Second Chances

  Second

  Chances

  (The Stone Series Book 4)

  A Novel

  by Kitty Berry

  Copyright © 2014 Kitty Berry

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above-named publisher.

  ASIN: B00IFW4XLW

  ISBN-13: 978-1987623970

  ISBN-10: 1987623975

  Titles by Kitty Berry

  The Stone Series:

  Sliding (Book 1)

  Stoned (Book 2)

  Siblings (Book 3)

  Second Chances (Book 4)

  Screen Play (Book 5)

  Stealing Home (Book 6)

  Surrender (Book 7)

  Starting Over (Book 8)

  Silence (Book 9)

  Survivor (Book 10)

  The Anatomy of Love Trilogy:

  Anatomy of Love (Book 1: Dr. Wilson Anderson)

  Dissection of Love (Book 2: Dr. Caine Cabrera)

  Sutures of Love (Book: 3 Dr. Jessie Holt)

  This is a work of fiction. Please forgive any similarities to actual people, names, literary characters, places, organizations, brands, media, events and incidents. The characters and their actions were developed by the author and any resemblances are coincidental. The above mentioned are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Warning: This book is for mature readers only. It contains adult themes that are sexual in nature.

  Dedication

  To my miracle boy, my son, Josh, who at the age of two showed me what it truly meant to be a fighter. Josh was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that brought with it a poor prognosis. Twelve years later we thought it had returned. Luckily, it was only scar tissue and an easy fix. A year and a half later we were back in surgery, but today, Josh is like every other seventeen-year-old boy thinking about college and the life ahead of him. You really are my miracle boy, Josh!

  This book is dedicated to the estimated 4,000 children who will be diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2013*. In 2002, my son was one of them.

  Acknowledgments

  To my childhood friend, Todd, who was taken from this world way too young. Todd, you were always the light of our group. Your humor and good spirit will always be remembered. That deck my dad build would never have been level without your help. LOL!

  A special thanks to Tina Bell, Sirenda McNece and Angelina Tadic. Three great women who agreed to read this novel before it became what you’re about to read. Their insights and honesty mean the world to me. I thank them for helping to make Second Chances something I can be proud of.

  * In 2013, approximately 4,300 children younger than age 20 will be diagnosed with primary brain tumors, of which 3,050 will be under age 15.

  The American Brain Tumor Association

  Thomas Wolfe once famously wrote, “You can’t go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, back home to romantic love, back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame…back home to the father you have lost and have been looking for, back home to someone who can help you, save you, ease the burden for you…”

  Pete Roman thinks he was wrong…

  December 2013

  Raina

  When I arrive at the studio, the vultures that I spend more of my time avoiding these days then I do actually working on my craft, are swarming the block. There’s no way for me to enter the building without being seen, photographed, and questioned. Days like this make me miss the quiet solace of London and the safety of Phoenix Doyle.

  Once again the media must have been tipped off on my whereabouts so here they are for a piece of the action. They can have it, the fame and the money, all of it. Without the ability to hide like I can in London, I’m a moving target. Without Phoenix, a sitting duck. I understood when I choose this path that I was giving up a sense of freedom, giving up my privacy, but I had no idea at twenty-two what that would do to me. All I want now is to be left alone to do a job that I love.

  I somehow manage to make my way through the cameras and questions without much fanfare.

  “Raina pose for a picture?” one of the reports yells, I comply and plaster a brave smile on my face, while in my mind, I take myself to my happy place. The only problem with that place, I need to be careful that the memories of him don’t make their way to the forefront of my mind. Him being Pete Roman, the man that after four years, I still can’t get over, that I still see when I close my eyes at night. I can still smell his scent on my skin sometimes; feel his lips against the pulse on my throat.

  “Raina, who’s the lucky man this week?” another of them asks for what feels like the millionth time. I smirk and shrug my shoulders, playing the role of the Hollywood starlet that can’t be tamed, never tied to just one man for any length of time. If only they knew the truth about me, about every fake relationship I’ve staged.

  When I finally reach the safety of the studio and make my way to my dressing room, I discover I’m one of the first people on the set. I like it this way. I like to arrive on set early, before the rest of the cast so I can have a few minutes of quiet to calm my nerves and prepare for my scenes.

  I’m nervous about this job for a few reasons. I only agreed to do it as a favor to my first boss, Damian Stone. Damian hired me to be a model at his New York City agency, Hot Stones, when I was just starting out. Saying no to him isn’t an option for me. First, his kindness should be respected. And, secondly, his dominating personality makes it impossible.

  My concerns are not that this is just a small part in a small video and I’m too famous for this kind of work anymore, that it’s taking a step back like my agent insists. My main concerns are the feelings and memories this part is going to bring back, already has.

  The part I can do in my sleep, the acting isn’t my concern. There aren’t many lines and the character I’m playing isn’t much of a stretch for me. Being a sexual submissive is something I know a thing or two about from him.

  Again, there he is in my mind, everywhere, still after all these years…Pete Roman.

  By the time I emerge from the safety of my dressing room, there’s a frenzy of activity. The choreographers have their dancers rehearsing, the sound and light people are rushing every which way, and the music people are shouting orders at anyone in their path. The makeup artist comes and grabs the other actress/model as soon as she walks in the door. I met her before, her name’s Skyler. She seemed nice and she’s the lead singer’s girlfriend so everyone is falling all over her. The lead singer, Sebastian Morrison, is Damian Stone’s brother and when he needed a famous actress for his series of music videos, his brother called in a favor with me.

  People are rushing around making sure everything is in its place for the scene of the first video to the song Dominate. It has heavy BDSM overtures in it, chains, whips, Skyler and me in scenes from the lifestyle. The set looks like a dungeon, but I’m assured that they’ve used a professional in the lifestyle to ensure that everything is done in a tasteful manner and authentic to the culture. It’s something I made sure was in my contract. Damian is a well-known Dominant, so I wasn’t really concerned, but I needed to be sure the lifestyle would be respected.

  The director runs through the first scene one last time before they strap me to the spanking bench. The scene calls for the drummer in the band, Jackson
, to paddle me with his drumsticks.

  I bend over the bench and inhale a deep cleansing breath before they secure the restraints. The moment I’m restrained, the memories come crashing into me face first, the memories of my last night with Pete. He was somehow different that night, more intense, but gentler at the same time. I can’t explain it even to myself, but there was something going on with him that night. Something that I didn’t stick around long enough to find out, which I will regret for the rest of my life. But after Lora called and made me finally open my eyes to what I was to him, I couldn’t stay.

  They arrange my deep, burnt-red curls so that they’re covering my back. I feel someone’s hands manipulating my G-String while another checks my makeup to be sure it’s perfect even under the heavy lights. I hear the director shout, “Action” and I feel Jackson swat my ass with his bare palm. I moan and fling my head back in what is meant to look like pain turned to pleasure. I’m sure I’m spot on, I remember the sensation perfectly, even though it’s one I haven’t experienced in four years. One, I’m not really feeling now. There’s only one person who can make the connection between pain and pleasure run through my body.

  Jackson continues to paddle me to the beat of the song’s lead in and I find myself pretending that it’s Pete standing behind me with those drumsticks in his hands. Then I lose myself in the character, in the moment, and the next thing I know, I’m making that sound, the one that Pete loved, said sounded like a sweet little kitten purring.

  That’s when I feel the electricity that I only ever felt when Pete was close by. I sense his presence and feel my body stiffen. I turn my head and our eyes lock.

  Pete Roman.

  One word slips from his lips, my name. “Raina” he sighs.

  I manage somehow to keep my wits about me and demand to be let out of my restraints. I straighten myself up as best as I can, trying to maintain some modesty by covering my barely clothed body. It’s no use; I follow his gaze. I look down and I know exactly what he sees. Pete has already seen my tight nipples straining against my bra. Everyone else will assume that was caused by the fan that was positioned to keep me cool enough so my nipples would stay hard. Everyone else in the room will think that was why, but not Pete, Pete will know why. It’s his fault really; he’s the only one who has ever made my body respond like this.

  Pete approaches me and I back up in an effort to protect myself, Pete Roman touching me would be very bad, detrimental even. I hear Sebastian call Pete’s name but Pete doesn’t answer him. I hear him call my name instead. “Raina?” he asks. “What are you doing here?”

  “I…Pete” I manage before everything goes black.

  When I start to come to a few minutes later, I’m on his lap and he’s calling to me. “Raina, Princess, can you hear me, baby?” Pete yells.

  I feel my eyelids flutter open and I try my hardest to focus on Pete’s face. I can’t manage words, but I try to pull out of his embrace. I’m surprised when he lets me. I feel his body grow tight and I know it’s telling him not to let go. But he does. I move across the floor to put space between us. And before I can speak, Pete’s phone goes off, he looks at the screen and sighs.

  “Sorry, I have to take this” he says.

  I’m stunned motionless for a few minutes after Pete leaves to take his call. I can’t believe that he’s here and this isn’t some trick my mind is playing on me. When I finally pull myself together, I decide it’s best to flee to my dressing room and hide, hope that he’ll be gone before I come out and I can go back to pretending that I’m okay. That my life isn’t a sham and I’m happy.

  I really am a good actress.

  December 2013

  Pete

  I assume I’ve lost my mind when I see the deep, burnt-red curls on the actress bent over and strapped to the spanking bench. I try to compose myself, to talk myself into believing that my mind is just playing tricks on me. It’s no use. My body knows it’s her and it reacts how it always has when she’s close by. I instantly grow hard, every muscle in my body growing tight and rigid.

  The director calls, “Action” and I watch as Jackson swats her ass. I hear her sounds, the ones that brought me to my knees so many times. She moans, flinging her head back and I feel myself lengthen and grow harder. Then, it’s as if she knows I’m here, her body stiffens, she turns her head, and our eyes lock. One word slips from my lips before I can stop myself, “Raina.”

  She demands to be let out of her restraints as I’m approaching her. Raina backs away from me and Sebastian calls my name. My heart pounds in my ears but I call her name again, “Raina? What are you doing here?” I ask even though the answer is starting to become obvious, some of the blood finally making its way back north and allowing me to figure shit out.

  “I…Pete” she manages before she faints right in front of me. I lunge and manage to catch her body and ease her onto my lap where she fits perfectly, as if she were made for me.

  “Raina, Princess, can you hear me, baby?” I yell. Raina’s eyelids flutter as she focuses on my face. She tries to pull out of my arms and it kills me to have to let her go. My body is telling me to hold on tight. My heart knows that letting her go again will kill me, but I do it anyway. She scampers across the floor like she’s been scorched by my touch. Then the sound of Todd’s ringtone comes from my pocket, I look at the screen and sigh. “Sorry, I have to take this” I say as I force myself to leave the room.

  I walk to the hall just outside the area where the video is being shot so I can hear Todd. I wish I couldn’t because I don’t like what I hear. He tells me there’s nothing more the doctor’s can do and asks me to head to Florida to be with him and our group of friends for one last fling at the beach house. I agree, Todd not letting me say more, and I hang up. When I return to where I left Raina, she’s gone.

  Again.

  “What’s up, man?” Sebastian asks.

  “I can’t stay. I need to go. I’m sorry, there’s a friend of mine who’s sick. I have to go see him. Call your brother, he can do this, or he can bring in someone else from The Society who can. And Raina’s coming with me” I state as if it makes perfect sense.

  “What’s up with you and Raina Montgomery? You know her?”

  “Long story. Later. Where is she?”

  Sebastian, looking more confused than ever, nods in the direction of Raina’s dressing room as he fishes his phone out of his pocket to call his brother. Raina and I are gone before Damian Stone arrives on set.

  When I pull up in front of my old house, the first thing I see is the patch of grass that is still too stubborn to grow back after years of abuse. It’s the spot where my father used to stand for hours while pitching me curve balls, fast balls, and even a few change ups for good measure. My father, Rick Roman was a great baseball player; he was an even better father. He could have signed with a minor league team and thrown his hat in the ring for a spot with the majors, but instead, he gave it all up for the love of his life and me, his son. My father became the best general contractor in the area and taught me everything I know about the business, sports, life in general, and women. He did a great job in all those areas, except for the latter. My history with women is not pretty.

  “Petey” my mother cries as she comes bouncing out the front entrance, the screen door flapping behind her in the wind. She’s wearing black yoga pants and a bright pink hoodie that’s zipped up to her chin, but she still startles at the chill of the Floridian night air.

  My mom is still a looker, only in her mid-forties. She had me shortly after her high school graduation and her shotgun wedding to my dad at the ripe old age of eighteen. She’s still trim and fit, doing yoga and Pilates on a daily basis at the gym in the center of town. Her hair is auburn, straight, and hangs just past her shoulders. But it’s her eyes; blue, almost purple, that gets the men every time. Lori Roman is a very sought after woman in this small town even though, as far as I can tell, she’s never been with a man since my father disappeared.

  “
Hey, ma. Thanks for letting me crash for tonight.”

  “Oh, honey, you know this will always be your home. Your room is still the same; I cleaned it after you called last night. How’s Todd?”

  “It’s not good. He doesn’t have long from what they say.”

  My mom pulls me into her body like only a mother can. I relax in her arms and let myself cry over my best friend for the first time since he told me about the brain tumor that is ultimately going to kill him.

  Todd has a highly malignant glioblastoma. The cells of the tumor are rapidly reproducing, already causing increased pressure on his brain, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and dizziness. Todd is starting to experience memory loss and confusion. He’s been to a surgeon who removed as much of the tumor as he could. It relieved some of the pressure in his brain and gave Todd time to get his affairs in order, beyond that, there’s nothing else they can do.

  I tell my mother all of this standing in the front yard where Todd and I used to play ball in grade school, where we watched the fireworks on the 4th of July from a tent in middle school, where we fell asleep after drinking too much after our high school graduation, and the spot where we used to sit and discuss what action we were getting from which girls from the time we hit puberty until we left home.

  Everywhere I look, he’s all I see. Well, Todd, my dad, and Raina. I’ve already lost my father and now I’m losing my best friend. I thought I had lost Raina, but now that she’s here, maybe I can save one of my relationships from its demise.

  Unfortunately, I have no idea what will become of Raina and I, she barely spoke to or looked at me on the ride from New York and she certainly did her best not to touch me again after scampering out of my arms like I had electrocuted her at Bash’s video shoot. But losing Raina for a second time is just not an option. My Dominant nature told me to take control, make her face the situation between us, but she was not cooperative in answering my questions. I wanted to push her, throw her over my knee and spank an answer out of her. It’s taking every ounce of self-restraint I have for me to hold back.