TheOneandOnly (20 page)

“I might have to start telling you no more often,” she
murmured against his neck.

He gave her thigh a swat, but the blanket softened the blow.
They both dissolved into laughter.

“You mean the world to me, Michelle. I hope you know that.”

She looked him in the eyes for a moment, maybe longer. “Back
at ya, Sean.” His lips immediately found hers. He kissed her gently then held
her tight, stealing the remaining pieces of her heart she’d tried to keep
locked safely away.

Michelle had no idea how long they stayed like that. She was
pretty sure she’d dozed for a bit. Sitting on his lap, safe and secure in his
arms with her ear pressed against the steady beat of his heart, it was easy to
do.

“Okay, Michelle. You’ve got class tomorrow. We need to get
this place cleaned up and get home.”

She rolled off his lap, feeling stiff and achy. No doubt
she’d pulled a muscle or two straining against the ropes that held her bound to
the spanking bench.

“Are you feeling all right, baby?”

“I feel wonderful, Sean. Don’t worry so much about me. I’m
not made of porcelain.” She spun back around and kissed him on the cheek before
heading to the restroom.

“I like taking care of you. It makes me happy.”

She definitely liked it too.

Once they’d both cleaned up and dressed in street clothes,
they left the office.

“I need to clean up the privacy room and make one last round
of the club before we head home.” Sean kept his arm wrapped tight around her
waist until they reached the bar.

“Okay, no hurry. I’ve got a little more cleaning to do.”
Sean kissed her cheek, then headed down the path toward the privacy rooms. She
watched his sexy-as-hell ass until foliage blocked her view. After she’d wiped
down the counters and made a list of needed supplies, she remembered the salad
she’d left on the table near the stage.

She had planned to just throw it away, but her stomach
started rumbling. Apparently, good sex built up an appetite faster than
anything she knew of. Michelle took a few bites, then bit into something
squishy and very salty. Within seconds it was hard to breathe. She was dizzy
and she knew immediately she was in trouble. She tried to scream for Sean, but
couldn’t draw in enough breath.

Scrambling from the table, she ran toward the office. She
patted her shoulders feeling for her purse. Oh God, the key to the office was
in her purse. Her vision had narrowed to the door, if she could just make it
that far.

Sean heard a noise coming from the stage area. If Michelle
was mopping, he’d turn her over his knee on the spot. He started to wind up the
last bit of rope, but something about that sound sent a shiver down his spine.
He threw everything into his bag and walked back into the arboretum. Michelle
wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He started to go back to the privacy room when he
noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. What the fuck? A table was lying
on its side and rocking back and forth.

“Michelle?” He sprinted across the club. “Michelle, answer
me now!” he shouted in his most commanding voice. She had to be in trouble. No
way would she not answer him. His heart thundered in his chest as he ran to the
bar. Not seeing her there, he headed toward the office.

Oh dear God!
Michelle lay sprawled across the hallway.
Her face had a blue tint and her eyes and hands were swollen.
No, no, no.
This couldn’t be happening. With his stomach in his throat, he dug the cell
phone from his pocket and dialed 911. Even before the operator picked up, he’d
swung Michelle into his arms and had taken her into his office. “Come on baby,
stay with me. I love you, Michelle. Stay with me, baby.”

When the operator finally answered, Sean went on autopilot.
“She can’t breathe. She’s turning blue. Get help immediately.” He rattled off
the address. The operator’s calm, businesslike demeanor did nothing to
alleviate his fears.

“Lay her on her side. Is there anything obstructing her
airway?”

Reluctantly, Sean laid her on the floor on her side. “I
don’t think so, her face and hands are swollen. She has food allergies.” It all
came together for him. “Son of a bitch. Someone slipped seafood into her
salad.”

“Does she have an EpiPen, sir?”

“Yes, it’s in her purse.” He looked into the bathroom and saw
it sitting on the counter. Sean dumped the contents onto the vanity and looked
at the big thick pen. “How the hell do I use this?”

Sean listened and followed her instructions. An eternity
passed before she was gulping for air. “Oh thank God. She’s breathing.” Sirens
could be heard in the distance. “Can I pick her up? I have to unlock the door
for the paramedics.”

“She should be okay while you open the door.”

“Fuck that.” He picked her up and carried her out the office
door and down the hall to the outside entrance. “You’re gonna be fine,
Michelle. Help’s coming. Stay with me, baby.”

Her breathing was ragged and she looked like shit. So pale.
The swelling around her eyes was receding enough that she could open them
though. “Key.”

“Don’t try to talk, baby. Just breathe for me. The
paramedics are here.” Sean pushed the end button and dropped the phone back
into his pocket out of habit.

Sean recapped what little he knew and stood back out of the
way. One man had her head and shoulders elevated on his lap while two others
were taking her vital signs. He heard them radioing for an ambulance. They cut
the sleeve of her blouse and inserted an IV.

Damn it, the marks from his ropes were still visible on her
arm. Michelle wouldn’t like the questions that would bring. The medic had
pointed it out to another firefighter and he had run back to the truck. Sean
wasn’t surprised a few minutes later when a patrol car pulled into the parking
lot.

Michelle held out her hand to Sean. “I’m here, honey. It’s
gonna be okay.”

“I forgot the key in my purse. I’m sorry.” Her hand went to
her throat, as if talking might hurt.

“Don’t talk, baby. Just breathe.” It wouldn’t have mattered
if she’d had the key. She hadn’t made it to the door. He remembered hearing
somewhere that repeated exposure to an allergen made each subsequent episode
that much more dangerous. He hoped that wasn’t true because this one had scared
the hell out of him.

“Do you know what brought this on, ma’am?” The fireman was
rubbing her arm just below the IV.

“Anchovy.” She looked at Sean. “I’d left my salad on the
table. I took a few more bites. There were anchovies in it.”

Stella!
He was going to fucking kill her.

Michelle tightened her hold around Sean’s wrist. “You don’t
know that it was her. Anyone could have done it.”

“Ma’am, I’m Officer Tyler Jones. What happened this
evening?”

“I’m allergic to seafood.” She smiled up at Sean, obviously
thinking of her safeword.

That moment of shared intimacy loosened a few knots in his
belly.

“We were eating salads at one of the tables in the club when
we were distracted for a bit.” She took a few more breaths before continuing.
“I left my salad there while we attended to other things. Honestly, I forgot
about it until I was cleaning up so we could leave. I was a little hungry so I
took a few more bites.” She rubbed her throat and took a deeper breath. “As
soon as I bit into it, I knew I was in trouble. My EpiPen was in the office,
but I’d forgotten the key. The next thing I remember I was in the office
wondering why I was on the floor.” Again she looked up at Sean and smiled.

He remembered her accusing him of having a problem with the
floor. God, he loved her so much.

“Who knows of your allergy?”

She looked at Sean. “I don’t know. Sean, of course.”

“I told the club manager and her direct supervisor, Steven,
and both Liz and Stella were in the lobby when I picked up the food. Liz made a
comment about how being allergic to seafood would be dreadful. On the takeout
container ‘no seafood’ was written across the top. I believed the comment
pertained to that. Have you even met Liz, honey?”

“No.”

“Um, ma’am, there are some marks on your wrists. Do they
have anything to do with this incident?”

Michelle looked from her wrist to Sean, turned bright red
and shook her head. “No, Officer, they do not.”

“Is there anything you’d like to tell us about them?”

Michelle looked the officer directly in the eyes and grew
very serious. “Yes, Officer, mind your own business. They aren’t related.”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s what I figured, but I needed to ask.”

This time it was the officer who was embarrassed. Michelle
was anything but weak. Sean was so fucking proud of her.

By the time they were loading her onto the gurney, some of
the color was returning to her face.

“Sir, we’re going to take her to Hilton Head Regional. This
was one of the more serious reactions we’ve seen. If you want you can follow
us,” one of the paramedics advised him.

“Sir, I’m going to need a bit more information,” the officer
informed Sean.

“Sean…” Her grip on his arm was strong.

“I’ll be right behind you, baby. I promise.” Sean walked
with her to the ambulance and watched as they loaded her inside.

“Sir, you might want to get her purse. They’re going to need
her ID and insurance information.”

Shit, he didn’t know if she even had insurance. It didn’t
matter—he’d pay for it. “Can we do this at the hospital? I don’t want her
wondering where I am.”

“Sure. I’ll stay with you until you get the place locked up
then I’ll give you an escort. You’ll get there sooner that way.”

Sean wasn’t fooled. He wanted to see the inside the club.
Fine.
Sean didn’t care. He ran a clean establishment. If the man was hoping to find
drugs or other illegal substances, he would be disappointed. He jogged back to
the club and held the door for the officer.

“Do you think it was a mistake at the restaurant or do you
think someone here did it on purpose?”

“It was someone here. I know the owner of the restaurant. He
wouldn’t have allowed his employees to make a mistake like that. And she’d eaten
most of it before…we were distracted, as she put it.”

“She seems like a sweet girl. I wouldn’t want to see her
hurt again.” The officer’s voice had an edge to it.

Sean stopped putting the contents back into her purse and
looked at the officer. “Believe me, Officer, it won’t happen again. I should
have fired Stella the first time she pulled a move like this. I’ll be damned if
she gets away with it this time.”

“Is Stella a previous girlfriend?”

“No, she’s an employee.
Was
an employee. Past tense.
She’s gone.”

“Sir, if this was done with malicious intent, it’s a
criminal offense.”

“I doubt she meant to kill her, but it was definitely
malicious.”

“Could there have been any witnesses?”

“I think I got everything. Let’s get to the hospital.” They
walked out to his car. “Last week, Stella put some hybrid hot peppers on Michelle’s
pizza, which burned her mouth and throat. Luke saw her do it and then she
confessed to tampering with her food. I wanted to fire her then, but Michelle
talked me out of it. Instead we suspended her without pay. In fact, she
shouldn’t have even been allowed at the club today, but Steven allowed it.”

“We’ll talk more at the hospital. Stay behind me and I’ll
escort you there.”

* * * * *

Michelle woke in the hospital alone. Once she’d been moved
into a regular room and the scare factor had faded, she’d sent Sean home. He’d
put up quite the fight, not wanting to leave. Eventually, he gave in when she
told him she needed some fresh clothes.

She’d never had a reaction that bad before, but she’d still
been surprised they’d admitted her. They’d explained that with the combination
of drugs they’d used to get the anaphylaxis under control she needed to be
observed overnight. She knew she was fine and just wanted to get home. And
home, she’d come to understand, wasn’t a geographical location. It was wrapped
in Sean’s arms.

Funny how she’d grown accustomed to waking up with him so
quickly. There must really be something to Sean’s idea of soulmates. He’d
looked stricken last night, both at the club and in the emergency room. She had
no doubt that he truly loved her. Everything else, all the details, they’d work
out as time went by. They were meant to be together.

Michelle opened the drawer of the cabinet beside her bed and
dragged out her purse. Looking inside, she was dismayed to find nothing was in
its proper place. It didn’t matter—what she wanted she’d put in a special
zippered compartment. Working the pull, she slid open the pocket and retrieved
the golden key Sean had given her with the collar.

It was time.

* * * * *

“Hey, pretty lady, you’re looking better this morning.” Sean
was dressed in jeans and the button-down shirt she’d worn while making
breakfast yesterday.

She must have drifted off because she hadn’t heard him come
in. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in his ear as he hugged her hard.

“They’ve removed the IV. Are they going to release you?” He
dropped two large shopping bags beside the bed.

“Yep, I got the all-clear just a few minutes ago. We can
leave anytime.” She looked at the packages. “You didn’t have to buy me new
clothes.”

“I had another item I needed to pick up this morning, so it
worked out well.” Sean turned around and shut the door, then drew the curtain
around the bed for added privacy. “Let’s get you dressed and we’ll get out of
here.” Sean lowered the railing on the right side of the bed. “Don’t try to stand
just yet. Wait for me.” He drew out a pair of jeans, a blouse, panties, a bra
and sandals from the bag.

“When you go shopping, you don’t fool around.“ Michelle slid
off the bed into Sean’s steadying arms.

He held her undies down near her feet so she could step into
them. Next, he ripped the tags off the jeans then helped her into them as well.
“Scoot back up on the bed and rest.” He reached behind her neck and untied the
hospital gown. “Pull your arms through.” Once it was off her, he wadded it into
a ball and threw it on the chair near the window.

“Is something wrong with your hand? You have it closed.”
Sean brought it to his lips and gently kissed her fingers.

“No. I had thought I’d wait for a more romantic location,
but it doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together.” Michelle turned
her hand over and opened it. “This belongs to you. I love you, Sean.”

Sean’s eyes jumped from the key to her face. A tear formed
in his eyes before he leaned in, seizing her mouth in a hot, passionate
embrace.

Pulling away the slightest bit, he took the key from her
palm and pressed it against his heart.

“I love you so much, Michelle. I have no idea how I existed
before you came into my life. You’re everything to me. I smile when I think
about you. I want to spend every minute with you and when we’re apart, I plan
ways to make you happy both in bed,” he flashed her the mischievous smile that
she liked so much, “and out.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a box and
opened it, revealing a platinum Claddagh ring embedded with emeralds and
diamonds. Kneeling by her side, he asked, “Will you marry me, Michelle? Be my
wife and my subbie for all time?”

Tears of joy ran down her cheeks. “Yes, Master, forever
yours.”