Christmas Pet by Jamie Knight

Chapter Three - James

I rolled my shoulders back and lifted my eyes to the ceiling. Erin Chastain was a woman in pain. Anger and grief consumed her, and every time we talked, she vacillated between wanting to kill Daniel and get back with him. No wasn’t a word she liked to hear, but it was something I said to her over ten times a day.

She’d suggested that she seduce him and then serve him with the divorce papers when he reappeared.

I put the kibosh on that idea. Things didn’t need to get any messier than they already were. Thank God there were no kids involved. If there was, they both would have used their children as pawns.

I’d wanted to spend the evening relaxing, but I had work to do and catch up on. Erin wasn’t my only client. She might be my most high-profile one, but I still had other people I needed to take care of.

If I had time, I would stop by the club and find a willing sub. A blow job would go a long way to relieving the stress building up in my shoulders.

The image of Pearl’s lips wrapped around my cock popped into my head again, and my dick hardened. I’d shrugged off the idea I’d had about making her my pet. It wouldn’t work. The last thing I needed was a sexual harassment charge. She didn’t understand a thing about the lifestyle.

It didn’t matter what she’d said on the phone to her friend. Pearl wasn’t what I needed. Sure, she used toys and vibrators and talked about masturbating, but getting tied up and whipped and spanked and being pleasured to the point of pain wouldn’t be her thing. But, damn, my desire for the woman was driving me insane.

My cell rang, and distractedly I picked it up. “Hello.”

“Mr. Matthews, it’s me, Pearl.” She sounded breathless and jubilant. “It’s her. It’s Sophia. I didn’t outright ask her if Daniel Chastain was her baby daddy, but it’s for sure a possibility. She has blonde hair and is pregnant.”

I sat up straight. “Are you sure it’s the woman in the photo?”

“I’m pretty positive but, hold on, I’ll take a sneaky picture and send it to you.”

A few seconds later, a message popped up on my screen. The woman in the photo was one-hundred-percent Daniel’s mistress.

“Text me your mother’s address. I’ll be there as soon as I can. You need to find out if Daniel is the father of her baby.”

“Um, okay. It’s not like I can come right out and ask her that.”

“You’ll find a way. I have faith in you.”

It was too late to organize someone else to serve the papers. I would have to do that myself. If she was there, Daniel wouldn’t be far away.

***

Had I inadvertently wandered into a parallel universe or perhaps the North Pole? Blinking lights, candy canes, elves, and various incarnations of Santa blinded me. Tackiness was alive and kicking in Brooklyn. I pulled up outside the most brightly decorated house. Why was I not surprised that Pearl’s mother lived here?

Christmas had never been a happy occasion for my family. The holiday of goodwill to all men meant arguments and tears and Christmas trees being thrown across the living room.

Even now, as an adult, I didn’t celebrate. I went to the obligatory Christmas parties and banquets. I wished everyone happy holidays, but on the 25th of December, I worked, hoping that the day would end and that everyone would regain their sanity.

A sense of anticipation buzzed through me. A breakthrough in the divorce case was near. For over a month, we’d been unable to track down Daniel or his mistress. If only I’d known the answer to my quandary sat a few floors below me.

I got out of the car and dashed up the steps. When I reached the front door, Pearl pulled it open, and the sound of Mariah Carey’s warbles assaulted my ears. All I wanted for Christmas was to serve Daniel and his girlfriend with the papers.

Pearl wore her usually pulled-back hair down, and it curled over her shoulders in soft, hazelnut waves. She also wore a ridiculous red and green sweater that jingle and jangled whenever she moved, but it didn’t hide the mouth-watering swell of her generous breasts. Breasts I would kill to get my hands on.

“Come in,” she said and stood back. The tight jeans she wore showed off the delicious curve of her ass and hips.

“Where is she?”

“This way.” I followed her into the sitting room, keeping my eyes glued on her ass.

She glanced all around, then frowned. “She was here. I’ll ask my mom if she’s seen her.”

I followed when Pearl went in search of her mom. The kitchen resembled an explosion at a cookie factory. I didn’t think stuff like this happened in the real world. Why the hell was Pearl working in divorce law? She would have looked more at home fluttering around a bakery or cupcakery.

“Mom?”

A woman wearing a sweater as ugly as Pearl’s turned around. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing a friend.”

“He’s not a friend. He’s my boss. Mom, meet Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews, meet my mom, Sandra.”

She held out a hand and smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Matthews.”

I took her hand in mine. “It’s James, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Sandra. Pearl told me that Sophia Landers was here.”

Her eyelids fluttered, and her cheeks flushed. “She left through the back door a moment ago. She said someone was picking her up. Something about a cabin in Pennsylvania. Stupid idea if you ask me. There’s a blizzard forecast, and it’s already started snowing. Would you like some eggnog?”

Fury whirled inside of me, but I kept it hidden. “Thanks, but no.” I nodded towards Pearl.

“This way.” We made it to the backdoor in time to see Sofia step into the passenger seat of a Ford Ranger pickup. In the driver’s seat, I saw a man’s silhouette. While I couldn’t be sure it was Daniel, I was ninety-nine percent certain it was.

“If they’re going to Pennsylvania, then they’re going to his cabin in Potter County. My car is out front. Let’s go.”

Pearl held up her hands. “Woah, there cowboy. That’s hours away. We’re not going anywhere. Didn’t you see the weather forecast or hear my mom? It’s supposed to dump like twenty-three inches in the next twenty-four hours.”

I pointed an accusatory finger in her direction. “You let Sophia get away. You’re coming to Pennsylvania with me, and we’re not leaving until these papers are served. You’re the one who said you wanted to prove yourself. This is your chance.”

“Fine,” she said relenting. “I need to tell my mom I’m leaving. I don’t want her to worry I’ve been kidnapped or something. She can go from mild-mannered to momma bear in a split second. I’ll meet you in five minutes.”

A wild goose chase to Pennsylvania when a storm was forecast wasn’t ideal, but if I didn’t take the opportunity, Daniel could disappear again.