BLIND: A Mastermind Novel (27 page)

He could hear her moving around on the other side. Reaching in his pants, he quickly shifted his erection as much as possible. He needed to get out of there.

Stifling a whimper, he winced and slowly paced away from the door. There was a bottle of champagne in his room. He’d be icing down his balls with it as soon as he relieved some of the tension.

He couldn’t survive much more of this.

Chapter Ten

Reflection

Sometimes the human brain could be so thoroughly entertained, all connection to reality can be severed, and the return to the real world took a bit of adjusting. Scarlet referred to this as the movie theater effect. She was suffering the results of such at present, only a million times worse.

Her reflection in the dimly lit dressing room was not anything she recognized. How had her hair turned into such a wild mess of tangles when he hadn’t touched her there? Her face was flushed and she looked as though she’d been through the rinse cycle—that or thoroughly fucked.

Her body acted as though a foreign cloak rested on her nerves. Every bit of flesh tingled with awareness and parts of her she couldn’t identify begged for more of what was now gone. If this was desire, it wasn’t like any sort she’d experienced before. She felt raw, needy, and, well…horny.

Shutting her eyes, she tried for steady breathing. No longer blindfolded, she again experienced a strange longing for darkness, finding the obscurity oddly comforting. Unexpectedly, what she originally opposed, she now yearned for, associating the sensation with him. It was as though she were forming a sort of Stockholm’s fondness for blindness.

Her clothing uncomfortably covered her frame, abrasive in a way it hadn’t seemed before.  Her appearance should have slowed her exit, but puzzlingly she didn’t care. Her mind was too numb, too distracted to pay attention to what others might think of her ragged exterior. All thoughts consumed by what was happening inside of her, what he’d done to her.

Exiting the room, she blinked at the unwelcome light. Discovering it was only late afternoon disoriented her even more. Her mind wanted it to be evening.

Pennyworth stood as she entered the waiting room of the spa, placing a fitness magazine on the table. “Did you enjoy yourself, Ms. Farrow?”

She nodded tightly, certain he was aware Mr. Stone had come into the room. Approaching him, she whispered, “Is he here?”

“I can’t answer that. Would you like to go to your suite now?”

He’d arranged a suite for her, she’d nearly forgotten. She had no experience with this sort of spoiling. “Okay.”

Pennyworth took her arm and escorted her through the hotel. They took the elevator to the top floor and he handed her a keycard. “I’ll be in room three o’seven if you need me. Otherwise, he’s left you instructions.”

Her heart fluttered at the suspicious hope Mr. Stone would return again that night. Sliding the key into the door, she thanked Pennyworth before he left.

Her jaw unhinged as she took in the space. Holy mother of luxury. She giggled. This had to be a dream. Stepping into the room, as if she were trespassing, she studied the space.

A large bed dominated the far wall. Plush pillows and blankets—all the color of snow—added several inches to the mattress. The furniture was darkly polished wood and the curtains were drawn. In front of the window were two high back chairs angled around a small accent table.  A glass and a bottle of Merlot sat on the table and her stomach flipped at the sight of a wax sealed envelope.

She rushed forward and tore open the seal.

Ms. Farrow,

In the closet you will find two outfits. I assume it will be clear which was chosen for work. Take a bath, have a glass of wine, then dress and go to the Imperial Room for dinner. Reservations are under Stone for eight o’clock.

Mr. Stone

A.R.

She darted to the closet and found two garment bags hanging, and a small boutique bag resting on the floor next to two shoe boxes. Her fingers reached for the bags and stilled as awareness took hold.

This was it. This must be the sense of adoration she’d been waiting for. Every nuance, every detail, it all added up to total attention, yet, the more he gave the more prominent the still hallow spaces became. There was one thing she wanted beyond all the luxury, one thing she’d exchange for everything—
him.
She wanted him.

Suddenly overwhelmed, she backed away from the closet and perched on the edge of the bed. He made sense of her, understood her wants in a way that made them just and appropriate, but there was a great fear linked to his presence in her life. What would she be if he disappeared? She didn’t want to go back to just Scarlet. She much preferred the Scarlet she became when with him—free and brave.

Her vision blurred as a tight and painful realization clamped down on her heart. She wanted to call him, but couldn’t. She didn’t have his number. Sniffling, a tear slipped from her lashes and fell to the floor.

“Thank you,
”
she whispered, hoping he realized how much all this attention meant to her, told her that someone believed she was worth such focus.

It was so surreal, she wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of their encounter she were slammed with an enormous bill. What could he possibly be gaining from all of this? She hadn’t even kissed him.

Strange, the indebted feelings reminded her of all she could offer and one thing stood in the forefront of her mind. Sex. Earlier she’d worried that he might have health issues, but now that didn’t seem as troublesome as it did heartbreaking.

She’d ask him. She had to. Not because she intended to pay for his kindness with sexual favors, but because if something were to happen to him… She couldn’t even finish the thought. She just hoped he was healthy.

You’re falling in love with him.

No. That couldn’t be right. Her mind played over their encounters and conversations. To an outsider their relationship and the desires she was battling might seem contrived and superficial, but the emotional gifts far outweighed the material.

He made her feel things she had no reference for. Take away the hotel suite, the clothes, and whatever else lay in that closet, and her feelings for him remained the same. If he were ill, her affections wouldn’t change. She’d take care of him, nurture his needs the way he did hers. One question echoed in her mind, drawing more worry than any other. While Mr. Stone was taking care of her, who was taking care of him?

Wiping her eyes, she attempted to stave off her tears and failed. She needed that chance to show him how much she cared and worried she might never have it. 

A new sort of terror introduced itself. No longer was she afraid of a possibly dangerous man. Now she was terrified of what said man might do to her heart. He’d never demanded anything of her. He’d merely requested she trust him in order to give her everything she desired. At this point, she whole-heartedly believed he would succeed, because he’d already given her more than she’d ever dreamed.

Should she continue on this path, she’d never be the same. Ignorance had allowed her to assume and wish for something more in her love life. Now, she knew that
more
existed, but feared it might soon end.

Drawing in a deep breath, she released it slowly. How did the saying go?
Better to have loved and lost?
Or was it
better to love for a day?
No, that was
live
a day. Whatever. Her mind was made up. She was doing this. For better or for worse and all that jazz, she was giving in to temptation and letting the chips fall where they may.

No more games. She was going to give him everything she had. Hopefully it was enough for a man like him.

She wanted to settle in for the full ride and treat herself to the experience of a lifetime, certain the man in charge was capable of taking her to places she never dared to imagine even in her wildest fantasies.

Blotting her eyes on her sleeve, she stood and returned to the closet. Unzipping the first garment bag she found a red wrap dress of the softest material. It was lovely and the color would compliment her hair nicely. Draped over the padded hanger was a strand of pearls.

Smiling, pleased, she bent to the floor and lifted the lid off one of two shoeboxes. Glittering black pumps with long heels rested in a bed of tissue. Holy crap they were fancy.

She opened the other shoebox and found beautiful brown leather dress boots. They would look perfect with the dress. It was a very nice outfit.

Biting her lip, she contemplated the fancier shoes and the other garment bag. The red dress was very elegant compared to what she typically wore to work, but those shoes were definitely too formal for it. Something formal had to be in the other bag, which meant she was likely dressing up for dinner.

Smiling, she pulled open the zipper and gasped. Deep emerald lace flowed out of the carrier and she quickly unearthed the dress. It was stunning. She’d never owned anything like it.

Pulling the hanger out of the closet, she appraised the garment. Beautiful didn’t accurately describe how pretty it was. Long lace sleeves reached to the A-line waist. The neckline was wide and she wondered if her shoulders would be exposed.

She quickly checked inside, finding the bodice lined with the softest silk as she searched for a tag. There wasn’t one and she panicked thinking it might not fit. How would he have guessed her size?

He did see her coat during the times she visited his house. Oh! And he had her remove her shoes. Sneaky man. Grinning, amazed at his attention to detail, she hung up the dress and went to take her bath, anxious to put on her new clothes.

As she entered the bathroom, she was again overwhelmed by the extravagance. A basket full of specialty items like handmade soaps and lotions rested on the counter. Her smile seemed tattooed on her face.

When she met her reflection’s gaze she squealed like a little girl. “This is too freaking cool!”

She bathed quickly then emptied the contents of the boutique bag on the bed. She found panties, earrings, both pearl and rhinestone, lace stockings, a small clutch, and some other unmentionables.

No blindfold!
Her heart raced.

As she slid into the strapless bra she faced the mirror and laughed. How much time did he spend staring at her boobs? The fit was perfect.

Next came the stunning emerald dress. It fit like a glove. The only thing she didn’t have was makeup. She went to her bag and dug out her compact. Applying a dusting of powder over her freckles, she wished she had mascara. After slathering her lips with gloss she appraised the final product.

Wow. She looked really beautiful, almost to the point where she didn’t recognize herself. Reaching into her bag, she found her phone. This sort of thing needed to be recorded. Snapping a few selfies, because when she woke up from this dream she wanted the souvenir, she took a deep breath and grinned. Never had she felt so content.

She stuck her phone, debit card, room key, and gloss in the clutch and checked the room for anything she was forgetting. Her nerves were snapping in every direction and she couldn’t think straight, so she left, deciding the only thing she needed was him.

She was outside of the Imperial Room with exactly one minute to spare. Glancing around, she waited for Pennyworth or the man of her dreams to announce himself. Strangers bustled by, some formally dressed couples heading into the restaurant. He could be any one of the gentlemen in the vicinity.

Her pulse raced as she anticipated seeing Mr. Stone for the first time. It was already clear his looks were irrelevant. Gone were any vain needs for physical attributes. Fat, bald, skinny, scarred, she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was being able to finally look him in the eyes.

Assuming he was already there, she slowly approached the hostess station. A woman in a formal black cocktail dress greeted her. “Good evening. Welcome to the Imperial Room. May I have your name?”

Scarlet swallowed. “I have a reservation under Stone.”

The woman typed a name into the discreet computer embedded in the podium. “Yes, here you are. Right this way, please.”

She followed the hostess, doing her best to keep her breathing as even as possible. Her smile faltered when she saw he’d yet to arrive at the table the woman selected. She pulled out a chair for Scarlet and she thanked her.

“Your server will be by momentarily,
”
the hostess announced, removing the other place setting.