Held ~ Chapter Two

                                                    "Held ~ Chapter One" 




HELD ~ Chapter Two

Wrapping jacket and arms tighter about her slender form, Kara turned her back into the wind. Stepping up on the sidewalk, she nervously watched the tall dark gentlemen exit the nondescript sedan...a rental vehicle...now noted by the Hertz plate on the front. He hastened his step as the wind whipped across the dark parking lot. Gathering Kara in the curve of his arm, his hand resting lightly in the small of her back, he opened the door and ushered her inside. The familiar rich aroma of coffee and fresh croissants brought a smile to Kara's lips even before she spotted her friend.
     
Abby's glossy black pigtails bounced puckishly and a wide smile of delight curved her generous lips as she came out from behind the counter, her arms thrown wide for a hug.

"Tinkerbella!" she gushed with the joy of a child. Kara laughed out loud and stood on tiptoe to accept the warm embrace. Even without her five inch platform boots the beautiful, long legged Goth towered over her petite friend.

"Hey, Abs. How is...?" Kara started, only to have a pale forefinger shake negatively in front of her nose.

"Who is this?" Abs bubbled, her dancing ebony eyes devouring Kara's companion. Not waiting for an answer she circled the man, her kohl rimmed gaze giving him a lascivious look over before running a sleek, black, manicured nail through the air to measure the breadth of his shoulders and somewhere finding the audacity to lean over his shoulder and lick her lips in vampish pleasure.

Ean's gaze ran knowingly over the willowy gothic beauty, making note of the inch and a half, locked, stainless steel collar around her pale throat. Lined in leather the piece had her slave registry number engraved, intricately entwined with a flowering vine. The workmanship was of excellent quality...no toy. Striped stockings of purple and black showed above her platform boots, matching the short tartan skirt and topped off with a form hugging black stretch lace shirt. He was beginning to reform his opinion of the mid west.

Their gaze met and held. Ean knew the moment she realized. A barely perceptible flare of her dark eyes gave her away before she lowered her gaze respectfully to him.

"Ean Vaughn," he finally supplied in a deceptively soft voice.

Kara shivered, as his voice seemed to caress her and blushed as those blue eyes came to rest on her again. She was saved by Abby's voice, however her words made Kara's jaw drop.

"Welcome to the Grindstone, Mister Vaughn. Please be seated so that this one may serve you."

Obviously, Ean did not see anything strange with the address, as he once again touched his fingers to Kara's spine and directed her towards a table. He did not hesitate but raised one dark brow as the coffee shops proprietor discreetly redirected him to a table along the back wall.

"Kara chills easily. It is warmer here along the kitchen wall rather than the windows," Abby offered in way of explanation.

"Thank you."

Abby's head tilted in surprise and she grinned.

"You are most welcome, sir."

"Politeness is never out of place...Abby is it?"

"Abby Rae. Abby to most...Rae Rae to my Tinkerbella...Rae to Master, and your words mirror my own thoughts, sir. Common courtesy seems a lost art among most."

Ean nodded, his eyes drifting to Kara. Despite their seating location, the waif thin beauty huddled in her light jacket and if his ears had not deceived him, her stomach was growling.

"So do you order in code here or can a man simply get a cup of something dark and strong?" 

Abby giggled. Kara looked thoughtful. 

"You have a recommendation, Kara?" 

Color suffused her pale features and green eyes hid behind lowered lashes.  As the silence grew her fingers nervously worried the corduroy cuff of her jacket.

"You might enjoy the Café Belmondo Budapest. It is a dark roast...bold yet smooth...smells heavenly..." Her words, barely a whisper to begin with, trailed off uncertainly.

"Please bring me the Belmondo Budapest, a couple of your croissants...bakers choice...and the ladies beverage of preference."

Silence fell over the table again. Peeking through her lashes, Kara realized that Abby had disappeared...they were alone. Ean was regarding her with obvious curiosity.

"Abby and I have known one another all of our life. We were born within minutes of one another in the same delivery room, to separate mothers, and grew up in the same trailer park. We say we are twins of destiny," she answered his unspoken question, a soft smile on her lips. Instead of scoffing, Ean smiled.

Twins of destiny," he murmured to himself. "Are you a strong believer in fate, Kara?"
She nodded shyly, obviously waiting for his ridicule. Instead, he smiled.

"As am I." 

Kara smiled...but stayed silent, her eyes lowering again.

"So, how long have you been working as a waitress, Kara?"

"Almost ten years."

Ean's brow shot up in surprise and he took another long look at the youthful blonde.
"I know it is not considered appropriate to ask, however I never claimed to be a PERFECT gentleman. How old are you?" 

"I am twenty-four. I will be twenty-five next month,"  Kara grinned, her green eyes sparkling as she glanced up at him.  Ean nodded.

"A little older than I would have guessed, however that still puts you in the work force a bit early."

"I was...I have been supporting myself since fourteen," she answered, a bit of steel entering her voice as she covered up her near slip.

"High School diploma?"

"GED and almost three years of Community College."

"Impressive."
Kara grimaced at the comment.

"I do not need you to patronize me," she said, her voice strained from between clenched teeth.

"My assessment was genuine given your circumstances. You need to learn to show some respect and the art of accepting a compliment."

The fact that Ean never raised his voice did not prevent his words from cutting Kara to the quick. Shame suffused her and a knot tightened in her throat.
     
"I...I...I am sorry," she stuttered.

"What did I tell you about that word?" Ean asked, his voice deceptively soft as a dark brow quirked.

Uncertainty filled Kara's shimmering green eyes and she caught her bottom lip with her teeth as she fought to think, to speak, to breath.
 
"Does that word apply to you? Are you one who inspires pity, scorn, and ridicule? Are you contemptible...pathetic?" Ean continued, the matter of fact crispness of his tone cracking like a whip in the silent coffee shop. Abby stopped a couple of feet away, dark eyes wide and watchful, but silent.

"No, sir," Kara choked. "I...I apologize."

"Apology accepted, little one. Always there will be someone willing to put you down...do not do yourself the disservice. Hold your head high when you admit your mistakes and learn from them. Understand?"

Ean's icy stare held her gaze until the petite blond finally nodded her mute understanding. A smile softened his angular features. "Good." Leaning back, he acknowledged Abby with a nod and she stepped forward eagerly with their coffee and croissants.   



Abby absently fingered the ring on her collar as she perched on the back counter, unabashedly eavesdropping on her friend's conversation. Their body language alone spoke volumes. Kara leaned forward as she sipped her cappuccino, one slender hand occasionally gesturing expressively...palm up and open. Ean's head was tilted slightly forward and to the side as he gave her his full attention. Occasionally his strong hand crept across the table to engage Kara's own...touching fingers or capturing it lightly to stroke her palm with his thumb. Her friend's pixie like features would flush each time as she spoke in soft tones, peeking out shyly from beneath lowered lashes. The way their eyes lingered over one another made Abby feel like a voyeur. She giggled wickedly to herself. Fortunately voyeurism was on the mild side as far as her kinks went.



Ean's blood sang with the rush of the hunt. Quite honestly, he was at a loss to pin point the last woman who had intrigued him the way this one did. An alluring combination of vulnerability and hope shone from her luminous jade eyes calling out to the primitive male in him. Basic predatory instinct roared through his veins, urging him to seduce...to conquer...to satisfy his baser cravings. It was not conceit that assured he could be successful should he choose to assuage his lust, but rather an instinctual understanding of the young woman sitting across from him. That same understanding also told him that to preserve the innocence and the ethereal beauty of her submissive nature, he would need take things slow, building her trust, guiding rather than taking.   



A bleary-eyed truck driver stumbled in clutching a battered travel mug, breaking the spell. Glancing at his watch, Ean raised a brow at the AM hour and met Kara's eyes across the table. Dark smudges marred her pale skin speaking of her weariness.

"Do you usually stay out until all hours of the morning with strange men?"

"Nope...Kara is a good girl. It must be your fault. You've obviously corrupted me," she quipped, the impish twinkle in her eyes at odds with the angelic smile she presented him.

Ean laughed out loud.

"I have not begun to corrupt you, little one," he murmured, bringing a flush to Kara's cheeks. Ean smiled again. "I have enjoyed our evening, Kara. Although distance can be a bit prohibitive I have the means to travel and would very much like to get to know you better."
 
Kara's finger idly traced the colorful tiles of the table as she fought down the rush of hope his words inspired. That a man like Ean Vaughn would take an interest in her was inexplicable. He had an air of quiet sophistication about him that was out of place here in Indiana's farmland. He had been "in town" for the Notre Dame game. From nearby Chicago was Kara's guess. The confidence and command in his words spoke of education while his casual style with the high price labels suggested one comfortable with money. His white-collar existence seemed a fairytale to a struggling single mother.

"I would like that," she said smiling shyly.

                                            "Held ~ Chapter Three"