She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt like something wonderful was just around the corner.
When her appointed time to meet Kirk arrived, she was dressed and ready. She looked fierce in a black leather corset and leather pants, her hair pulled back in a tight knot. She was anxious about the session, although she didn’t understand why. She chalked it up to the emotional week she’d had.
She didn’t think Kirk would be challenging. When they spoke earlier, he explained that, although he was curious about BDSM, he’d never acted on it before. He told her he was openminded and that being submissive appealed to him. He said he would follow her lead.
She could work with that.
He arrived a few minutes later than their agreed time. Normally she would discipline bad manners, but something about this man set off all her warning signals. He was jittery and anxious, sweat beading on his forehead.
She stood in the doorway with her riding crop in hand, assessing the situation and trying to decide how to proceed. Kirk ducked in beside her, showing himself into her apartment.
She was caught off guard by his assertiveness and quickly spun around to look at him. He looked around her apartment, as though passing judgment.
Reagan quickly took control.
“Kirk, you do recall the rules and boundaries we discussed, don’t you?”
He turned back and looked at her.
“Yes I do.”
He grinned and walked back towards her. She held her ground.
“I know you’re new to this, so let me make this easy. While you are in session with me, you will keep your eyes downcast unless I say otherwise. You will not speak to me unless spoken to. You will answer my questions quickly and with respect. Do you understand?”
He raised his eyes, trying to suppress a smirk.
Reagan didn’t like his energy at all. She narrowed her eyes, reading his body language and waiting for his answer.
“Sure,” he finally said.
She crossed her arms and regarded him a moment, saying nothing.
Kirk kept his eyes down but he was still smirking.
She wondered if this was his way of dealing with nerves or if it was something else. She needed to test him.
“What are you fucking smirking about, boy?”
Kirk chuckled but kept his eyes down.
Reagan stepped closer, circling him, stroking her riding crop across his upper back as she made her way around him. She stopped in front of him, resting the crop on his left shoulder.
He looked up, making eye contact, a cocky smirk on his face.
There was something in his stare that gave Reagan a very bad feeling. She dropped the crop to her side. This man was not submissive, and wasn’t interested in experiencing it either.
“The session is over,” she said bluntly.
Kirk looked at her, his cockiness replaced with surprise. He shook his head.
“I’m paying you. You can’t just decide not to go through with it.”
He leaned in, raising his hands to grab her shoulders.
She stepped back, avoiding his touch.
“Oh, you’re mistaken. I’ve decided. I’m not the right fit for you. If you want to explore your fetishes, you’ll have to find someone else. Please leave.”
She stepped aside, gesturing for the door.
He didn’t move.
Reagan didn’t speak, knowing that whoever spoke first would lose.
Kirk started laughing, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Although he made her nervous, she refused to let it show.
“Whoever heard of a whore turning down work?” he spat.
Reagan glared at him, her eyes locked to his, and said nothing.
Finally, he broke eye contact and looked down.
She inhaled slowly, trying to calm herself without giving him any indication she was unnerved. She refused to show weakness.
He shrugged and looked back up at her.
She could tell he was angry.
“Whatever,” he blurted. “I’m not here for myself anyway.”
Reagan crossed her arms impatiently.
“I know you’ve been seeing Ethan McLaughlin. I’m here for him.”
Reagan inhaled sharply.
Kirk’s grin turned into more of a snarl. She felt an intense disgust for him.
Hearing Ethan’s name stirred her emotions and she was certain it showed in her face. She tried to reel her feelings in, but she knew it was too late.
Kirk nodded, reading her expression.
“What do you think would happen if your relationship was to become public knowledge?” he said, using air quotes around the word relationship. “It would be very bad for Ethan and his career.”
Reagan tried to wrap her brain around what Kirk was saying. It never even dawned on her that Ethan would think she’d out him to the media.
She was shocked that he’d send this creep to scare her.
No, it wasn’t shock, she was hurt. She tried not to show it and continued to hold her tongue.
“You signed a non-disclosure agreement and we need to make sure you honor it. You see, I’m here to offer you some money. It’s unlikely you’d break the agreement, you couldn’t afford the enormous lawsuit you’d be looking at, but just in case, I’m offering you a quarter of a million dollars to keep your mouth shut and stay away from Ethan. I know you’re a smart woman, otherwise he wouldn’t be so attracted to you. I suggest you do the right thing.”
Reagan regarded the man in front of her, trying not to let her contempt show. She refused to give him that power.
He reached into his inside jacked pocket and pulled out a check, holding it toward her.
She met his stare, expressionless.
“Don’t be proud, Reagan. Take it. This is a lot of money for a whore.”
Reagan ignored the insult and instead zeroed in on her name. How did this man know her name? Did Ethan share that with him? How much had he told him?
She put her anger aside, knowing it would interfere with her confidence. She looked down at the check and held out her hand. Kirk grinned and gave it to her. Sure enough, it was for a quarter million, written out in her name.
Reagan looked up at Kirk and slowly smiled.
Kirk nodded.
“There you go, bitch” he said arrogantly.
Reagan shook her head and laughed.
Kirk’s smile slowly disappeared.
“What is so funny?” he snarled.
Reagan spoke for the first time since asking him to leave.
“Well, Kirk, I’m not the only one who signed that non-disclosure. Your friend also signed it,” she said calmly.
Kirk shrugged and shook his head, not following.
“This is your signature at the bottom of the check, right?”
Kirk narrowed his eyes at her.
“The NDA Ethan and I both signed is a legal contract that created an obligation to privacy. We both agreed to keep our arrangement confidential. It seems to me that by involving you, Ethan broke that arrangement.”
Kirk opened his mouth to speak and then quickly closed it again.
“Tell me, how did you come to know my name and find me?”
Kirk shifted from one foot to the other, sweat forming on his forehead once again.
Reagan took the check over to the counter, picked up a pen and wrote VOID across it.
She looked up at him.
“You think you’re real smart coming over to a whore’s house with a pay off. You’re so smart you just opened your friend to litigation that could go far beyond a quarter million. That’s right, tough guy. You fucked up. Must hurt to be so dumb.”
She walked over to him, smacking her riding crop in her hand.
“You can tell your buddy I don’t need the pay off. Not with such easy evidence of breach of contract,” she said softly, trying with all her might to control the emotion in her voice.
Kirk reached out to snatch the check but Reagan smacked his
hand with the riding crop with lightning speed.
Kirk looked at her with fire in his eyes.
“That hurt, didn’t it, dumb ass?”
He looked like he was going to swing a punch at her but she just glared at him, slapping the crop in her palm once again.
“Go on, try. The combination of your brains and speed should make for a bloody whipping session.”
Kirk’s expression, so arrogant, changed to fear.
Reagan gestured for him to leave.
He shook his head, and stood his ground.
“Listen to me, you bitch. You won’t win. No court would take the word of a whore over the word of a movie star,” he snapped.
Smack.
The riding crop swung so fast Kirk never saw it coming. It struck his cheek, leaving a bright red mark across it.
Instantly his eyes glazed with tears, the sharpness of the pain written all over him.
Reagan sighed.
“Get off my property, Kirk. I like to play with men’s submissive side, but there’s nothing as pathetic as a man who’s weak.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” he snarled.
Smack.
Kirk’s other cheek had a matching pink welt.
He was almost crying.
“Go home, little boy. You’ve done enough damage for one day. You don’t want to add murder threats to Ethan’s list of worries, do you?”
She watched as he scurried back to his car and drove off.
Then she shut the door, leaned her back against it, and collapsed into uncontrollable tears.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ethan
Ethan turned his Porsche toward the offramp, exiting the freeway.
He’d been driving himself mad all day in his house, pacing around, agitated, and he couldn’t stand it another second.
He was certain the paparazzi hadn’t followed him. It was close to ten on a Friday night and they were probably staking out the clubs, waiting for the young Hollywood celebs to show up.
He changed lanes and looked through his rearview mirror just to be certain. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He’d tried to reach out to Reagan all week but she hadn’t responded. Her last text to him was on Tuesday. She told him they were finished and said goodbye, her words cutting through him like a knife.
He needed to talk to her, to explain the situation. He couldn’t let things end this way.
She was the first woman that ever made him truly happy. He cared about her. The thought of her being hurt because of him was killing him inside. He couldn’t concentrate on work, couldn’t sleep, and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
He rolled down his window, letting the October air refresh him. He eased his head back into the head rest, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
Mia hadn’t reached out since storming out on him. He knew she was okay because she was active on social media. Her last tweet was just that morning. She said something about how excited she was to get a call back for a movie.
Ethan wondered how she planned on accepting the part when she was pregnant. Movie directors weren’t known for being accommodating when it came to pregnant actresses. They only had so much time to film, and if a changing figure didn’t work for the character, the actress would be replaced. It wasn’t like television in which a pregnancy could be worked into the story or creatively hidden altogether. He was curious how she planned to pull it off.
He pulled into the parking lot of Reagan’s condo, looking for an empty space to park. He wasn’t sure if she would see him, but he had to try. She could ignore his texts, but he hoped she would respond if he was there in person.
He turned into a visitor spot and recognized the car beside his. It was Kirk’s.
What the hell was he doing here?
He opened the door and stepped out, just as Kirk came out of the building. He stood behind his car and waited for Kirk to pass.
Kirk saw him and stopped in his tracks, about ten feet away. Ethan walked toward him slowly.
“What’s are you doing here, Kirk?”
Kirk shook his head and put up his hands. Ethan stopped in front of him and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer.
“Ethan, I did this for you.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
“Did what for me, buddy?” he asked suspiciously. “How did you know who she was? Where to find her?”
Kirk put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“You told me her name was Reagan at dinner. You said she went by Grace professionally. I just did a Google search and there she was. You told me she was a red head, so it was pretty simple to pick her out. Then I hired a P.I. to find out where she lived.”
“You did all that?”
Kirk nodded.
“I emailed her on Monday after you left the office. You were dealing with a lot, Ethan. I wanted to help. So we met through FaceTime and then again tonight.”
Kirk handed him the paper and Ethan unfolded it. It was the P.I.’s letterhead with a paragraph about Reagan, her full name, age, social security number, address along with personal information about her divorce and her ex-husband’s obituary.
Ethan frowned and looked back at Kirk.
“Why did you come here?” he asked, anger tight in his throat.
“Why do you think? I came to tell her to stay the fuck away from you. You’ll have the media scrutinizing everything you do now that Mia’s pregnant. I needed to make sure that Grace or Reagan, whatever the fuck her name is, keeps her mouth shut.”
Ethan grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him closer.
“What did you do, Kirk?”
“I did what I had to do. I’m your manager, Ethan. I managed it,” Kirk said, his voice wavering.
“Did you hurt her?” Ethan asked, tightening his grip.
Kirk pulled back, surprise on his face.
“Jesus Christ, no! I offered her money. A lot of money. A quarter million,” Kirk sputtered. “If anything, she’s the one who hurt me, with her fucking leather whip.”
Ethan pushed him back, letting go of his shoulders.
“You have no idea what you did. This is not your business, Kirk!” he said through clenched teeth.
Kirk raised his brows, his eyes widening.
“You’re my business, Ethan. This is business. You’re a brand. I’m protecting the brand.”
Ethan shook his head slowly.
“No, Kirk. This is my life. And it’s no longer your business. We’re done.”
Kirk reached out to touch his shoulder, but Ethan pulled back.
“You don’t mean it. You can’t do this. We’ve been friends a long time. I’ve hustled my ass for you since the beginning. You need me, Ethan.”
Ethan looked up with contempt.
“You crossed the line. I told you I cared for Reagan. If you were my friend, you wouldn’t have done this. No, this was motivated by your own agenda. You were only thinking of yourself. You hurt me, and I guarantee, you hurt Reagan.”
Kirk shifted from one foot to the other and exhaled loudly. Both men were silent for a moment. Finally Kirk spoke.
“Are you in love with this ... woman?” he asked in disbelief.
Ethan looked up, considering the question. He was quiet for a moment and then slowly started nodding his head.
Kirk rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“You’re throwing it all away,” he said bitterly.
Ethan glared at Kirk as he walked past him, knocking him in the shoulder.
“She didn’t take the money, Ethan. No. Instead, this whore is going to blackmail you.”
Ethan turned and threw a powerful fist into Kirk’s gut, sending Kirk doubled over in pain.
Kirk wasn’t a small guy, but he was no match for Ethan’s muscular build.
“That’s not why she didn’t take the money,” he said softly. “And if you ever call her a whore again, I’ll fucking kill you, Kirk. I mean that.”
&n
bsp; Then, he turned and walked away.
“Go home,” he said, without looking back.
“Ethan,” Kirk called out helplessly.
Ethan ignored him and walked up to Reagan’s door. He held his breath as he buzzed her door. He knew he was on a closed circuit camera and that she would see it was him. He only hoped she would answer.
There was no answer and he buzzed again, and again. He couldn’t leave without seeing her.
Eventually, he heard the connection and her voice came through.
“Ethan, go home. I don’t want to see you,” she said quietly.
It sounded to Ethan like she’d been crying.
He felt sick. He looked into the camera.
“Reagan, please, let me come up. I have to talk to you. I need to explain the situation. I want to talk about what Kirk did.”
She was silent for so long Ethan thought she may have hung up.
“I think it’s all pretty self-explanatory. You don’t have to worry about anything, Ethan. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or your family. That’s the difference between you and me,” she whispered.
Ethan frowned and shook his head. He didn’t want to hurt her and he hated that she believed that.
“Reagan, I didn’t ask Kirk to come. You have to believe me. I didn’t even know he knew how to find you. He hired a private investigator. If I hadn’t bumped into him just now, I never would have known what he did. Please let me see you,” he begged.
Again, she was quiet. Ethan hoped she was reconsidering.
“I understand now, Ethan. Thank you for clarifying,” she said.
She sounded calm. Too calm.
Ethan looked into the camera, a soft smile on his face. He could hear her sigh deeply.
“But this doesn’t change the situation. You and Mia. The baby,” she said, so quietly he could barely hear her.
He leaned his head against the glass door, his heart pounding in his chest, fearing she would make him leave and he would never have a chance to explain.
He completely understood her reaction. He agreed with her and how she felt. If he was in her shoes, he wouldn’t have let her in either. He knew about her past. She was remembering her baby and how her husband betrayed her. He needed her to know this situation was different.
Grace and Mercy Page 21
