Ten minutes later, they were on their way, not to Jack’s tiny apartment, but to Zeke’s upstate mansion, his New York home. Electronic gates, state-of-the-art security system, ten-acre grounds and colonnaded grandeur made it a dramatic contrast to the bustling streets of the city.
‘Cosy little place you’ve got here,’ Jack said. ‘It’ll be lovely when you’ve done it up.’
Zeke stared at him blankly.
Jack sighed. He sometimes forgot how people here just didn’t get the Irish sense of humour.
A butler opened the door. He bowed. ‘Mr Bryan, nice to see you again.’ But he barely gave Jack a nod of the head. A bar fight followed by a few hours in the cells hadn’t left him looking his best.
‘Coffee, lots of it,’ Zeke ordered. Did he think that Jack was still drunk? Then he led him into a beautifully designed replica of a nineteenth-century library. Jack was willing to bet that Zeke hadn’t read a single book in it.
Zeke said nothing until they were sitting down with coffee, then he rounded on Jack. ‘Are you out of your mind? Don’t you care about your career? Do you want to earn a living bussing tables? Well, just keeping carrying on like this and you’ll get there.’
Jack put down his cup. ‘It was just a minor fight. Nothing serious. I’ll pay the damages.’
Zeke waved that away. ‘I’ve already done that. Who cares about a broken chair? No, what I’m complaining about is the way you constantly go out of your way to ruin your reputation.’
‘It was a scuffle, Zeke. No one would have cared if I weren’t Jack Winter.’
‘Well, you are. And I’m hearing rumours that you’re involved in other stuff.’ He paused. It wasn’t like Zeke to be embarrassed about anything. ‘Weird stuff.’
Jack took a mouthful of coffee. ‘What weird stuff?’
‘You know. Kinky stuff. Spanking.’
Jack wanted to laugh. Some of the films Zeke had been involved in casting were seriously twisted, with people being killed in disgustingly inventive ways. And he was stuttering over a spanking. God forbid he found out some of the other stuff. ‘It’s not a big deal.’
‘Yes it is, Jack. They’re remaking The African Queen. You’re up for the lead, but not if this gets out. It’s going to be a PG film. You have to behave yourself.’
Jack was glad he was sitting down. The African Queen. That was one of the biggest roles in film history and would break him out of the pretty-boy movies he had been doing. If he got that, they would have to take him seriously. It was the role he had been waiting for since he came to Hollywood.
‘OK, Zeke, what do I have to do to get it?’
‘Stay clean. Don’t go anywhere, don’t talk to anyone, and stay out of trouble. Live like a nun.’
For the chance to play Charlie in The African Queen, Jack would agree to anything. He nodded. He would live like a nun.
12
Jack stared at the display on his smartphone. Three missed calls from Paloma. That was odd. He hoped she was all right. He called and she picked up on the first ring. ‘Are you all right?’
She sounded surprised at his urgency. ‘Yes, of course.’
‘I had three missed calls from you. I was worried.’
‘Sorry, Sir.’ He could hear the contrition in her voice.
‘I’m not your Dom any more.’
‘Old habits, you know? Besides, you were so much stricter than Tomas is.’
He wanted to grin but kept his voice stern. ‘I’ll get strict again if you don’t tell me why you rang. You can still do corner time.’
‘Ugh. I hate that. I hope you’re not mad. A friend of a friend has just discovered she is a sub, and she’s upset. I told her to talk to you.’
‘Paloma –’ How could he tell her why it was a bad time for this?
‘After all, you are responsible.’
‘What?’ Jack’s brain stopped working. It couldn’t possibly be Abbie. She had freaked when he had spanked her. ‘Are you sure?’ he said.
He could hear the smile in her voice. ‘Come on, Jack, how many girls did you spank in the jungle? She hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it. She needs to explore, find out who she is.’
‘This is a mistake. Abbie Marshall is pure vanilla.’ Yes, the same Abbie Marshall who had a screaming orgasm when he spanked her.
There was a pause while Paloma considered that. ‘I don’t think so. But if you don’t want to do it, I’ll find someone else to mentor her.’
‘No!’ That came out before Jack had time to think. Of all the subs in New York, how the hell had Abbie ended up talking to Paloma? ‘I don’t want anyone else near her. She’s like Alice in Wonderland, wandering around getting into all kinds of mischief. God knows who she’d end up with. At least I can keep an eye on her and make sure she’s all right.’
Paloma laughed. ‘I knew it. You wouldn’t shut up about the jungle the other night. Abbie’s profile name is Wild Orchid. I didn’t tell her who you were. She’s expecting a message from a Dom tonight at ten. If you don’t want to be there, I’ll find someone else.’
‘No, you won’t. I’ll be there, and put the fear of God into her for this. And Paloma, I swear, if you were here, I’d have you over the table for a punishment spanking.’
She laughed. ‘Promises, promises,’ she said, and hung up.
Abbie closed the cover of her Kindle with a snap and glanced at her watch. It wasn’t time yet. Another hour before she had to go online and talk to a complete stranger about sex. What had she let herself in for? She hadn’t expected Paloma to get back to her so fast. She thought it would be weeks before someone would contact her.
She padded to the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. She would need alcohol if she was going to do this, but not too much: Abbie mixed with alcohol equalled way too much frankness. Look at what happened the night she had talked to Kit.
‘Idiot, they’re probably spammers.’
She took another peek. No ‘Disciplinarian’. Just offers of computer games. Abbie didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. Forty-five minutes to go. She would have a bath. That would relax her and when she came back she would chat with him.
She wished she had more time to talk to Paloma. What would she say to him? Would he expect her to call him Sir? No way, she was not addressing a complete stranger as Sir.
After her bath, she pulled on a pair of pyjamas and a dressing gown. Her watch said 10.15pm. Perfect, she didn’t want to appear too eager. Abbie logged on. No messages from him yet. She took a breath. ‘Here goes.’
<Wild orchid: Hi there.>
<Disciplinarian: You’re late.>
Oh god, he was there. And he was annoyed. What was she going to do? Stop being so stupid and talk to him, Abbie. It’s not as if he can see you. She rested her fingers on the keyboard and began to type.
<Wild orchid: I’m sorry.>
<Disciplinarian: Why are you here?>
<Wild orchid: You tell me.>
Abbie reached for her wine glass. That sounded cheeky and childish. She typed again.
<Wild orchid: Sorry, didn’t mean that. I spoke to Paloma and she said you might be able to help me.>
<Disciplinarian: Paloma is a good judge. What do you expect from me?>
Abbie took a sip of wine. She should have been more prepared. What did she expect from him? Not this. Not some strict, voiceless stranger on the other side of cyberspace.
<Wild orchid: I’m not really sure. I haven’t done this kind of thing before.>
<Disciplinarian: This kind of thing?>
<Wild orchid: You know.>
<Disciplinarian: No, you have to tell me.>
She could almost feel his contempt. He must think that she was an idiot. Abbie took a deep breath.
<Wild orchid: BDSM. OK, I met this guy. Let’s call him Kevin, and we kind of sparked off each other. Lots of sparkage.>
Jack spat out his coffee all over his computer screen. Kev? She didn’t just say that she and Kev …? No, no, no, that was all wrong. He wiped the coffee off the screen, trying to calm himself before he replied to her.
<Disciplinarian: Kevin? That’s an unusual name.>
By god, if it was Kev O’Malley that she was talking about he was going to kill him.
<Wild orchid: Yes, he’s Irish.>
It was Kev. He would tan her ass for that. How dare she get involved with Kev? He paused a moment, remembering the jungle. He didn’t think Abbie and Kev had spent enough time together for anything serious, but he didn’t want her even thinking about Kev like that. He typed.
<Disciplinarian: Tell me about him.>
Jack was mad to know what she had to say. As if to torment him, there was a long pause that made him wonder if she was going to answer. He typed again.
<Disciplinarian: One of the principles of D/s relationships is honesty. You don’t lie to me, even by omission.>
<Wild orchid: Shit, do I have to?>
<Disciplinarian: I have certain expectations. When you are talking to me, you will not use unbecoming language. Please remove the word ‘Shit’ from your vocabulary.>
It was true, he did hate that word. But even more important, it was a tiny thing that would demonstrate to both of them whether she could comply.
<Disciplinarian: Then we’ll talk about what you are doing here.>
<Wild orchid: Sh –, I mean, sorry.>
He wanted to punch the air. Oh yes, sweet Abbie, you’re going to be mine.
<Disciplinarian: Good girl.>
<Wild orchid: I want to know if what happened to me was because of the man or what he did.>
<Disciplinarian: What happened?>
<Wild orchid: He spanked me.>
Wild orchid is typing appeared on the screen.
<Wild orchid: And I liked it.>
Jackpot! He had known she had come, had dreamed of seeing her orgasm under his hand, but he had wondered if she would admit it to herself. Was it possible that Abbie was serious about this, that she wasn’t just trying to get a story?
She had to know that he could save this dialogue. In fact, he would save it, just as a precaution if she couldn’t resist printing something about him. He could make sure she suffered just as much as he did. What should he ask now? He couldn’t tell her he had been there for it.
<Disciplinarian: Was it a proper spanking?>
<Wild orchid: I don’t know what that means.>
<Disciplinarian: OTK?>
<Wild orchid: What is OTK?>
So she really was a BDSM virgin.
<Disciplinarian: Over the knee.>
His favourite way. Some women didn’t like it, but to him, nothing beat the intimacy of an old-fashioned over-the-knee spanking.
<Wild orchid: Yes, it was. OTK, lol.>
<Disciplinarian: If you are a sub, you’ll hear that one a lot.>
<Wild orchid: I’m not sure if I’m a sub or not. That’s what I’m trying to find out.>
<Disciplinarian: What makes you think you might be a sub? Or might not be?>
He waited to hear what she would say. He had spotted some subtle signs that made him fairly sure, but wondered how self-aware she was. And if she would tell him.
<Wild orchid: Oh, several reasons. I have a demanding job. I’m bossy, opinionated and too independent – according to my sister Miffy. That doesn’t sound like a sub, does it?>
<Disciplinarian: Yes. The best subs are intelligent, capable and assertive.>
<Wild orchid: Oh. I thought that they wore collars and did what they were told. But doesn’t submissive mean weak? Letting someone else boss you around. I don’t think I could do that.>
Jack smiled at the idea of anyone bossing Abbie around, and not expecting to get an earful. But he wanted her to submit to him. His dick hardened at the thought.
<Disciplinarian: No Dom wants a doormat. It’s a relationship. A strong Dom needs a strong sub. Submitting to a Dom is a choice, it’s a matter of trust, not a sign of weakness.>
<Wild orchid: Oh.>
<Disciplinarian: Surprised?>
<Wild orchid: Yes, very. I’m still not comfortable with the idea. But I think that I need to explore it.>
Jack hardened even more at the thought of Abbie exploring her submissive side. He shifted on his uncomfortable wooden chair. Thank god there was no one else in the apartment to see him sprouting a hard-on while he typed.
<Disciplinarian: Did you get turned on when you were spanked?>
<Wild orchid: That’s none of your …>
Wild orchid is typing.
<Wild orchid: Yes.>
<Disciplinarian: Good girl.>
He was genuinely proud of her. That was a difficult thing to admit.
<Disciplinarian: Honesty is hard, isn’t it?>
<Wild orchid: Yes.>
<Disciplinarian: You can’t live a lie and be happy. You have to face who you are.>
<Wild orchid: And how do I do that? Lots of people depend on me. I can’t just change overnight.>
<Disciplinarian: Who depends on you?>
Abbie had never mentioned anyone except the perfect William Dullard while she was in the jungle, and only the dweeb had turned up to meet her in Miami.
<Wild orchid: My family – my dad, Miffy and her girls. I’m a strong person, they depend on me.>
<Disciplinarian: What age are you?>
<Wild orchid: 27.>
She looked a little younger, but the assurance in her manner made it easy to believe.
<Wild orchid: And work. I’ve just come back from South America. Did Paloma tell you I’m a reporter? I do hard news and foreign stories. I’ve even interviewed the President on foreign policy.>
For some reason, Jack hadn’t expected her to admit that she was a reporter. She should have more sense than to give a stranger so much personal information. Even if he hadn’t known her name, she had just given him enough to track her down. He would spank her for that later. But first …
<Disciplinarian: You’re a reporter? Is this for a story?>
<Wild orchid: Nononono. Nothing like that, honestly. But I can’t talk to anyone else and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to feel this way.>
<Disciplinarian: Why?>
The question hung on the screen, blinking back at her. The big question. Was it because of Jack? Had he made her feel this way or was Kit right? Maybe she had submissive tendencies. How could she have reached the age of twenty-seven and not know about it?
A vision came into her head of some of the scarier sites she had surfed on the net. Collars, whips, ropes, people dressed in leather. She was definitely not like that. Abbie took a gulp of wine. Mental note to self, do not buy any more of this stuff. The question flashed on the screen. He was still waiting for her response.
<Wild orchid: Because I don’t know if I can feel this way with anyone else.>
Nothing happened. Her answer sat there, laughing at her. Maybe she was wasting his time. Maybe he had gone away. A message popped up on the bottom of the screen: Disciplinarian is typing.
<Disciplinarian: Tell me how you feel about him.>
Abbie had never felt so relieved to receive a response. She leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands. What was she going to say to him? The truth, Abbie. Just tell him the truth.
<Wild orchid: Don’t laugh at me, but I think about him all the time. I know that it’s stupid and I wouldn’t talk like this to anyone else. It’s just not me. I’ve even broken up with William, my fiancé.>
<Disciplinarian: Why?>
<Wild orchid: Because I slept with Kevin.>
Oops. Typed on the screen like that it looked terrible. Like she was some kind of cyber-slut who ran around sleeping with random guys. OK, she’d better clarify that. She was about to expand on her response when he came back.
<Disciplinarian: While you were engaged to William?>
Abbie typed furiously.
<Wild orchid: Yes. Well, when I say slept with him. I meant as in sleeping – not, you know.>
<Disciplinarian: Are you saying you didn’t have sex with him?>
<Wild orchid: No I didn’t, but I wanted to.>
<Disciplinarian: Tell me about Kevin.>
<Wild orchid: I can’t tell you a lot because he’s famous and I wouldn’t like to betray a confidence. Anyway, he’s not my usual type. He’s basically a pain in the ass. But I liked him, he made me feel safe and I’m not used to having someone to lean on. Does that sound weird?>
<Disciplinarian: No. It sounds like a D/s relationship. Did you enjoy it?>
<Wild orchid: Sort of. Well, maybe not at first – he was too domineering. Wanted everything his own way.>
<Disciplinarian: Like any good Dom.>
<Wild orchid: It wasn’t a D/s relationship.>
<Disciplinarian: He took care of you, kept you safe and spanked you when you needed it. Sounds like a relationship to me.>
Relationship. Abbie stared at the word on the screen. They weren’t in a relationship. Jack was off, god-knows-where, probably with some beautiful starlet, and she was here talking to a stranger, trying to pick up the pieces.
<Wild orchid: I didn’t mean that. I meant that he is not in my life now.>
<Disciplinarian: Why not?>
<Wild orchid: He’s Hollywood. I’m New York. He wasn’t offering any kind of a relationship. It was just a one-time thing. He’s probably forgotten all about me.>
Disciplinarian is typing.
<Disciplinarian: Tell me about William.>
<Wild orchid: William and I met when we were four years old. Our mothers played bridge together. Anyway, I was the quiet sister but that didn’t seem to matter. William and I always ended up together. Graduation, college, all the social stuff. It just seemed right when we got engaged. Our families expected it.>
<Disciplinarian: Did you enjoy having sex with him?>
What? How could he ask that? Even Kit didn’t ask her questions like that. She sat back on the couch. A minute ticked by. He did not have the right to ask her that stuff. She would give him a piece of her mind.
<Wild orchid: That is a terrible question to ask.>
<Disciplinarian: It’s relevant.>