His Ransom 4(17)

I nodded and sipped my wine as we moved onto other topics, but I couldn’t help but think that Jake was leaving tonight. I didn’t have much time left at all.





Chapter Eight

I took the elevator up to the apartment and breathed in deeply. I wanted to apologize to Jake and talk to him about how I felt. But when the elevator doors opened, I was greeted by an empty apartment. A trail of rose petals led from the elevator down the hallway.

Rose petals?

There was a small slip of paper on the ground amid the petals. I bent down and plucked it off of the floor.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” It read. “Let me make it up to you.”

I walked down the hallway, kicking my shoes off as I went. The rose petals led down the wooden floorboards all the way to the bathroom. A thick plush bathrobe hung on the door. From one of the pockets, a note peeked out.

“Take your time getting ready for dinner. I want you to be COMPLETELY relaxed.”

Inside the dim bathroom, a steaming hot tub greeted me, candles flickering around the edges of the water. There was a bottle of red wine next to the tub, one glass already poured. Soft piano music trickled from the speakers overhead.

I smiled and stripped off my clothes to step into the tub.

Ahhhh. I needed a long hot soak to relax my muscles. The hot water was scented slightly with vanilla oil. I let the water seep over me, imagining it soaking into my skin, deep into my bones.

As I lay in the tub, I thought about Rachel wanting to move to New York City to become a singer. Her parents were the same as mine—farmers trying to survive. And seeing her again made me feel like I had abandoned my family for a life that was empty of meaning.

Did my paintings mean anything?



Jake said that he liked my paintings, but maybe all of this was a grand romantic gesture. He gave me a studio, he gave me a gallery, and he gave me all of his art clients. What on earth did I bring to the table?

I wondered about my own parents. Dad never did anything romantic like this for mom. The most romantic things he ever did was waking up early to milk Gerri Sue so that mom could have fresh cream and strawberries for breakfast. Those strawberries…

I remembered my dad offering a strawberry to mom. Feeding her. I was such a tomboy back then. I’d groaned at the sight of my mom and dad in the thralls of a romantic moment. Now, I realized how sweet he’d been. It was the simplest thing in the world, and it had meant so much. It was such a romantic gesture. I thought of them as equals, equally unromantic but equally loving. They both worked hard on the farm.

I wasn’t an equal to Jake. Not even close.

Letting myself slide down farther into the tub, I tried to make all of my doubtful thoughts melt away with the steam. I took a sip of the wine and let my anxieties bubble away…

Nearly an hour later, I got out of the tub, sighing. The wine glass was empty, and I stood up dizzy from the heat and the alcohol.

I opened the bathroom door and stopped in my tracks. The red rose petals that had been leading to the bathroom door were gone. In their place was another trail of petals, smaller white ones.

I bent down and picked one up. Star jasmine. I sniffed it, letting the aroma waft through my nostrils. There was another note, too, on the floor.

Roses are boring, and you’re anything but. Get dressed and come see me…

“Jake?” I called out. There was no answer. He must be here, somewhere in the apartment. I thought briefly about going to find him. But he’d told me to get dressed, and I wanted to find him in a good mood. That meant following orders.

There was a dress on the bed, a pale blue sheath of chiffon and silk. It was backless, with a built in bra. Nice. I pulled it over my head, the fabric wisping along my skin. Pale blue sandals completed the outfit, with only a slight heel. Jake’s tastes were beginning to match my own, I supposed. Or maybe he was just realizing that when I wore heels, I waddled around like one of those hippos from Fantasia.

At my dresser, I opened the top drawer. To my surprise, it was empty except for a single note:

No underwear.

“Fine,” I said aloud, the beginning of a smile creeping up my cheek. “Have it your way.”





Chapter Nine

The trail of star jasmine led all the way back to the hall. I walked quickly, knowing as the trail turned the corner where Jake was leading me.

The mirrored room.

I saw it outside the door before I saw his note. Put it on, then knock.

It was the diamond-studded collar he’d offered me before. When I’d seen all of the women at Jake’s birthday party wearing collars, my first reaction had been disgust. Who would let themselves be led around like a pet? Like a dog?

Now, though, I picked up the collar and held it in my hand gently, turning it. My heart fluttered. He’d told me that for me, the collar meant that he possessed me, heart and soul. That he would take care of me as long as I was his.