by Jamie Knight
After a few seconds, the person started typing again: Did you get my pictures?
Yes. So?
My fingers slid across the desk and found the manila envelope.
You may like them, but I bet others wouldn’t. Like your pet…
Are you trying to blackmail me?
I’m not trying.
I closed my fist and slammed it into the top of my desk. What was this fucker’s problem?
Swallowing the knot I had in my throat, I typed: What do you want?
Tell the truth and admit that what you have coming to you, you don’t deserve. Because you’re not a real dom and she’s not your real pet.
Who the fuck was this person? They had to be an employee at McKenzie Tech to be able to access Watercooler and no one here even knew about this weekend. Or at least no one that I knew about. Was there a disgruntled employee or former employee in the audience Saturday night? And how did they know about the deal I made with Eileen or why?
Who the fuck is this? I typed. I’m going to get you fired. I do not take well to being threatened.
The person on the other side of the keyboard started typing that they were laughing at me.
Figure it out and quick. That’s not the only copy of those pictures I have. And I’m sure there will be other interested parties.
A soft knock on my door pulled my attention away from the computer screen. Quickly I closed the Watercooler App. and told whoever was knocking to come in.
Eileen poked her head around the door; a tight frown was on her face. My heart sped up in worry. Had she received an envelope too?
Hoping that she didn’t, I put a big smile on my face and turned my chair towards her.
“To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure, pet?”
She didn’t flinch at the nickname at all and I felt pleased. I waved for her to come inside and close the door behind her.
“Ray, I’m worried…” she started, then pursed her lips and slipped down into the chair that sat in front of my desk.
Her long legs folded in front of her, giving me ample skin to look at. My eyes wandered up to her thighs and I was reminded of a few days ago when she was sitting just right so that I could catch a glimpse of her panties. I started to wonder if she did that on purpose. The thought made me smile, I hoped so.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked her in my most soothing voice.
“I’m worried about you meeting my brothers and father, honestly.”
“I’ve met them.”
“No, but as my fiancé. They are going to have all sorts of questions and expect us to act a certain way.”
“Eileen, you helped me get through one of the toughest things in my life. I can act any way I need to to help you get through this.”
She frowned at me. “It was crazy for me to say what I said to Sarah. I was just so embarrassed about how I was dressed and what we had been doing.” Her angelic face was pinched together, and she put a hand up to her for forehead.
I could feel my body shaking. Did she really hate doing the show? At the time it had really looked like she was enjoying herself, but since then, all she said about it was that it was embarrassing.
I frowned and clasped my hands together. “What would make you feel more confident about tomorrow?” I asked.
She looked up at me with her golden eyes wide and then looked down again. “Oh, this is going to sound stupid.”
“Just tell me.” I reached out and took one of her hands in mine.
Her full lips tipped up into a smile, but her eyes still looked worried.
“Well, it would help if we had a ring.”
“An engagement ring?”
“Yes, can we rent one or buy one and then return it later?”
She leaned forward and I traced a pattern up her arm with my fingertips. Her skin started to get goosebumps. “Of course, Eileen. Let’s be bad today…”
I leaned forward too, looking directly into her honey-colored eyes. Her eyes went wide, and her lips pulled together.
“Oh?” she breathed. “What do you mean?”
I liked the way her breath sped up at my touch. It made me want to touch her more.
“Let’s blow off work today and go ring shopping.”
“Oh!” she squealed, sitting back in her chair. “Oh really, Ray?! You mean it?”
I stood up and buttoned my suit coat. “Yes, go grab your things and meet me downstairs. I’ll just put us both in for some sick time. I’ll explain to anyone who asks that you came up here to ask me a question and realized that you caught the flu somewhere. And I did to.”
She giggled and was out the door in a second.
When I glanced back at my computer, the Watercooler App. was blinking again. The blackmailer was trying to get my attention. I ignored it, stuffed the envelope holding the black and white pictures into my briefcase, and headed out the door to forget that this morning had ever happened.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ray
Engagement ring shopping with Eileen went well and was very fun. We found a ring that we could rent at an antique jewelry store I frequented and knew the owner, but only after trying every other shop in the area. I had planned on going to this store the whole time, but taking Eileen to try on ring after ring, sifting our fingers through diamonds, and seeing what shapes and styles she preferred was really enjoyable. Her eyes would glow as she looked at all the gems and it pleased me. She and I always had a fun time shopping together, especially for jewelry.
The engagement ring we ended up with was smaller than I would have liked, just a one carat princess-cut, and I really thought it wasn’t what Eileen wanted. She seemed to prefer square cut gems with accent stones for a splash of color. But she was trying to be practical and pick the one ring she knew we could rent. I tried to argue with her and get her to buy something she liked—money really wasn’t a problem—but she wouldn’t be swayed. However, once the ring was on her finger Eileen smiled so much that she positively glowed, so in the end it was fine with me.
Part of me wanted to spend the evening with Eileen, to try and test the limits of her resolve to not have sex again, but there was something I needed to do first. Uncle Ronnie was back from Vegas and I wanted to see what the old man thought of Eileen and I’s performance. I was hoping that he was proud.
I felt like a bit of a star when I walked into The Dark Club Monday night. Most of the usual club goers had been to the Leather and Lace Ball and knew who I was during the performance. Reclaiming the club’s star status as the leading BDSM club in the nation meant a lot to them as well as to my uncle. People stopped me to shake my hand or compliment me on my performance. It was overwhelming, but in a good way.
There were the usual girls who tried to look alluring or catch my eye, but I didn’t even have to pretend to look this time. They weren’t Eileen. They didn’t hold a candle to her. No one would, ever.
I pulled myself away from my adoring fans and took the stars two at a time. The door to Uncle Ronnie’s office was open. He was expecting me, but I knocked softly anyway.
“Come in, kid.”
Ronnie looked frailer then he had before. Perhaps the trip to Vegas and the flight had been too much for him. He was hunched in his desk chair, which he had pulled up to the window that looked onto the Dark Club’s dance floor. There was a cane, one that I had never seen before, clutched in his boney hands.
He didn’t look at me. He kept his eyes on the dancing figures silhouetted in the flashing lights behind the window.
I eased into the chair in front of his desk and leaned back, feeling happier than I had in a long time.
Ronnie rubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t shaved, something that was very not like him, and there was rough black stubble on his chin.
“Got me a hospice nurse,” he muttered, still not looking at me. “The agency sent her over today to help comfort me in this dying process.”
I sat up straight, suddenly reminded of what was really going on here. T
his was the end of my uncle’s life. Whatever blissful cloud I was on, he was on a very different one.
“She’s probably in her late twenties, this nurse,” he continued. “Vanessa. She is supposed to stay with me day and night at my house. Wears those scrubs things—look like loose pajamas—but you can still tell. Girl has an unbelievable rack, the face of an angel, and a butt like a peach.”
I grinned at my uncle’s description. He wasn’t dead yet.
“Now if I could just catch her in the shower, I might believe in God and his kindness to this old dying man.”
Ronnie laughed at his joke. It ended in a choking cough. That’s when I noticed that he wasn’t smoking. In fact, I hadn’t seen him smoke the whole time we were in Las Vegas. I knew it was good for him to have quit, but it seemed odd and frivolous at this point. I was so used to seeing the old man with a cigarette clutched between his fingers and halos of smoke circling his head. Seeing him without one was somewhat unnatural.
I got up and poured him a glass of water from a pitcher that stood at the end of his desk.
“Did your nurse think it was okay for you to come out here?” I asked pointedly. He was sick and probably should be in bed.
Ronnie snorted as he took the glass of water, I offered him. He took a sip then cleared his throat.
“Vanessa is aware that I will do what I want. We have had several arguments about that. She threatens to leave, but I like her spunk, so I just keep upping the price on her contract. So, she deals with my…disposition…and gets into my best bourbon when she thinks I’m not looking.” He turned to me and gave me a big grin. “I’m always looking. With a body like that, how could I not?”
I laughed and took my seat in the chair in front of his desk. Ronnie turned back to the office’s window; his eyes went distant.
“How could I not come here?” he asked, more to himself than to me. He gestured towards the window with his cane. “This place is a hit again. It’s in its glory. Your show in Vegas doubled the patronage—even before that night ended. Such a thing sets fire to the community and passes from ear to ear like lightening. I knew it would. In the past, just sending out a flier with my name on it used to cause such a rise in ticket sales, but that time is no more.” His voice dropped at the end to a sad whisper.
I didn’t know what to say. I sat quietly and fought the urge to get up and pour myself a glass of scotch. Ronnie was deep in thought. I didn’t want to disturb him.
After a few minutes of silence, he turned his chair and looked into my face. “It was a good show, kid.” I grinned under his praise. “Although, it really was more due to your pet then you.”
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, I rubbed my hand over my face. Ronnie was going to make this difficult.
“Was the show enough?” I asked, cutting to the chase. I leaned forward in my chair.
Ronnie laughed, sat back in his chair, and took a sip of his water. His old eyes sparkled with mirth. “Was there ever any doubt, Ray?” he asked. His voice had a musical quality to it, and he grinned at me widely like this all had been a big joke.
I gripped the arms of the chair hard. “Was my inheritance ever really in question?” I asked him.
“Of course not,” Ronnie snorted. His gaze flitted back to the window facing the dance floor. “You are my blood. I wouldn’t leave Silver, Inc. to anyone else. I just wanted you to know how much it meant to me and hopefully instill that same feeling in you. Also, it was nice to meet your pet, too. You’ve never bothered to introduce me to anyone you loved before.”
I frowned and felt ashamed for my past negligence. I had always figured that a girl would think my uncle was weird, maybe lecherous, but a girl that truly loved me would understand him. Eileen had dealt with Ronnie’s attentions just fine.
Thoughts of Eileen brought a smile to my face. I remembered how hard she had come on stage and what her body felt like. “She was glorious, wasn’t she?”
“Oh yes.” Ronnie turned back to me. “I have never seen a woman that good on stage before. She is more pet then you deserve and if I was just a few years younger than I am, I would take her from you.”
“You would try,” I laughed.
Ronnie didn’t say anything, but he gave me a look like he was totally serious and that I had nothing on him. I closed my mouth and kept myself from arguing further. The old man could think what he liked.
“Would you like me to come stay with you?” I asked.
He raised a gray eyebrow. “And ruin my chances with Venessa?” he said jokingly. “Hell no, kid.” His narrow lips turned up. “Hell Ray, you moved out when you were eighteen and I don’t think either of us ever wanted to live together again. Don’t put yourself to that trouble. There would be no way you could help. It’s not like you can cook or anything.”
I almost went to argue, but it was true. I did mostly order out.
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. I’m fine, kid. Don’t worry.”
We sat in a comfortable silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. Mine kept circling back to Eileen and the smile on her face when she put on that fake engagement ring. I wanted to see her again. Was she still up? How would she act if I just showed up at her place?
I looked up at the clock. It was past midnight and too late for me to show up unannounced. Sure she was asleep by now, I frowned and thought about the issues at hand.
“It’s past midnight, uncle,” I told Ronnie looking down at the packed dance floor. “Don’t you think you should be heading home?”
Ronnie didn’t turn to look at me. He took a long sip of the glass of water in his hand and kept watching the window between us and the dancing mobs.
“It’s a hassle to come down here anymore, kid. Let me enjoy it for as long as I can tonight. Go home. Jensen can help me out to the car. I have a driver and Venessa can help me into bed when I get home. I need to look at the Dark Club a while longer.”
I glanced at where he was gazing, wondering if it was at one particular dancer or the crowd in general. There was something in the old man’s eyes that looked proud. Like a father watching the tape of his son’s first steps.
I shrugged to myself, anxious to be out the door and away from all the emotions I was trying to ignore as soon as I could be. “Suit yourself, Ronnie. Call if you need me.”
“Don’t forget to see the beauty.”
His words were so mumbled that I stopped in my tracks.
“What?”
“The beauty, kid. It’s everywhere in life. Don’t forget to look for it.”
I shrugged again. Not sure what he was talking about. “Okay, uncle. Have a good night.”
As I set off down the stairs, I felt the urge to turn back for one more glance at Ronnie in his office. The old man was in the same position in his chair looking over the crowds and looking like he was loving everything and everyone. It was a good look for him. Blissful.
Turning back, I hurried down the stairs and ran right into Jensen. The short man must have been waiting for me to come down from Ronnie’s office.
“He’s not ready to leave yet,” I told the manager waving a hand back up the stairs. “Said you had offered to help him get to his car. Is that true?”
Jensen folded his hands over his chest. “Yeah, that’s not a problem. I just have Billy or one of the other bouncers give him a hand. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, Ray.”
“What’s up?” I went over to the wall and leaned next to him. “I just checked the books when I got here. Everything seems to be in order. The club is doing great.”
Jensen looked back up the stairs and leaned closer to me. “I think Ronnie is saying goodbye,” he whispered. “I think he is ready to die and it’s going to be a lot sooner than two months.”
I staggered back a little, feeling like something heavy was suddenly in my chest. Ronnie did have a strange kind of look in his eye and the last thing he said to me was so odd.
“You think so?” I asked Jensen. He no
dded. “You think I should stay later?”
“Naw, Ray. Go on. I have things handled here. I know you want to get back to that pet of yours. I just had this feeling and wanted you to be warned.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, man. I guess there really isn’t anything I can really do to prepare for this. Ronnie is all I’ve had for a long time. I still can’t wrap my brain around the fact that he is dying.” I tried to crack a smile and fell short—it came out as a grimace. “When I was a kid, I figured he would live forever—like some kind of vampire or something.”
Jensen snorted a bit and laughed. “Well, he does kind of resemble a vampire now, and honestly, I think he would take that if it was an option. Ronnie’s body might be dying but his spirit is still very much alive…or wishes it was.”
I patted him on the shoulder a few times and smiled at him. Jensen was a good guy. I was definitely keeping him as the manager here when I took over as owner.
“Thanks for the warning, man,” I told him. “Call me if you need me.”
With another quick wave, I headed out of the stairwell and out the front doors of the club. My mind couldn’t handle the sad thoughts anymore. It was time to concentrate on something happy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Eileen
On Tuesday evening, Ray texted that he was downstairs and ready for his first night of softball with my family. I was beyond excited. I grabbed my cap and Mr. Pugsly’s leash—the pug was already yipping at the door—and took one final minute to glance at myself in the mirror.
My refection met me with a big smile; it felt like I had been grinning for days. I also felt like I was holding my head a bit higher. Pretending to be engaged was so much fun. It kind of sucked that I couldn’t wear my ring to the office but at least I could wear it tonight and wow all of my family. With one more happy glance at my hand, I hooked on Pugsly’s leash and headed downstairs.
Ray was in slacks—nicely pressed gray slacks and a black t-shirt shirt. I looked him up and down and frowned. “Don’t you own any casual clothing?” I asked.