Show Me, Baby:A Masters of the Shadowlands Novella(35)

When she opened her eyes, his gaze met hers-hot with lust.

Her expressions of enjoyment stopped abruptly.

But, after clearing his throat, he returned to their conversation.  "Seems like your Shadowlands notes said you wanted a part-time Dom. Not a  full-time one."         

     



 

No, this would not be a topic they'd discuss. Not when the subject  increased her sense of loss. "Nothing I'm going to worry about now,  since it'll be a while before I get settled in and find a new club."

The muscles in his jaw grew taut, and his eyes turned an ice green.

He still wanted her to stay. The realization tightened her throat. Don't  cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. She forced her lips to tilt up. "So, what do  you think of Miami Heat's chances against Orlando?"

"I think you are changing the subject," he said softly. "We're going to-"

A man crowded their table. "Rainie."

Rainie looked up. "Bart? Aren't you supposed to be in Europe?"

"Yes." He almost spit the word. His stocky frame was rigid with a fury  she hadn't seen since one of their truckers committed a hit and run. "I  had to cancel our plans … to come back and save my business."

Cory must have made a mess of things. No surprise there. "I'm sorry Cory-"

He slapped the table so violently the glasses rattled. "I hired you when  you had no references. Gave you a good salary. Responsibilities.  Trusted you."

Wait … he wasn't mad at Cory, but at her. Her breath clogged in her chest. "Yes, you did. And I worked my butt off for you."

He leaned in, glaring into her face. "Sure you did."

"That's enough." Jake rose.

Bart ignored him. "You walked out the door the minute I needed you. No notice. Left my boy in the lurch."

When Jake stepped between them, Bart made a disgusted sound. "You aren't worth yelling at."

He stomped across the room, pushing people out of his way.

Rainie stared after him. But, but, but …

"Rainie." Jake sat next to her and tucked her into his side. "Easy, sweetling."

Bart disappeared somewhere in the room. She couldn't pull her gaze away.  The music and conversations were drowned out by the clamor of pain in  her head. In her heart. He thought she'd walked out on him. He'd yelled  at her. She put her hands over her mouth to hold back the sobs.

"Shit." With gentle fingers against her cheek, Jake forced her to look  at him. "Baby, I've seen you remove the hide from two old dragons. This  was just one man, and he was wrong. Why didn't you lay the truth on  him?"

"He is"-her voice broke-"he was a friend. Gave me a job. Trusted me.  Just like he said." Self-loathing poured blackness through her veins. "I  should have tried harder to work with Cory."

"Rainie, his son attacked you. You didn't walk out."

"Oooo, is the whore crying?" The whisper came from the nearby table of classmates.

Rainie stiffened as the comments grew louder. "Look, Sheffield's got it bad. Is he pussy-whipped or what?"

She tried to pull away. Jake shouldn't hold her. Shouldn't-

His head tilted, and he scowled. His arm was an unmovable iron bar around her.

"Let me go," she whispered.

"The rude assholes really do bother you, don't they?" He tipped her face  up again, but she closed her eyes to avoid the disgust that must be in  his. "Babe, they're fucking insecure, needing to drag someone else down  to feel adequate. Ignore them."

What? Her gaze met his. He didn't appear angry with her. Or disgusted.

His lips quirked. "What did you think I was going to do? Toss you out of  the booth in case your unpopularity with a few losers might be  contagious?"

She barely kept from nodding.

He stared. "Seriously?"

He honestly didn't care what her classmates said? He'd called them losers. Her fingers were icy. Little tremors shook her body.

But Mandy and Jefferson were losers. She closed her eyes as the truth  sank into her bones. She had friends, teachers, mentors who considered  her valuable. Strong. Why did words coming from losers upset her so  badly? Maybe her judgment scale was skewed if nasty comments from those  she didn't respect weighed more than opinions from people she valued.  Somehow, someday, she needed to think about that.

"Rainie." Jake squeezed her shoulder. "That old guy, Bart. He needs to hear the truth."

Misery was a heavy anchor, dragging on her heart. "He thinks his son is a good person."

"Mmmhmm. He might hope, but I doubt he believes it. He's hurting because he thinks you let him down. You, he trusted."

Even knowing she should shift away, she couldn't leave the comfort of  Jake's arms. She leaned her forehead against his chest as she tried to  work out what to do. How did a person choose a path when each ended in  pain?         

     



 

But Jake was right. Bart thought she'd betrayed him. Even worse, if he  didn't comprehend the dangers of leaving Cory in charge, Bart could lose  his company.

But … oh … facing Bart would be much more difficult than merely walking away.

This time when she retreated from Jake's embrace, he let her. She firmed  her trembling lips. "You go on home. Thank you for the advice."

"What are you planning?"

"I'll talk to him." God help her.

"You're not facing him alone, sweetling." He rose and helped her out of the booth. "I won't butt in, but I've got your back."

Her eyes blurred with tears. "Don't be nice, damn you." She slapped his  arm, knowing she was one small second from bursting into noisy sobs.

"Right." The lines fanning from his eyes creased, although he didn't  smile. His knuckles brushed a tear from her cheek gently enough to make  her heart ache. "I'll work on being mean."

"Th-thank you."

She'd broken up with him. So how could her love continue to grow and  expand until her heart felt filled to bursting? How could that be?

As they wove through the tables, she spotted their destination in a  booth under a bank of night-black windows. Bart and his wife, Tilly, on  one side.

Cory sat on the other side. Clean-shaven, groomed, suited up and looking  like a Boy Scout-except for his swollen nose still bearing yellowing  bruises.

When Bart spotted her, he rose. Watching his face darken with anger was  like taking a knife in the chest. When had she come to love the gruff  old man? Why hadn't she ever told him?

Her regrets were like an echo in a rock-lined valley. Too late, too late, too late.

Cory saw her and stiffened. "What the fuck is she doing here? Beat it, bitch."

"Cory," his mother gasped. "Language."

Rainie pulled a shield around her heart. If she didn't speak now, she'd  never find the courage again. "Give me one minute, Bart, and I'll leave  you alone." Chin up, she held the old man's gaze.

"Spit it out, Rainie." Bart's jaw was tight.

Behind her, Jake stepped closer, giving her the warmth of his body. Of his support.

Cory glared, malice coating his expression.

She swallowed and forced the words out. "You never knew this, Bart, but I  first met Cory when I was sixteen and living with a drug dealer."

"A drug dealer? Sixteen?" Tilly gasped. Her face changed, worry filling  it-and Rainie realized it was for her, a teenager in a bad situation.  Bart's wife had a heart as big as his.

Bart merely nodded. "I knew. Lily told me." His bushy brows drew down. "Why would Cory have been there?"

"He came to buy drugs." This was like wading through a swamp of ugliness  with the muck of her past dragging at her feet. "Then he wanted to buy  me for s-sex. Had a fight with Shi-with the dealer and Cory ended up  thrown into a dumpster."

She saw Bart and Tilly's expressions. Complete disbelief. It hurt, and her momentum faltered.

Jake squeezed her waist. "Go on, babe," he murmured.

God, she loved him.

She forced her gaze back to Bart. "When I got a job with you and  realized Cory was your son …  Well, it was an unpleasant surprise for both  of us."

"You are full of bullshit," Cory burst out. "Bitch, I never met you before and-"

"Be quiet." The dominance that had made Jacob Sheffield a Master in the Shadowlands filled the air.

Cory turned pale, and with a jerky movement, slid as far away in the booth as he could get.

Well. The wonder of having her own hero at her back loosened her throat,  letting her continue. "The day before I quit, Cory took over the  scheduling. You know Larry tends the baby when his wife works, and he  needs those afternoons off. Cory ignored the requested-time-off slips  and scheduled him anyway. Larry had a fit, and Cory fired him."

"Fired Larry?" Bart looked as if someone had punched him. "He's one of the most reliable ones there. Cory, you-"

Rainie continued, "After I wrote out Larry's paycheck, Cory ripped it up  and said he wouldn't pay Larry, even though he'd worked all month. We  argued."

"That's bullshit," Cory snarled. "You-"