“Shh!” Rushing out to her, wearing jeans hung low on his waist and a silk ocean-blue button-up shirt that matched the contact lenses in his eyes, he raised his hands like a father trying to hush a screaming baby.
“You know I’m a fucking great dancer!” She threw her bag on the floor and stomped to the kitchenette.
“And now, so does the whole building.” Darnell sashayed behind her and leaned against the counter. It squeaked under his weight.
“I don’t fucking care!” She snatched her day-old cup of lemon soda she’d gotten from a burger joint up the street. The flat drink didn’t tempt her tongue, but the cold liquid cooled her after her long walk.
“Hmm, three fucks and no cigarette.”
“Funny.” She set the cup on the counter. “And why are you trying to shush me? As loud as these crackheads are around us, people will just think we’re arguing over who gets the last rock.”
“Or it’ll get Kerriman’s attention.”
As though he cued it, a hard rap pounded on the door. Like deer caught in a set of headlights, Ananda and Darnell stood still.
“Shit,” Ananda whispered.
“Oh, now you want to be quiet.” Darnell waved his long index finger in front of her face and shook his head. If he wasn’t a brotha on the outside, Darnell could have passed for a pretty good sista.
“Open the door! I know you’re in there!” Kerriman screamed through the door.
“We’re fast and strong,” Ananda began. “We can run past him.”
“Hmph.” Darnell smoothed his hand back through his cornrows. “I ain’t running from nobody. He can kiss the fat part of my ass.” He headed to the door.
“Yeah, like you have that.”
“Whatever. Let me handle my business.” Darnell opened the door and leaned against it. “Yes?”
“Room rental. Today. Now.” Under the hot summer sun, Kerriman’s dark skin glistened with sweat.
Darnell crossed his thin arms over his chest while Ananda stood next to the refrigerator, which was making a strange grinding noise.
“The day ain’t over. I got until midnight, right?” Despite the heat and the fact that their air conditioning window unit had been stolen a couple of days ago, Darnell didn’t sweat. His beautiful bronze skin glowed despite being confronted by a bulldog in overalls.
“Five. Don’t be late or it’ll be your ass.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you swung that way.”
Ananda imagined that he had winked at their testy landlord before the man walked off in a huff.
“Bitch!” Darnell slammed the door and turned back to Ananda. “Come on, Bunny. Grab your shit. Let’s bounce.”
“And go where? We have two pennies to rub between us. I’ll be happy if that fried chicken place calls me for a job.”
“Oh, hell no! You are the best damn dancer in the world. You are going to get a job.” Darnell grabbed Ananda’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. “And Ego Morton, that crackhead landlord, and nobody else is going to tell you differently.” He kissed her forehead. “Besides, I’ve been bragging to my girls that you’re going to be a star and it’s all because of me. Don’t make me come off as a liar.”
Darnell. If it hadn’t been for him, Ananda would have given up a long time ago. She touched his cheek.
“Now come on, girl. Go get your stuff and crawl out the back window with some dignity and class.” He jutted his chin out, but instead of it looking dignified, the gesture made Ananda laugh.
“Fine. I’ll just pack my—” The ringing phone interrupted her.
“You think it’s Kerriman?” Ananda asked.
“Why the hell would he call when he was just over here?” Darnell’s eyes got wide. “Maybe it’s a job. Maybe Ego realized what he let slip away and he wants you to come back.”
“And maybe donkeys can fly.”
“Why not? Unicorns can fly.” Darnell strolled to the phone.
“Unicorns aren’t real.”
“In my world, they are. And this could be a real job, so pick it up.”
Ananda stared at the phone sitting on a rickety end table when it rang for the third time.
“Oh hell.” Darnell snatched the receiver from its cradle. “Hello.”
Ananda chewed the skin next to her thumbnail until Darnell pulled her hand away from her mouth and held it.
“Uh huh.” Darnell glanced at Ananda. “Yeah, she’s here. Who’s this?”
“Darnell,” Ananda said between gritted teeth.
“Carter?”
At the mention of Eagan’s assistant’s name, Ananda yanked the phone out of Darnell’s hand.
“Hi, uh, hello, yes, um, this is Ananda Zelder.” She smoothed her hand over her hair as though the man could see her through the phone.
“I told you I would contact you when I heard about work.”
From the sound of his voice, she imagined a big smile on Carter’s face. Ananda hoped he couldn’t hear her heart pounding through the phone. It was bad enough it sounded in her head.
“Yes, you did. So Mr. Morton changed his mind?” She glanced at Darnell, who gave her a thumbs-up sign.
“In a manner of speaking, yes, he has. I have a wonderful opportunity for you. If you’re up for it, you would have to start training and researching immediately.”
At the sound of research, she furrowed her eyebrows. “Research? What do you mean? He wants different styles of dancing? I’m adaptable. I can pick up anything.”
“You’ll need that skill for this venture.”
“So what all is involved?”
“The great news is that you’ll stay in a mansion for the duration of the show.”
“A mansion?” With her mouth gaped open, she stared at Darnell.
Her best friend did a silent scream, holding his mouth open and jumping around like a pogo stick.
“Yes, Eagan Morton’s mansion to be exact, you and eleven other women.”
“Women? Only women are dancing in this show?”
Carter cleared his throat. At that sound, a shiver went up Ananda’s spine.
“What I’m casting for is not for the High Stepper show. It’s a new show, a reality show around Eagan Morton.”
A pregnant pause lingered before Ananda put two and two together.
“He’s looking for a date? Are you kidding me?”
“Actually, it’s a little more involved than that. But before I get into that, let me tell you about what you’ll get during the show and if you win.”
The more he talked, the more she wanted to hang up on him and high-tail it back to her home in Williamston, North Carolina.
“All of the ladies will stay in the mansion equipped with drivers and a chef. A new wardrobe will be given to each woman.”
Ananda’s heart pumped at the items she would be getting. This couldn’t be real.
“The show is like a Bachelor type show. You will be competing for Mr. Morton’s affections.”
“Then I’ll be kicked out the first round. For one thing, I think he’s an arrogant bastard. And I’m sure he’ll remember me from the audition. I probably won’t even make it into the house.” She chewed on her thumb again.
This time instead of stopping her, Darnell packed their bags.
“I know what you mean about Eagan. He can be an arrogant bastard.”
Ananda blinked at Carter’s choice of words about his boss, especially to a stranger. But it felt good to know someone else experienced the same anguish she had.
Carter said, “No worries about your identity being discovered. Each woman will be outfitted with a hood.”
“A what? Hood?”
“Maybe a mask of sorts. Mr. Morton does not want looks to influence his decisions.”
“I don’t want this man’s affections. Why would I want to be a part of this show?”
“You could promote your dancing and get tons of work from the exposure. Plus, as I alluded to before, you can last in this competition for as long as you like. Want t
o leave out of the first round? Do something to get disqualified like admit you’re an actress. He is adamant that he wants no actresses. My suggestion is that you do everything you can to hang in the game until you reach the top three or four. Then, start pulling back so that you can be eliminated. Or maybe you want to win.”
“And why would I want to do that?”
“To give him the treatment he gave you at the auditions. To stand up for those of us who want so badly to put this man in his place in a public forum. You can do that. Win, then dump his ass right on TV. Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
Ananda wasn’t a vindictive person, but the lure of exacting revenge on the asshole who’d refused to recognize her talents did skip through her thoughts.
“I don’t know. That’s really not my style.”
“Okay, let me tell you the prizes. You’ll get trips, a car with a driver, your own American Express Black Card.”
Ananda blinked. “An Am Ex Black Card? What’s that?”
Darnell must have known. He dropped his bags and fell to the floor in one of his classic over-the-top faints. Ananda turned her back on him.
“It’s one of their most prestigious cards. You would be expected to dress a certain way and keep Mr. Morton happy. You would also be getting jewelry, a cash prize, and you would stay in the mansion for at least one year, even if it doesn’t work out.”
“How much is the cash prize?”
“Last I heard, it was up to five million dollars.”
“Five mil—” Ananda stopped herself. Her dear friend had just lifted himself from the floor. News that she could win that much cash would make him drop to the floor and twitch with convulsions.
“All of that to be his girlfriend?”
Carter cleared his throat again. Ananda sat on the edge of the ratty sofa.
“You would be more than just his girlfriend. I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not. Mr. Morton is involved in a different kind of lifestyle.”
“What kind is that?”
“Ever heard of BDSM? Bondage and discipline?”
Ananda’s throat went dry like Carter had opened her mouth and dropped a ton of sand into it.
“My God. He’s looking for a sex slave? They’re going to air something like that on national TV?”
“No, of course not. On premium cable.”
No way could Ananda bow down to any man, especially not to Eagan Morton. Her mother would kill her, not to mention what it would do to her dignity and pride.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” She was about to hang up the phone when Carter spoke again.
“Room and board paid for. You’ll be living in the lap of luxury. You can jumpstart your career finally and get the man that could make something happen for you to help you. Eagan is looking for a true submissive. I’d say play along, and then when you get toward the end, let your true self come out. No harm. No foul. If you don’t want to do it for revenge, at least think about your career. There’s nothing to lose.”
Except for her self-respect, her morals, her lunch, if she looked at Ego at all.
“I’d like to think this over.”
“I need an answer today. They’re hoping to have this show on the air within a month. By the way, if you accept, I’ll do whatever I can for you during the show.”
She gazed at her best friend. “I have a roommate and we split the rent.” When they paid rent. “I can’t just leave him in the lurch.”
“How much is your part of the rent, Ms. Zelder? We’d be willing to pay your portion for the next four months while you prepare and live in the mansion.”
“Actually, he’s in between jobs, so I’ve been paying the full rent.” Ananda stomped on a roach crawling by her foot.
“Just get us your lease information and we’ll take care of the rest. So, are you in?”
The offer proved too tempting to pass up. She could live high on the hog pretending to be one of the women vying for Ego’s affection. Darnell would be taken care of, at least for the next four months. She could make this work to her advantage.
“Where do I sign, Carter?”
“That’s the spirit. Oh, by the way. You don’t have a problem with nudity, do you?”
“Seeing it? No, no problem at all.”
“Okay, how about being nude and on camera?”
She swallowed hard. Ego had damn well better be worth it.
* * * *
Eagan paid no attention to the dancers leaving the audition, waiting to come back when his head was more into the game. Right now, he would take Phil’s advice. He would go home, crack open a bottle of his best wine, and listen to some music to wind down.
“Do you have everything?” Nina asked as she hoisted a box full of eight-by-ten glossy headshots.
As he stared at her, he snapped back to his old self. Wine and music? What the hell? That wasn’t how Eagan wound down from a hard day.
“I have everything here.” He watched Nina juggle the position of the box with her knee.
“I have the car ready for you, Mr. Morton.” Richard, his driver, stood dutifully by the backdoor where Eagan would make his exit.
“Richard, take the box from Nina.”
“I’m fine. Really. I just needed to adjust the box in my grip.” Before she could finish her argument, Richard took the box from her and headed to the car.
Not caring if Richard heard him or not, Eagan grabbed Nina’s arm, then leaned down to her ear. “I’ve changed my mind.”
It was all he needed to say for Nina to melt. He had to hold onto her other elbow to steady her.
To solidify his vague statement, he concluded with, “I want to play tonight.”
She stared at him. The tear that crested on her lower lid forced him to look away. Eagan wouldn’t be playing with her mind, just her body. At least that was what he convinced himself that’s what he would do.
“Follow me home.” He hustled to his car without waiting for her.
A few photographers snapped his picture. Thank goodness he hadn’t made the offer to have Nina ride with him. As open as he was with his lifestyle, his personal life wasn’t open for discussion. The last thing he needed was speculation that he was dating someone.
As his limo motored down to his home in Bay Colony, Eagan called the guard at the gate to let him know that the late-model silver Honda following his limo was okay to proceed behind him through the gate.
After disconnecting the call, he slid the sleek phone into his front pocket. He took in a deep breath. Forget new-car smell. The inside of Eagan’s limo had a scent of evergreen trees. The familiar aroma relaxed him, slowing his breathing rate and allowing his hunched shoulders to drop.
As he got closer to his house, his heart pounded. He wrung his hands together.
“Shit, get it together, man.”
It had been a while since he’d played with someone. Could he be the same man he once was before Ophelia?
Even before releasing Ophelia, they hadn’t played in several months. He’d blamed it on his busy schedule. What was happening to him? Where had his edge gone? Used to be, he made time to play.
What the hell was he thinking? He hadn’t lost his edge. He would prove that tonight. In front of his house, Richard parked then swiftly opened Eagan’s door. Eagan stepped out, and as soon as he was four feet from his front door, it opened.
“Welcome home, Master Eagan.” Apple, as Eagan so named her, opened the door.
As usual, he kissed her on her lips upon the welcome. Wearing her traditional garb of a white, transparent shift with his black, thin leather strap collar around her neck and a chastity belt protecting her genitalia, she looked comfortable and serene. It had taken him a long time to get the blonde beauty to the point where she didn’t hide her voluptuous frame behind the door when she opened it for him.
Tonight, she even wore her hair the way he liked it, down with large waves like Veronica Lake. Her pink nipples stood erect, evident visually through her dress. He noticed that her
body always reacted that way when he stepped into the room. Out of his three slaves, Apple was his most trusted one, and, at five years, the one who had been with him the longest.
“I’ll be in the dungeon tonight,” he said as he strolled by her. “Please prepare my canes.” He hit the first landing of his expansive stairwell and stopped. “And my whips.”
“Yes, sir.”
He listened to Apple’s bare feet smacking against the marble floor as she headed to his dungeon area, which, actually, since his house sat by the water, was on the second floor. He wanted to make sure that if the house flooded, his precious toys would be protected.
When his front door opened, he continued up the stairs without turning around. Nina knew her way to the dungeon. She knew what to do.
Stepping onto the second floor of his home, he met with Willow, who dutifully waited for him by his office.
“Good evening, Master Eagan.” She bowed her head. Dressed in a similar outfit to Apple, the petite Asian woman kept her hands clasped behind her back.
Eagan stood in front of her and stared into her brown eyes. “Relax.”
As she released her breath, she unclasped her hands and let them dangle at her sides. Willow was his newest slave. Although she seemed tense at times, she was devoted. He kissed her and patted her head to calm her.
Her perky nipples jutted forward. They didn’t harden like Apple’s had whenever he entered the room. It didn’t take away from their beauty, either. The hall light reflected off of the Master lock on her chastity belt. Only Eagan held the keys.
“Any messages?” he asked Willow, before heading to his bedroom on the third floor.
“I left a stack on your desk. Your brother and mother called.”
Eagan nodded, but didn’t verbally respond. What could he say? He didn’t want to admit that talking to his family ranked in the same category as having all of his teeth pulled with rusty pliers.
Since his father’s death, he found it hard to deal with the rest of his family. It was his father that normally smoothed things out between Eagan, his mother, and brother. Now, his glue was gone, and Eagan had fallen apart.
“Um …” Willow paused and glanced down.
“What?” Eagan turned back to her.
Love My Way Page 3
