Gabriel's Light (Doms of Chicago) (10 page)

Tossing his napkin on the table at the sight, he stood. “If the
child is indeed
Ossie’s
, I’ll make sure he’s returned
to us, my love.” Brushing a kiss over her temple, he headed to his study.
According to his snitch at the local travel agency, when Zhenya had left
Greece, she’d taken a flight to London, and then one to New York. A call to the
Greek Consulate in New York would surely find out where the little whore ended
up.

Chapter
Ten

Shifting on the futon, Zhenya stared at the television screen
blankly. It was late afternoon and the sun was just starting to set. Next to
the futon in her swing, Sophia napped as the seat swayed back and forth. It’d
been nearly a month since she’d experienced pleasure like no other.
And all of it was at the hands of a man
who’s still stuck in the past with his dead submissive.
That was what
bothered her the most. It hadn’t been the way he’d avoided her eyes as he
handed Sophia to her that morning, before leaving as if his ass was on fire. She’d
expected it. The connection between them the night before had been more than
she’d ever experienced with Ossie, and if it frightened her, she wouldn’t be
surprised if it scared him shitless.

But she wasn’t so scared that after being held in Gabriel’s arms
and hushed every time she’d tried to speak, that she hadn’t begun to hope he
might want a place in her future. Especially when he’d finally released her to
bring Sophia to her. His acceptance of her daughter’s place in her life had
been comfortable as a pair of fuzzy slippers. The look of adoration on his face
when he’d gazed down on her daughter that morning and the several times since,
as he supervised the installment of the new motion detectors and alarms in her
apartment had warmed her through, and left her floating on a cloud for several
days.

Until yesterday,
when I realized the fantasies I’ve begun to weave around him were nothing but
smoke and mirrors. The tenderness I thought I saw, the connection I felt was
nothing more than an illusion. God, I’m pathetic.

The tears had flowed as she’d had sat beside
Nisey
,
while they watched the video of her friend’s collaring ceremony. They had
finally dried up, but she still wished she’d never requested to watch it.
However she’d been curious about it, since Ossie had done nothing more than
slip his collar on her after a night of submission. Seeing
Nisey
kneeling next to her Master, vowing to honor him with her complete submission
had brought tears to Zhenya’s eyes with its beautiful simplicity. It was after
the vows were finished she caught her first glimpse of Gabriel when the couple
were surrounded by well-wishers. As the camera had panned around, it caught a
full view of Gabriel and the graceful young woman who was obviously his
submissive. He was brushing a tear away from her cheek, and the audio had
picked up his soft words. “Don’t cry,
louloúdi
mou.”

Sitting next to
Nisey
, it been all she
could do not to whimper in agony. The pain she’d experienced had been strong
enough to rival the agony when she’d found out about
Ossie’s
cheating. That’s when she’d realized she hadn’t learned anything in the year
she’d been in America. This time she hadn’t fallen for a man incapable of
loving one woman. No she’d done one worse, and fallen for one who loved one
woman so completely that he called all his future lovers by his dead
submissive’s pet name. Her luck with men was shitty. Even when she found one
who could love a woman, she wasn’t the submissive he wanted.

“Dammit!” The curse slipped free as Zhenya hit the cushion with
her fist. “I’m so
frickin
’ stupid.” Squeezing her
eyes shut against the burn of tears, she knew she had to let it go. It wasn’t
as if she had to see the man on a daily basis or even if a monthly basis if she
didn’t want.

The ringing of the phone next to her brought her out of her
morbid thoughts. Walking into the kitchen she answered it. “Hello.”

There was a bit of static on the line and her heart plummeted as
she realized this was the call she had never wanted to receive. “Zhenya?”
Sebastene’s
voice was just as cultured as she remembered it
being, but the disgust she’d heard the last time she’d spoken with him, wasn’t
present.

It could only mean one thing. He’d found out about Sophia.

Shit!

She fingered the slender chain around her neck which held a
tracking chip
Caelan
and Gabriel insisted she wear.
It matched the one that was snuggled inside the strap of Sophia’s binky clip
just in case they got separated. Slipping down the hall, she checked the back
door lock.

“What do you want, Sebastene? I thought we agreed that I wasn’t
to talk to you ever again.” It was a struggle but she kept her voice even.

“But I wanted to talk to you. I heard just the other day from a
family friend the most interesting story. It’s said you have something which
belongs to me.” His voice, so cordial at the beginning of their conversation,
hardened.

“Like hell I do.” Moving the sash aside, she sought out the
lock. “I left Greece penniless, other than the trust fund my father set up
before his death. I didn’t take a damned Euro from you or your precious son.”
When her fingers found the tumbler in the locked position, she sighed in
relief. It was double-locked. With it being an exterior door, Gabriel had
warned her to always have the back door barred. Now she was glad she had
listened.

“You didn’t tell me you were pregnant. Or don’t you think as
Ossie’s
parents, we have a right to know our only
grandchild? You should surely remember how
Anastassia
had hoped you and Ossie would have children—”

She laughed. “I remember a good deal of things about your wife.
I remember the look of disappointment she gave me each and every time I
miscarried. I also remember her telling me how it was probably my fault I never
carried them to term, that I should go to the fertility doctor to see why,
because heaven forbid it might be an issue with her son’s sperm, or a fluke of
nature. I even remember her telling me before I left it was a good thing I
never got pregnant because she never wanted to see me again!” The bitterness
spewed out of Zhenya like a fountain. She was no longer married to Ossie, nor
was she under his family’s thumb anymore. “So pardon me, Sebastene, if I didn’t
feel the need to tell you about my child.”

“He’s just as much
Ossie’s
child as he
is yours, and as his parents we have rights…”

Zhenya fumed. It was as she suspected. He had no idea her child
was a girl, only that he needed to possess the baby, and she wasn’t about to
correct him. “A child who mattered so little to your son that he abandoned him
along with me to go get his dick wet, so don’t even pull that crap with me.”
She paced back down the hall. “And as far as you having rights, you get only
the rights
I choose
to give you. And
guess what? I’m flat out of kindness. Go screw yourself.” Hanging up the phone
before she had to listen to him spew more obscenities in her ear, she took a
deep breath as she heard Sophia cry in the living room.

Walking back into the room, she lifted her daughter out of the
swing, shushing her. Kissing her cheek, she snuggled Sophia close to her
shoulder. “Everything is okay,
mikró
pontíki
. Momma’s sorry she was so loud.” She rubbed her
hand over her little girl’s back, breathing in her fresh baby scent. She just
hoped she was right.

* * * *

Sebastene glared at the receiver in his hand. The little bitch
had actually had the audacity to hang up on
him
after chewing him out about how the baby was hers
!

“Well, we’ll see about that Zhenya
Addi
.
You’ll rue the day that you tried to steal my grandson.” Hitting a button on
his speed dial, he waited impatiently for the phone to ring. When it finally
did, he spoke in a rapid succession of Greek. Once he’d made his orders clear,
he hung up and leaned back against his chair. He should’ve realized the
american
pórni
̱
wasn’t going to be reasonable. It would’ve been so much easier to snatch the
boy if he could’ve arranged a short outing. All it would’ve taken was one brief
lapse in attention and he could’ve swept the boy out of his mother’s arms, and
brought him back home to
Anastassia
. Then they
could’ve raised him as their own. But instead now he was going to have to do
things the hard way.

Pushing away from his desk, he left his study. Pausing by the
bedroom door, he took a deep breath. His wife wasn’t going to be very happy
about the delay. Even he wasn’t happy about it. Perhaps he could take her mind
off it. A wicked grin crossed his face as he thought of several surefire ways
to distract her.
And each and every one
of them involves her getting naked.

Slipping inside, he undid the tie at his throat. He could hear
her soft humming as she sat in front of her vanity in a satin robe, wiping off
the day’s makeup. It was nearing midnight, and their hosting duties were done
for the day. Standing behind her, his pressed a kiss to the crown of her head
before allowing his hands to slip under the material to cup her breasts.
Teasing their nipples, he nuzzled her neck. “I want you,
agapi̱ménos
.
Come to bed,” he ordered, punctuating
his request with a gentle nip to her shoulder.

As she gave herself over to him, Sebastene decided life was
good. He had his beautiful wife, and soon he’d have a grandson to replace the
son they’d lost.

* * * *

“So you’re telling me your father-in-law just called you?”
Caelan
paced back and forth in front of her. Sitting on his
couch, Zhenya felt like she was in the principal’s office for spray painting
the side of the school or something. It was after eight and her nerves were
strung tight. She knew Sebastene wasn’t going to just let it go.

“Well, earlier - around four. I had just gotten up Sophia up
from her nap and had fed her.” When he whirled around to glare at her, she held
her hands up. “Don’t look at me like that. You just got home,
Caelan
and
Nisey
forgot her cell
at home, so I couldn’t call her either.”

He growled. “I’ll deal with her later about her leaving her cell
phone at home. Right now I’m dealing with you. Did you ever think about trying
me at the office? You should’ve! Do you realize with this delay I’m now going
to have to call Jude at home and interrupt his time with his Mistress?” He
stopped to glare at her. “And let me tell you Olivia isn’t going to be happy
about the interruption. You’re in the lifestyle, you know how
pissy
us Dominants can be.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Of course I do. Which is…”

 
He held up a hand. “I
don’t want excuses, Zhenya. Both Gabriel and I told you if your husband’s
father contacted you that you were to get a hold of us immediately!” His
expression softened. “I don’t understand why you didn’t. You knew the
consequences of going against us, or ignoring our rules about your safety.” He
paced back to the door. “And I’m too damned mad right now to punish you.
Perhaps I should let Gabriel do the honors.”

She stiffened, aghast at his accusation and where the
conversation was heading. She had done nothing wrong. “Wait…”

But he talked over her. “You were doing so well. Whatever
Gabriel did last time worked. You made it nearly a month. I don’t understand
what caused you to backslide.”

“I didn’t!” She protested.

“Obviously you did, because I didn’t receive a call from you
today.” He reached for the phone on the table behind the couch. “Dammit, I
didn’t want to have to call him back in here. But it looks like I’m going to
have to.”

The tone and his disappointment was the last straw. Surging to
her feet, she grabbed his arm. “Wait just a goddamned minute before you go off
the deep end! I did call. I tried you at your office. The girl who answered the
phone told me you were in meetings all day, and she’d give you a message as
soon as you were available.”

He scowled, his hand pressing the speed dial for what she could
only assume was Gabriel’s number. “Alecia never gave me any messages.”

“Then she’s incompetent,” she retorted, dropping her hand. “I
called no less than three times between the time I got the call from him this
afternoon and the time you left the office. Why the hell else do you think I
was downstairs waiting for you the moment you came in?”

Caelan
looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning back to the phone. “Gabriel,
something has come up with Zhenya. The asshole called her. I need you to come
over.” He paused for a second. “Yeah, she said she tried to contact me at work
but….no, I don’t know….sure I’ll ask her. See when you get here.”

Tears built in her eyes. “You still called him when I told you I
didn’t do anything wrong?”

“Of course I did. I’ll be checking out your story when I go in
tomorrow, and you better pray it checks out. Now sit down,”
Caelan
ordered. “And you better come up with an explanation before he gets here about
why you didn’t call him.”