Chapter 5

"What?" Reed growled as he reached out and gripped my arm.

"What?" I echoed still reeling.

"What did you just say?" he said as he pulled me to him once again.

"I didn't say anything."

My words rushed out praying to God I hadn't given voice to my thoughts, although, I could tell by how adamantly he stared at me that I probably had.

"Mr. Callaghan, Ms. Johnson was just on her way to clear her desk. Let me escort her out," said Mr. Jones from directly behind me.

"Oh, please God don't tell me he heard me too," I whispered to Mr. Callaghan.

I just wanted the ground to swallow me up right then.

"No," said Mr. Callaghan.

"No?" Mr. Jones said.

I could hear the confusion in his voice.

When Mr. Callaghan shook his head at me, I knew that answer had been intended for me. He turned fully to Jones and addressed him.

"I need to talk to Ms. Johnson, so I will escort her out. You, you will stay here because when I come back, we have much to discuss," Mr. Callaghan stated forcefully.

I could have sworn I heard a veiled threat. However, I brushed it off like water off my back seeing as it was no longer my concern.

"Thank you both. But, I think I will escort myself out," I said stepping away from both of them and put my hands on my hips to face them. "Actually, I'm going to just go get my purse and go home. With all that has happened today, I think that's best. I'll come back another day to clear out my office."

I started to walk away when a strong grip pulled me back.

"Mia, you aren't fired," Reed said as he looked down at me, his expression gentle for the first time.

"I'm not?" I asked incredulously.

"No, you're not. Apparently, Mr. Jones forgot who actually owns this company."

The glare he sent Mr. Jones' way almost made me giggle. Mr. Callaghan was Alpha through and through, whereas Mr. Jones was the vulture that waited for all the other predators to be done with the carcass before he swoops in and picks up the scraps.

"So, Mr. Jones is still working here?" I asked cautiously.

The smug look on Mr. Jones' faces said it all without me having to wait for Reed's response.

"Never mind. Then, I guess I quit because I refuse to work in the same place as that chauvinistic pig," I said turning back to Reed.

"I see," Mr. Callaghan said and I noticed some disappointment in his voice which caused my stomach to drop.

An image came unbidden to my mind of me kneeling at his feet begging for forgiveness. I shook my head knowing it was pure foolishness to think this was going to go like any of my dreams.

"Well, I guess if that's the way of things," He continued breaking into my thoughts.

"Yes, it is," I said sadly and turned and walked away.

After I got home the stress of the day got to me. I lay down on the bed and cried myself to sleep. When I woke up the next day instead of feeling sorry for myself; I was mad at the world, at Mr. Jones for being a jerk, at Chrissy for being such an office slut, and at Reed for not begging me to stay.

Irritated beyond belief, I got up and got started on my day before finally sitting down to start my new resume. Only to get more pissed off when I remembered that I had ruined my only computer yesterday. I started cussing at the thought of having to go across town to the library to use theirs and the fact it was Saturday, so that wasn't going to be happening until Monday.

Unable to stand still a second longer I went and angrily cleaned my house from top to bottom. The day passed by swiftly and I flopped into the bed that night then picked up the nearest book to me and began reading about how an insubordinate sub got punished in rather creative ways. After I finally finished it in the wee hours of the morning, I passed out quickly and soon my dream became intertwined with the story.

-"Sub, are you sure this is the way you want to talk to your Master?" a deep husky voice filled my dream.

I looked up and was thrilled to find the tall, muscular, blue-eyed, black-haired man was Reed. I sighed and welcomed the tingles that ran up my spine as I knelt on the ground in front of him practically daring him to do his worst.

"No, of course not Master. I wouldn't dream of making fun of you," I said sarcastically and was thrilled as his eyes darkened with impatience at my tone. He had no shirt on, and his leather pants were plastered to his legs leaving nothing to the imagination. I licked my lips imagining them sliding over his cock like I knew he was going to make me do. One of his hands was on his hip the other bouncing a flogger on his shoulders.

"Do you know why you are acting this way?" he asked as if he already knew all the answers.

I gave him a confused look and shook my head.

"To get my attention and now that you have my attention what are you going to do with it?" he said as he got closer until all I could see was his eyes.

Reed in the waking world and the Dom I dreamed about merged into one.-

I shot up out of bed because the memory and the reason why Reed was so familiar came into focus. I dropped my head in my hands and shrieked in anger, in frustration, in embarrassment.

No wonder he had not asked me to stay, I thought to myself as that drunken night came back to me in a haze. Lizzie had refused to tell me much about what had really happened even though I knew she remembered more than what she had admitted. I think she was ashamed of how I had been hurt, I knew she felt guilty at the very least, so I had never really pushed her. Still, you better believe the next time I saw her I would, oh yes, Lizzie had some serious explaining to do. Feeling determined I purposely snuggled under the covers and forced myself to go back into a fitful sleep.