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All Rex needed was Leya’s location. He’d been through the
house a hundred times, opening every drawer and cupboard. There was no personal
correspondence anywhere. No bills came to the house, which meant that Leya paid
them online or in advance. There was no mail delivered, other than junk flyers.

Everything was managed from another location.

Julius had assigned someone to search at his end, and had
come up with a warren of nested and number corporations that would take time to
disentangle. Rex knew he didn’t imagine the note of admiration in his lawyer’s
voice.

Filled with restless energy and uncertain how to proceed,
Rex went for a run on the beach.

He ran farther and faster than was his habit, putting his
frustration to some purpose. He was leaner and stronger since Leya had left and
had used the time to advantage. He felt strong in every way—he simply
needed a target for his resolve.

To his surprise, he found it in Leya’s bungalow on his
return.

Michelle was in the kitchen.

Rex. stood in the doorway, wearing only shorts and running
shoes, a damp towel around his neck and stared. She looked as soft and feminine
as ever. Her hair was loose and her feet were bare, her sandals kicked off at
the front door. She was wearing a blouse of soft pink and a faded denim skirt.
She stood with her weight on one foot, her other toe against the floor, her
head bent as she read something on the counter.

Rex was so enthralled by the sight of her that he didn’t
realize what she was reading, not until she turned the page. It was on white
legal paper.

The paternity contract.

He cleared his throat and stepped over the threshold.
“That’s not for you to read.”

She glanced up, startled. Rex thought she was surprised by
his appearance, but her words dismissed that notion. “Is this genuine? Do you
mean this?”

“Of course I mean it. Why else would I pay Julius to write
it up?” Rex marched into the kitchen and took the contract out of her hands. He
slid it back into the envelope as she watched.

“But Leya said you wouldn’t care.”

“Then Leya was wrong.” His tone was too harsh and Rex knew
it.

Instead of taking offense, Michelle studied him. She leaned
one hip on the counter as she studied him and he was acutely aware of her
femininity.

Of the fact that he’d bound her up and
almost
possessed her a dozen times.

He caught a whiff of her scent and wished Leya had allowed
him to have Michelle once. But she’d intervened every time, presenting herself
instead. Even knowing why didn’t make it easier to forget the lack.

“Why?” Her question was no more than a breath.

“I grew up without a father. It wasn’t his fault: he was
killed in a car accident shortly after I was born.” Rex flicked a look into her
eyes, surprised to find compassion there. “It wasn’t easy. I wouldn’t wish that
on any kid, especially not on my kid, not when I can make a difference.”

Michelle averted her gaze and swallowed. Rex assumed she
didn’t like his forcefulness and wished he could have tempered it a bit. He
knew she was leery of men. Instead, she surprised him again. “You’re very
protective, aren’t you?”

Rex exhaled and tried to soften his tone. “I don’t like
anyone getting hurt, if that’s what you mean.”

She looked at him through her lashes, an achingly feminine
gesture that made him harder. She caught her bottom lip with her teeth and Rex
caught his breath, wanting to do exactly the same thing.

But that would undoubtedly set Michelle against him, and he
needed an ally in this. He held his ground and tried to cool his response. It
was her vulnerability that sent him to the moon. It made him want to possess
her and protect her.

He knew that wasn’t his place.

“You’re like Leya in that,” Michelle said, unwittingly
reinforcing his conclusion. “She’s very protective of those she loves. That’s
why she did this, you know.”

Rex blinked. “No. I didn’t know.”

Michelle sighed. “Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up without a
father.” She fell silent, her fingers worrying the corner of the envelope.

“He was abusive?”

“In every way. I’ve been terrified of men for so long as I
can remember. Leya helped me to learn to enjoy my body more, to feel pleasure
and to give it. She’s given me balance.”

Rex nodded, knowing that Leya had given him the gift of
moving beyond his own past.

“But one thing I’ve always wanted is to have a baby. I love
babies. I love children. I want to make a difference in the world by raising a
child who is good.”

“That would be difficult with your fear of men.”

Her lips twisted ruefully. “It’s more difficult than that. I
can’t conceive. Ever.” Her gentle gaze locked with Rex’s and he glimpsed an old
pain in her. He guessed that somehow her father’s abuse was responsible for
this situation and saw simultaneously that she would never tell him of it.

He shouldn’t have been shocked by the current of rage that
swept through him. He turned away before she could see it, not doubting that it
would frighten her.

“Leya said she would give me the child I wanted. She would
make my dream come true. And to ensure that I felt as connected as possible,
she said she’d find a black man to father it.” Her smile was sweet. “She said
she hoped the baby and I would match best of all.”

Rex nodded. “She picked me.”

“You have to admit that your genetic stock is impressive,”
Michelle said, her tone teasing. Rex glanced up to find her surveying him with
appreciation.

She found him attractive?

But she was a lesbian in a committed relationship with Leya.
Rex froze, uncertain of the implications of her admiration—except that it
aroused him even more. If he touched her, would that turn her and Leya against
him, and ensure he never saw his own child?

“You are protective,” Michelle said quietly, putting her
hand on his arm. She couldn’t know how her touch electrified him. “You act as a
man should and control your anger. You protect those weaker than yourself. I
respect that, and I thank you for letting me get to know the father of my child
a little bit better.” She shook her head. “Leya didn’t agree with my coming
here, but I had to know. I had to learn what kind of a man you were.”

“You had to be sure I wasn’t like your father,” Rex guessed.

“And you aren’t. You aren’t, not at all.” Her hand slid up
his arm, her touch light but sure. “I can’t take this away from you, Rex, not
when you’ve only been good to me. You’ve helped me move past my fear, and I
want to thank you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ll take the contract to Leya. I’ll tell her it was
delivered here.” She smiled. “I’ll convince her to sign it. The terms are only
reasonable.”

“Thank you!” Rex thought to kiss her, but then stopped
himself.

Michelle smiled. “But there’s one more thing,” she
whispered, her eyes alight. “Do you still have the ribbons?”

Rex’s cock thumped with the conviction of what she was going
to say. “They’re here still. Why?”

“I have an hour before I have to meet Leya. Tie me up and
take me however you want, Rex. Show me how good it can be with a man. I want to
know, just once.”

Rex didn’t have it in him to argue with her. In fact, he
wasn’t sure how he’d finish with her in just an hour.

Before he could think of what to say, Michelle stretched up
and touched her lips to his.

And then there was no turning back.

* * *

Louise was depressed.

She knew all the signs and also knew she should have
anticipated it. Having her first gallery show and having that show be such a
success was a high beyond anything she’d experienced before. It only made sense
that once the euphoria of the opening night was over and success had been
celebrated, that anything else would be a let-down.

She knew that digging into a new challenge would be just the
thing, but she had no idea what to do next.

She visited the show daily, much to the amusement of the
gallery owner, but even he was thinking of what he would be hanging in the
gallery next. He’d moved on.

Louise couldn’t.

It didn’t help that the Plume had been destroyed. She’d gone
by Rex’s apartment but he wasn’t there. Even the police had left it now. Joanna
was snared in the satisfaction of some fantasy with Mike, one to which Louise
was clearly not invited. She didn’t even see Joanna at the apartment they
shared anymore.

She hated feeling both blue and restless at the same time.
She knew she had to avoid the old temptations of losing herself in some
distraction. She had to pull herself out of this depression and get back to the
business of creating again.

If only she hadn’t felt so alone.

Louise found herself including a visit to the ruins of the
Plume on her daily tour. There were still gawkers coming by, standing on the
sidewalks to stare, taking pictures. She was halfway surprised that no
enterprising individual had set up a stand selling cheesy souvenirs.
My mom
visited the Plume and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.

She saw familiar faces in the crowd there, people she knew
had been members of the Plume. Louise avoided contact with them, though,
feeling on some level as if she’d betrayed them by convincing Rex to
participate in the show. She hadn’t planned the demise of the club. She hadn’t
wanted that to happen and certainly hadn’t anticipated. But it seemed that A
led straight to B, the show culminating in the destruction of the Plume, as if
it had been inevitable.

She feared that they might blame her for the loss of their
Eden.

She would have done so, in their place. It wasn’t as if they
could blame Rex. He was the one who had made their fantasies come true.

Louise was sufficiently lost in her thoughts that she barely
noticed the guy in biker leathers approaching. By the time she glanced up and
realized he’d been a club member, he was right beside her.

“You’re that artist,” he said when she might have turned and
walked away. His tone neutral. Not scathing.

“You’re Charlie,” she replied. He was older than her, a bit
stocky, both pierced and tattooed with enthusiasm. Actually, what Louise
remembered most about him was his enthusiasm. He’d had a gusto for events at
the Plume that she admired as much as his ink.

Charlie grinned. “You remember!” He wagged his tongue at
her, displaying his tongue stud. “I thought maybe you didn’t even see my
application for your sculpture show.”

Louise exhaled, realizing that she’d inadvertently revealed
herself. “I saw it. I thought you would have been great for a model and was
going to choose you. Rex made me think twice.”

“How so?”

“He said that if I portrayed you with any accuracy, your
privacy would be completely compromised.”

Charlie laughed. “That’s our Rex. Taking care of his peeps.”

“He didn’t do it,” Louise said, her tone defensive.

“No, he didn’t. That prick, the Count, set him up.”

“No!”

“Yes. Amanda and Julius got to the bottom of everything.”

“So, Rex’s name will be cleared?”

“You bet. Julius is a pit bull with stuff like that.”
Charlie grinned again. “Rex isn’t the only one who takes care of those around
him.”

Louise nodded, feeling better with that news.

“So, you thought I’d be a good model?” he posed, hamming it
up on the street so that Louise smiled despite herself.

“You have a pretty distinctive look.”

“And I would have loved to have had myself immortalized
forever,” he replied. He scowled at her playfully. “I would have welcomed the
notoriety. You should have asked me.”

“I should have,” Louise agreed. “Time was just so tight that
I took Rex’s advice. He said I’d have to leave something out if I chose you,
but I didn’t want to compromise on anything.”

Charlie gave her a sidelong look. “Yeah?”

“You have awesome tattoos.” She spread her hands. “You’re
like walking and breathing art.”

Charlie’s face lit with pleasure. “You got some time?”

“Why?” As much as she enjoyed talking to Charlie, Louise
didn’t want to do it with him. She was wary, suddenly aware that it was getting
dark and that there weren’t as many people around the Plume’s ruins anymore.

“Because there’s someone I think should hear you say that.”

“Wait! You had your tattoos done locally?”

“Very locally.” Charlie offered his hand. “Come on and meet
the artist. We can score some Thai near his shop, if you’re hungry, too.”

That was an invitation Louise couldn’t refuse.

* * *

Chapter Three

Michelle had thought about those ribbons a hundred times
since she and Leya had left Rex behind. At first, being bound had frightened
her, because it left her powerless. But the smooth caress of the satin ribbon
over her skin had been soothing and exciting, and the admiration in Rex’s eyes
had been thrilling.

With each wrap of the ribbon, Michelle had felt more
powerful and more sexy. She hadn’t been sure whether she’d been the captive, or
whether it had been Rex who had been captivated by the sight of her. She knew
only that the ribbons bound them more closely together, locking them together
into a world of her own.

She’d resented Leya’s intrusion into that world more than
once. She knew that her partner was trying to protect her, but increasingly,
she’d felt that Leya was jealous. There was an electricity between Michelle and
Rex. After they’d left Rex, she’d wondered whether it was real.

Worst of all, the night before when she and Leya had pleased
each other, Michelle had thought about Rex. She admired the combination of
strength and tenderness in him, the way the truth of his feelings could be read
in his remarkable green eyes. She respected that he protected those who relied
upon him, and that he kept secrets so well.