Kimberly turned to check out the fellows and couldn’t help but smile back at them. They both looked as if they’d been caught with their hand in the sex toy box.
“Don’t pay any attention to her,” Sebastian said, winking. “She’s a hopeless romantic.”
Kimberly lifted a brow. “I bet she doesn’t have too many stories about stalking potential future lovers and their then-boyfriends.”
“Probably not,” Sebastian agreed.
Kimberly became somber. “I’m looking at those pictures, and I mean…I’m embarrassed by them. You have to understand where I was at this time in my life. I was committed to Jason. He was trying to convince me we were just friends, but I already knew in my heart, he was the one.”
Both men bristled as if they’d been insulted.
“It’s so surreal. I mean look at these. Anyone who knows me now would swear I was aware of what I was doing when these pictures were taken.”
“Most of club goers at that time suspected foul play, Kimberly,” Sebastian said, retrieving another set of photographs.
“What are these?”
“The real effects of the drug, an hour and a half to two hours after ingestion, and the real reason why we started going to the auctions where you were. We were afraid he would eventually kill you.”
Kimberly stared at the images in shock. Several photographs depicted a young woman foaming at the mouth lying on the ground. Another one showcased a girl who looked as if she’d had a dark spirit attack her soul. Her eyes were rolled back in her head and her tongue was hanging out. She had some sort of evil expression stamped upon her face.
“This is me?” she asked, knowing damn good and well it must’ve been.
“He was doping you to the point you didn’t even know your name, Kimberly.”
“How long has my father known about this?” she asked, knowing her dads could kill Jason if they knew the truth. That’s when it struck her. “The McKays. They’re free to travel and often end up at the same functions. They’ve been watching me. Haven’t they?”
“I can’t say for sure. They were active in the lifestyle long before you started attending the functions sponsored by The Elite Gentleman’s Club.”
“How much your parents or the McKays know even now is the question,” Wyatt said. “It’s pretty much out in the BDSM community. Everyone has heard the news. The Cartwell daughter, club owner of Clink, was abducted last night.”
“And what about this guy Sweden? What does he have to do with all of this?”
“It’s possible he manufactures the drug you were given, but we don’t think so. We believe his interest in you began when you were younger and by all accounts, he wanted what he refers to as ‘his handlers’ to convince you to come forward on your own free will.
“When his people didn’t deliver you, he decided to pay Jason a handsome price in exchange for your service. We think he planned to give you back to Jason at the end of a negotiated term. However, there were stipulations. We think he wanted you untouched by two.”
“You mean a ménage virgin?”
“Yes,” Sebastian replied. “To add to what Wyatt said, Sweden is a nickname. We have no idea what his real name is. The only thing we know is that he is a member of several lifestyle clubs in the US. He was inducted into the most discriminating underground societies by paying a large sum to various club members.”
Wyatt said, “He and his brother keep a harem of women in Lund, Sweden. They typically recruit several women every three years. They want them between the ages of twenty-five and twenty-nine when they’re recruited. They then keep them a few years before selling the women to another trafficker or returning them to their original handler.”
Kimberly felt the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “There’s more. Isn’t there?”
“Yes,” Sebastian replied. “But it’s important to remember something, Kimberly. You can’t change the past. You can’t improve upon it or alter it, so why worry about it? If you don’t recall some of the time you spent with Jason at these lifestyle functions and charity auctions, do you really want to revisit those moments by having us fill in the blanks?”
Wyatt leaned closer. “In other words, honey, those memories won’t seem like your recollections just because you’re the person in those snapshots. Pictures don’t necessarily represent your memories. What good could possibly come from trying to recall a past you don’t remember, a history that really isn’t yours at all?”
“What do you mean it’s not mine?” she asked angrily. “That’s me in those pictures!”
“That’s your body, sure,” Wyatt said. “But your mind wasn’t there. You weren’t there in spirit. And if you weren’t there in spirit, you weren’t there at all.”
“You were nothing more than a tool for profit,” Sebastian said.
“You were Jason’s moneymaker,” Wyatt told her.
“I thought you said he always backed out of selling my time at the auctions.”
“That’s correct,” Wyatt assured her. “Besides, he wouldn’t have made any money off those events anyway.”
“Then how was I his
moneymaker
?” Kimberly asked. Her stomach clenched in warning. She didn’t want to know the answer. She didn’t need to hear their reply.
“Kimberly,” Wyatt began gently. “How did you think Jason earned his income?”
She shrugged. “He works from home. He moves a lot of money around. He’s private about his business, but I think he works for a crooked investment banker. He does a lot of overseas stuff. Stocks, bonds, that sort of thing.”
Sebastian shook his head quickly but she caught him in her periphery. Wyatt glanced at the pictures and turned away.
Kimberly’s eyes widened with recognition as Sebastian gathered the snapshots and stacked them in a neat pile again. “I didn’t fund his investments, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“He was selling your pictures,” Sebastian deadpanned, refusing to look at her then.
No. That couldn’t be right. She refused to believe them. Why would Jason exploit her without her permission? Oh sure, she was an exhibitionist and she loved showing off in public settings where other individuals with like minds often did the same, but this? Jason had crossed the lines of ultimate betrayal.
“Kimberly?” Sebastian snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Are you all right?”
She processed. Why was she just hearing about this? Why hadn’t someone told her of their suspicions before?
She stared down at her hands and even that lone gesture irked her. There had been an image of her lying on a spanking table. Her back was against the padded bench and her breasts were covered by her small hands, a young woman’s hands, a woman who still wore her class ring on her middle finger, a virgin.
He’d shown her body to the world when she’d been a virgin!
“There’s a bright side,” Sebastian assured her. “The men who purchased your portfolios signed waivers.”
“In Jason’s mind, he was probably protecting you even in his exploitation of you,” Wyatt further explained.
Like hell. He was covering his ass. He feared her fathers and what they would do to him if they discovered what he was doing to her!
“How many people bought the pictures?”
The room was silent for a moment.
“We don’t know,” Wyatt replied solemnly.
“I see,” she whispered. She felt as if she were floating above the room, viewing them as they tried to discuss her present and past in a matter-of-fact manner. She was numb, temporarily catatonic.
“The men purchasing the photos most likely viewed the images as art. They probably use the photos for their own personal collections but most likely agreed to never post them on the Internet.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” she asked. Fury settled in her spine, the kind of rage that made her straighten her shoulders, hold her head higher, and plot a spiteful, a very vengeful, retaliation.
“No, but we’ve kept alerts on all the search engines, honey,” Wyatt said, framing her face and forcing her to look at him. “Your pictures aren’t out there.”
“Humph. I could’ve sworn I just heard you imply that Jason made his living off my pictures.”
“He has,” Wyatt said.
“But remember, bondage models have always been in high demand,” Sebastian added.
“I wonder how much my pictures will bring on the black market after I find Jason Neely and give him a taste of his own medicine?” She paused, feeling disconnected, despondent. “Wonder if a bondage model killing her former Dom will be in high demand?”
“Kimberly, you need to let us handle this.”
“I’m enraged!” she screamed, covering her face with her hands.
Sebastian went to her. Pulling her palms away from her cheeks, he said, “Listen to me, baby. You may not realize it, but you’ve already struck him below the belt. You’ve hit him where it hurts.”
“How?” She sure as hell didn’t see it that way.
“Sweden wanted you. He and his brother have had their eye on you for years. From what we discovered, they were aware of the fact that you owned a kink club. They evidently know something of your family history which only added to the allure when they found out you were into bondage and submission, but typically played only with one.”
“So Sweden believes I’m an experienced ménage virgin?” she asked, releasing a sarcastic snort.
Sebastian and Wyatt shared one of those suspicious guy looks and Kimberly immediately thought of Trixie. She used to say she felt like such an outsider when her fellows started swapping glances.
“Sweden only pays for women who have no prior history of ménage activity in their personal sex lives. And he doubles the bounty for women who are open to bondage, specifically suspension bondage.”
A heated look of lust washed across Wyatt’s face.
“That’s where she won you over, too, and don’t deny it,” Sebastian said, waving his finger in Wyatt’s face.
“I won’t. I’ve never seen anything sexier.”
“I have,” Sebastian told him. “The two of you last night? Now that was incredible. That was top-of-the-line, over-the-top, intense as all fucking hell kind of sexy.”
“You think so?” Wyatt winked at her.
“I do.” Sebastian studied her intently. “What do you think, Kimberly?”
“I think we need to go out tonight and try it again. If Sweden wants a woman who is untouched by two, we need to make sure he understands he’s too late. He needs to know he won’t find that in me.”
Several hours later, Sebastian stood in the shadows watching as Kimberly and Cherie boarded the large superliner train in Columbia. Wyatt was standing at the other end of the station, looking for anyone recognizable.
Digging in his pocket, he retrieved his cell phone and called Wyatt. “Anything yet?”
“Not yet,” Wyatt replied. “Tell me why we’re doing this again?”
“Because we can.”
Wyatt laughed. “You bought a dome lounge car. Of course you’d feel that way.”
“Keep your head up and watch for anyone who looks familiar. Somebody with a lot of cash tried to reserve another rail car last minute. Right before Kimberly and Cherie boarded, a ticket agent approached me and asked if I would take a downgrade to a family suite.”
“What was in it for you?”
“Ten thousand,” Sebastian replied. “Somebody with a lot of money was willing to pay for their car and our trip.”
“Sounds like a Cartwell ploy to me. Any chance Kimberly’s parents are on this train?”
“No sign of them yet,” Sebastian replied. “I tend to believe Jason is on board.”
“He wouldn’t offer to buy you out,” Wyatt said. “The texts between Jason and Vince suggested he’s low on funds.”
“We’ll talk more on board,” Sebastian said, disconnecting the call in time to greet Sam Jackson from Exploitation. “Sam, thanks for arranging everything for us.”
“Don’t mention it,” Sam said, bracketing his arm around a busty brunette. “These rail events are the most sought-after functions in the community right now. If you want to send a message to Sweden, you’re in the right place. A lot of foreigners are on the train, too.”
“Any sign of Jason Neely?”
“Not yet,” Sam replied. “My guys will watch until we’re all safely on board. Once we’re out of the station, I’ll receive a final report of any travelers of interest and forward it on to you.”
“Sounds fine,” Sebastian said, scanning the woman at Sam’s side. “And who is this?”
“You haven’t met my wife?” Sam asked proudly. “Lisa, meet Sebastian Ketchum. Sam, this is Lisa Jackson.”
Sebastian accepted her hand and smiled. “Sam is a lucky man.”
“From what I understand, you’re a lucky man, too, Mr. Ketchum,” Lisa said. “Miss Cartwell has been in high demand for a very long time. After her performance last night at the club, I can see why.”
Sebastian’s chest swelled with pride as he caught a gleam of appreciation in Lisa’s eyes. “She enjoys the spotlight.”
“It shows,” Lisa said.
As Sebastian walked away, he wondered if Kimberly would still feel the same about exhibitionism. He had sensed her indifference since he and Wyatt had shown her evidence from her past. She’d seemed so hurt, so betrayed.