Ari and Brett

A Rose Called Miracle: Book #3, Pt. 4

Author's Note: This is fiction. All characters in intimate situations are over 18. Any resemblance to real people, organizations, or businesses is purely coincidence.

If you are uncomfortable with the subjects of control, restraint, discipline, and mild corporal punishment, please go no further. Likewise, this story is peopled with hetero, interracial, and LGBTQ+ characters and couples, and indirectly--incest; if you can't deal with that, leave now--you'll only be offended. Also, I apologize to BDSM aficionados--in this story I pretty much ignore proper BDSM safety measures as the characters develop their relationship. Please do not use these writings as a 'how to' guide. Lastly, if anyone reading 'A Rose Called Miracle' has enjoyed my characters, feel free to take them on new adventures--but please don't mess too much with the canon.

BRETT AND KARI (A Master/slave story of Love and Loss)

***There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein

***For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store. Isaac Bashevis Singer

CHAPTER 16

I glanced around; still didn't see any signs of life so I returned to my office.

I found Kari sitting at her desk, guarding my door, looking fierce and radiant. "Good afternoon, Mr. Noonan. I have completed my training with Ms. Peralta. She said for me to tell you, and I quote, 'Ms. Jensen is very professional and has learned her job well.' Ms. Peralta even presented me with my own name plate for my desk." Kari displayed the small, wooden plaque reading 'Kari M. Jensen' and below that 'Executive Assistant'.

"Well done, Ms. Jensen. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Sir." She chewed on her bottom lip, "Before I met you I never imagined that I might accomplish anything with my life. When we met I was just..." She stopped, "I was existing...nothing more." She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She picked up a notebook and glanced at it, "Sir, All of the Chief Officers have acknowledged the meeting for tomorrow afternoon. The first open conference room wasn't until 2:00."

"Excellent. We can have a nice lunch and then go shake things up. That reminds me, I want to have a chat with Shanique and the Special Project Group about an idea I have." I walked into my office and sat at my desk.

Within seconds my phone buzzed. It was Kari, "Excuse me, Mr. Noonan. You said you wanted to speak with Ms. Kalvin? I have her on the phone for you."

"Thank you, Ms. Jensen. I've got it. Hey Shanique! How'd the preliminary hearings go?"

"Excellent. McKay is scared shitless; she knows she's going to jail. The judge declared her a flight risk and denied bail. The stupid bitch thought she'd hidden her faked passports. Her attorneys already are trying to talk plea deals."

"Good. Very nice. The reason I wanted to talk to you...wait. If you're in your office, can I just come down there? I'd like to discuss something."

"Absolutely. Come on down. Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a game show."

"See you in a minute." We hung up.

I stepped out, "Grab your notebook Ms. Jensen, we're going visiting." Kari hustled to keep up.

We got to my old office, Janice greeted me, "Afternoon Mr. Noonan. Ms. Kalvin is waiting." Janice eyed Kari, did I note a little jealousy--in both directions?

"Hey Janice, this is Kari Jensen, my new admin. She just finished her training with Ms. Peralta."

"Nice to meet you." They each said in turn. I got the distinct impression neither woman meant what she said.

I headed into Shanique's office, "Come on," I said to Janice and Kari, "The more opinions the better."

"Afternoon," I greeted her, "I just had a thought I wanted to mention; see if your group wanted to look into something."

"Okay. What have you got?" Shanique relaxed back into her chair.

"This morning Ms. Jensen and I both forgot to bring our lunches. So, we went down to the cafeteria and got our lunch from the vending machines..."

"Oh yuck!" Janice commented. Kari grinned and stuck out her tongue. Okay, so they agreed on something.

"Anyway," I continued, "I began to wonder about the feasibility of starting our own food service operation...caterers...contractors. Something like that right there in the cafeteria."

"Like a chow hall line?" Shanique nodded.

"Yeah. Something like that. A couple food options...reasonably priced."

"I'll mention it to the group the next time we meet. I can see a lot of what ifs. It isn't a bad idea...not sure if we have enough people around here to make it worthwhile financially--it would definitely have to pay for itself."

I nodded, "Okay. Well, it's something to think about. We'll leave you to it. Thanks for listening. Oh! Shanique, one more thing. I don't know if Ms. Haugen has spoken to you yet. But from now on you will be reporting to me."

"Okay. I've been expecting that. It's good." Kari and I went back to our office.

Back inside, I sat in my chair. I opened up my company laptop and checked for e-mails. I grinned when I found that Kari had included me as a recipient for the next day's meeting. I also had invitations to the staff meetings for a couple of the different divisions. "Ms. Jensen, come in here for a second." I called out.

She entered, with a scowl, "Mr. Noonan! There's no need to shout. You should use your intercom." God, I was proud of her for giving me hell.

"Thank you, Ms. Jensen. I apologize. I hate to admit it; but I don't know how to use the intercom; I'm just used to yelling."

"Yelling just hurts your throat sir. Here, move over and I'll show you how to do it." She popped open the hidden panel containing my office's comm gear. She demonstrated how to call out and answer. Then returned to her desk. As soon as she sat down, I buzzed her. "Yes, Mr. Noonan?"

"Did you forget that I need to talk to you? Please come in here."

Kari hustled in. "I didn't forget sir. I wanted to insure you worked the intercom properly...sir."

"You win. Now, the reason I yelled and buzzed is, I want you to go down to HR and get me the files on all the Chief Officers. I want to know a little bit about the people I'll be dealing with tomorrow."

"Yes sir." She went out and I went back to my computer.

Thirty minutes later I was standing in front of my desk rubbing my eyes and stretching my sore neck. I heard faint knocking and saw a young man enter Kari's space, carrying a large bundle. He dropped it on her desk and hurried out.

Kari lifted the bundle and brought it to me. "Mr. Noonan, here are the personnel files you requested."

"They brought them to you?"

Kari smiled, "Yes sir. One of the major points Ms. Peralta emphasized is that my place is by your side at all times. If we need something, the words, 'Mr. Noonan needs...' will get things done. But Ms. Peralta insisted I should try to avoid leaving your door uncovered. She does the same thing for Ms. Haugen."

"Okay. Let me read them. Don't let anyone interrupt me--except Ms. Haugen--unless it's an emergency. I want to concentrate."

I found that among the Chief Officers, MBAs were a dime a dozen. I was impressed to see that Dave Dillon actually had a PhD in information technology. I was even more impressed that while he had it listed in his education section, he didn't use the title Dr. anywhere.

All the others had, like I mentioned, MBAs appropriate to their positions; the CFO, Jessica Dunn was also a CPA. We had a couple Ivy Leaguers--the COO had about 30 mentions of his time at Harvard. I'd find out more when I met with them the next day.

At 4:45 I heard Kari's phone ring; a few second later my intercom buzzed. "Yes, Ms. Jensen?"

"Sir, Ms. Haugen just called. She asked that we come to her office at 5:00."

"Okay. Did she say why?"

"No sir."

"Okay. Call back and say we'll be there."

Just before five, Kari knocked on my doorframe and asked if she could use my bathroom to freshen up. When she finished we went down the hall together.

"Good afternoon Mr. Noonan, this way please." Francesca escorted Kari and me into Freda's office. "Grab a chair Brett." She greeted me. I heard the lock on the inner door click into place. Kari immediately snapped to attention, and when I picked a chair and sat down she dropped into 'present' close to my side. "Francesca tells me that your Kari trained up brilliantly."

I looked down at Kari, "Well done Slave Kari. You may speak."

Kari raised her eyes, "Thank you for your kindness Mistress. This slave is very proud to assist its Master in every way possible."

"Care for a drink Brett?"

"I still have to...wait. Slave do you have a driver's license."

"Yes Master, this slave is quite a good driver."

"Excellent! You drive home. Freda, I'd love a small bourbon." I looked at Kari, "Relax slave, I'll only have one. I promise I won't get drunk. I still remember that hangover after The Gathering."

Kari gave me a small, sly smile, "Yes Master, this slave is sure you remember. Let this slave get your drink."

I caught Freda's laughing smile as Kari rose from her knees and glided over to the credenza which hid the bar. Francesca got out glasses, ice, and a bottle of bourbon. Francesca showed the bottle to Freda--who nodded approval--before she made the drinks and put both glasses on a silver serving tray. Kari took the tray and immediately kneeled beside Freda, "Your drink, Mistress." Kari then rose and came to me, kneeled, "Your drink, Master."

"Thank you, Sweetheart." Kari's eyes went wide in surprise. As she kneeled at my side, I rested my free hand on her shoulder and sipped from my glass. "Ah!" I sighed, "This is wonderful. Sweet and rich. What is it? More importantly...Where can I get some?"

"It's called 'Pappy Van Winkle's 15-Year Family Reserve' and as far as getting it, it is ridiculously hard to find and very expensive. This bottle was a gift from the Board of Directors for my birthday. I did a little research at home; the cheapest bottle of this stuff I found was $1900!"

"Are you shi...Seriously? Dang...guess I'll stick with my Knob Creek; and I thought that was pricey."

Freda grinned and turned to Francesca, "Hide that bottle again, Dearest. And if you find Mr. Noonan alone in here drinking it without my permission...shoot him." She slapped her desk and started laughing, "To wound if possible," She finally added.

I started laughing. I felt Kari shaking; I looked and she was biting her lip, fighting desperately to hold back laughter. Freda, at last, finished laughing when Francesca locked away the liquor. "So, Brett." Freda started giggling again. Kari gave up; snorted; and promptly choked on her laugh and ended up coughing.

"So, Brett!" Freda started again with a straight face. "Are the rumors true? You and Ms. Jensen are going to tie the knot?"

"True. I asked Kari to marry me. She said yes."

"And Ms. Jensen, did he give you the ring?"

Kari twitched, I don't think she expected to be included in the conversation, "Yes Mistress. A beautiful diamond."

"May I see it?" Kari rose and walked over to Freda's desk. Freda stopped her from kneeling and simply took her hand. "Very nice. Very thoughtfully selected." Freda nodded. "But not ostentatious. An excellent choice, Brett."

"Thanks." I savored the final sip of bourbon as Kari returned to my side. She stooped and picked up the serving tray. I placed my empty glass on it and Kari took it back to Francesca.

"I'm curious Brett," Freda spoke again as Kari returned to my side, "I see that you've called a meeting tomorrow for the Chief Officers. What do you have planned?"

"Introductions; I've read all their files and resumes; I want to put faces with names. Next, I want to see if there are any issues I need to address immediately. Also, I want to make it clear I expect them each to run their departments."

"May I make a suggestion?" Freda asked.

"Please!" I answered. "I'm anxious for any advice I can get."

"Decide on your priorities. Announce them; but, never, ever, forget about the budget and bottom line. Because you can bet your butt the Board of Directors and stockholders won't."

I nodded. Then sighed; a lot of my ideas so far were about spending money, not making money. I'd have to temper my enthusiasm.

"Do you have anything else?" Freda asked me when I was silent for a few seconds.

"Nope. You've given me some good points to consider. Thanks."

"Great. I'll see you sometime tomorrow. Now, I have a social gathering I have to attend on behalf of the company. Maybe in the future I'll let you take a few of these events in my stead."

"Gee Thanks."

"You and Kari have a good evening." Freda called out as Francesca showed us to the door. Francesca checked the hallway before she pulled Kari into a hug, "Good night Sister." I heard them whisper.

True to my word, I had Kari drive us home. She struggled a bit at the beginning; my truck is large and has sightlines that take some getting used to, but she adapted quickly. We'd been driving for a while, I decided to call the house and let Jane know we were on the way--see how she reacted. But she didn't answer the phone. "She's probably either busy cooking or in the bathroom preparing herself for your arrival and inspection." Kari suggested when I told her.

"Yeah probably...You see that kid on the bike over there?" I pointed.

"Got him." She edged the truck a little to the left. Suddenly the guy on the bike swerved left cutting across the street. Kari slammed on the brakes and the truck screeched to a stop, barely missing the bicyclist. Kari blasted the horn; the rider responded with a glance and a casual middle finger.

"Stupid, son-of-a...!" Kari screamed at the biker, as she slammed her hand on the steering wheel. She got the window down, "You Idiot! Watch where you're going!" She shouted. She rolled the window back up, blew out a breath, "Jeez! What a moron." She griped as she slowly accelerated away.

I bit my lip. Trying not to laugh at her outrage; at the same time grateful we hadn't run over the fucking moron. About another mile down the road, we saw another bicyclist. The rider signaled and moved left into our lane for a little way, then moved back to the right--like they were avoiding something--and then kept going. Kari approached it slowly; It looked like a cardboard box. "Pull over." I asked. "Let me get that thing off the road."

Kari stopped about 10 feet short of it. I hopped out. It was a box; I nudged it with my foot. The box didn't move--but it did whimper. "Huh?" I bent over and flipped open the box's flaps; four big eyes stared out at me. "Cats? Somebody dumped cats? Assholes!" I muttered. Another vehicle flew by us. I checked; Kari had the emergency flashers going.

I stared at the two scrawny-looking felines. They stared back. I heard Kari's door slam. I had pretty much convinced myself to leave them there when I felt Kari at my side. Then, the cat on the right--the calico--meowed pitifully. The other one, black and white, licked the Calico's face. "Oooh! Kittens!" Kari squealed. "They're so cute, Brett, can we keep them? Please, Please, please?"

"Ah no, Kari. They look sick; they probably have fleas..."

"We'll take them to a vet. I'll pay. I promise. Please, Master, let me take care of them."

"How can I refuse such a plea. Okay. You drive. I'll use your phone and find us an emergency vet service."

"Thank you, Master. I appreciate this. I promise you won't be sorry."

Inwardly, I thought, 'I already am.' "Anything for you, Sweetheart." I said. It took us a little under 20 minutes to find a nearby vet clinic open this late. The vet's assistant led us into an exam room; the vet wasn't far behind.

"Good evening. I'm Dr. Anderson. What do we have here?"

"A box of kittens we found abandoned on the side of the road. I couldn't bear to leave them there." I answered. Kari harumphed and gave me an elbow in the ribs.

"I'm sure you couldn't." The vet laughed. "Let's take a look." She flopped open the box and lifted out the black and white cat by the scruff of its neck. It hissed weakly. "Aw, you poor thing." The vet cooed. "Let me look at you. Poor baby."

In twenty-five minutes, she announced the kittens, while malnourished, were basically healthy; but they did have fleas and ear mites that needed treatment. The calico rolled on its back and I rubbed its belly; I reached for the black and white--it hissed and took a swipe at me. Kari reached over and scratched between the black and white's ears--the ungrateful little shit purred.

"Nick and Nora," Kari said.

"Huh?" I grunted as I tried my luck by rubbing the black and white's head.

"Their names. The boy is Nick, the girl is Nora. The doctor asked me if they had names."

"Oh. Um? Okay, but which is which?"

"Black and white is the boy; the calico's the girl." Kari answered. The vet handed Kari a couple tubes of medicine and showed her how to apply the stuff. Kari also picked up a pamphlet outlining kitten care basics. "Okay, you two time to go." Kari grabbed the two kittens and popped them back into the box with an absorbent pad the vet gave us.

Out front, despite Kari's protestations, I handed the vet tech my credit card to cover the charges. Dr. Anderson came out and reminded Kari that the cats should be spayed/neutered between five- and six-months old. We went back to the truck. I suggested putting the cats in the back; but Kari insisted we keep the box with us; she didn't want the kittens to feel abandoned.

We decided to stop at a big-box pet store for basic supplies. On the way, I called home again, Jane still didn't answer. I decided to pause the pet shopping to get home and check on Jane. We approached and saw the house was completely dark.

"Oh no. I hope Jane is alright." Kari said as she stopped the truck. We hopped out and ran to the door. The door was locked. I unlocked it and stepped inside, "Jane! Come here!" I shouted. The house was silent. I checked my phone quickly; I'd not received any messages. Kari ran past me toward the back of the house. She was back quickly, "Not here. Downstairs, do you think?"

"Let's check." The downstairs was dark also, and there was no sign of Jane.

"Shit! What's going on?" I asked out loud. We hustled upstairs. I finally remembered to turn on some lights. "Kari, Honey, why don't you go get the cats and bring them in. I'm going to call...the cops I guess. Report Jane missing."

While Kari went outside, I sat at the kitchen table. That was where I found the letter.

Dear Master Brett,

Freedom isn't Free. I realize that now.

I want to thank you and Sister Kari for allowing me to safely experience my fantasy and understand its reality. You helped me see that this was a lifestyle I could not permanently embrace. When you told me that as part of my slavery, I was to be pierced and tattooed I was skeptical. The more I thought about this, the more horrified I became and, at last, I decided to leave. I have called a ride share and it will be here shortly. I am sorry that I'm not brave enough to face you. I promise you I will never reveal any inkling of your special relationship with Kari. Again, thank you, Master, for showing me the truths behind my fantasy. I'm going to try and get my job back. I hope I will see you and Kari again.

Love, Slave Jane

"I'll be damned." I muttered as Kari entered the house with the cats.

"What's wrong?" She set the box of cats down and walked over to me.

I handed her Jane's note, "Read this."

"Huh." Kari muttered, "I thought she was stronger than this." She looked at me and smiled, "Problem solved?"

"Looks like it. But there's no food ready. Tell you what, why don't you order some pizza while I go to the store and get the basics for our new guests?" Kari nodded and reached for her phone and punched in an order to Gianinni's computer. They promised delivery in 45 minutes; it was a busy night.