by Rita Lawless
“I have a whole bunch of these at home,” she said. “I was a little nervous about bringing them in.”
“Bring them,” April said. “I’ll take them off your hands.”
Carol laughed. “You know how I got to reading them? I saw online that one of my favorite mystery writers wrote erotic romance under a pen name, so I searched her out. It wasn’t easy because you know she used initials and all that so that her regular readers wouldn’t find out.”
For the second time that day, April felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. T. G. Red, not a very common name. Did Virginia write other books? Mysteries, novels, or chick lit? Searching her out on the Internet would take time, but it might tell her if Virginia authored other books.
After she’d checked out a happy Carol, who had spent more money than she had in a long time, April sat down at the computer and start searching T. G. Red to see what she could find out. She knew several sites that listed books, and most of them had links to authors’ pseudonyms. Unless that author wanted to keep her alter ego secret.
She’d barely typed in T. G. Red when there was a ding at the door. One of her regulars came in, toting two sacks of books. Seconds later, another regular came in. That meant she would have no time to do her search right now.
If the afternoon stayed this busy, she wouldn’t have any time to do what she wanted. And there was that promised visit from Rogers and Threadway. What she needed was someone who could do the search for her.
She could think of only one person. While her customers perused the shelves, April picked up her cell phone and dialed Titan.
“Your bottom missing me already?” he said as a greeting.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” she replied. “But that’s not why I called.”
“I’m disappointed.”
She imagined him on his couch, stretched out with a TV remote in one hand, and a beer in the other. “So, what are you doing?”
He chuckled. “I’d much rather you asked what I was wearing. That would show me you were in a playful mood.”
“Okay.” She looked around before she lowered her voice and said, “What are you wearing?”
“Clothes,” he said with a laugh. “I just wanted to see if you’d do it.”
April couldn’t help but chuckle. “I need your help. I want some research done, on an author.”
“I can do that. But first, tell me what you’re wearing.”
She laughed. “The same thing I was when I left the house this morning.” April’s insides tightened in a delicious way, his words exciting her even though she was still sore from the last spanking he’d given her.
“When we get off the phone, I want you to go into the bathroom, take off your panties and leave them in your desk. I want to know your pussy is bare while I do the research.”
“For it to be bare, I’d have to leave my pants off, too,” she said softly.
“Don’t tempt me,” he replied. “Who’s the author?”
“T. G. Red,” she said. “A Regency romance novelist.”
“Okay,” he said. Was it her imagination, or was there a catch in his voice when he said that?
“It’s going to be a late day at the store,” she said, but she didn’t tell him the cops were expected back around closing. “I’m going to order Chinese. I hope that’s okay.”
“I guess,” he said, his voice sounding normal. “But it’s gonna cost ya. I was hoping for a home cooked meal.”
April laughed. “I don’t have time. This weekend, though, I promise.”
"I’ll hold you to it.”
They said goodbye and she hit end. Afterward, she realized she hadn’t told him about the visit from the detectives.
They would have quite a bit to discuss tonight.
***
Just as they’d promised, Threadway and Rogers showed up shortly before six. It wouldn’t have mattered if they had shown up earlier, because the store had not been very busy after her regulars left.
April had spent the afternoon thinking of ways she could increase her foot traffic, and ways she could find out more about Virginia without the two policemen finding out.
When they came inside the store, she sighed heavily. “I don’t know what I can tell you,” she said as a way of greeting. “Do you really think that I knew about Virginia’s career? Or that it had anything to do with her death?”
“We don’t know,” Threadway said. “But you’re the only book person I know.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, detective.” She shrugged, wondering when he would get the truth of her words, since she kept repeating them. “Honestly.”
“What about the man you saw her with?” Rogers said. “And the fact that she came into your store just days before she died. You might be the last person to see her alive.”
“Thanks for that.” She put down the book she’d been holding. His words made her sick. It brought back images of Virginia, happy and smiling one minute, then dead the next. “I’ll sleep very well tonight just having that on my mind. But I’m being honest when I say I wouldn’t know the man if he walked up to me on the street and shook my hand. The only time I saw the man was at Charlie’s that night, for all of two minutes, tops.”
Rogers just stared at her, as if he expected her to open up and spill every secret Virginia had, when she thought it should be obvious by her reaction to the news they’d delivered that afternoon that she didn’t really know the woman. How well does anyone know anyone, she thought.
“I just wanted to… reinforce the fact that you need to call us if you find out anything,” Threadway said.
“Do you think I’m a private detective as well as a bookstore owner?”
“Nope,” Threadway said. “I just think you might have a few of the pieces I need to put the puzzle together. By the way, how’s your friend?”
“Misty?” She glanced at him in confusion. “You just saw her a few hours ago.”
“Not her, the other one.”
Her confusion increased. “What other one?” She thought about it for a moment before she said, “Are you talking about Titan?”
“That’s the one.”
“He’s fine, detective.” She didn’t elaborate, but she watched him carefully as he studied her.
“Okay, let us know if you think of something,” he finally said, and the two of them left.
April locked the door behind them, wondering why he’d questioned her about Titan… again. Was her new lover a suspect in Virginia’s murder? Did they know something about Titan that she didn’t know? And if so, why weren’t they telling her, instead of beating around the bush by asking about him?
She wasn’t that concerned about it, really, because after last night, she was forming a bond with the man. If he’d wanted to hurt her, in ways other than those that she enjoyed, he could have done it last night while she was sleeping.
“Threadway’s being a jerk,” she said as she cashed out the register, prepared a deposit for the morning and locked the money in the safe. She’d go by and get food, then when she was at home, she would tell Titan everything, including today’s conversation with Threadway, and his veiled attempts to ask her about her new lover.
After all, trust was important in relationships, and if he had something to hide, she was pretty sure she could figure it out when she brought up Threadway’s question from tonight, and watched Titan’s face for a response.
***
April couldn’t tell if he was hiding something or not. At first, she’d thought he was just laughing about Threadway’s question, but as he did so, she watched a veil slip over his face, as if he were schooling himself not to ask exactly what the detective had said.
It made her feel uneasy, after they’d had a good beginning. He’d brought an overnight bag with him, which let her know he’d planned on staying the evening. She liked that idea. She wanted them to spend a lot of time together, to get to know each other. It was such a reversal from what she’d felt for so long now
, that it made her a little nervous. But it was also a little comforting, to know he’d be here. The situation she found herself in the middle of made her more than a little nervous.
When he’d come in, she’d offered to set things at the table, but he’d refused, saying they could sit at her bar and be more comfortable there. The problem was, neither of them were sitting. They were both standing at different areas in her kitchen, with plates of Chinese food on the counters behind them. And she wasn’t really interested in food. Threadway’s visit had thrown her for a loop—again.
“Why do you think he keeps asking me about you, and don’t use Misty’s excuse. This has something to do with Virginia.”
He was eating again, shoving an egg roll in his mouth so fast it was as if he hadn’t eaten in a month; or he wanted a full mouth so he didn’t have to answer her question.
“I don’t know what’s going on in the good detective’s mind,” he said after he’d cleared his mouth. “I can call him and ask, if you like.”
“And how would that conversation go? ‘Hello, detective, why are you badmouthing me to the woman I’m…’ ” The sentence trailed off because April couldn’t think of what to say, the woman I’m fucking? The woman I’m spanking? The woman I’m… what?
It didn’t help when she looked over at Titan and saw that he was laughing.
“Don’t be an ass.” She turned her back to him and started to move food around her plate. She fully realized she’d just said something that, in the BDSM world, could get her labeled as a brat.
“Someone has an attitude,” he replied, in a tone that let her know he wasn’t amused.
“I’m sorry, but I had some distressing news today, and the cops visited me—twice.”
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into his chest. “How’s your bottom?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Sore,” she said, not trying to hide the smile that sprang to her face, even though he couldn’t see it from his angle.
“Good. After tonight, it will be even sorer, and then we’ll give it a rest for a few days.” He nuzzled her neck. “I don’t want to overdo things at first. And we’re going to play a little game to determine the number of swats you’re going to get.”
“A game?”
“Yes, a game. I like to keep things interesting.” He gently tugged on her hair, and then he went back to his plate. She turned to where he stood, his attention fixed on his food.
“What sort of game?”
“A fun one,” he mumbled around his food. When he turned back to her, his mouth was empty. “I expect obedience from you, but that doesn’t mean it has to be yes Sir, no Sir, all the time. I enjoy laughter, and I expect to hear it out of you tonight.”
April smiled. She felt as if the weight of the afternoon were lifting. The mystery of Virginia was still in her mind, but thinking about being with Titan tonight would push it away, hopefully until morning. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder why Threadway kept bringing Titan up in their discussions.
“Push it all out of your mind,” Titan said. “Eat a little more so the food can settle before we start playing.”
“Do I get a hint?” she pushed.
“Doubt it.” He was eating again, and she resisted the urge to ask if his mother ever told him it was impolite to talk with your mouth full. Instead of speaking up, though, April picked at her food. She still felt a little uneasy about everything that was happening, and why the detectives kept coming into the shop to see if she knew anything more about Virginia.
She’d read enough crime novels to know that, sometimes, people attempting to solve a murder worked slowly, as if they were trying to get a person to slip up and reveal something they were intending to keep secret. Was that what Threadway was hoping to do with her?
“I thought I told you to quit thinking about another man.”
“What?” She looked over at him. He now stood with his ass propped against the counter. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he didn’t look very happy.
“You’re thinking about that damn cop.”
“It’s not like I’m thinking about how he is in bed,” she said. “I just can’t get it out of my mind.”
“Don’t you see that’s what he’s trying to do?” His voice was softer this time. “He thinks you know something, and he’s attempting to get it out of you. Do you know something?”
“No.”
They were silent for a few moments, and after that, Titan looked at her as if he wanted to gobble her up, slowly.
“You know, I have a theory that any room in the house holds an object that can be used for spanking.”
April couldn’t help but laugh. “Seriously? What about the bathroom? What can you use in there?”
“If I tell you, it will ruin the game.” He pushed himself off the counter and stalked toward her. A thrill rushed through her as he turned her and slapped her ass.
“Clean up the food, then come into the living room so we can get started.” He started to walk off, but turned before he reached the doorway. “And April, if I even remotely think that you’re still dwelling on Threadway and his visits, I’ll leave. Push him out of your mind. I can’t say it any clearer.”
April put away the remainder of the food and quickly loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. As she worked, she thought about Titan, and the game they would play. What did he have in mind, she wondered. When the kitchen was clean, she put the dirty towel on the washer, and then stopped to think about her situation.
During the last week it had changed drastically. Before she’d met Titan, she hadn’t had anyone but Misty over to her home. And for a man to spend the night, two nights in a row? It was unheard of for her.
But it felt good; so good, she wondered why she’d closed herself off for so long. Fear was a big part of it. She didn’t want to be hurt. But it was Misty who once told her that to be hurt, you first had to feel, and the feeling outweighed the pain.
April hoped her friend was right. She took a deep breath and went into the living room. Titan sat on the couch, his bag sitting next to him. Maybe it wasn’t overnight clothes, then. Maybe he’d brought objects from home to show her that his theory was right.
She stepped in front of him. “Let the games begin.”
“Indeed,” he said. “Take off your clothes.”
Following old habits, April stripped slowly, folding her clothes and putting them on her recliner.
“Get on your knees, hands behind your back. You can keep your head up so we can have a conversation.”
She obeyed.
“Now, let’s talk about my statement. You don’t think there is something in every room in the house that can be used as a spanking implement?”
“Nope.” She smiled at him.
“Well, tonight will prove you wrong. We’re going to play a little game of hide and seek. I’ve brought three objects with me, things that I took out of rooms in my home. I’m going to hide them in the same room here, in other words, the object from the kitchen in the kitchen, and so on. After that, you and I are going to search for them.”
“Okay,” she said, a little unsure of where this was heading. He’d said the game would determine what he would use on her bottom tonight, and how many swats she would get. But then she decided this shouldn’t be too hard. After all, her place wasn’t that big, and she could watch while he stowed the items, in most of the rooms, anyway.
“I’m going to blindfold you,” he said as if he could read her thoughts. “And when it comes time to search for the items, I’m going to tie you up, to make things a little more… difficult for you.”
“I have to be able to walk,” she protested.
“Maybe, maybe not. If you have to crawl from room to room, like say, dragging yourself around by your elbows, it will be more entertaining for me.”
“And harder for me,” she said. It sounded pretty lame, she knew, but it popped out before she could stop it.
“That’s the ide
a.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a red bandana.
“For your eyes,” he said as he got up and crossed behind her. It didn’t take him long to cover them and tie the ends behind her head. “Now, be a good girl and don’t move from here. I’ll hide the things, and we can get started.”
Chapter Eight
This was unlike anything she’d ever done before, and April loved every second of Titan’s game. She’d waited patiently while he’d hidden the three items in the house. Well, she supposed patiently might not have been the right word to use. She fidgeted, wiggling her toes and wringing her hands together.
If Titan had been in the room, he probably would have admonished her for moving. But since he wasn’t, she continued to fidget, ever so slightly, as she listened to him move. The rooms in her house weren’t that big, and April didn’t think it would take her that long to uncover what he’d hidden.
She was a fairly tidy person, except for the stacks of books in her spare room, so finding something out of place should be easy.
When Titan came back, she found out exactly how difficult it was going to be, and how many things she had that should probably meet the trash can. He didn’t follow through on his threat to make her crawl around on her hands and knees, which made her happy.
“I’ll save that for another time,” he’d said. They’d started in the dining room, and after she’d shifted through the unopened mail on the table, she found a long, slim plastic object in the center of the table.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Titan had asked.
“No,” she responded. “But what is it?” It was not round, but octagonal.
“You’ll find out later,” he said as he took it from her hand. “Keep going.”
In the kitchen, she found a plastic spatula on the counter. Since she’d just cleaned that room, she knew it was out of place.
The final object was in the bedroom, in the center of the bed. It was a tennis racket, and since she didn’t play tennis, she knew it wasn’t hers. She picked it up and handed it to him.