by Cole Denton
Plaything
The Club Oxygen Series Book 2
Cole Denton
Copyright © 2020 by Cole Denton
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Warning
Plaything is a dark novel with intense scenes that may trigger some readers. This book contains sexually explicit scenes, adult language, and disturbing scenes that may be considered offensive to some readers. Please read with caution. This book contains content that is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.
Credits
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Cover Models: Eddie Wess
Cover Designer: Mayhem Cover Creations
Contents
Prologue
1. Andrew
2. Elise
3. Andrew
4. Elise
5. Andrew
6. Elise
7. Andrew
8. Elise
9. Andrew
10. Elise
11. Andrew
12. Elise
13. Andrew
Epilogue
About Cole Denton
Also by Cole Denton
Prologue
As I answered the phone, Ken Hodges’ pick-up truck pulled up in front of the house. No…No…No. My world was forever changing.
“Mrs. St. James, my name is Neil Strickland. I am a fire captain in Australia,” a man’s voice began.
“No,” I cried.
“Mrs. St. James, I’m very sorry to notify you of the passing of your husband, and our fellow brother, Captain Jacob St. James.”
“No,” was all I could manage to get out between sobs.
I hung the phone up and limped to the door as Ken rang the doorbell. When I opened the door, I just shook my head at him.
“I’m so sorry, Elise,” Ken offered and wrapped his arms around me while I sobbed uncontrollably.
Faintly in the background, I could hear hushed voices in my kitchen. I didn’t even care. I rolled over and shut my eyes.
Hours later, I felt the bed dip behind me, and a hand gently gripped my shoulder.
“Elise, darling, wake up,” my best friend, Liz, called.
Jacob called me ‘darling.’
I rolled over and stared at one of the mahogany wood posts at the foot of the bed. For days, Liz has been here. People from Jacob’s fire department had been in and out, and Liz had been helping them with arrangements and things that I couldn’t begin to deal with.
“Elise, you need to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry, Liz.”
“Elise, Jacob wouldn’t have wanted—”
“Don’t tell me what he would or wouldn’t have wanted! He left me!” I yelled as I pushed myself out of bed and went into the bathroom. My heart pounded relentlessly with each gasping breath that I took.
“Elise, he didn’t mean to leave you, darling.”
My eyes welled up again as Liz called me ‘darling’ for the second goddamned time. She followed me to the bathroom reciting words of love that Jacob would have wanted me to hear. I soaked a washcloth in cold water, wrung it out, and held it against my eyes.
I wasn’t even certain what day it was now, but since the news of Jacob’s death, I’ve gone to sleep and woken up thinking of our last night together. He had wanted to volunteer with the fires in Australia.
He said he’d be back.
He promised that he’d be back.
Overcome with sadness, a gasp tore from my chest as I sobbed into the washcloth. Liz wrapped her arms around me, which only made me cry harder. I would never feel Jacob’s protective arms again.
I sat beside Liz and Ken in the front row of the church. I had been here many times before, but never dreamed that I’d be here for Jacob. At least not under these circumstances. This church was where many of the funerals for firefighters were held.
Five other firefighters from Jacob’s station had gone down to Australia with him, and not one of them returned to their families. All of them, along with seven Australian firefighters, had perished.
Somehow, I made it through the service inside, but my legs shook when I stood to walk outside for the gravesite portion. I didn’t think that I would be able to make it outside. Ken stayed by my side the entire time. Jacob and Ken had gone to the fire academy together. Ken had been the fire chief in our district for several years, and I felt sorry that he had to attend five more of these services this week.
Ken wrapped his arm around my shoulders as the first sound of the bell rang out. The Bell Service. I barely held it together while the bell rang three times.
I leaned against Liz, and Ken held my hand as the Honor Guard removed the flag that covered Jacob’s casket. I completely broke down again when Ken let go of my hand. I knew what was coming. Ken received the folded flag from a member of the Honor Guard, and then he put it in my arms.
Some of the wives from the station put together a luncheon back at our house. I told myself that I just needed to hold it together for a little longer. I stood in our entryway with Liz and Ken and thanked people for coming.
A tall, slim man approached the house wearing a uniform that I wasn’t familiar with. When he stepped inside, he shook hands with Ken.
“Elise, this is Neil Strickland, from Australia,” Ken introduced us.
I broke down, yet again. This fire chief traveled far to be here for Jacob’s service.
“Our country is grateful for your husband’s service, and we mourn his death as well,” Neil said.
He handed me an envelope and hugged me. He also brought a small stuffed koala bear. The koala bear wore a yellow firefighter hat and a sash that said, ‘Thank You,’ on it. I handed the envelope and koala bear to Liz, then took Neil into the kitchen and offered him some food.
By the time the evening rolled around, I was beyond exhausted. Liz stayed to clean up while I took myself to bed. My cold, lonely bed.
1
Andrew
I looked up from the blender as ‘large iced caramel macchiato,’ otherwise known as Liz, walked in. She immediately got in line, which I thought was kind of weird. She always waits for ‘large peppermint mocha with extra whip,’ or Elise, to arrive, and then they get in line together.
I heard Liz place the order for her usual as well as Elise’s usual. Maybe Elise was out in the car waiting…with the car running and air conditioning on so the ice cream that they bought wouldn’t melt. I smirked as I came up with the scenario but took it a few steps further as I began making her order. Perhaps the two of them were going to watch porn together as they sipped their coffees and ate ice cream. Maybe they had plans for the extra whip cream today, I thought to myself while I sprayed a heap of whip cream on top of Elise’s peppermint mocha.
I’ll give her extra cream.
Both women were smoking hot, but there was something about Elise that intrigued me a little more than Liz. They both had different painted fingernails each week, I thought to myself as I noticed Liz’s deep red nails. I had a fantasy of both women scratching me with those fine, expensive fingernails while they tugged and pulled at my hair.
“Liz,” I announced and made eye contact with her.
She smiled, dropped a few bucks into my tip jar, and picked up the drinks.
“Thank you, Andrew,” she said.
I acknowledged her tip with a nod and a smile. I watched her ass in her tight black yoga pants as she walked out.
I hope Mr. Liz takes good care of that ass. Or Mrs. Liz.
I started to get hard at the idea that Liz and Elise were a coup
le. Or better yet, friends with benefits. Though, Elise wore a wedding ring. For my own sheer enjoyment, I’d continue to allow myself to believe that they were together.
Over the next few weeks, Liz continued to come in, but not Elise. I couldn’t help but wonder if something was going on or had happened. At first, I thought that maybe Elise was out of town, but then I reminded myself that Liz had been ordering Elise’s usual coffee too. So, Elise being out of town no longer made sense.
By the end of the sixth week of Elise not showing up, I felt compelled to ask or say something to Liz. I was getting really concerned; I had seen them come in together for years now. I kind of felt like something was missing without both of them showing up.
Liz had just placed her order and paid for it. Since there weren’t any orders waiting, and no one was in line behind her, I caught her attention as she moved down to the receiving counter.
“Excuse me, Liz,” I called out to her. She stopped and looked up from her cell phone. I held the empty plastic cup up so she could see it. “Should I write your name on both cups?” I asked. My hope was that she would say for me to write ‘Elise’ on one.
“Yes, that will be fine,” Liz replied and went back to looking at her cell phone.
Damn.
The next week when Liz came in, I decided that I was going to come right out and ask her or specifically say something about Elise. Of course, it was busy when she came in, but when she came over to collect the two coffees, I took the opportunity to ask.
“Tell Elise that I said hello,” I said.
Liz put a few dollars in my tip jar and smiled at me.
“Isn’t that sweet of you? I will, Andrew. Thank you.”
It had almost been two months since I had last seen Elise. It just didn’t make sense why she would suddenly stop coming in. Liz came in again on a busy Friday morning, alone again. I filled her order and called her name.
“Liz.” When she came over, I inquired further. “Pardon my asking, but is Elise okay?”
Liz’s lips were pursed together, forming a tight, thin line. I could tell that something was wrong or that something had happened.
“Elise’s husband died,” Liz said and quickly covered her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized and felt horrible.
Liz held her hand up to prevent me from saying anything else that might upset her. She collected the coffee for herself and for Elise and turned to leave quickly. Liz only made it to the door before she quickly returned to the receiving counter. Fuck, did I mess up their drinks? She set the drinks down and hurriedly rummaged through her purse. Liz pulled out two dollars and set them in my tip jar with a quick smile.
“See you later, Andrew,” she replied and left.
The following week when Liz came in and ordered both coffees, instead of writing her name on both of the cups, I wrote Elise’s name on one. Liz smiled when she saw it.
“Thank you, Andrew. Elise is having a really hard time,” Liz offered up.
“I can’t even imagine what she’s going through. I hope it wasn’t a sudden death,” I added.
Death was never easy; I knew this. But a sudden death was worse than one where there is an illness. My family had sustained three deaths within two weeks apart, and it had been hell.
“Her husband was a fire captain. He volunteered to go to Australia to help contain the fires,” Liz explained as she fumbled with the straw wrapper. “There had been high winds, and some trees fell, it closed off their route out and their water line.”
“Shit,” I said under my breath.
“There were twelve of them that died there in that accident.”
“That’s terrible.” I was shocked and couldn’t come up with anything that sounded positive to add.
“Elise was very close to her husband,” Liz said fondly.
“I would imagine all spouses would have a difficult time losing their partner.”
Liz smiled and looked down at her coffee as if she was considering whether or not she should keep talking to me.
“Elise and Jacob were different from a lot of other couples. They loved one another very much, but their love was on a deep, intense level. It was on a level that most couples don’t have, and many don’t even know about.”
Interesting.
I glanced at the door as a crowd began to form a line. I wished that I could have had the time to talk to Liz more. I kind of got the feeling that Liz liked the friendly face to chat with. I looked at our bakery display and remembered how Elise would sometimes get a cinnamon chip muffin. I grabbed a pastry bag and held it up for Liz to see.
“Do you think Elise would like a cinnamon chip muffin?” I asked.
“She hasn’t been eating much. However, I think maybe a cinnamon chip muffin just might make her smile.”
I quickly moved to the pastry display and put a muffin in the bag for her. I grabbed my marker and put a smiley face on the bag and handed it to Liz.
“Tell her I said hi, please.”
“I will. Thank you, Andrew.”
A week later, I sent Liz back with another cinnamon chip muffin for Elise. Liz commented that the muffin last week was a hit and that Elise ate the entire thing. As I handed the coffees to Liz and the bakery bag, she told me that Elise was starting to come around a little.
“She hasn’t been out of the house in nearly three months,” Liz said.
I nodded as I recalled how my father withdrew when my two brothers and mother died. I understood how grief grabs hold on someone and doesn’t let go. I began to wonder about how Elise was going to work. Though, maybe she didn’t work, I thought to myself.
“Yesterday was the first day that I was able to get her to go for a walk with me around the neighborhood.”
“That’s good. Getting out a little bit helps. Fresh air can do amazing things,” I commented as I recalled a passage that I had read in a book about dealing with grief. I knew I still had that book.
The following week when Liz came in, I hurried to make the drinks for her and Elise and debated about giving her the book. Though I felt it was the right thing to do, I worried that I was overstepping. When Liz came to the receiving counter, I pulled the paperback book out of my back pocket. I set it on the counter and pushed it towards Liz.
“I have had this book for a while, and it helped me with some things. I thought that maybe if you thought it would be okay, you could give it to Elise.” I shrugged as I grabbed a bakery bag. “I thought maybe there would be some things in there that might reach her.” I used the tongs to put the cinnamon chip muffin in the bakery bag and returned to the receiving counter.
“This is very kind of you, Andrew,” Liz commented as she read the back of the paperback.
I stared in embarrassment at the crumpled corners and the crease in the cover. I shouldn’t have given her this copy. I should have bought her a new one.
“Maybe there’s something in there that will help,” I said again.
Liz nodded and said she would give it to her along with the cinnamon chip muffin.
I continued to see Liz each week for the next three weeks. She would fill me in on the progress of Elise, and I would always send her back with the cinnamon chip muffin and a smiley face on the bakery bag.
The next week, I had been pouring hot coffee in a cup when Liz walked in…with Elise. I did a double-take and stopped paying attention to what I was doing and spilled coffee all over the counter. I quickly cleaned it up and finished out the two orders that were already waiting, by the time Liz and Elise had arrived at the counter to order.
I began to make their usual drinks so they’d be ready for them when they got down to the receiving counter. I looked up occasionally to glance at Elise. I noticed how much weight she had lost since I had last seen her. When she removed her sunglasses, I saw the dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she desperately needed sleep.
“Liz and Elise,” I proudly said as they approached. I slid their usual drinks forward with a smile.<
br />
“Um,” Liz said as she collected her drink and a straw.
“I didn’t order this,” Elise said flatly without looking up.
Shit!
“Uh, sorry,” I said and sidestepped the receiving counter to look at the screen for her order. Fuck. A cup of house coffee. I slid back to the receiving counter and apologized again for my mistake and told them to have a seat, and I’d bring it out. Liz and Elise sat down by the window and carried on while I fixed my blunder.
That was fucking dumb of me. I shouldn’t have assumed. Assuming is stupid. Of course, she has ordered the same drink for years. But still, it’s not an excuse. I poured the cup of house coffee and took it over to their table.
“Here you are, Elise. One cup of house blend coffee. I’m sorry for the mix-up,” I apologized again.
“It’s fine,” Elise said without looking up.
That was it? Liz gave me a sympathetic look, almost as if she was apologizing for Elise. But it was okay. I fucked up on Elise’s first visit back to the coffee house since the death of her husband. I nodded at Liz and went back to behind the counter.
By the five-month mark after the death of her husband, Elise was starting to look a little healthier. She continued to come in with Liz after what I assumed was their workout. I have learned not to assume anything anymore.
The first place I noticed it was on her face. Her cheekbones weren’t as prominent, and her shoulder bones didn’t poke through her shirt anymore. I also noticed that her face overall no longer looked like a ghost; pale with dark circles under her eyes.
While I could tell that she was trying to get back to her old self and find comfort in a routine, I could also see that some things had changed. After the death of a spouse, one would expect the survivor to go through some changes. Considering how close Elise had been to Jacob, from what Liz had said, the changes were almost expected. I stopped to think about how I might feel if I had lost a partner that deep. If I had lost my master.