It all seems like a really bad dream. But then I awoke from my nightmare to my savior. I realize that he is standing behind me with his arms wrapped around my body keeping me warm, while tears stream down my face. He kisses the top of my head.
“Come on, Baby, you’re safe, no more bad dreams for you.” He leads me back to the truck.
Chapter Fifteen
Rejuvenation:
*the action or process of making someone or something look or feel better, younger, or more vital. *the action of restoring to a better condition.
~Derek~
The road down the mountain is peaceful, but the tense set of her shoulders tells me she remembers something. “Baby, what is it? You can tell me anything, and I will help you get through it.” She proceeds to tell me about the crash and her climb to safety. I am sick to my stomach that any woman would have to endure such cruelty, let alone try to figure out how to survive in the forest at night. We laugh together at the kick to the head of the dead guard. It’s a good sign that she can make light of a very bad situation.
We pass through a few small towns on our way to Hartford. It is closer than Boston, Massachusetts where I live and work, so that is where we are shopping today. I plan to pamper her; I hope to take her mind off her situation for a minute.
There is a quaint boutique in Hartford where I have purchased some gifts for women with the help of Sarah, the shop owner. Sarah is a beautiful woman who had shown some interest in me at one time, but we found it better just to be friends so I could continue to shop there if needed. I call ahead and have Sarah prop open the back door, so Ren is not embarrassed walking through the streets in no shoes and wearing my clothes that drown her. Sarah’s Boutique has a little bit of everything and all great quality too. We can get most of her clothing needs from here and then go to the spa down the road.
Pulling into the alley, I park right by Sarah’s back door and lead Ren inside. Sarah is waiting for us; she has even closed her shop for lunch so that we may have privacy. Watching Ren’s face light up at all the beautiful clothes warms my heart. I feel like a king being able to do these things for her. I can’t wait till we spend the rest of the day at the spa and have a nice romantic dinner afterward.
She has tried on so many things and looks fantastic in all of it. The sexy bra and panty sets are my favorites, along with the flirty sundresses that accentuate her sexy toned legs. Her face flushes a little when she shows me a few of the provocative items, but turns bright red when I grab her while she’s still dressed in those items, to kiss the hell out of her. To save Ren from embarrassment, Sarah has left us to have some privacy in the dressing rooms, and it takes all my willpower not to take advantage of her half dressed. After every outfit and accessory have been tried on, I take them all to the check out counter.
~Ren~
“No, Derek, this is too much. We don’t have to buy everything I tried on. That’s the point of trying things on so you only buy what you love.”
“Baby, do you love all these clothes?”
He raises his eyebrows at me daring me to lie. “Of course, but I don’t need them all; the shoes and the jewelry, it’s just so much. It will drain my bank account just trying to pay you back; it’s all so expensive.” The look on his face is comical. He glances at Sarah and tries not to smile as he hands her his American Express Black card. I have no idea how much money he makes, but judging from the cabin in the woods on two hundred and fifty acres, he seems to do well for himself.
We leave the way we came in, but now I’m dressed in a yellow sundress and strappy white leather sandals instead of Derek’s clothes. It feels so good to dress like a human again−to be treated with respect and feel loved. I owe my life to this man and will probably spend the rest of it trying to please him.
We leave the truck in the alley and walk around to the street out front. He takes my hand as we stroll to a little café with spindly tables and chairs out front. They do not look like they would hold a man Derek’s size, so we opt to sit inside but by a window in a sturdy looking booth. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until the scents wafted up my nose. This is the first time anything has smelled as good as Derek’s scrambled egg breakfast. I order a half sandwich of turkey, avocado and sundried tomatoes with a small cup of soup. He has two ham and roast beef sandwiches with double meat, lettuce, and tomatoes.
Holy cow, my man can eat! He is almost a whole foot in height above me, plus weighs well over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Next to my hundred and ten pounds of half muscle, although I’m in fairly decent shape, he is a giant. I like to run to clear my head and do Pilates to keep tone and limber. He looks like he weight-lifts cars.
Once we finish lunch, we head down the street in the opposite direction of the truck again. I am about to ask where we are going when we stop in front of Lusso’ Day Spa and Salon. He pulls me inside and gives the girl at the counter our names of Mr. and Mrs. Mason. I don’t know if he calls me Mrs. Mason to hide my identity or if he feels this is inevitable so why wait, but I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
“Baby, I can’t erase what happened to you, but I can try to make you forget if even for a little while.”
I reach up, grab his face and pull him down to a scorching kiss that has the front desk girl panting a little.
“You little vixen. I will pay you back for the hard on I’m sporting,” he whispers in my ear.
After our shocking display of affection, the stunned receptionist leads us to a dressing room for couples where we strip down to absolutely nothing. The heat in Derek’s eyes promises retribution for the erection that still hasn’t gone down. I quickly put on the softest, fluffiest robe I have ever felt, and he follows before we shock anymore of the staff with our PDA. He has chosen for us to get couples massage in the botanical garden outside, so we drop our robes on a nearby chair and lay face down on the beds that are placed about three feet apart. He reaches over to link his fingers with mine, and we stay like this for the entire massage. As he stares into my eyes, he becomes my soul focus, and the rest of the world falls away. Each stroke feels as if he is the one rubbing my body and we are the only two there.
Once our massage is finished, we are led into a room with a connecting bathroom. The shower is large with a built in tile seats along the walls. Massive rain showers come down from the ceiling on one side, and on the other wall is a raised rock bed that would turn the shower into a sauna.
He leads me into the shower, closes the door and proceeds to pour water over the rocks filling the room with steam. I smell lavender and immediately begin to relax even more so than after that amazing massage. Sitting down before I fall, I close my eyes to soak it all in then feel his hands on the front of my robe pulling it open. I keep my eyes closed with a little smile on my face as he slides the robe down my arms and off. He grabs my ankles and spreads my legs as he moves his body in between mine. This seat is just the right height for our bodies to come together perfectly. He looks up into my eyes and even though the steam is so thick, I see him as I’ve never seen anyone before. This man is my future. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make him happy.
“Breathe, Baby.”
He whispers against my lips. I take a deep breath just as he starts to move again. Oh my, this man is incredible!
After making love, he turns on the showers and proceeds to wash my hair and body. I don’t know how long we stay in the shower, but the look on the staff’s faces as we emerged, tells me it was a long time, and they are envious. I’m sure the glow to my skin would not have been the only thing to give us away because I can’t erase the smile on my face.
Next, we are led to the salon where they trimmed and styled my hair, applied moisturizer, mascara, a light pink lip gloss to my lips and give me a mani-pedi. Feeling like a million buck
s as I walk into the waiting area, he steals my breath away by looking incredible himself. They had also trimmed his hair and given him a straight razor shave. Oh my, he looks sexy in his well-worn jeans and button down shirt.
He was on the phone when he saw me but immediately pulled the phone from his ear and stood up.
“Baby, you look incredible. I have never laid my eyes on a more beautiful woman.”
I feel my cheeks heat and I’m glad they didn’t apply blush, or I would look like a clown. Thanking the staff, he grabs my hand and leads me back down the street towards the truck.
~Derek~
Ren has taken my breath away. When she came around the corner into the waiting area, I forgot what I was even doing. I just need to touch her to assure myself she is real and mine. She has a little color to her now that we spent our massage outside naked, with the exception of the small towel. She looks happy and healthy, much different from almost two weeks ago. We make our way to the truck and head to a busier part of town. I’m a little nervous having her exposed for too long in case her kidnappers have scouts out looking, so I requested a table on the balcony away from others for privacy. Jax had said the house was located four hours from New Hartford when I met him at the General Store. Which direction, I don’t know; I left in a hurry.
I reach over and grab her hand as I drive to the restaurant. We were in Lusso’ Spa for five hours; she must be starving. I know I am. “Is something wrong, you seem awfully quiet? Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, I feel wonderful, I just don’t know how to repay you for everything.”
Giving her a certain ‘are you kidding me’ look, has her shrinking a little in the seat and I know I have to reign in my temper. This is all new and very sudden, but I want there to be no doubts in her mind about how I feel and what I want.
“I’m sorry Derek; I’m in a very unusual position. I was taken weeks ago, along with my sister, but my life has become a fairy tale, and unspeakable things are probably happening to her. I am so happy with you, but I feel guilty over that fact. I need to be at peace with us, but I don’t know how to do that when Tori’s future is so uncertain.”
“Ren, I love you. There isn’t anything that I won’t give you. I will move heaven and earth to help Tori, but I also need Jax to help since he is on the inside of this trafficking organization. When you walked out of the spa, I was on the phone with Jax’s partner, Troy Savage. He doesn’t have any news. However, I didn’t hear the rest he was saying because you took my breath away, and I forgot I was even having a conversation. I will call him back after dinner, but tonight is about you, helping you get your life back and learning how to be an “us.” So no more talk about payments or making things up to me. I have spent the last seven years alone, never planning to spend my life with anyone until I met you. Never needing anyone until I met you, never loving anyone until I met you. The gift of you is more than enough for me. I have enough money to retire if I want. My parents are gone, so you are my priority. I never dreamed I’d want this, but now that I have it, I can’t imagine living without it. Let’s just relax and enjoy tonight; who knows what tomorrow will bring.”
~Ren~
The restaurant is amazing, and I feel underdressed, but Derek assures me that we are both fine in what we are wearing. They seat us on the balcony overlooking the river with candles being the only lighting source for the tables. However, there are torches all along the railing adding to the ambiance. Derek orders a bottle of wine from our waiter and moves his chair closer to mine when he leaves.
“Dickhead.”
I look at him shocked but what he says next has me laughing out loud.
“Goddamn, waiter; wouldn’t stop staring at your chest. I was about to ask him what his problem was, but I didn’t want to embarrass you.”
I didn’t even notice the waiter, but Derek excuses himself and walks into the restaurant and up to the bar. He is speaking to a man in a suit that just nods his head up and down then walks away. Once back at the table, he sits down and reaches for my hand, pulling it into his lap. I want to ask about the man that he was talking to and what was going on, but just then a female waitress appears with our bottle of wine. I figure it out all on my own and send a small grin his way telling him he is ridiculous. He just sits back comfortable and happy with his decision. I, on the other hand, was not worried about the female server, because Derek did not even once glance her way, and she is beautiful.
The air was a little chilly on the patio, so Derek ran out to his truck to grab his leather jacket. He wraps it around my shoulders making me as toasty on the outside as the wine has warmed me inside.
We talk about our families, both of them small. He was an only child, and I have only one sister. We had loving parents who raised us, with a sad tragedy for both. I grow a little somber thinking of my Dad alone and not knowing what has happened to his girls, but I know there is a happy ending here, I can feel it.
Dinner arrives, and I am addicted. I have the filet with button mushrooms and garlic potatoes with a green salad. He has lobster tails with a baked potato and steamed veggies. We share and everything tastes perfect right down to the cheesecake for dessert he insists on feeding me. Leaning back in my chair, my hands lay across my belly to rest as I stare at my gorgeous man. Derek leans forward and takes my left hand in his and uses his other hand to slide a ring onto my ring finger.
“Serenity James, this is just to make it official. I already told you I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
He winks at me and kisses my lips softly. Tears slide down my cheeks; I am so happy. Even though his first proposal wasn’t traditional, it was definitely one I will not forget while screaming in orgasmic bliss.
Chapter Sixteen
Hope:
*a feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. *a particular instance or feeling.
~Derek~
Ren slept all the way home. The spa and the wine have put her into a peaceful sleep coma. I carry her up to our room and put her to bed. She only moans a little when I slide her dress down and unstrap her sandals. She looks so sexy in her matching white lace bra and panties, but I can’t imagine that a bra is comfortable to sleep in, so I remove that too. Damn, I am a lucky man! I pull the covers up and quietly leave the room.
In my office, I settle in my dad’s old chair to make some calls.
“Savage speaking.”
“Hey Troy, sorry about earlier, I was a little distracted.”
“Who is she?”
He chuckles. No way am I getting into it with this womanizing man- whore. I know more about his and Jax’s sexcapades than I would like. Jax likes to share women, and when I was no longer interested, Troy became his go-to guy. “That’s for another day, but right now I am desperate to get any info on Jax. I know the protocol, but I also know that you and Jax are tight. He wouldn’t just go off-grid without having a backup plan, and I’m sure you’re it. There’s a lot of information that I was hoping to get to him before he left.”
“Look, man, all I know is if I haven’t heard from him in two days, I’m supposed to head to Montauk, NY and wait for instructions.”
“When and if you meet up with him, tell him that my girl is it and she has a sister in the same boat.” Giving information over the phone is not the best way to handle this situation, but I don’t have time to meet with Troy in person. He probably won’t understand the message unless he becomes immersed in the house as well, but Jax will. Hanging up, I pull up a map of Montauk, NY.
Montauk makes sense. It’s on the water with easy boat access. I can’t imagine that they can fly these hostage women out of the country without someone catching on.
Preparing myself to settle in for a long night of searc
hing properties, businesses, and seedy characters that might be in that area, I head to the kitchen for a pot of coffee. Damn, I hope Jax knows what he’s doing; he could make life difficult for me if he doesn’t save Tori. I just pray she is still in this country and as safe as can be. There are some sick bastards out there. Whatever happened to make an honest living?
Holy shit! I just remembered an email that Jax and I set up years ago for situations like this. We worked several cases together and needed a way to communicate that no one else could decipher. Both emails are untraceable and bounce around through IP addresses all over the world. We once had several IT guys at the FBI try to hack them, and they weren’t able to. I quickly log on and search for a coded message but find none. I will have to check several times a day in case he tries to reach me.
After several hours searching Montauk, I find a few houses for sale. One property has been leased by a foreign oil company; another is an abandoned warehouse, and last is a business called Vrennikov Consulting; they all raise suspicion. I check maps and Montauk, NY, is about four hours from here. This area is the strongest lead yet. I have nothing solid, so I won’t bring Ren this information until I’m sure, but damn I want to give her good news and watch her face light up.