Choosing Rena (10 page)

“Your name?”

“Rena MacAllister.”

The other woman’s brow smoothed out.
“Of course, Ms. MacAllister. They warned me you’d be coming and
asked if you’d join them for dinner. They’re dining in the Retro
Lounge.” The woman nodded to the left. The woman snapped her
fingers. Immediately a bell-hop appeared. “Please take this young
woman to the Retro Lounge, William. She’s meeting the Vayarti
party.”

“Of course, Mrs. Zilmuth.” The bellhop
gave a quick nod as the woman disappeared through a door behind the
counter.

“Rude bitch.” Rena said it loud enough
she was sure the retreating woman heard, but she couldn’t care
less. Just because Rena was still dressed casually didn’t mean she
should be treated like crap.

Next to her, the bellhop suppressed
his grin with difficulty. “If you’ll come with me, miss, I’ll show
you the way.”

Following the bellhop, she was quickly
shown to a table which had a good view of the stage area where it
looked like a band was in the process of setting up. Elizebetta
looked up as they approached, a strained but welcome smile on her
face. The table was set for three and she noticed Dieter was
missing. As soon as Rena sat, the woman launched into a rushed
speech.

“Please, tell me you’ve signed the
contract already. No matter what else occurs here you’re still
working for me.” Elizebetta looked around quickly before taking
Rena’s hand across the table, squeezing it tightly.

Rena frowned, not sure what had the
woman so distressed. “I told you earlier on the phone that I had
since you agreed to my stipulations. What’s going on, Elizebetta?
Where’s Dieter?”

A relieved look crossed her face.
“I…it’s…”

“What my dear mother is trying to say
is that Dieter had to leave unexpectedly. An emergency board
meeting, wasn’t it, Mother? One during which he is going to be
conveniently handed his walking papers.” Sliding into the empty
seat between Elizebetta and her, Louis gave her the indulgent smile
which once upon a time had her creaming her panties, but now just
made her nauseous.

“Louis.” Something inside of her froze
at his appearance. Dressed in a grey silk Italian-made suit with
his dark hair firmly brushed in place with a touch of silver at the
temples, he looked a bit older than he had the last time she’d seen
him. His dark eyes assessed her coolly and a smirk appeared as if
he found what he was seeing was lacking in substance. She suddenly
felt cold all over and it had nothing to do with the
air-conditioned lounge. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”
She glanced at Elizebetta. “You told me this had nothing to do with
your son.”

“Foolish girl. This isn’t just about
Vayarti Art, it’s also about my mother’s little ‘rebellion’. Of
course I’d be involved. I control the purse strings and have since
my father died. My mother can’t even open a checking account
without my signature.” He leaned forward, placing his chin on his
palm. “So what makes you think I’d ever approve of my mother hiring
you? Especially for a gallery which she hasn’t gotten my approval
for?”

“Louis Andre Vayarti!” Elizebetta’s
face flushed. “I can’t believe you! It’s one thing for you to talk
to me that way but quite another to Rena.”

Louis sighed. “Did you ever
think that Rena might
like
it? She’s such a submissive little
thing.”

Elizebetta froze, her eye pleading
with Rena to tell her it wasn’t true. For the second time in less
than ten minutes, Rena wanted to deck someone. She’d never spoken
to nor was she aware of Elizebetta knowing about her son’s
proclivities, or her possible involvement in them. As far as Rena
was concerned what happened in her bedroom should stay there – or
at the club. Never was it to be fodder for public consumption,
which was where she and Louis differed.

“Rena? What’s he talking about? Are
you honestly part of…that depravity?” Elizebetta pulled back –
genuine concern in her eyes.

Narrowing her eyes at Louis, she
wanted to kick his ass. She honestly liked the other woman and
didn’t want to shatter her illusions of her son. While Elizebetta
wasn’t a mean or spiteful woman, she was a God fearing one who
followed his word to the letter, including the idea that sex was
procreation. Or she had been until Dieter. She couldn’t hurt the
woman or jeopardize her new job with her. She was honestly looking
forward to helping set up the gallery and its security.

“I think what your son is
trying to say is that I enjoy taking care of the man in my life,
including catering to his needs. Isn’t that correct,
Louis?
” She gave him a
look she knew he’d recognize. The “don’t fuck with Rena or you’ll
be eating your balls” look.

He nodded. “Of course.” He took a sip
of water from his goblet as the waiter arrived with his mother’s
and his meal.

“Would you like to order, miss?” The
waiter stood next to her.

“Thank you but I’m not hungry. But if
I could get a cup of decaffeinated coffee with creamer, I would
greatly appreciate it.”

“Of course.” The waiter
left.

“Now back to the matter at hand.”
Louis cut into his baked potato. “While my mother was hasty in
offering you a contract, I do see some good has come from
it.”

“Really?” She could hardly believe her
ears.

“Yes. It gave me the chance to see you
again. Perhaps while I’m in town cleaning up this mess my mother
has caused, you might be agreeable to have dinner with me one
night?”

Shocked horror nearly had her dropping
the water goblet she been ready to drink out of. “Excuse me? Don’t
you have a su – I mean aren’t you dating Sabella still?”

He gave her a cool smile. “No. She
decided she was needed at home more than she needed me.”

Rena inwardly winced. Evidently the
sub who’d replaced her had broken the ‘put nothing before Louis’
rule. “Nonsense!” Elizebetta retorted. “Her father had a heart
attack, Louis. She was needed at home.”

He picked up his wine. “Regardless,
she made her choice, so I made mine.” The jangle of a cell phone
interrupted whatever else he’d been about to say. Pulling out the
phone, he glanced down at the display. “I’m sorry I have to take
this.” He stood. “I’ll be calling on you tomorrow, Rena. Don’t make
me come looking for you.” Then he turned and disappeared into the
crowd of incoming guests. As soon as he was gone from sight, she
met Elizebetta’s eyes.

“Care to tell me what that’s all
about?”

The woman crumpled her napkin. “Well,
you deserve an explanation.” Then the story spilled out of
her.

* * * *

Rena was just getting ready to crawl
in between cool cotton sheets when her cell rang. Fighting the urge
to toss the phone into the garbage, she picked it up- half
expecting it to be Louis calling her. She hadn’t given him her
private cell number but evidently as the owner of his mother’s
cell, he had her number after making a quick call to the cell
company. Instead of being her ex-master though, it was a number she
was all too familiar with.

Picking up the phone, she answered it.
“You know if it weren’t for the fact that you’d come over to check
on me, Jackson, I’d have let the damn thing ring through to
voicemail.”

He chuckled in her ear. “Oh
you know me all too well,
ma
peekôn.”

“Is there
a reason you called? Other than to harass me? It’s been a long
night and all I want to do is go to bed.”

“Well,
don’t let me stop you. You know I’ve imagined you in bed more than
once. So what are you wearing?”

Rena was just tired enough
to see the humor in the situation. A soft laugh escaped her. “Oh
you’re gonna have to do better than that if you want me to engage
in phone sex, White Boy. That line is older than the hills and
almost as tired.”

“True. But it served its
purpose,” he grudgingly admitted.

“What exactly was its
purpose?” She crawled onto the hotel bed, squeezing the phone
between her ear and shoulder as she settled back against her
pillows.

“To hear you laugh.” A
slight rustle bled through the phone. What the hell was he doing?
If he thought he was going to jerk off to her voice, he had another
thing coming.

“Well, mission
accomplished. Good night.” She moved to disconnect when she heard
his frustrated sigh.

“Don’t
even think about hanging up on me, Rena.” The dark command seemed
to sizzle through the phone connection. Instinctively she squeezed
her thighs together in response, even as she dug her fingers into
the bedding to keep from finding her own wetness. Dear Lord, she
was no better than she had just mentally accused him of being. It
wouldn’t be hard at all for her to come just from listening to him
talk.

“Jackson,
it’s after ten. I’ve just spent the last several hours calming down
a client…”
Which is why I decided
to stay here instead of making the commute back across town to my
place. “…
and I have to work the morning
shift at the mall. I need my sleep. So either tell me what the hell
it is you want, or I’m hanging up regardless. You may be good, but
even you can’t find me when I don’t want to be found.”

He actually had the
audacity to laugh at her. “That’s
ma
peekôn.
Go ahead and challenge me if it
makes you feel better. We both know how much I enjoy it when you
push.” The husky undertones of remembrance brought back memories
she couldn’t forget…

…
standing in their hotel suite, going toe to toe with the most
infuriating male she’d ever met, Rena wondered if she’d finally
pushed too hard. The look Jackson had given her before he’d grabbed
her by the arm and dragged her into his bedroom worried her,
particularly when he’d refused to release her. Her eyes widened as
he pulled something out of his open bag. The blond suede covered
paddle seemed a bit like overkill, but his expression said he
didn’t think so.

Well maybe she shouldn’t
have chewed his ass when they’d left his aunt’s estate, but she’d
been frustrated. And she’d taken it out on him, never expecting him
to snap this way. It wasn’t either of their faults that the
apprehension of his psychotic cousin wasn’t as easy as either of
them had expected. They had really expected to find him in house
when they arrived at his Aunt’s manor outside of Donegal. But not
only had Aggie Metjka not been present but neither had her son,
Cameron. Evidently both had fled the estate mere hours before
they’d arrived. The
Garda
 
Síochána
were currently out looking for the mother and son for direct
questioning about the brutal attack on Olivia in Chicago. Then
she’d made the mistake of her life. She’d taken out her
frustrations on Jackson. She’d been a regular fishwife and knew
it.

She dug her feet in when
Jackson dragged her towards the bed. “What the hell are you doing,
White Boy? I didn’t give you permission to punish me!”

“I’ve
been patient – more patient than any man should have to be. But
your mouth has finally gotten you in more trouble than you can
possibly handle.” He sat down and gave her arm a vicious jerk. She
stumbled and somehow ended up draped over his legs. “Let this be a
lesson to you, ma peekôn. I’ll only tolerate so much before I show
you where your place is. I may be younger than you, but by no means
am I the inexperienced youth you seem determined to paint me as.”
She cried out as the paddle landed on her left cheek. Even through
her slacks, she could feel the sting of it against her.

She wanted to moan in
pleasure. It had been nearly six months since she’d felt a paddle
against her skin. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed it. The
muffled sting of the paddle seemed to reach the part of her which
had been closed off since she’d picked up the shattered pieces of
her heart, let alone her shredded pride, and left Louis. Another
whack, this one harder than the previous one, broke her control and
she moaned helplessly. Whether from the pleasurable pain it invoked
or the emotional hurt she’d buried for so long, she wasn’t sure.
When the next blow came, she subconsciously lifted up into
it.

“So it’s
like that is it? Are you a pain slut, Rena, or do you simply enjoy
a good hard spanking?” Jackson’s voice was rough and she refused to
look at him, let alone answer his questions. “Ignoring me isn’t
going to work. Either you answer me, or we’re done right now.” He
moved to push her off his lap.

“No!”
She dug her nails into his leg, not willing to give up the
salvation he was offering, even if she didn’t know how to swallow
her pride long enough to ask him for what she needed.

“I won’t play games with
this. If you need what I have to offer, you have to ask,
Rena.”

She had to force the words
past her tight throat. “And what are you offering?”

He jerked her upright, so
he could see her face. “I’m serious here. I don’t play at the
lifestyle. I’m a Dom and if you need me to punish you - to spank
you ‘til you can find your center again, tell me. If not, we’re
done.”