Dirty Little Virgin: A Submissives’ Secrets Novel

by Michelle Love

  “Really? Everything good?”

  Sarah nodded and Molly hugged her. “I’m so happy for you. Truly.”

  “Thank you, honey. For everything. I don’t know how I would have got through these last few months without you.”

  Molly grinned but then pushed her away. “Ugh, I suppose both of you will be revoltingly loved up now, all love notes and secret smiles.”

  “Yup.”

  Molly rolled her eyes but Sarah could tell she was delighted. “Where’s your errant brother?”

  Molly rolled her eyes. “Lord knows. He was supposed to come in earlier but I expect he got called out.”

  “To an actual crime?” Sarah grinned at her and Molly laughed. She peered out of the window at the huge black car parked next to the sidewalk. “Think I should take them coffee?”

  Sarah smiled. “I’ll do it.”

  She took the steaming drinks out to the car. “I’m sorry you guys got landed with this duty, must suck to just hang around all day.”

  Jay, an African-American with distractingly blue eyes, smiled. “It’s our jobs, Mrs. Quinn.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “Sarah.”

  Flynn chuckled. “You sure you don’t want us in there with you, Sarah?”

  She shook her head. “I think customers might feel a bit intimidated – plus, you two would take up all the room.”

  “Well, okay, but holler if…”

  “I will.”

  Molly was at the market, Sarah alone in the coffee shop when she heard the door open. She looked up and her stomach disappeared.

  “Hello, Sarah.”

  Dan’s face was friendly, his manner relaxed. She reached underneath the counter, made sure her purse was there, the gun within easy reach. She glanced out to the tank, saw Jay rolling down the window. She gave him a slight shake of the head. No need for this to escalate yet.

  “Dan.”

  “How are you? You look so much better than when I saw you last.”

  “You mean when you threatened me? Yes, Dan, I’m much better.”

  He laughed. “Oh come on, that’s a little dramatic don’t you think? Threatened! I see you have that covered anyway, or at least, your husband does.” He gave Jay a sarcastic wave; Jay stared back at him stone-faced. Sarah would have laughed if she weren’t so nauseous. He smiled but his eyes were dead. “May I have some coffee, please, Sarah? I’ve missed your particular flavor.”

  Sarah hated that she trembled as she poured out the coffee from the pot. He steadied her hand with his, she snatched it away. He laughed.

  “Honestly, Sarah, what is it you think I’m going to do to you?” He sipped his drink.

  From the corner of her eye, she could see Jay and Flynn get out of the car outside. They didn’t come in but both of them leaned back against the car, facing into the coffee house, watching Dan’s every move. They both had their jackets tucked behind their holsters, their guns within easy reach. It made her relax a little, made her a little braver. Dan smiled at her.

  “How does it feel to have those goons at your beck and call?”

  The phone rang, and she snatched it up gratefully.

  “Hello?”

  She knew who it was as soon as he spoke.

  “Mrs. Quinn?”

  Corcoran.

  A rush of adrenalin. She flushed bright red and turned away from Dan. She was sure he had caught her flustered reaction and she struggled to make her voice sound as normal as possible. She could feel his stare on the back of her neck.

  “Oh hi! How are you? How are Joe and the kids?”

  Corcoran caught on.

  “Raymond - I’m sorry, Daniel - is he there?”

  “Oh yes, kids can be a handful.” She cringed to herself, she sounded like a Stepford wife.

  “Mrs. Quinn, just answer me a question yes or no, would you, please? Are you in any immediate danger?”

  The question hit Sarah like a sledgehammer and she hesitated. “No.” Her voice cracked. “No, I’m fine.”

  The break in her voice had attracted Dan’s attention and she indicated she was going to take the call in the kitchen. She didn’t want Dan finding out she was talking to the lawyer, didn’t want to put him in any danger. Even through the wall, she felt Dan’s presence, a sensation she knew was heightened by her fear. She realized Corcoran was talking.

  “Obviously Mrs. Quinn, we can’t talk freely now. Perhaps you can call me back on this number unless you need me urgently.”

  “Of course. Honestly, there is no hurry.” She chose her words carefully to maintain her façade.

  Corcoran hesitated. “If you are sure. Mrs. Quinn I don’t wish to concern you but please, may I beg a favor?”

  Sarah started as Dan came out into the kitchen, turned and smiled at her. He pointed to the bathroom and went into it. She heard the lock click.

  “I’m sorry, yes of course, anything.”

  There was a pause.

  “Try to be vigilant…” he sighed, “May I speak frankly?”

  “Of course.”

  “Be careful of Daniel, Mrs. Quinn, he is troubled. He is dangerous. Try not to antagonize him. I will wait to hear from you but please know I will come to Seattle or wherever you need. You need to know about Daniel, Mrs. Quinn, you need to know about his history.”

  His words sent icy chills through her body. Memories of the violence that crackled in the air around Dan. She shivered.

  “I understand.” They said goodbye and Sarah tried to compose herself before Dan emerged from the bathroom. She went back out to the coffee house to see Jay and Flynn had come inside and were tensed. She gave them a grateful look. Dan followed her a few seconds later, smirking at the men and raising an eyebrow at her. His smile was terrifying. He knows. Sarah couldn’t breathe, she moved closer to the counter and slipped her hand around the gun. Dan sat back down opposite her, smiled and finished his drink.

  “Hey.” Jay moved to her side, his eyes riveted on Dan. “Everything okay in here?”

  Sarah nodded at him, gave him a grateful smile. Dan smirked.

  “Of course. Just visiting with my wife. Although she might say different.” He turned and looked at Sarah, his eyes cold. “She may have a good reason for having a gun pointed at me under the counter but I couldn’t say what that reason might be.”

  Sarah turned red and dropped the pistol back into her purse. Jay looked over at her and smiled, a reassurance.

  “Well, now, I’m sure Sarah doesn’t have anything to worry about – does she?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Perhaps, if you’re making her uncomfortable then you should leave, Mr. Bailey.”

  Dan stared at him with contempt.

  “What a wonderful idea.” Molly walked in behind Flynn, a grocery bag in her arms. She winked at Jay as she passed him and, dumping the bag on the counter, went to stand beside Sarah. She linked her fingers with her friend, feeling her tremble. “In fact, I think you should leave the island, let alone the coffee house.”

  Dan was amused. “Really?”

  “Yep.”

  “So, in addition to being an exemplary muffin peddler, you’re also a travel agent? Well, who knew? May I please have a refill, Sarah?” He held his cup out to her. Molly took it.

  “No, you may not. Please leave.”

  Dan smirked. Flynn cleared his throat.

  “You heard her, Bailey.”

  Dan stood. Molly sneered. “And consider this a lifetime ban.”

  Dan laughed. “My lifetime or yours?”

  “Asshole.”

  Dan sighed, still grinning. He looked at Sarah. “Careful with that gun, Sarah. I wouldn’t want you to have an unfortunate accident.” He ran his eyes over her body. Sarah cringed.

  “Get him the fuck out,” Molly stepped in front of Sarah.

  Flynn and Jay stepped forward but Dan held his hands up. “I’m going. What’s it come to when a man can’t express his concern for his wife’s safety?”

  He walked out of the
door. Sarah breathed again and Molly hugged her. She looked at Jay and Flynn gratefully.

  “Thanks, dudes. That could have gotten really nasty without you here.”

  Jay shook his head. “He’s…damn, I don’t know what he is.”

  Sarah felt sick. A few minutes was all it took to make her feel so vulnerable, unprotected. Useless. Even with two enormous bodyguards. She rubbed her face, trying to disguise her distress. Her heart was pounding, her stomach twisted. Hopelessness flooded through her.

  He’s going to kill me and no-one can stop him. She felt so weak. Sarah turned away from her friends, the easy tears coming again. Damn it.

  Molly slid her arm around her waist, studied her face, and guessed what she was thinking.

  “You did okay, Sarah. If I had been you, I probably would have blown his head off the second he walked in here.”

  Jay rolled his eyes and grinned. ““Because that’s the way to go. Not that I’d blame you.” He added quickly, seeing the expression on Molly’s face. She thawed.

  “You deserve a hug.” She wrapped her arms around the blushing security guard. Sarah smiled but then she caught sight of Dan watching them from the other side of the street. He grinned when he saw her watching him. She walked over to the window and let the shade down. She turned to Molly and the two men who were watching her.

  “I don’t want you two saying anything about this to Finn.” Her voice was firm and they gaped at her.

  “Why the hell not?” Molly’s eyes were huge with disbelief. Sarah shook her head at them.

  “Because. I don’t want to make any mistakes because of Dan’s goading. We don’t react, he has no power. But Finn is, well, you both know how he is. Shoot first, ask questions yadda yadda…Guys? We can tell Isaac, but not until later, okay?”

  Neither Jay nor Flynn looked happy but she knew, they worked for her, and would respect her wishes. Molly, she wasn’t so sure of.

  Almost on cue, Molly shook her head. “I don’t like this.”

  Sarah tried to smile. “Mols, we have these two Sasquatches here. We’re fine.”

  Molly looked doubtful. “I don’t know.”

  Sarah sighed and sat down. “It’s going to be hard but we need to hang back, give him enough rope.” She rubbed her eyes wearily. “I mean it. No missteps.”

  “I get it.” Jay was nodding, ignoring the little dig Molly gave his ribs. “And I agree. Steady does it.” Sarah got up and moved to the counter.

  “Thank you both.” She sighed and rolled her shoulders. Jay squeezed Molly’s hand and turned to go back to the car outside. He stopped when he heard Sarah speak.

  “Jay? The word you were looking for is monster.” Her face was pale, haunted as Jay stared at her but her voice was hard. “Daniel Bailey is a monster.”

  Sarah lay awake next to Isaac. He’d been home when she came back from the coffee shop and had greeted her in such a good mood that she was glad she had made the guys promise not to tell him about Dan’s visit. She did tell him about Corcoran’s call, though. She’d called the lawyer back as soon as she was able and he said he would be in Seattle the day after tomorrow. She’d mentioned a restaurant and had agreed to meet him there. She didn’t want him on the island, not where Dan could see him. She’d made it clear to Finn, Molly and Isaac that the last thing she wanted was to ramp up Dan’s campaign by antagonizing him or by putting Corcoran in any danger. If Dan was backed into a corner, he would be lethal and she wanted more time to be able to get something real, something that would stick, put him away forever. And above all, she wanted to keep the people she loved safe.

  She thought back to when Finn had told her about the other women, the ones who had been murdered. The ones who looked like her. She made him tell her everything, every detail. Finn had balked but she had insisted. She needed to know what Dan had planned for her, needed to retain some control over her fear. They still had absolutely nothing to tie Dan to those killings but she knew, she knew, he had killed before. George. The girls across the country. The poor girl in Seattle. Finn had shown her the cutting from the Times. Sarah couldn’t get the dead woman’s face out of her mind. Her chest ached for her, for her family.

  I won’t let him hurt anyone else.

  Sarah saw him as soon as she entered the restaurant. He sat, straight-backed, an air of old-fashioned gentility about him, an oasis of calm amongst the chatter, the noise of a Seattle eatery on a Fall day. Excitable kids and curious tourists. A heavy glass of sour mash sat in front of him, hardly touched. He studied the menu, distracted, uneasy. She approached him.

  “Mr. Corcoran?” He looked up, blinked twice.

  “Mrs. Quinn?” He stood and shook hands with her, pulled out her chair, waited until she sat.

  “Thank you,” She smiled at him. He stared at her as he sat, his expression troubled. After a beat, Sarah felt herself flush, embarrassed at the scrutiny.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Quinn, it’s that you…well, you remind me of someone.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry - it is a pleasure to meet you.” He offered her the menu. “Can I order you a drink?”

  “Just an orange juice, please.”

  He waved at the waitress, politely requested the drink. There was an awkward pause.

  “Mrs. Quinn, I’m sorry to have frightened you like that on the phone, I didn’t mean…”

  “Mr. Corcoran, please don’t apologize. If you have any information about Dan Bailey – or Ray Petersen - I want to hear it. Good or bad. Good or bad, Mr. Corcoran.” Her gaze was steady and he nodded. He cleared his throat.

  “Mrs. Q…”

  “Sarah.”

  “Sarah. Please call me William. Sarah, I can give you some concrete information about Raymond, other than that, I’m afraid all I can give you are my thoughts, my opinions based mostly on instinct.”

  Sarah shifted in her seat as he paused, the waitress had returned with her drink.

  “Are you ready to order?” Hurriedly, they both made the same choice, and the waitress left.

  Sarah leaned toward the elderly lawyer.

  “Please go on. How did you become his lawyer?”

  “His mother Amelia was the daughter of a rich man, a rich man who had high expectations. She married Yann when she was just nineteen, and her child, Raymond was her world. I mean, the whole world revolved around that little boy. He was doted on by his entire family but Amelia and he shared a bond like none I have ever seen.”

  “Raymond was prone to fits of rage, especially when his mother’s attention was diverted from him. He would scream, even bite her sometimes until she tended to him. Amelia, at first, didn’t see that his behavior was extreme.”

  His father soon grew tired of being ignored and began to punish his son, never with violence, just by restricting his access to his mother. They started to find animals, dead animals, on the estate. At first, no-one suspected – Raymond was only five years old at this point – no one suspected that he could have killed them. Until he brought home a cat that he had killed. Brought it right into the parlor. Amelia was sickened of course, and punished the boy but Raymond didn’t care about the punishment, he had his mother’s attention.

  He started to set small fires on the estate, nothing was damaged, really but they were numerous and occasionally their neighbors would complain and Raymond would be punished. In response to the punishments, he would deliberately wet the bed – mostly his own but on several occasions the beds of his family and their staff. Their overnight guests. He seemed to revel in their discomfort.”

  William sighed, deep in the memory. “Amelia was increasingly distraught. She had adored her son and now he was behaving in such a profoundly disturbing manner. Amelia came to recognize that her son was…”

  “A monster.” Sarah whispered. William nodded sadly.

  “She was destroyed.”

  “You loved her.” Sarah studied the elderly man’s face, watched as it creased with pain.

  “With all my heart. Yann was a cold man, a cold, cold man.
She was lonely and I was weak.”

  Sarah reached across the table, took his hand. “I understand, William, believe me.” She gave a little laugh and shook her head. “You wouldn’t believe how much I understand.”

  William squeezed her hand gratefully.

  “She was an extraordinary woman, warm, brilliant. Beautiful. Forgive me for saying so, Sarah, but you remind me so much of her, you appear to share many of her qualities.”

  She flushed and William smiled kindly at her.

  “Dan…Raymond,” she corrected for his benefit, “Raymond told me that his was an abusive childhood and that’s why he was sent away.”

  William sighed. “That’s not true. Yes, Yann was not an affectionate father and could be a harsh disciplinarian but no, Raymond wasn’t abused. For a time in fact, when he was six, he seemed to change, behave well.”

  “A new family came to live in the estate next to theirs, Chinese immigrants. A young family, with an infant daughter, she would have been four or five at the time. They weren’t as rich as the Petersen’s but Amelia and the girl’s mother, Suyin, often would visit with each other and Suyin would bring the little girl to play with Raymond. The two children would play on the grounds of the estate, making a den out of a little boathouse on the bayou. Raymond’s behavior seemed to improve and, for Amelia, the relief was palpable.”

  William coughed quietly, and as he brought his coffee to his mouth, his hands shook. Sarah’s stomach began to roil with unease. William put his cup down slowly.

  “One day, they were playing out in the den when Raymond came back to the house, alone. He was covered in blood.”

  “Oh my God.” Sarah covered her mouth with her hands, horror sweeping through her, ice in her veins. William nodded.

  “Yann came running from his study when he heard Amelia’s screams. Later he would tell me that Raymond just stood there, smiling, and blood dripping from his little hands. He had killed the girl, Hotaru, I think her name was, with a knife he had stolen from the kitchen. When they found her, she had been disemboweled.”