PART ELEVEN
True to his words, Irons had sent a car for Sara to make sure she was right on time. She had ridden in silence, trying to figure out why she was invited and how she was going to keep from going for Irons throat when she saw him. Her thoughts were interrupted as the car stopped and her door was suddenly opened. She refused the offered hand to help her out. As the car pulled away Ian greeted her.
"Welcome Sara." He was dressed entirely in black as usual, but in a suit instead of the normal attire she was used to. Looking at her own casual wear, she suddenly felt very underdressed. "You look wonderful tonight." He allowed a smile to play around his lips. "Would you allow me to escort you into the sitting room?" He offered his arm, which she slowly took.
"How is you back Ian?" Sara asked as they walked together.
"Much better, thank you." He stole a glance at her then looked straight ahead. "I hope you know how grateful I am to your assistance." Suddenly Sara stopped and pulled her arm away. Ian turned to her, confused. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"
"Ian, this isn't going to work." She crossed her arms and looked at the ground.
"What isn't going to work?"
"Would you please, just for once talk to me? One person to another and not like a slave to his Master?" His eyes avoided her as she spoke. "Damn it! Look at me!" When he didn't respond she added softer. "Please, look at me?" He slowly raised his eyes to hers. "Thank you." She smiled as she looked at him. "You know you really get on my nerves with all this subservient shit." He tried to look away again but was stopped by Sara's hand on his chin. "No, don't do that."
"Sara, try to understand. It is the way I am trained."
"I'm trying to understand a lot more than you think, Ian." She softly stroked his beard. "Can I ask another favor of you?"
"I would do anything for you, Sara."
"Yeah well." She grinned as she brought her hand back down. "Let your hair down, Ian." He looked at her confused. "Let your hair down. The way it was last night. You do remember last night don't you?" Ian's eyes suddenly filled with pain. "Sorry, of course you remember last night." She cursed herself silently at the remark. "Ian look. If I am going to have to spend the entire evening with you and Irons, I would like to have a little bit of pleasure." When he didn't move, she lifted her hand quickly to his head. Out of instinct he blocked it. "Whoa there." She soothed. When he lowered his hand, she slowly reached behind his head and removed the elastic that held his hair in place. He stood still as she tousled the long, dark locks loose. When she was satisfied she took a step back. "That is much better." For a split second, she thought she saw a blush rise to his cheeks. "Now," She extended her arm for him to embrace, "I am ready to go in."
The rest of the walk was in silence. Sara could feel the tension in the man's moves as they entered into the spacious room where Lilly was sitting on a large sofa as Irons stood next to the fireplace.
"Sara." Irons walked forward, glancing at Ian disapprovingly. "So good of you to come."
"Like I had any choice in the matter?" As she spoke, she stepped closer into Ian's body. Suddenly the dark man felt like a shield to her. "Hello Lilly." She spoke across the room to the woman.
"Sara." Lilly stood and moved past Irons. "I am glad you came." She looked up at Ian. "Well, I do like what you have done to your hair Ian. It really does make you look less severe."
"Could I get you a drink Sara?" Irons voice held an edge.
"No thank you." Sara smiled and placed her free hand on Ian's arm. She could see the anger rise in Irons eyes. "Would you like to explain what was so important that I had to be summoned here tonight?"
"Summoned?" Irons feigned surprise. "Yes, well, I guess it would sound like that. I didn't leave you much choice as you so rightly pointed out."
"Come, " Lilly took Sara by the arm and began to lead her away from Ian. "All this talk can be done over the dinner table. I am starving." Reluctantly, Sara released Ian's arm and walked with Lilly across the room. She turned just long enough to see Irons staring hard at Ian, who had lowered his glance quickly. "Are you coming Kenneth?" Lilly shouted over her shoulder. As they entered the dining room, Sara could hear the two men coming up behind them. "Sara, you will sit there." She indicated a chair that had been pulled out by one of the two men dressed in White suits. "Ian, you will sit across from her, Dear." As they sat, Sara raised an amused eyebrow at Ian and showed him the elastic band from his hair around her finger. She was rewarded with a slight smile.
As soon as Lilly and Irons had taken their places and the ends of the table, the two men began pouring clear liquid in their glasses. As her own glass was filled, Sara looked down and frowned deeply.
"What is it dear?" Lilly lifted her glass to her lips and sipped.
"I think there is more silverware here than I have in my entire apartment." She looked first at Lilly then at Ian who was trying to suppress a knowing grin. "Do I get demerit points if I use the wrong one Mr. Irons?" She glared at him questioningly.
"Of course not." Irons snapped. "You are joking of course." Sara's expression didn't change. "Are you joking, aren't you?"
"Of course I am." She said as a salad was placed in front of her. Deftly she picked up the correct utensils and began to eat. "So Irons. What did you want to talk to me about."
True to his words, Irons had sent a car for Sara to make sure she was right on time. She had ridden in silence, trying to figure out why she was invited and how she was going to keep from going for Irons throat when she saw him. Her thoughts were interrupted as the car stopped and her door was suddenly opened. She refused the offered hand to help her out. As the car pulled away Ian greeted her.
"Welcome Sara." He was dressed entirely in black as usual, but in a suit instead of the normal attire she was used to. Looking at her own casual wear, she suddenly felt very underdressed. "You look wonderful tonight." He allowed a smile to play around his lips. "Would you allow me to escort you into the sitting room?" He offered his arm, which she slowly took.
"How is you back Ian?" Sara asked as they walked together.
"Much better, thank you." He stole a glance at her then looked straight ahead. "I hope you know how grateful I am to your assistance." Suddenly Sara stopped and pulled her arm away. Ian turned to her, confused. "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"
"Ian, this isn't going to work." She crossed her arms and looked at the ground.
"What isn't going to work?"
"Would you please, just for once talk to me? One person to another and not like a slave to his Master?" His eyes avoided her as she spoke. "Damn it! Look at me!" When he didn't respond she added softer. "Please, look at me?" He slowly raised his eyes to hers. "Thank you." She smiled as she looked at him. "You know you really get on my nerves with all this subservient shit." He tried to look away again but was stopped by Sara's hand on his chin. "No, don't do that."
"Sara, try to understand. It is the way I am trained."
"I'm trying to understand a lot more than you think, Ian." She softly stroked his beard. "Can I ask another favor of you?"
"I would do anything for you, Sara."
"Yeah well." She grinned as she brought her hand back down. "Let your hair down, Ian." He looked at her confused. "Let your hair down. The way it was last night. You do remember last night don't you?" Ian's eyes suddenly filled with pain. "Sorry, of course you remember last night." She cursed herself silently at the remark. "Ian look. If I am going to have to spend the entire evening with you and Irons, I would like to have a little bit of pleasure." When he didn't move, she lifted her hand quickly to his head. Out of instinct he blocked it. "Whoa there." She soothed. When he lowered his hand, she slowly reached behind his head and removed the elastic that held his hair in place. He stood still as she tousled the long, dark locks loose. When she was satisfied she took a step back. "That is much better." For a split second, she thought she saw a blush rise to his cheeks. "Now," She extended her arm for him to embrace, "I am ready to go in."
The rest of the walk was in silence. Sara could feel the tension in the man's moves as they entered into the spacious room where Lilly was sitting on a large sofa as Irons stood next to the fireplace.
"Sara." Irons walked forward, glancing at Ian disapprovingly. "So good of you to come."
"Like I had any choice in the matter?" As she spoke, she stepped closer into Ian's body. Suddenly the dark man felt like a shield to her. "Hello Lilly." She spoke across the room to the woman.
"Sara." Lilly stood and moved past Irons. "I am glad you came." She looked up at Ian. "Well, I do like what you have done to your hair Ian. It really does make you look less severe."
"Could I get you a drink Sara?" Irons voice held an edge.
"No thank you." Sara smiled and placed her free hand on Ian's arm. She could see the anger rise in Irons eyes. "Would you like to explain what was so important that I had to be summoned here tonight?"
"Summoned?" Irons feigned surprise. "Yes, well, I guess it would sound like that. I didn't leave you much choice as you so rightly pointed out."
"Come, " Lilly took Sara by the arm and began to lead her away from Ian. "All this talk can be done over the dinner table. I am starving." Reluctantly, Sara released Ian's arm and walked with Lilly across the room. She turned just long enough to see Irons staring hard at Ian, who had lowered his glance quickly. "Are you coming Kenneth?" Lilly shouted over her shoulder. As they entered the dining room, Sara could hear the two men coming up behind them. "Sara, you will sit there." She indicated a chair that had been pulled out by one of the two men dressed in White suits. "Ian, you will sit across from her, Dear." As they sat, Sara raised an amused eyebrow at Ian and showed him the elastic band from his hair around her finger. She was rewarded with a slight smile.
As soon as Lilly and Irons had taken their places and the ends of the table, the two men began pouring clear liquid in their glasses. As her own glass was filled, Sara looked down and frowned deeply.
"What is it dear?" Lilly lifted her glass to her lips and sipped.
"I think there is more silverware here than I have in my entire apartment." She looked first at Lilly then at Ian who was trying to suppress a knowing grin. "Do I get demerit points if I use the wrong one Mr. Irons?" She glared at him questioningly.
"Of course not." Irons snapped. "You are joking of course." Sara's expression didn't change. "Are you joking, aren't you?"
"Of course I am." She said as a salad was placed in front of her. Deftly she picked up the correct utensils and began to eat. "So Irons. What did you want to talk to me about."