“Tim’s an accountant!”
Mia sighed and leaned against the counter with Tracy. “This is so weird, Trace.”
“I think it’s about time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you need more excitement, to let loose. You and Tim were the dullest black couple I’ve ever met. Hell, the dullest couple of any color, really.”
“Tracy! Well, I’m sorry we bored you with our company.” Mia went to pour the coffee. And even though she had been insulted, she let out a mental sigh of relief. Tracy didn’t have a problem with her relationship with Brett—if that’s what she wanted to call it.
“Look, all I’m saying is, that big, beautiful, blond stud-muffin is much better for you.”
Mia really studied her best friend for the first time.
“What?” Tracy took another sip of coffee.
“I’m just shocked.”
“The only problem I have is that he’s a Wyndam. You know how socialites can get about what could be seen as a scandal.”
“Yeah. I thought about that, too.”
“But, hey, he doesn’t seem to mind flaunting your relationship; why should you?”
Why should I? No one was having a problem with this, except her. But what if the school and parents found out? That would always be in the back of her mind. It was also the age difference; he was still a boy. Well, not really. Her mind went back to the night and their wild, abandoned sex. How he made her beg for it like a slut in heat, and how he had given it to her with no mercy. She had enjoyed it immensely, with no apologies. A smile crept to her face as she remembered waking up in his arms, feeling safe and wanted.
“What’s that smile on your face?”
Mia’s head shot up after taking a big gulp of coffee. “Excuse me?”
“You were off in another world. Then this sly little smile came on your puss.” Tracy chuckled.
“Yeah, I guess I was.” Mia poured herself another cup then headed for the den.
“So, back to my original inquiry. I want details. Was he good?”
“Tracy!” Mia shook her head and sat down on the couch.
“Honey, I really took a long inventory of that man, and he looks like he can turn out a high-priced hooker, so I know—”
“Tracy, I swear.” Mia let out a breath. “Okay, he was good.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“That’s all you get.” Mia smiled, as she turned on the television.
Tracy threw herself against the back of the couch and finished off her coffee. Mia could tell her wheels were still spinning, but for now, she was going to let it go. Thank goodness because she didn’t know how she would explain whips and paddles.
***
On the ride home, Brett was reflective. Mia was scared of their relationship, and even though she explained her reasons why, they were unfounded concerns. He sighed. He hated to admit it, but society was judgmental. That’s the main reason no one knew of his fetish. So maybe Mia wasn’t overreacting.
Last night only made it more clear to him that Mia was what was missing in his life.
He had taken a chance, a big chance, but she hadn’t run away screaming. That was the good thing. The bad thing was she wanted to keep their entire relationship on the down-low. Well, he wasn’t going to let that happen.
The cabin phone interrupted his thoughts. “Yeah?”
“Sir, you seem sort of quiet. Anything wrong?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah, a lot.”
“I thought Ms. Bradford agreed to your choice of entertainments.”
“She did, but she’s having more trouble with the other side of the relationship.”
“I see. Any ideas?”
Brett sighed. “I don’t have a clue. I thought it was because she thought I came from old money, but I straightened her out on that. So I’m not sure. Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.”
There was an unusual pause, and Brett knew Hunter had something else on his mind. “Spit it out, Hunter.”
“Well, sir, did you notice Ms. Bradford’s friend?”
Brett grinned. This was good. “Tracy Wilson. What about her?” As if he didn’t know.
“She’s very enticing.”
“She’s a Dom.”
“I picked up on that, especially the way she was grilling Mia.” He laughed.
“She’s perfect for you. She’s divorced, too.”
“I will make my inquires through Ms. Bradford, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Brett hung up the phone. It was a match made in heaven.
Brett had met Hunter several years ago at a BDSM club. They hit it off, becoming fast friends. Hunter was thirteen years older, but that hadn’t made any difference. They understood each other.
They made their dating a game, each finding a woman who suited their particular needs. Hunter was a sub, so Brett sought dominant women for him. Brett didn’t find that type of woman attractive in the emotional sense, but Hunter didn’t mind having a collar around his neck and being led by his lady.
And Hunter was an expert at finding subs for Brett. Sometimes they made a party of it, but Brett tired of that fast. After a few trips to Ghana, he realized there was more to life than endless nights of mindless, hedonistic sex. Life was too precious and too short. He wanted something stable, something that made sense in his life—for once.
Mia. She had always been the stability factor in his life. Even in high school, when he was out of control, she had been there to put order back in his world. Yeah, he did menial tasks for her, and he bitched about it, but she was the only one, outside of Derek and Latisha, who’d tried to discipline him. He appreciated that.
Now, if he could just convince her that they were meant to be and to let the whole world know about it.
Chapter Thirteen
One of the big chain department stores at the mall was having a ninety-percent off sale, and Mia and Tracy wanted to be among the first in the door when it opened. They made it to the mall early, but a glance at the parking lot confirmed that everyone else had the same idea. “I should have brought my Taser,” Tracy said, looking over the crowd.
“You’re so crazy, and knowing you, you would use it, too.”
They got out of the car and into the chaos and mayhem. Once in the mall, the crowd thinned as people went to the various stores. Unfortunately, the majority of patrons went to the department store that was hosting the big sale.
“Looks like we missed out on this one,” Mia said.
“Let’s go anyway. We’ll just accidentally knock some people down if we see something really good,” Tracy said, taking her arm. Mia laughed as they headed toward the entrance.
“Hey, Mia, look!”
Mia turned in the direction Tracy pointed. “What?”
“Isn’t that new?”
A powder-pink boutique peeped out from between the bookstore and pet shop. “Is that what I think that is?”
“Yeah, it’s Naughty and Nasty Lingerie. The only store I know where you have to be carded before entering. Let’s go in.” Tracy took Mia’s hand and began dragging her toward the store.
Mia had stopped in a place like this on the other side of town. The storefront was very benign. It had valentine hearts and pictures of cherubs on the window. When you walked in, the décor was very feminine, with velvet seating, plush rugs, and all kinds of sleepwear, from flannel to lace.
But the back room. No one under eighteen could enter without proper ID.
“Are you nuts? Suppose someone sees us?”
“Don’t you want to buy a little somethin’-somethin’ for your new man?” Tracy asked with a knowing smile.
“I have lingerie.”
“Not this kind.”
“Tim bought me a lot of nice things that I still haven’t worn yet.”
“Do they have balance sheets printed on them?” Tracy asked, hands on her hips and tapping her foot. “I wouldn’t wear something another man bought me with a different gu
y, especially someone like Brett. You should burn that stuff or donate it.”
“Tracy, I swear, sometimes….”
Tracy grabbed Mia by the wrist and before she knew it, Tracy was pulling her past the velvet rope to the back room.
Once inside, Mia relaxed a little. The door hadn’t given any clue of what was kept behind it. In fact, if you didn’t know what to look for, you wouldn’t have known there was a separate area.
She was shocked by most of the items on display. Then something in the corner really caught her eye. It was the teddy that Brett had made her wear. She was about to get a closer look when she realized Tracy was still close on her heels.
“Hey, let’s split up. I’ll take this half, and you take the other. We’ll meet back here,” Mia said with a hopeful grin.
“Well….”
“I want to get outta here as quickly as possible,” Mia whispered, so the leather-clad woman next to her couldn’t hear.
“Oh, all right,” Tracy said with a shrug. She went to the gadget section, and Mia could only imagine what was over there.
When she saw Tracy was far enough away, she trotted over to the leather teddy. Once there, she took a good look around. I would have been better off going in the other direction. Leather, chains, gags, whips and…a saddle?
She quickly scanned the items hanging on racks and sitting in bins. She looked on the shelves and saw handcuffs. One pair was encased in a Tiffany-style box and sat on white satin. They were lined in fur with diamonds accenting the chain linking the cuffs. She casually reached for them and hoped to God Tracy didn’t come looking for her.
“That’s real mink,” a deep male voice purred in her ear.
Mia jumped, knocking the cuffs, box and all, to the floor. “I’m sorry,” she said to the dark head bending over, picking them up.
“No worries. I should have warned you first, but you seemed so entranced with them.” He stood up, and Mia was face-to-face with a human pincushion. He had piercings everywhere. “So, are you interested?” he asked, handing her the box.
“Uh…well. Those must have hurt,” Mia said, pointing to his head, being more fascinated with the chains and studs Metal Man had in places she didn’t think could be pierced. She realized he was a handsome man beyond the bolts on the sides of his head and the nose ring, which had a chain connecting it to the ring in his ear.
“Only in the beginning. You really have to know how to take care of them.”
“I bet.”
“So, would you like to know how those feel?” he asked, pointing to the cuffs.
Mia rubbed the fur between her fingers as she noticed the glint in the man’s eyes. Oh God, what world have I stepped into? “Umm….”
“First time, huh?” The man took the box and pulled the cuffs out. “How do I know? Because your eyes keep darting around so fast they’re making me dizzy.” He laughed. “It’s okay. Here, give me your wrist.”
Mia looked around, and then stuck out a shaky hand. The man gently took it and carefully put the cuff on. He moved it up and down on her arm to test for comfort. “How does it feel?”
“Nice, actually.”
“They’re very popular. Traditional, you know.”
“I see.”
“They look nice on your wrist. They complement your coloring.” He smiled.
Mia swallowed hard and fiddled with the cuff. “Thanks.”
“I think your Dom would appreciate it if you bought those.”
Mia jerked her head up. “My…how did…?”
He laughed. “I know. I could tell you were a first-timer. You have sub written all over you.”
“I beg your pardon,” Mia said, her hands going to her hips, and the loose cuff banging her thigh.
“Whoa,” the clerk said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “There’s no shame in that. It has nothing to do with your profession or how you interact with others—outside the bedroom, that is. Didn’t your Dom teach you that?”
She saw the concern on his face. “We’re just starting my lessons,” Mia said, peering down at her cuffed hand. If someone told her she would be having this conversation in a place like this with a man who looked like Pinhead, she would have driven them to the nearest rehab center herself.
“How much are these?”
“Three hundred fifty,” the clerk said without batting an eye.
Mia thought a moment. If she bought these, it would mean she was really serious about participating in this lifestyle with Brett. Why deny the fact that she’d dreamed of this since he arrived back in town? Except in her dreams, the handcuffs weren’t mink with diamonds.
“Hey, Mia!”
Tracy. She sounded close by—too close. “Here, quick,” Mia said, panicking. “I’ll pick them up tonight.” She struggled to get out of them. She tugged and pulled, looking at the clasp in a frantic attempt to free herself before Tracy saw her.
“Slow down, miss,” the man said calmly. Taking her wrist, he took a gold key from his pocket and unlocked the cuff.
Mia blew out a breath and walked away quickly to meet Tracy. “Hey,” she said, mindlessly picking up a package of edible panties.
“See anything of interest?” Tracy asked, looking up at the saddle hanging over the fitting room. “Now, that’s something I would like to have on a man’s back.”
“Really, Tracy,” Mia said, shaking her head. “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure the crowd at the store has tripled.” As they walked out, Mia glanced back at the clerk. He winked and gave her a thumbs-up.
***
Brett finally returned home after a day of errands. He hadn’t realized he had so much to do, but one thing had led to another, and before he knew it, he’d been all over town. After pouring himself a tumbler of vodka, he retired to the den. When he absentmindedly turned on the television, he looked at the clock and realized that he had only three hours before it was time to pick up Mia.
Tonight he intended to get serious with her lessons. He was going to stick to the rules this time. Last night couldn’t be helped; he had needed her badly. It was as though he’d waited his entire life to feel her body next to his. But tonight, he would show her true discipline.
She would fight him every step. That was fine: the more she fought and talked back, the more he could dish out punishments. And the punishments he had planned for her! He smiled to himself and took another sip. He would have her screaming his name and begging for mercy at the top of her lungs before the night was over. And they would enjoy every minute of it.
He got up and headed toward the kitchen to fix a bite to eat when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Brett! Hey, got some good news for you.”
It was Derek. “Hey, bro, what’s going on?” Brett set back down in the recliner, set his glass aside, and turned the television down.
“The school opening is in two months.”
“It’s finished? We’ve made the deadline?”
“Oh, yeah, we made it.”
“It’s about damn time something hit right on schedule,” Brett said, getting up and going to his home office. “So how are we looking at staff and teachers?”
“Well, that’s were the snafu comes in,” Derek said.
“Don’t tell me.”
“We need more teachers, man; that’s all there is to it.”
Easier said than done. The teachers who Brett knew would be perfect for the job wouldn’t go to Ghana for all the tea in China. And the ones that would were already stationed in other countries.
Brett went into his desk and took out his planner. “I could be there in—”
“Oh no, you deserve a vacation, man. I got guys working on it here.”
“Derek, you know very well I’m not going to sit on my ass here in the States.” Brett began pacing, rubbing hard at the back of his neck. A man could only relax so much with a project like this. He understood Derek’s concern, but at the same time, Derek needed to realize that he would be a better help to him
over there than sitting here idly watching shit happen.
Derek sighed. “Okay, see what you can do, over there, in the States. If worse comes to worst, then you can come here, but try to do as much you can there.”
Brett thought that was fair. “I’ll get on it right away. Say, how’s my favorite lady?”
“Missing you as always. She sends her love.”
“And the twins?”
“Ditto.”
“Okay, man. I’ll check with you Monday morning. Look out for my call.”
“Will do. Later.”
Brett disconnected. Damn! For once he would like to see a plan come together without a hitch. Unfortunately, that wasn’t life.
He took a deep breath and sat back in his chair to look over his calendar and his contact sheet. Mr. Hargrove’s name stood out. He headed up missions that sent doctors to third-world countries for months, sometimes years at a time. Maybe he could solve this teacher dilemma. He wrote himself a reminder and took down some other names.
Brett glanced at his watch. Time to get ready. Hunter would arrive shortly. He had to mentally get himself ready for tonight. This teacher problem was not going to put a dark cloud over something that was sure to be enjoyable.
***
Mia ran out of the store so fast onlookers might have thought someone was chasing her. Truth was, she was trying to get back home in time for Brett to pick her up. After the clerk at Naughty and Nasty Lingerie showed her how to use the cuffs a couple of times, it was time for her to go.
Mia drove home, arriving in time to bathe and throw on her clothes. She’d thought ahead, taking the time to pick out and press her clothes before she left for the store.
She was just putting the finishing touches on her outfit when the doorbell rang. Damn, that man was too prompt.
She took the cuffs and placed them in a different bag. This was to be a surprise, and if this was a store he frequented, the bright red bag would be a dead giveaway.
Mia ran to the door and opened it. Damn! He was just too fine for his own good, even in simple jeans and a T-shirt.
“Good evening, Mia.” Brett stepped inside and kissed her lightly on the lips.
Mia surprised herself by throwing her arms around him, trying to deepen the kiss.
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