by Riley Murphy
Instead he shoved the key back into his pocket and asked, “Were you sleeping with him?”
“Joe?”
He lowered his voice. “Are there other men I should be asking you about?”
“Other…? No.” He was glad when she scowled because it meant he’d touched a nerve. Yet she was calmer and more in control when she said, “As for Joe? No, I wasn’t.”
How was that possible? He stared at her trying to make sense of what she was saying. Was she lying? It was hard to tell. She had a great poker face. One of the things that really attracted him to her. “I want you to look at me when you answer this next question.”
“I am.”
“In the eyes. Good. Now, do you want to continue exploring a relationship with me? Really think about this, as once you give me an answer, there’s no turning back. It’s either yes or no. You commit or you don’t.”
She didn’t blink and he wasn’t sure whether to be happy or pissed about that kind of courage. He went with pissed a scant second later when she pushed the envelope. “Are you going to unlock this belt?”
Guts. She certainly had them. What he wanted to know was why? Every time he backed her into a corner the brat in her came out swinging. He walked to her until there was less than an arm’s length between them and answered, “No. Regardless of your choice you’ll have to earn your way out of that, so don’t let the prospect of freedom sway your decision.”
Her jaw dropped at the same instance her arms did when she hunched forward and looked up at him with wide eyes. She reminded him of an outraged child who’d been told she couldn’t join the other kids in the candy store. “How is that fair?”
A curl slid against the right side of her cheek and he had to fight the urge to reach out to touch it. “Who said anything about fair?
That snapped her to attention so fast the lone curl sailed backward with a bounce. “I suppose I had this coming.”
He wasn’t going to launch into that argument as he wanted to drive things forward instead of back. “An answer?”
She searched his face and he could almost smell the wood burning. She wasn’t stupid. She knew there was going to be a catch but was she willing to commit without knowing what the catch was? That was the real question.
“Yes. Okay. Why not? My answer is yes, I’d like to continue for as long as…”
She was stuck on how best to continue. They both knew it so he threw her a bone. “Let’s not worry about longevity at the moment. I’d rather be practical.”
“Me too. Can we just get this over with? I’m not going to argue with you. I made a mistake. I’ve already apologized but if that wasn’t enough for you, tell me what you want me to say and I’ll say it. I’m leaving for the Dominican in less than twenty-four hours.”
Now came the hard part. “What does your leaving have to do with us being practical?” When she stepped back and went to open her mouth to explain it to him he held up his hand in a bid to silence her. “Nothing. Unless you’re worried about setting off the security alarms at the airport.”
“Exactly. I’m glad you understand.”
David’s heart went out to her because she truly believed he was going to let this slide. He supposed the way he’d dealt with her thus far was the reason behind that egregious misconception.
“Oh, I understand.” He turned and walked to the large upholstered chair positioned in the corner. Sitting down he looked right at her. “But I’m sure TSA has come across kinkier stuff than The Queen Anne locked on a person.”
“Yes, well, I’d rather not find out if that’s true. Do you think it’s true?”
Ethan’s wife must be rubbing off on her. Lacy actually scrunched her nose when she’d asked that question and all he did was nod.
“So what’s it going to take? A handwritten apology?”
“Don’t be flip.”
“When you stare at me like that it makes me nervous.”
“I’m glad something I do has an effect on you.”
She scowled. “Lots of things you do affect me.”
He doubted that. If it were true they wouldn’t be dealing with all this. “I’m only going to ask you once. Why did you do it?”
When she did one of her devil-may-care shrugs again, his palm started to itch. He wanted to spank all that nonchalance right out of her. “Simple. With Joe here, there was no fear that I’d invite you over.”
“You worried about me being here?”
“Yes, because then we’d screw and as soon as we did, everything would end.”
“I see.”
“I can tell you don’t believe me, but it’s true. Follow my logic with this.”
“I’m trying.”
She pursed her lips and tilted her head studying him. “I know—at least I was told by Colin—that you have a strict policy about your home. No women. You only play at the clubs and since I don’t do that, my place would have been the logical choice, right?”
Her place being a logical choice? Yeah, the answer to that was never, but he didn’t share that with her. Instead he asked, “Why do you think everything would end if we were intimate?”
“It always happens that way.”
“Ah…” He nodded, adding this little gem to the growing list of her fucked up shit. She was a veritable treasure trove buried under the minutia of a life he couldn’t wait to dig her out of.
She pulled the edges of her robe together, hugging herself. “The thing with Joe. It’s not what you think.”
“I’m confident it is.” He sat back and studied her. “Tell me. How long did it take you to figure out that he was playing into you being a pushover?”
“He didn’t…”
David sat forward and pointed down. “These cherry-wood floors instead of the white ceramic you wanted.” He waved his hand at the walls around them. “Peach paint in place of the neutral you were so excited about.” Dropping his hand to his lap he scowled. “How long was it before you started to manipulate him in order to get what you wanted?”
“A few weeks.” Her voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear her. “I didn’t intend to string things along like this, it kind of happened and I didn’t want you to get mad.”
“Too late for that.”
She tried valiantly to sit on the bed, but eventually abandoned that idea and said, “It was easier this way, you know what I mean?”
Now they were getting somewhere. “No, I don’t know.” He rested his elbows on his knees and shifted forward. “Tell me.”
“Joe likes to be bossed around. Not when it comes to the products he installs. I realized too late that the guy is thrifty when it comes to job material. So after thinking about all the stuff he insisted I use for one reason or another I, ah, gave him things to do. That made him happy and when he was happy he wasn’t so stubborn when I said I didn’t like the samples he showed me.”
He tried not to narrow his eyes. “What kind of things to do?”
“I made him clean the bathroom with a toothbrush. Toilet and all. He did my dishes more than once. Oh, and I ordered him to wash my car a couple of times. He’s really good at that.”
David’s right eyelid twitched as he made another mental note. E and Ted would have to look into their favorite contractor’s play habits. If Joe were hitting up some of the other clients they’d recommended him to this way, there’d be hell to pay. It seemed the guy needed a real Domme to fill his needs. Lacy certainly wasn’t the woman for the job even if she and David didn’t have a thing, as she put it, because what she’d described was a day-laborer, not a sub.
“You’re not a Top.”
“He didn’t know that.”
Of course he did, which made it worse. Recalling the scene he’d walked into, he asked, “That wasn’t uncooked rice he was kneeling on, was it?”
“No. I didn’t have any.”
She looked away. Was she hoping he wouldn’t press her about this? Not going to happen. He was pressing. “What was it?”
“A
perfectly good substitute.”
He straightened and dropped his voice, “Lacy.”
She made an impatient sound and then blurted, “Kitty litter.”
“What?”
“Relax, it was clean. I keep a bag in case I have to bring home a patient. It’s good to throw in the snow at winter too.” When he remained silent she seemed to get flustered. After a few seconds she began to nervously knead her terry lapels. “Oh, come on, don’t stare at me like that. I looked it up on the internet and since I didn’t have rice I improvised. I thought it was a clever solution.”
David had heard enough. She was missing the point here so best he direct her to it. “You seem to have an abundance of clever solutions. I recall seeing the toothbrush idea in a movie once.” When her eyes widened in surprise he knew he’d nailed where she came up with that one. Standing, he shook out his coat before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“David?”
Ah, so she was finally taking due notice. “Here is what we are going to do. I’m going to leave you right now so you’ll have the afternoon to decide whether or not you want to pursue a relationship with me.”
“But w-we are already in a relationship.”
“I’m going to forget you said that.”
She looked completely baffled and he didn’t blame her. Lacy was used to flying under the radar. Playing bratty then cute to get around the people in her life, but all that was about to change. He figured she knew it when she whispered, “Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t think much of you after learning what you’ve been doing with Joe this past month and I want to think the world of you, so we’re starting over. My way.”
“David.”
“This new start is going to be about choices. Your choices. Here’s your first one. If you want to commit to this relationship you’ll be ready when I send a car for you at 7pm tonight. You’ll have your bags packed with regular outfits and cocktail attire as well.”
“I don’t understand. Are you taking me to the airport in the morning so I can catch my flight?”
He walked to the door and stepped over the saw before he turned back to her. “No. My driver will bring you to me. And once he does you’ll have another choice to make so be prepared.”
She shook her head and frowned. “What about my trip?”
“The flight’s been cancelled. I’ll reimburse you for the cost of your fare.”
He turned to leave and she panicked. He could tell. She took two steps forward before she caught herself. Smart. Best she kept her distance from him for the moment at least. “Reimburse me? What about the belt? You can’t leave me stuck in it.”
“Oh, right, thank you for the reminder.”
“Awesome. I thought I was going to have to wear it all afternoon.”
He kept his eyes on her as he reached into his inside pocket. Pulling out the small booklet he tossed it to her. “You’re going to need this. It will come in handy this afternoon, and if you decide not to come to my place I’m sure it will be a godsend over the two weeks you’re in the Dominican.”
He almost smiled watching her flip through the pages. She went from stunned to shocked and finally settled on an expression that highlighted her incredulous fear. “Instructions? They have instructions for this…this…this Victorian vag vice?”
“Of course.” He stepped around the saw and went to her. Leaning down he tapped on one of the pages. “There’s even a money back guarantee. It states if you’re not completely delighted you can return it for a full refund.”
All she did was shake her head. Clearly she was speechless.
That thought made him grin. “Oh yes, but personally I think they wasted the paper printing that promise because who wouldn’t be completely delighted?”
He expected her to throw a fit. Yell at him or be sarcastic or something, so when her eyes clouded over he was stumped. Straightening he stepped back and waited for her to say what was on her mind.
“I have reasons why I go away this time every year. One reason actually, so I can’t stay home. I can’t.”
Interesting and something they’d get to the bottom of eventually. Right now however she needed a little push. “You won’t be staying home. You’ll be staying at my place.”
“Your place?” She gasped as if he’d slapped her. “But Colin and Jo said women never get to go to your place. Never.”
“Did they tell you why?”
“No.”
She looked so beside herself he didn’t fight the need he had to touch her. Reassure her as he tucked a curl behind her ear and softly asked, “Would you like me to tell you why?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never had a special girl before. Are you ready to be my special girl?”
She didn’t answer. Only closed her eyes and pressed her cheek into his palm which was good enough for him.
“7pm. Be ready and remember to pack cocktail attire in your bag.”
As he left the house his adrenaline was high at the prospect of having her all to himself for the next two weeks. He’d always told the Doms he trained that where there’s good, there’s bad, but in this instance where there was bad—the Joe thing—there was good. Because now he knew exactly what Lacy needed and he was set on giving it to her.
Chapter Four
Lacy sat in the dimly lit vestibule and waited. It had been over an hour since David’s driver had left her there, but she was determined to stay calm. It was becoming more than apparent, as the minutes ticked by, that this ‘making her wait’ was a tactic the slighted Dom was using to intimidate her.
She looked around at the sumptuous furnishings, the highly polished marble floors and up at the cut-crystal chandelier that was bigger than the fake Christmas tree she put up every year, and sighed. This place was intimidating. No wonder David never brought women here. Between his looks and this palace he’d never get rid of them if he did.
Eyeing the glossy mahogany wainscoting, she tried to imagine him in a place like this. It was easily double the size of Ethan and Colin’s winery and it tripled Ted’s impressive brownstone. She didn’t know why, but she’d always assumed David was the more modest one out of the three of them. Maybe because he was quiet. Hm. Studying the humungous chandelier, she tapped her foot against the marble. There wasn’t one lick of modest furniture in here. Recalling the ride through the gates that lead up to this modern day castle, she realized she may have underestimated her guy.
That depressing thought caused her to stop tapping as she whispered, “It’s okay. He doesn’t hate you. At least he’s giving you a chance.” Another ten minutes crawled by and she was ready to knock on the huge double doors that led into the main part of the house when the butler entered through a side paneled door.
“Ms. Pembrook?”
“Yes?” She turned and couldn’t help frowning when she noticed he was empty handed. “Where are my bags? I thought the driver said he was going to get them to you?”
“Oh, he did. Not to worry, all your things have been installed.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sure Mr. Hollan will explain. He’s ready to see you.”
“Thank you. Point me in the direction because I’m ready to see him as well.”
“Yes ma’am. Follow me.”
He swept by her in such a swift and professional manner that she lost some of her newly built confidence. Hadn’t she decided to play things by ear? Test the waters for a little while and see if David changed his mind about wanting her to stay here. First though, she needed to get him to undo the belt. It had taken her the better part of the afternoon to conclude that she’d never make a good locksmith. Her fingers were still cramped from holding those two straightened paperclips like chopsticks in one of the keyholes. She really had no idea what she was supposed to do to spring the locking mechanism, but it had looked easy enough when McGyver picked locks on TV. After her every attempt in that endeavor failed however, she’d spent the rest of the afternoon learni
ng how to sit without cursing him. She hadn’t quite mastered that so she intended to stand when she was in the company of others. Certainly made following this guy easy.
“Ms. Pembrook?”
The butler pushed the doors open and when she spied the interior, a shiver raced down her back. Laid out in front of her was a phenomenal expanse of the same black and white marble floor. Only in this room it was installed in a checkerboard pattern. She looked up, examining the high arched ceiling shot through with elegant wood beams, and trim-work with an intricate profile and knew for sure that Joe hadn’t done that. It was more artwork than mere carpentry.
Off to the left was a wide staircase that had several long skinny windows graduating up the wall on one side—framed in that same gloss-finished mahogany—while on the other side, was a thick wood railing supported by black wrought iron that boasted large fleur-de-lis cutouts every linear foot or so. The grandeur of it all instantly had her thinking about Architectural Digest magazine. This place would make a great cover. Recalling her manners, she gave herself a mental shake and refocused.
“Thank you…” She just realized she didn’t even know the guy’s name. Pulling her gaze away, while at the same time hoping she hadn’t made too much of an ass of herself as she stood there gawking, she turned. “I’m sorry, I don’t even know your—” She stopped her apology when she saw the that the doors had been firmly closed and the butler was gone.
“Lacy?”
She spun around and put a hand to her chest. Scanning the room, she found him. “David.”
He didn’t move, and it was no wonder she hadn’t immediately spied him. He was standing in front of a fireplace that lit the shadows with a golden shine off in the farthest corner in the room. Even as she stood there, the collection of overhead chandeliers dimmed, and with each deepening degree of darkness, he became more visible.
The first thing she noticed was the way he was dressed. She’d never seen him without a suit on and yet there he was. Dressed in a pair of snugly tailored black slacks and a white shirt he’d made more casual by turning up the sleeves. Strange that he looked bigger somehow, dressed as he was, and yet she would have guessed the effect being the other way around if asked. She took a step toward him and then stopped when her eyes fully adjusted to the dusky light.