Reporters and photographers swamped Jane the moment she got out of the car. Shielding her eyes against a flashing camera, she made her way to the studio. She tried to, anyway. Jane felt like she was being swept forward and backward by a wave. Sweat trickled down her back. The press of people made it hard to draw air to her lungs. Panic crept up her spine and she gritted her teeth. She’d made a promise to Jacob before she left. She could handle the press.
If she’d known making that dress for Azalea Swan would lead to this, she wished she never agreed to work with the model. Swan might crave attention, but Jane was the exact opposite. She only wanted to continue making dresses.
“Jane, any comment about supermodel Azalea Swan’s scathing interview with Late Night Show host Gene Reeves?” someone fired from the right of her.
“No comment.” Jane was only a few feet from her store. Both her assistants stood outside the door, trying to control the crowd to no avail. They were ignoring them.
“Clear out. Let Jane through,” she heard Gina yelling, but her voice got lost in the crowd. “We’ve already called the police.”
The police. Okay. Jane breathed a little easier. She only had to ride this wave out. The police would lend her their assistance—if they arrived at all.
“Jane, is it true you’re seeing Jacob Farr, Michelin-starred chef and the owner of Arianna’s?”
That question threw her completely off-guard. She froze up completely and her shocked expression must’ve given her away. The sharks knew it. They scented the blood in the water and started firing questions about her and Jacob.
Jane’s head spun. She remembered the click going off in the pier. The flash. All these years, she’d kept her head down, made sure the reporters couldn’t dig up any dirt on her. She’d made a mistake. She’d let her guard down, allowed herself to feel normal for a change, and look what happened. Jane clenched her fists by her side, tempted to punch the overweight, balding reporter in front of her who kept asking how far she and Jacob had gone in the bedroom.
It was none of their business. She had every right to go on a date if she wanted. None of these people could ruin the special moment Jacob and her shared.
A year ago, she’d broken down on television once and the press milked that single moment of embarrassment for months. Jane couldn’t let them get to her, and was no longer that insecure, overemotional woman. She gathered herself, straightening her spine, and wore a neutral expression on her face.
“No comment. If you’d excuse me, I need to get inside my studio,” she said, pitching her voice loud and clear.
The reporters didn’t budge. Didn’t they have anything better to do? Other more important celebrities to hound? Jane was just a small fish in a tank of bigger fish.
She fought a losing battle. Any second now and her resolve would collapse. The questions got more personal, invasive. Jane opened her mouth, about to tell them all to fuck off despite knowing that would only give them more ammunition. She knew she shouldn’t.
“You heard her,” growled a familiar voice behind her. “Give her some fucking space.”
Jane spun. Jacob shoved his way toward her. His eyes were narrowed, his lips formed a thin line, and he clenched and unclenched his fists by his sides. He looked pissed as hell. Some of the reporters must’ve felt the black aura coming off him because they stepped aside. Was this a dream?
Her feet nearly gave out on her. Jacob was there, gathering her protectively in his arms, preventing her from falling face-first into the pavement. Not a figment of her imagination after all. Jacob wasn’t alone. He’d brought two police officers with him.
“Make room,” ordered one of the cops.
“You okay?” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes. I am now,” she answered. With Jacob holding her close, they managed to reach the studio’s doorstep. Gina held the door open as they breezed through.
Jacob gave her shoulders a squeeze then flashed her a reassuring smile. “I need to speak with Cooper and Farley. They’re the cops I came with.”
“How did you know?” she asked him, blinking when he cupped her cheek. His steady presence, his touch anchored Jane back to reality. She could breathe easily again.
“I had a bad feeling when you left.” Jacob approached the cops who entered the studio.
Jane turned to face her assistants, who were both sneaking Jacob curious looks.
“Jane, sit down. I’ll make you a cup of tea,” Mary said, pulling her over to one of the sofas reserved for their customers.
“Water,” she said. “Please and thank you.”
Mary nodded, leaving her to get her a glass.
“He’s the reason you were smiling the other day?” Gina asked her point-blank.
There was no use denying it. The photo taken of them at the pier would probably appear in the news or a tabloid magazine sooner or later.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Well, good for you,” Gina said, grinning. “He’s a catch. Mary and I saw it all. He looked ready to murder anyone who came close to you.”
****
“So this is where you work?” Jacob asked, looking around the space with interest. There was a sewing machine on the table near where Jane sat. Bolts of fabric and lace samples hung on one wall and wedding veils on another corner.
Jane remained seated where she was, nursing a cup of tea that had probably gone cold. Both of Jane’s assistants had stepped out for lunch. One of them turned over the open sign at the door, giving Jane and him complete privacy in the studio.
“I didn’t want to drag you into the mess that’s my life,” Jane finally said, looking up at him. Jacob took a seat on the table, facing her. He rested his hand over her slim, small one. This talk was a long time coming.
“I don’t mind,” he answered. “Is that the reason why you didn’t want me to drive you? You were worried about me?”
Jane bit her lower lip and nodded. “Before I met you, I couldn’t keep a man because they eventually became daunted by the press, by the fact I’m constantly under the spotlight. So I started going to the Black Feather instead. I liked how they kept the identities of their members private.”
Jacob wove his hand into her hair and gave it a warning tug, forcing Jane to look up at him. “I don’t want to hear about other men you’ve been with. You know how possessive I can be.”
“You sound jealous, Master.” There it was. The smile he wanted to see.
Jacob smirked. “Don’t make me punish you in your own studio.”
Jane drew a shaky breath. “The first time we met, I knew you were different.”
The old Jane would’ve begged to be punished just to avoid having an adult conversation. His Little Sparrow had changed, grown up. Pleasure filled him.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time, haven’t we? You’re the only sub I ever agreed to have private sessions at my home with. I knew you were different, too.” Jacob released her hair. “But you should know I want more.”
Jane fell silent for a few moments, as though she was thinking hard. “You’ve seen a glimpse of what’s it like being with me. Privacy will be hard to come by. Knowing that, you still want me that way?”
“I want it all,” he told her bluntly. Jacob opened his heart to her and offered it to her on a platter. “You’re the first thing I want to see in the morning, your tempting body covered in my marks, my cock buried in your cunt, and you wearing my collar. I’ll cook for you, care for you. Cherish you. I’ll hurt you when you beg me to. I’ll be all you ever need.”
Jane shuddered at those words. When Jacob traced her bottom lip with his finger, she sucked on them. He groaned, imagining it was her mouth around his cock, Jane on her knees, naked and willing to serve. His jeans felt tight again.
Jane pulled her lips away and used his thigh as a pillow. He ran his fingers through her hair and decided to take the chance. “Move in with me, Jane. I don’t mind going public with our relationship. I want the entire world to know you belong to me.”
Her breath caught. Jacob thought she’d need more time to give him an answer. He was wrong.
“Yes,” she murmured, raising her head to look up at him. “I’ll move in with you.”