by Faith Starr
“I can’t believe you have this much patience for shopping. Most men would be running in the other direction by now.”
Uh-uh. When it came to Jordin, all I found myself doing was wanting to chase her down, no matter where it was.
“I’m not like most men. I like seeing the smile on your face when you find something you like.”
“That’s sweet.”
She rested her head on my shoulder, causing my heart to skip a beat. I slung my arm around her waist.
“Don’t tell anybody I said it, then.”
Two stores later, she found shoes she could wear with both dresses. With that task complete, we strolled back to her car. It was getting late, and I needed to get back to work. “I’ll pick you up on Saturday night at six thirty sharp. I can’t wait to see how beautiful you’re going to look in whichever dress you choose to wear.”
“I can’t wait to go. Thank you again for inviting me.” Her smile was so wide her eyes squinted. It made me feel great about my decision to ask her.
“Thank you for agreeing to come.”
“Are you kidding? Of course I would agree. And Noah, I truly am grateful for the gifts today. Thank you.” Her eyes said it all, which made the gesture all the more gratifying.
“Anytime.”
29
Jordin
Noah pulled me into his arms again and kissed me. I practically melted onto the pavement beneath us. It wasn’t a “Hi, how are you?” type of kiss either. It was more of a “Let’s get naked and screw” type of kiss. My insides were like jelly.
My afternoon had been like a scene straight out of Pretty Woman, only in this case, I wasn’t a hooker. Each dress alone cost more than I would ever be able to afford, and he’d paid for them like he’d merely purchased a Starbucks latte.
In a blissful daze, I drove to the university for my meeting with my dissertation committee and chair.
“Hello, Jordin.”
Of all people, I had to bump into Dr. Sloan in the hallway. Dirtbag.
“Hi, Dr. Sloan, I’m here to meet with Dr. Hamlin and my group.” Maybe if he thought I was in a rush, he wouldn’t engage me in a conversation.
“How’s your research coming along?”
Guess I was wrong. I took a deep breath to stifle my anger and instead plastered on a fake smile.
“It’s coming along just fine, thank you. I better get going. I wouldn’t want to be late.” I checked the time on my phone to make it look more legit.
“Goodbye, Jordin.”
Ugh! He disgusted me.
After my meeting, I bolted for the exit of the building. I hated how uncomfortable I now felt in a place that for years had given me solace. As I opened the door, who else but Tammy entered?
“Hi, Jordin.”
Could I get arrested for slapping someone?
“Hi, Tammy.”
“What’re you doing here?”
What did she think I was doing here? Sleeping with the professor like she was probably about to do?
“I had a committee meeting, how about you?” Bam! That would put her in her place.
“I’m here to see Dr. Sloan.”
Was she kidding me? Now she was being open about it? And her proud smile only made the awkwardness worse. Darn! Seems she had put me in mine. “I’m sure you are.” Sarcasm at its best.
There. We were even now. I stormed off in a huff. This girl was sleeping her way toward the internship. How could I possibly compete with her?
“Hey love.”
Casey called during my drive home. It was so difficult to not let my anger about seeing her father and running into Tammy shine through. “Do you want to grab dinner?”
“To be honest, Noah took me out for a big lunch, and I’m stuffed. Can I take a rain check?”
“Of course you can. You’re seeing quite a lot of him lately. How’re things going?”
“They’re going well…I think.”
“Why the sound of doubt?”
“You know me. I hate to jinx things.” I knocked on my head for added insurance.
“You silly girl. Yoga tomorrow morning?”
I could actually picture her shaking her head in disappointment at me.
“Definitely. I’ll meet you at the athletic center.”
“Perfect.”
Working on my computer until midnight had been just what I needed. It was the most I had accomplished in one day in a long time. I was back on track and even a bit ahead of schedule. I would have to go up against Tammy with the only defense I had, my brain.
Over the next couple of days, my thoughts constantly wandered to the upcoming weekend. What would Noah’s family be like? What had he told them about me? About us? So many questions consumed me I had to consciously reel myself back in to the here and now.
30
Noah
“So bringing Jordin home to meet the family?” Derek’s loud chewing distracted me.
“I’m not bringing her home to meet the family. She’s accompanying me to the party. There’s a difference.”
He swallowed another bite of his apple. “She’s still coming to the house, and the family is going to be there. It’s been a while since I’ve see you smitten.”
His shit-eating grin and bobbing head were about all I could tolerate. I was done discussing this. “You know Mitch is bringing Darla, right?”
“Yeah, hopefully he dresses her, because if Mom and Dad see how she usually dresses, they’re going to think he hired an escort.”
We broke out into a fit of laughter, him almost choking on another bite of his apple.
“Excuse me? I heard that.” Mitch waltzed into the office, his faux anger apparent.
“Are we lying?” Derek’s hand did an excellent job of asking the question along with him.
“No. She does dress like a slut.” Mitch nodded.
“What do you see in her anyway? You could do so much better.” I never hid my feelings about Darla from him.
“Like Jordin?”
“Yeah, like Jordin. She has a career. She has focus. She’s beautiful. And she’s not trying to suck my bank account dry.” There were many other positives I could add, but the list would be too long.
“Not that you know of.”
Yeah, right. Jordin wasn’t that type of a woman.
“Can you say the same about Darla?”
“It’s not like she’s my girlfriend or anything. We’re just having fun.” He took the empty seat next to Derek.
“You’re practically paying her rent.”
“She has it rough.” His crossed arms signaled his defensive stance on the matter.
“Since when did that become your problem? Maybe if you spent less time worrying about her troubles and more time focusing on the club, you wouldn’t be having so many issues with us.” Derek spoke directly to him to point out the reality of the situation.
“I’m trying to make up for it. Give me props for that.”
“You are. I just don’t think bringing white trash home to one of Mom’s cocktail parties is going to go over well.”
Derek had such a way with words. I mean, he was right and all, but it could’ve been phrased a little differently.
“I didn’t have anyone else to ask.”
“Ask one of the girls from the club. I see women throwing themselves at you left and right.” Derek’s suggestion made perfect sense.
“She already agreed. Besides, I’m guaranteed to get lucky if she comes with me.”
“Any guy would be guaranteed to get lucky if he took her out.” I stifled a smile after stating the obvious. Derek full-on cracked up.
“Fuck both of you. You guys are dicks.”
He glanced down at the floor, tapping his thighs. Hope that didn’t mean he was suddenly going to shut us out. This was important.
“And that’s exactly what you’re thinking with.” I spoke the truth.
“I hear you both, and I’ll keep it in mind. Do either one of you feel like working ou
t?”
Guess that conversation was over and done with. Not that there was anything more to add. At least he acknowledged what we had said.
“I do. Noah?” Derek asked.
“Sure. I could use a workout. I’ll meet up with you guys in about fifteen minutes.”
They both agreed and left my office, unfortunately, leaving the door open. Evie walked by and peeked in. She took it upon herself to enter.
“Hey Noah, I heard Mitch talking. I hear your folks are having a party. Do you need a date?”
She had probably been standing out there eavesdropping the entire time. Maybe not the entire time, because then she would’ve heard me speaking about Jordin, and this conversation wouldn’t be taking place right now.
“No, but thanks for offering.”
“Are you taking the therapist?” Again her hands were on her hips.
What the fuck? She tried to make me feel like a cheating husband. Sadly for her, I didn’t.
“It’s really none of your business who I’m taking.”
“What’s the story between you two anyway?”
The way she stood in front of my desk, expecting an answer, was almost laughable. Like I would actually give her one? Yeah, right, maybe in another life, sweetheart.
“What’s it to you, Evie?”
“I’m just curious.”
No. She wasn’t curious. She was downright jealous.
“You know very well I keep my private life private.” I kept my cool, sitting behind my desk, my hands crossed in front of me, resting on it.
“I used to be a part of that privacy.” She sat in the chair Mitch had just vacated.
Great. Guess this conversation wasn’t ending anytime soon.
“A small part.” She didn’t like my finger and thumb indicating just how little either.
She raised her brows. “So are you saying we’re done?”
“There never was a we to begin with.”
She looked down at the floor, her foot nervously tapping against it. “Semantics. You know what I mean.”
“And you know what I mean. We had some fun upstairs. That’s all it ever was.”
“How about some fun in the club, then?”
Did she have a hearing problem? What part of the word “No” did she not understand? “You know I don’t engage in that kind of fun anymore.”
“Never?”
“Certainly not with the staff.”
“Ouch. That hurt.” She added in the dramatic effect of resting her hand on her heart.
I’d had enough of the theatrics. “Business is business. Whatever fun we had was done outside these walls. Now it needs to go back to being business.”
She crossed her arms in front of her defiantly. “So what I’m hearing you say is that when you have another woman around, I’m a bartender, but when you’re solo, our business relationship turns personal. Is that correct?”
“You could’ve always said no. I’ve been straight up with you since the beginning. You knew exactly where I stood, and I never forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”
“I care a lot about you, Noah. We’ve been doing this dance for quite some time already. When is this thing between us going to be enough for you?”
“There is no thing between us. The agreement we have about our out-of-office activities stands firm. It’s never going to progress to anything more.” I didn’t want to sound like such a dick, but the nice approach wasn’t working.
“I see. But I believe people can have a change of heart. I’m going to remain open-minded about the possibility.”
Holy shit, she had a fucking skull made of steel. Nothing could penetrate through it.
“It is what it is.” I was done with this back and forth.
“That’s good to know.”
Fuck. I needed to catch my breath and get my thoughts together. I cupped my neck, my elbow resting on my desk. “You’re a great catch, Ev. Why don’t you try and find stability? You know I can’t offer you that.” Please. I beg of you.
“Because I think you’re worth the wait. I also think someday you’ll realize that what you’re looking for has been right in front of you the whole time.”
Where was all of this coming from? She never once told me she had feelings for me. “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. We’re never going to be more than what we’ve been in the past.”
“Sure. Believe what you will. You know where to find me if you need me. I have to go and set up the bar.”
What? Had she not heard anything I’d just said? I shook my head in disbelief. It was like talking to a fucking brick wall.
“Please let me know how we’re doing on stock so I can place an order.”
And it was back to business as usual. That’s how we rolled. We had been fucking on and off for a while, probably since Abby left, and the only reason it had gone on that long was because I hadn’t been involved with anyone else. But now things were different. Even though Jordin and I weren’t committed to one another, I had no desire to go elsewhere.
Upstairs, I joined the guys for a workout, an endorphin rush a necessity about now.
“Mom said Grace will be there. It’s a good thing you’ll have a date with you,” Derek teased, running on the treadmill, dripping in sweat.
“Amen to that. Hey Mitch, why don’t you ditch Darla? Grace is single,” I added with a laugh, “and she’s a guarantee too.”
Mitch gasped in shock. “What, you and Grace?”
“It was a long time ago.” Derek shook his head in disgust as if hearing it for the first time.
“No thanks, man. I’m not that desperate,” Mitch affirmed, moving at a steady pace on the elliptical.
“Well, the two of us were trashed at the time.” That was the rationale I kept telling myself because she wasn’t my usual type. Maybe it was during a dry spell, or in her case, a drought.
“How could you forget a face like that?” Mitch again revealed his repulsion, mouthing, “Gross.”
“Her mother’s not bad-looking.” Derek smiled, trying to see the light in the situation.
“I’d rather fuck her mother,” Mitch was all too quick to add.
We all laughed at the thought. It was good to work out with them. They were my sounding board.
“We should get back into our regular workout schedule again.” I pressed buttons on the electronic screen to start my desired workout on the stationary bike.
“I think Jordin’s making him soft.” Derek spoke jokingly.
“Shall I give him a hug?” Mitch did the same.
I shook my head at both of them.
Pricks.
Later, I strolled through the club to check out the happenings going on. Derek monitored the hallways, Claude watched the fantasy suites, Mitch worked in the dungeon, and the others did their respective jobs. Everyone was where he or she needed to be.
“Master Noah, long time no see. I miss seeing you in the dungeon. Where’ve you been hiding?” She was the last person on earth I wanted to bump into tonight.
“Hello, Giselle. Where’s Master Frank?” I scanned the area, hoping to see him, mostly to rescue me.
“I asked him if I could say hello. Master Frank also said it would be okay if we participated in a scene together.”
It astonished me how our members made assumptions that me and my brothers were at their beck and call when it came to doing scenes with them. Like what we wanted didn’t matter at all. But then again, this business wasn’t about our feelings. Members wanted a good time and expected us to provide them with one.
“I’m sorry, Giselle, but my scene days are over.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Over? Do you have a new sub?”
“No. I’m just not playing with members or guests anymore.”
Add disappointment to the mix. She now had a full-on scowl.
“Once you become part of this lifestyle, Master Noah, it’s difficult to step outside it. From our past experiences together, I kn
ow very well that you’re a bona fide Dom.”
Her little pep talk wasn’t working. I had no desire to do a scene with her or anyone else other than Jordin Turner in the privacy of my own apartment.
“When the situation calls for it, but for the time being I’m leaving those roles to Master Derek and Master Mitch.”
“What a shame. You know how to satisfy me so well.” She pouted in grave displeasure.
“I’m sure either Master Derek or Master Mitch would be more than happy to participate with you and Master Frank.”
“I’m not interested in them. I’m interested in you.”
She batted her eyelashes. It wouldn’t sway my decision. She was shit out of luck if she thought so.
“Here you are.” Frank approached, looking a bit perturbed. “I said you could say hello, not engage in lengthy conversation.” His tone was one of reprimand.
“Sorry, Master.” She instantly bowed her head in respect.
“Has Giselle informed you about what she would like to happen?”
Fuck!
“She has. Unfortunately, I don’t do scenes anymore. I told her that Master Derek or Master Mitch would be more than happy to take my place.”
His eyes narrowed, equally displeased. “My sub wants you. What would it take for me to make that happen? We’ve been members here for quite some time, and I bring a lot of business your way.”
Was he fucking threatening me?
“What is it you had in mind?” I needed to know the extent of their desires. I didn’t want to lose either one of them as clients, especially Frank. He was a local politician who had brought many guests and new members to the club. He also spent thousands in the fantasy suites. Fuck. I sounded like a fucking escort, which for all practical purposes is how I felt. It wasn’t a good feeling.
“My sub would like me to watch you pleasure her.”
“And what would that pleasure involve?” Again, I wanted specifics.
“Whatever she requests. Giselle, you may speak to Master Noah. Tell him exactly what you want to take place.”