“Shasta?”
“Crap.” She clutched her purse and took off for the stairs at a dead run. So much for her brilliant plan. Chad called out her name again, with more force, but she kept running. Not only wasn’t she getting a story, but now Pablo Acosta was going to hunt her down, and probably spank her until she couldn’t sit for a week.
Chapter 2
“Could you be any slower?” Pablo leaned his head against the wall. Part of him wanted to scream, the other part wanted to laugh. Outwitted by a sub.
“I don’t know. I’m considering calling Sloan up here with a camera. That’s the only way anyone’s going to believe this.”
Pablo rattled the cuffs and turned toward Chad. He bared his teeth in a growl. “The key. Now.”
“Fine. Ruin my fun, see if I care.” He walked to the wall and picked up the key, holding it out and dangling it. “This what you want, sub?”
Chad’s voice was deep and his shoulders shook with laughter.
“Fuck you. Just unlock me.”
After Chad released the lock, Pablo rubbed his wrist. “Where does she live?”
“I’ll get it for you, but I think you should make her stew overnight. Go to her tomorrow, lull her suspicions; let her think you won’t show up.”
“Not a bad idea.” Pablo nodded, then lowered his head to his hands, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “La pequeño tramposa.”
“What?” Chad shook his head.
“She’s a little cheat. She got me talking about my cock and turned the tables on me, cheated me out of my fun tonight.”
“Well, she gave me a good laugh.” Chad nodded and clapped Pablo on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell everyone how she got one over on you. I’ll get you that address. You going to bring her back here tomorrow? Do I need to set up something special?”
“No, unless you want to punish her.”
“I’ll leave it to you. Tell her, though, that she has a black mark on her record here.”
“Will do, but somehow, I don’t think it’s going to scare her.”
* * *
Shasta approached her apartment door cautiously. It had been a long day and the last thing she needed was to find Pablo Acosta sitting on her doorstep, with handcuffs, or worse yet, a belt in hand.
She’d been very surprised when he hadn’t shown up last night. He was either letting her tension build, which it had, or he was just going to forget the incident, which was doubtful. With any luck, he’d wait until he saw her at Jaguars again, which wouldn’t happen for a long while.
She stuffed her mail into the bag of groceries she carried and inserted her key into the lock. She’d thought she’d had a job today. A respectable job at a small magazine. It wasn’t reporting, but checking facts was just fine with her, for now.
The morning interview had gone well. But when she’d come back for the follow up after lunch, she knew the news editor had put her name together with the scandal of two years ago. He’d told her thanks, but no thanks, before she’d even put her butt back in the chair that had felt so comfortable that morning.
Once inside, she turned immediately to the right and the small kitchen. She deposited her bag, kicked off her shoes, and fished the mail out of the bag. Bills and more bills. She threw them on the counter and put up the food. Maybe a hot bath would feel better. If they hadn’t shut off the gas. If so, it would be a cold shower.
She exited the kitchen and crossed the entryway into the living room and let out a surprised scream, her hands flying to her chest as she came to a dead stop. Pablo Acosta sat on the couch, thumbing through a magazine. When she’d recovered enough, she took a few steps closer to him.
“Get out!” She pointed toward the front door. “Out, or I’ll call the cops!”
“Go ahead.” He looked up at her and grinned. “Wanna use my cell phone? I got the number programmed in already.”
“What good would that do? They protect their own. Even when he breaks into a woman’s apartment.”
“I didn’t break in. I had a key.” He dangled the silver instrument from his fingers. “You should find a better hiding place for your spare. Under a rock in an apartment complex? First place a burglar would look.”
“And it was the first place you looked, huh?”
“Yup.”
The doorbell rang and she shook her head. “What now?”
“Pizza.” Pablo stood and moved toward the door.
“You ordered pizza?” Shasta stared after him as he walked toward the door. From where she stood, it seemed the man wasn’t made of flesh and blood, but of pure audacity.
“I’ve been waiting a while, and I’m starved. There’s nothing in the fridge.”
She listened as he opened the door and greeted the deliveryman, their voices carrying into the living room of the small apartment.
“That’ll be thirty-two bucks.”
“There you go, my good man. Keep the change.”
“Thanks, man. Have a good one.”
“Same to you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her anger rising.
Pablo came in and lifted the lid on the box. The heavenly aroma filled the room and Shasta stared straight ahead. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had enough extra cash to treat herself to a pizza delivery.
“I got supreme, ’cause I didn’t know what you liked. And I ordered two, ’cause, like I said, I’m starved. Me, I go for everything, but you can pick off what you don’t want. And I got some wings, too. The hot ones. You do like hot stuff, right?”
He’d moved to stand beside her, and she lifted her gaze to his. Her stomach rumbled, but she shook her head.
“Take it and leave.” There was no conviction in her words.
“Now, don’t be like that. Be happy I didn’t tackle you and chain you to the table or something. I think I’m being more than generous.”
“I was bad; you can spank me and leave. How’s that?”
He closed the lid on the top box.
“You have any paper plates? I hate doing dishes.” He crossed into the kitchen and she heard the pizza boxes hit the counter with a soft thump.
“Well, since I’m sure you went through everything before I got here, you’d know that I don’t. Plates are to the right of the sink.”
He came back into the living room, the plates piled on top of one of the boxes. He set them on the coffee table, whistling as he opened the wings package and took out the small jars of dipping sauce. He opened the pizza box.
“Come and eat. And you can tell me all about yourself and your fall from grace.”
“Why? You obviously know the story.”
“Not your side. Isn’t that what reporters say, there’s two sides to every story? Tell me yours, and I’ll listen. After that, we’ll talk about your punishment for last night.”
“Listen, I know…”
She closed her mouth when he held up his hand. “This may be your house, but I’m the Master of it, and you, right now. I want the story in order. Whatever happened to you in the past led to last night. I want you to eat and tell me the tale from the beginning.”
He loaded pizza onto his own plate, surrounded it with wings, and took one of the containers of dressing. He sat down on the couch and looked at her pointedly.
“I’m waiting. I’m patient, but you don’t want to rile me up too much.”
Shasta shook her head. She wouldn’t call him patient. Stubborn and full of himself, maybe. In another man his attitude might seem arrogant. With Pablo, it just seemed natural, as if he expected to be in charge. Of everything.
She watched him eat, and it was the smell of the pizza that brought about her downfall. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She took a plate and put a few slices of her own on it, lifting one up to take a bite. She groaned.
“Delicious.”
They ate for a few minutes in silence, her standing and him sitting. Finally, she sat down across from him and set her plate down, rubbing her hands toge
ther to dislodge crumbs.
“You read the story about my firing?”
“Vince told me.”
“Great. He won’t talk to me, but he’ll talk about me. Just great.”
“In your defense, he did say he thought you got a rotten deal.”
“That’s nice to know. Do you think he could get me a job at the PD, maybe filing or something, ’cause I can’t find a decent one anywhere else, it seems?”
She watched him finish a third slice and reach for another. “I’m waiting,” he said around a bite of food.
“Two years ago a friend of mine came to me with a big story. She said her son told her his teacher was molesting him. I ran with it. I contacted the teacher and the school. It was the first the school had heard about it. Everyone denied it, although the school put him on suspension, as was their policy, until an investigation could be done.”
“And?”
“And, it seemed that everyone but me was willing to wait for the investigation. The paper agreed to do the story, but wanted to withhold the guy’s name until he was arrested. When the news editor had left for the night, I convinced the copy editor to let me see the story. I wanted a biggie on my hands, so I put the guy’s name in, and it ran that way.”
Pablo whistled low. “And you’re surprised you got fired?”
“I was sure she was telling me the truth. We’d been friends for a long time, or so I thought. Turns out she and the teacher had been having an affair and he’d dumped her. This was her way to get back at him.
“Of course the next morning, the shit hit the fan. I thought for sure the man would be arrested, and we would be the first news organization to name him. We would have a big scoop and I would get promoted. Instead, the school announced that the whole thing was bogus. They fired him for having an affair, true, but he’d never touched the kid.”
“So you ran with the story before checking all the facts.” Pablo got up and went to the kitchen. She heard him open the fridge, which she knew was almost bare. She heard it close again.
He came back and handed her a bottle of soda. When he was seated again, he opened his own and took a deep drink.
“She used you.”
“Yes. And I was naïve enough to believe her. I had my eye on the prize, and not on the ball.”
He picked up a chicken wing. “You still have your eye on the prize; only this one’s much bigger.”
He popped the wing into his mouth, pulled the bone out while pulling off the meat, and began to chew. She watched his lips, trying to focus on anything but his words.
“Yes, but this time I’ll be certain of my facts. And getting my information right from the source. You, Vince, and Lucia.”
“This time the stakes are higher. Last time you lost your job. This time you could lose your life. Stay away from the story until the trial starts. Cover it, and write it up. Prove you can do things right.”
“No! Everyone will be doing it at that time. I want to be the first.”
“We’re not going to talk to you about it. Sorry.” Pablo placed his empty plate on the couch next to him and stretched his feet out under the coffee table.
She set her plate inside the now empty box and stood, her hands on her hips, shaking her head at him.
“He threatened to kill you. Didn’t that piss you off?”
“How do you know it was me? It could have been Lucia, or Vince. Or even Ward McGovern. He was there, too.”
“Fine. I’ll keep digging without you. Thanks for the pizza. Please leave.”
The room grew silent and her palms began to sweat.
“You think it’s going to be that easy? You left me chained to a wall last night. You can’t do that and not be punished for it.”
His voice was soft, and it sent chills up her spine.
“Are you going to spank me?”
“Not tonight.”
“Then what? Are you going to kidnap me and take me to Jaguars, chain me to the wall for everyone to see?”
He lifted his brows at her in consideration. He laughed.
“Tempting, but no.” He stared at her, his eyes assessing, yet full of mirth. She returned his gaze, waiting for him to speak. She’d heard that about him, that he’d get into staring matches with subs, his silence keeping them on edge, increasing the intensity of the scene they were in.
Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. “What, then?”
“Three nights. You and me, at my cabin in Chama. I have a very nice dungeon there.”
Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head. “No. No way.”
“There won’t be any pain. Well, except for the initial whipping I give you for chaining me up. But other than that it will just be Master and sub, and a lot of bondage. You’ll even get to feel my pierced dick in your sweet little cunt.”
Shasta felt her pussy contract. Her clit twitched in anticipation, but she shook her head. To put herself in his hands for three days? That idea was just too frightening.
“Is there an alternative?”
“A public spanking at Jaguars, from Chad and me at the same time, kinda alternating swats. I like a belt, but Chad likes his cane.” She hissed at the idea. “He’s not very happy with you, by the way.”
She nodded and sat back down, her heart beating rapidly and her nipples pressing against her bra. They tingled with anticipation.
“You know you’re tempted. Last night, I know you wanted to see my pierced dick. Did one of your sub friends tell you how it felt sliding in and out of her?”
“Yes.” She whispered the word and looked across the room, anywhere but at him.
“If you’re worried about me hurting you, don’t be. We can sign a contract and leave it with Chad. We can leave it with anyone you like.”
“I’m not worried about that.” She turned toward him and smiled, her gaze drifting to his crotch. “I’m just a little out of practice.”
“I give good instructions. And I have a four-day weekend, starting Friday.”
“This weekend?” She stared at him, her stomach dropping to the floor. “I don’t think…”
“We can leave Albuquerque around six. You can park your car at my house. It’ll be fine there. The minute you get to my house, though, the contract starts. You’re mine for that weekend. Agreed?”
She swallowed hard. “I can’t believe you’re giving me a say in this.”
“I’m a Dom, not a kidnapper and rapist.” The disgust in his voice made her regret her words.
“Of course you are. It’s just…”
“Be at my house at five. I’ll give you the address. Do we have a deal, or do you need to meet me at Jaguars Friday night?”
“I’ll go for the weekend.” She said the words quickly, before she changed her mind.
“Excellent.” He stood and moved in front of her. Her face was now level with his cock. She could see he was hard, pressing against his jeans. He stroked her hair, and she wanted to reach out and stroke his dick. He stayed there for a few minutes, his hand gentle on her head, his cock inches away from her face.
He reached for his wallet. After extracting a card, he took a pen from his front pocket, wrote down his address, and handed it to her.
“Don’t be late.”
“I won’t be.” She stared at the card, flinching when he gently pulled her to her feet. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to his, raising his brows as if to ask a question.
“I won’t be. Master.”
“Much better.” He nodded and left, and she sank back into the chair. The pizza and wing boxes were empty, but she knew he’d left another full pizza box in the kitchen.
“He broke into my house.” She shook her head and fought back a laugh. She examined the card. It was printed with his name, badge number, and work and cell number. He’d printed his home address and number, and written the time for Friday, underlining it.
She winced when she remembered he’d used the word whipping. It wouldn’t be the first time for her,
but Thomas had only done it a few times. The whipping didn’t scare her as much as the bondage, though. The one time Pablo had tied her had been exhilarating, fascinating, and incredibly arousing. Would it feel the same way when he was punishing her for chaining him to a wall?
Chapter 3
“I always loved the zoo.”
Shasta focused on the tigers and shook her head. “Why all the cloak and dagger stuff, Ruben? I just wanted to hire you for a small job.”
“Right. I don’t talk about illegal jobs over the phone, Shasta. Too many chances of being bugged and recorded.”
She turned to her high school friend. “What makes you think I’m not wearing a recording device right now?”
“I’m an electronics expert, remember? I have a nice little device in my pocket that will wipe out recordings within range. Now, what do you want, and do you have my money for it?”
“You’re nothing if not to the point.”
“Time is money. Well?”
Shasta glanced around and furrowed her brow. “I want you to break into the state police computers and find an address for me.”
“Have a nice day, Shasta.” Ruben walked away from her and she called his name.
“Don’t leave.” She ran up to him. “I have money for you. In my purse.”
“How much?” He turned to her.
“Five hundred?” She chewed on the inside of her lip and grimaced when he laughed.
“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t hack into the grocery store computer for that, much less the state police. Five hundred won’t cover my bond when they arrest my ass.”
“I thought you were good. The best? If you do your work right, you won’t get caught. Or are you afraid of tackling the really big jobs?”
“I am the best. And I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Obviously, you are.”
Dark Redemption Page 36
