She took a deep breath before she blurted the truth. “We are having work done on the house. I’m sorry. Eagan went with another company.”
Jace didn’t know why hearing that his brother chose a stranger over him still bothered him. At this point, it shouldn’t have. He should have gotten used to the idea of being dismissed and ignored.
Then it hit him. Ananda had planned on using him, using his home, then discarding him just like Eagan had in the past. Not anymore. If they didn’t want to connect with him when they didn’t need anything, then he wouldn’t let them do it now.
“No.” Jace shook his head. “You can’t use my place either.” He walked by her and picked up his suit jacket. “For one, I won’t be home. I’m going out of town tomorrow. I don’t want strangers running around in my house.”
“Jace, please.” Ananda’s voice became low and plaintive. “It’s hard for me to ask for help. I don’t have any family to turn to.”
Jace stopped moving for a moment to give his full attention to Ananda. He hadn’t watched the show, and after she and Eagan married, he didn’t get to spend time with her simply because of Eagan, so he had no idea about her past or prior home life.
“When I made the decision to be with your brother, my family cut me off. I haven’t talked to my mother in years. It’s painful not to have family to rely on.” She sniffed and turned away.
This time Jace didn’t think she put in a performance. He felt her pain. A twinge of guilt twisted his insides, but he ignored it. He thought back to the pain Eagan put him and their mother through when Dad died. He remembered the missed calls, missed opportunities during the holidays, lack of contact over the years. Now today, Eagan’s wife wanted something from Jace.
Jace would play this game. He would make his intentions clear to both Eagan and Ananda by taking down this show. After that, he knew they would steer clear of him like he wanted.
“Promise me this is not a ploy to get me and your husband talking.” Jace went back to his chair and sat down again.
“I promise I am not doing that, although it would be great if you and your brother got along. He misses you. He talks about you all the time.” Ananda sat down across from him.
“I’m sure he does.” Jace imagined that Eagan probably called him everything but a child of God. “So if I allow you to use my house, how long would you be there?”
“It would be gonzo filming. I would try to have it all done within a month or two. But, I need to get in your home first to stage it.” She chewed on her lower lip as she stared at him.
“What do you mean?” Jace sat up taller.
“I need to move all of your items out of the house, get them in storage, and set the house up with our furnishings. You have seven bedrooms, right?”
“Eight.” Not that he needed that many.
“Perfect. I would house the slaves in a couple of rooms and the Doms and Dommes in the other bedrooms. Then we would need a room for the production equipment.”
Jace blinked. “You’re going to make Doms bunk together in one room?” He snickered. “Good luck with that.”
“Come on. These are grown men and women. They, of all people, should have better self-control.” She cocked her head.
Jace answered her head tilt with one of his own.
“Okay, so I’ll have security on staff. Having one Dom during the last show was a lot. I can only imagine what a whole group of them in close quarters will be like.” She tucked her short hair behind her ears.
“You won’t have to imagine it since you’ll be there during filming.”
She shook her head. “No, remember, I’ll have to go to Greece with Eagan.”
Jace placed his hands on his desk and glared at Ananda. “You hadn’t planned on being in my home at all while you filmed this show? You think I would be cool with that? I’m trusting you with my property.”
She held up her hand as though preparing for this argument. “I know. Ordinarily I would be there, especially with this being my first project. But I have a trusted crew. I’ll introduce you. Actually, I insist on it. I want you to see who I’ll have on staff.”
He regarded her for a moment. “I haven’t said yes yet.” He relaxed back against his chair. “Will I be able to stay in my own house during filming?” When she didn’t immediately answer, he brought his attention back to her. “Ananda?”
“You still have your guesthouse, right?” She straightened her back as though to show authority.
Not this time. The hell Jace would be kicked out of his own house. “Yes, but I’m not going to stay in there.”
“I was hoping Meadow would be able to have your room. If I remember it from your tour, it’s separate from the other bedrooms.”
“Then put her in the guesthouse. That’s my home and my bed.” He made his hand into a fist, not to scare Ananda. He had to contain his anger.
“I understand. I wouldn’t use your bed. I would have that in storage, or put it in the guesthouse for you. I assumed you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near filming.” She looked like she held her breath until Jace replied.
He thought about her statement. She had been correct. He didn’t want to be anywhere near this shoot. He held up his finger. “One month. That’s all you have starting tomorrow. You can’t get it done in that time, then I’m sorry. You’ll still have to go. I’ll be out of town for the duration.”
“Perfect!” Ananda clapped her hands. “I mean with you gone, you’ll have less interaction with the crew and contestants, which I know is what you wanted.”
Jace had to hand it his sister-in-law. She learned from the best. She would be fine in Hollywood with Eagan.
“Thanks for considering my needs.” He stood. “So is that it?”
“Yes.” She looked at her watch. “I have to go meet with Meadow to give her the good news. What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“I was going to head out at one to catch my flight that afternoon.”
Ananda stood. “If you don’t mind, I can meet you in the morning to introduce you to the director and my associate producer. They’ll be my eyes and ears while I’m gone.”
He really wanted to relax before his trip and take his time packing. He would have to get his act together tonight so that he could see who would be watching his home. “Sure. Ten would work for me.”
“Great. I’ll even give you a ride to the airport.”
Jace came from behind his desk to stand next to Ananda. “No need. I’d rather have my vehicle there available to me if I decide to cut my trip short.” He walked her to the door.
“Thanks so much for helping me.” She started to go in for another hug.
Jace stopped her with an extended hand for handshake. “This is business. Let’s end it off in a businesslike way.”
Ananda had a small smile as she shook his hand.
He could ruin it from the outset before he left town. If he didn’t like this crew, he would not let them film in his home. No amount of begging would change that.
“Oh, and Jace. I need you to do one other thing for me.” She opened the door and took one step down. She looked back at him and said, “If you were to come home early, I would appreciate you not interacting with the crew or talent. I don’t want any of this to go wrong.”
Hell, had she read his mind?
“My mind is on my business. I could care less who you have on the show. I need to trust who you have behind the scenes.” He still had an opportunity to say no. He probably would do that tomorrow after the dog-and-pony show at his home.
Chapter Four
Taren sat at a booth next to a wall at Juan Pepe’s. She faced the door, waiting for her hero, her idol, to come through. Nerves filled her so much that she bounced her knees under the table. She would have a millisecond to capture Ananda Morton’s attention. Convincing her to hire her for the job would be challenging. She had her arguments ready to go.
“You still waiting for your party?” a waitress asked, blocking Taren’s
view of the door.
Taren peered around her and tried to get the woman to take the hint about moving her body. “Yes. She should be here at any moment.”
The waitress filled Taren’s glass with more water and left her. The whirring sound of the blender behind the bar, mixing up a margarita, grabbed Taren’s attention. She wanted some liquid courage right now, but she would hold off until she talked to Ananda. She didn’t want to be drunk or even tipsy for that conversation.
Taren crossed her legs, hoping it would calm her. It didn’t. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the salivating aromas of cilantro and grilled meats.
Her phone in her purse chirped that it had received a new text message. She dove inside and retrieved it.
What did you do? read the message from Dori.
Oh, shit.
Taren looked at the door and saw Ananda Morton walking into the foyer before coming into the main restaurant. Ananda’s face hadn’t changed from when she’d done her TV show, but her style had. She chopped off her long, chocolate locks in favor of a short shag with blonde highlights that framed her angular face. Today she wore a solid white maxi dress with braided fabric that created a halter strap around her neck. With her complementing caramel skin tone, she looked flawless.
Ananda held her cell phone in her hand. Oh, no. Taren hadn’t thought about the fact that Ananda would text Dori to confirm.
Ananda peered down at her cell phone, scanned the restaurant, then turned to leave.
“No.” Taren bolted from the booth and chased after the woman who could change her life. As soon as she got outside, she wasted no time in making herself known. “Wait! Ananda, wait!”
Ananda turned to Taren, paused, but continued marching to her car. “I don’t know who you are. Apparently, I contacted the wrong person.”
“No, you didn’t. You sent a text to Dori, right?” Taren stood a couple of feet from her but far enough back to make Ananda feel safe. “I mean Meadow.”
When Taren mentioned Dori’s scene name from the show, Ananda stopped.
“Who are you?” Ananda stood by the driver’s side of her car.
“My name is Taren Kerrigan. I’m a friend of Dori’s. She told me that you had been contacting her about doing your new show. I have to tell you, Mrs. Morton, she doesn’t want to do it.” She shook her head.
“What are you? Her attorney? Her agent?” Ananda’s chest and neck started to turn red as she spoke to Taren. “She could have told me that instead of making me come all—”
Taren interrupted her. “No. I’m not her attorney or agent. I’m a friend of hers. Five years ago, I wanted to try out for Love My Way. Dori went in my place because I was too young at the time. She doesn’t want to do your new show. But I do. I want to find my Dom.” She smiled to sell her story.
Ananda stared at her, almost studying her to see if Taren told the truth. “Why?”
Taren needed to be seated to explain that part. “Can we please go back into the restaurant?” She pointed to the front door. “I promise you. I am harmless.”
After a beat, Ananda strolled around her car. “I’ll decide that.”
Taren clasped her hands together and had to convince herself not to hop up and down in excitement. “Thank you so much. I truly appreciate your time.”
Ananda didn’t speak again until after she sat and ordered herself a glass of water. “I don’t appreciate being tricked and lied to, Ms. Kerrigan. If you think this would cement you this job, you’re sadly mistaken.”
Taren swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. Like I said, I’ve wanted to be a part of the show and lifestyle since I heard about Love My Way five years ago. If I was eighteen then, I would have given you a run for your money.”
Ananda glared at her. “Are you saying you would have won had you competed?”
Taren sat up taller but kept her hand around the base of her glass to keep cool. “I love learning. I would have been a great pupil.”
Ananda snickered and shook her head. “That’s another thing. This show will be about a submissive looking for her Dom or Domme.”
“Oh. You will have Dommes on the show?” Taren never considered that women would also be competing to be her Mistress. She picked up her glass of water and took several gulps.
Ananda nodded. “Of course. A true submissive’s need to serve isn’t because of sexual attraction. But an apt pupil like you knew that already, right?” She twirled her glass of water between her two hands, making the ice clink against the sides.
The waitress returned to get their orders. By the time she left Taren alone with Ananda, Taren had her wits about her and organized her thoughts.
“I’m sorry for using Dori’s phone to pretend to be her to get you out here. I’m not sorry about why I did it. I do want to—” Taren paused before she completed her answer. “I want to submit.” She saw Ananda’s eyebrows go up. “I want to serve.”
“You never answered the question I asked you in the parking lot. Why do you want to be a part of the BDSM scene now? You saw the books and the movies and it made you curious?” Ananda glared at Taren.
Taren could tell that Ananda protected her new lifestyle very fiercely. “No. I wasn’t influenced by any of those.” She knew to sway Ananda’s perception of her as being some conniving, immature ditz, she had to bare her soul and be completely honest. “I’m motivated and work hard, but I have no direction.” To say it out loud took her off guard. She plucked a chip from a bowl on the table, but she broke it up into pieces instead of eating it. Her stomach wouldn’t be able to take on food right now. “I need someone to help me focus.”
Ananda stared at her for a while. “I don’t know. Meadow has experience, both as a submissive and being in front of the camera. You’re a wildcard. Your inexperience could ruin the show.”
“Or help it. I’ll be like your viewers, inexperienced but curious.”
Ananda nodded like she liked Taren’s answer.
Good. Taren exhaled. It didn’t take long for their food to arrive. Before Taren could taste anything, Hurricane Dori blew into the restaurant and landed squarely at her table.
Anger filled her friend’s eyes. She had her mouth clamped tight enough to make a thin line. Taren knew it couldn’t be possible, but it looked like smoke billowed from Dori’s ears. Taren kept her hand on her fork in case she needed a weapon of some sort.
“You bitch.” Dori planted her fists on her full hips and shot laser beams from her eyes at Taren. “How dare you use my phone to—”
“Meadow,” Ananda began. “Please have a seat.”
Dori glared at Taren then Ananda. “Dorothy or Dori. Don’t ever call me Meadow again.”
Instead of sitting next to either of them, Dori pulled a chair from a nearby empty table and sat at the end of the booth.
“I don’t blame you for being mad.” Taren kept her voice low, hoping that would keep Dori calm.
“Mad? You stole my phone.” Dori held the device up to Taren’s face.
“I didn’t steal it. I borrowed it.” Taren smiled, but her cheerful demeanor didn’t work on her friend.
“You pretended to be me to get Ananda out here.” Dori turned to Ananda. “Has she been trying to convince you that she would be perfect for your upcoming show? She’s flighty. She doesn’t really know what she wants. I’m not going to do your show, but you should not hire her either.”
Taren sat stunned. She knew exactly what to say to Ananda, but hearing her friend say how she truly felt about her made her feel like she’d been stabbed in the back.
“I appreciate your honesty.” Ananda bowed her head to Dori. “I’m sorry you won’t do the new show with me.”
“I’m glad you finally understand. I’m married. I have a child. I have a career. I can’t go on this show and embarrass myself again.” Dori looked at Taren. “If you were smart, you will do the same. Thank Ananda for her time and go back home. Get your career going, find a nice guy, settle down. You are not some wide-eyed teenager anymore.”
>
Taren nodded. “You’re right. I’m a grown woman.” She stared at Ananda. “A magna cum laude graduate. I graduated high school early. I graduated college early.”
“Smart woman.” Ananda smiled.
“I know what it is that I want.” She moved in closer. “Who hasn’t done something desperate to get something they want? We’ve all made bad decisions, right?” She looked at Dori. “I want to try something new.” Then she turned to Ananda. “I can be your submissive on the show.” She smiled harder. “What can I say? I’m a slave to love.”
Ananda laughed. “I think you just came up with the perfect name for the show.”
Taren covered her mouth. “Does that mean…?”
Ananda wiped her hand on a napkin and extended it across the table. “Welcome to Slave to Love, the show where you will find your perfect Dom…or Domme?” She winked.
Taren grabbed her hand and shook it hard enough to rattle the plates and glasses on the table. “Thank you so much! You won’t regret this.”
“But you will.” Dori stood. “Don’t come crying to me when it does a number on you.” She glared at Ananda. “Lose my number.” She stomped out of the restaurant.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Taren danced in her seat.
“I can’t believe I’m taking a chance with you. But you remind me a lot of myself. I hope I’m not making a mistake.”
“You’re not. Trust me. I’ll work hard and do whatever is asked of me.” She sat on her hands to keep from clapping. “So, when do I start? What happens now?”
“I’ll get some contracts drafted. Filming will take place here in Virginia Beach. But you’ll need to be on set twenty-four hours a day for the next month. Are you able to get the time away from work?” Ananda fished through her bag as she spoke to Taren.
Taren couldn’t eat. She could barely think. “I’m a temp. I’ll tell my agency not to book me for anything for the next month.”
Slave To Love Page 6
