Choosing Rena (21 page)

“Dare I wonder what’s going
through that gorgeous head,
ma
peekôn?”
Jackson’s breath teased her ear as
he pulled the chair out for her to be seated. The hostess had given
them a semi-private table towards the back of the
restaurant.

She gave him a grin. She couldn’t help
it. Getting her brains fucked out twice in twenty-four hours gave a
girl a huge reason to be happy. The pleasant soreness between her
thighs reminded her as she shifted in her seat while Jackson seated
himself. “I was just thinking this is going to take some getting
used to.”

A blond brow rose in question before
Jackson snapped open his napkin. “What’s going to take some getting
used to?”

“Having a white boy at my side.” She
nodded to the people at some nearby tables who were
staring.

“Screw them.” His hand covered her on
the linen tablecloth. “I want to be with you, so they can either
get over it or not look.”

Her cheeks heated at the possessive
look in his eyes. “I…”

Before she could think of a suitable
reply, the hostess followed by Dieter and Elizebetta appeared at
their table. “Your guests have arrived, Ms. MacAllister.” The
waiter appeared a few moments later, and after seeing them seated
and taking their drink orders, excused himself.

After Elizebetta settled in, Rena
quickly made introductions but once the pleasantries were finished,
an uncomfortable silence reined. Under the older woman’s steady
gaze, Rena barely resisted the urge to squirm. It was like she was
once again in the Head Mistress’s office at St. Barnabas, the
all-girl Catholic High School she had attended. She had to remind
herself that this was the mother of the man who she’d had arrested
for attacking her, not the nun who’d made her teen years a living
hell. If she could survive that, this should be a piece of cake.
But it wasn’t, and if it hadn’t been for Jackson’s firm belief that
the woman would be appalled by her son’s behavior, Rena would’ve
called off the meeting, assuming that the contract between them was
dead in the water.

“Mrs. Vayarti.” She took a sip of
water to wet her suddenly parched mouth. “I’m sorry about this
situation with your son. If you don’t want me to do the security
for the new gallery…”

Sitting regally as any queen,
Elizebetta smiled. “Nonsense. If you’re woman enough to say no to
Louis and make it stick, you’re exactly the woman I want to have on
the job.” Elizebetta placed a hand over Dieter’s. Rena couldn’t
help but notice how haggard the younger man looked. Had Louis
followed through with his threat to have him fired? His presence
alone confirmed nothing considering the romantic relationship
between Elizebetta and him.

“All right then. I know Louis said
something along the lines of him controlling the purse strings.
Which I have a feeling by his appearance alone, Dieter here has
been working hard to reverse since the last time we
met.”

A soft smile crossed Elizebetta’s
lips. “My Dieter has gone through World War III with my son’s
lawyers, and he’s actually managed to secure a hearing at the end
of the month in New York, in front of a civil court judge, to
challenge the validity of the will my husband left. There’s a good
chance I’ll be in charge of my own money in…what….?” Elizebetta
looked to her lover.

“Two months at the near side, six at
the far side.” He pressed Elizebetta’s hand to his lips. “It all
depends upon how much fuss Louis is going to kick up.” He returned
their hands to the table. “Not making light of the attack, Rena, we
should thank you for the distraction you’ve provided by pressing
charges against him. With his attention torn between two court
cases, we may have a bit easier of time convincing the judge Lizzy
is of sound mind and can control her own money. Not to mention a
conviction on an assault charge may be enough to convince the
courts my lady would be better off managing her own life than
having her son in charge of it.”

Rena forced a tight smile. “I’m just
sorry it had to come to this. I did care for your son once upon a
time, Mrs. Vayarti. He was my world. It pains me to think I
misjudged him so badly.”

Elizebetta sighed, reaching for her
water goblet. “Something changed inside my son during his father’s
illness and sudden death. If I didn’t recognize him, I’d swear the
man who joined us during our last meeting was anyone but the caring
son I raised. I just don’t know where I went wrong…” She teared up,
sniffling into her napkin.

“That’s utter bullshit.” Jackson
stirred, speaking up for the first time since the couple had joined
them. “Your son is a grown man and made his own choices. It has
nothing to do with how you raised him. I assume you taught the boy
right from wrong, Mrs. Vayarti. If he chooses not to use what you
taught him, then the blame rests at his feet, not
yours.”

“Do you think so, Mr. Levough?” Hope
shone in Elizebetta’s eyes.

“I know so, but enough of this macabre
stuff. Why don’t we discuss your plans for your new gallery? I’m
not an art aficionado but I can appreciate a good painting as well
as the next man.” He nipped at Rena’s fingers. “And for some
unknown reason, I find the idea of my woman guarding said pieces of
priceless art sexy as hell.”

“Jackson!” Rena tried to pull her hand
away, horrified of what Elizebetta might be thinking. But instead
of frowning, her employer giggled… actually freakin’
giggled.

“I do believe I like your young man,
Rena. He suits you to a tee.” Then the older woman launched into
gushing schpeel about several of the local Chicago artists she was
planning on featuring during her grand opening.

* * * *

Watching his lover unlocking her
apartment door, Jackson had a feeling he was going to be getting
the brush off tonight. When she turned to face him, he knew without
a doubt he’d be making the long lonely trip back across town to his
empty bed. He wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it. It
honestly, depended up on her reasoning. If she thought last night
was a one-time thing, she had another thing coming.

“I had a great time tonight…” She
fidgeted, her eyes darting down.

“As did I. Elizebetta is
every bit as much the character you told me about. I do believe
you’ll enjoy working with her and Dieter.” When she continued to
look everywhere but his face, he sighed. “All right, spill it.
What’s bothering you,
ma
peekôn?”

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything
we’ve done in the past twenty-four hours but…” She seemed hesitant
to go on.

He sighed. “But what? You have no more
need for me since I’ve scratched your itch?” It came out much
rougher then he’d intended and she flinched.

“No, it’s not that.” She lifted a hand
to touch his face. He stoically accepted the gentle caress. “It’s
just that I need some time.”

He gazed into her amber eyes, looking
for a clue, anything that would give away what was going on in her
head. “Some time?”

She shifted. “Don’t get me wrong,
Jackson, I’ve loved everything we’ve done but…”

Pain slashed through his chest at the
idea she was giving him the heave-ho. “Go on, finish it.” He kept a
tight rein on his emotions.

She finally scowled and her hand went
to her hip. “White Boy, you’re being way too dramatic. I’m not
saying I don’t want to see you again. I do. What I’m saying is I’m
not ready for the 24/7 thing yet.”

Relief surged through him. She wasn’t
tossing him out of her life. He moved closer to her, allowing his
body to brush up against hers. “So if I said I wanted to have
dinner with you on Monday before my class, you’d be
game?”

The hue of her eyes
darkened to the same shade of amber he’d only had the privilege of
seeing twice before. His little
peekôn
was aroused. She finally
nodded.

“Good.” He brushed his
finger over her lower lip, loving the way her lips parted. “I’ll
pick you up at six. Perhaps we’ll go to the House of Blues? It’s
close enough to
Olivia’s
that we should make it there on time.”

She licked her lower lip, leaving
behind a sheen of wetness. “You’re taking me to the
club?”

He nodded, cupping her face to slowly
take her mouth with his. What was becoming a familiar jolt of
awareness sizzled through him as he explored the softness of her
lips. When he finally lifted his head, her eyes were closed and her
fingers were clinging to his shoulders. Pressing his forehead to
hers, he gathered her close, savoring the feel of her against him,
before reluctantly releasing her.

“Behave, Rena. I’ll see you Monday
night, wear something nice for me.” He pressed a quick kiss against
her nose. She nodded, speechless, as he moved back down the
hall.

“Jackson?”

He paused before the elevator.
“Yes?”

She ran up to him, plastering her body
against his, her arms wrapped around his neck as she took his
mouth. Her aggressiveness surprised him, but he found her
irresistible as her tongue delved in to stroke over his, its
slippery surface exploring every inch of his mouth. Looping one arm
around her waist, he savored the weight of her against him. When
she tore her mouth away with a groan, he was perilously close to
saying fuck it and carrying her back to her apartment to give them
both the release they desired. But he couldn’t. He’d promised her
he’d give her time to think.

Pressing his forehead to
hers, he tried to catch his breath. “If I don’t leave now, I’m not
going to. Do you understand, Rena MacAllister? I’ll have you bent
over the nearest flat object and I’ll fuck you ‘til you come all
over me.” Behind him the elevator dinged and the startled sound
from the couple emerging had Jackson and Rena breaking apart. “I’ll
call you when I get home,
ma
peekôn.”
He stepped into the elevator after
the elderly couple stepped off. As the doors slid shut, he’d leaned
his head back against the wall.

Making his way out to the underground
garage, his thoughts were consumed about the tempting submissive
upstairs. He was just sliding inside his vehicle when his cell
phone rang. Without bothering to look at it, he flipped it open and
pressed it his ear as he fastened his seatbelt.

“You couldn’t wait,
ma peekôn?
I can come
back upstairs if you want. I haven’t left yet.” Part of him was
praying she’d say yes.

“Not a wise idea if you don’t want a
repeat of this morning, Mr. Levough, and this time I won’t use such
a pathetic bomb.”

Shock battled with anger as an
unfamiliar male voice filled his ear. He glanced around his
surroundings. “Who the hell is this?”

“Such a typical man. Don’t bother
looking for me, Mr. Levough. I’m not stupid enough to be anywhere
near you. Wouldn’t you like to know what’ll stop me from reenacting
this morning’s occurrence?”

Jerking the phone away from
his ear, he wanted to curse as the display read ‘unknown’.
Son of a bitch!

An amused chuckle trickled through the
phone. “Now surely you didn’t think I was foolish enough to call
from my home phone, or one that’s traceable, did you?”

Jackson gritted his teeth. “So
evidently you think you’re smart enough to contact me without being
detected. Now tell me what the fuck you want.”

The male tsked. “Such language. One
would think you’re an uncouth man, Mr. Levough, but that’s hitting
the nail on the head, isn’t it? You grew up dirt poor in a
Louisiana bayou before joining the Army. You have several
commendations of valor during your career before you left to become
a partner in Larson Securities.”

Hitting his palm on the steering
wheel, Jackson wanted to strangle the asshole on the phone. “And
what’s your point? You can find information that’s public
knowledge?”

“No. I’m just reminding you how much
you’ve gained since leaving the bayou and how easily you’ll lose it
all if you don’t stay away from Rena MacAllister.”

“Louis, you sick fuck, you’re a
disgrace to the BDSM world…”

The man laughed in his ear. “You’re
assuming I give a fuck about your nasty, depraved little world, or
I’m this Louis character. I can assure you, I’m not. I wouldn’t
bother to dirty my hands with such perversions. Nor, do I think
it’s fair Rena’s being corrupted by your nasty
proclivities.”

Confusion flooded
Jackson.
If this wasn’t Louis, then who
the hell is it?

“You’ve been warned, Mr. Levough. And
I’ll be watching. Either stay away from the girl or I’ll take down
your hard-earned business, brick by brick.”

Chapter Twenty

Entering
Olivia’s,
Jackson stalked
towards the private rooms at the back. He barely noticed the sounds
of the floggers hitting flesh, the cries of ecstasy and pain as
couples, trios and even groups, explored the pleasures of
submission and domination. Walking down the hall, he entered his
aunt’s office without knocking, his protective instincts so
consuming he could do nothing less. At her desk, Olivia glanced up
from the paperwork spread out in front of her.