Page 24 of Slave

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend first?”

“Karl, Brianna. Brianna, Karl.”

“Brianna. Mm. Pretty name. Are you . . . ?”

“I’m assuming you came here for a reason?” Lily asked, pointedly cutting him off.

He sneered at her but answered. “Yes. I wanted to know if you had the new figures for me. My girls need to get the new number projections together.”

Crossing her arms, Lily faced him with a presence of someone twice her size. “No. I’m not done yet. I told you I’d send you the numbers as soon as I had them. You didn’t have to make a special trip down here.”

This Karl person just shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood so I thought I’d stop by. And I’m very glad I did,” he said, brushing past Lily to get to me. I cringed back as far as I could into the couch.

He wasn’t deterred, though, and reached out to brush a stray hair away from my face; his fingers lingering on my cheek. The first strains of panic began to rise. It was Ian all over again. And just like then, there was nothing I could do to stop him.

“Maybe we could go get a drink? Or something . . . ?” His voice dripped with innuendo.

“She’s busy.” I recognized the firm voice coming from the doorway. My Master.

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Stephan

She had laughed. It was brief, yes, but she had laughed. Another step forward. This was good. I liked seeing her happy.

The car ride home was solitary, as I expected it would be. Brianna wouldn’t speak unless I initiated the conversation.

She once again looked out the window, watching our surroundings. I had the impression Brianna had not gotten out much in the last ten months. This was another area of excitement for me. So many things would be available to her now, and I couldn’t wait to help her take advantage of them. All I had to do was get through that thick shell she’d put up to protect herself.

My phone rang, breaking my thought process. It was Jamie. One of our biggest contributors was reconsidering the amount of his donation due to the tough economy and needed my immediate attention; this wasn’t something that could wait until Monday. Looking over at Brianna, I told my assistant to have everything together for me by the time I arrived.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Brianna shift in her seat. She knew we were no longer going home and truth be told, I was a little nervous about bringing her to my place of business. It wasn’t that I was nervous about her, but more that I was nervous for her. Brianna had done well today, with the exception of the reptile house, and I didn’t want the pure magnitude of my office to overwhelm her.

That gave me the idea to leave her with Lily—someone she knew—and I was confident it would be a better alternative than coming with me. When I asked her if she’d like to see Lily while I took care of things, she answered with her normal yes, Master.

For once, she followed me out of the car, into the elevators, and along the hallway without me prompting her. I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips for a brief second, but then I remembered why I had to come into the office at four o’clock on a Friday.

Ross Builders. They were one of the largest construction companies in the area and had been supporting The Coleman Foundation since its inception eighteen years ago. Things were changing within their company because of Neil’s son, Cal. He didn’t have the same view on supporting local charities as his father. I had no doubt this latest development was all Cal.

By the time we reached the tenth floor, all I could think about was how I was going to talk to Cal Ross without losing my temper. Didn’t he know how many people would be denied medical help they needed if his company withdrew or reduced their commitment? And that was what really burned me. The commitment of donation had been made in January. It was April, and he was just now changing his mind.

I vaguely recalled asking Megan, the floor receptionist, if Lily was in and then walking back down the short hall to find her hard at work on the fall fundraiser. She’d been more than happy to have Brianna stay with her, and I quickly left them alone. I wanted to go upstairs and get this over with.

Jamie was a miracle worker. She had everything ready for me, including donation history, usage, and future projections. So with my weapons in hand, I sat down to call Mr. Ross.

Cal was arrogant and cocky, but one thing he wasn’t was stupid. He was playing with me, and I did not enjoy being played with. I was the one who enjoyed doing the playing.

After going over every piece of information I had in front of me, he finally relented and recommitted to his original donation. He’d come home from college last summer to take over the family business. It seemed he wanted to flex his muscles a little and prove just who was in charge now. I wanted to growl in frustration as I hung up the phone knowing it wasn’t just money he was playing with, but lives.

Shutting everything off in my office, I walked out to say goodnight to Jamie only to find she had a message for me from Diane. “Your aunt said to tell you she is expecting you and Brianna for Sunday dinner.” She paused, and then smiled as she said the last part, “I was also told to tell you that no would not be accepted.”

Great. Just what had Richard told her?

Obviously, that didn’t matter at this point. Once my aunt got something in her head, there was no changing her mind. I knew even if I called her and told her I had other plans, she’d guilt-trip me into coming.

I thanked Jamie for the message and went back down to the tenth floor. It was already a quarter till five, and I’d promised Lily I wouldn’t make her late. But nothing had prepared me for what I saw when I arrived back in her office.

Karl Walker was leaning over Brianna. My Brianna. His body language clearly spoke his intentions even before I heard the words come out of his mouth. He didn’t even jump when I spoke, but she did.

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