Fever

by Jamie K. Schmidt

  “I wish you’d reconsider my offer. We understand each other. We want the same things. Chase Fairwood will never fit in here. He’s already making things worse by distracting you and your staff. He’s a loose cannon.”

  “I can handle him.” She hated that there was enough truth in Dante’s logic to make her stomach turn.

  “I just don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “I appreciate your concern.” She guided him out with a firm hand on his back. “But I’ve got this. And if I get even a hint that you’re forcing subs that aren’t yours to obey you again, you’ll be out of here so fast you won’t know what hit you. Understand?”

  “I do.” He bowed again. “I apologize for not handling the situation better.”

  Well, at least one of them apologized.

  She nodded.

  “If you need me, call.” Dante kissed his fingers at her and walked out.

  Chapter 15

  Colleen was still in bed when her phone rang at 11:00 a.m., like it had rung every day for the past week at this time. Against her better judgment, she answered it.

  “Technically, I shouldn’t be talking to you until tomorrow,” she said as a greeting.

  “I miss you,” Chase said.

  “Gotten over your tantrum?” Colleen stared at the ceiling, wishing she could see his face.

  “About five minutes after I left. I headed down to New Jersey and took a room there to get some space. I figured if I couldn’t have you, I could at least do some heavy betting in Atlantic City and then mooch off my old teammates for a free ticket to yesterday’s game.”

  “Did they win?” Colleen smiled and pulled the comforter over her as she turned on her side to lay her phone on the pillow next to her. He had left sweet voice mail messages every day, but there were also a few drunk texts. She’d saved them.

  SRY 4 BING AN ASSHOLE

  I LOVE U SEXEEE BITCCCH

  WISH I WAS INSIDE U NOW

  FUCK DANTE

  “We won. Well, the team won. I just sat on the sidelines and suggested a few plays.”

  He sounded proud and happy, maybe just a little bit tired.

  “So do you think coaching is in your future?”

  “Nah. I mean, maybe. I wouldn’t turn it down. But I don’t think an offer will be coming my way.”

  “I’d miss you if you were on the road again,” Colleen admitted.

  “So has my punishment been as hard on you as it’s been on me?”

  Stretching, she wriggled her toes as the heat in his voice warmed more than just her heart. “Let’s just say I’m going to have you all to myself tomorrow night.”

  “I’m on my way home now. If you want to sneak out tonight, Dante will never have to know.”

  “I don’t give a shit about what Dante knows or doesn’t. You didn’t have to leave town. When I laid down the law and said a week of abstinence as a punishment, this time I really only meant penetration.”

  “Now you tell me.”

  Colleen sat up. “Wait a minute. You stormed out in a fit. You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

  “I called every day since. This was the first day you picked up.”

  “Call it a lesson learned then, Chase. I would have given you amazing phone sex.” Her bed was beseeching her to lie back down, so she did. It had been a long week.

  Dante’s suspension had been rough on everyone. His subs Jana and Leo stayed away, too, out of solidarity. She’d even gotten into a fight with Jana over Dante’s punishment. After she’d told the little bitch to mind her own business, Jana had given her the silent treatment, which was awkward because she was filling in for Nefertiti.

  And because Dante still taught a dance and gymnastics class on the Couture side, Colleen hadn’t managed to avoid him altogether, either. Dealing with his martyred looks hadn’t been pleasant. With Clint in France and Max fretting about his sportswear, she and the other Masters and Mistresses had been taking up the slack. Colleen rotated her wrist. She was going to get carpal tunnel from all the spanking she’d been doing.

  “I needed some time.” Chase’s sigh was loud through the phone’s speakers. “Not from you. To keep from punching his lights out again. Thanks again for not taking any of his shit.”

  “He was out of line,” Colleen said. “First of all, he had no business calling you up onstage. He knew you and I were exclusive. But I also should have told you that while you had to show respect for the other Doms, you didn’t have to obey them, either. I assumed that they wouldn’t bother approaching you because you were mine. Apparently I underestimated Dante’s ego.”

  “Please tell me you never fucked him.”

  Colleen rolled over. “I beat him with a whip.”

  “Did it hurt?” Chase said.

  “It didn’t hurt me. But he staggered away with a few bruises.”

  “Good. He’s an assclown.”

  “You’re not his favorite person, either.” As much as Colleen wanted to lounge in bed all day, she really should get down to her office. Anya would be checking in. She had managed to get a few more French venues to show off Fierocity, and the buzz overseas was making up for the flat line in the States.

  “So can I make you dinner at my place tonight?”

  “As long as it’s a late supper. I need to observe the Hot Spot for a few hours tonight. Does eleven work for you?”

  “Are you staying over?” he crooned.

  “It depends on whether you piss me off or not.”

  “There might be roses and candlelight waiting for you.”

  Colleen considered it. “Why don’t you swing by that sex toy shop and pick up a few things?”

  “I can do that.”

  Well, that’s a different answer than last time. The punishment had been good for him. She could see an improvement in how he was dealing with things. Now, if it could only stop him from raging first and asking questions later.

  “I wish you were here in my bed right now,” she told him.

  Chase laughed. She heard the engine of his car rev. “I’m still a state away. Maybe I could meet you up at the Hot Spot?”

  “Nope,” Colleen said. “Your punishment ends at midnight, not a minute before.”

  After hanging up with Chase, she took a shower and got ready for work. Nefertiti was half asleep at her desk.

  “Why don’t you go to bed? Or at least catch a nap on the couch in my office.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Did you change the sheets?”

  “Personally, no. But the cleaning staff would have.” Colleen poured Nefertiti a mug of steaming herbal tea. “Drink this.”

  “I want coffee.”

  “Any day now,” Colleen said cheerfully.

  “I hope it’s today.” Nefertiti stuck out her feet. “I feel like a giant water balloon.” She got up. “I think I’m going to take you up on your offer. I’m not feeling so well. And don’t you dare call Istvahn.” She pointed at Colleen.

  “I won’t.” Colleen said. Call, that is, she added to herself silently. However, she texted him about the situation.

  She spoke to Anya on the phone at Tee’s desk so as not to disturb Tee’s rest on the couch.

  “Fan-fucking-tastic,” Anya said when Colleen asked her how it went. “Except for one teeny-tiny detail.”

  “What’s that?” Colleen inspected her fingernails. It was time for a manicure. She made a note to book an appointment at the day spa.

  “The private plane you sent with Fierocity and Clint?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, I might have decided to join the mile-high club—on the ground,” Anya confessed.

  “I care why?” Colleen cracked open her second diet cola of the day.

  “Because they thought I was you.”

  Colleen let gravity take her forehead onto the desk. “You’re not serious?”

  “I’m afraid they got some great shots of Clint’s ass and my legs. They’re calling them you and Kincaide.”

  “Didn’t I pay f
or you guys to have sex in a nice hotel room?” Colleen said.

  “Hey, I’m really sorry. I’ll totally own up to the pictures.”

  “Never mind,” Colleen rubbed her temples. “I’ll do damage control. You make sure the scandal doesn’t tank Fierocity.”

  “The French don’t care. In fact, I’ve gotten a couple of interviews out of it. Paris Match, baby. Later, alligator.” Anya rang off.

  Colleen couldn’t find Sam’s number in Tee’s computer. She wanted to tell him personally rather than have him find out through social media. Colleen knew Tee had just called him the other day about the plane, so the number had to be around here somewhere. She flipped through a Rolodex that was so obsolete it should be in a museum. Opening and closing drawers, she desperately searched for anything that might have his cell phone number. Colleen could call his company, but she was afraid that they wouldn’t put her through.

  As she was trying to cyberstalk him, a new email came through. It was Anya with a link to the news article that the National News Machine had on their front page: “It’s Billionaire #2 for Blond Widow—Can Kincaide Survive?”

  Sure enough, Clint’s mighty fine ass was captured mid plunge. All you could see of Anya was her fire-engine-red Christian Louboutins—Wait a minute. Those were Colleen’s shoes.

  Colleen fired back an email bitching about that. Then she went to print out the picture for Tee, who would get a kick out of it. But as Colleen reached for the photo paper from the printer, a crumpled paper on the floor caught her attention. It looked like someone had missed tossing it into the trash. The reason it stood out was because it was her own personal stationery.

  She didn’t recognize the handwriting, but whoever wrote it had signed Colleen’s name. It said:

  Recycle Max’s boxes for the Fierocity line.

  Tape them up and put them on the top shelf of the lending closet.

  And then below that, she recognized a note from one of her Club Inferno bouncers who did maintenance work on the Couture side: All set—Axe.

  Grabbing the note, Colleen put on the answering service and peeked into her office. Nefertiti was snoring silently. She texted Istvahn to come watch over her and then went to see if she could find Axe.

  Chase’s phone rang just as he hit the Connecticut border. He was hoping it was Colleen rethinking having phone sex with him, but when he glanced at the screen he saw it was Kevan.

  “Yo,” Chase said. “Miss me already?”

  “Son, are you sitting down?” Kevan’s voice was angry, and Chase could feel a rant coming on from him.

  Groaning, he wished he’d never picked up the phone. “Yeah,” Chase said when it became obvious Kevan was waiting for an answer.

  “You were such an angel all week.”

  “Don’t start, man. I told you, Colleen and I are going the distance. You better get used to her because she and I are going to be around for a long time.”

  “Yeah, well someone should have told her that.”

  “What are you talking about?” Chase wondered if he should pull over and grab some coffee.

  “While you were all pure and shit while the rest of us were knee deep in pussy, your bitch was banging some billionaire on his private plane.”

  Adrenaline seared through Chase. Every bit of lethargy burned off him in a blast of rage. “You’re full of shit.”

  “Pictures don’t lie. I just emailed you.”

  Chase pulled the Mercedes to the side of the road and put on his four-ways. He scrolled to his email and waited the nine years for the picture to download. “That could be anyone.” Chase refused to let any doubt color his voice.

  “It was on a private jet owned by Samuel Kincaide. The photographers confirmed it was them.”

  “Where was this photo taken?” Chase adjusted the image. Kincaide was her ex and he had lent her the plane. He could barely see the woman in the picture, but he was almost positive those calves weren’t Colleen’s. They’d better freaking not be, anyway.

  “Northern France.”

  “Calais?” Chase asked.

  “That’s it.”

  Chase closed the photo. “That’s not her. Her business partner is in Calais.”

  “That’s not how the press is reporting it.”

  “The press is full of shit. She’s been in Connecticut this whole week.”

  “How do you know? You were in New Jersey with us.”

  “This is all a big misunderstanding. Look, why don’t you guys drive on up tonight? She’s got a killer dance club called the Hot Spot. We could sit around, have a few drinks, and you can see how crazy she is—about me.” He’d have to clear it with her and be in non-dungeon wear, but he was confident he could change her mind about the dance club.

  “All right, home slice. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. But are you sure you want to play the fool in front of the rest of the guys?”

  “Just come on down. You’ll be buying us drinks all night.”

  “In your dreams,” Kevan said.

  Chase took one more glance at the photo. The shoes looked like something Colleen would wear. “Fuck it.” He dialed Colleen. It went directly to voice mail. “What the fuck is this I hear about you and Kincaide? It’s bullshit, right? Call me.”

  Colleen found Axe watching the Bikram yoga class through the small window in the door.

  “Why don’t you just go in?” Colleen asked.

  “I’m afraid I’ll pass out,” he said.

  “It’s not that warm. Are you ogling anyone in particular?”

  “What do you know about Christie?” He angled his head toward the instructor, a pretty redhead with a yoga body and a dirty mind.

  “She’s single. Vanilla. Used to be a model in Milan until she was in a car accident.”

  “How vanilla?” Axe peeked in again.

  “Enough that she won’t go to the Hot Spot even on normal nights.”

  “Always a first time,” Axe said with a shrug.

  Colleen’s phone buzzed.

  “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

  She shook her head. “I’m in a media shit storm. I need your help. Who gave you this note?”

  Axe looked down at it. “Jana.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I thought it was a little weird, but what do I know?”

  “Thanks,” Colleen said. As she walked away she called out over her shoulder, “Christie likes movies. Every time I do a screening, she’s the first one through the door.”

  “Thank you,” Axe said.

  Colleen tracked down Jana. She was sitting in the back of Dante’s dance and gymnastics class with Leo, moping around like someone who’d lost her collar. Not wanting to interrupt Dante’s class and draw attention to herself, Colleen just stood in the doorway and glared her death Domme stare until Jana sensed she was being watched.

  When Jana glanced up, she flinched when Colleen held up the memo. Leo started to get up with her, but she waved him off.

  “Explain,” Colleen said.

  Jana’s eyes filled with tears. “I was mad at you. You had the best man in the world interested in you and you threw him away like garbage.”

  “What?” For a moment Colleen thought Jana was scolding her about Chase’s punishment. Then she realized Jana could only be talking about one man. “Dante? This was because I wouldn’t bottom for your Master? Did he order you to do this?”

  “No. No. He’d never cross you. He loves you.”

  Colleen shook her head. “Jana, obsession isn’t love.”

  “Are you going to tell him?”

  “No,” Colleen said. “You are. But your punishment is to be banned from Club Inferno for a month.”

  Jana’s mouth opened and shut, but no noise came out.

  “And whatever else Dante decides. You’re lucky I don’t press charges. What you did came very close to sabotaging my business. You do it again and I’ll make sure you go to jail. You got me on that?”

  “It was stupid. I was angry
and jealous. But I’d never hurt the club.”

  “I am the club,” Colleen said, and there was something in her tone that had Jana wincing.

  “What’s going on out here?” Dante stormed out of his classroom and spat in a furious whisper. “Why are you harassing my sub?”

  “I’m not, but how does it feel?” Colleen stuffed the paper in Dante’s pants. “I’ll let her tell you. Email me what punishment you decide for her in addition to her ban.”

  “What?” Dante looked taken aback. He wasn’t that good an actor, so she was willing to believe that Jana had acted in the heat of the moment, out of spite. “What did you do?” He gripped Jana around her shoulders and shook.

  “Not here in full sight of the Couture people. You can take this to your rooms.” Colleen glanced around. They were alone in the hallway…for now, anyway.

  “Get back in class,” Dante ordered Jana. “I’ll take care of this,” he said to Colleen. “It won’t happen again.”

  “For your sake, Dante, it had better not.” Colleen turned on her heel and headed toward her office.

  She ignored another call and regretted it when she heard the sirens.

  Chapter 16

  “Just keep me posted,” Colleen said. “I’ll be there later tonight to give you a break.”

  She tossed her cell phone on her desk and put her face in her hands. Allowing herself one small sob, Colleen immediately sat up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Crying wasn’t going to help Tee or the baby. Neither would Googling high blood pressure during the last trimester. Istvahn had taken Nefertiti’s blood pressure and called for an ambulance. Mallory met them at the hospital and would stay with them until Nefertiti’s ob-gyn or midwife could get there.

  What scared Colleen the most was Nefertiti didn’t even put up a token resistance. Normally she’d say she was fine and they were fussing for nothing. In fact, Tee was scared, and that brought out all Colleen’s protective instincts. Colleen wanted nothing more than to follow the ambulance, but Istvahn told her to wait. They would just be sitting around and waiting for a few hours, and Colleen would only be in the way until they found Nefertiti a room and gotten her settled in. Tee was with the doctors right now, and Istvahn would contact her if she was needed.