The Dom with the Deviant Kittens

by Sorcha Black

  She tried to moisten the inside of her mouth with her tongue, but it had gone totally dry. “Uh, why?”

  “To be polite? There are things you and I should discuss.”

  “Um, I have to get ready for work.” If there were things they needed to talk about, why hadn’t he done that on the drive?

  “It won’t take long.”

  Ugh, he was serious.

  She stepped back and let him in, and he looked around the main room as though he was appraising it for sale. Her stuff was old, but at least she kept it all clean.

  Aside from Winter and Q, she’d never had anyone else over. Definitely not a man.

  “Can I get you some water or something?” She forced a smile, hoping like hell he didn’t say ‘or something’ because water was all she had to drink. If she dug through her cupboard she might have an old packet of Kool-Aid, but she didn’t have any sugar.

  “No, no. Let’s just sit for a minute.” He sat down on her couch, looking far too at home in her space. Gingerly, she sat on the far end, since there was nowhere else to sit without looking like she was avoiding him.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I want you to be honest.” He paused and her heart went directly into her throat. Obviously this was about Elodie. Could he tell how much of a crush she had on her? Was he going to ask Tess to disappear?

  “Okay.”

  “Obviously you don’t have a lot of money coming in.”

  Shit. Please let this not be creepy.

  “Not right now. There are certain things I won’t do for money.” She narrowed her eyes at him pointedly, thinking about how many times men on the street offered her money. Apparently the going rate for blowjobs was ten dollars. It was information she prayed she would never need.

  But this was Lock. He had Elodie. He definitely didn’t need to pay for blowjobs from a woman he knew was completely inexperienced.

  “I want you to tell me if you need money for rent or food or something.” He looked at her kitchen cupboards and she was glad he couldn’t see how empty they were through the doors. “You don’t have to say anything about it to Elodie if it’s embarrassing to you, just tell me and it’s yours, no strings attached.”

  “Why?”

  Lock turned his gaze back to her then moved closer. “I may not like that my girlfriend is falling in love with you, but no one deserves to starve or be thrown into the street. You seem like a good person – smart, kind. I’m not sure how you ended up here, and it’s none of my business, but...” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just trying to say that I give a shit about what happens to you. It doesn’t feel safe here.” He got up and walked to the door, opened it, and fiddled with the deadbolt.

  “You don’t even have a peephole or a security chain on this door. If someone knocks, do you just answer it and hope it’s not those thugs from down the street?” He closed the door and locked it again, frowning.

  “I’ve been living here for months. No one has bothered me much while I’ve been in the apartment.” Other than the scary guy downstairs who pounded on the ceiling whenever she tried to watch television. She didn’t have cable anyway, so it was no great loss.

  “So if you’re short of money, you’ll tell me?”

  So embarrassing. Her own father never would have helped her, even if he could. She’d been making her own way in the world for a long time – why did Lock think she was helpless?

  “Sure.” It had been a kind, if paternalistic offer, so she tried to smile politely. For some reason Q, Winter and now Elodie saying things like that to her didn’t seem as bad. Maybe it just seemed sexist because Lock was a man.

  “I’m not going to be content with ‘sure’ as an answer.”

  She got to her feet and tried to walk past him to the kitchen, but he stepped into her path, making her bump into his massive chest. When she bounced off, he grabbed her by the arms so she didn’t fall.

  Why wouldn’t he just go home?

  Craning her neck to look up at him, she felt like a child. Why was he looking at her like that? Like he cared? His hand came up and cradled her jaw, his thumb brushed over her lips. Oh my...

  He leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth. Shocked, she let him, maybe even kissed him back.

  What the hell was she doing? She tried to back up a step, then another, but he followed her retreat until she bumped into the wall, crowding her there, and not giving her the option of ducking away.

  Lock kissed her again, but this time he took charge, owning her mouth, overwhelming her. She moaned into his kisses, allowed him to use his tongue. He pressed against her, his dick prodding her belly. She meant to stop him, but her morals deserted her. How was she supposed to resist this?

  He pulled back, letting her catch her breath, but his mouth was still hovering possessively over hers.

  “Elodie wants me to fuck you.” His whisper was harsh. There was no doubt he was willing to do just that.

  Oh, sweet fucking hell. This was too intense. She had to slow him down. A joke? “Did she put me on your ‘honey do’ list?”

  He pushed off of the wall and started to pace. “Practically. You have no idea.”

  “But you’re not attracted to me, so it’s hard.” Tess stumbled over the last word, accidentally making it innuendo. Idiot. Elodie’s lessons on how to be smooth all went out the window.

  “I’m not?” He seemed surprised. “Am I acting like I’m not attracted to you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t had this happen before.”

  “I didn’t understand it before – what she thought was so irresistible about you. My jealousy was making me blind. One day with you and I get it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He glowered at her and she could feel her pulse beating in her throat. Fear waded in, playing off the heat between her legs. She wasn’t scared of him. She was scared of what he could make her do. If he issued a command right then, she’d do almost anything.

  “Do you know what it really means to be submissive, little Mouse?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered. Not sure what to do, she cowered against the wall, staying out of the big man’s way.

  “You call me that, but I’m not sure you understand all the implications.” He stopped in front of her again. His hand trailed up her arm and wrapped around her throat. Although he didn’t squeeze, her legs trembled.

  He came off as a calm, civilized man, but maybe it was all a façade. This side of him was raw and dangerous, and she wanted every bit of it. Wanted him to command her and use her like he used Elodie.

  “What do you want from me?”

  “More than you’re ready for at this point.” He sighed and let go of her neck, then brushed hair back from her forehead. “For now, I want you to go online and read what it means to be submissive. If you’re interested in playing with us, make a list of your limits and bring it with you when you come over.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  For a moment he looked torn, but he only nodded and walked out. Tess leaned against the door after she threw the deadbolt, half wishing he’d come back and break it down.

  *

  “Where do you want me?” Tess arched a brow at Q and the photographer rolled her eyes.

  “You’re just full of the innuendo today, brat. You’re starting to remind me of Sabrina.” Q smirked and looked like she was thinking of something amusing her wife had done. Both Q and her husband Jude seemed to have a hard time keeping their Sabrina in line. Add the babies, and their house could get chaotic, but Tess loved going over there anyway. Never a dull moment. “What’s gotten into you?”

  Q urged her to sit in a large, ornate chair, and tucked some hair back into her updo. Tonight they were doing a cover for a historical Izzy was writing.

  “Remember how I told you about the couple that hired me to clean for them?”

  “Yeah, you said they were sweet and paid well. Those ones?”

  Jeez, she hadn’t
spoken to Q in a while.

  She nodded. “Right. Things have gotten...complicated.”

  “How so?” Q took a picture then adjusted the lighting.

  “Well, I’ve been messing around with them a little.”

  Her friend stepped out from behind the camera and frowned at her. “Seriously? They have some sort of maid fetish?”

  Tess smoothed the heavy regency skirts she wore and snapped her fan shut. “Don’t ask me. The woman started coming on to me, then the next thing I know she convinced her husband to join in. They’re into kink, too.”

  “Poly and kinky? What are their names?” Q raised a brow and looked thoughtful.

  “Lock and Elodie.”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t heard of them, but that doesn’t mean that much. You said they’re in Felix, right? I know most of the kinksters in Cobalt Harbor, but Felix is a mystery.”

  “Lock is from Felix, but Elodie is from up north, by the Canadian border.”

  Q moved back behind the camera. “So, when you say you’ve been messing around with them, that means what?”

  “Um...I don’t think I’m a virgin anymore.”

  “Fuck off! Good for you, Tess!” She was back again, and hugging her. “You’re happy about it? It went okay?”

  “It blew my mind. I had no idea. She was careful with me.”

  The dark-haired woman chuckled and sat on the floor in front of her. “I wish my first time would have been with a girl. It might have been less rough and awkward.”

  “Waiting until twenty-two worked for me. Everyone else knows how to have sex, so I didn’t have to fumble around in the back seat of a car with a sweaty, awkward teenager.”

  Q snorted. “True enough. So, is this just fun and games, or is it serious?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Do you really want your first serious relationship to be poly and kinky? Just because it seems to work for half this town, doesn’t mean you have to follow the same path. None of us started out this way.” She took another picture while Tess was distracted. “It’s up to you, girly. Just remember that you may have other options. You’re almost like a different person today. A lot more self-assured. I always thought that was the only thing slowing you down.”

  “You think it’s a bad idea?”

  “Hell, I don’t know. Look at me – do I look like a therapist?” Q gestured at her piercings, dyed-black hair and dark clothing.

  “I’m not rushing into anything. He wants me to read up on what being submissive means, and go over a checklist, but I think I’m already submissive to her. I’m not ready to commit to them or anything. I don’t even know if they want that.”

  “Aw, fuck.”

  “What?”

  “You were a virgin and you’re a unicorn and you clean their house. It’s like they won the fucking lottery.” Q made a sound of disgust. “Just make sure that if you get exclusive with them, that you’re not getting the short end of the stick. Unicorns are sought after, but a lot of times they get treated like servants in their relationships. You deserve better than that.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “At least they’re paying you for your work. Do you take care of their kids or anything?”

  Tess laughed. “They don’t have kids, and Elodie spends most of her time trying to distract me from working. Lock is less sure about the whole thing.”

  Q rose and took her hand. “I always imagined you with a nice vanilla husband and two kids. You’re throwing me for a loop here, but if it works for you, it’s all good. You know where to find me if you need to talk.”

  “Ooh, girl talk.” Tristan strolled into the room, flashing a cocky smile at the two of them. “Sorry I’m late, but if I’m interrupting I can come back later.”

  Between the low-slung jeans and artfully aged t-shirt, he was the epitome of cool. He noticed Tess looking at him and he gave her a wink.

  “Hey sweetness, you look different. You do something different with your hair?”

  “No, she usually wears regency gowns and has her hair in a huge updo.” Q snorted.

  Tristan smiled and gave a vague bow. “Your highness.”

  She noticed how hot he was automatically. Upon closer observation, though, he seemed different too. His carefully quaffed and dressed style was meant to look accidentally and carelessly cover model, but tonight it was trying too hard. Who had changed, though? Him, or her perception of him? He was muscular but lithe, his face angular and pretty, his eyes slanted slightly. Droolworthy, she’d thought only days ago.

  Now, though, she compared him to Lock. Lock who didn’t try, just was. Lock who had piles of comics all over the house and who didn’t care what people thought of him. Lock who wore suits or t-shirts, but whose clothes never wore him.

  Q got him costumed up, the rake hired to seduce the heiress by her dispossessed older brother. She thought of how Lock had backed her against the wall, and Q told her that her expression was perfect.

  Tristan was holding her leaning back over his arm, as though she was trying to escape his embrace, when Q said she had enough to work with. He helped Tess straighten up, but didn’t let go of her immediately when she was upright. His perfect smile was so close that for a heart stopping moment she thought he would kiss her.

  “Um, thanks.”

  “No problem. You hungry, princess? I could go for some food right now. I’m buying.” He smiled kindly at her and she felt like a bitch for what she’d been thinking of him earlier. So he wasn’t perfect – who was? He’d always been kind to her, even if he’d friendzoned her early on. There was no need to be catty about that.

  “Um, I’m not starving, but...”

  Across the room, Q cleared her throat and gave her a stern look that said not to chicken out.

  How did she explain to Q that her crush on him had evaporated overnight? She knew her friend was going to lecture her on settling for unicorn status too fast, when she could be the princess of her life instead of the maid. Maybe she was being hasty. After all, there was no saying things with Elodie and Lock were going anywhere at all, and she had a hall pass with Tristan anyway as long as they didn’t sleep together.

  It was only dinner.

  “Sure. That would be great.” She made herself smile at him, and her reluctance only seemed to intrigue him. Women normally fell over themselves trying to get his attention. He’d bragged to her about it before.

  When they’d changed back into their street clothes, they walked out together down the street to one of the chain restaurants that had a nice view of the water.

  “So what have you been up to lately?” Tristan pulled her hand into the crook of his arm. “Anything interesting, other than modeling with me, of course?” He winked and she had to force herself not to roll her eyes.

  “I played golf.” She grimaced. “Well, I mostly tore up clods of dirt and walked around.”

  He laughed. “I always think of golf as an old man’s game. I’ve never been into sports.”

  “Neither have I. I went with a friend, just to see what it was like.”

  “Looking for a new hobby?”

  She shook her head, deciding he was pleasant company. “No. I’m just getting more adventurous in my old age.”

  “Twenty-two. You’re practically ancient.”

  She swatted him good naturedly and he winced, but laughed in response to her own laugh. Lock or Elodie would have said something sexy. Was Tristan vanilla or just trying to be polite?

  The hostess seated them at a table that looked out across the darkness of the harbor. Most of the boats were in for the night, but a few distant lights bobbed on the horizon.

  “Pretty,” Tristan said. When she turned back to him, she realized he was commenting on her, not the view.

  Tess blushed and studied her menu, but then made eye contact, like Elodie had taught her. She narrowed her eyes and tried for sexy and mysterious, so she wouldn’t look like an innocent idiot. He liked fast women, Q had said. Maybe that was
her now. She knew how head games worked. She’d seen all sorts of women play them on TV.

  He leaned back in his chair and checked her out, nodding.

  “You seem so different now. A few weeks ago you were more like my kid sister, or a stray puppy.”

  Nice. Insult the girl you were just checking out.

  “I’ve had an epiphany recently.” By the name of Elodie. She gave him one of her best Elodie-sexy-yet-unimpressed faces and he leaned forward like clockwork. A lot of it was attitude. If you acted like you weren’t good enough for people, they treated you that way. Who knew?

  Although she was sure the dress, haircut and makeup all helped too.

  They ordered when the server came, ate, chatted. It turned out that not only was he pretty, he was also a relatively decent person, which she’d picked up on before. So he was cocky and full of himself. It was a bit annoying, but cute and wasn’t exactly the end of the world. They had similar taste in music, and had fun talking about their favorite bands.

  This was what it would be like to have a real, regular boyfriend. Someone pleasant to spend time with, to maybe fall in love with. Someone that didn’t have another significant other to sort out, and didn’t make you do research on the internet before you saw them next. And he was hot, even though he was too aware he was hot.

  They finished their meal and Tristan leaned on the table, playing with her fingers in an endearing way.

  “Can I walk you home, or give you a ride? I don’t even know where you live.”

  She shrugged. “It’s up to you. I’m only a few blocks away, on Baker. Not really a nice neighborhood, though.”

  “If we get jumped, just remember to protect my face. I don’t have much else going for me.”

  She chuckled, in the hope he was joking.

  As they walked back through the streets, he chatted pleasantly, and even grabbed her hand and held it. He wasn’t really coming off as a guy who only liked fast women. Maybe he’d lied to Q to impress her?

  “You know, this is the most relaxed I’ve been with a woman in ages.” He squeezed her hand. “With you I feel like I don’t even have to try. It’s so refreshing.”