Gabriel's Light (Doms of Chicago) (4 page)

Zhenya smiled but inside she shivered. Pain wasn’t something
she’d ever wanted as a submissive. She’d wanted to serve, to please her Dom
with not only her body, but her total submission to him as well.
And my luck of finding a Dom who will agree
to that is slim. It seems as if every Dom I’ve run across has taken pleasure in
the idea of a woman writhing under their palm. And now that I have Sophia, the
chance of a Dom wanting the same as I do went from slim to none.
Cuddling
her daughter close, she suddenly wished she was anywhere but here.

Chapter
Four

“Damn, I didn’t realize how much I missed this.”
Kalinda
leaned back against the booth in the food court at
the
Atruim
Mall. It’d been nearly two weeks since
Zhenya had given birth inside of
Pínaka
ti̱s
Mi̱téras
and
she’d been going stir crazy inside her apartment.

Nisey
nodded, sipping on her milkshake as she watched the mall walkers. “Oh yes. I’ll
have to agree. I’ve been so busy at the shop, I haven’t had time to do much
more than breathe, eat, sleep and help
Caelan
with
his classes at the club.”

“So is that where he is right now? I’m surprised he let you out
of his sight, now that you’re expecting.” Zhenya picked up a
french
fry, dragged it through the ranch dressing on her
plate before popping it in her mouth. Next to her, in her baby stroller, Sophia
slept on. The little girl was such a sweetheart.

Nisey
colored and toyed with her napkin. “Actually he went over to get Gabriel. I
guess they’re having some type of intervention for him at the club. Besides
Caelan
doesn’t know yet…”

“
Nisey
!”
Kalinda
wailed loudly, drawing the attention of several bystanders. “I thought you were
going to tell him.”

Nisey
shrugged. “I was going to the other night. I made his favorite meal, dressed up
in the kimono he got for me in Japan. Then I chickened out.”

“What do you mean you chickened out?”

Nisey
colored. “Well he caught one glimpse of me in nothing but my kimono and his
collar, and he ordered me to the playroom…” Her checks grew even redder. “And I
couldn’t disobey a direct order. Besides I don’t know even know if I am or not.
I haven’t even taken the pregnancy test yet, just missed my period…”

Kalinda
glared at her. “Do you think that’s honestly going to sway my
brother when he finds out you suspected and didn’t say anything?”

Nisey
closed her eyes and shook her head. “No, but I’m not ready to give up the ropes
yet…”

Her mention of her love affair with bondage didn’t seem to make
sense to Zhenya.

“How many times do I have to tell you, girl. Just because you’re
preggo
doesn’t mean you have to give up playing.
Hell, I played up until my seven month with the twins. Your Dom just has to
take precautions. We both know my brother would be on the top of the world if
you made him a father.”
Kalinda
put her hand on
Nisey’s
arm, as she reminded her friend of what Zhenya knew
to be the truth. Ever since she’d had Sophia,
Caelan
had been dropping subtle hints to
Nisey
about perhaps
starting their own family.
And if the
noises coming from
Caelan’s
dungeon in the basement
are any indication, he’s doing his best to get her that way.

“Besides how guilty do you think
Caelan
would feel if you accidentally got hurt during the scene because you didn’t
tell him about his son or daughter?”
Kalinda
drummed
her fingers on the table.

Nisey
set her drink down. “Point taken. I’ll tell him tonight after our
demonstration….”

“After?”
Kalinda
gave her a pointed
look. “Try again,
Nisey
. If he hasn’t noticed you not
having a period in almost two months, he’s bound to notice how swollen your
breasts are…especially when Hark mentions it to him.”

Nisey
groaned. “I forgot all about Hark. Dammit, it’s just my luck that Native
American switch decided to come out of his self-imposed exile to attend our
demonstrations. I can’t actually believe he’s coming down from Zion every week
to watch
Caelan
tie me up.”

“And that’s a problem?”
 
Zhenya asked.

 
“Damn straight, he sees
everything. I swear the man has eyes of a hawk.”

Kalinda
nodded. “With his heritage, I suspect so. Did he ever tell you
which tribe he was from?”

“No, said something about having to kill me if he told me.”
Nisey
slumped lower into her chair. “Dammit,
Kalinda
, this should be my choice, my decision. Just
because there’s some shaman or whatever in our class, I shouldn’t be forced
into telling before I’m ready...”

Kalinda
gave an exasperated sigh. “Well, then don’t blame me when you
find yourself over
Caelan’s
knee because you kept it
from him, if not worse.”

Grabbing another fry, Zhenya shook her head. “No, for something
like this I doubt he’d put her over his knee. He won’t want to risk the baby.
No, I bet he’ll send her to the spare room in their apartment.”

The color left
Nisey’s
face. “Ah
shit.” It was as if that possibility scared her more than a spanking did. “I’ll
tell him. Tonight before the demonstration.”

Zhenya covered
Nisey’s
hand with hers.
“All this reluctance. Do you not want a baby with
Caelan
?”

Nisey’s
eyes grew moist. “I’ve been dreaming about it since I found out
you were pregnant, Zhenya. I just didn’t want to steal your thunder, or put
pressure on
Caelan
…Dad will expect us to get married
and…”

“
Puleaze
…”
Kalinda
snorted. “You’ve been with
Caelan
for over four years
now. That’s like a record for him. He loves you - he wouldn’t have given you
that collar if he hadn’t.”

Nisey
toyed with the silver choker at the base of her neck - a habit Zhenya noticed
the other woman did when she was unsure of herself.

“Some say that collar means even more than a wedding band does,
Nisey
,” Zhenya pointed out as she polished off another fry.
“I can’t see
Caelan
giving you that if he wasn’t a
hundred percent committed to you.”

“Besides…”
Kalinda
stole a fry off
Zhenya’s plate. “Why wouldn’t he want to have kiddos with you? You’d be the
perfect mom…” She glanced over at Zhenya. “No offense meant…”

“…and none taken.” She slapped
Kalinda’s
hand. “But I will shoot you if you try that again. I’m still eating for two,
Kalinda
.”

“Is that you, Zhenya?”

The softly accented female voice behind her had Zhenya freezing.
Not now…not after I’ve made my home here.
I don’t want to have to run again.

“I…” She finally managed to turn and face the person. Her eyes
widened as she took in the familiar form the woman she’d been foolish enough to
trust before she’d left Greece,
Corella
Ceccarelli
. As usual, every hair was in place, her makeup
was perfect, and she had the cover model image down to a tee. From the tip of
her ebony hair to the exquisite red heels on her feet, she was beauty
personified. And with her post pregnancy weight, she made Zhenya feel like a
ratty housewife, in her pencil legged jeans and sloppy t-shirt “
Corella
, how are you?”

The wafer thin model slid into the open chair next to Zhenya.
“Good. I’m in town doing a photo shoot with Nordstrom’s.” She placed a hand on
Zhenya’s arm. “I’m so sorry about Ossie. I was shocked when Sebastene and
Anastassia
told me he’d died in a horrible accident. Not
that for a minute, I blame you…you can’t help being you…although I’m sure your
friends will agree your whining gets old. ”

Zhenya shrugged her shoulders. It never changed. She was to
blame for everything that happened in her previous life in Greece, or at least
according to everyone else involved. She’d come to terms with her marriage, or
lack of one, shortly after she arrived in America, but she wasn’t going to
fight with
Corella
about it.

“It was what it was, but where are my manners?
Nisey
,
Kalinda
, this is
Corella
Ceccarelli
, an
acquaintance from back home.
Corella
, these ladies
are my friends. I met
Nisey
when I went back to
school to get the remaining credits

 
I needed for my degree.
She’s currently getting her business degree and runs a shop over on…”

She only hoped if she bored
Corella
enough with dull facts the woman would leave peaceably before Sophia woke. As
the daughter of Lucia, her former mother-in-law’s best friend,
Corella
was always looking for dirt on Zhenya. So perhaps
if she didn’t give the woman any, she’d leave. Zhenya didn’t want to chance
Anatassia
Sikkenga
finding out.
She’d never told the family she’d been expecting
Ossie’s
child when she’d fled Greece. She’d been too scared to chance them trying to
lay a claim on Sophia. She’d do anything to keep her safe.

“Well, not everyone can have the jet-setting life I have…”
Corella
interrupted Zhenya.

Nisey
nodded to the woman, but looked to be on the edge of decking the model. “Hello,
I guess I should say it’s a pleasure to meet you,
Corella
.”

“Of course, everyone usually is glad to be seen with me. I’m a
cover model, after all.” Her fake laughter grated on Zhenya’s nerves.

“So what brings you to our fair city?”
Kalinda
finally asked, as the tension grew around the table.

“A modeling shoot, of course,”
Corella
said in a breezy tone. “I was just walking down here to get what passes for a
cappuccino before going back upstairs to finish the shoot. I wasn’t expecting
to run across Zhenya here in the food court. The last thing I remember hearing,
you were still in Greece, living in some cheap hostel after
Ossie’s
father kicked you to the curb…but I’m sure you can understand his position...”

Zhenya gave her a tight smile. “Well, obviously I’m not there.
After everything that happened I decided to use my dual citizenship to come
here. I figured America would be a good place to start over. A place that
wouldn’t remind me of Ossie…”

Corella
smirked. “Of course.” The chime of the clock in the middle of
the food court had a couple of things happening: the baby giving a startled cry
and
Corella
glancing towards the baby stroller in
annoyance. If she thought it would work, she’d have
Nisey
soothe her daughter, but there was no way her pale, red-headed friend could
ever think to pass Sophia off as hers. The dark hair, and olive skin were
Ossie’s
. The only thing she’d gotten from her mother was
her gray eyes and her dainty upturned nose.

Sighing and realizing the cat was out of the bag, Zhenya picked
up her daughter, murmuring soft words to Sophia as she lifted her to her
shoulder.

“Dear Lord, she looks just like Ossie.” The whispered words sent
fear skittering up Zhenya’s spine. “Does Sebastene know about this?”

Zhenya’s heart sank. “No, and he’s not going to,
Corella
. She’s my daughter, not his.”

“But she’s the spitting image of Ossie. He’s going to want to
know…”

Zhenya looked over at
Corella
. “I’ll
see you in hell first.”

“Well, I never would’ve expected you to treat such an old friend
this way…”

“You were never anything more than a snitch,
Corella
,
getting by on your good looks and nothing else. I may have been a fool once but
never again. Do what you will but it’ll be a cold day in hell before either
Sebastene or
Anatassia
Sikkenga
lay a hand on my daughter.

* * * *

Unlocking the door to her apartment, Zhenya took the sleeping
baby from
Nisey
. “Thanks for taking me out, Nis. I
wasn’t expecting that bitch to cause the scene she did.” In fact, if someone
had told Zhenya she would threaten violence against another woman in a public
mall, she’d have told them they were smoking crack cocaine. She was one of the
least violent people around. Obviously the old adage about a threat to a child provoking
even the most even-tempered of mothers was true.

“It was nothing. I enjoyed the afternoon off from work, and the
company. It’s so rarely
Kalinda
, you and I are able
to get together anymore.”
Nisey
, who was now allowed
in the upstairs apartment since the birth of Sophia, followed her in and set
the diaper bag down on the counter. Zhenya told her to make herself comfortable
as she carried Sophia back into the nursery. After tucking the little bundle
into her bassinet, she made sure the monitor was on, before gently shutting the
door behind her.