At His Mercy (9 page)

Could be Becker’s. Or it could be
long to someone else.
It wasn’
t
as if
all black
Lincoln
Town
cars ever built were leased by TK Technologies.

He
knocked
.

She answered the door wearing a robe,
her
Domme
platforms,
some heavy makeup, and a blush. “Oh
,
Kyler. Hi.” She didn’t invite him in. In fact, she
shuffled out
and
pulled the door
shut behind her.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I’ve come at a bad time. I owe you an apology for not returning your calls.”

She glanced over her shoulder before giving him a flat smile. “It’s okay. I was just worried. You know how I can be.”

He’d never seen Stacy act this nervous before.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know she had a social life. Hell, they’d gone on double dates together. And
occasionally
played in the same dungeons. She was a
Domme
,
he a Dom. Their social circles tended to overlap.
“Sure
, I know how you can be
.
I
’ll get going.
W
e’ll talk later.
” He started down the steps

“How are you? Have you found another job?”
she called after him.

He turned again, catching her tugging on her robe to cover what looked like a strip of black leather. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was playing in her dungeon with someone. And for some reason, she didn’t want him to know who that someone was.

The question was why? He’d never been a jealous friend. They’d never kept secrets from each other. There was never any reason to.

He forced a smile he didn’t feel. “I sure did. Thanks. And thanks for looking out for me, you know, with that Becker thing.”

Something flashed in her eyes, but he couldn’t read what that something was. “I’m
relieved
to hear you landed on your feet. And you’re welcome. I couldn’t sit by and watch Matt scheme against you and not say something. It just stinks that you ended up losing your job instead of him.”

“I didn’t lose my job. I quit.”

“That’s right
. You quit
.” She nodded, pushing the door open
and backing inside
. “I’ll call you later, okay? Maybe we can have lunch next week.”

“Sure. Lunch.” He walked to his car
, checking
the
Town Car’s
license
plate number as he passed. Ye
p
, it was his former leased car, which should have been turned over to the new VP of Sales and Marketing upon his promotion.

Matt Becker.

Kyler
got in his own car and
drove around the blocks a few times
. After about fifteen minutes, he turned
back down her street.

The
Lincoln
was gone.

What the hell was Becker doing at Stacy’s house?

* * * * *

Oh my God. The dress. It was gorgeous. Black, long, elegant and slinky, it skimmed over
Elena’s
curves just right. Not too tight. Not too loose. The straps
—
if they could be called that
—
were chains of sparkling clear stones. Backless, the dress boasted several more chains of glittering jewels. They draped across her skin, tickling her as she moved.

She felt beautiful wearing this dress.

And there was more. Three boxes
—
two jewelry boxes and a shoebox
—
had also been delivered today
. Inside the two jewelry boxes she found a gorgeous choker made of white gold and more clear stones and a pair of dangly earrings to match. And in the shoebox she found a pair of genuine Manolo Blahnik shoes. She’d never even seen a pair of Manolos in person, only on television.

Was this a dream?

Elena
did some last minute fine tuning of her hair and makeup, brushed her teeth
, swished some mouthwash in her mouth until her tongue was burning,
and then slipped her feet into the shoes. They were a little higher than she was used to. At least that was the excuse she told herself as she
wobbled down the hall and answered the door
.

Kyler stood
on her front porch
,
holding a bouquet of roses
.
And oh my God, did he look hot in that crisp black suit.
He beamed the instant their gazes connected.

This was like a scene out of a movie or something. So unbelievably romantic, over the top.

“You look
amazing.” He took her hand as
he
stepped through the front door
.

She was blus
hing like crazy. Her cheeks were about to melt
. Or at least, her makeup was going to melt and slide off her face. Wouldn’t that be attractive?
“You do too.”

“Ready for a great adventure?” He handed her the flowers.

They were the most beautiful, aromatic roses she’d ever seen. She inhaled their scent. “Adventure?” A little zip-zappy thrill charged through her body
as she wobbled back to the kitchen for a vase
. “Sure.”

This was way too good to be true. When was she going to wake up?

As she filled the cut crystal vase and arranged the flowers, Kyler
wandered
from the kitchen. She found him standing next to the door, holding
yet another
large gift box. “Another present?
Oh God, Kyler. I don’t know if I can accept it.
”

Okay, so maybe it was over-compensation on his part
—
the dress, jewelry, shoes, flowers, and no
w yet another gift
—
but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t
appreciating the effort he was making.
No man had ever treated her this way.

“This is vintage.
I hope you like it.
”
He
lifted the box’s lid
, pulling out a full
-
length white fur coat. It was gorgeous. Soft. Luxurious.
Real.

“Oh my God. Kyler?” she said as he helped her into it.

“I didn’t want you to be cold.” He led her outside to a waiting limo. The
vehicle’s
inside was dark and cozy. She sat down and Kyler sat next to her. He stretched an arm out, resting it behind her shoulders
,
and she found herself leaning toward him, wanting to be closer. During the ride, they talked about insignificant things, typical first date stuff.
T
heir education, hobbies, friends.

About a half-hour later, the car stopped in front of a gorgeous old building of some kind. Elena leaned forward to read the sign as the driver opened the door.
Maplewood
Country Club. Looked very elegant and exclusive.

They were led through a gorgeous lobby to a cozy room that housed a few tables, a fireplace, and nobody but them. The table in front of the fireplace was set for two. Kyler helped Elena into a chair and then sat next to her.

“Pinch me, will you?” she asked, lifting a glass of water. “This is unbelievable.”

Kyler’s eyes glittered as he looked around. “You like? I’ve been a member here since I was old enough to crawl. Never reserved a room like this before. This place has a very nice dining room for the members, but I wanted tonight to be special. Just you and me.”

“Again, just pinch me.”

“I might. Later.” H
is smile turned wicked
.

“Is that a promise?” With him like this, so charming and attentive and romantic, it was easy to forget about all the crap he’d done to her. Ninety-nine percent of her believed this was the real Kyler
—
the genuinely nice man with eyes that twinkled with laughter and a smile that made her heart skip beats. But there was that one percent that wouldn’t allow her to believe this was real, that he honest-to-God liked her, wanted to get closer.

They enjoyed some easy conversation during the meal, and lots of glances across the table. By dessert, she was not only totally stuffed but also
much more
at ease.

His expression turned just a little serious as he pushed the empty dessert plate away and stretched his arms. “Now that we’ve eaten, I wan
t to talk to you about some
serious
issues
.”

Oh boy, was this the end of the fantasy? She tried to look cheerful, but her stomach took a dive. So did her mood.
And yet, a small part of her was relieved. Hopefully, they’d finally talk about that day at his house.
Finally, she’d have some answers.
“Sure.”

“First, about that day
, why I snapped…”

“Hey, we were both confused and stressed. You apologized
already
. And I see you’re trying to make up for it.”

His expression darkened. “Nothing will make up for the way I treated you. There’s no excuse. But I want to at least tell you what happened.”

“Okay.” Her insides felt like they were being stretched uber tight. It was hard to breathe, and her head felt a little swimmy, but she concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths and listened.

“You know Stacy Beautfort? From work?”

“Sure.” She knew Stacy, although not very well.
Stacy was secretary to
the company’s CFO,
while
Elena
was the office manager for the sales department. They worked in the same five-story building but on different floors.

“She
was the one who
called me that day and told me
about you and Becker
. Some of
what she said was
true, and some
wasn’
t.”

“
You believed her?
”

“
Sure.
She is
—
correction, was
—
an old friend of mine, and I didn’t think she had any reason to lie to me.”
He sighed, dragged his fingers through his hair. “I kept wanting to believe you. But she was calling, telling me something so different. It didn’t help that you weren’t willing to tell me the truth, although I completely understand why you couldn’t. Keeping your mouth closed only made you look guiltier.”

“Sure, I can see that.” At least now she understood why his respect for her seemed to yo-yo up and down. And she was willing to admit if an old friend of hers had told her those kinds of things, she’d be reacting first, checking the facts second. “But you said ‘was’. Does that mean you’re not friends with Stacy anymore?”

“I don’t know yet if she lied to me or if she was just passing on false
information
un
intentionally
. Until I do know, I’m keeping my distance. It’s just better that way.”

“Then I’m sorry that you’ve maybe lost a friend over this. It’s all very sad, and I never felt it was worth it.”

“
So we’re clear on that now, right?”

“Yes. I’d say you acted as any
human being would
.
Emotions were running high. You were confused and angry,
maybe trusting someone who was trying to manipulate you.”

“
You’re being so understanding about it all.”

“I still have my job, and my insurance, thanks to you. Maybe it’s a little easier being understanding because of that.
” She hesitated. “Will you tell me now what happened after I left that day? Between you and Matt?
”

“We had a little talk. I guarantee he’s not going to whisper a word about your situation.”

“Okay.
That’s all you’re going to tell me?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine. W
hat about you? We’ve spent all this time together
tonight
and you haven’t said a word about a new job.
Did you find one?
”

“I’m fine.” He looked fine. In fact, he looked better than fine, but that didn’t stop the sudden pang of regret from stabbing her in the gut and making her feel a little sick.
He’d given up a great job for her. Even if he told her he’d found something ten times better, she’d still feel somewhat guilty.
“I didn’t have to go back to working for my father’s company.”

“You don’t like working for your father?”

“It’s not bad work. It’s just that, since graduating from grad school, I told myself I wasn’t going to ask for his help anymore.
And I haven’t, for years.
I’
m my own man. Make my own decisions and pay the price
s
for my own mistakes
.”