A Club Esoteria Wedding [Club Esoteria 11] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

He did not seem to feel the same or he would have proposed by now. Even if he did not want to put a ring on her finger, he could at least have put a locking collar around her neck.

Reaching for her phone, she called the club and left a message for Jenna that she had delivered Lace home safely. Once she hung up, she gritted her teeth as she turned the phone off. Taurus had given her strict instructions to always keep her cell phone with her and turned on so she could answer it whenever he tried to contact her. The two times she had missed his call due to not hearing the phone or feeling the vibrations, he had punished her in a way only he could, by driving her nearly insane with arousal but refusing her release until she apologized profusely and promised it would never happen again.

With a deep sigh, she turned toward town. Though she could live anywhere in the country, Whitney could not imagine moving away from small eastern North Carolina town where she had lived her entire life, though maybe she needed to consider it. For right now, she would check into a hotel downtown and figure out a way to mend her weary, battered heart while deciding where she would go from here.

“Where the hell is she?” Taurus Green growled as he stalked across the living room of the apartment he shared with Whitney. “She should have been back here hours ago.”

Jenna, his business partner and cousin, sat on the couch and looked bored. “All I can tell you is the message she left with Antony that said that Lace was home safe and sound.”

“And why is her phone off? She knows she is to have it with her and turned on at all times.”

“Maybe she decided to go to a movie?” Gentry offered from where he knelt on the floor next to his mistress’s leg.

When Taurus spun and took a step toward him, the slave flinched and shifted closer to his mistress. Jenna murmured to him and stroked her fingers through his long blond hair as another woman would her favorite pet.

“Maybe you need to calm the fuck down and remember that Whitney is your sub and that you do not touch my boys,” Jenna said with a strong tone of Domme in her voice. “Have you been fighting? Has she mentioned anything about being unhappy? About needing a break from being your full-time sub?”

“No, nothing like that. She’s been a little quiet the last couple of weeks, but I figured it was because of the insanity we’ve all been under putting the convention together.”

As he continued to pace, he stabbed his fingers through his hair, ruffling the flattop haircut. Fear for his woman, his mouse, filled him and made it nearly impossible to think. “I want her found. Now,” Taurus stated flatly, his mood growing darker by the minute. “Who do we know on the force who can fudge a missing person’s report and get the police looking for her, too?”

“No one,” Jenna said before leaning down and whispering in Gentry’s ear.

When she straightened, he gracefully rose and walked out of the apartment without a word.

Taurus watched him close the door to the lobby before turning back to Jenna. “What?”

Jenna gave him a look that was both serious and sympathetic before she asked, “What are you going to do when you find her?”

“You mean after I confirm she is safe and unharmed? I’ll probably put her over my knee and spank her until she can’t sit down for a week. Why?”

Taurus moved across from where his cousin sat and threw himself into the overstuffed chair that was his favorite place to sit. It felt odd not to have Whitney in his lap as he usually demanded. He loved to cuddle with her as they caught up on the news or watched one of the old movie channels he loved.

Instead of answering his question, she asked another one of her own. “What are your intentions toward Whitney?”

“My intentions? What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You have been her Master for two and a half years without any other commitment. How long do you plan to continue as you have? She does not wear a collar unless she’s in the club, and she isn’t wearing a ring on the all-important finger,” Jenna said as she pointed to her left ring finger, “and she’s not stupid. She’s watched couples meet, play, get collared and engaged, even married while she exists in what has to be a scary position. She is your submissive, your mouse, but not your woman.”

“Of course she’s my woman,” Taurus blurted out in automatic defense before Jenna’s meaning really sunk in.

“Really? When was the last time you took her on a date that did not include going to the club? Have you ever just taken her to dinner and a movie? Out to lunch that wasn’t somehow connected with club business? Or even just out for a cup of coffee to talk?” Jenna continued as if he had not spoken. “Have you ever spent time as just Taurus and Whitney?”

Though he wanted to argue with her, he stopped and thought about it for a few second and realized she was right. Though he loved his little mouse more than anything in the world, he had not told her by either his words or actions.

“Shit,” he grunted, running both hands through his hair in a frustrated gesture. “So what do I do now? She’s disappeared without a word.”

Jenna smiled as she stood up. “Not completely. She had her cell phone, and it’s probably turned on. If not, you might want to check her credit cards for recent charges. But, Taurus, I want you to think carefully about this. You are the dominant in this relationship and as such have done a shitty job of taking care of your subbie. I didn’t realize what was going on or I’d kicked your ass long ago. From now on I’ll be watching, and if you hurt her again, I’ll step in and find her a Master who will be able to love her as she should be.”

Taurus nodded as he crossed to the work area he had set aside for Whitney. “Her computer and cords are gone.”

Striding into the bedroom, he checked her wardrobe. Other than the sexy little outfits she wore to the club, her wardrobe was rather thin. He had not thought about it, but Whitney had not had been shopping for clothes, except at Lace’s house, since she had moved in with him more than a year ago. He looked through her panty drawer but could not tell if any were missing, as he had bought her so many over the past months. When they were in the apartment, those were all she wore, if that much. Looking at the rest of her clothes, he did notice a couple of shirts and her favorite denim skirt were not where they normally were.

“She took some clothes, too,” he said as he returned to the living room.

“Sounds like you’ve got some work to do,” Jenna said without a hint of pity in her voice. “First thing is to figure out if you really want her back—”

“No, the first thing is to find her, make sure she’s safe, and bring her home so we can work things out,” Taurus cut her off as he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. “Lock up on your way out.”

“I hope she says no if you go at her like a stubborn, bull-headed ass without thinking things through,” Jenna said as she followed her cousin out of the apartment and made sure the lock was set before she pulled it closed.

Taurus held the elevator for her, and they rode down to the first floor in silence. When they stepped out of the elevator, Jenna grabbed his keys.

“What the fuck?” he asked, extending his arm palm up. “Give them back.”

Jenna shook her head. “Not until you listen to me.”

Taurus huffed a sigh. “What?”

“I want you to go into the garden and calm down. You also need to figure out what went wrong with your relationship and whether you really want her back. As Whitney’s Master, you fucked up somehow, but she must have felt she could not have talked to you about it. You need to figure out what went wrong and come up with a way to fix it.”

Taurus had already come to that conclusion, but did not want his cousin to know she was right. She was too confident in herself as it was. “And while I do that, she’s getting farther and farther away,” he groused, wanting to look for Jenna and not sit on his ass and think about what went wrong with his relationship with his submissive little mouse.

“I’ll have Antony get on the computer and tag all her cards. We’ll be notified as soon as she uses one of them,” Jenna said as she tucked the keys into the top of her corset. “Gentry will call the hotels and see if she’s checked into any of them. I’ll deal with the convention.”

Frowning and grumbling under his breath, Taurus nodded and headed out to the garden. Jenna was right. He did need to calm down. Otherwise he might hurt anyone who got between him and his beloved woman.

* * * *

Whitney drove into New Bern then spent more than an hour driving around town checking out the various hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts which New Bern had to offer. Since Taurus refused to allow her to help pay living expenses, she banked all her money. She decided to splurge and stay at one of the four-star ultra-nice hotels that overlooked one of the rivers that defined the town’s southern and eastern borders.

Though she would have been fine in a small room with a double bed, she requested a king-size bed in a room with a balcony overlooking the river. She was feeling the need of comfort from any source, and the river had always calmed her. The clerk surprised her by upgrading her to a suite. She wanted to argue, but he assured her that the suite would be the same price as her requested room.

Moving on autopilot, Whitney handed over her bank debit card when asked. Once she finished checking in, she declined the bellhop’s help and headed upstairs to her room.

Her suite was at the end of the hall, as far from the elevator as one could get and still be in the building. After entering, she kicked off her shoes before closing the door and flipping the lock in the handle. After a moment’s hesitation, she secured the interior deadbolt as well.

Still carrying her overstuffed bag, she prowled the rooms, wide-eyed with the luxury she found there. She moved out onto the balcony and spent several long minutes watching the sun glint off the boats in the marina and the water farther out as it lazily made its way toward the Pamlico Sound and, ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean.

For a moment, she wished she could transform herself into a fish. Or a seagull. Or a duck. Or any other creature that did not have to deal with the problems of the heart she was having.

After releasing a long sigh, she retreated back into the bedroom and unpacked her few possessions. She was not sure she would be staying here more than one night, but she needed to settle in anyway. She was a nester and needed to make wherever she was home. After putting her clothes away, she pulled out the small vibrators Taurus had bought her for her last birthday and put them on the nightstand though she doubted she would use them.

When the silence of the suite began to grate on her nerves, she turned on the huge flat-screen TV which faced the foot of the bed. After turning the heat up to a more comfortable level, she stripped down to the teddy Master Taurus had chosen that morning for her to wear to the convention. The lacy creation that revealed more than it concealed was one of his favorites and had become one of hers as well.

Without anything else to do, she crawled into the center of the bed. Settling on top of the covers to think, she absently flipped through channels on the television, finally settling on an old black-and-white movie.

What in the hell was she thinking? No matter how he neglected her, she loved Taurus, and that love would never change. It did not matter if he collared her, married her, or kicked her to the curb for running away, she would still love him until her dying day.

She just wished he felt the same way.

Wrapping her arms around her middle, she burst into tears.

Gentry entered Jenna’s garden behind the club warily. He did not want to be the one to bring Taurus the news, but his Lady was busy with the convention. Since he was the one who had found Whitney, the task had fallen to him.

He found the club’s co-owner stalking around the path that circled the garden closest to the privacy fence. He was clearly deep in thought, so Gentry did not interrupt him. He moved toward the center of the garden and sat on the steps that led to the gazebo.

It was twenty minutes and two phone calls from Jenna before Taurus finally acknowledged him. “What?” the Dom asked as he stalked across the garden.

“I found her,” Gentry said simply, rising from the steps and falling to his knees. He winced as his knees hit the rocky path before assuming the slave position.

“Where?”

“The Sheraton downtown on the Trent River,” Gentry said to Taurus’s boots.

He then held his breath until Taurus grunted and walked away. He waited until he heard the door slam open and then squeak as it shut again.

Gentry slowly lifted his head and made sure Taurus was truly gone before he climbed to his feet. As he exited the garden, he made a mental note that the gate hinges needed to be oiled. But that could wait until tomorrow. For now, he needed to return to Mistress Jenna’s side and assure her that Taurus seemed to have made his decision and was off to track down his woman. Gentry only hoped he was not too late.

* * * *

Marching to his truck, Taurus swore as he patted his leather pants and realized he did not have his car keys. He raced inside to go upstairs. In the elevator he saw his reflection on the wall and decided he needed to change clothes as well unless he wanted the world to know what went on at Club Esoteria.