Choosing Rena (13 page)

Her ears burned. “Ah, I was just
wondering if I needed to worry about him show up. Dealing with him
once today was more than enough.”

A slow grin crossed Jude’s face as he
led her down the hall to Olivia’s office. “Do tell.”

A flush crept up her neck. “Ah…there’s
nothing to tell.” At least nothing she’d admit to. There wasn’t a
prayer in hell she would tell Jude about her carnal encounter in a
public bathroom with his partner.

Jude chuckled before pausing in front
of the office door. “Likely story. I’ll get it out of Jackson
later.” He sank gracefully to his knees.

Keeping back she couldn’t help but
notice how gracefully he did it in spite of his bad knee. “So what
did you do to piss off Olivia this time?”

He glanced over his shoulder at her,
giving her a sort of sheepish grin as if to say ‘What makes you
think I pissed her off?’ before he knocked gently on the
door.

A low feminine voice called out for
them to enter before she could try to pry more information out of
the reluctant man.

Chapter
Twelve

“So, I don’t think whoever your
perpetrator was came in through the balcony door as the police
report indicates. We need to look at another possible point of
entry. I checked the front door and there was no forced entry. So
either someone let the person in or…” Rena trailed off, shifting in
her seat across from Olivia’s desk. Around her, from the sleek
metal accented benches to the iron manacles at various heights,
were the familiar heavy leather and wrought iron pieces of
furniture Rena had begun to think as Olivia’s trademark.

“Or it’s someone who has a key or
access to it.” Olivia shifted on Micah’s lap. The ebony skinned man
was wearing similar attire to Jude, a pair of miniscule leather
shorts which left little to the imagination. Rena didn’t think they
could be the most comfortable things to wear but the man didn’t
seem to mind. Between Micah’s feet, Jude was sitting comfortably,
leaning his head against Olivia’s outer thigh as she toyed with his
hair. Despite the serene expression on his face, she knew Jude was
paying close attention.

“So, I’m going to ask my
brother-in-law to check into who was working the day your place was
vandalized.”

Olivia’s
f
_i
ngers
stopped. “Do you think he’ll give you the information,
Rena?”

Rena nodded. “While he doesn’t always
agree with my choice of lifestyle, he’s supportive.” As she said
the words, she wondered if she should have added the word former to
her response. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to dive back in no
matter what her body had already decided.

“That’s good.” Olivia then floored her
when she asked both of her subs to leave the room. Rena stood to
leave as well assuming she was being dismissed. “No. Sit, Rena. I’m
not done with you yet.”

Frowning, she returned to her seat.
Once the door shut behind them, Rena was tempted to ask what was
going on but knew the Domme didn’t need a reason to send Jude and
Micah away. It was all part and parcel of being their
Mistress.

But when Olivia continued to stare at
her, Rena was beginning to wonder if she had something on her face.
“What?”

“Aren’t you going to ask why I sent
them away?” Olivia came out from behind the desk to sit on the
front edge of it.

Rena laughed. “Maybe I should add the
word mind reader to your list of attributes. But honestly as their
Domme, you don’t have to have a reason to send them
away.”

A slow smile tugged at the corner of
Olivia’s lips. “Very true. Just looking at you, one wouldn’t think
you’d be so well versed in the world of BDSM, Rena. Perhaps you
shouldn’t ask why I sent them away but rather why I asked you to
stay?”

Rena shrugged, not certain where
Olivia was taking the conversation. “I’m sure you’ll tell me
eventually.”

“Or you’ll knock it out of me?” Olivia
asked, arching a brow at Rena.

“Don’t tempt me. I’ve been working on
my lack of patience. Besides if there’s pain to be had, I’m sure
you’d rather be the one inflicting it.”

“Very true.” Olivia stood and walked
back around the desk, trailing her fingers across its satiny
surface.

“But I wouldn’t put it past me to take
you down, rip those boots off, and find the nearest feather.” Rena
couldn’t but help but poke at the other woman. She wasn’t supposed
to know about Olivia’s one weakness, her extreme ticklishness, and
knew the woman would quickly deduce that the only way Rena could’ve
found out was if either Jude or Micah had told her.

Olivia paused. “It looks like my boys
are due for a return trip to the spanking bench.”

Rena’s heartbeat leapt. She hadn’t
felt the supple leather of a spanking bench against her stomach in
far too long. The contrast of cool leather against her stomach as
more leather warmed her ass was a delightful memory. Still, she
couldn’t stop the image of Jackson securing her to the bench before
standing behind her with a paddle or flogger in hand from clouding
her mind.

“Interesting.”

Olivia’s voice snapped her back to the
present conversation. “What’s that?”

“Your reaction. Perhaps it’s not my
boys who need the spanking bench but you. How long has it been
since you’ve played with a Dom, Rena? I know you’re a submissive.
That’s as clear as the nose on your face. I’ve even offered you a
membership and…”

Fear and frustration tried to edge
aside the growing desire Rena was feeling. “Which I have thanked
you for repeatedly, but honestly I simply cannot afford your fees,
Olivia.”

Olivia continued to pace. “I’ve also
offered to waive the fees numerous times. You’re my friend,
Rena.”

Rena sighed, scrambling for a way to
keep Olivia from being offended. “Friend or no friend, I don’t want
your charity, Olivia. You charge Jackson, you charge Caelan and
even Gabriel still pays dues. It’s not fair for you to waive
mine…”

Stopping next to Rena’s chair, Olivia
leaned in, invading Rena’s personal space. “But Caelan, Jackson and
Gabriel haven’t saved my life twice, and those gentlemen have the
funds to pay for their private playground. I realize you don’t, but
still I want you to come to my club and enjoy yourself. And it
pisses me off to no end when you refuse my generosity out of
misplaced pride.” Rena’s eyes widened. Olivia indeed looked
disgruntled at the idea. “Regardless, this has to stop. You’re
neglecting something you obviously need. Now, before you try to
claim you’ve been taking care of it elsewhere, I’ve talked to
several other club owners here in Chicago. You’re not playing at
any of their clubs and you’re too smart to go home with an
unfamiliar Dom.” She lifted Rena’s chin to stare directly into her
eyes. “Don’t lie to me. How long has it been since you’ve felt the
lash of leather against your skin, or found the blessed relief in
the submission to another?”

Rena felt compelled to answer when she
should be telling the woman off. Friendship or not, Olivia was
trying to peel back the layers to expose the needy sub under Rena’s
tough exterior. “Ireland. This morning.” She wanted to bury her
face in her hands, to hide everything, but Olivia’s pinning grasp
kept her tethered to the chair more securely than any restraints
would.

“Explain, little sub.” The hard tone
and the phrasing Olivia used was so similar to Louis’s it caused
Rena to rebel.

“Fuck you. Let me go!” Rena pulled up
hard on Olivia’s grip. If it hadn’t been Olivia’s leverage over the
seated woman she’d have broken free in a second, but as an
experienced Domme, she knew how to control those larger than
herself.

“No! Settle down,” Olivia barked at
her. Immediately Rena froze. “That’s better. Now, I’m not going to
hurt you, Rena, no matter how much you want me to. You have needed
someone to confide in since you’ve come to Chicago. Let me be that
friend.”

Rena slumped back against the chair.
“Why?”

“Why what?” Olivia kept her voice
soft.

“Why do you want to poke at old
wounds? Why can’t you and Jackson leave me be? I need to forget
what a fucking fool I was. How submission won’t give me what I need
without costing me my independence.”

“You honestly think this has anything
to do with my annoying little twerp of a nephew?” Olivia shook her
head. “Jackson has nothing to do with this. He doesn’t know you’re
here and if he did, I’m sure he’d be in here in a hot minute trying
to yank you away from my nefarious clutches. He can be possessive
that way.” Pulling back from Rena, she fingered the crop hanging
from her hip. “Nice try, but changing the subject won’t get you out
of this conversation. Now, explain why you think to submit to
someone you have to give up your independence.”

Tears burned the back of Rena’s eyes
in face of Olivia’s determination. “Because it does – there’s no
Dom out there who’ll allow me to submit in the bedroom, and treat
me as an equal outside of it.” When Olivia opened her mouth to
protest, Rena cut her off. “And don’t give me that crap about just
knowing the wrong Doms, or how you know several who show their subs
the same respect as they expect for themselves. I’ve been around
the BDSM scene nearly as long as you. Many give lip service to only
wanting a submissive woman in the bedroom, but then they still try
to rule their sub’s lives outside of it. They wrap it in the logic
they’re protecting them, but it’s total bullshit. I can protect
myself.”

“No one’s saying you can’t,
Rena.”

Tears in her eyes, Rena continued on
her tirade. “They want their sub to accept it, but then they more
likely than not get pissed off when the sub expects them to adhere
to the same standards she’s being held to. It’s not fair and I
won’t accept it anymore. I don’t care what my body says. My head
makes my decisions, not my libido.”

Olivia leaned back. “As it should.
Now, do you feel any better? Or do you need to vent some more
before we get down to the heart of the matter?”

The blood drained from Rena’s face as
she realized how much trouble she was in. Olivia wasn’t going to be
bamboozled by her tirade. “Shit.”

* * * *

Stumbling into her apartment, Rena
felt like a wrung out dishrag. Olivia had been relentless. She’d
poked and prodded until Rena had finally broken. It hadn’t mattered
how much Rena had wanted to deck the other woman, Olivia had still
managed to pry a confession out of her very weary soul. She could
now see why Olivia was such a revered Domme. She knew how to get
inside of a submissive’s head and find out what made them tick and
why, but only time would honestly tell if Rena had begun healing or
not.

Sinking onto the couch, she barely
jerked when her cell phone vibrated. She groaned when she
recognized the number – Jackson. Christ the last thing she wanted
to do was talk to him now. Not when she was so raw. But Olivia said
she needed to push her fear aside and at least try even if it
wasn’t with her nephew.

Pushing the button, she raised it to
her ear. “Hello?”

“Are you ready to talk
yet,
ma peekôn?”
Jackson’s voice seemed hopeful but he didn’t press.

“Honestly?” She threw an arm over her
eyes, wishing she could hide from everything and
everybody.

“Of course, honestly. I always expect
an honest answer from you.”

“I’m talked out. I’ve been poked and
prodded enough tonight. I don’t want to do anything more than take
a shower and crawl in between my own sheets.”

“Then that’s what you should do, even
as much as it disappoints me.”

She groaned. “And why would it
disappoint you? Were you expecting phone sex tonight? Sorry White
Boy, I can’t even summon up enough energy to duel it out with you
tonight. Your damn aunt ran me through the wringer.”

“Fuck my aunt. I’m pissed at her right
now.”

“And why’s that?”

“Jude called me to tell me what she
was doing – after she did it.”

“Great. So now you know what a mess I
honestly am, and don’t even want to have phone sex with me. The
perfect way to finish this fucked up day.”

Jackson sighed. “While I wouldn’t turn
it down, I’d much rather talk about what’s happening between us. I
could care less about what Olivia’s trying to pull, as long as
you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Tired but out of sorts,
Jackson.”

“Then it’s time for you to haul your
sweet little ass into bed. Just realize eventually we’re going to
have this talk. Even if I have to do it through a three inch glass
plate so we can keep our hands off each other.”

Rena couldn’t help it. She burst out
laughing at the thought of Jackson placing a sheet of glass between
them to circumvent their chemistry long enough so they could truly
talk.

“Go ahead and laugh, MacAllister. Just
remember, the physical will only get us so far and even as sweet as
I find your submission, we can’t stay in bed all the
time.”

Lifting her arm off her face, Rena sat
up a bit straighter. “And what does submission have to do with
being in the bedroom when a Dom can demand submission any place,
any time?”