by Dakota Trace
Chapter Fourteen
After a couple of sleepless nights, Rena sat in her car in front of Larson Securities. She had been putting off this meeting for too long, but for once in her life she didn’t know which way to go. She understood what Jackson had been trying to explain, and while logically she didn’t have an issue, hell she even understood where his desire to teach came from, she was scared her past was going to cause her to jump to conclusions or lash out at him. And what if he decides it’s not worth the headache and leaves?
Cupping the cappuccino she’d gotten from the local gas station, she blew on the steaming liquid. She was supposed to be here to meet Jude and Olivia for coffee, but her mind kept wandering to her situation with Jackson. In the lot she could see his SUV sitting next to Jude’s, and knew the man who’d consumed her thoughts was on the premises. But damned if she knew what to do about it. Which is why I’m sitting here hiding like a chicken shit.
TAP-TAP
She looked up and the sweet roll in her stomach threatened to revolt. Standing next to her car looking sexy in a rumpled way was Jackson. Dressed in a faded t-shirt promoting some obscure rock band, faded jeans, and low heeled boots with his blond hair ruffled, he was a walking wet dream.
She rolled down the window letting out the cool air. “Hey.”
“Are you planning on sitting in your car all day, ma peekôn?” His thick roughened tone, suggesting he hadn’t spoken yet this morning, sent shards of pleasure through her. It reminded her of Ireland when she’d shared a suite with him. Even then she’d wanted to hear him ordering her to give him what he wanted in that sleep-roughened voice. She shook her head while grasping the steering wheel. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he crouched down next to the door, and with a gentle touch turned her face towards him.
“This isn’t like you. You’re normally all piss and vinegar, not letting anything slow you down, but you’ve been sitting here for the past twenty minutes. So what’s going on in that head of yours?”
She licked her lower lip, before blurting out her worst fear. “What if I screw up? Are you going to end it? Wounds like mine aren’t going to heal overnight, and I’ll die if we do this and you leave me because I get scared and react badly.”
He cupped her face. “Oh, ma peekôn, is that why you haven’t called me? You’re afraid I’m going to be an unbending bastard who’s going to expect perfection? I’m not expecting miracles. I realize we’re both going to slip at times, but as long as we’re both trying and not using our excess baggage as an excuse, then we’ll work through it.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “And see how I said we, not you? I have baggage too. I was engaged once, to a girl who was very vanilla. Who wouldn’t even entertain the idea of even a love tap, let alone the spanking I wanted to give to her. She called me a freak and refused. Instead of ending it like a man, I kept trying, thinking if I could just ease her into attempting it, everything would be okay.”
Shock rolled through Rena. She hadn’t had the foggiest inclination Jackson had been engaged, let alone had tried to introduce his fiancée into the lifestyle. “You can’t change a person or make them like spankings, Jackson.”
He nodded. “I know, but Suzette was pregnant and I promised her father I’d take care of her, so I tried to make her what I needed and failed miserably.” Sighing deeply, he looked down at the ground and Rena instinctively knew there had to be more to this than what he was telling her.
“What happened? Something tells me there’s more to your tale.”
“There is and it isn’t pretty. I got drunk one night and a sweet little thing I’d played with before my relationship with Suzette found me at a local bar. She cornered me and begged me to spank her, to warm her ass good because she’d been a bad girl. And I was just drunk enough and angry enough at Suzette for an earlier fight that I did it. I was out of control. The simple spanking the girl asked for ended up being a wall-banger in the back room of some sleazy bar.” He took a deep breath.
Pain for Jackson’s ex built inside of Rena, but she made herself hear him out. She had to know everything before telling him to go fuck himself, is what she told herself. She wasn’t looking for a redeeming act in his tale. “And?”
“And afterwards, I felt guilty as hell. I went home with the intentions of breaking it off with Suzette as long as she gave me access to our child. Even though she was only eight weeks pregnant, to me the baby was already real. But I figured if I could cheat on her once, then I was sure I would again. I didn’t want to put her through that. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t give me what I needed.”
Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, he continued. “But when I got home, I made the mistake of checking the mail before going into the house. There was a bill from one of the local clinics. Figuring it was another bill, but curious to see which doctor Suzette had chosen, I opened it. It was a bill, but not for the prenatal care as I’d assumed. While I had been out on my last tour of duty, she’d gone and gotten an abortion. She’d killed my child.”
Tears burned the back of Rena’s eyes. Even though she believed in a woman’s right to govern her own body, she herself was against abortion. Life was a gift, not something to be thrown away. “I’m sorry, Jackson. Did she have a medical complication?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Oh, she had a complication all right, but it wasn’t a medical one. It seemed her lover didn’t want to raise another man’s kid. After one last huge blow-up over it, I moved back into the barracks and Suzette married her lover.”
“Damn.” She didn’t know what to feel now. There was no clear right or wrong in Jackson’s story, no black or white, just endless shades of gray. He and his ex had both hurt each other badly.
Jackson seemed to pull himself up by his mental bootstraps before meeting her gaze. “So now you know the worst mistake of my life. I fucked around on a relationship which never should’ve happened. But I’m not that same man anymore, and you sure the hell are not like Suzette. There’s not a chance in hell I’ll ever cheat on you.”
“Because you’re older now?” She knew she looked skeptical, but cheaters were a sore spot for her, for obvious reasons.
He shook his head, brushing his hand over her braids. “No, because you aren’t appalled by my lifestyle, and my needs. You won’t turn me away or belittle me because I want to warm your bottom. Because you, Rena MacAllister, are perfect for me. Sass and all.”
She was absolutely dumbfounded. His utter certainty shocked her. How could he be so sure?
“Jackson!” Across the lot, Jude appeared in the doorway to the building. “Quite holding up my investigator. She has an appointment with me, not you!”
Heat filled her cheeks. She felt like a kid being called into the principal’s office. “I guess I better get going.” She reached for the door handle.
“He can wait.” He stared at her intently, his blue eyes guarded. “Has this changed things between us?”
She reached up to touch him but froze half-way, until he drew her hand and cupped it against his face. His eyes closed briefly before opening once more. “I…” She swallowed heavily before finally forcing herself to speak. “We’ll try this, but heaven help you, White Boy, if you cheat on me. Jude’ll be lucky if he can even find the pieces of your ass.”
A smile spread across Jackson’s face while he yanked her out of the car. A loud whoop escaped him as he spun her around in a tight circle before crushing her against him. “You won’t be sorry, ma peekôn.” He nuzzled her temple but released her as Jude approached.
“Unhand that woman, Levough. I need her,” Jude barked.
Jackson laughed. “Not as much as I do.” He pressed an impulsive kiss to her lips before hauling off and punching his friend’s shoulder.
Jude looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What the hell has gotten into you, you crazy Cajun?”
Rena wanted to kick Jackson’s ass when he grabbed her one more time. “She said yes!” He gave her one last squeeze. “I’ll pick you up tonig
ht. We’ll go have dinner. Just the two of us. No pressure. We can talk.” He promised. “Now, I have to go. Clients are waiting!” He took off at a lope. “Behave yourself, woman.” He tossed over his shoulder before he entered the building.
She must’ve had a shocked look on her face because Jude chuckled.
“What?” Rena asked.
“You look like you’ve been run over by a bulldozer by the name of Jackson. Dare I ask what you said ‘yes’ to that has my friend in the best mood I’ve seen him in quite some time? ”
She squeezed the bridge of her nose. “I think I just agreed to date the Cajun Playboy.”
* * * *
“Okay. I’ve gotten several of the reports back from the police. They validated what I was thinking. Not only did the perp not come in through the balcony door, the urine in your home, Jude, wasn’t human but feline. So we have no DNA to match, unless of course the perp was of the four-legged variety. We do have a few leads on the partial plate number, make and model which Ethan provided. The cops have eliminated several of the suspects based on alibis. They’re still trying to track down several people, but with only a partial plate we may not get lucky.” Rena pored over the open folder. She was once more in Jude’s office, this time sitting behind his desk, while he and Olivia were snuggled in one of the chairs across from it. It was quite a role reversal, but she supposed since Jude was in essence the client, it was appropriate. “I’m sorry I don’t have more information for you. We’re still trying to figure out how the perp entered. Once we do that, we may turn up something new. Other than that, I have no new information for you. My contact at the precinct is being fairly closed-mouthed.”
“Hell, Rena, you’ve managed to find out more in the past week than that idiot Levi did in several. Are you sure I can’t hire you back?”
Looking over the top of the open laptop, she glared at her former boss. “Nope, I may have a better paying job with the Vayarti’s if Mrs. Vayarti can wrestle control away from her son. Besides, if you’re not happy with Levi’s performance, you have no one to blame but yourself. When I suggested you hire him, I told you he was good for guard duty, which is the position he was fulfilling, not that he was an experienced investigator.”
Olivia arched a brow at Jude. “And you put him in charge of investigating our home, pet?”
Jude winced as his Mistress pinched his side. “Rena, you have a big mouth. Mistress, she did tell me he was a good replacement and he could do her duties. I didn’t realize she was talking about her guard duties. She did more than that when she was here.”
Rena shook her head. “Typical man, listens to only what he wants to hear.”
Olivia gave Jude a rather heated look. “Oh he listens to me, rather well in fact.” The sensual purr was followed by an increase in the sexual tension between the two. It almost made Rena uncomfortable. Perhaps she should leave.
“If that’s all…” Rena gathered up her papers, heading toward the door and freedom. Before Olivia mounts Jude right in front of me. The things I do for my friends.
“No, that’s not all, Rena. I think you forgot to mention something important,” Jude said before she even cleared the door.
Rena frowned. “I didn’t forget anything, Jude. I have nothing else…”
Jude smiled like a Cheshire cat. On his lap, Olivia focused her sharp gaze on Rena until she shifted uncomfortably.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about…”
“Really?” Jude’s smile deepened. “Tit for tat, you little snitch. Rena has agreed to be Jackson’s sub.”
Rena’s mouth dropped when Olivia scrambled off Jude’s lap. As Olivia enveloped her in a huge hug, asking a million questions, Rena glared over her shoulder at Jude. The man was definitely going to pay for this little stunt. She didn’t care if he was trying to get out of trouble with his Mistress or not. She’d definitely be reminding the Domme of Jude’s little omission before she left.
Chapter Fifteen
Standing in front of her mirror, Rena couldn’t believe she was going out twice in as many days. It had been a long dry spell since the night, months ago, when Jackson had interrupted her date to send her to Atlanta. Smoothing her damp hands down her sides, she straightened the skirt of her sundress. This time, she was wearing clothing she felt comfortable in, rather than an outfit that screamed lifestyle. White in color, the eyelet dress was a beautiful contrast to her dark skin. She’d twisted her braids up into a loose top knot and applied make-up sparingly. On her feet were strappy white sandals with a gold chain on her left ankle. Small diamond earrings and a simple gold necklace completed her ensemble.
She just exited her bedroom when not only her phone rang, but there was a knock on the door from the front of her apartment. Answering the call on her way thru the living room, she unlocked and unhooked the security chain before gesturing Jackson to come in. He looked devastatingly handsome in his charcoal gray slacks, short-sleeved blue polo shirt, with his blond hair slightly tousled. It was all she could do to concentrate on what her sister was blathering on about as he handed her a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. She smiled at him, before standing on tiptoe to press a kiss against his cheek.
“Thank you…” She returned to her call. “No. I wasn’t talking to you. My date is here. But I’m sorry I forgot to call you when I came in last night. It was rather late and I figured you’d be in bed.”
In her ear, she listened to her sister babble, wanting to know what Rena had done, had she enjoyed it, and did she think she’d see the guy again as she pulled the vase out from under the sink, while being vastly aware of Jackson standing behind her. Filling the hand-blown glass container with water, she mouthed the word ‘sorry’. Relief filled her when he just smiled, motioning her to continue with her call as he took the vase from her.
Finally in desperation, she called a halt to her sister’s endless questions. “Whoa, little sister! Enough with the Spanish Inquisition! I met with him at a local BDSM club and I must’ve have enjoyed it or was intrigued enough to accept his offer for a second date. Now I have to go. Love you.”
She hung up the phone, before giving Jackson an apologetic glance. “Sorry. Nosey kid sister.”
He gave her a grin, set the vase on the counter before stepping close enough to pin her up against the fridge. His head dipped close enough their lips could’ve have touched. “Intrigued enough to accept my offer for a second date?”
“Yeah…” She whimpered when he exhaled roughly before pulling back without kissing her.
“Well, I say we go on our date and see if I can change that ‘intrigued’ into a ‘thoroughly enjoyed’.” Picking the flowers up off the counter, he quickly disposed of their outer packaging before he arranged them in the vase. “Now that those will keep, shall we go?” He offered her his arm. She had the uncontrollable urge to giggle but resisted – just barely.
“Lead the way…Sir.”
Her last minute addition of the title of respect had the most unexpected reaction. The blue of his eyes darkened from azure to navy in a mere blink of the eye. “Naughty, little peekôn. You shouldn’t tempt me. I might just take you to the nearest playroom instead of dinner.”
“But I’m hungry and you promised to feed me.” She gave a mock pout.
“Which is the only reason I’m not.” Pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles, he led her out of the room.
* * * *
Pulling out the chair for Rena, Jackson waited for her to be seated before gently pushing it in for her. He’d selected a quaint but cozy little Italian restaurant not far from Rena’s home that Olivia had promised would be sure to impress Rena. He nodded to the waiter before seating himself.
“I’ll have a bottle of your House Chianti,” he told the waiter. As soon as the man left, Jackson turned his attention on his dinner companion. She looked absolutely delicious and he was a starving man. But he couldn’t indulge, not yet anyway, despite his urge to see her white skirt smoothed up over her hips as he spanked her for teasin
g him so. They had limits to discuss along with the expectations they had for one another. There would be no forms or contracts. He hadn’t forgotten about the contract she’d mentioned last night and if he had his way, there wouldn’t be one.
“You’re assuming I like the Chianti, White Boy…” Rena gave a mock pout. “Maybe I’d rather have beer…”
He chuckled, loving the return of the sassy woman who’d intrigued him from the first moment he’d seen her in the form-fitting uniform Larson’s Security provided for their guards. “Really? What about the fact I was told it’s your favorite, and you always order it when you come here with Olivia?”
She looked shell-shocked for a moment, but finally grinned at him, and snapped her napkin with a flick of her wrist. “Remind me to kill my friend, will you? I can’t believe she’d gossip about me, the fickle little bitch, after all I’ve done for her.”
Jackson laughed. “Don’t be too hard on her. I had to ply her with her favorite imported chocolates to find out where your favorite restaurant was and what you liked to order.”
Rena reached for her water goblet. “Ever think you could’ve simply asked me?”
He narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t tell if she was ticked off or not, another first for him. Well versed in reading people, he used the skill to its best advantages not only in his work but also for the benefits of his subs. “I wanted to surprise you tonight.”
“Well, you did. Thank you. Do you know what you want?” She glanced down at the menu in front of her, effectively hiding her expression from him.
“Not really.” He picked up his own menu. The moments drew into minutes as they perused the menu. All the while, he kept up a running commentary on the selections available, touting the merits of some dishes, while asking for her opinion on others. During the entire time, she never once looked up. Finally exasperated with her lack of eye contact, he extended his foot and nudged her ankle under the table.
Her head lifted, and her expression was priceless. “Did you just kick me?”