by Golden Angel
"Oh... I'm sorry?" she finally said, because from his blank expression, she couldn't really tell how he felt about it.
White teeth flashed in a kind of resigned smile. "I'm not. I mean... it sucked while it was happening, but I think she got the message. At least, she seemed to take me seriously this time and she didn't try any um... stunts to deter me."
"Well that's good."
They stared at each other, and Leigh wondered what she was supposed to do now. Jump in his arms? Pat him on the back? She didn't really feel like doing either to be perfectly honest.
She'd been prepared for a lot of things. To see Jared with Marissa. To reconcile being just friends. To bolster herself if that ended up being more hurtful than she thought it would be.
This? This spun her world on its axis, especially when he was staring at her, anxiously waiting for some kind of reaction.
But this was... Was she suddenly the villain in his story? A home-wrecker? Or was she a rebound? The go-to girl... The idea that he might have broken off with Marissa completely for her... well, geez. Talk about putting pressure on a relationship. If things went south, then he would have thrown away a seven-year relationship to be with her and have it not work out.
"Can we just be friends for now?" Leigh cringed almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Ugh, how arrogant did she sound, as if she assumed he had broken up with Marissa for her! Assuming he was telling her because he wanted to try and date her now... again... whatever the hell they'd been doing before Marissa had come back. Hanging out.
Jared's mouth quirked in a smile, reassuring her. "Of course." But then he stepped forward, his focus narrowing, and his eyes were suddenly hot and hungry and so very intent... Leigh felt her thighs clenching, pressing down on her pussy as Jared suddenly, and for the first time, went completely Dom on her. He leaned down, and her heart pounded as she wondered if he might try to kiss her. Instead, his mouth bypassed her lips and cheek and he whispered in her ear. "As long as you know I'll be trying to change your mind."
Oh geezus... his deep, velvety voice rumbled through her and she felt her nipples tightening. For the first time ever, she felt completely off balance around him. Yes, she'd been attracted to him for a while. Yes, she loved it when he touched her and seemed to be protective of her. Yes, she'd thought he was hot. Yes, some part of her had responded when he'd found out about her high blood sugar and had given her a look that she now recognized, having seen it on Adam’s face when Angel had done something reckless. It had been a look that said he wanted to spank her for not taking care of herself.
None of that compared to right now. It was as if some kind of switch had flipped within him, now that he'd sent Marissa on her way and she'd gone. A switch that had set free a side to him that he hadn't really used with Leigh before.
It was knee-weakening, panty-melting hot.
"Come on, little girl," Jared said as he straightened, before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Leigh's nipples throbbed as his hand dangled down near her breast, and she had to quell the urge to twist her body so he'd actually be touching one. "Let's get back to the party."
Her knees actually felt shaky as he led her back to the kitchen.
Apparently, the party had split up a bit, because the kitchen was full of dominants without a subbie in sight. Even Olivia was up here, standing and talking with Andrew and Michael. When she saw Jared and Leigh walking into the room, her grey eyes flashed approval, and Leigh stifled the urge to stick out her tongue at the nosy Domme. Everyone knew Olivia hated Marissa. Leigh had a feeling that Olivia would cheer for Jared having sexual relations with an animal before getting back together with his ex.
Slightly relieved to have an excuse to get away from Jared, whose presence she suddenly felt both uneasy and exhilarated by, she scampered downstairs to where the submissives were. She needed to recover her equilibrium. Who knew that Jared going all sexy and commanding on her would rock her so badly? Even being called little girl had made her go squishy inside, and he'd called her that plenty of times before... it was just, somehow different now, even if she couldn't put her finger on exactly why.
Chapter 3
Jared wasn't surprised when Olivia made her way over to him almost as soon as he came into the room. While everyone in the group had each other's back, there were always some friendships that were closer than others. Justin and Chris' obviously being the closest, but when it came to Jared's personal relationships, Olivia was his best friend. Even if that had made for some uncomfortable times in the past, considering her disdainful antipathy towards Marissa.
"So what's going on with you and Truck Stop?" Olivia asked as soon as she reached him. The Domme wasn't exactly known for beating around the bush.
Jared resisted the urge to growl at her. "I've told you not to call her that."
"And I've always listened so well. So? What's going on? What are you doing getting all chummy with Leigh again?" The gleam in Olivia's grey eyes said she already knew the answers to her questions, which made him feel a little better. She didn't actually think he'd be leading Leigh on if he still had something going on with Marissa, she just wanted to hear him say the words.
Hell, she'd probably been on edge ever since she'd heard Marissa had returned. Olivia had actually done a happy dance when he and Marissa had broken up the last time. She was practically dancing now, shifting back and forth on the balls of her feet with an impatience she didn't often display. The high pony tail she'd pulled her bright red hair into bounced up and down; with her Redskins jersey on, it kind of made her look like a cheerleader.
Not that he'd ever have the balls to tell her that.
"Why would I talk when you apparently don't listen?" he asked, more to get on her nerves than any other reason.
That's just the kind of mood he was suddenly in. He didn't really know what had happened back there, in the room alone with Leigh. She'd been standing there, obviously nervous, telling him that she just wanted to be friends for now while still looking for his approval, and something in him had just reacted. Responded. Hadn't stopped to think about the fact that Marissa was still out there, probably fuming and possibly getting ready to come back around again. Hadn't considered that Leigh might not want a messed up guy whose ex was always popping up again. Hadn't remembered that just a couple of days ago, he'd said he wanted space.
He'd just... reacted.
It left him feeling jazzed. Good. Confident in a way that he hadn't felt in... he didn't even know how long. As if some need in him had just been given a snack after going hungry for so long that he didn't remember what it felt like not to have that need gnawing at him. He felt like a Dom again, even though Leigh said she just wanted to be friends. Which he couldn’t blame her for, since he’d been looking for space a few days ago… she didn’t play games, unlike Marissa, so he believed she meant what she said; but he also knew that she had reacted to him. Leigh was breathtakingly honest, which was one of the things he most appreciated about her, which meant that she would own up to her feelings, and he would know when he changed her mind. Which, if he did, it would mean she trusted him.
"You know I listen about the important things," Olivia said, narrowing her grey eyes at him in her best Domme look.
Jared's lips quirked. Yeah, he'd complained about Marissa to his friends, vented about some of the things that drove him nuts, but he'd always tried to keep from being insulting. He'd always had Olivia to do it for him, and he felt a lot less guilty about being amused by her outbursts over Marissa than if he'd been the one saying it.
"Marissa and I are not back together. I told her I'm done and made her leave my apartment."
Olivia just rolled her eyes. "Isn't that what happened last time?"
"Last time I didn't bodily carry her and her suitcase out the door."
Behind him, Chris burst into a fit of coughing; both Jared and Olivia turned to see everyone looking at them. Jared sighed. Nosy bastards. Seeing that they'd been caught, no one even bothered to lo
ok ashamed, although Michael looked a little uncomfortable. He was the only man in the room that hadn't been part of their group of friends for years; he was one of Angel's and Leigh's best friends, and he was a Master at Stronghold, but he was new to the group of Doms and hadn't spent a lot of time with any of them except Adam, by default. Adam wasn't especially thrilled about Angel having such a close relationship with another Dom, so they weren't exactly best buddies either.
"I'm not back together with Marissa," Jared said loudly. "Not planning on getting back together with her either.”
To his relief, they all turned back to whatever previous conversations they'd been engaged in before, now that their curiosity had been satisfied. Andrew, Michael, and Rick were at the end of the bar, having some kind of deep conversation, while Adam had replaced Chris as Justin's assistant chef and the two of them were standing between the oven and the counter of the breakfast bar. Seated along the bar were Liam, Chris, and Jake, all eating and casually chatting. Which explained Chris' coughing; he must have choked on something.
"So you think she's really gone?" asked Olivia gleefully.
He sighed, turning his attention back to his nosiest friend. "What do you think?"
"I think that if you'd just put your foot down this time, and don't let her draw you back into her web, you might finally be rid of the bitch," Olivia said, absolutely ruthless in her blunt appraisal of the situation. She made it sound so easy. As if she could read his thoughts, she gave him a challenging stare. "You have no reason to feel guilty at this point; you've put up with her bullshit a hell of a lot longer than anyone else would. Don't let her manipulate you again."
"I'm sure you'll be there to tell me what a dumbass I am if I start to," Jared said, trying to keep it lighthearted, but he was also serious. Olivia was always there to tell him what a dumbass he was when it came to Marissa. In fact, she was particularly good about being there whenever someone needed to be told they were acting like a dumbass. One of these days...
"I'd prefer you didn't need me to be," she retorted. "It's not like I enjoy watching you make a mess of things."
"Speaking of, no warnings about not getting involved with Leigh?" he asked, figuring he might as well get it over with.
To his surprise, instead of jumping at the invitation, Olivia just raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"
"Oh I don't know. It's too soon. I'm still not thinking straight with Marissa around. Marissa might try to intervene or cause a scene. It wouldn't be fair to Leigh for me to become involved with her when things are still unsettled with my ex."
"Sounds like you've already thought through plenty of excuses why you shouldn't move on and live your life. I disagree that it's too soon. It wasn't too soon a week ago before Marissa came back, why should that change now? And I'm pretty sure it's Leigh's decision whether or not she wants to risk the ex baggage. Although, it's nice hearing you get all protective over someone who actually deserves it." Olivia gave him a saccharine-sweet smile and moved away, heading towards the basement door where the other women would be congregated, obviously pleased with herself for having the last word.
Jared shook his head, amused, and went to join the guys at the breakfast bar where there was an extra stool. When Olivia had a point, she usually had a good one.
******
When Leigh rejoined the other women downstairs, she wasn't surprised to hear them talking about Lexie's punishment at Stronghold, or to see the black-haired, pixie-like beauty sitting very gingerly on a large pile of cushions. She welcomed the immediate distraction from the hormones running riot through her body right now. Girl talk was something that was easy to deal with; Jared's sudden, domineering come-on was a bit more complicated and confusing... not to mention arousing, but it wasn't like she could sneak off and ah, take care of anything.
The television was on but had been muted, because no one cared about the pre-game commentary. They were all much more interested in catching up on the latest gossip. Lexie and her mound of cushions were on the end of the largest part of Adam's sectional, with Angel on the other end tucked into the corner while Sharon and Kate were in between them. Jessica and Hilary were on the shorter arm, and Maria was sitting in the nearby armchair, rolling her eyes at whatever had just been said.
"Oh come on, have a little sympathy!" Lexie said, sounding a bit exasperated as she looked at Maria. "Sitting down still feels like I'm on fire!"
"Sure, I feel soooo sorry for you," Maria said with a snort. "You did something that you knew would get you into trouble, and now that you've paid for it, I feel super, super sorry for you. Because that doesn't happen to any of us." Leigh couldn't help but grin as she went over to sit down next to Jessica. The curvy brunette immediately scooted over to make some extra room, smiling in welcome as her eyes danced with the laughter she was obviously working hard to hold in.
"Well yeah, but I didn't expect him to hand my ass over to every Dom and sub in the club!"
"So we're supposed to feel bad for you because he's more creative than you gave him credit for?" Hilary asked. She shook her head, her honey-blonde hair bobbing in its ponytail. "Those of us who don't go looking for punishments are not going to feel sorry for those who do and get what they asked for."
"Heck, those of us who go looking for them aren't going to feel a lot of sympathy either," Maria said, snickering. "We knew what we were getting into."
"Mean, you're all just mean," Lexie said with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest, but Leigh could tell she wasn't really serious. Her big, blue eyes, such a contrast to her short, dark hair, were filled with both amusement and resignation. She might have hoped for some sympathy, but she obviously wasn't totally surprised when she didn't get it.
"You could always go ask the guys if any of them feel sorry for you," Sharon said wickedly. "Maybe they'll give you a different answer."
"Ha!" Lexie rubbed the side of her butt as she looked over at Angel. "The jerks were right in on it. Adam gave me a lecture and a whack with the paddle. Even Jared didn't go lightly."
"So anything else interesting happen last night that didn't involve Lexie's much-deserved punishment?" Maria asked. She leaned on the armrest of her chair, tilting her head and making it look like the massive bun of her wildly curly hair was about to tip off of her head. Leigh had a lot of hair herself, but even she couldn't compare to Maria's locks; the woman was like a Hispanic Merida. It was amazing she could even get her hair in a bun.
"Hey!"
They all ignored Lexie's indignation.
"Michael tried to approach Ellie and she hid in the bathroom and didn't come out again until he'd asked someone else to scene with him," Sharon offered up, grinning as everyone perked up. Angel and Leigh exchanged glances.
While she wasn't as close to Mike - she and Angel never called him Michael since that was too confusing; Leigh's ex was Michael and Mike was Mike to them - as Angel was, Leigh would have to be blind not to know that Mike was interested in Ellie.
"Anyone ask her why?" Jessica wanted to know.
Sharon looked insulted. "Of course I did! What do you take me for? She just said that she wasn’t interested in scening with him. So I asked her why she didn't just tell him no and she said she didn't think she could."
"Wait, so she is attracted to him?" Angel asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"I mean, that's how I took it," Sharon said, shrugging. "I don't know why she doesn't want to scene with him though. He's right up her alley... get it? Alley?"
"You nerd," Kate said, laughing at Sharon, who immediately jabbed her in the side with her elbow. The two of them couldn't be more disparate in looks, but they were very alike in personality. Kate was so blonde her hair was almost white, with huge blue eyes, a naturally lean and willowy body, and a California tan; Sharon called her Barbie Girl and the nickname was almost jealousy-inducing in its descriptiveness. Sharon, on the other hand, was very much the Italian Princess that Kate teased her as being; short, curvy, dark hair and eyes and absolutely g
orgeous in her own way. Looking at them, they were like light and dark, day and night, but they were both also silly, didn't have much of a verbal filter, and they were funny, and fun. In other words, they fit in seamlessly with the Stronghold girls, even though Hilary and Kate still weren't totally at ease with each other. Hilary was too protective of Andrew, and Kate... well Kate and Andrew were keeping secrets. Kate's smile didn't diminish the slightest at her next words. "Why would she need to scene with him when she can scene with Andrew? He's just as much a sadist and they've been scening together a lot longer."
The room immediately fell silent, and Kate groaned. "Oh come on guys, seriously?"
"Come on guys, seriously, what?" Olivia's voice echoed slightly in the stairwell as she trotted down to join them. The maroon and gold jersey she was wearing made her hair look even redder by comparison.
"I mentioned Ellie and Andrew scening together and everyone froze like they were waiting for me to explode or something."
"You aren't even a little bit jealous?" Leigh had to ask, as Olivia waved her hand at Angel, indicating her desire to share the corner of the sectional. Surprisingly, Angel gave it up without a fight.
"Jealous? Sure. I'm still attracted to him, and I'm a masochist, plus our history, so part of me wants to scene with him again, but not with everyone standing around watching and wondering if there's going to be some kind of explosion." Kate rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "Jealous as in, am I still in love with him? Uh, no not really. I've always cared about him, I want him to be happy, but we don't know each other anymore." She shook her head, her expression a little disbelieving as some thought crossed her mind. "I definitely don't know him anymore. He's not at all what I remember."
"No, he's not," Lexie said with a sigh, exchanging a look with Kate that wasn't entirely happy. Obviously, neither of them approved of some of the ways in which Andrew had changed. Then Lexie brightened. "You could always change him back though."