Power Play [Pleasure Playground 2] (12 page)

Jennifer took a deep breath. There was one memory that would forever remain ingrained as the moment she'd known for sure she didn't belong.

"When I was a child, I used to sleepwalk. I'd wander around the house, often holding complete conversations with my mom or dad while still fully asleep. It became a running joke in our family all the precautions they had to take to keep me in the house. Chimes on the doors. Special locks on the windows. All sorts of things like that.” She snuggled into him, glad to have him at her back so that she didn't have to look at him as she remembered that awful night. “After a while they quit paying attention, and eventually I'd go back to full sleep. So one night when I woke to a man sitting on my bed and rubbing my leg, my father didn't come when he heard my screams. Everyone assumed I was having another night episode."

"Oh hell, Jennifer."

She clenched her hands. “No, don't. Please don't say anything, or I won't be able to finish.” His grip around her waist tightened, but he refrained from saying anything else. The first tear fell at the faith he'd just demonstrated in her request.

"I was asleep in a room with my sister, and even she ignored the first few screams. It was so dark in there, Daegan. I couldn't make out much more than the shape of the man who kept trying to comfort and calm me. His hand continued to stroke my leg while he told me it was okay, that he was my father. But I knew it wasn't. It's funny how the strangest things occur to you in a state of fear and panic. The only reason I knew it wasn't my father was because of his baseball cap. My father would never be caught dead wearing such a thing. It's the one thing that I saw clearly and kept me from accepting a stranger's word. Eventually my screams roused my sister, and when she saw the man sitting on my bed, she screamed too. That got my father's attention. And that of the man on my bed as well. He got up and left the room pretty quickly, but not before he told me that he'd be back for me."

Her stomach roiled at the horrible memory of that night. As much as she'd tried to forget it, she knew she never would. She moved past it and rarely thought about it, but it would never be completely forgotten. Ever.

"A few seconds later, my dad came rushing into the room with a baseball bat. Unfortunately both my sister and I were pretty hysterical, and it took several minutes to calm us down before we got the story out."

"Plenty of time for the asshole to get out of the house."

Jennifer shuddered against him. “Yes. My father found the front door open and immediately called the police."

"Was the guy ever caught?"

"No.” If only the story ended there. “But don't worry; this story doesn't end with some creep snatching me later on down the road.” No, as far as she was concerned, what happened that night was far worse than a stranger hurting her.

Daegan stilled behind her. She held her breath while the pain lanced through her and the tears burned at the back of her eyes. No way would she cry again. She'd shed more than her fair share over the years.

"What's missing?"

Jennifer exhaled nice and slow. “When the police came, they discovered the intruder had come in through my brother's window at the opposite end of the house. He slept under that very window. My stepmother freaked out and gathered my sister and brother, along with my father and huddled them together on the couch. She wailed that someone could have hurt her son or her daughter. My dad held them. They cried together, and he spent hours soothing them with comforting touches and a lot of hugs. Eventually they grew weary, and everyone went to bed. But my stepmother couldn't bear to leave her children alone, so they all slept together in my parents’ room.” Shame burned through her as she remembered. The deep sadness of that night pressed down on her again now. She didn't even realize she'd begun to cry until a tear rolled into her mouth and she licked it away.

"I don't understand. Where were you in all of this?"

"I was in the corner of the living room alone. No one spoke to me. No one comforted me. And no one took me to bed. When the lights turned out and they left me there forgotten in the dark. It was then I knew for certain."

No one loved me.

"Jesus fucking Christ.” Daegan lifted her and turned her in his arms until she was resettled facing him. He grasped both sides of her head and brought his lips tenderly to hers. “I don't even know what to say."

She shook her head violently trying to free herself from his grip. He held fast. “Don't say anything. It was a long time ago. The last thing I need now is for someone to pity me. Eventually, after three years of waiting and planning, I got my day in court. The judge must have seen something from my parents—who weren't fighting to keep me—he didn't like, and he signed emancipation papers with very little fanfare. I was a pretty smart kid. I finished high school early, so I already had a full-time job, and that made it a little easier to support myself. It was such a relief to get away from my family and their weirdness."

"Oh, Jennifer,” he said. Two little words, and she had to fight to keep from crying again. The tenderness she spied in his eyes threatened to unravel her.

"Please don't feel sorry for me, I don't think I could take it. Anything but that,” she whispered.

"It makes me viciously angry that someone would treat you like that and it makes me bloody proud that you overcame it. You built a life for yourself, a damned good one. But you've taken it as far as you can go on your own. I know you know this."

She resisted the tender way he spoke the strong words. Believing in them... Her emotions were too raw. She couldn't breathe or think like this. Jennifer squirmed in his grasp. “Let me go,” she pleaded.

"I don't think I can.” He nuzzled her cheek, making her senses flare to life. His warmth enveloped her in a safe cocoon, giving merit to the wild thoughts of safety and connection she felt with him. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she gave herself the freedom to imagine a future as a submissive to a very dominant man. The ache in her bottom from the ruthless spanking he'd given her and the snug cuff still at her wrist were near-constant reminders of just how demanding he'd be, a thought that aroused her instead of instilling fear like she'd expected.

"You're beautiful and stubborn. Reckless and wild. Now my job is to give you what you need to find that balance."

She sucked in a breath. Her brain could barely wrap around what he said. Let alone believe in it.

Daegan rolled her onto her back and rose over her. He thrust a knee between her legs. “Spread your legs,” he commanded.

"But you said—"

Foil ripped, and seconds later he slid inside her.

"Don't confuse needs for wants. I may or may not give you what you want. I will however, eventually know everything about you."

The deep tone of Daegan's statement shivered along her flesh. She'd told him something she'd never spoken aloud to another soul. The cracks in her walls were growing wider and this... This felt suspiciously like making love.

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Jennifer entered Altered Ego to find Eve in the midst of chaos. There were huge boxes nearly filling the reception area while she gripped the phone to her ear with murderous intent shining in her eyes. A harsh curse word sounded from one of the offices, and Jennifer winced. If Chase was in a foul mood, she had every mind to back out and come back later.

Before she could get away, Eve spotted her and waved her into the chair next to her desk.
Shit
. Maybe she should have taken Daegan's suggestion of a vacation and spent the week doing nothing more than catching up on some sleep and digging into some of the books she'd been meaning to get to. Or updating her neglected blog. She had several e-mails from fans who were anxious to hear about her glow-in-the-dark demonstration at the grand opening of the new and improved photo studio and art gallery.

Eve muttered something into the phone and then slammed it back in the receiver. “God, this is frigging ridiculous.” She got up from her seat, stomped around her desk, and plopped down in a chair next to Jennifer.

The first thing Jennifer noticed were Eve's shoes. Monstrosities more like it. Black with tiny cherries all over them. “Holy shit. Are those five inches?” She motioned to the heels. The other woman's eyes lit up, and a huge smile broke across her face.

"You like? I found these online last week, and they arrived this morning.” She flipped her feet from left to right, admiring the way they looked.

"I think I'd kill myself if I wore shoes like that all the time. It's bad enough when I have to wear them for a shoot."

Eve turned sympathetic eyes on her. “How are you taking everything with Daegan? Are you better now about not modeling anymore?"

Jennifer shrugged. “It's only temporary. He and I talked it out. Or more like he explained his thought process on it, and I've decided to try it. And just between you and me.” She rolled her shoulders forward and back. “My body needs a break from the hours and hours of extreme bondage. As much as I love it, even the yoga exercises I do haven't been enough to ease the aches and pains lately."

Eve sat up straight and stared her down. “What? Why didn't you say something? I could have scheduled you for less work. If Chase finds out—"

"Don't worry about it. If I didn't want a job, I would have told you."

Her friend eyed her suspiciously before easing back in her chair. “Anybody ever told you what a stubborn ass you are?” Eve smiled.

"I may have heard it a time or two."

They both laughed. Jennifer didn't know what to make of it. She hadn't had any girlfriends to share with in too many years to count. Competition among models seemed to inhibit tight bonds, and she'd never even tried to get comfortable at the club. When she went there it was simply a means to an end—nothing more.

Maybe, just maybe, things were changing for her. She had an intriguing Dom anxious to work with her, and she'd agreed to expand her horizons with a temp job helping Eve with the Pleasure Playground. Jennifer ran her hand along the granite countertop while thinking about her options. When Daegan had shown her the model of what the Playground would look like when the project was completed, she'd been intrigued. Seeing it in 3-D had definitely put it into more perspective, and she'd begun to look forward to helping with its creation.

"Earth to Jennifer. Are you listening?"

Eve's insistent questioning drew her back to reality. “I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I was talking about this stupid mess. All these boxes were delivered and dumped without so much as a by-your-leave before the delivery guys left."

"What's in them?"

"It's the fixtures for the jewelry store going in next door. It's supposed to be opened by next week, so I told Chase I'd get the basic layout of the store figured out before Tammy gets here on Friday."

"Tammy?"

Eve jumped up excitedly. “Ooh yeah. Wait until you meet her and get a look at her work. She makes the most glorious collars. She made mine."

Jennifer stared at the pretty red and black collar around Eve's neck. Her stomach tumbled. What would it feel like to be owned like that? To have Daegan collar her...
Whoa. Don't even think about going there.

"It's very pretty."

"I think her shop will be the perfect complement to the art gallery. So we've got to get her space set up this week and start fielding some of these proposals from other vendors who've expressed interest in setting up a storefront in the Playground.” Eve turned around and looked at the mess. “Sometimes I think we've bitten off more than we can chew."

"I think it's going to be incredible. A one-of-a-kind place that's for sure."

Eve beamed. “I sure hope so. Unfortunately, we've got a lot of work to do. Have I thanked you for taking on this position yet? I've been drowning for weeks, and I wasn't sure if Chase and Murphy were going to pull the plug on the project if I didn't get some help in here. They've been missing me.” She winked.

"I bet.” Jennifer wandered through the boxes, her mind calculating the work to be done in relation to the time frame. “What kind of proposals have you been getting?"

Eve turned to her computer and tapped a few keys and scrunched up her nose at the screen. “Let's see... I've got a few leather vendors, a bunch of toy stores, an erotic bakery, and even a hand-blown glass dildo vendor. Those are the ones that stand out so far anyway. We've already lined up the rooftop restaurant complete with outdoor play space, and I'm debating on a traditional club or an old-fashioned burlesque theater."

Jennifer raised her head on the last. “Oh burlesque sounds awesome."

Eve nodded. “I tend to agree. I want the Pleasure Playground to be really different, and I'm not sure adding a full-service club is the right direction to go."

"Yeah between Purgatory and Sanctuary, I think this town is covered as far as club space is concerned."

Eve swiveled in her chair. “See. That's exactly what I explained to Chase and Murphy, and they looked at me like I'd grown a second head."

Jennifer couldn't bite back her laugh. When Eve smiled, the moment grew infectious, and they both ended up giggling hysterically. For a moment, she began to believe that, yes, she might be making some progress. She'd never been all that great at making friends although she definitely wanted to. Somehow Daegan pushing into her life had a way of making her examine what she wanted going forward.

She wanted a life outside her career. Friends. A lover... The familiar fear pushed through her belly, fighting for control. Maybe she could learn. Daegan certainly seemed to have the patience she needed. With a lighter heart she said to Eve, “Well, Doms do tend to have a one-track mind sometimes."

"No kidding. Good thing mine have this place to keep them busy or I'd be tied to a bed 24-7."

They both smiled.

"How about I start with the space next door and start putting some of this stuff together."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. What I can't handle on my own, we'll save for later when Chase and Murphy have some free time and can help move some of it around."