by Marla Monroe
“Who hurt you?” Max demanded.
She took a step back, a look of shock on her face. “W–what are you talking about?”
“Look at her hands, Max,” he said, pointing across the counter.
Taylor immediately covered her hands, then thinking better of it, thrust them behind her back.
“No one hurt me. I fell. That’s all.” She then crossed her arms with a wince, hiding her hands in the process.
“Are you okay? Should you be working when you’re hurt?” Sawyer asked, worried that a manager was allowing her to work when she was obviously in pain.
“I’m fine. I have to keep the shop open. It’s my livelihood. Now what can I get you?” She assumed an almost haughty expression.
Sawyer wanted to laugh, thinking that Max could teach her a lesson in how to pull that off. His partner was a pro at becoming aristocratic when needed. On Taylor it looked cute but lacked the intended effect.
“Two of the same kind of large coffees you served us last night, and two of whatever types of those sandwich platters you have left, please.” Max waved his hand toward the cold case and smiled.
“Of course. Please have a seat at one of the empty tables, and I’ll bring everything out to you.” She quickly disappeared into the back without another word.
He and Max exchanged puzzled looks before shrugging and locating a table that afforded them a clear view of the counter and the door. Several minutes later, she emerged carrying a serving tray. After setting it down on the counter, she poured two large cups of the dark roast they had enjoyed the night before then added them to the tray. When she picked up the tray once again, Max couldn’t help but notice the wince and slight gasp before she walked in their direction.
Once again, Max beat him to the punch and relived her of the tray before she reached their table. Her stuttered objections bounced off of him like rubber balls on concrete. He simply set the tray on their table and unloaded it while she tried to intervene. Max took his cue and gently tried to pull her away with his hands at her waist, but her sharp cry had him releasing her immediately and jumping back.
“What’s wrong? Where else are you hurt?” he asked, appalled that he’d inadvertently caused her pain.
There were still two tables with other guests in the building. A large man from one of the tables got up and walked over with obvious worry evident on his face. Sawyer could see the hint of a tattoo peeking out from his collar.
“Is there a problem, Taylor? Are they bothering you?” he asked.
She quickly shook her head. “No, not at all, Tag. They were just helping me with the tray. I’m a little sore from my fall.”
“I’m Tag Hodges. I own Tag’s Rides down on the opposite end of the street. Taylor is a good friend of mine. We’re real protective of our women here in Perkins City, if you know what I mean.” Tag smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Before he turned and walked off, the big guy kissed Taylor on the top of her head and stalked back to his table where he and the group he was with began cleaning up their mess. Max looked at Taylor with an odd expression then handed her the empty tray.
“Where else are you hurt, Taylor?” he asked.
Sawyer watched as she stared at Max’s serious face with her mouth open before closing it and swallowing. He could tell she didn’t want to answer him.
“I, um, hurt my side. I’m fine though. Thank you for helping me with the tray.” She backed away, almost running into a table in the process.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Taylor. I didn’t know you were sore there.” Sawyer worried she would be afraid of them from now on. He didn’t want that to happen. He really liked her.
“No worries. Like you said, you didn’t know.” She turned and hurried back to the counter.
Sawyer sat down and picked up his sandwich. It was nice and warm. He took a bite and smiled despite having a full mouth.
Max bit into his and grinned as well. “Good.”
“Yep. I foresee many visits to Rizzoli’s in my future,” he said only half-jokingly.
Max frowned. “I wonder what happened that caused her to fall? She doesn’t strike me as someone who’s careless.”
“Well, we really don’t know her that well.”
Max glared at him. “When have I ever been wrong about something like this?”
Sawyer shrugged and took another large bite. Max usually wasn’t wrong when it came to sizing someone up, especially a sub. While Max had no doubt that little Taylor was a submissive at heart, he was sure she didn’t know much, if anything, about the lifestyle. She had untried and untrained written all over her. Not that he wouldn’t be up to the task of teaching her—and love every minute of it, with Max of course. It struck him then that he’d actually thought about being with her without the other man in the room with him. Fear formed a knot in his throat at the thought.
Max seemed to know that something was wrong because he set his sandwich down and looked at him with that seemingly endless amount of patience he was so famous for. Finally Sawyer regained control and continued eating. He wasn’t going to say anything about it to Max, even if they were best friends. Some things just needed to disappear. This was one of them.
“How long do you think it will be before we hear from the realtor about out offer?” he asked instead.
Max never missed a beat. “Not long. I figure we’ll hear something either tonight or first thing in the morning. In the meantime, we need to start asking about contractors and get that lined up.”
“I’m sure Marx or Jackson can give us some names. I’ll call them when we get back to the club.” Sawyer watched as the last two people left.
“I’m going to finish printing out the letters of membership and denial so we can get them all mailed on Monday. The invitations to the grand reopening are already printed and ready to stuff in with the membership letters,” Max said.
“I’ll finish installing that last camera and double-check the feeds to the monitors. Then the crew can come in and start repainting and working on that list of repairs we want completed. Too bad they don’t actually build houses. They come with high recommendations, and they are discreet, just what we need with our plans.” Sawyer wiped his mouth and sat back.
“I think we could still use them for the playroom if they work out as well as the guys say they will.”
He nodded as he watched Taylor restock the glass case with yummy looking treats. She moved very carefully and seemed reluctant to bend over at all. He hated to see a woman in obvious pain like that, and for some reason, it weighed heavily on him that he’d added to that pain, however unintentionally.
Sawyer noticed that Max wasn’t saying anything and looked up to find his partner staring at Taylor as well. Was that interest he saw in his eyes? Sawyer sure hoped so. He really wanted to get to know the pretty little waitress better. Only the fact that she obviously wasn’t familiar with the BDSM lifestyle kept him from actively pursuing her. He wasn’t one to introduce a woman to the decadent pleasures if she hadn’t sought him out to learn about them.
Max’s gaze returned to him. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah. We better get going. We’ve got a lot to do.” Sawyer stood up and grabbed his empty plate and cup.
Following Max over to the garbage receptacle, he noticed Taylor track them with her eyes. There was interest there, but fear laced that interest as well. It could be a heady combination under the right circumstances, but trust came first and that had to be earned. Since she wasn’t a club member, it was doubtful he’d have a chance to earn that trust.
As they walked through the door, disappointment settled in his gut. Seeing her anytime he frequented her shop would be a little like torture. Yet he planned to go there any chance he had. Not only was the food and coffee wonderful, but the owner held just as much appeal. He had a feeling Max felt the same way. Sometimes he wished he wasn’t such a stickler for following rules, especially rules he’d created himself.
* * * *
/> As soon as Max and Sawyer left, Taylor let out a breath in relief. Each time they’d been in the shop, she’d felt as if her skin was alive and would crawl right off her body. Something about them kept her on edge—in a good way, but one she didn’t have any business feeling. Her heart raced and her breathing grew ragged with them around. Why was she so attracted to them? It didn’t make sense. Not only were there two of them, but they were huge. She’d never liked big men before.
She spent the rest of the afternoon working on the books between customers. By six, she was almost too tired to drive home. She’d be lucky to stay awake until Darla arrived. Betty had already left and would be opening the shop for her the next day. She was taking a blessed day off for a change. The older woman had been more than happy to come and get her that morning for work even though she wasn’t scheduled to go in until nine. When she’d pried most of what had happened out of her as they opened the shop, Betty insisted she take the next day off.
Five minutes later, Darla walked in to relieve her. She took one look at Taylor and hurried around the counter.
“What happened to you?” She dropped her purse to the floor and gently cupped her face in both hands. “Who did this?”
“No one, Darla. I’m fine. I fell last night and banged myself up some.” She didn’t know why she hadn’t told anyone about the car.
“Oh, honey. That’s terrible. Are you sure you’re okay? Why didn’t you call me to come in for you earlier? I’m sure you’re miserable. Go on home now and soak in a warm tub of water. I’m glad you decided to take the day off tomorrow. You need to rest more.” Darla hurried her out the door, for which she was grateful. She still had to drive home.
When she reached her car, she almost cringed at the folded paper under her windshield wiper before recognizing the lettering for the garage she’d called to get a new battery. Relief poured over her as she pulled it loose and hurried into the car out of the cold. She sighed when the engine turned over immediately for her. She knew it probably needed a tune up or something soon. She would make arrangements to take it to the garage next weekend while she was at work.
When she arrived home, Taylor grabbed her purse and the paper from the garage and hurried inside. She locked her door and dropped her purse on the couch before heading for her bedroom. Her shoes came off first then she sat on the side of the bed and opened the invoice to see what the damage was and froze.
Battery was fine. Someone had removed the cables so they weren’t making contact. Practical joke? Have you had any other problems? Call the sheriff if you have. Something could have happened to you.
Now Taylor knew the near miss hadn’t been an accident or a drunk driver. She tried to think. Should she call the sheriff’s office now or wait until tomorrow? It wasn’t like there was anything they could do now. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to take a shower and go to bed. As much as she longed for a nice hot bath like Darla had suggested, she knew if she tried she’d fall asleep in the tub and end up either drowning or catching a chill. No, she’d take a shower and call in the morning when she woke up.
She quickly stripped out of her clothes and finished her shower in record time. After drying off and pulling on one of her favorite pair of pj’s, Taylor climbed in to bed and almost instantly fell asleep.
Strangely enough, it didn’t surprise her in the least to find two men waiting for her in her dreams, Sawyer and Max. She’d subconsciously been thinking about them off and on all day. It was no wonder they followed her into sleep. She had no problem letting them lure her into all sorts of naughty trouble.
Chapter Five
Taylor knew the minute Max and Sawyer walked through the doors of her coffee shop. They had been showing up at some point nearly every day over the past few weeks. It worried her how attuned to their presence she’d become. No matter where she was or what she was doing in the shop, she felt them when they arrived. Denying that they affected her on a sexual level was impossible as well, especially since most of her dreams had centered around them each night. All except the nightmares, that was.
I’m not thinking about those.
Instead, she checked her watch to find that it was almost closing time. She was busier than usual for a Friday night in February. Only a week away from Valentine’s Day, and each day had been busier than the last for some reason. It wasn’t like she sold gifts or had specialty cakes or anything. All she could come up with was that everyone was out shopping for those things late, and since it was cold, stopped by for coffee to warm themselves up. Regardless, she wasn’t complaining. Business was good.
Glancing around at the small crowd still sipping lattes and cappuccinos, she figured she would be staying open a little later than normal.
“Hi, Taylor. You’re busy for nearly midnight,” Sawyer said when he approached the counter.
“Don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not complaining. Your usual?” she asked with a smile that she didn’t have to force.
“Sounds good, and add a dozen of those cake things. We’ve gotten hooked on them. Max has even gone so far as to stop by The Sweet Tooth for some. We prefer your coffee though.” He winked at her.
She knew she was blushing by the way her face heated. Even with her naturally tanned skin, it would be obvious. Taylor busied herself making their coffee and serving up their cake pops. She knew to give them a variety of flavors and couldn’t help but smile when she added two lemon ones for fun.
She could feel Sawyer’s eyes on her the entire time. It didn’t help the state of her panties as they grew moist. Her pussy so wanted some of their action, but Taylor knew better than to get mixed up with anyone as virile as those two were. Plus, she’d heard rumors that they were part of the S&M crowd. There was a club of some kind out at the end of Wild Child Road that she’d heard was actually a dungeon where they played all sorts of strange games.
“Here you go.” Taylor passed the tray across to Sawyer who stepped away from the counter so Max could pay.
“Sorry we’re so late tonight. We’ll hurry so you can close up,” Max said as he handed her the money.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be open as long as people are here drinking coffee.” She smiled and handed him his change.
He always had her keep the change, but she didn’t take anything for granted. This time he curled his hand over hers with it inside her palm. Her eyes snapped up to meet his midnight dark ones at the sudden heat that flared between them. He merely smiled and gave her hand a small squeeze before he released her and walked across the room to where Sawyer sat sipping his coffee, a smug smile dancing across his lips.
Taylor fought to keep her breathing normal and turned away to focus on the coffee machines. She tried to lose herself in cleaning up, but the lingering memory of faint tingles and warm skin had her rubbing her hand over and over again. She was sure the burning at the back of her neck was them staring at her. Then she scoffed at herself for being so vain. Why would they be looking at her when there was a roomful of gorgeous women to drool over? She had no illusions about her figure. She had long ago come to terms with the fact that she was a full-figured woman and always would be.
Checking the front to make sure no one needed anything, she slipped into the back to make sure everything was in its place. Betty always kept things orderly, but they’d been unusually busy of late. She didn’t see any problems, and there were more than enough sandwiches and soups ready for the next day. Taylor wiped her hands on a towel and walked back out front to check on her customers.
She slipped from behind the counter and proceeded to wipe down empty tables. She was down to two groups, and of course, Sawyer and Max. She chatted with the group of women who she found out were waiting on their guys to come pick them up.
“My hubby would redden my bottom if I left at this time of night without him or one of his friends making sure I got home safe,” one of the women said.
“Tell me about it. I messed up and didn’t call mine once when I was late leav
ing work, and let me tell you what. When I walked in the house, it was spanking time! Of course we more than made up for it afterwards,” another said.
The entire table giggled at that comment. Taylor just smiled and shook her head. They had to be teasing. Why would any woman let a man spank her like that? She thought it was sweet that their men wanted them to be safe and would come see about them, but she just didn’t buy the part about the spanking. The bell over the door rang, and she turned with a welcoming smile that she really didn’t feel. She wanted to close sometime before time to reopen again.
Three nice looking men she saw around Perkins City often walked in and zeroed in on the women she’d been talking with. They each grabbed one of the ladies and hugged her before giving them tongue tangling kisses and escorting them toward the door. One of the men turned back and called out her name.
“Hey Taylor, thanks for staying open for our ladies. We’re sorry we’re so late picking them up.”
She recognized Jeff from high school then. He’d grown up to be a nice looking man.
“No problem. Have a good night.”
He looked around then settled on Max and Sawyer before nodding their way and walking out with his friends. She wondered what that was all about but didn’t look their way. She needed to stop thinking about those two. As she cleaned the table the women had just vacated, the last table of customers said goodnight and left. She moved on to that table then carried the tray of empties over to the counter and tossed the cups.
“Are you ready to close up now?”
Taylor’s hand went to her chest. “Oh! You startled me.”
Max smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. I thought you heard me walk up.”
“Finish your coffee. I’ve still got to finish up the paperwork. I don’t mind if you stay while I do that.” She smoothed her moist hands down the sides of her apron.
“Sounds good. We can walk you out and make sure you get to your car safely,” he said before walking back to their table.