nice Caesar with grilled salmon.” I folded the menu and put it aside as she did the same.
“I’ll try that.”
Damn, I’d forgotten what kind of affect her easy acquiescence had on me.
Chapter 6
Over lunch I prodded her, and the more I questioned, the more convinced I became that I was on the right track.
What were the odds that the woman I detested so strongly would lead me to the one I would want most to possess?
Truth truly is stranger than fiction. With every word, every gesture, she sunk herself deeper and deeper. It was as if she’d been made just for me. Her every action was designed to feed my wants, my needs.
She was a born submissive, though I doubt she even kn
ew what that was, it just came naturally to her. And I needed to dominate, to possess completely, regardless of society’s hang-ups.
Those bells were going off in my head again and I wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and drag her mouth to mine.
Better think of something else here Callan, something other than pulling her around to your side of the booth and running your hand up under her skirt. Maybe I’ll try that later, after I’d staked my claim. I can’t wait.
“Tomorrow I’ll pick you up around nine, we have a long day so dress comfortably.”
She looked down at the too tight top she wore over the knee length skirt. I’m sure she found them lacking, for me it was just something else that I would take care of. She was like a blank canvas, unmolded clay, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her.
It was a wonder that I could sit there so patiently, when all I really wanted was to lock her away somewhere for the next five or six hours and bury myself so deep in her that she forgot where she ended and I begun.
All in due time; I had a lot to do as well, now that I’d found her. My one last stumbling block was getting her away from Marion.
I knew that the trip to L.A. and Europe would take care of that temporarily, but it wasn’t in me to knowingly leave her at the mercy of someone who bore her no true love.
Although she knew nothing of my intentions, she was mine; mine to protect and shield from everyone and everything.
I hadn’t come up with a way to do it yet though. I didn’t necessarily want her living on her own in the city, but neither could I just move her in with me right away; or could I? we’ll see how it goes. Either way, I wanted her where I could get to her whenever I wanted to, and her present arrangements were not ideal for that.
“Are you finished with your lunch Kitten?” shit, I hadn’t meant to call her that, not yet anyway.
“Why did you call me that?” What should I tell her? that she was my pet, that already in my mind I was her master and she was my little kitty? Yeah right! She’d think you’d lost your fucking mind, which you very well might have.
“It’s your hair, it reminds me of this tabby cat I once owned as a child.” At least that much was true.
The answer seemed to please her; then again everything seemed to. I had the sudden hope that she would never change, that all the fuss of the upcoming weeks and her entrée into the limelight wouldn’t change one iota about her. What was I thinking? It was up to me to see that it didn’t, and I was more than up to the job.
***
I hated like hell leaving her at the end of the day, but at least I’d made progress. She was so attuned to me already, to my touch, that when I ran my little experiment on the way out of the restaurant, she’d fallen nicely into my trap. I’d purposely kept my hand away from the small of her back.
I didn’t miss the way she looked for it, or the crestfallen look on her face when she noticed I had it stuffed in my pants pocket.
Phase one was well on the way; and when I kissed her forehead right before the elevator doors opened on her floor, she was almost a puddle at my feet. “I’ll see you later sweetheart.”
The stunned but pleased look on her face as she looked back through the closing doors was all the evidence I needed.
I smiled all the way to my office, before work beckoned. I had to clear some things so that I could devote the next couple of weeks to her training. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, I would have free reign during the day when I was following her from one appointment to the next, but the nights were going to be a problem.
I cleared my mind, or tried to as I looked over spreadsheets and proposals. I’d studied engineering in school because of my love of cars and racing, and anything that had to do with them. But because I knew the old man had designated me as his heir apparent from birth, I’d minored in business.
Over the years he’d kept me in the loop whether I wanted to be or not. I’d been guilted into more board meetings than I cared to count, when all I’d wanted was to be behind the wheel.
I’d lived fast and hard in my thirty-one years and didn’t regret a one of them; but now it looked like my life was moving onto phase two.
***
I was deep in concentration going over the numbers for the last quarter when the phone rang and I answered it absentmindedly. “Yes?”
“Uh sir, there seems to be some sort of disturbance on the eighth floor. Ms. Jones has asked that you appear immediately.”
The eighth floor? That’s where she was. My heart went into double time and I dropped the phone as I headed for the door. Robyn Jones was one of my spies for lack of a better word. For her to be calling could only mean one thing. Whatever was going on, involved Kitten.
I was tempted to take the stairs in my haste to get there quickly, but reason won out and I waited the few seconds it took for the elevator to get there. I paced the confines on the ride down until the doors opened and I blew through them.
I could hear the loud voices and crying as soon as I cleared the door to the room. There were people standing around and what looked like a file cabinet had been turned over, its contents littering the floor.
I overlooked all that in my search for her and found her cowering in a corner while someone from security stood in front of her, protectively it seemed.
“What the fuck is going on here?” I kept my eyes on her as I made my way to the corner where she was hiding as if trying to disappear into the wall.
Everyone started talking at once and I had to whistle to get them all to shut up. I lifted my hand to her and she came running. I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly after I’d assured myself that she hadn’t been harmed.
“Okay one at a time, somebody want to tell me what the hell went on here?” The room looked like a tornado had hit it.
Robyn stepped forward from the rest. “We heard yelling and screaming and then what sounded like a slap. Next thing we know that filing cabinet came sailing out of the room and Gaby was running out the door holding her face and crying.”
I looked down at her face where she was still holding her cheek. “Move your hand Kitten let me see.” She didn’t want to but in the end that innate sense in her to always follow orders won out and she removed it. I saw the palm print in her face and my vision blurred.
“Who hit you?” As if I didn’t know. She looked away in shame as tears rolled down her cheeks.
I turned my head to glare at Marion who was being held back by yet another guard who seemed a little confused by the whole scene.
I couldn’t blame him it’s not exactly what one would expect on the editing floor of a high fashion magazine that was touted around the world as being one of the best.
Once again it was Robyn who took the lead, naming Marion as the culprit, but by then the others were feeling brave enough and it seemed with this new development some were even ready to come forward with complaints of their own after years of hidden abuse.
The woman in question wasn’t saying much, but I noticed she did have a glassy eyed stare aimed at where my hand was holding Kitten close. I drew her even closer to me as she buried her face in my side.
It was one of the hardest moments of my life, to stand there, holding her while she’d been hurt, and not being able to do anything about it, not what I wanted to anyway.
In as calm a voice as I could muster I told the others to get back to work, all except the guards. I’m sure everyone wanted to know the end result, probably thought they deserved at least that much, but that’s not the kind of man I am.
As much as I wanted to wrap my hands around Marion’s neck and squeeze, I’m sure she might relish just such a reaction, so I restrained myself. More so for the sake of the young girl who was even now shaking in my arms.
“You’re fired. Get your stuff and be gone from my property in five minutes.” I turned to take Kitten back up to my office to take care of her.
She hadn’t said anything since I came in and I was worried that she mig
ht be in some kind of shock. It hurt my heart to see her like this and I wanted to howl at the fucking moon to release the pent up rage that was threatening to choke me.
How dare anyone put hands on what’s mine? If she were a man I would’ve put her fucking lights out without a second thought.
“I knew you were fucking the little slut.” The words were flung after us like sharp little darts and they hit their intended target.
I felt Kitten’s body shake under my arm at the loud accusation. I didn’t turn back to her as she threw more accusations at our backs, just kept walking with the young girl held protectively in the curve of my arm.
“Just wait until I tell your folks about this you little ungrateful bitch.” At this point I’d had about all I could take of her so I turned to the two guards and gave them their orders.
“Escort her off my property now.” I didn’t wait around to see if they carried out my orders, but I guess they did when I heard the loud applause coming from the room as the elevator doors closed behind us.
“Let me see baby.” I turned her tear stained face up to mine, biting back the bark of anger that was clawing its way up my throat. I kissed the reddened area of her cheek and her forehead before pulling her face into my chest.
“I’m sorry baby, I didn’t think she would go this far.” Her poor little body was wracked by sobs and I bit my fist over her head to keep myself from releasing even an ounce of the fiery rage that consumed me.
It’s not easy for a man such as myself to let something like this pass, to see his woman accosted and do nothing; but I promised myself that I would make Marion pay and pay dearly for her little stunt.
I led her into my office and sat her behind my desk in the big easy chair that was more comfortable than the others in front of it. She curled into herself and her shoulders shook, tearing my heart out of my chest.
I found a washcloth in my private bathroom and wet it before applying it to her cheek with one hand, and playing with her hair with the other.
My Little Farm Girl Page 7