by Sara Brookes
“Hey!”
“Since you’re being a dick, that seems more fitting, doesn’t it?” She gestured with a closed fist, pantomiming someone jerking off. A loud roar spewed from the group as fingers began to point in Tony’s direction. They didn’t realize there was some truth in her joke.
She’d once walked into the comic store late one Saturday night to find Tony hunched over a gay fetish magazine, masturbating. He’d pleaded with her the entire way to the movie theater to not say anything because he didn’t want anyone to know. She would keep his confidence, but he was testing her patience at the moment.
She tugged on Patrick’s elbow again. “I’ll get you a beer in the kitchen.”
“Is everything okay?” he asked once they were alone.
“Sure. They’re just in their prime tonight.” Her friends’ razzing was nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing unusual was the fact Patrick was here to play and it wasn’t the kind of game he’d introduced her to lately. “Just don’t put too much value into whatever they say right now. They seem to be a little full of themselves. Not sure what crawled up their asses and died.”
“May I suggest you find your ass full of me instead?” His lips were insistent and hot against hers. What she wouldn’t give for her friends to be somewhere else so this could continue.
He pressed her back tight against the refrigerator, fitting the long length of his cock against her leg. She sighed against his mouth as his hand slid under her shirt. The guys in other room let out a shout as they celebrated their triumph while she and Patrick celebrated in their own way. His dexterous fingers cupped both breasts for a fraction of a second before moving to slide under the waistband of her pants. The tip of his finger slid through the wet heat of her pussy.
He drove up into her a few times, slow and powerful.
He possessed a dangerous glint in his eyes as he backed away and touched the tip of his tongue to his finger—the very same one that had just been inside her. A stab of lust nearly had her growling out her need for him. As she started to reach for him, he neatly avoided her grasp. He gave her a sly look as he lifted his beer bottle, walking out of the kitchen as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
Hands trembling, she needed a few minutes before she felt steady enough to return to the living room. Her friends had already adjusted for his newbie role in the game. Even though he clearly didn’t know what he was doing everyone appeared to be having a good time.
She felt comfortable with Patrick amid her small group of friends. They probably weren’t the type of males he typically associated with, especially if the meeting at the coffee house with Ryan and Dade was an indication of the company he kept.
As the night continued, Patrick seemed to grow agitated. She thought back and tried to find the reason for his edginess but could think of nothing. Maybe it was residual emotion from their amorous moment in the kitchen. But given the level of control she’d seen in him the morning after the infamous phone call, she dismissed that notion. No, something else was bothering him. She intended to find out what it was. Her wait didn’t last long, as within the next ten minutes, the problem smacked her in the face.
Mark shoveled a piece of pizza into his mouth, chewing noisily while he adjusted his glasses. “So, I went out with that chick from marketing. Stellar breasts topped with some of the biggest nipples I’ve ever seen in my life. Ripe cherries just made for plucking. And one of the finest pussies I’ve ever ridden. But her face is horrendous. I’m talking put a paper bag over her head while fucking territory. Really choice ass, though. Probably call her next weekend and see if I can’t get some of it.”
Patrick’s eyes darkened.
Mark had always thought of himself as some kind of Casanova with the ladies. In truth, he had a lot to learn. His behavior usually came off more in line with that of an asshole, so comments such as those were nothing out of the ordinary. But Patrick didn’t know that. She’d grown accustomed to them over time. She would never ask anyone to censor themselves just because Patrick happened to be in the room. In fact, she wasn’t above crass comments on occasion about members of the opposite sex. Nor had she expected him to join in. He was too much of a gentleman.
She tapped Patrick on the shoulder, anxious to find out if he was all right. “Hey, guys, go on without us for a little bit. I need to talk to Patrick alone.”
“Which is code for don’t mind the noises from the kitchen for a few minutes while I let my Master have sex with me.” Everyone snorted in response to Mark’s comment.
Everyone except Patrick.
Allison watched as he curled his hands into fists as he stood over her friends. What. The. Fuck. She grabbed him in order to pull him out of the room. The pocket door shut with a sharp snap as she closed it. “Hey, are you okay?” Anger lit the blue in his irises, causing her to tighten her hand around his arm. “Patrick.”
He shook off her arm. “I see you’ve shared the details of our sex life with your buddies.”
“What? No, I haven’t. They loaded up the game I was playing and saw the outfit I designed for my avatar. Seriously. It’s harmless. Are you all right?” She started to reach for his arm, only to be brought short by the anger boiling in his eyes.
“I’m fine.”
From the biting tone of his voice, she knew he’d just lied to her. It bothered her that he couldn’t be more forthcoming after the trust they’d built. After the things they’d shared. She did reach for him then, relieved when he didn’t move away from her touch. “What’s the problem?”
“I didn’t know you invited me over here to listen to a bunch of insulting degenerates.” The muscles of his arm flexed under her fingers, giving her an idea about the anger simmering under the surface.
“Patrick, these are my friends. I’m sorry their behavior is upsetting you. Maybe this was a mistake. I thought since…I don’t know. Since you introduced me to Ryan and Dade that maybe you’d like to get to know my friends too.”
“What I know so far is that you’re friends with a bunch of assholes.” He jerked from her touch as he gestured with his chin toward the living room.
The condescending tone of his statement vibrated through her bones, angering her. “As are most men. You may not be happy with my choice of company, but what’s funny is that I’m not overly happy with your behavior either. You’re acting as though you’re some overbearing ass.” It’s that kind of behavior she would have expected of a Dom before Patrick had shown her a different picture. “You had no qualms about parading me around half naked at the coffee shop before your friends and just expect me to accept it. Yet you’re pissed off because my friends are just being themselves. The very man who has spent so much time convincing me to be myself is put out by a few offensive remarks? I know they’re dicks sometimes, but come the fuck on.”
He moved in a blur, his hands gripping firmly around her shoulders as he pushed her back against the fridge. Holding her in place, she couldn’t budge an inch. The force of his grip surprised her. She immediately tried to shake his hand away. When his hold tightened, she stopped.
“Patrick.”
“They don’t treat you as you should be treated.”
The hair lifted on the back of her neck as warning bells sounded in her head. This wasn’t the sort of behavior she’d expected from him. It flew in the face of the whole gentleman persona she’d come to love. “And how is that?”
“You aren’t one of them.”
Her unsettled stomach rolled slowly, bile rising in her throat to coat the tissue with a bitter film. “My friends aren’t new additions in my life. You are. And I don’t appreciate your tone or the way you’re behaving about all of this either. There are certainly some things I’m willing to give concession to you for, especially when I’m down on my knees.” She narrowed her eyes as she tried to break his vise-like grip. When she couldn’t, she stilled. “Yes, I am one of them, Patrick. The only difference between us sometimes is I don’t have a dick. On all other playing fields,
I’m equal. I’m just as smart as they are, if not more so in some instances.”
“Their sexist comments say otherwise.”
“I’m used to their comments because they mean nothing. Those guys are harmless. To them, I’m just one of the guys. I told you that when we first started seeing each other.”
“It shouldn’t be that way,” he roared as his grip tightened further. “I don’t want you hanging out with them.”
The temper she’d kept at bay flared to life, causing her to ball her fists at her sides. “So, what—you’re commanding me to stop being friends with them just because you’ve got some stick up your ass about what they said out there? What gives you that right? Nothing. Nothing at all. You have no right to tell me what I can do. We’re not committed beyond being a couple of fuck buddies. Or wait, maybe that’s it.
“Maybe it would be all right for me to continue to be friends with them if they wanted to collar and cuff me? Put me on my knees before them so I can suck each of their peckers in turn? Funny, I thought you were the only one who got to hold that honor.” His eyes flashed, but she refused to back down now that she’d gotten started. “I may be your submissive, but I still have a spine, Patrick. And I damn well know how to use it. Get your hands off me right now.”
He jerked in reaction as she spit out the words. The rage that had darkened his eyes vanished as he slowly blinked a few times, turning his palms as if to study them. He stared at his hands in disbelief, clenching them tightly as they lowered.
As he backed away to put nearly the entire length of the kitchen between them, his jaw worked as he swallowed. “My proclivities during sex are a little out of the norm for most people, but in no way have I ever made you feel as if you were beneath me.”
His statement caused her to freeze. She couldn’t help but stare at him in utter amazement. Oblivious. His broken expression tugged at her insides, the ache of what just happened a hard knot of emotion in her chest. Everything had been so right, so perfect between them and now the shattered remains of their relationship lay on the floor between them. “You’re right, Patrick, you never have. But you’re certainly doing a damn good job of it right at this moment. Find yourself another doormat to grace your warehouse floor. I’m done.”
She spun on her heel, storming from the room.
No one spoke as she threw herself over the back of the couch. Tears burned hot at the back of her eyes, but she refused to break down in front of a room full of men. They’d undoubtedly heard the argument, given the fact only a thin door separated the kitchen and living room. However, she refused to acknowledge the press of the words hanging in the air. If she did, the weight of them would hit her even harder. She didn’t think she could handle breaking down right now.
Cooper gave a yell as he confronted someone in the game, turning everyone’s attention back to the television set. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand, but made mistakes better suited for a newbie.
When the front door closed with a sharp bang, she fumbled the controller. The heavy plastic case slammed against the coffee table, rattling the items still spread out. She gave a sheepish grin as everyone looked at her. Unable to get her mouth to work in order to find the words to apologize, she simply blinked away tears.
“Allison—” Mark stopped when he saw her expression.
“Sorry, I must have butter-fingers tonight.” The controller’s smooth surface slid into her palm as she closed her hand around the plastic, using the rough texture as an anchor.
Breathe, dammit. This isn’t the first time a man has left you. One breath at a time. You will not pass out. You will not let him get the best of you. Not now. Not in front of your friends. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to think about what had just happened. It was almost impossible to let go of the image of the simmering fury that had clouded those stunning blue eyes.
“We can hold off on this until next week.”
The pity in Scott’s voice added to her anger. What she didn’t want right now was for them to feel sorry for her. They would not feel sorry for her. “Let’s do this.”
With her concentration shot to hell, she tried to focus on the mission they’d set out on. Her friends seemed to understand her predicament, compensating for her lack of awareness. They even made sure they never abandoned her completely. Even Tony stepped in on a few skirmishes when she floundered. This kind of shoddy gameplay was completely uncharacteristic for her skill level.
Her mood further deteriorated as the night wore on.
Two hours later, she couldn’t take dealing with her friends anymore. Not when she was this exhausted. This hurt. “Mind if we call it a night, guys?”
“Sure, no problem, Al.” Cooper gathered the extra controllers while Scott tossed the empty pizza boxes into the trash. They were all really good friends to her. She loved each of them for what they brought to her life. Sure, they didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but what group of friends did? Things had just gotten so out of hand, she couldn’t seem to make sense of anything.
“How about we try again Tuesday night?” Tony leaned close as Mark, Cooper and Scott filed out. “If you need someone to talk to, I can come over Monday. I’ll even bring some beer and we can drown our sorrows of how shitty men can be.”
Despite her mood, she forced out a smile. Leave it to Tony to make her laugh even though she’d teased him earlier. He really was a good friend. “I may just take you up on that offer.”
Tony closed the door, leaving her alone.
She managed to make it to her bedroom before she broke.
* * * * *
Allison stood in front of her home a week later, staring at the dark storm clouds hanging threateningly in the sky. Granted, it was nearly June. Spring showers were expected this time of year, but did it really have to pour today?
Since that night a week ago, she’d taken the longer way to work so she didn’t have to pass Perfect Shot. The circuitous route made the walk twenty minutes longer, but the last person on Earth she wanted to see was Patrick. The normal path would take her right past the wide, panoramic windows of the coffee house.
Even her addiction to coffee couldn’t make her step foot in that place. Not when her emotions were still so raw.
The heavy rainfall this morning would make the long walk completely miserable. Even with an umbrella, she’d be soaked to the bone by the time she got to work. She was just going to have to put on her big-girl panties and be the adult in this whole debacle. She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to turn the opposite direction.
It wasn’t simply the fact she didn’t want to see him that kept her away from her normal routine and her usual cup of coffee. The biggest problem lay in the fact she didn’t know what to say to him. Still hurt and confused, she’d outright ignored his phone call and subsequent voice mail. Avoiding someone this way wasn’t her usual tactic. She usually got right in their face, telling them just where to put their attitude.
He’d thrown her off kilter in more ways than one.
Her pace automatically slowed as she approached the brightly lit window of the shop. Unable to resist the pull of the aroma of decadent coffee, she glanced in the window. It appeared as if her worry had been for nothing because he wasn’t behind the counter at all. Instead, a short woman with red hair cut in a pixie style worked the long line of customers already stacked five deep at six in the morning.
Not one of their employees.
A sudden surge of panic made her scramble through the front door and fight her way to the counter. She ignored the customers as they complained. “Where are Patrick and Alex?”
The redhead blinked her brilliant green eyes. “Well, good morning to you too.”
Allison frowned as she ordered her heart to stop racing. She had no right to demand so much from this woman. But the immediate thought that something was wrong with one or both brothers caused her to toss politeness to the side. “I’m looking for them. Where are they?”
“Funny, from what I
understand, you’ve been doing a bang-up job of avoiding Patrick. So your rush to know what’s going on seems a little misplaced.”
It became a staring contest neither woman wanted to lose.
One of the customers in line cleared his throat loudly, causing the redhead to sigh and roll her eyes. She reached for a ceramic cup, filled it with the house blend and pushed the steaming cup of coffee across the counter.
“Everything’s fine. Go have a seat, and when things have calmed down, I’ll explain everything. Deal?” She moved away before Allison had a chance to respond.
Since she’d already made a huge ass of herself, she dropped her credit card next to the register. “Coffee for everyone in line is my treat.” She smiled apologetically to the customers she’d cut in front of.
Sinking into an overstuffed chair in a corner of the shop, she pulled out her BlackBerry and tapped out a quick email to her boss. Time to take a personal day. Stephen referred to the lost time as a sanity day. He actually preferred for his employees to take them occasionally just to keep everyone from going a little loopy. Their work was stressful and technical, both things that could get the best of someone. Her attitude hadn’t been the best at work, so he would probably be happy to hear she’d followed his advice.
The house coffee was hot and strong, exactly the way she preferred it. She really missed this piece of her daily routine. The crappy instant coffee she’d relied on lately didn’t compare to the custom blend Perfect Shot served. And no matter how angry she was with Patrick, she wasn’t content to settle on hitting Java Joint for the sludge they tried to pass off as coffee.
Settling back, she watched the redhead work. The woman gave off an air of authority, but not one that put people off. She didn’t demand the attention, she just had it. Her natural charisma simply seemed to be a part of her personality. It surprised Allison, given the woman’s small stature. Her movements were so efficient and precise, it was evident she’d spent some time behind a coffee bar.
Why in the world hadn’t Alex just let this woman handle things instead of Patrick that first week? Granted, the computer system would have still been an issue, but she may not have had to jump in and help Patrick.