My Darling Jocelyn

Chapter Two-1

Chapter Two

An hour later, Reggie thought the last of his employees was gone when he heard Dwight shout a goodbye from below, and the huge front door clicked. Dwight’s rented Cherokee roared outside, and then slipped quietly into the snowy beyond.

Reggie took a deep breath.

The peace was freedom to him.

The quiet regenerated his spirit, though it allowed the annoying moments with Cassie to return, along with a twinge of regret. Regret, not that he had ended their two year game of dominance/submission; but that it had to end. He didn’t want to count the times that he faced such dead ends with women.

Thinking the silence would go on all night, he was startled to hear the sound of paper crackling, as if someone was fast thumbing through a magazine. Jumping from his chair, he walked toward the balcony, and looked down to see an auburn-haired woman sitting on a couch below, making her way through the pages of some journal.

Taking the stairs quickly, Reggie was at the landing when he finally spoke.

“Who are you?” he blared without an ounce of friendliness in his voice.

The woman looked up at him, her face a rosy pink, and with eyes so green he could even tell the color from the distance between them.

“Jocelyn Killian,” she answered plainly, with a delicate smile breaking out across her lustrous face.

She was chewing gum and Reggie hated that.

“And what the hell are you doing here?” he asked, as he continued down the stairs to the main floor.

“My car’s not starting,” the woman answered. “I called the garage down the road. They should be here soon.” She glanced at her watch.

“When did you call?” he asked.

“Forty five minutes ago, maybe,” she replied, not at all ruffled that she’d seen nothing of a tow trunk, and the snow was getting heavier each minute that went by.

“Where were you an hour ago when everyone was leaving?” he asked.

“Building a snowman outside,” she said. She offered up a glorious smile that lit her face so Reggie couldn’t help but be pleased by the fresh, natural beauty of her infectious style.

Still, he hated the way her lips smacked as she chewed her wad of gum.

“You were building a snowman?”

“Oh! It’s been years since I’ve done anything so frivolous, I couldn’t help myself. And if you don’t mind my saying so, things were getting rather boring in here.”

“Who are you?” Reggie asked again, realizing that he’d never laid eyes on the woman.

“Jocelyn Killian,” she repeated.

“I know that, but who are you?”

“You mean, why am I here?” She had a sweet smirk on her face.

He waited silently for an answer.

She rose from her seat, “I’m a management consultant, Killian Management Resources.” She held out her hand to Reggie. “Dwight hired me for a six months productivity study.”

“Ah!” Reggie remembered now. “So I hired a firm that builds snowmen?”

“This was a pleasure event I was told,” she said. She was still chewing gum, and it still annoyed him. But he was not at all annoyed by her looks, especially the delicate changing green hue of her sparkling eyes. He recognized a warmth and tenderness from her that seemed odd considering the hard driving reputation of her firm.

“Well,” he said, “we should have met before when we could talk, and we’ll certainly have to make arrangements when we’re in the office, Tuesday perhaps. But now, we’d better get you down the road before you get snowed in with me.”

“Um, my car?” she reminded him, walking to the window. He joined her looking out at the fast falling snow.

For just an instant standing close to her, Reggie felt her warm body graze against his own. He liked the feeling though the sound of gum smacking lips was too much. “Would you please put that gum in the trash!” he said when she turned around.

The request shocked her, but taking the graying gum from her mouth she looked around for a place to deposit it, finding a wastebasket near.

“Maybe, I should call the garage again,” she said. She could tell her welcome was running out.

While she made her call, Reggie disappeared into the kitchen and returned moments later as Jocelyn Killian put the phone down.

“I’m afraid the garage won’t be coming out with the tow truck,” she said, feeling a little lost for what to do next.

“I see.”

“They said they were flooded with calls, and getting all the way out here would be too difficult.”

“Perhaps I should try to get your car started,” Reggie offered. He walked toward the door, grabbed his jacket and set off for the silver blue Mazda, the only car remaining other than his own. He knew that even if he could get Miss Killian’s car started, it might be extremely difficult to get it down the drive. But not wanting an uninvited house guest for the evening, no matter how pretty she was, he decided he had to try. Climbing into the vehicle, Jocelyn handed him the keys, and with a little patience he toyed with it until he had the engine running.

“You’re a miracle worker!” she exclaimed. But as Reggie put the vehicle in gear, he looked around seeing that nearly a foot of snow had fallen and more was coming down. The green eyed woman was going nowhere that night. He turned off the ignition and sat back in the seat, an unequivocal expression of disgust on his face. Jocelyn instantly sensed his irritation.

“Why don’t I try, what would it hurt?” she suggested.

“You’re not leaving here,” Reggie snapped. “Not tonight.” He exited the car and closed the door, trying not to slam it.

Returning to the Lodge, the two spent five minutes dusting themselves off in the doorway, neither comfortable with the situation or the gloomy silence.

“Well, Jocelyn Killian, there’s a room, upstairs, second door on the left, down the hallway. The sheets are fresh and you can sleep there tonight,” he informed her, maintaining a formal and uneasy distance.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” she apologized. “I should have had someone else try when it didn’t work for me.”

“Nothing we can do about it now,” Reggie conceded.

Jocelyn stared at him with a curious expression on her face. “You know for a man that can be so enchanting, you are cold as ice.”

He looked surprised, not by the assessment, but the fact that she would so easily voice it. “And that’s a problem for you?” he asked.

She continued to stare at him. “No, I guess it shouldn’t be,” she said. She sighed heavily, picked up her over-night bag and went upstairs.

An hour later, Jocelyn came downstairs to see Reggie sitting by the fire he’d just stoked.

“I hope you didn’t expect me to stay in my room,” she said.

“No, not at all.” His overt annoyance seemed to have disappeared. “In fact, I made some sandwiches and there’s some chili you can microwave in the kitchen. Help yourself.”

Jocelyn was slightly warmed by the more amiable Reggie, and she quickly padded off to the kitchen. She was famished. Returning to the living room, she sat down with her dinner, and for the first time looked about the enormous room with a careful scrutiny. She found Reggie’s taste in furnishings unique, seeing some unusual decorations on the walls. She was tempted to ask about them, but sitting across from her in an easy chair, he was so engrossed with work papers, she kept mum.

“That was very good, thank you,” she said, finishing the meal. “I’ll just take this to the kitchen.”

Reggie looked up and nodded at her absently.

Returning from the kitchen, Jocelyn wandered about, taking some time to inspect a curious exhibit on the far side of the great room. Attached to the wall was a display of ancient leather paraphernalia, whips, leather collars, chains, straps and a variety of implements like nothing Jocelyn had ever seen before. The intention of this collection eluded her.

“What’s all this?” she asked, too intrigued to contain the comment.

“They are tools for punishment,” Reggie said.

“Really?” she replied.

She ran her hand along a leather strap and shivered.

“Punishing who?” she asked.

“Bratty woman,” Reggie said arrogantly.

She nodded, getting pictures in her head that were strangely compelling.

“They’re quite old,” she remarked. “I suppose they were used a very long time ago.”

“I use them now,” Reggie informed her.

“Now?”

“Miss Killian, I am a s****l dominant. There are times in my s****l practices that I use such instruments on needy females.”

A warm feeling began to rise deep in her belly, something not unfamiliar. But it was odd to attach it to these strange curiosities. “You use this strap on a woman’s ass?” She was dumbfounded at the thought.

“When it’s appropriate.”

“And when is that?” she probed.

“When they ask for it, when they misbehave, when they piss me off, and when they ask a lot of questions.”

“Oh. I suppose I’m bothering you?”

“It’s beyond that point,” he said. “When I’d planned to have a quiet weekend, I end up with a loquacious and mechanically inept management consultant.”

“You must really practice being an ass.”

He looked at her piqued, all the more that she would snap at him and he had no recourse to reply the way he was used to. “Did you sign a contract with Dwight?” Reggie asked.

“Yes. $30,000, two months, iron clad. $10,000 every month thereafter.” She smirked at him as she turned away, and waltzed toward the back of the room. For good measure, she drew two sticks of juicy fruit from her pocket and put them in her mouth, making sure to smack her lips like a teenager just to annoy him. She’d never met anyone quite like Reggie Harold. He was certainly one of the most handsome men she’d ever laid eyes on, he was clearly the most arrogant, and without a doubt the most cold.

Jocelyn continued her journey through the downstairs room. “Awfully big house for just one man. You ever share this with anyone?” she asked.

“Many times,” he said flatly as he continued with his reading.

The fire crackled, and Jocelyn smacked her lips. It was all the sound in the room for a time.

“Are you going to be this annoying to work with on a regular basis,” Reggie blurted out.

Jocelyn whipped around and focused her complete attention on the man. “I’m hardly louder than your fire,” she replied.

“But that is soothing, and you are not.”

“Well you don’t have to get surly. Then again, I suppose you’re used to being this way.”

“I rescue you tonight, give you my food and a place to sleep. It seems you could accommodate my need for quiet,” he snarled.

“You know, I don’t have to put up with men like you, and I can certainly tell when I’m not wanted.” Jocelyn marched up the stairs angrily, as Reggie watched her lovely rear end swish back and forth in the skin tight leggings. She mounted the staircase and then disappeared into her room.

Going back to his work, Reggie was hardly aware of her reappearance until he heard the latch on the front door click. Jumping up from his chair, he went to the foyer to see Jocelyn walking out the door bag in hand.

“Where the hell are you going?” he bellowed.

“I told you, I don’t have to stay; I’ll get that car to town if I have to push it, or maybe I’ll just hike,” she said, her green eyes flashing.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” Reggie exclaimed.

He had her by the arm, but Jocelyn wrenched away from his grasp and bolted out into the cold snow. He barreled after her until he realized that he only had his slippers on, and he had to return to the Lodge to find his boots. By the time he reached the door again, Jocelyn was in her car, gunning the engine and spinning the tires in the thick snow.

Making his way swiftly toward the vehicle, Reggie tried opening the driver side door. “You little b***h,” he seethed, when he found it locked.

To that comment Jocelyn turned to him and glared with a saucy triumphant expression.

He was appalled by her foolishness. He’d never met anyone quite like her. Standing back, he coolly raised his eyebrows, shook his head and finally turned away, as she watched him through the window. She was going nowhere in this godawful snow and they both knew it. However, twenty feet from the house, he heard the car door open and Miss Killian emerge. Expecting her to follow him, he was surprised to turn and see her making her way through the snow toward the road. He called to her, but she refused to acknowledge him, if she heard him at all. Taking off after her, he caught up with the determined redhead, and grabbed her by the arm.