INDISPENSABLE: Part 2 Read online

  INDISPENSABLE

  Part Two

  MARYANN BARNETT

  Copyright © 2015

  Published by: Rascal Hearts

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  For questions and comments about this book, please contact us at [email protected]

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter One

  Sarah sat shell-shocked for a second. This must be a bad dream. The police had just marched him off, reading his rights. Her stomach roiled and her head pounded. Sexual assault? Had Brock sexually assaulted someone? Would he? She stood up and walked across Brock’s office.

  Her mind screamed how stupid she was for being with him at all. How she always made the wrong choices and she always would. Sweat broke out across her brow.

  Her throat constricted. Then, she sucked in a deep breath, and another. She thought about Brock and the panic attack when she’d seen her brother’s art on the wall. Brock Devlin helped her through it and, later, when he’d pushed her to the edge during sex, she’d gotten through that without the anxiety kicking in.

  She couldn’t recall the last time she gotten through a situation that frightened her, stressed her, or triggered terrible memories without her best friend, Bella—let alone unassisted. He cared about her wellbeing.

  Sex for Brock wasn’t missionary position. Far from it. But sexual assault? The thought was awful. She played over the scenario in her head. If there wasn’t an agreement discussed and signed…if he’d been young…. There had to be another side to this story.

  He’d pushed Sarah over the edge into panic zone during her submissive tester, and she’d been frightened for a few moments. In the end, he’d had it perfectly timed, under expert control, but Sarah thought about the oxygen he’d deprived her of and how close she’d felt to passing out.

  How hard would it be to win that case of sexual assault in the courtroom? Not hard at all. But the timing had been so perfect, letting Sarah know he was purposely showing her she could deal with situations without triggering an attack.

  She’d gotten through that. But if the timing had been off, things might’ve been very different. So perhaps is wasn’t so impossible that this had happened. She needed answers. When, where, how.

  She could get through this.

  No, you can’t…Yes, I can. She made her mind focus on ways to handle this situation as a high-powered attorney, and not as someone who’d given herself up as a sexual submissive for the night. Think, Sarah. If this was anyone else, in any other company, what would you do? What would you advise them to do?

  She looked up and saw Brock’s personal assistant with a look of horror on her face. This could spread fast and be nasty. Regardless of what he’d allegedly done, the damage to the company reputation needed to be minimized. She got on her phone and sent the team a text.

  Urgent meeting. Devlin’s office. Now.

  Then, she looked at Brock’s PA. “Heidi, can you get Heather and Josh from the youth committee in here ASAP please? Also get Heather to call me right away. Don’t stress, we’ll get this sorted. Please have morning tea and lunch brought into the legal boardroom and set up some refreshments now. We’ll be going into lockdown.”

  “Yes, Miss Beaumont.”

  Her legal team all filed through the door. “Mr. Devlin has been arrested. I want no speculation on this. It’s likely already hit Twitter. News is fast on there. Jason, you need to go down to the station and represent him. I’ll co-ordinate from here. Keep me posted by text or email. Every second.”

  Jason nodded and left. The rest of you are on emergency standby, and I need research, people, and lots of it. It’ll be a long night so call anyone you need to and let them know. Meet me in the legal boardroom, and I’ll be in there to brief you all shortly.” Her phone rang as they scattered out the door. “Hello,” she said.

  “Sarah, it’s Heather.”

  “Heather, we have a situation. Brock has been arrested for sexual assault. I have the legal team onto it. I can’t guarantee it hasn’t hit online yet. Who do we have that can use social media and make an announcement?”

  “I’ll get Gary onto it. Sarah, the best way is with honesty and an apology if needed. Do you know any details?”

  “Here’s what I do know. I cannot represent him and I cannot be brought in as a witness. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Silence. Then Heather spoke. “Okay. Can you run the team or should you step away completely? I’m was on my way in. I can see you.”

  Sarah looked up and Heather was coming along the hallway talking on her phone.

  Sarah waited until she entered the office door, closed it behind her, and shut the blinds. “I’ll step away, but I’ll be pulling strings from behind the scenes. I’m about to instruct the team to look into possibilities with Brock pleading guilty, or not guilty. We’ll get the details and keep you posted, if you can run a social media campaign when and if needed. When Josh gets here, I’ll get him onto spinning this in our favour somehow. ”

  “I’m onto it.” Heather smiled and breezed towards the door.

  “Heather, just one more thing…”

  “Sure.” Heather turned to look at Sarah, and Sarah swallowed her nervousness.

  “This could get personal for me. Brock was looking at getting my friend, Bella, on board in the company somehow. Would it be okay if I brought her in on this? She has a great mind, never cracks under pressure, and she knows how to keep me focused if the shit goes down.”

  “Brock has mentioned her. I’ll put her on damage control with Josh. See how they go.”

  “If anyone can make a negative into a positive, it’s Bella.”

  “We’ll handle it, Sarah. If they come after you, we’ll close ranks around you. Brock won’t throw you to the wolves, neither will I.”

  “Where did he find you? No wonder he wanted you piloting the changes around here.”

  Heather smiled and walked back closer to Sarah. “I don’t broadcast this, but I’m his daughter.”

  “What! I mean…” Sarah scrambled around inside her head for something to say. Just how old was Brock? “Oh God…sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

  Heather smiled back. Those eyes and hair color, that shape of the face, how could Sarah have not seen it?

  “He and my mother were young. Very young. It’s all good, we’ll discuss it later. Right now we have to get his sorry ass out of jail.” Then, she left with the same purposeful stride her father had.

  A child? Heather would be seventeen at the most; Sarah wasn’t that much older than her in years. This just got more complicated by the second. Aside from everything, Sarah had just admitted to having kinky sex with Heather’s father. Congratulations, idiot.

  There might even be a funny side to all this one day, but right now she had a job to do. Sarah swung into action as if she’d held this position for twenty years.

  She was in full-on han
dle-it mode, and she went to instruct the team. Then, she would see if bail would be posted and find out the details of the charge. She almost didn’t want to know the details. Would it be a silly misunderstanding, or unrequited love? Or could it be that Brock had done to someone else what he’d done to her, but without the perfect timing, and the woman was within her rights?

  How long ago had it happened? Questions she had to go ask Brock. Her plan to just keep away from there was not really an option now. Sarah needed to see him personally and watch him when he told her about what had happened.

  She’d have to let him know she wouldn’t be representing him directly—under the circumstances. Best to go now, before it was even an issue for her to be seen on the case. If she had to get up on that stand and answer questions she didn’t even know the truthful answer to…No. She couldn’t let that happen.

  ****

  Brock knew Rick was behind this. He’d dug up the past and talked to Jane, a girl from his university days who’d wanted to try being a submissive. He had brought her around to charge Brock with sexual assault. He knew what Rick was up to—with his sour grapes over losing his job to Sarah as head of the legal team. He’d had no idea Rick would be this bitter.

  Brock was not going to be intimidated by that man. He’d worked with him for years, even socialized with him. Now, Rick was his worst enemy. He wanted to make Brock pay, and clearly his vendetta against Sarah ran just as deep.

  It wouldn’t work. Brock would see that, no matter what, everyone involved would be okay. The look on Sarah’s face worried him more than this assault charge. She’d had that same expression just before the panic attack in her new apartment.

  He hoped he hadn’t caused her to have another, no one would be there to help her get through it. Truth was, he should’ve sorted this out a long time ago. Sarah had sent Jason here to represent him.

  Was she distancing herself from the case or distancing herself from him? If she wanted nothing to do with him now, he hoped he got the chance to explain. It probably wouldn’t be a big leap for Sarah to think he might be capable of assault.

  After the way he’d starved her of oxygen to exact the killer orgasm he’d given her, the way he tied her up, the way he’d dominated her beautiful body and mind…would she think he’d be capable of sexual assault. He’d lost it with Sarah when she’d said his name. Hearing her say that while trussed up and under his command was too much for him.

  He’d flipped a little and taken it further than he’d wanted to in that first session. Now she’d likely not want a second one. She’d not come near him with a barge pole after his arrest. What if he went to jail? How much shit had Rick stirred up? There were just too many questions, and he could do nothing in here with the authorities breathing down his neck.

  His lawyer, Jason, was out going over details of the arrest with the officers. Brock sat in this holding room waiting to be questioned. This was pretty bad personally and professionally.

  The ‘even bad press is good press’ motto may be smashed with this one. He’d have to disappear and lay low for a while. Donate to a few charities, stay off the circuit with the ladies. Eventually that would fix it from a business point of view. But would he ever fix it with Sarah? He was damaged goods, and he should just get as far away as possible from her as well.

  Brock had made a huge mess of all of this.

  The door opened and in came Sarah. Brock wanted to jump up and kiss her. He’d never been so pleased to see anyone in his life. “Sarah. Thank God.”

  “Brock. Have they questioned you yet?”

  “No. Jason is out there now with them.”

  “Good. I have the team onto all avenues for you. But we need details. We need to know exactly what you are being accused of.”

  “This is Rick’s doing, somehow. I just know it.” Brock clenched his hands into fists on top of table.

  “I’ve spoken to Heather, and she has the youth crew onto it, and we’re bringing in Bella to help Josh spin this as a positive somehow. I’ve told her that I can’t be put on the stand under any circumstances, and if this is Rick, he’ll want me up there. He’s likely been following us, waiting for dirt.”

  “It’s Rick. I guarantee. I’ll pull his pin-head right off his shoulders, I swear.”

  “Brock, stay calm. We need a united front, and you need to be honest with Jason about what happened regarding the charge. He’ll relay it to me. I’ll be involved but on the down-low.”

  “Sarah, I need to tell you what happened that night.”

  “Tell Jason.”

  “Not because of the case, but because I care about you.”

  “It may be best if I didn’t know.”

  Brock spoke anyway. “Jane was a sub of mine back when we were both experimenting in the lifestyle.”

  Sarah never said anything, so he continued but he couldn’t look at her. “I got over-confident one night. I went beyond her safe word, and Jane was traumatized and frightened. It was unforgivable.”

  “Brock, you don’t have to tell me anything.”

  “Yes, I do. I did the same to you the other night, but I swear I knew what I was doing.” He reached out and took her hand, but she gently slid it out of his grasp. “I get off on the pain of others, but I don’t want to assault them.”

  Sarah held up her hands. “I can’t have this conversation with you right now. I just want to make the best case for you I can. I’ve got everything under control with the help of Heather and her team.” She got up to leave.

  “Sarah. I’m sorry. I’m an arrogant prick, and I always get my own way. I pursued you. I won’t do that again. You need to find someone who is capable of loving you.”

  “You need to focus on getting out on bail and then off the hook.”

  Brock shook his head. “No. Sarah. I have to plead guilty, because I am.”

  Chapter Two

  Sarah equally wanted to kiss Brock and slap him. He wanted to protect her, and he was throwing his head on the chopping block.

  “No. There are levels of guilty. We can likely get you a lesser charge.”

  “And drag Jane through the muck to do so? No way. I’ll be telling Jason to go to her lawyer and give her whatever deal she wants. Then, I’m going after Rick.”

  “Rick will say you bought her off.”

  “I’ll make a public statement apologizing to her. I fund charities for abused women. I’ll tell everyone I made a mistake and I’m sorry, that Jane is within her rights to charge me, and that no amount of money can make up for what she went through.”

  “Put a gun to your head then.”

  “That’s the way it is.”

  Brock Devlin had infuriation down to a fine art. Sarah stood. “Very well. I’ll let Jason know and the team can pursue that angle.”

  “Get the team onto Rick. He’s the one we need to get rid of.”

  “I will. You should be out here soon—if Jane accepts.”

  “Tell Heather I’m fine.”

  “She knows you are. The apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree there.”

  “You know?”

  “She told me.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “That she was your daughter.”

  “I see. I can’t have this case go through and have her and her mother in the firing line.”

  Maybe the reason he doesn’t want to go to court has nothing to do with me at all. “I’ll see that doesn’t happen.”

  “What a morning for you, hey? I hated leaving you there like that. I was so worried you’d lose it. Were you okay?”

  “I was fine. Nothing drastic happened.”

  “Well done, Sarah. You controlled a panic attack?”

  “Yeah. I did.” She smiled back at him. He looked small in this room, and she had the urge to go hug him and say it would all be okay.

  He looked at her with heat in his eyes, as if remembering how he’d made her come so hard. At least that’s what she was thinking about all of a sudden, and she may’ve bee
n projecting. Time to get out of there.

  “When I come home, we need to talk.” He looked the most serious she’d ever seen him.

  “Brock, you don’t have to explain anything to me.”

  “I’d like to tell someone. I think it’s time I got it all out. Would you be willing to listen, as a friend perhaps?”

  “Okay.” Sarah couldn’t stand the look on his face. She had to say yes. “We still have Friday night drinks coming up. Maybe that would be a good start.”

  “Yes, but I’ll need to be alone with you. It’s very private.”

  “We’ll see how things go. I’m not sure it’s a good thing to be alone with you right now.” The replay of how he’d touched her body, how he’d made her tremble went through her head. That was a night she’d never forget for sure.

  But could she actually trust him to maintain control if they went there again in the future? Could she know that he wouldn’t push too far again and harm her in some way? There was no way of knowing without trying. “I need to go back and see how everything is going. We’ll get questions asked and see how clean Rick’s nose is. I’ll bring him down.”

  “Be careful. I don’t think he knows any boundaries at the moment.”

  “If he keeps going, I’ll have him charged. Hang in there, Brock. You’ll be out of here soon.” Sarah left and headed outside police headquarters to her car.

  The carpark was full of cars, but no other people were around at that moment.

  “You should be careful. You might be next, Sarah.” Rick threatening voice came from behind her.

  Sarah took a deep breath in and turned to face Rick Anderson. “Actually, I should be saying that to you, Rick.”

  “Brock might not like jail. Might be too many dominant types in there for him. He prefers that role for himself, I hear. Anything you know about that, Sarah?”

  Sarah tasted the bitterness in her voice as she turned on him. “You’re a vile creature. Don’t mess with me, Rick. Get over losing your job. Take responsibility for the way you treat people and just fuck off, will you?”