Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
A phone ringing pulled Noah from sleep with a sigh. He rolled over and reached out, but there was no one in bed with him. Frowning, he rolled toward the noise, only opening his eyes when he reached the edge of the bed unhindered.
Looking around, he located the room phone and grabbed it. “Damien.”
“Good morning. Are you missing something?” an amused male voice asked.
Noah blinked and looked around the room. He was alone.
Where were Ford and Serena?
“I’m not sure. Why? Who is this?”
Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he sat up and stretched out his back. This bed was amazing, but he was spending way too much time lying in it and his back wasn’t happy with him.
“I have a submissive in my office who had an altercation with a staff member because she was wandering around unattended. I suggest you come and rescue her.”
Before Noah could respond, the phone line went dead.
He was still trying to wake up and process the phone call when the patio door slid open and Ford stepped into the room. From the swim trunks he was wearing, and the oversized striped towel he was using to dry off with, Noah deduced he had been swimming. Which was normal. Ford had to have been a merman in a previous life. Anytime they stayed at a hotel with a pool, Ford could be found in the water whenever he had a free minute.
“Where’s Serena?” Noah asked as he pushed to his feet and hurried to the bathroom.
Ford followed him, standing in the doorway while he did his morning business. "She left a note saying she needed to be alone and was going out for a while. Why?”
Noah brushed past him into the bedroom. Grabbing the jeans he’d worn the day before off the floor, he pulled them on. Then he jerked on a clean t-shirt from his suitcase. He didn’t bother with socks, just shoved his feet into his sneakers.
“I believe it was Derek who just called and woke me up. He said she was in his office after having some kind of altercation with a staff member.”
“Fuck,” Ford said as he finished pulling on clothes.
“Yeah,” Noah said.
“Is she all right?”
“He didn’t say, but knowing Serena if someone hurt her, she hurt them back twice as bad.”
“Double fuck,” Ford breathed.
“Yeah,” Noah said as he opened the hall door and began to jog toward the lobby. He could hear Ford’s quiet steps just behind him. Fear driving him, he picked up his pace and was full out running as they burst into the lobby.
The clerk at the reception desk looked startled but Noah didn’t bother to assure her everything was fine. Instead, he continued running across the lobby to the door that led from the lobby into Derek Hawkin’s office. Only then did he stop. Looking at Ford, he took several deep breaths to settle his heart and push down the near panic that the call had brought up in him.
He took one last deep breath and released it in a whoosh before nodding at Ford. His partner knocked three times on the door.
“Come in, gentlemen,” Derek called.
Noah followed Ford into the office. Derek remained seated behind the huge ornate mahogany desk with his hands folded on the empty surface. Looking around, Noah saw that Serena was standing in the corner, her hands clasped together behind her back. At least she was fully clothed.
He wanted to check on Serena, but first needed to deal with the Ranch’s owner who wore an expression of concern rather than anger. He also appeared to be wearing a cartoon superheroes pajama top under his denim jacket.
“What happened?” Ford asked. Noah watched as Serena stiffened in the corner, her head lifting and her back straightening.
“I was awakened this morning by a call from Luna, one of our service submissives. She informed me that when she’d arrived to take over for Les whom you met last night, she witnessed him rolling about on the lobby floor rather tangled up in an afghan. What should have been a fairly easy chore to escape was made near impossible due to the fact that a woman was tangled in the yarn with him. When about to offer her assistance, Luna watched the woman free an arm and deliver a rather proficient right hook to Les’ jaw.”
It was apparent to all who the woman was as all three men turned to look to the corner where Serena was shifting from foot to foot.
Ford was the first to speak. “While Serena isn’t known to back down from a fight, she isn’t known for starting them either. There has to be some reason for her to have struck your employee.”
“Self-defense or to protect him from himself would be the only reasons I can imagine,” Noah offered. “And since I can’t picture you hiring anyone who would prove a danger to himself or a guest at your Ranch, I’m thinking defending herself is the only thing that makes any sense.”
Derek nodded. “Our staff are vetted and receive quite in-depth training before assuming their positions and Les is no different. I believe it best if we let him tell you what happened.”
It was only then that Ford really looked around. In another corner, he spied a straight-backed armless chair beside a giant armoire that Ford had a feeling was like the one in their room, filled with paddles, whips, and other implements to inflict pain on naughty submissive bottoms. The couch against the wall behind them held several brightly colored throw pillows and a fuzzy blanket tossed over the back. A wall of bookshelves covered the wall opposite of where Serena stood and that was where the clerk they’d met the evening before was standing. He looked perfectly normal, well, if one discounted the blue ice pack he was holding against the right side of his face, that was.
Ford glanced at Noah who grimaced slightly as Les stepped forward to join them. “First, I’d like to say that your submissive is in no trouble?—”
“Then why in the hell was she put into the corner like a naughty Little?” Noah cut in to demand.
“She wasn’t put into the corner, she requested she be allowed to stand there until we had our meeting,” Derek informed them.
“She did?” Noah asked, the disbelief clearly obvious in his tone.
Ford just nodded. “I can see that.”
“What? How can you say that?” Noah’s head whipped around from looking at their submissive to stare at his partner.
“Because our girl feels horrible for striking an innocent person and while she might not be a naughty Little, I believe she hopes that standing facing the wall like one would when being punished might help her feel not quite as guilty.” Ford paused and tilted his head back toward the corner which drew Noah’s attention there as well. “Am I correct, Serena?”
“Yes, Sir.”
The words were quietly spoken but clear and audible to every man in the office.
“Would you like to tell us what happened?” Ford continued, his tone soft but firm.
All four men’s lips quirked up as Serena gave a rather vigorous shake of her head, her hair whipping back and forth. Ford almost chuckled but managed to bite it back before letting his amusement show. For someone who wasn’t a Little, their submissive seemed to share a few of their traits.
“Would you rather Mr. Les explain?” Noah asked, his tone making the question sound as if he wasn’t even quite believing he was asking such a thing.
Serena’s affirmative nod was as enthusiastic as her negative response so when Derek swept his hands toward the chairs arranged opposite his desk, the three men dropped into them.
“I take full responsibility,” Les said after they were seated. “When I was making my rounds to ensure everything was in place before the guests started milling about, I saw an afghan hadn’t been returned to its basket. I intended to simply fold it but when I tried to pick it up… well, it rather exploded toward me. Before I knew it, it was pressed against me as was your submissive whom I had evidently startled awake. I guess she was having some sort of nightmare because she kept swinging and kicking and before I could react, we were on the floor, rolling around and getting more tangled by the minute. I was trying to reassure her that everything was all right, but then her arm came free and she, well, she laid a punch that had me speechless for a few moments?—”
“I’m soooo sorry!”
The men looked back to the corner to find Serena had turned her head toward them, a glistening in her eyes accentuating her words.
“I tried to explain there is absolutely no reason for you to be sorry, Miss Serena,” Les said. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just sorry I startled you.”
Ford gestured for her to come to them, but instead of rushing toward them, Serena hesitated. Getting to his feet at the same moment Noah did, the two men went to their girl, looking at each other when her eyes widened and she twirled her head back to look at the wall.
“Serena, honey, this is obviously just an accident. You’re not in any trouble. You don’t have to stand in the corner.”
“I-I’m a mess.”
“A mess?” Noah asked, reaching out to stroke his fingers across her shoulder before lightly gripping it. “You’re not a mes?—”
His words cut off when he physically turned her and his eyes dropped to take her in. “Oh shit! Is that blood? Why in the hell aren’t you in the infirmary? I can’t believe?—”
“It’s not blood,” Ford said, running his hand over Noah’s which was now gripping their girl a bit too tightly. “It’s”—reaching out a finger, he dabbed it in a glob of red and brought it to his mouth, his tongue coming out to taste—“jelly. Cherry I think.”
Noah’s eyes were the size of saucers as his gaze darted between him and Serena who was nodding.
“And cocoa,” she said, finally seeming to relax as her fingers tugged at the wet fabric clinging to her chest.
A huge brown stain ran all the way down the front of her shirt. Combined with the globs of deep red of the jelly, Ford thought she rather resembled a Jackson Pollock painting.
Ford grinned and moving forward, scooped her into his arms and walked back toward his chair. Noah followed, his expression showing his confusion. Once Ford was reseated, this time with Serena on his lap, he said, “Tell us what happened.”
Serena explained that she’d awakened early and hadn’t wanted to disturb them. She’d dressed and discovered the café was open. She’d taken her purchases to the chair, borrowed the afghan as she’d gotten chilled opening the outside door to the patio and had settled down to read.
“I guess I was sleepier than I thought because I’d only managed to drink a few sips of the chocolate after it cooled and only had taken one bite of the donut before, well, before I thought I was being attacked.” Her gaze went back to Les.
“I really am sorry. I never would have hit you if I hadn’t been asleep.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” Les assured her. “I’m just sorry you didn’t get to eat your breakfast. Heaven Leigh makes the best cherry filling I’ve ever tasted.”
“I’d have to agree,” Ford said, smacking his lips as if he’d eaten an entire bucketful versus the small taste he’d taken.
His words caused all of them to smile, the tension of the situation easing away. He was thrilled to see Serena’s tears disappear and her lips curl into a smile as well. It was only when he dropped his hand to cover hers that he noticed he give a slight flinch.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, instantly removing his hand.
“My hand hurts a little,” she admitted, the evidence obvious when he gently lifted her hand. Small bruises were forming on her knuckles.
“That must have been a doozie of a blow,” Noah said, reaching to stroke his hand over her arm as if needing the physical connection.
“Let’s just say that if she’s ever in a ring, all my money is on her,” Les said.
Noah and Ford looked at each other and then at their girl. Her face was a bit flushed, but Ford was pretty sure it wasn’t from being thought a good fighter. He quirked a brow and she gave him the slightest nod.
Ford turned his attention to Derek who had remained quiet, but Ford had no doubt the man had missed not a single look or nuance. “Serena lived part of her childhood in foster homes. Let’s just say not all of them were good ones. She got pretty good at defending herself from other kids who thought she’d be an easy target due to her gender and her size. Though I agree she’d make a hell of a fighter, she chose to dedicate her life to helping those who can’t help themselves instead.”
“And she’s the best of our squad,” Noah said proudly.
“I can see that,” Les said, dropping the ice pack from his jaw and holding it out. “I think you could do with this now.”
Serena hesitated but then smiled and reached for it with her unhurt hand. “Thank you. I really am sorry about your jaw.”
“Don’t be, it will remind me not to assume chairs are unoccupied and that afghans can have a life of their own.”
They chuckled and rose as Derek stood. “I’m very glad a few bruises were the worst of it but would advise that from now until you leave Rawhide, that you don’t let Miss Serena wander alone. We don’t want any harm to come to anyone, much less someone who offers their lives in service of those in need,” Derek said, his tone both gentle and respectful.
“Don’t worry, we won’t,” Ford assured their host after setting Serena onto her feet. “We didn’t know she’d left the room this morning until you called.”
Noah had to grin that yes, the man was indeed wearing a full set of superhero pajamas under his denim jacket. The fact he hadn’t bothered to take time to change only went to prove the owner of Rawhide was as sincere in his duty to help others as the three of them were.
“Thank you for calling us,” Noah said before opening the door to the lobby.
“You also might want to stop by the infirmary and get a fresh ice pack for her hand,” Derek said just before the door swung closed again.
“I’ll get that. You take her back to the room,” Noah said, patting Serena’s shoulder as she and Ford passed him.
* * *
This was one of those times Serena wished she was a different kind of woman. Maybe then she could break down and cry out the leftover fear and residual adrenaline that pulsed through her body.
Being startled awake and tumbling out of the chair, cocoa drenching her as the afghan became an impossible prison of yarn and squishy jelly had been frightening. Realizing she had struck a man who was only doing his job had been humiliating. When Luna had finally succeeded in calming her down and peeling the afghan off the two of them, she’d discovered she was not only soaked by the hot cocoa she’d spilled but had to peel the now very squished, very messy cherry donut off her shirt. With Master Derek’s arrival and their retreat to his office, the moment she’d spied an unoccupied corner, she’d wanted nothing more than to step into it and hide her embarrassment.
Once Ford guided her out of the office and they started across the lobby, the pain in her hand and the shock of what had happened over the last thirty minutes hit her. Reaching out, she clung to him as she began to shake.
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s over. You’re all right,” Ford murmured.
Her brain had grown fuzzy and he was the only thing keeping her on her feet. She wished Noah was here as well, but he had gone off somewhere.
“Serena? Talk to me,” Ford said as she staggered toward the hallway where she knew their room was located.
But she couldn’t talk to him. She couldn’t form words. It took all her concentration to stay on her feet and put one foot in front of the other.
He seemed to understand because he stopped asking questions and just helped her down the hall and into their room. She didn’t remember dropping her tablet somewhere until they were back in the room and she was sitting on the side of the bed.
“My tablet,” she said, her tongue feeling too big for her mouth. She wasn’t sure she’d even said the words aloud.
“We’ll get it back, honey. Don’t worry,” Ford assured her as he knelt in front of her, staring up at her hard. “Right now you need to lie down and rest.”
Serena didn’t argue or wait for him to pull her filthy shirt off. She simply relaxed and fell over on her side. She then pulled her legs up to her chest like the little pill bugs she used to torment as a child. When Ford stood and moved away from the bed, the fuzzy bubble of shock closed completely around her and she was oblivious to anything happening around her.
When Ford and Noah had told her they were taking her to a BDSM resort for a week of fun and games the last thing she’d expected to happen was being involved in a fight with a complete stranger.
Was she to blame for the incident because she’d left their room to spend a few minutes by herself? They’d been at the Ranch for two days and although they had definitely enjoyed some sexy times, Serena still felt like she was failing at being their submissive.
Would Ford and Noah decide to go home and forget these past few days had ever happened? If they did, could she go back to just being their renter and coworker? Would they force her to move? Would she have to find a new job somewhere else?
She sniffed as a single tear burned its way down the side of her face.