Chapter Four
Aurelian
THE NEXT morning, Aurelian was in his office, absently sorting through emails, his mind miles away. Last night, everything in him had wanted to ask Kait to stay.Was it a mistake to send her away?She may never come back. I thought being cold and detached would help her regain her dignity and composure. I hope I didn’t misjudge the situation.He pressed a button on the desk com and said, “Elayna, coffee please.”
“Yes, Mr. Reynard,” his assistant responded.
Aurelian tried and failed to concentrate on the screen in front of him. His mind kept circling back to the night before.Why on earth do I care so much whether she comes back or not? How do you think this is going to end, Ari?He noticed he was tapping a pen nervously against the desk and slammed it down in irritation.This is such a bloody distraction. I need to be finding Talia’s killer and clearing my name! So, why do I keep on picturing Kait over my knee? Why do I think of her kneeling before me and wonder if I’m ever going to see that again?
His train of thought was interrupted by a quick knock on the door, followed by the entrance of his assistant. Elayna set a cup on his desk.
“Your coffee, Mr. Reynard.” Aurelian took a cautious sip. It had taken her a week to remember to blend in a drop of milk and two spoons of sugar. This didn’t taste too bad, though, so perhaps she had finally learned.
“Thank you, Elayna. Could you please have Colin Turner from the finance division come and meet me in my office immediately?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Elayna.Yes, sir.Once again, images from the night before came rushing into his head. Kait standing, naked and magnificent, in front of him. Kait on her knees in front of him, eyes cast down. Kait over his lap, trying not to squirm as he reddened her bottom cheeks. Kait on his lap, buried into his chest and sobbing.Yes, Sir.
A sudden thought made Aurelian sit bolt upright in his chair.
“Good lord!” Kait wanted to become a novice, which meant she would go through training at the hands of the new submission master. He wasn’t at all sure he was happy about that. He frowned. As a submission master, of course he had cared about the women he trained, and of course there had often been a sense of physical connection and pleasure. But, on a different level, it was simply enjoying the experience of teaching women how toplaywithin a particular set of rules. The women had been taught other techniques by other masters, he taught them a particular kind of expertise, and then they moved on to yet another set of proficiencies. The novices progressed and didn’t remain in one area for very long.
This was how the Pleasure House functioned, how things were supposed to be. But in the case of Kait Pyne, Aurelian was beginning to realize he didnotwant things to be detached and professional.Bloody hell,he thought, rubbing his forehead,this is already giving me problems. I need to be focussed on my investigation, but how can I do that when I’m so focussed on Kait?There was another problem as well. Talia’s murderer had never been found. Did he have any right to risk Kait’s life to solve Talia’s killing? Even if he was already feeling drawn to Kait, this was a real ethical dilemma.
Okay, this is all getting out of hand.Time to set things in order and bring as many factors as possible under his control. First, Kait was a long way away from being ready for the Rites of Admission. While she was with him, she was safe. As far as his attraction to her, well, Aurelian really needed to find out more about who she was. He scrolled through his contacts until he found an old friend in the investigations division and called his number.
“Aurelian! Nice to hear from you.”
“Hello, Marc. Sorry to be blunt, but I need a couple of favours.”
“My friend, you know all you have to do is ask.” Aurelian had helped Marc find the love of his life, and the other man felt deeply in his debt. Marc had also been an ally in clearing Aurelian’s name during the Talia investigation, so the feeling was mutual.
“Thank you,mon ami. I knew I could count on you. First, I need you to help me go over the Talia investigation again. I have to find out if there’s anything they missed.”
“Ah, Aurelian…”
“Humour me, Marc. It’s important.”
“Bien sur. And the second thing?” Marc asked.
“I need you to do some background vetting on a woman,” replied Aurelian.
“Business or personal?” asked Marc, a hint of surprise in his voice.
“I don’t know yet,” replied Aurelian.
“Careful,mon ami.”
“I know,” sighed Aurelian.
“Ah, well, Aurelian,” said Marc with a short laugh. “If intrigue be the music of love, play on!”
Aurelian shook his head. “You’re too much of a poet to be an investigator, Marc,” he said. “Bring me what you have by tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?” said Marc in surprise.
Aurelian nodded. “I have a feeling events may move very quickly,” he explained.
“C’est bien. See you tomorrow, then.” Marc ended the call.
