Jessie's eyes fluttered open and she looked around her bedroom. Pulling her arms, she suddenly realized she was still bound, but no longer gagged. The window was dim, telling her that she slept through the rest of the afternoon and much of the evening. Where was Keith?
She heard noise in the living room and realized he was on the phone. Sighing angrily, she thrashed around. Why couldn't he have stayed in Australia? She had heard he went back there after their breakup to spend time with his family. What compelled him to return? It was probably his hands on experiences at Raven Brooke, she thought sullenly as she stared at the ceiling. Surely the thought of her was not enough to make him fly the miles back to California. And, he had succeeded again in making her feel like she wasn't in control of her own life. She was now. He no longer had right to do this since she pleaded with him to remove her collar.
"So, you are awake," Keith said from the door, a greeting smile on his lips. Jessie looked at him with anger. "Now, now, I thought naps made little girls less cranky."
"Untie me," Jessie demanded.
"Well, I did come in here to tell you I just made reservations at Giovanni's for dinner, but from the way it sounds, you'd rather me just cancel that," Keith threatened, his eyes full of disappointment. Jessie widened her eyes and immediately started crying.
"No, please?" she begged as he turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him again. Jessie turned to the ceiling, angry with herself. She knew how wrong it was to demand something from him. Even if she was no longer his slave, she'd always known "never bite the hand that feeds you."
"I'm sorry!" she cried out, shaking her head against the bed. Her wrists started to hurt and she began to realize how numb her ankles were. "Please!"
The door opened again. "Now, if you don't stop thrashing around in here, I'm going to have to spank your bottom again," Keith warned her, his lips straight with displeasure.
"No," Jessie cried, her voice breaking away. "Please untie me, Kei… Sir! Sir! Please let me get up?" she pleaded with him, forcing her eyes to meet his.
"Why should I let you?" Keith questioned her, his eyes gazing at her with satisfaction. "Will you be a good girl?"
"Yes! Yes, Sir! I'll be a good girl!" she cried. She heard him chuckle as he neared her bed. It had always felt so demeaning for her to promise she'll be a good girl, but the demean was worth it when he immediately started untying her binds.
He allowed her to stand and chuckled as he watched her weak legs shake when she first rested her weight on them. Jessie grumbled and stretched her legs out one at a time before she finally regained composure. Immediately, she reached for her bathrobe and threw it on, tying it around her waist. Damn him.
"Jessica, you have ten minutes to get yourself ready," he told her as he turned and went back to the living room. She had always been granted a tiny bit of privacy so she could use the bathroom and prepare to make herself sexy for him again. She immediately ran into the bathroom and locked the door to get ready for a dinner at Giovanni's.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, Keith neared her and smiled at her damp hair. Even though most men enjoyed their women completely dressed up with make-up and the sexy clothes, he was more thrilled when he could watch her in her natural, fresh from the shower in a bathrobe state.
"You've always been a pretty pet," Keith chuckled as he walked past her to her bedroom. Jessie looked at him with anger before she followed him there. She watched as he opened her dresser drawer and looked in the top drawer, pulling out black thongs. He handed them to her before he closed the drawer. Instinctively, without question, Jessie slipped them on and stood, waiting for another article of clothing. It was something they had done every time she went out with him and she never questioned it. Keith then handed her a pair of black stockings and watched as she slipped them up her legs, resting the tops halfway up her thighs. He smiled and opened the next drawer, handing her a royal blue silk tank top, which she slipped on immediately. Keith turned to look at her, immediately wishing he didn't have to hand her anything to wear on the bottom half besides what she already had on, but he knew the restaurant would never let them in like that. He handed her a black denim miniskirt and pointed to which shoes in her closet that he thought looked best. Immediately, he went into the bathroom to ready himself.
Jessie went over to her vanity and started to work on her hair. She figured she'd braid it back in a French braid and leave ringlets framing her face. As she did her make up, she thought about Keith and wondered when he'd be leaving again. She was sure he wouldn't stick around for too long.
At dinner, Jessie enjoyed her linguini quietly. Every attempt Keith made at conversation was immediately ignored and Jessie would take another sip of her wine and turn to look at another waiter. It was the one thing she could do without saying anything or reaching out in anger that would upset Keith, and she enjoyed doing it. She would deny realizing she did it later, but for now – it was more fun to tease the boys that waited on her than to seem at all interested in the strong Australian across the table.
"You know, you're really pissing me off," Keith informed her as he bit into his garlic bread. Jessie stifled a giggle and sipped her wine again.
"What am I doing wrong?" she asked, her eyes full of innocence as she turned and winked at the host again. Keith leaned back in anger and glared at his insolent woman.
"Jessica, if your eyes so much as glance at another man tonight, I swear you will live to regret this night," he threatened her. She looked at him through narrow eyes a moment before she smiled and nodded her head.
"Okay. I will not look at another man tonight," she agreed as she stared at her plate for a moment. Suddenly a waitress walked over and offered them another glass of wine. They both accepted and Jessie looked at her with false lust in her eyes, winking at her lovingly. The waitress looked at her with shock before turning around and heading away from the table. Keith tried to hold back a smile.
"Lovely breasts, don't you think?" was all Jessie could say with holding back her laughter. She sipped her wine again, hiding her smile behind the glass. "A bit too perky for me though."
"You know, you would easily win an award if they had a running for brats," Keith told her as he sipped his fresh wine. Jessie looked at him playfully. "Jessica, I'm serious now. We need you back at Raven Brooke. Please say you'll come work for me again."
"I'm sorry. Why would I do that?" Jessie asked him.
"Because I said to. And, it will benefit you." Keith told her with a warning in his voice. Jessie shook her head at him. "And, if you don't, I'll make you lose your job at City Life anyway."
"You wouldn't!" Jessie cried out, knowing damn well he would. "Why? What did I ever do to you?"
"You walked out on me, Jessica," he pointed out. Jessie glared at him.
"You cheated on me!" she shouted, grabbing her glass and splashing its contents in the face of the man before her. She stood up and grabbed her plate, flipping it upside down on the table before storming toward the front door.
"Jessica!" Keith shouted at her, realizing everyone at the surrounding tables was now staring at him with amused looks on their faces. He blushed deeply and glared after his bratty princess.
Jessica stood out front, unsure of what to do now. She'd already passed the point of no return and regretted her little tantrum deeply. She knew once Keith had her, she was going to regret it even more, but she had nothing to do except wait for him. She had no purse and they had come in his car. She stomped her foot out front angrily.
"Shit!" she shouted when she realized she had cracked the heel off her favorite shoes. She immediately slipped them off and stood in her stockings on the bare cement. It was about five minutes before Keith finally came out through the front door. He looked at her in anger for a minute before he passed right by her and stomped off to his car. She followed quietly.
The entire ride was silent. Jessie didn't know what to say and Keith was too angry for words. A mixture of relief and dread passed through Jessie when they reached her apartment and she immediately opened the door and jumped out. Keith followed her quickly, not allowing her to lock him out and soon, they both stood in her entryway, her heart racing quickly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered sincerely. Keith turned and glared at her as he slipped his wet shirt off over his head and walked over to her small laundry area. He threw his shirt into the washer before he went into the bathroom to clean up. She felt horrible that he said nothing to her and immediately, she went to sit in the living room. What was he going to do?
She sat there quietly for a few moments until he came back into the living room in his pants, his shirt still in the wash. She looked at his large arm muscles and his tight stomach and sighed, remembering when he was once hers, before she had caught him in bed with another woman. She looked down at the floor, feeling the tears rushing to release. She could sense Keith walking over to where she sat and sitting beside her.
"What was that tantrum for, kitten?" he asked as he leaned back.
"You hurt me and you don't even acknowledge it," Jessie whispered softly. She closed her eyes and felt her shoulders shake with the tears that were definitely going to win this fight.
"How many times must a man apologize to you before you can forgive him?" Keith asked her with annoyance. Jessie shrugged her shoulders and wiped a tear that had escaped her eyelids. "I have apologized to you so many times, young lady. You aren't being fair."
"Either are you," she whispered. "I once devoted my entire life to you. I nearly worshipped the ground you walked on and how do you repay my admiration? You sleep with another woman like I'm not enough to please you!" Tears started pouring down her cheeks as she sat there feeling sorry for herself.
"I don't know what's worse tonight. Is it the tantrum you threw earlier or the pity you're feeling for yourself right now? I have no idea," Keith scolded. His right hand rested on her thigh and she tried to softly shake him away. "Jessica, I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm asking you again to forgive me and move on from that."
