by Jamie Knight
Chapter Fourteen - Jack
I couldn’t believe Sandra had disobeyed me in the bedroom. It was a violation of the dynamic and quite the turnoff. How could I get her disciplined again?
Maybe I had pushed her too far, too fast. She seemed like the ideal pet, but now she looked like a dabbler, someone who’d drop in on the lifestyle while it suited them, but then drift out the moment it got too real.
Perhaps it was my fault. As the one in charge, I had sent the wrong signal. Never blame your submissive, only blame yourself. After all, I was the one in control. But then again, Sandra had made me lose control on more than one occasion.
After spending the morning avoiding Sandra, I got a call on my smartphone. Jake, one of the brothers’ and Sandra’s cousin, lit up my phone. He had arranged a meeting for later in the day, but it wasn’t for a couple of hours.
“Hey, Jake,” I greeted. “What’s up? You need to reschedule?”
“No, I’m coming by your house in about thirty minutes.”
“Wait, what?”
“I’m in the Hamptons, and I’m driving your way,” he revealed. “We need to have a face to face. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, of course,” I swallowed. “I just, I mean the house—”
“I won’t hold a messy house against you. See you in thirty.”
He hung up, and I was reeling. The last thing I needed was one of the Davies family coming up here. This wasn’t about the merger. Jake was checking on Sandra. There was no telling what she would say, and I didn’t have time to have a serious talk with her. I guess I should have, but now it was too late.
“Jake Davies will be here in 30 minutes,” I texted her.
I got some of the merger papers together and started printing a few more. Sandra rushed up the stairs and opened the door.
“Jake’s coming here? Why?”
“He wouldn’t say, but we need to be ready. Print out files or get ready to access them on your iPad. He’s probably going to put us through the wringer.”
There was no time to talk about what happened in the bedroom. If Jake pulled us off the merger, that would be a far bigger disaster.
“Jack,” Jake greeted when I opened the door a half-hour later. “Hope you don’t mind the visit.” He looked at me sternly, almost like a challenge.
“Of course not,” I said. “Come in. We set up in the kitchen.”
Jake had the reputation of being the scariest of the Davies. He was the youngest, but also the biggest shark in court. With a mixed personality of being nice yet almost a mobster, it was hard to know which side of Jake Davies you were going to get. He was a no-nonsense kind of lawyer, and he didn’t take kindly to frivolous behavior. That he drove all the way out here to confront us personally was pure Jake.
In the kitchen, Sandra had set out the papers and the iPad. We were both dressed professionally, and there wasn’t any indication of the intimacy that had taken place between us. We kept our body language very understated, and it genuinely looked like we had been working diligently in the kitchen. Jake took off his jacket and put it on the back of the kitchen chair. He sat down and waited for me to do the same.
“How’s the merger going?” he asked.
“Moving forward,” Sandra reported. “We have a current draft of the contract if you want to look it over.”
Jake took his copy and flipped through it. I could tell, he didn’t seem to really care about the contract. He put it aside and then pushed it away with his hand.
“Okay, let’s cut the crap,” he finally said. “You both know why I’m up here.”
Sandra stole a guilty glance my way. She didn’t have much of a poker face. I, on the other hand, scrunched up my face in curiosity. “Whatever do you mean, Jake?”
“You’re gonna make me say it?” he said mildly threateningly.
“I’m not sure what you’re—” I began.
“You take one of the associates, a beautiful, young female associate, out to your house in the Hamptons, and you expect me to believe you’re just making contracts out here? Do you think we’re fucking stupid, Jack?!”
That was Jake. He’d go from zero to sixty in a blink of an eye. It could be very intimidating. It didn’t surprise me how tough he was. He had been a District Attorney for a few years.
“Jake, Jack was just—”
“Don’t you defend him, Sandra,” ordered Jake putting a finger in the air. “Don’t you dare defend this poon hound! Do you have any idea how many women he’s seduced over the years? His reputation? He fucked a girl in a storage closet when he was an intern!”
I looked away. That was true, but I didn’t think anyone had found out about it.
“Didn’t think I knew about that one, did you, Jack?” Jake growled. “You two are supposed to be working on a merger worth billions, not making the beast with two backs! If our clients found out what you were doing on their dime, do you know what kind of shit storm that would bring?! Do you?!”
“Jake, listen—”
“No, you listen, Jack! How many more? After what happened with the last one? She could’ve sued the firm! Sandra could sue the firm right now and set herself up for life! And I’m inclined to pay her out!” Jake snapped.
“I’m not going to do that, cousin,” Sandra said quietly. “I’m not like that.”
“No, I forgot. You’re a total professional,” Jake said sarcastically. “You just spread your legs for the handsome lawyer you’re supposed to be working with! Your client, Sandra! You’re supposed to look out for your client! Not fuck the coworkers!”
There was a long uncomfortable silence.
“Fortunately, for both of you, this hasn’t gone beyond the usual office gossip. With the pandemic, no one’s paying attention to anything other than whether or not they have a cough, so lucky you,” he snapped. “Now, do you have anything to say for yourselves?”
I then threw something out there. I wasn’t quite sure why I said it. Maybe it was because I knew it would outmaneuver Jake or that I wanted it to be true.
“We’re engaged, Jake,” I said. “This has been going on since before the pandemic. We didn’t want to say anything because we didn’t want to make the relationship official yet.”
“What? Seriously?” asked Jake looking at Sandra.
“It’s true,” Sandra added, surprisingly convincing. “I was worried you’d think what you just said, so I insisted we keep our relationship a secret. We just thought that the pandemic was a perfect way for us to spend some time together. I’m sorry. We should’ve told you.”
“Huh,” said Jake reconsidering. He scratched at his beard. “This does complicate things, but in another way, it makes them simple. I hope you two aren’t fucking with me. Because if I found out you only did this to shut me up—”
“It’s real,” I assured him. “We haven’t set a date yet, and obviously now, well, who knows when large gatherings will be allowed again.”
“Indeed,” agreed Jake. “And it will be a big wedding. You two apparently are the real merger. Well, then.” He stood up and put on his jacket.
“Don’t you want to go over the contract?” asked Sandra.
“I have access to the firm’s network,” Jake revealed. “I’ve already been tracking your progress. Good work, by the way. You two better keep doing good work and keep a lid on this relationship thing of yours for now. No PDA. Not that you can go anywhere. Oh, and stay out of the city. It’s a Goddamned mess.”
I walked Jake to the door. He turned around just before he left.
“Congrats, by the way. The two of you,” he said.
Jake eyed me warily as he shook my hand. I think, deep down, he knew some of this was real, and some of this was fake. He just wasn’t prepared to sort the two out right now. He always knew when to cut his losses.
“Thank, Jake,” I replied. “You’re going to be at the top of the list of our wedding invites.”
“I�
��d better be. See you soon.”
I shut the door and leaned on it, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Is he gone?” asked Sandra walking into the room.
“Yeah, I think he bought it,” I told her. “Or at least, I think he’s decided he had no choice. Thanks for backing me up in there.”
“Yeah, sure,” she said sheepishly. “Guess we’re engaged now. That was fast.”
“We’ll have to keep up appearances — at least until after the merger happens. After that, we can just tell everyone we changed our minds,” I assured her. “Might take a few weeks. Maybe months.”
“I don’t mind,” Sandra shrugged, looking away.
Did she really want to be engaged? She looks disappointed. Better lighten the mood. I shouldn’t have been so hard on her. Sandra’s new to this lifestyle, and I should be more understanding.
“What’s your favorite dinner?” I asked.
“Lamb chops,” she told me.
“I just happen to have a bunch of them in my freezer,” I revealed. “Tell you what, I’ll thaw them up and braise them on the grill for dinner. How’s that sound?”
“That sounds good,” she said, giving me a little smile.
“While I do that, let’s get to work on the contract today,” I advised. “Now that Jake came all the way out here, I want him to see us working together. Let’s see if we can finish up the arbitration clauses, okay?”
Sandra nodded. I could feel the mood in the room get lighter. Going into the garage, I fetched the lamb chops and set them out to thaw.
The rest of the day went smoothly. We not only finished the arbitration clauses in the contract but quite a few other provisions that needed to be addressed. When Jake checked the firm’s network and our work on the contract, I think he’d be pleased.
Maybe I had made too big of a deal about the kiss. Sandra was new, and that intimate request had caught me off guard. When you’re the dom, there’s often so much to remember. There’s a lot of pressure because you’re entirely in charge. Maybe I had let that pressure get to me. What I needed was a night off, then we could come together fresh the next night.
Later, over dinner, I discussed that very thing with Sandra.
“Hey, look, sorry if I’ve been tense the last couple of days,” I apologized. “Too much on my mind with this merger. I just… Well, it’s a lot of pressure being the dominant. I want us to take the night off tonight, but tomorrow night you’ll meet me in the playroom, okay?”
“That sounds great,” she smiled. “Sorry if I pushed things or if I overstepped my bounds, sir.”
“It’s on me,” I assured her. “As the one in charge, it’s my responsibility to train you correctly. Other than that, are you enjoying the training?”
“Yes, sir,” she blushed. “Very much so.”
“You’re a good girl,” I told her. “You know, maybe it’s this pandemic too. I’ve been watching some of the news, and it’s just so depressing.”
“Yeah, my friend is still in the city, and she said there was a truck full of bodies being moved somewhere,” she relayed.
“It’s crazy that your life can be one way one day and then totally different the next,” I said, looking off into the distance. “Guess this is our generation’s World War.”
“I’ve heard that said,” she agreed. “This is our crisis.”
“Feels weird addressing the crisis by staying home, doesn’t it?” I noted.
“Yes, sir,” she nodded.
Chapter Fifteen - Sandra
Jack was now happy again, but I wasn’t. The fake engagement was just like our relationship. Fake. I don’t know how others might react to this situation. However, for Jack to definitively tell me we were going to break up after the merger, it put a bad taste in my mouth. What was I supposed to think? Was I just his toy and only another associate?
And I have to admit, everything Jake had said about him had gotten to me too. I researched some of the women he had been with on Facebook. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get access to any of their posts. Some of them were still Facebook friends with Jack, but what did that really mean?
“Sandra!” Jack called. “The lamb chops are ready.”
Jack’s voice seemed light and airy now. He was bubbling, having solved his problems, I guess. I just couldn’t get into it.
“These lamb chops are succulent,” he assured. “Not as succulent as you, of course, but I think you’ll enjoy them.”
“Jack,” I said. “I don’t feel well. My head is just really bothering me. I think I’m going to go to bed, okay?”
“Oh. Yeah, sure,” he said, suddenly realizing my distress. “There should be plenty of pain reliever in the bathroom.”
“I’m sure I’ll find it. Good night.”
“Good night,” he called after. “Oh, and don’t take the Ibuprofen. They say that’s bad if you have the virus.”
I went to bed hungry and annoyed. Maybe I should’ve had dinner with him, but I didn’t want Jack to think I was okay with our situation. I wanted to send the message that I was unhappy. Coming right out and saying it? That would’ve been weird, right? I mean, Bella’s advice wasn’t bad, but it’s hard to articulate your thoughts sometimes.
The next day, Jack seemed eager to spend time with me, but I was still glum. He tried making jokes and more innuendos, but I wasn’t really responding. I wanted to avoid him at lunch, waiting for him to finish eating, but he came back to join me anyway. He canceled an online appointment just to do so. He was trying, but I was still a mope.
On the second day, he asked me to play a game of chess after dinner. I wasn’t much of a player, but he assured me, neither was he. It turned out to be accurate as I beat him for three straight games. Was he letting me win?
“I’ve taken your queen, my queen,” he said at one point, winking at me.
I was beginning to soften. The line brought out a smile on my face. Still, I was trying hard to stay mad. I felt I had to be to make a statement. And, of course, if I decided to be happy right away, he might stop paying attention again.
“I honestly don’t know what you’re complaining about,” Isabella said that night on the phone. “You have a handsome, rich guy trying to woo you, and you complain.”
“I’m not complaining, I’m just trying to figure out where I stand in our relationship now. Oh, we’re faking an engagement, by the way,” I mentioned.
“What?! You didn’t tell me that! Since when?!” said Isabella excited.
“It’s a fake engagement, it’s not real,” I reminded her.
“Still, can I be your fake bride’s maid?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. I’ll start looking at catalogs!”
“It’s fake, Bella!”
“I still want to look at bridal catalogs.”
“Fine,” I relented. “Are you going to be like this when I actually get engaged?”
“The fact that Jack even wants a fake engagement tells you something. He’s the marrying type. Or at least the fake marrying type.”
“No, we’re only lying so we don’t get in trouble at work,” I explained. “One of my cousins came out to the house and everything.”
“Which one?”
“Jake Davies.”
“Oh. He’s a bear.”
“Yeah, but somehow we convinced him,” I said. “I think once we call off this fake engagement, I’m probably going to get a lecture.”
“Look, you should let Jack woo you,” she advised. “Maybe he’ll change his mind, and the engagement won’t be fake.”
“I think that’s way too unrealistic,” I sighed. “Jack is not going to get married. Have you seen some of the other women he’s been with?”
“Have you been on Facebook again? I told you, don’t do a deep dive on guys you’re dating,” she repeated. “It gives you a bad impression.”
“But the girls are right there, and they’re still friends.”
<
br /> “Facebook friends,” she corrected. “People don’t keep up with their social media. Especially guys. Half the guys I know barely do updates. A guy I was dating let me do the updates for him once.”
“What happened to him?”
“He cheated on me, so I deleted his account.”
“Harsh.”
“My point is, Facebook and all social media is poison,” insisted Bella. “You get a really false impression about a person from it. And Jack’s a busy lawyer, he doesn’t have time to update that.”
“You update yours all the time, so do I,” I reminded her.
“Yes, but we’re women. It’s what we do,” she countered. “How many selfies of yourself did you take today?”
“I don’t know. Maybe ten.”
“Ya see? And that’s a slow day for you. I’ve been stuck in the apartment for weeks, and I’ve must’ve taken a hundred this afternoon,” she explained. “I’m changing my profile picture.”
“Yeah, you need a new one,” I agreed.
“When’s the last time Jack updated? Probably two years ago or something, right? Guys just don’t do that stuff,” she proclaimed.
“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “God, this is making me crazy. I don’t know if I can take this.”
“You already took it. Right up the ass.”
“Bella!”
“Pretty much all downhill from there,” she joked. “Look, you’ve already had sex with the guy a bunch of times. Get to know him now. Let him woo you.”
“Fine. I guess.”
“Worst case scenario, if the sex goes bad, you dump him. Go on with your life and forget it happened.”
“But, I’m stuck in the house because of the pandemic.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be over soon,” she assured. “They’re talking about some kind of cure today. Either way, I’m sure it’s not going to last past May. I mean, people would start losing their minds.”
On the third day, Jack invited me into the kitchen. He had shrimp, sausage, onions, peppers, and various other ingredients out on the counter.
“I was going to make a gumbo,” he stated. “But I’ve never really made one before. I have this recipe I found on YouTube. You wanna help me make it?”
