“Thanks, chief. The plea deal that was negotiated on behalf of Antoinette Marie is contingent upon the girls being alive.”
“We’ll do our best to see they all come out of this in one piece.”
Chloe, Kaylin, and Del as well as the rest of the task force were waiting anxiously for news. Chief Rousseau called back within the hour to advise that he was in touch with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and a joint task force had been quickly formed to rescue the missing girls and apprehend Pierre and Beau Beaudreau. “We may want to wait until almost dusk again. That would be the safest for the officers and for the girls. JPSO has the property under surveillance, and the Beaudreaus and the girls appear to all be there. We’ll have to go to plan B if they attempt to remove the girls from the property earlier than expected.”
When they had not heard back again by nine o’clock they started to get nervous. What the hell was going on in Metairie, Louisiana? What was taking so long? Finally, the phone rang and Del jumped on it. “BSO Homicide. Detective Lord speaking. Chief, what’s happening? Do you have them?”
“Got six very tired but relieved teenage girls here. I’ve called in our Social Services Department to deal with them for the time being.”
The task force and whole homicide bullpen erupted in hoots, hollers, and catcalls. The feeling of tension while they awaited news had seeped through the entire department. When the noise quieted down, Chloe continued. “Chief, we have a reunification program in place here through the Sistrunk Outreach Shelter and our Department of Children and Families. If the girls are willing, they can be sent back to Fort Lauderdale to go through that process. Any who are not reunited with their families would be sent to the Florida Girl’s Ranch, which is a residential facility, not a detention facility. That plan seems to be working well for the original five girls that were rescued a couple weeks ago.”
“I’ll suggest that. Someone from Social Services will contact you to coordinate the return of the girls. Just know they are in good hands tonight.”
Chloe and Kaylin phoned Nikki to advise her of the current status. “I’ll advise Antoinette Marie that her plea deal is in place—tomorrow. It’s after business hours, and I’m off the clock. I need to put my feet up and drink a glass of wine.”
While Chloe and Kaylin were on the phone with Nikki, Del phoned Dan McGrath and John Temple. Then they all called Jayden Lane to let her know that six more girls had been recovered. When they finally got off the phone, Chloe and Kaylin hugged each other and simultaneously burst into tears. Del looked panic-stricken, and Kaylin said, “We’re okay. It’s just the release of all that tension.”
“Thank goodness. I hate crying women.”
“Oh, be quiet. Remember there are two of us, and we can definitely take you.”
“I have no doubt of it.”
* * * *
Antoinette Marie Beaudreau, guest of the Paul Rein Detention Facility, was on pins and needles wondering what had happened in Metairie. Had the rescue been successful, and was her plea deal on track? And how was she going to recover the stash of jewelry and cash she’d left in a safe deposit box in a bank in St. Martinville? Had Pierre and Beau been apprehended? She had so many questions, and she was helpless to get any answers. Her attorney was not picking up her phone, and she only had so many calls she could make from the jail phone. She would have to wait for answers until tomorrow. Antoinette Marie knew she had twenty-five years of very long waits for tomorrow.
* * * *
John Temple and Dan McGrath shared a drink from the bottle of old scotch in Dan’s bottom drawer after they hung up the call from Nicollette Sommers.
“Thank God they rescued them—six more girls with tarnished lives thanks to Antoinette Marie. I can’t think of her as my wife, Anne Marie. I know I never will again. Twenty years of memories—my life and my children’s lives—are tarnished as well. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if they had not found them alive. After the port deals close I’m going to set up a scholarship fund for the eleven surviving girls. Maybe I can help them get their lives back on track. I’m also going to divorce Antoinette Marie.” John thought that was generous of Dan, but then he knew him to be a very generous and thoughtful man.
“That’s an excellent idea, Dan. Maybe it will help you lay some of those ghosts to rest and allow you and the kids to get on with your lives as well. What are your plans for the firm? Do you think you’ll want to relocate?”
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about. What about you?”
“Actually, I haven’t decided yet. It kind of depends on what you decide to do, but I have been thinking of opening my own office. This place is too big and too expensive to run in today’s financial climate. The days of big, luxury offices are going the way of the dinosaurs.”
“I think you’re right. I’ll do whatever I can to help you with that. You can take your files and your clients. I appreciate how you’ve stood by me through this.”
“Maybe we can work something out together. Let’s wait and see how things shake out. Besides, we have all the port deals to close.”
* * * *
Chloe drove home. She was on autopilot, and thank goodness the car knew the way home and seemed to drive itself. Kaylin and Del had wanted to meet Jack and go out for drinks, but she was beat and asked if they could get together over the weekend to celebrate. The tension of the long day had taken it out of her. She planned to have a quiet glass of wine on her patio and take a skinny-dip in her pool after dark. She had to grin. She and J.J. had provided Eric and Steve with quite enough entertainment.
This case was once in a lifetime. She and the task force had rescued eleven girls from a life of degradation and servitude. She should be ecstatic, but she couldn’t help remembering the sad, short life of Mitzi Jones. Were her parents waiting for her to walk through the door every day? Had she had something good to go home to? Chloe realized she would probably never know, and that was sad—so very sad.
And then there was her aborted reunion with J.J. She’d been so happy for such a short time. They had been back together for fifteen days before it all blew up. She should have known and not put herself through that pattern again. He just didn’t have a trusting heart. He certainly had not had any confidence in her. Apparently the trust element of the BDSM relationship he seemed to want only went in one direction. She was supposed to trust him. He did not have to trust her. Well, she’d gotten through it once before, and she could get through it again. But, she swore to God, this was the last time.
Chapter Fifteen
Jack Dalton Brown’s penthouse apartment in the JDB Building, downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Saturday evening, October 4, 2014, 8:00 p.m.
Chloe, Kaylin, Del, and Jack were having drinks and dinner on the rooftop deck of Jack’s apartment to celebrate the end of the human trafficking case and the incarceration of Antoinette Marie Beaudreau under a twenty-five-year plea bargain at the Lowell Correctional Institution Annex in Ocala, Florida. Who knew what she would be able to shave off her sentence with good behavior, but regardless, her best years were going to be spent behind bars. No manis. No pedis.
Jack stood up. “A toast to the task force—good job, guys. I’m proud of you all, despite the fact that two of you, who shall remain nameless, but one of whom shall not go unpunished, were held hostage by the kidnappers.” He gave Kaylin a stare with one dark eyebrow raised.
“Oops. That would probably be me.” Kaylin gave her Dom her most beguiling smile.
He smiled back and popped a dimple to top it off. “Not gonna work, subbie. I understand your work is dangerous and important, but carelessness with what belongs to me will not be tolerated.”
Yikes. Chloe was glad she wasn’t going to have to face Jack Dalton Brown in the dungeon later tonight. She was mulling over that comforting thought as she watched the flames jump in the fire pit. She took a sip of her mojito. Chloe looked up when the door in the glass wall from Jack’s apartment onto the rooftop deck opened. J.J. Temple w
alked through. She caught her breath before she cast her questioning eyes to Kaylin, who merely shrugged her shoulders. God, he looked good in a pair of well-worn jeans, a crisp, white shirt with the tail hanging out, and a pair of alligator moccasins without socks. This was not the usual J.J. look of pressed Dockers and a polo shirt. His hair was a little longer than he usually wore it. He probably hadn’t had time for a haircut with all that had been going on of late. He did look tired and stressed.
Chloe whispered to Kaylin, “What the heck? What’s going on? Have I been set up?”
“Looks that way. Please don’t get mad, but Jack and I felt so sorry for him. J.J. cares about you. You may not be ready to hear that, but he does. He just wants a couple minutes of your time. You don’t have to agree to anything or forgive him. Just listen for five minutes. That’s all the time Jack promised him.”
J.J. walked over to the table where a buffet of tempting Mexican dishes had been laid out. He pulled a Dos Equis beer with a slice of lime in the neck from the iced cooler and took a mouthful. Then he approached the table where they were all sitting. Jack and Del stood up and shook hands with him, then he leaned down and kissed first Kaylin’s cheek and then Chloe’s mouth. The kiss was fast, hard, and over before she could protest.
She knew she had a deer-in-the-headlights shocked look on her face. She had certainly not expected to be ambushed on Jack’s roof in one of the highest security buildings in the city. He whispered in her ear, “Baby, I just want a couple minutes of your time.” He took her hand, pulled her shocked and unresisting body out of her chair, and towed her along behind him back through the door to the apartment.
“What are you doing? I don’t want to go with you.”
“Too bad. This is my five minutes.”
Before she knew what had hit her, he pulled her out into the hall leading to the club, swiped into the French Room, and shut and locked the door behind him.
“You can’t force me to come in here. I want to go back to the apartment.”
“I know you do.” He sat down in the big, tapestry chair and pulled her resisting body into his lap. She could continue her undignified struggle, or she could sit in his lap stiffly. “Baby, I am so sorry for what I said to you at Dan’s house. I was shocked and angry and scared for my friends and not thinking clearly. If I’d been thinking about anything but the legal ramifications of the situation, I would have known that you would never have done what you did without a good reason. It turns out you were right, and I was completely wrong.”
“And how is that different from the last time you hurt and humiliated me?”
“I’m afraid it’s not different, but please believe me when I tell you that I would gouge my own tongue out of my mouth with a dull fork before I spoke to you like that again. If you give me just one more chance, I promise to not fuck up this time.”
“I’m sorry, J.J., but I just don’t have any more to give you.”
“You do, baby. Your heart and courage and compassion are endless. You proved that by saving those girls. If you’ll give me just a little of that, I promise this time I’ll use it well.” He turned her head and covered her mouth with his own. She was expecting a hard, demanding kiss, but it was soft and tentative and sweet. That sweetness almost undid her. The big, bad Dom was begging without words. He was impossible to resist.
“I don’t know if I can go through this again, J.J.” Her body wanted him, but her mind and emotions were still in turmoil.
“I don’t want to keep promising you that I’ve changed. I want to show you.” He stood up with her in his arms and walked to the bed. He laid her down on the silk cover and came down beside her. He kissed her forehead gently before he took her mouth again. He played with her lips and kissed down her neck until he reached her breasts. He began unbuttoning her blouse. He had the front clasp of her bra undone before she could think to stop him. This new and gentle J.J. left her bemused.
His hot mouth closed over the delicate skin of her breast, and she sighed. He continued to coax and tease her tender nubs while he divested her of her shoes and of the low-riding jeans that hugged her hips. He was taking his time, toying with her body, kneading her breasts. She could feel the wetness beginning to gather between the slick folds of her pussy, and she wanted to beg him for more. She felt his hard cock nestled against her side, and she wanted it inside her. He moved down until he was cradled between her thighs and blew lightly on her pulsing clit. Then he had her legs over his shoulders with his mouth pressed against her pussy, and she was helpless in his masterful hands. Ecstasy shuddered through her as he ran his tongue along her ruffled pussy lips and plunged his tongue inside her pussy. The exquisite pleasure made her clench and rock against his mouth. She was quickly losing it. She tried to regain control, but her inescapable climax exploded in waves of excruciating pleasure. He watched her face in satisfaction as she fractured around him. He came up beside her and pulled her into his arms. She had to admit that this time he had definitely rocked her world.
“Rest a little bit, and then we’ll finish this.”
What did he mean by finish this? She closed her eyes and rested against his shoulder. He pulled the cover over her rapidly cooling body, and she snuggled into his warmth.
“Subbie? Will you give me one more chance to be the Master you deserve?”
She sighed. She was almost asleep in his arms. “One more, J.J. But there is not an endless supply of one more chances.”
* * * *
After they had rested, John fastened Chloe’s wrist and ankle cuffs, led her over to the St. Andrew’s cross in the corner of the room, and fastened her into position. He checked the cuffs on her wrists and ankles for proper fit.
John was anxious to cement the emotional ties he had just begun to reestablish. He also wanted to see how much of the pleasure-pain training she had retained from before they’d broken up ten months ago. He thought she had finally been getting it when they split.
Chloe’s silky blonde hair cascaded over the skin of her long, elegant back. He gathered it into his hands and tied it into a loose knot to get it out of his way. Her sleek perfection was stunning. He wanted her mile-long legs wrapped around his waist while he fucked her until she was a boneless puddle in his arms, but that would have to wait.
He had removed his own clothes and placed them in the cabinet. He had immediately morphed into Dom mode, and his rampant cock was at attention. He now stood with his arms crossed over his chest while he inspected her body stretched over the cross. He knew it was an intimidating stance, but that was the idea—to bring the sub’s full attention to the Master. She should not be thinking about her shopping list or things she had to do at work. He wanted her undivided attention. His hot, challenging gaze roamed her body.
He stood waiting for her anxiety level to increase, but he still wanted her to feel safe enough to voluntarily give over control to him. He wanted her to be vulnerable and totally open to him. She looked nervous as she glanced back at him over her shoulder, but that was only to be expected. “Do I have to blindfold you, sub? Or will you control your actions?” When she didn’t speak, he ran his hands over her arms and legs, gently massaging the muscles. He could see the fear in her eyes. “Chloe, it’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Just relax and let me take over.”
John picked up the woven leather riding crop. He ran it through his fingers as her eyes took in every move he made. He walked back to where she was restrained. He could feel her eyes following him again. Then he saw what he was looking for. Her eyes had softened on him. “Chloe, do you know what I am trying to accomplish here?”
“Yes, Master, you want me to submit to you, and you want to punish me because I left you.”
“That’s right. I want you to submit, but I am not angry that you left me. I acknowledge my fault in that, but I want you to come back to me. I want you to trust me again.”
“I’m trying to trust you again, Master.”
He walked in front of her so she could see the crop
he held in his hands. When her eyes widened, he slowly ran it over her breasts and belly as he prepared her body and mind for the coming punishment. Then he walked behind her and skimmed it over her back and butt. She flinched. Good. I need to ramp up her anxiety level and emotions so she’ll open to me.
“Master…I’m not sure I can do this.”
“You can do this, Chloe. I know you can trust me again like you did before.” He wanted her to feel the sting, but he didn’t want it to be too harsh. The point was to help her reach the threshold of submission and to cross over. He wanted to teach her to reach for her own pleasure through the pain. “I am the Master and you are the sub. You will acknowledge that, but first you will receive your punishment. You will count ten strikes for your Master. If you don’t count, we will go back to number one and start again. Understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Master.”
John laid the crop across her butt in a strike that was not hard but had a slight sting. He waited for her to count. When she didn’t he said, “Sub, count for your Master. We will begin again.” He brought the shaft down across her butt again, this time with a little more force. “One, Master.” He could see the worry in her eyes.
“Better, sub.” He continued the delivery, varying the intensity of the strikes so that each one would be a surprise. Would it be hard and stinging or soft with only a slight bite? When he had delivered five strokes, he came in close behind her and ran his hands down over her back and butt, gently massaging the tense muscles. He whispered, “Relax your muscles, Chloe, and just go with it. Let this pain replace the emotional pain and distrust. Let me back into your heart.”
He slid his hand down between her pink butt cheeks and tested her pussy. It was damp, but not drenched. He played with the pussy lips that were spread wide open by her stance. He avoided her clit as he let the anticipation build. “Five more strokes, Chloe.” She tried to back up toward him to gain more contact with his probing fingers and possibly distract him from her punishment, but he wouldn’t allow it.
Chloe's Rescue [The Black Iris Club 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 15
