Chapter 4
Four
Rory was contemplating doing something that he knew he should not do.
“Rory,” a voice said.
He turned to find J coming out of the lounge.
“Nikki said you sent Kate home. No scene,” Rory said, frowning.
“We had a scene.”
Rory’s scowl deepened. “Where?”
“In my office.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“I wouldn’t have interfered with your scene, man. I was looking forward to it.”
“I know. That’s why I did it in my office.”
What the fuck? “Come again?”
“Don’t pull that kind of bullshit again. It’s not fair to her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Until the training is over, she’s got one master and you’re not him.”
Rory’s fists itched to fly. “I didn’t touch her.”
“I know. You didn’t need to. Whatever you said or did put her under your control. There is a entire club full of submissives. Pick any of them. Pick all of them. Let this girl be until she’s ready.”
“She’s ready now. Let me have her for a scene tomorrow night.”
J laughed. “You are unbelievable.”
“Or give her to me to train. Tell D you don’t want to do it.”
“Do you care at all what’s best for her?”
“Yes. I say that’s me.”
“Rory, seriously, go home and get some sleep or whatever you need to do to get your head straight.”
The conversation was going nowhere. “You gonna at least bring her out onto the floor tomorrow? Or should I bring a folding chair to your office?”
J laughed again. “Not a good loser, are you, Rory?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Rory said, walking away. “I never lose.”
Rory hung out in the lounge, killing time for another hour before he slipped into D’s office and picked the lock on his file cabinet.
He found Kate’s file and committed her phone number and address to memory.
He told himself he wouldn’t use it. He wanted to have it just in case something happened…
Like if they kicked his ass out of the Marquis Club for being a goddamned lunatic.
Rory had just met this girl. His rabid interest made no sense. But he didn’t care about sense. The way he wanted Kate was deep and unrelenting, like craving water after a workout.
J wasn’t wrong to tell him to sleep on things and get his head straight. It probably wouldn’t be long before J let him have her for a scene. Rory should wait and let things take their natural course.
The problem was he didn’t want to wait. And he didn’t want to have to get anyone’s permission to do things to her. He also couldn’t tolerate the thought of J or anyone else touching Kate like they owned her.
Rory clenched his jaw as he slid behind the wheel of his BMW. He shook his head. How the hell was he jealous?
He didn’t think he was alone in what he was feeling.
Of course when she bent to his will, she might’ve just been responding to his dominance and not to him personally.
He wanted to have another conversation with her.
He needed to get the lay of the land and didn’t want to wait until they ran into each other at the club to do it. Too much scrutiny there.
His fingers itched to punch in her number, but it was almost two in the morning. She was probably exhausted and asleep.
Fuck it.
He called anyway. There could be no talk of the club or the life on a cell phone, so it would have to be a different kind of a call.
She answered on the third ring with a sleepy angel voice. “Hello?”
“Kate, it’s Rory.”
“Hi. What time is it?”
“Late, baby. I just wanted to check on you. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for checking on me.” Her voice was like syrup, oozing sweetness all over him. “How are you?” she asked softly.
Better now. He wanted to draw her out, to make her talk to him all night and tell him all her secrets, but he wouldn’t. “I’m good, Kate. Go back to sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I can talk now. I’m not sure I’ll be able to tomorrow when there are people around.”
Good girl. She’d remembered not to talk about the club on the phone. So smart and so sweet. He wanted to corrupt her a thousand ways and then kiss her goodnight. J had picked the right word for it. Unbelievable.
“We’ll talk tomorrow. After you finish class, but before you go out.”
“Are we supposed to do that? Talk?”
“No.”
“But you think we should anyway?”
“Yes.” Don’t be an asshole. Give her an out. “Kate, you can say no. You can tell me you’re with someone else. You can tell me I should wait my turn.”
“Would you wait your turn? Does someone like you really wait his turn? Or do you just decide you don’t want something as much as you thought you did?”
He smiled. Should he tell her the truth? That she was his from the moment he laid eyes on her? That everything else was just noise?
“Waiting won’t change my plans. Go back to sleep. You can decide tomorrow.”
“Okay, but I hope you’ll call me. I like to hear your voice. A lot,” she whispered.
Every muscle tightened, and his cock stiffened, hunger roaring through him.
Christ! He wanted this girl like no one ever. He very nearly told her he was coming to her campus to pick her up, but he stopped himself from going that far. He’d sleep on it. They both would. In the morning, saner heads would prevail.