The Right Thing (9 page)

“It isn’t the Ritz, but they keep it nice, ’Kenzie.” Donna was
looking around the room with admiration. “My place is bigger but it’s certainly
not as homey.”

McKenzie had no idea where Donna lived, let alone what her home
looked like. She knew she was pretending, lulling herself with details and a
false sense of security in order not to think about Michael, but was also
ashamed not showing any interest in either Donna or Lisa’s life. Donna cut to
the chase with her usual forthright attitude.

“So what’s the story with asshole?”

Time to share and trust a little. “Michael was my, uh, boyfriend for
nearly a year. We had a fight and I left him and I guess he wants to talk to me
about it.”

“More like drag you back and beat on you some more.”

McKenzie froze in place. What was Donna thinking? How would she ever
explain what her life had been like, that she’d wanted every minute of the
beatings
, craved them and privately
wished they hadn’t ended? Unable to admit that to herself. It wasn’t right
Donna thought Michael was an abuser. Except whatever she said, Donna would
probably just see her as a woman who made excuses for the man who beat her. McKenzie
marshalled her thoughts and tried anyway.

“How much do you know about BDSM?”

To her surprise, the other woman shrugged and said, “Some. And not
personally. But I read and I listen. One of my brothers is a pretty dominant
man. Joey. He really likes to be in charge and his girlfriends kind of lean on
him and fall all over themselves to do his bidding. I guess I know more about a
woman wanting to find a strong guy to take care of her than anything else. And
the kicker is she’s supposed to have the actual power. It’s hard to get my head
around, ‘cause I don’t know any woman like that and probably never will ’cause
Joey don’t bring his around for me to spend time with. But that’s not what you
were into. You were too scared.”

McKenzie involuntarily closed her eyes. She’d been scared, sure, but
Michael
hadn’t scared her, not even
when she thought for a split second he’d brought Joyce with him. Michael never
frightened her, not even during his temper tantrums over the last weeks they’d
been together. Any pain he visited on her was welcome, no matter how she begged
for mercy and protested it. Part was need, but ’Kenzie welcomed it primarily
for Michael, because it was his need to administer erotic pain and her reward
was knowing she’d pleased him. And the sex was spectacular, better and far more
intense than she’d ever dreamed about or known before. Nope, she was terrified
because despite the strong instinct to flee, her heart would have won out. If
not for Donna, Lisa, and the Lees, she would be back with Michael right now.
And Michael would make good on his idea about Andrew and Joyce, meaning
absolute hell on earth for both of them. And that she wouldn’t do to him.

“BDSM can also include something called TPE or total power exchange.
It’s kind of extreme and it’s all about trust, total trust that your, uh,
partner will know what’s right, what you’re capable of or not. In anything. As
well as knowing what you need, deep down. It’s like giving yourself to them
totally.”

“Sounds like a sex slave. I can’t imagine it myself. If you trusted
him then how come he scares you?” Donna didn’t seem to be judging, sounding
genuinely curious.

“Michael didn’t scare me, Donna. I scared myself. I almost went with
him today.”

Donna shook her head and stared, clearly trying to figure out a
concept McKenzie had taken months to learn, and only because she had a very
good teacher. One she’d fallen in love with, making her an extremely apt pupil.
McKenzie sighed again and searched for another way to explain, because she
needed Donna’s understanding in order to gain her support. Maybe Donna could
shore up her faint determination not to go back to him and end up destroying
him. She couldn’t be that selfish.

“I never thought of myself as a slave, but I was in Michael’s service,
and I wanted to be there, more than anything. I love him more than life itself
and he loves me. But love scared him and he decided to drive me away. He
succeeded. And then he said today; about looking for me. I can’t go back
because I’ll do…well…I’ll do something he’ll demand of me and it will destroy
him. I won’t do that to him.”

“Fuck me, ’Kenzie. That’s nuts. That’s bigger than what moms do for
their kids, or at least what moms
should
do for their kids. I don’t believe you. I mean, I believe you, of course. But
you’re bonkers. Nobody should love anybody that much. It’ll kill you.”

McKenzie didn’t say anything to that, and Donna visibly replayed her
last words. “I guess I can understand why you thought maybe checking out
yourself made sense in the spur of the moment. Holy shit. Well, will asshole go
away? Or is he
gonna
stalk you?”

“Thanks for not running screaming from the room, Donna,” McKenzie
said wryly, amazed to find any humor in the situation. “It means a lot. And I
honestly don’t know what Michael’s going to do. I’m trying not to think about
it.”

“
I’m
working hard at not
thinking about what you and him did together. Or should I say what he did to
you
, girlfriend. But I know controlling
guys well enough, and they always want the last word. Lots of them are just
plain assholes, through and through. Maybe it’s better if you talk to him, you
know, in a neutral place, like a
Switzerland
thing. I’ll have your
back and you can break up with him. How’s that sound?”

“It sounds like a plan, but Michael isn’t easily dissuaded.”

“Well, I can arrange for someone to fix him, if you want.”

McKenzie felt herself boggling at Donna who apparently just offered
to have Michael killed. “You mean…” Voice faltering.

Donna laughed. “Please. I don’t have
those
kinds of contacts. But I know some guys who’ll beat him
bloody, if that will help.”

“No. No, that’s okay. I appreciate your help but I don’t want to
bring the police into it. Michael has a lot of money and power in this city.
You’d get in trouble.” Holy crap, what was she opening up here? Michael beaten
bloody? She felt everything Michael felt. It would kill
her
.

 
“Girlfriend, there’s no way
the cops would figure out who laid one on
Mikey
. But
if you don’t want it, then we’ll just have to figure out another way.”

McKenzie laughed, though the sound falling past her lips didn’t
resemble laughter. It sounded like a cough an old man with asthma might make,
and didn’t fool Donna. “I need somewhere to hide out, but I can’t afford not to
work. I’m barely making enough as it is, and I can’t impose on the Lees and
Mrs. Wu for too long. Michael’s going to track me down and he’ll make their
lives miserable. I just don’t know how I’ll be able to resist him. I know I
sound like one of those swooning southern belles in
Gone With The Wind
.”

Donna’s look suggested she had no idea what
Gone With The Wind
was, and probably didn’t get the reference to
southern belles either, but gave ’Kenzie a little knowing smile anyhow. “Well,
now I know the mess you’re in, I’ll think on it. For sure asshole’s going to
hang around, and if he screws with business then the Lees might do something
about him themselves. They got contacts too.”

McKenzie put her head in her hands. “That’s another thing I want to
avoid, Donna. I don’t want to cause any trouble. I think I should just move on.
Do you have somewhere I could go? I hate to ask, but maybe you have a relative
or somebody? I can do anything for work.”

“Well, you proved that, kid. You and your pretty hands and pampered
look. Me and Lisa thought you wouldn’t last a day, but you’re stronger than you
come across. Must be something to do with that BDSM stuff. Let me think on it.
I don’t have any family I’d trust with you, but I’ll ask around and maybe
somebody will have an idea. Meantime I’ll walk you to work if you promise to
ignore the asshole. You don’t have to go in tomorrow though. Mr. Lee said for
you to take a day off and he’ll pay you. The boss insisted.”

“Okay.” The word sounded faint, and weak, but was all McKenzie could
manage.

Donna didn’t stay much longer. They finished the coffee and McKenzie
walked the other woman to the front door. Donna wrapped an arm around her
shoulders and squeezed out a side hug. McKenzie allowed herself to accept the
comfort and allow herself some hope, even if her heart ached. She needed to put
distance between her and Michael. It was the right thing to do.

Chapter Six

Michael wasn’t proud of himself, but like the DNA testing, it didn’t
matter about anyone else. Pride went before his fall. He was putting this thing
with McKenzie first. Not allowing Jenifer’s driver to leave his parking spot,
instead opting to set her car up as a command post, he sent his cousin home in
a cab with the promise to call regularly with updates. He hadn’t missed that
one wild eyed glance McKenzie sent Jenifer, and wished he’d gone with his first
impulse of going in alone. God knew what McKenzie thought when she saw Jenifer,
but he could only imagine. His sub acted like a cornered animal and Michael
needed to figure out how to gentle her and regain her trust. Failing that, he
would bring out the big guns and simply force her out.

While he waited for the store to close and the opportunity to follow
McKenzie to wherever she was living, he called in a bunch of favors and found
out everything he could about her protectors.
Knowing
thine
enemy,
as it were. The Lees
owned the store outright, owned the whole block as a matter of fact, and were
doing well financially. Really well. So he couldn’t buy them out, at least not
without a big hit to his cash flow, even if they’d sell. Although he’d do it if
he had to, and deprive ’Kenzie of a job and make her come home. And if he could
just find out where she lived he’d sabotage that as well. A last resort, but if
McKenzie wouldn’t listen to reason and come home, Michael would make her. He
was ruthless, simple as that, because it was in his sub’s best interest. From
just that one look in the cleaners, he knew she was barely a shadow of her
former self.

Michael waited until closing, pissing in one of the empty bottles of
water he’d drunk, not taking the chance to send Gerald for something to eat in
case ’Kenzie showed herself. He saw the
Closed
sign go up on the door, followed by the two employees exiting. They walked in
different directions and he debated sending the driver after the little one, to
see if Gerald could convince her to spy for him. Maybe money would mean more
than loyalty. The other woman looked like a harder nut to crack, and Michael
was an excellent judge of women.
Mostly
.
When his stupid denial wasn’t in the way and his heart wasn’t involved.

 
But then the Lees came out,
and locked the store.
Fuck
. McKenzie
had gotten by him and now he needed to wait until the next day. Gerald pulled
out into traffic at his terse command and he gritted his teeth against what he
wanted to scream at the driver, lacking anyone else to vent his frustration on.
Realizing she’d likely slipped out the back had him cursing his stupidity. Well,
the battle lines were drawn. He was going to prove to be the better strategist.
His woman was barely subsisting without him, and he was nothing without her. He
went back to his apartment and considered his plan of attack.

* * *
*

The next morning found him back on the stakeout, only this time in
his own car, with his own driver. He had his company’s best private detective
along, complete with a badge that would pass most inspections, in case someone
thought they should involve the real authorities. Both Jackson and Sanderson
were well briefed. He couldn’t stoop low enough if it meant making things up to
McKenzie. The Lees arrived shortly before the opening time indicated on the
sign, and the husband carefully unlocked the door and ushered his wife inside.
The smaller female employee showed up next, and right on the stroke of eight,
so did the Amazon. But there was no sign of McKenzie.

 
Michael waited as patiently
as he could for an hour before throwing the car door open. The irony was not
lost on him. Normally possessing all the patience in the world when it came to
sensually torturing his woman, but none when it came to retrieving her. He was
actually fighting a sense of panic. What if McKenzie had run further? What if
he had found his woman only to have lost her again? He sucked in a deep breath
and marched into the store.

“Yes, sir?” Mrs. Lee either thought all white people looked alike,
or would make a superb poker player, because it was as if yesterday never
happened. Like she didn’t know he’d been the star of the main event the day
before. The two other women focused on their handiwork and ignored him. In
desperation Michael looked to Mr. Lee who was watching him narrowly from the
depths of the store. The smell of chemicals wreathed around them and he worried
what it meant for his sub to be breathing in that shit.