by Karen Nappa
He grabbed his phone with one hand and closed the other around her trembling fingers. "Let's check out the mess and see what we can do about it, okay?"
It was so early, they had the streets to themselves. Derek parked his car in Sonja's spot behind The Sweet and Savory Table. When they walked around to the front, they spotted Connor with a bucket and scrub brush, cleaning the façade. All the interior lights were on, and Connor had rigged up a work light so he could see what he was doing in the early morning darkness.
"Suzie's inside," the burly man told them. "She needed to start baking. The cops have been and gone. Won't do much good. Asshole didn't leave a note."
Derek studied the wooden window frame and was taken aback by the damage to the finish. Connor nodded. "Eggs corrode."
"Damn." Derek scrubbed his face. "What's the smell?"
"Vinegar to break down the protein."
"Can I help with the cleaning?"
"Nah, almost done here. Need to wait for the store to open so I can buy paint. You any good with a brush?"
Despite the situation, Derek grinned at Connor's bluntness. "Yes, I can paint. I don't know what kind of job we can do in this cold, but I'm sure we can hide the worst of it."
"I know. We were already planning on repainting the front, come spring," Connor said.
"Sorry. I don't mean to tell you your business. Can you manage without me? I want to check on the ladies." Derek turned to go inside.
"Aye."
Derek walked in to hear the last part of Suzie's sentence, "—could this be connected to the reviews?"
"What do reviews have to do with vandalism?" Both women jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Probably nothing," Sonja said.
He made a disapproving sound and insisted, "Tell me."
"Damn it, Derek, it's not your problem," Sonja said.
"Tell what?" The growl in Connor's voice told Derek that Suzie had kept the other Dom in the dark as well.
Derek didn't turn around when he addressed Connor, "I'm not sure, but it looks like our submissives have been withholding information from us."
Connor stepped up beside him, and Sonja tried not to shrink away. The big, blond sadist intimidated her on a good day, and even Suzie seemed nervous at the combined force of their displeasure, although she tried for an assertive stance with her hands on her hips. "Tell us," Connor ordered.
Suzie threw her hands in the air. "Recently, we've had some nasty online reviews of the café."
"Nasty?" Connor asked.
Suzie made an annoyed sound. "Yeah, you know."
"Rùnag, I don't know." Connor's voice was dangerously low. "Ye haven't told me about your troubles. What exactly is going on here?"
His question was met with stunned silence by the women.
Derek intervened in his best 'Daddy' voice. "It's time to 'fess up', ladies. Who wants to go first?"
Sonja spoke up. "Like Suzie said, we've had negative reviews online. Some were just typical bad reviews where people complain about the service or whatever. But there were at least a dozen that were mean, nasty, and untrue. A bunch of them showed up right at the same time. They accused us of causing food poisoning and said the place was dirty to the point of having rats and cockroaches."
Connor sputtered. "Th-that's nonsense."
"We know." Suzie picked up the story. "We could tell there was something odd, so I called Laura."
"Why Laura?" Derek was puzzled at this apparent non-sequitur.
"Because the reviews were online. For computer stuff, I always go to Laura," Suzie answered. "Anyway, it took her a little while to track the reviews back to their origins, but what it came down to is that the first six reviews, all supposedly by different people, were all posted on the same day, within an hour's time, from a computer at the public library. The rest of the reviews were spread out, but they all came from library computers. Laura said there was no way to find out more."
"When did this start?" Derek asked.
"The first reviews were posted a week after Thanksgiving. The rest went up over the next week or so," Sonja answered. "Yvonne brought them to our attention the week before Christmas. There haven't been any new ones since then."
"What do you suspect, Derek?" Connor asked. "You seem to have some ideas about this."
"I don't know anything for sure. This is just guesswork on my part. You've heard that my ex-girlfriend has been in town?"
Connor and Suzie nodded. Sonja's face fell.
"She stalked me in St. Louis, then she turned up here before Thanksgiving, first at the munch and then at work. She was supposed to go back to St. Louis after her psych hold at the Center for Behavioral Medicine. We got her put there because of the show she put on at work. I suspect she's still here." He turned to Sonja. "I'm pretty sure we were followed to your place after Thanksgiving dinner. I think Angie staked out my sister's house and broke my taillight so she could follow us in the dark. She must have seen us go into your apartment building and managed to identify you. Then she followed you here. I'm sorry my past is causing all of your problems. What did the police say?" he asked Connor.
"Not much. They took photos and left. Told us we can pick up a copy of the report for our insurance later," Connor said. "They had one helpful suggestion."
"Oh?" Derek and Sonja responded in unison.
"They said we should consider getting security cameras."
"That makes sense," Derek said.
"Aye, I'm going to get them when I go for the paint. Once I'm finished, we'll have views of the entire property."
"Derek, don't feel bad. It's not your fault that your ex is a stalker. It could happen to anyone," Suzie added.
"Intellectually, I know that, but as a Dom, it feels like something I should be able to control," Derek said. "I'll call Paula Stone when it gets to be a reasonable hour. In the meantime, I believe we have subs to punish, wouldn't you say so, Captain?"
"Indeed I would." In one big stride, he was in Suzie's face and had her by the neck. Over his shoulder, he addressed Derek. "I'll take care of this one in the office. Feel free to join us if you like."
Suzie spluttered and protested, but Derek ignored the couple and turned his attention to his baby girl. Someone is going to feel my hand on her bottom very soon!
Sonja gulped and took a tentative step backward.
"Damn it! It's not your problem, Derek." Sonja jumped when the sound of a harsh belt landing on bare flesh, followed by a shriek, reached them from the office. Connor took his punishment seriously, and so would Derek.
"You're only adding to your punishment, baby girl." Derek pushed his right sleeve up and took a step in her direction.
"You wouldn't punish me when you're angry, would you, Daddy?"
Oh, the brat!
"You know me well. I won't lay a hand on you in anger, but I am going to punish you." He grabbed her by the upper arm and guided Sonja to the office. Connor hadn't closed the door, so Derek marched Sonja right in. "Look at your partner getting her ass reddened. This is what happens to unruly submissives who keep important information from their Doms."
Suzie's ass cheeks were bright red and the belt had left stripes on her upper legs as well. Since the petite woman was a real masochist, Derek suspected she was turned on, too, but Sonja would be horrified by the pain Connor was inflicting. He grabbed her chin and forced her to face the other couple. "Look. At. Her."
Connor finished and put his belt through the loops of his jeans again. When Suzie reached behind her to pull up her panties, Connor warned, his slight Scottish accent now more pronounced, "None of that. Ye're going to finish yer pastries with yer bottom bared for my pleasure. Hand me the panties."
"But, Sir," Suzie whined, only to give in after one look at his face. She handed him the panties with a face as red as her abused bottom.
Connor squeezed the marred flesh and grinned at her wince as he leaned down to stage whisper to her, "And I'm going to enjoy watching ye." With that, he steered her from the
office, with a wink in Derek's direction.
Derek had enjoyed the interchange between the experienced couple but now turned his attention to Sonja. "Strip."
"What?"
"You heard me."
She pouted. "I thought you wouldn't punish me when you're angry."
Derek grinned in his best Jack Nicholson fashion. "I promised not to lay a hand on you when I was mad. There are other ways to discipline you, though." He tried to put a touch of nonchalance in his voice as he added, "If you don't want to be naked when your staff arrives, you should hurry."
Sonja gulped, but she stripped off her dress obediently. She shot him an uncertain look, and he gestured for her to continue. She took off her panties and bra, and after a moment of hesitation, she placed the garments in his hand. He draped the bra over the chair and stuffed the panties in his pocket.
"Lean over the desk."
She eyed the desk and looked at him dubiously, clearly thinking about Suzie's punishment. Good, let her worry for a bit!
Luckily, he had something in his car that was perfect for this kind of situation. Hmm, did he have any lube?
"Don't move!" he ordered and headed for the back. Suzie was rolling and folding dough for puff pastry with her bright ass on display, and Connor was leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a prominent bulge in his pants.
"Lovely view," Derek commented as he went toward the back door, causing Suzie to jump.
"Continue," Connor growled, "or I'll spank ye some more!"
Derek went to his car and found the package in his trunk that he'd forgotten to take up to Sonja's apartment. He came back in to look for lube.
"Do you have some olive or coconut oil in here?" Derek asked Suzie. She nodded with a bright red face. How the woman could still be embarrassed was a wonder to Derek, but he had to admit her obvious discomfort was amusing.
"It's in the third cupboard from the left."
Suzie quickly wrapped her dough to keep it from drying out and said to Connor, "The dough has to cool, Captain." She carried it to the walk in cooler and retrieved her second portion which was ready to be worked again.
When she came back, Connor massaged her red buttocks until she moaned and arched her back, pressing her ass up and into his big hands. The woman was a hardcore masochist and she matched Connor's sadistic needs perfectly. Like my baby girl is my match!
Derek pulled the oil from the cupboard and left the couple. It wouldn't surprise him if they were going to have makeup sex. He wasn't opposed to watching, but he had a submissive to punish and a message to drive home.
As he re-entered the office, he was pleased that Sonja was still leaning over the desk, her gorgeous round ass on display for him.
"Baby girl, I'm displeased you kept your troubles hidden from me. I know that you're capable of dealing with problems on your own, but the point is you don't have to anymore." He stroked her ass, and his reward was a similar reaction he'd witnessed from Suzie a minute before. "Do you understand why you're being punished?"
Sonja nodded and pleased him by verbalizing her answer, "Yes, Daddy."
"Good girl."
Derek drizzled oil between her ass cheeks, and Sonja squeaked.
"Hold still," he ordered as he worked the oil around and in her asshole. He pulled the plug from his pocket and pressed the metal tip against her puckered hole. Sonja moaned and pushed back. Hmm, maybe not a suitable punishment after all. Although—
"Baby girl, you're going to walk around in your café today wearing a butt plug for me. The feel of it will remind you of the fact that you have a Daddy in your life." He helped her stand upright, and she shifted around. "You can put on your bra and dress."
"What about my panties?" He gave her a level look. She shrugged and returned a mischievous expression. "I had to try."
He laughed, happy she felt comfortable enough being a brat, even when he punished her. She was perfect!
Chapter 14
P aula Stone answered promptly when Derek called her a couple of minutes after eight o'clock that morning. She listened as he explained about the malicious restaurant reviews and the egging of The Sweet and Savory Table. When he was finished, she asked, "What did the responding officers have to say about your theory that Angie was responsible?"
"I didn't see them. They were gone before Sonja and I got here. They weren't told of the reviews or Angie. Connor said they took pictures and suggested security cameras. He's at the store getting paint and the cameras now," Derek answered.
"That's a smart move. Do you have any evidence that Angie is responsible?" Paula asked.
"No, and I realize that's a problem. But there's nobody else who could have done it. It's not like they've got disgruntled employees or fired anyone lately. At least, not as far as I know."
"Find out," Paula said. "If there are alternative suspects, it weakens your chances of getting a restraining order, let alone prosecuting Angie for the vandalism."
"But Angie threatened Sonja."
"True, but Sonja hasn't been attacked. The café has. That may not seem like much of a difference to you, but a lawyer can make a lot out of it. Be careful, Derek. And take care of your lady."
"I see. What—" Before Derek could say anymore, he heard the sound of breaking glass coming from the front of the café. "I'll have to call you back, Paula. Something is happening."
Derek left the office for the main room to see customers trying to get under tables. His gaze was drawn to the front window, which was half-gone and the rest, a spider web of cracks. He realized he was still holding his phone and immediately dialed 911 as he tried to see how much damage had been done. He caught sight of Sonja in the center of the room at a table that looked like it was ground zero for whatever had come through the window. He thought he saw blood and hoped against hope that it wasn't hers. "Send the police, send an ambulance, send goddamn everybody. The café has been attacked by something or someone. I see blood," he told the 911 operator before he hung up. He took a deep breath before he waded into the room and realized he needed to call Paula back.
"I think Angie has struck again. I don't know what she did, but the front window is half gone, and I think I see blood around at least one of the customers," he said without preamble. "I don't have time to talk. I need to see what's going on. I've called 911 already, but I think you should get over here, too."
"We'll be right there," she said as he ended the call.
Derek located Sonja, who was crouched beside a customer and a restaurant server on the floor in the center of the room. Suzie was moving toward them with the café's first aid kit. Everyone was talking at once and he couldn't hear anything clearly.
He held his hands in the air and used his deep voice to get people's attention. "Can I have your attention please? I've called 911. They're sending help and the police. It would be good, in the meantime, if you all stayed where you are until they get here. Please raise your hand if you're hurt." Derek was relieved to see only three hands. Two were with Sonja, and the other was on the floor near the edge of the window. Derek went there to find a man about his age with a handkerchief pressed to his forehead and blood visible in the center. "Sir, can you tell me what happened?"
The man looked up at him with an expression that seemed to say, 'I got hit by flying glass. What do you think happened?' What he said was, "We were just sitting here over our coffee and I happened to look out the window. I saw this woman with what looked like a baseball, and she threw it straight at the window. I'm just glad I wasn't any closer. Some of the glass got me. Luckily, the couple at the next table left five minutes ago." Derek looked where the man pointed to see the table and chairs covered with multiple shards of glass. Lucky, indeed.
"Help is on the way," Derek said. "Keep pressure on your head. The EMTs should be here soon."
He moved around, trying to comfort and reassure people. Most were a bit shaken, but no one else nearby was hurt. He made it to Sonja and Suzie as they heard multi
ple sirens approaching. He was pleased to see both of the women were wearing rubber gloves as they assisted the injured people, one, he recognized as a server and the other, an elderly woman. The young, African-American server seemed to have gotten the worst of it. She had apparently been hit in the shoulder by something and had fallen to the ground. The blood was coming from her arm, and he saw pieces of a coffee carafe around on the floor. He couldn't see what was wrong with the other woman.
"This is Miss Clara," Sonja said, introducing them. "She's here every morning for breakfast. Krystal," she indicated the server, "got hit and fell into Miss Clara, knocking them both to the ground."
"Now, Sonja, just relax. I'm not hurt. Only a little surprised is all." The white-haired lady patted Sonja's arm. "I'll be fine. All I need is for this strong young man to help me up." She reached for Derek's arm and gave a groan.
"Miss Clara," Suzie said from her other side. "Why don't you wait for the EMTs to get here and check you out? Just to be on the safe side."
"If you insist. You girls worry too much." Miss Clara leaned back against the table that was on its side on the floor and sighed.
The sirens stopped as the various emergency vehicles arrived, and two uniformed police officers were the first inside. They had their guns drawn. "We had a report of shots fired?" the first officer asked.
Derek stood up, holding his hands where they could be seen. "No shots, officer. Someone threw something through the window."
"Who are you, and did you see it?" The officer seemed suspicious of him but lowered his weapon.
Derek identified himself and said, "No, but the gentleman by the window did. I also called Det. Sgt. Stone. She should be here shortly. I believe this is part of a stalking case that's escalating."
"Do you have whatever was thrown?"
"It's over here on the floor. It looks like a rock with something taped to it," Suzie said. "We haven't touched it."
"Good." He turned to his partner. "Go get the EMTs and then have a look outside to see who's around. See if you can get pictures of anyone who looks too curious."