Lost and Found Read online

  I sigh. “I guess I was just fed up with men and fancied a change.” I shrug.

  “Feel better for it?” She asks raising her eyebrow at me.

  “Not really. Now I’m just sexually frustrated and in need of a release!” I chuckle.

  “Want me to send up a sub to sort you out?” She says, half joking, half serious.

  “No thanks. I just need some time and space I guess.” I can’t even think about being intimate with anyone right now.

  She gives me a big hug and stands to leave. “Okay, well if you need me, you know where I’ll be.” She walks to the door and before she opens it she faces me. “Talk to him Ella. If he’s the one you want, don't be afraid to tell him the truth. He may just surprise you.”

  “Thanks. What would I do without you?”

  “You'll never have to find out!” She winks and leaves, closing the door softly behind her. I stay sitting on the sofa exhausted and stare up at the ceiling. Closing my eyes I drift off to sleep.

  “Ella? Ella?” I wake to a familiar voice.

  “Jack?” I open my eyes to see him sitting next to me.

  “What are you doing here?” What the hell’s he doing in my office? I’m still dressed in my thong and corset, but now have a blanket over me.

  “Alex told me everything.” I try to gauge his mood, but the tone of his voice is flat and distant.

  I stand up and grab some clothes to put on. “He had no right to tell you.” I say angrily.

  “Well it didn’t look like you were going to tell me. I knew you were hiding something, but I didn’t think it would be this.” He sounds disgusted and I stop to face him.

  “Why are you talking like that?” My voice shakes.

  “Ella there’s something wrong with you. Can’t you see how wrong all of this is? Clearly you’re sick and need help.”

  “What?” My voice is barely a whisper and tears are streaming down my face. “Jack no, you don’t understand…”

  “I understand completely. You’re sick, but I’m going to help you.” Two men who look like nurses enter my office and grab hold of each of my arms.

  “Jack no! What’s going on?” I thrash out and try to escape.

  “Calm down Ella. They’re taking you somewhere that’ll help make you better.”

  “No Jack… No I’m not sick. Please!”

  “Ella, wake up!”

  “No Jack, please!”

  “Ella it’s me Tony.”

  I bolt upright to see Tony kneeling beside the sofa. “Tony?”

  “Yes it’s me. Are you okay?”

  I rub my eyes. Thank God it was just a dream! “I’m okay Tony. What time is it?”

  “It’s 4am. The club’s closed and I was just checking the floor to make sure everyone was out. Izzy told me you hadn’t left yet and I know you sometimes sleep here. I just wanted to check in with you. I knocked, but you didn’t hear me. I heard you shouting and was worried, so I came in and found you thrashing in your sleep.” I looked down to see a blanket covering me.

  “Thank you Tony. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re more than welcome. Are you staying or do you need me to arrange for a taxi?”

  “I would really appreciate you booking me a taxi please. I’ll get dressed.” Tony leaves and I take a big breath. I can’t ever let Jack know about me.

  Chapter 6

  Ella

  On Wednesday I’m sitting at the conference table in Velvet, awaiting Izzy and some other staff members for our weekly meeting. They’re never late, but before I begin to wonder where they are, Alex walks in. He sits in the chair next to me and we stare at each other awkwardly until he breaks the silence.

  “I'm sorry, Ella. I had no right to question you about Jack. It’s none of my business and I'm sorry if I disrespected you or upset you in anyway.” The look of regret in his eyes makes my heart ache.

  I reach for his hand and cover it with mine giving it a gentle squeeze. “Alex, I'm sorry as well. I know you’re only looking out for Jack and there was some truth to the things you said. I am in love with him, but at the moment I can’t get involved. I do want to be friends with him though and I hope you can trust that I will not hurt him.”

  He looks a little shocked by my apology. “Ella, there’s no need to apologise. You were right. Jack can take care of himself. It's just I care about you like a little sister and it's you I don’t want to see get hurt. That scene I witnessed between you and that sub just didn’t sit right with me, but you're right. I don’t know you as the person you are now and I had no right to force my opinions on you.”

  “Thanks Alex, I appreciate your concern. Let’s start a fresh shall we?”

  He nods and visibly relaxes. “So, where’s Izzy?” He asks.

  I check my watch and frown. She’s normally here by now. Pulling out my phone I see I’ve missed a text from her.

  I can’t make the meeting. Have to meet a private client. I’ve already discussed new shifts with the bar staff so it's just you and Alex. Be nice! Iz x

  Damn it, when’d she send this? Ten minutes ago. Sneaky bitch.

  “What is it?”

  “It's just us today; Izzy in her infinite wisdom has already taken care of all other business and is apparently off meeting a new client.”

  He shakes his head. “She set you up didn’t she?”

  “Yup, she knew I’d cancel the meeting.”

  “I knew I liked her for a reason.” He leans back in his chair. “So let’s get down to business shall we?” I nod. “I’d like to discuss the possibility of Dominants putting themselves up for auction.”

  My eyes widen. “Really?”

  “Yes. It's something we do in the New York club, which has proved very popular and lucrative. Most Dominants auction off a session as usual with them in charge, but some of them switch things up and opt to be a submissive.”

  “Wow that sounds like a damn good idea. We'll have to put out a vote to the club to see if they want it, but I can’t see why not.”

  “Fantastic. Do you think there’s time to get it set up for the next auction?”

  “Maybe, it's only three weeks away now though. If I talk to Izzy straight away we should be able to get a vote concluded by next week.” He smiles triumphantly and we continue to discuss a few of his other ideas. He suggests installing cameras in some of the public zones to assist with training and also providing subs and Dom's to help with some one-on-one training, which should help potentials learn faster. The meeting was more of a success than I thought it would be. It pleased me that we were able to push aside personal feelings and tend to the business at hand.

  It's finally Friday and I've not heard from Jack. I haven’t contacted him either though and am in two minds about whether to attend the opening. “So are we going out tonight?” Looking up from the paper I’m reading, I find Lottie standing in front of me arms crossed.

  “I don't know.” I reply with a perplexed look on my face.

  “Why not? It's pretty simple isn't it?” She asks.

  “Is it?”

  “Yes. Is Jack your friend?”

  “Well of course he is.” I reply sarcastically.

  “Well don't friends support each other on occasions like this?” I hate it when she’s right. Sometimes Lottie’s too smart for her own good. I narrow my eyes at her and she smiles back at me. “Come on. We'll get dressed up and go out for a few drinks. When was the last time we went out together? You're always working these days.”

  I guess it has been a while. The club takes up a lot of my time, but Izzy was covering everything tonight and I knew that Alex had invited quite a few people from the community. “Okay, let's go. We can even grab a bite to eat beforehand if you want?”

  She stands up with a triumphant look in her face. “Sounds good to me. I'll be ready by six and we can head down to Frankie's.”

  “Sure.” She’s right. Friends support each other and if I want to be his friend I need to start acting like one. I decide to send him a
quick text.

  Hey Jack. I look forward to tonight. See you there about 8 o’clock. E x

  A reply comes in immediately.

  Looking forward to seeing you both. J x

  We leave the apartment promptly at six and head down to Frankie's for some food. He greets us like family and gives us the best table in the house. Falling into an easy conversation about work and life, time flies and soon it’s seven-thirty and we need to grab a taxi. When we pull up outside the studio a man opens our door and then holds the door open to the studio. A waitress offers us a glass of champagne and we both take one. “Wow they went all out for this opening.” I say to Lottie as I hear a deep voice come up behind me.

  “Well we do like to impress.” Alex is dressed in a dark grey suit and has a cocky smile on his face. “Ladies.” He greets us by kissing us both on our cheeks. “Come on through, there’s lots to see and Jack’s around here somewhere.” I start to feel excitement bubbling through me, like I’m a school girl again. After not seeing Jack since the weekend, I felt like I couldn’t go a minute longer.

  “This is amazing.” Lottie’s talking to Alex and as I watch her, I see her cheeks flush. She has a crush real bad, but I know Alex won’t do anything about it.

  “Thanks.” He replies a little coldly.

  “Ella I’m going to go have a look around.” She squeezes my hand and walks off into the crowd.

  “Quite a turn out.” I move closer to him and lean to talk in his ear, so others can’t hear me. “I see quite a few people from the community here.”

  He leans in close also, resting his hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, who knew they could dress so conservatively.” I giggle at his joke. “If you'll excuse me I have more people to meet.” He trails his hand down my arm and squeezes my hand, before heading over to greet someone. I start to have a look around when I’m almost hypnotized by a black and white photo of the New York skyline. I don’t know how long I’ve stood there when a hand slips around my waist. I jump, but quickly cover my panic with a laugh when I realise it’s Jack.

  “Jack you little...”

  “Sorry I couldn’t resist. I’ve been watching you and you’ve been rooted to this spot for over five minutes now.” I look back to the photo noticing he still hasn't removed his hand from my waist. His touch is electric and I try to compose my thoughts and slow my racing heartbeat.

  “It's this picture. It's stunning. I've seen quite a few shots of the skyline but this one has totally drawn me in.” He looks pleased at my compliment.

  “I'm glad you like it.”

  “It looks like more than just a black and white photo, if that makes sense?”

  “It does and you're the first one to notice. I shot it and then digitally enhanced it so that the dark areas of the photo dominate the picture. It draws your eye to different areas other than just the buildings.” I’m staring at him now and his hand squeezes my waist breaking me from my thoughts. “What are you thinking in that pretty little head of yours?” He asks.

  I look down, cursing the fact that he still seems to be able to make me blush. What would he think if I told him I wanted him to get down on his knees and beg to pleasure me? Would he do it? Would he listen to my commands? I want to tell him to get on his knees, slide my dress up off my hips and press his nose against my soaked panties. My eyes meet his and he’s still staring at me amused, awaiting my response.

  I clear my throat. “I’m thinking that I’d like to purchase this picture.” I focus on the picture once more and feel his grip on my waist relax. I can sense his disappointment in my response and I try to pretend I don’t feel the magnetic draw we have to one another.

  “Well I better stick a sold label on it then, before someone else tries to take it.” I feel like there’s a hidden meaning behind his words, but I can’t grasp them. He steps away from me and scribbles on a sticky note before placing it beneath the picture. “If you’ll excuse me I need to do the rounds.” He places a perfunctory kiss on my cheek and wonders off into the crowd. I feel a loss as he leaves me, like I don’t know what to do without him.

  For the next hour I only see Jack from a distance, as I peruse the art work and chat with various people I recognise. Every now and then I catch Jack looking at me, but no sooner than I notice, he averts his eyes. I decide to take a break and head up to the mezzanine. Finding a sofa to relax on I close my eyes for a moment and try to block out the noise of the party.

  “You okay?” I don’t need to open my eyes to know who that voice belongs to. Alex’s tone is very different to Jack’s and as I look up at him I see he’s holding out a champagne flute to me.

  “I’m fine.” I smile and stand, taking the glass and following him over to the balcony. “Good night?” I ask.

  “Yeah it's been very successful. We’ve both gained some commissions from this event.”

  “That's amazing. Congratulations.” I hug him like the big brother he's always been. When I pull back he keeps his arm around my waist. Alex always treated me like part of the family and it seemed so natural. We continue chatting, when I hear a deep baritone voice that can only belong to Jack behind me.

  “Is everything okay?” I break away from Alex to look at Jack, who seems to be seething with anger and directing it toward his brother.

  “Everything's fine. We were just discussing the success of tonight and the commissions you’ve both procured.” He looks between us both as if seeing something that’s clearly not there.

  “Jack? Are you okay?” I ask walking toward him.

  He stops staring at Alex to turn to me briefly. “Well at least I now know why you just want to be friends.”

  I stare open-mouthed at him and my hand involuntarily slaps him across the face. I walk off without a word and find Lottie talking to some of the guests. “We're going!” She follows me out and I'm so angry I walk in a random direction.

  “Ella!” I hear Jack shout my name but I keep walking. Suddenly a strong hand grabs me and I swing round ready to slap him again, but he quickly blocks me.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Lottie shouts.

  “Jack here thinks I’m fucking his brother!” He winces at my outburst. “Is that not what you think?” I ask him coldly.

  He lets me go and sags against a shop wall. “Ella I...”

  “You’re such an idiot” Lottie steps up to him; her index finger pushed into his chest, “Ella would never do anything like that. You don't even know what she’s been through and you barely even bothered to keep in touch with her, even after you took her virginity!”

  “Lottie, that's enough.” I say sternly. Alex arrives on the scene with a bloody lip.

  “Everyone still alive?” He says trying to make light of the situation. I glare at him and hail a passing taxi. Jack’s still silent as he leans against the wall with a look of regret on his face. We slip into the taxi and head home leaving them on the side of the street.

  Chapter 7

  Ella

  I stretch all my limbs and yawn, as my body pries me from my slumber. Rolling over, I look at my phone to find it’s only seven in the morning. I also find five missed calls, two voice mails and three text messages. I’m guessing they’re all from Jack, but I put my phone back down without looking at them. Rising from my bed I pull a robe on and make my way to the kitchen for a cup of tea. I’m surprised to find Lottie already sitting at the breakfast bar with a pot of tea in front of her.

  “Morning.” I sit on a stool next to her and pour myself a cuppa.

  Lottie swivels her stool to face me. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Still pissed; I can’t believe Jack would think I’m having an affair with Alex.”

  “You really slapped him?” She asks looking impressed.

  “I did but it’s nothing to be proud of. I can’t believe I did it.”

  “Well if you ask me he deserved it!” I roll my eyes at her and am about to say something when there is a light knock at the door.

  Lottie places her hand on m
y arm. “Don't worry, if it’s him you’re not here.”

  “It’s seven-fifteen, where else would I be?” She puts the chain on the door, so it can only open a few inches.

  “Let me in Lottie.” Jack’s voice sounds from the other side of the door.

  “Go away Jack, she isn’t here.”

  “Where is she?”

  “I’m not telling you.”

  “Let me in then, so I can check.”

  “You’re not coming in, now go away.” She tries to close the door, but Jack stops it with his foot. “Move your foot before I move it for you.” She says through gritted teeth. I’ve hardly ever seen my sister angry and I’m glad she’s in my corner.

  “It’s okay Lottie.” She looks at me and then releases the chain, opening the door wide.

  “Fine.” She walks toward her room. “Shout if you want me to throw him out.” The thought of Lottie trying to remove Jack from my apartment makes me smirk. She’s at least a foot shorter than him and three stone lighter. I turn my attention to Jack who’s still wearing his clothes from last night.

  “May I come in?” He asks

  “Door’s open.” I mutter.

  “I will take what I can get.” He walks over to me, but stops short. He looks like he’s had no sleep and his eyes are blood shot. “I’m so sorry.” He whispers.

  His eyes look like they’re full of so much regret and I ache to reach out and touch him. “Why Jack?”

  He hangs his head. “I saw you cuddling and I know you’ve been seeing each other. I just jumped to the first conclusion albeit the stupidest one.” I start to panic; the only times I’ve seen Alex has been at Velvet. “Alex told me about your job as an event planner. About how he bumped into you at a party you hosted, but I saw him pick you up at your apartment last Saturday and I flipped. I convinced myself it was innocent, but I saw you two interacting last night and then the cuddle upstairs.”

  Phew. “Jack, I was hugging him to congratulate him on the success of the opening. Alex was, and will always be, the big brother I never had.” He nods and looks down at the floor.

  Stepping closer to him, I reach up and tentatively touch the cheek I slapped and as the back of my fingers touch him he closes his eyes; leaning into my touch.