Studio Time: Six

South Beach Metro: Red Label Studio, Chinatown - 8 PM























"This is the kind of light you want? It's a little dark don’t you think?" Rafe glanced around the court, scanning past the arch into the park and the Chinatown bars across the street. "Maybe I should stay with you."























Randi placed her camera carefully on the table top, watching the spray from the fountain, making sure she'd chosen a table that wouldn't get wet. She shouldn't have caught a ride into town with him; she should have known he'd get all puffed up when he saw the place she wanted to shoot, and she should have known he would want to hang around. "You said you had things to do, Dad," she reminded him. "You said you were going to drop by Red Label and line up an interview. There's nothing wrong with this place. It's perfectly safe."












































She heard her friend's voice before she saw her, and so did her father. Rafe turned, watched Rayne Stanfield strolling up from the other side of the street, and ripped a cold stare down at his daughter. "I see. Is she supposed to improve the safety?"

"She's fine, Dad, she's much better, we're just going to grab some coffee and talk while I get these shots. It'll be all right, ok?"























Rayne tossed an expensive handbag onto the table next to the camera, barely missing it, and smiled and said hello and smiled a little more tentatively at Rafe. "Hi, Mr. Taylor. How are you? How's everybody?"























He raised an eyebrow, shifted his weight, looked skeptical, and then relented. "They're good, thanks. Coffee," he repeated, looking meaningfully at Randi. "And stay here. I'll be back in about an hour."























"Someone put a rose in my guitar case last night."

Randi walked down the edge of the fountain pool and checked her light meter. "A rose? Like the flowers people give opera singers?"

"Not exactly. Whoever did it snuck it into the case; they didn't walk up and hand it to me. And it wasn't a bouquet, it was one flower. Don't you think that's kind of creepy?"























Randi raised the camera, snapped a few shots and then turned back toward Rayne. "Yes. No. Well, maybe a little."

Rayne toyed restlessly with the buckle on the cuff of her jacket. "Toad thinks whoever did it was just a shy dork. You know what though, some guy deliberately brushed up against me just before I found the flower, and I swear he had a hard on. He was right up against me, and I was wearing that stupid cowgirl skirt that always rides up so I could feel it. That doesn't sound like a shy dork to me."























Holding her breath for just a moment before exhaling Randi set her camera down and gripped the back of one of the iron chairs. She looked at Rayne for a long moment and thought about Ezra and Will, how different they were and how infatuated she was with her mentor. "No it doesn't exactly sound like a shy dork but it isn't exactly creepy either. Honestly Rayne don't you ever think about dating someone other than Jimmy? Someone mature and just a little dangerous?"

Rayne stared at her, quit fussing with the jacket and got in the way of her shot. "What are you talking about? Mature and dangerous sounds like some sort of vampire. I haven't been with Jimmy for very long, and maybe I won't be with him for the rest of my life but right now I'm happy. So who's the mature and dangerous you're talking about?"























The doors of the recording studio next door opened and two men that Randi recognized from the band Flight had exited the building and headed toward the cafe. They both sat at a table, the darker more mysterious one catching her eye. His eyes widened for a moment as if in recognition and his mouth curved in a slight smile. Randi nearly gasped as her body reacted to the effects of that smile.























Dragging her attention back to Rayne, who seemed lost in thoughts of her own, Randi folded her arms and explained. "It's Ezra, the artist I told you about. I've been with Will since we were in high school and I do love him but..." Randi glanced back at the two men at the table and returned a seductive smile of her own. "I am totally in lust with him Rainie. Ezra, I mean. He's so...mysterious, dark, I don't know what it is, but I'd really like to find out."

Rayne cocked her head to one side and smiled curiously at Randi as she placed a hand on one hip. "Dark and dangerous as in kinky, hand cuffs, tie you to the bed? Really?"























Randi's cheeks colored a little. Of course that wasn't what she meant was it? Her eyes drifted back to the two guys watching them. They were both incredibly hot and she tried to remember their names. Rob and...what was his name? She couldn't think when he was looking at her like that, so intense, like she was naked, a sweet treat that he wanted to devour. She was considering approaching them. She had a camera in her hands, she could use it as an excuse, a reason to walk over there. She smiled again and flipped her hair over her shoulders but they had stood and headed back toward the studio.












































"Randi are you listening to me? What the hell are you staring at?"

Rayne turned around and followed the direction of Randi's gaze. She caught sight of the backs of two men who had just turned the corner. Randi watched as her best friend shivered, placed a steadying hand on the table and shook her head as if she couldn't quite believe what she had seen.

Randi gently touched her arm, feeling the chill through the sleeve, as Rayne looked after them with a slightly haunted expression. "Come on, let's finish getting these shots before my dad gets back."

South Beach: 60 Coast Road 10 PM



Too restless to sleep, Duff paced back and forth from the living room to his bedroom. Sleep would be difficult when distracting thoughts of Rayne kept his imagination going at full speed. Two nights ago he had been standing so close to her, so close that the warmth of her body, the heady aroma of her unique scent fanned the flames of his obsession with her.



The unexpected encounter this evening turned up the fever. Even the idea of bringing someone else home to fuck was distasteful. He wanted Rayne and no amount of imagining it was her writhing under him would suffice. He'd know the difference. He could have approached her tonight, but he wasn't ready; he wanted to control the moment when they met. Tonight was not the time.



She probably had no idea, no way to understand the power she could wield over him, her sensuality. He would teach her everything. Tired, overheated and aroused, Duff stripped and stretched out across his bed, searching for sleep, not finding it, and finally reaching for fantasy. It would be a partial and unsatisfactory release, but, for now, it would have to suffice. He did not expect to wait too much longer for the reality.



Smiling at the cliche his imagination conjured, Duff fantasized Rayne walking into a darkened office dressed like a school girl, sexy, seductive and somewhat naive. It was hot, sticky hot, and he was sitting behind a desk looking cool despite the heat. A rusty fan rattled on one corner of the desk barely disturbing the heavy, heated air. The scent of her wafted toward him in that thick air and his crotch reacted at the thought.





Rayne stood there hands on hips wearing platform shoes and silk stockings that hugged her long legs. She moves toward his desk and leans in provocatively, that sweet ass tilted up and her cleavage on display for him to admire. "You wanted to see me?" she would ask him.

Duff licked his lips and imagined his hands flexing with the desire to run them brazenly over her curves. He would take his pleasure slowly, make every moment last as he taught her to please him. First he needed to remind her who was in control.

Rising, never taking his eyes off hers, he rests his hands on the desk and waits to allow the full weight of his gaze to intimidate her. Air from the fan fluttered the silk shirt he wore against his torso like caressing silk fingers.

“You’re late. I expected you fifteen minutes ago.” His voice would remain stern, flat.



Rayne would step away from the desk and sweep her hair back the way he had seen her do when he’d watched her in the past. “You’re angry with me please don’t be mad. I dressed up the way you wanted.” Her voice would be pleading and teasing simultaneously.

He would move toward her slowly lowering his voice to a low and menacing tone. “I don’t like it when you don’t follow all my instructions. You’ll need to be taught a lesson.”



“I’m sorry...” Rayne’s voice was barely above a whisper. She hangs her head, unable to look him in the eyes.

He would appear unmoved despite the raging hard-on in his pants. “If you’re sorry then you’ll need to prove it won’t you? Stop wasting time; strip off those clothes and move over there...now!”



Rayne would quickly pull her shirt over her head tossing it to the side and slip off that short skirt until all she wore was her lingerie. It was pink just as he had wanted, a soft feminine shade that he imagined against the dark tan of her skin. Picking up a crop he would run the tip of it along the inside of her thighs and spread them apart. Sweeping it along her sides he forces her arms up and, pushing her, growls at her to grasp the mesh screen.



She shivers as he continues to stroke her with the crop. He teases her with it, taunts her with all the things he could and will do to her, sliding it along her thin lace panties until she gasps. Rayne trembles and he smiles. He would have her doing much more than trembling...soon.



Tossing his crop aside he takes Rayne’s arm and moves away firmly pulling her toward him. Taking hold of a chair, he sits and pulls her down to the floor. Rayne lays her head on his thigh rubbing her cheek against it - his little pet. He slides his hand along her shoulder blade toying with her strap until he peels it from her shoulder and begins to pull on the other one. He is hard as a rock and throbbing with the need to bury himself in her, to split her in half with his lust.

Patience, he tells himself, she has a lot to learn. “There’s a good girl. Now take off the rest of your clothes...slowly...and come to me.”



Duff shuddered his release, breathing heavily and reaching for some sort of control. His eyes narrowed as he stood near the open door to allow the night air to cool his sweat covered body. He hadn’t been this obsessed with a woman since...well it had been awhile.

Where had he left his keys?  On the bureau.






Sandy Point: 1100 Bridge Pass - 11 PM



"Do you see something scary, P.D.?"





The dog whuffed, a deep uneasy horsey snort, then turned and padded heavily up the deck stairs. He flopped down beside her and sighed. Rayne shifted on the cold boards, stroked down the stiff hair on the back of his neck as she looked out at the dark water. "Do you think there’s something out there?"



The hairs on the back of her own neck stood up and Rayne shivered. The dog whimpered and nudged her hand. She stroked him once more finding comfort and giving it and whispered, "Yeah, me too."

*****

Authors' Notes: Randi's encounter with Ezra can be found HERE

Inspiration Credit: To Yuxi for the Club Hemisphere design.