Chapter 13

The first thing Jenna noticed when she woke up was the soreness in her muscles. All her muscles. Every place. In the bathroom, she checked herself out in the mirror. No visible marks from the ropes, but Master Lex was very careful not to leave marks where they would easily show. She did, however, notice the smile she couldn't brush away. Last night had been incredible, but then, with that particular Dom, it always was. Memories of the extremely intense orgasm stole over her, and she felt an automatic flutter in the walls of her pussy. She had to squeeze her thighs together in an attempt to still it.

"No Mr. Pink today," she told her reflection.

The next round of guests wasn't due for another day, giving her the time she needed to recover from her visit to Club Magique. She should have gone there before last night, she thought as she turned on her shower. The session with Master Lex had more than taken the edge off and given her the confidence to face the too-hot-for-his-own-good Dylan Acosta without acting like a hungry sub.

Master Lex was exactly the kind of Dom she needed. He was demanding during their sessions but at the same time permitted her to hold back that part of her that was at her core. If only she could find a man like that to love.

Love?

She startled herself so much that she forgot to adjust the temperature on the shower and stepped into an icy cold spray. That certainly shocked her into reality. Stop daydreaming, she chided herself. You had a great night last night. Enjoy it for what it was. She needed to stop looking for the impossible.

She rolled it around in her mind while she dressed for her lunch date with Toni. She was still having this conversation with herself when she came downstairs and nearly walked smack into Dylan and his partner, Toni's brother Rob.

"Oh. Sorry." She looked from one to the other. "Did you need something? Today is my day off, and the calls are forwarded to the answering service. I'll be out but I'll check regularly."

"Tearing up the town of El Segundo with my sister?" Rob grinned at her. "Don't get too wild."

"I discovered that you have a tiny restaurant here called, of all things, Mario's, that has the best Tex Mex I've eaten since I came to this area. We're going to gorge. Then I'm going to the boot shop I spotted and treat myself to some new footwear."

"Good for you. Enjoy."

"Nobody answered my question." She looked at Dylan, who was staring at her intently. "Was there something you wanted?"

The look he gave her was so intense, she was sure he could see right inside her. Maybe even see her memories of the previous night. She hoped she wasn't blushing.

"I just wanted to check the reservations for the incoming group one more time," he said at last. "Before you left for lunch." He frowned at his grinning partner. "To make sure we have enough hands in place and enough supplies."

"You do." She looked at the two of them. "I'm happy to print out the list, but the supplies for my end of the operation have already been ordered. One of the hands is picking them up today. Roy Jacobs is taking care of the stable end of things, as usual." She frowned. "Was there something special about this group that I missed?"

"No." His gaze never left her face. " That was all. I assured Rob you had everything under control but he wanted to double check."

Rob burst out laughing. "I wanted to check. Oh, yeah, Jenna, that's right. I wasn't sure you had everything under control." He couldn't stop laughing.

"I understand your riding lessons are going well," Dylan said in an abrupt change of subject. "Roy had some very complimentary things to say about you."

"I'm glad. At least I haven't fallen off and the horse doesn't run away when I get ready to mount. I'd say that's progress." She looked at her watch. "So, if that's all, I need to be on my way. Toni's probably already waiting for me. See you all later. Oh." She grinned. "Be sure to lock up, guys. The boss is a bear about that."

Now it was her turn to laugh as she headed out to the parking area.

Toni was already waiting for her at Mario's. She'd scored a table on the patio underneath the lattice roof that gave just enough shade from the sun. She already had a margarita in front of her.

"Look at you," Toni said, "in your jeans and blouse and fancy boots. Is this the same woman who never went out except in a suit and heels?"

Jenna flipped a hand at her. "I consider this my uniform for this stage of my life. I'll have what she's having," she told the waitress who appeared tableside, then sat back and let out a long breath.

Toni grinned. "Is that a sigh of satisfaction, frustration, or relief?"

"Maybe a little bit of all three." She looked across the table at her friend. "I do love the job, and I have to give you big thanks for recommending me." She laughed. "Who ever thought I'd be happy working on a dude ranch, right?

"Well, that's the satisfaction. What about the others?"

Jenna paused while the waitress delivered her drink and took a big sip through the straw. "I guess relief because I won't be on my feet all day or running around trying to keep the horny women away from the ranch hands."

Toni nearly choked on her drink. "You're kidding! I thought that was just a joke my brother made up to irritate me. Only he keeps saying the women are after him."

"I think your brother is more than capable of fending off any women who think they can chase him," Jenna told her friend. "He's so relaxed about it they don't even know it when they've been turned off."

"Yeah, he's got that avoidance thing down to a tee. He and Dylan agreed when they decided to open the dude ranch part of the operation that there would be no intimate interactions with either employees or guests, and they've stuck to it."

"They have?" Jenna took another sip, looking at Toni over the rim of her glass.

Toni nodded. "And they've stuck to it. Although - " She broke off and gave Jenna a searching look.

"What? I don't mix with the hired help. Oh, wait!" She laughed. "I am the hired help."

"That's not what I meant, Miss Smarty Pants."

Jenna frowned. "Then what?"

Now it was Toni's turn to sigh. "I'm not sure if I should even mention this to you."

"Okay, now you've got my curiosity aroused. Spit it out, girlfriend."

"I probably should keep my mouth shut, but I am curious."

"About?" Jenna made a "Come on" motion with her hand.

"Rob doesn't make these kinds of comments very often, but he has mentioned to me more than once that Dylan seems more fascinated with you than he has been with any other woman in longer than he can remember."

"Fascinated? What exactly does that mean?"

Toni shrugged. "I'm not sure I know, really. It's just that Rob hardly ever says anything about Dylan and women, even as long as they've been friends. They stay out of each other's business."

"A good way to keep on being friends," Jenna pointed out. "So what's different now?"

"All I know is he's said more than once that Dylan looks like he wants to drag you to his bedroom, lock the door, and keep you there until you're both exhausted."

Jenna squeezed her thighs together to still the sudden tremors in her inner walls, glad that the table hid her movements. The intense look in Dylan's eyes from the other night immediately flashed across her mental field of vision. There had been a lot of sin and temptation in that look, and something else. Something she had not wanted to examine.

"He can look all he wants, but nothing's going to happen." She took another sip of her drink. "For one thing, I work for him. For another, I knew a man just like Dylan Acosta, long before I met you. The relationship turned into a disaster. Men like Dylan want to swallow you up whole and leave nothing but an empty shell for them to use."

"Wow!" Toni picked up her own drink. "That must have been some disaster. I can't imagine anyone being able to do that to you."

"Not any more they can't."

"Well, for what it's worth, Dylan isn't like that. Yes, he's strong. He's powerful and in control. But he'd never be happy with a woman who let him do that. He only wants - "She stopped, as if realizing she might have said too much.

"Well, don't stop now," Jenna urged. "He only wants what?"

But Toni just shook her head. "Not for me to say. But a woman could do a lot worse than that man. A whole lot worse." She picked up her menu. "Let's order. I'm starved."

For a very brief, very fleeting moment, Jenna was sorely tempted to reveal the hidden side of herself to her friend. To ask her if she knew whether Dylan was into D/s. But since she didn't intend to let anything happen between them, no matter how much she craved him, she figured she'd better keep her mouth shut.

"Not to ruin our meal," Toni said, once they'd placed their order and asked for two more drinks, "but I think I should warn you about something."

"About what? Can't be something with the Hotel Sam. I don't work there anymore."

"But that asshole Bergmann is still the manager, and he's like a mad dog with a bone."

A prickle of unease traveled up Jenna's spine. "He doesn't know where I am, right? I changed my cell phone number and only gave it out to about five people. I changed my driver's license just in case he had someone who could run the system for him. I even moved my bank account after I cashed my last check from the hotel."

" Look." Toni reached across the table and put her hand on Jenna's. "I don't think he'd go so far as to track you down here. At least I hope he wouldn't."

"Maybe. But you heard the same stories I did. You now, about the woman he stalked until he practically ran her out of the business? And the one who had to move across the country to get away from him?"

"He uses his father's power and money to make people afraid of him." Toni drained her glass. "I think I need another of these after bringing up that jackass. I just want you to be careful. He's been looking a little unbalanced lately.

"Let's hope when he can't find me he'll give up and look elsewhere. Besides, he actually has a hotel to run. I just wanted to give you a heads up. You know, in case." She stopped as the waitress approached their table with a loaded tray. "Now, let's eat."

Jenna picked up her fork but somehow her appetite had faded.