Punk Rox Warrior (8 page)

when you have to stop going because they can’t pay you anymore?”

“Well, we never turn anyone away because they can’t pay. We do

what we can for them. We also refer them to free programs that can

help. We have a client in a nursing home now. His kids couldn’t

afford to keep paying us to visit him. They live too far away to visit

more than a few times a year, and they want to make sure he’s being

cared for properly. I talked to the family, and we worked out a deal. I

go twice a week and eat lunch with him and take him to the park.

When his son comes down, he gives free checkups and shots to some

of my clients who have pets that can’t afford a vet bill. It all works

out well.” Looking at him, she smiled sadly. “As far as the ones that

die? Well, we miss them. They become like grandparents after awhile.

We’re closer to a lot of our clients than their own families are.”

“That’s ingenious. You are a really good person, Rainne.” He had

an overwhelming feeling of awe wash over him. He never met anyone

who was so unselfish, so giving, just because it was the right thing to

do.

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Blushing deeply, she added, “Well, I wouldn’t saint me just yet.”

Making eye contact with her, he wanted to make sure she really

heard him. “Rainne, you should be proud of what you do. Not many

people would do those things, go to those lengths to make sure

another person was taken care of properly.”

“Thank you,” she replied simply.

Pulling up to the house, James was taken aback at the excess of

the property. Her mother seemed to be able to find every tacky,

overpriced decoration on the planet. Pulling up to the valet, he noticed Rainne looked almost green. “Are you okay?” he asked, turning to

her.

“I feel sick,” she said, almost hyperventilating.

Taking her hand, he squeezed it gently. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be no

more than a few feet away all night.” Catching her glance, they both

nodded in unison as the valets opened their doors.

Climbing the front steps to the door, James could hear the

whispers and snickers from the other guests. “God! She looks like a

red-light special,” one woman whispered to her date. “I can’t believe

she showed. At least her date looks more respectable this time.”

What’s up with them?
Glancing at Rainne and noticing that her face matched her dress, he knew she heard them, too.

Entering the house and handing their coats off, Rainne was

informed that her mother wanted to see her for inspection. Rainne

took a raged breath and squared her shoulders as she entered the

ballroom. Following behind her, he could see the speculating

expression on her mother’s face.

As she approached her mother, he witnessed her fidget nervously

with her dress. “Hi, Mom,” she said, clearing her throat. Shivering

slightly under the scrutiny of her mother’s gaze, she chimed, “Well,

do I pass?”

Carol Stanton frowned deeply and said, “You’ll do. I am glad the

dress fit.” James watched as she actually rolled her eyes at her

daughter. “Really, Rainne, you’d be so pretty if you just lost some

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weight. Now, go mingle. Several men have been asking about you all

night, and Phillip is here,” she snapped.

“Okay,” Rainne said quietly, gliding past her, moving deeper into

the room.

As James went to follow, he was stopped by Carol’s hand

gripping his arm. “I expect you to act accordingly tonight,” she

groused. “Stand off to the side, and do not interact with my guests.”

James nodded obediently. “I’m well aware of the drill, Mrs.

Stanton.”

“Very well.” Releasing his arm, she stepped away to greet her

guests.

James’s eyes scanned the room for Rainne. Finding her, he took a

spot on the wall to watch. She looked so lost, frightened. It wasn’t

long before she was asked to dance. He noticed how bored she looked

dancing with the men in this social circle. How they all looked so

pompous. They seemed to try so hard to grip her attention. One after

another they cut in, keeping her on the floor for hours. He noticed a

few of them off to the side and silently approached the wall nearest

them.

“No! I’m telling you the rumors aren’t true, man. Phil just told her

mom that so he wouldn’t be blamed for the breakup,” one man said.

“Really?” another said, surprised. “So what is true if she’s not the

town doorknob?” He sipped on his drink.

“Well, as far as Phil says, she’s frigid,” another added, chuckling.

“Really? A hellcat like that? I can’t believe it. Why would he be

fighting so hard after all this time if she was such a stick?” he asked.

“Money! She stands to inherit a fortune, plus if he marries her,

he’ll get the company. What other reason could there be? I mean, look

at her! Besides, no woman has ever refused him before. I think it’s

eating him alive.” He laughed.

James moved away quickly, still keeping a visual on Rainne as he

crossed the room. His fury begging to be unleashed, he stamped down

a growl.
Yeah! Look at her,
she looks like a flower. She is way too
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good for them. They only see her as a prize.

As Rainne danced, another man tried to cut in, but she refused

him. James watched as the man stormed away furiously, straight to

her mother. Carol made a beeline toward Rainne. Pulling her away

from her dance partner, Rainne flinched, Carol obviously squeezing

too hard on her daughter’s already abused arm. Her mother’s face

twisted into a harsh gaze as she quietly berated Rainne. Releasing her,

she stormed away.

Rainne’s face hung toward the floor. She looked as if she were

blinking back tears. Raising her gaze, she started to waltz with the

gentleman she had previously refused to dance with. James was

instantly filled with rage.
How dare she tell her daughter who to

dance with. That must be Phillip.
James almost shook with the need to annihilate the man who had his hands on her, the man who had dared

to raise his hands to her. The same man who was now moving outside

into the garden with her.

As James followed, he could almost feel the fear rolling off

Rainne. He stepped just outside the door to keep her in view.

“Rainne, be reasonable!” he snapped. “You know it’s going to

happen eventually. Carol won’t let you marry anyone else. You’re

mine.”

Crossing her arms across her breasts, she rolled her eyes. “Phillip,

the last I heard, my mom doesn’t have a say in who I marry, and I

don’t belong to anyone...especially not you! She can have the money

and the company! I don’t want it! I don’t want you! You have your

own money! Why do you want me so bad?” Her face turned stubborn.

Stepping toward her, he sneered. “You think you’re so much

better than me? You little bitch! No one says ‘no’ to Phillip McCray,

Rainne. No one!” he yelled.

She blinked back at him with a look of shock and amazement.

“Phillip, it’s been a year! Let it go already!” she urged.

With that, she stepped aside to walk past him back into the hall.

Phillip reached out, grabbing a handful of her hair, pulling her back

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59

against his chest and clamping his hand around her throat. “I’ll have

you...” James cut Phillip’s threat short by pulling a very large firearm out and pointing it directly into his face.

“Let her go! I don’t want to have to kill you.” The fury that boiled

in James’s chest was almost too much to bear. He wanted so

desperately to pull the trigger and erase Phillip McCray from the

planet.

Phillip threw Rainne into James’s chest and backed away. “You

want that piece of trash? Take her!” Walking away into the garden, he

was gone.

Holding Rainne’s trembling body with one arm, he holstered his

weapon. “Are you all right?” he asked, moving a stray curl back into

place.

Rainne was breathing heavily and trying to fix her dress. “Yeah, I

think it’s time to go home.”

James quickly glanced around and gently took her hand. “Let’s

go.” Leading her through the ballroom, they came to an abrupt stop

just as they were about to step through the door and into the foyer.

* * * *

“What in the hell is going on here, Rainne?” Spinning around, she

saw Carol standing behind them, arms crossed over her chest, tapping

her toe on the smooth marble floor. “I just spoke with Phillip, and

he’s furious. You’re about to lose him, Rainne!” Her voice rose

furiously.

Rainne sighed in defeat. “Thank you for a lovely evening, Mother,

but I’ll be going home now.”

“Rainne Stanton!” her mother scolded. “Do you have any idea of

what I had to do to procure a relationship with Phillip in the first

place? Just to have you go and screw it up?” She scoffed. “It was all I

could do to talk him into giving you a second chance. You’re

throwing it all away!”

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Rainne was dumbfounded. How long was this fight going to drag

out for? It had been a year since her and Phillip split, and the tension between her and her mother was only growing. “Mom, I don’t want

Phillip! When are you going to accept that?” Her arms rose

questioningly.

Carol’s face was a mask of anger. “The McCrays are one of the

most powerful families in the country. You should be honored to

marry him. I’ll be damned if I let you marry some piece of blue-collar

trash! Phillip is in line to take over the company when I retire. You

need to marry him to keep it in the family!” She was yelling now.

Rainne’s mouth fell agape. “You! You set all this up to save your

precious company?” Rainne shouted back. “God, why do you care

more for that company than you do about me?” Her eyes were wide

with anger.

Her lips thinned. “Because my company is not a huge

disappointment!” Turning on her heel, she stormed away.

Rainne stood in the hall, frozen with shock. It was all she could do

not to crumple on the floor in a ball. Grabbing her coat from the maid,

she and James made their way to his Hummer. On the way home, she

couldn’t even look at him. She was humiliated, crushed.

James sat beside her in the driver’s seat, silent.

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Chapter 7

As they entered the apartment, Rainne trudged to the bathroom

and slammed the door shut.

Rainne sank slowly into the bubble bath, it felt so good on her

bruised skin. Taking a deep breath and holding it, she submerged

herself under the water. Sitting up in the tub, Rainne stared blindly at the tile. As her mother’s words circled in her mind, she felt her heart

clench till she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She fought to hold back

her tears. She hated crying. Her mother had always made her feel like

it was a sign of weakness, and she hated feeling weak. Losing the

battle with her emotions, Rainne quietly sobbed.

* * * *

Hearing the water run, James slowly paced the floor. Replaying

the events of the evening, he ripped the suit off his body.
What kind of
person puts their business before their children? How has she

survived in that family all these years?
He had immediately gotten the impression that Mrs. Stanton was a coldhearted bitch, but this topped

it all.

The sound of Rainne’s misery bled out into the apartment. He

couldn’t resist going to her, holding her. Slipping silently into the

bathroom, his gaze fell upon her. She looked so broken, so small in

the huge whirlpool tub. “Rainne? Are you okay?” he whispered.

“Go away,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

Stripping off his underwear, stepping into the tub, and sitting

down, he moved a stray hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her

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ear, sighing heavily. “I can’t do that, kitten. It breaks my heart to see you cry.”

Reaching out, he pulled her onto his lap, ignoring her shallow

pleas for him to stop. He wrapped her legs around his waist until she

straddled him. Kissing her shoulder gently, he placed her arms around

his neck, adhering his body to hers.

When her body heat encompassed him, Rainne’s
discipline

shattered. Her broken sobs escalated, holding him tightly, burying her

face in his neck. He felt the hot steel of his cock grind its length

against her pussy, making it spasm.

“Shh, it’s okay. Don’t cry, baby. They’re not worth your tears.”

His hands slid over her back, comforting her. After several minutes,

he felt her body relax against his. Her cries quieted, and her breathing evened out. He bunched his fingers in her wet hair and tilted her head

back, taking her in a deep kiss. He couldn’t resist any longer. He

needed her in ways he couldn’t describe. He wanted to make her

forget the nightmare of this whole night.

* * * *

She instantly responded. Her body seemed to mold to his.

Rainne’s will was shot to hell.
Where has my resolve gone
? Her body didn’t seem to care. She needed him, his touch and his taste. His taste