by Mia Ashlinn
“I’ll beat you over the head with a dildo,” Shannon warned, “if you don’t show up tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Ella piped up. “I have a brand new one at the store. It’s huge, like baseball-bat huge.”
And as quickly as she’d blown in Her Majesty’s Pleasure, Leila was a distant memory for Katie-Anne—for all of them.
Chapter 16
Yawning, Sarah rolled out of her rumpled bed on Thanksgiving morning. She wiped her eyes with a grumpy groan as she staggered to her feet. Stretching her arms over her head, she rose to her tiptoes and extended her stiff joints, ignoring the pops they made.
Peering down at her baggy sweats, she shrugged. It’s not like they haven’t seen me looking like crap before. For some reason, that thought didn’t soothe her. So instead of doing what she normally did and stumble out of the room in complete disarray, she hauled her tired butt to the shower.
After quickly cleaning herself, she brushed her teeth, styled her hair, and donned the only dress she’d brought along with her—a long-sleeved, gray sweaterdress that hung loosely off her slender frame. Checking herself in the mirror one last time, she left the room.
The murmur of masculine voices drifted down the still-darkened hallway, and she followed the sound, ending up only steps from the kitchen. She walked forward a few paces but paused when she heard Adam speak her name.
“Sarah is going to be pissed when she finds out,” he said.
Pickles and crackers. What now?
She heard the scrape of wooden legs sliding across marble tile flooring. Cringing partially from the grating sound and partially from the tension coiling her body tight, she took a couple of lengthy breaths, sucking the air through her clenched teeth. Then she waited.
“She’ll be fine,” Deke growled. “We’ll make sure of it.”
A dry cough came from a man in the kitchen. She thought it sounded like Hale, but she couldn’t tell without looking, and she wasn’t about to do that. The guys would probably catch her if she did. And something so trivial wasn’t worth the risk. “She’s not going to appreciate our interference with that scumbag reporter,” Hale said.
“Why not?” Deke asked. He sounded genuinely befuddled by Hale’s observation.
“Because we didn’t stop Vince from publishing that scandalous story about Leila, her senator lover, and the things they’ve both been up to,” Hale replied.
Oh crap. Unable to stop her gasp, she slapped her suddenly ice-cold hand over her mouth and left it there.
“I don’t see why it matters,” Deke countered. “She and the other girls can’t stand Leila. We got rid of her.”
“For a Dom, you don’t know much about women,” another man said. Sarah knew that voice, but she couldn’t quite place it.
“Shut up, Sam,” Deke growled.
Ah, Sam Carrington.
Someone switched the faucet on, running water into the sink. When the sink went silent, a hush fell over the men in the kitchen, too. But the solitude didn’t last long before Sam, Hale, and Adam picked up their conversation where they’d left off.
“We got rid of her by allowing someone to smear her family’s name,” Hale persisted. “Sarah is not going to like that.”
“Leila hurt her,” Deke snapped. “You read that note, and you heard what Adam said. She vomited over those fucking pictures. I won’t allow anyone to hurt Sarah. I will kill them first.”
The deadly intent in his voice spoke volumes. He was serious. He would kill someone before they hurt her. In a twisted way, his declaration made her feel safer. At the same time, it scared her a little. She didn’t want him to hurt someone over her.
Obviously, Hale understood that. And Adam did, too. His next words cemented that. “Deke, Sarah isn’t the type of woman to be okay with this. She doesn’t want people to be in pain over anything. It’s in her caring nature.”
“Why the sudden conscience?” Deke inquired. “None of you seemed to be disturbed by this yesterday.”
Something loud clanged in the kitchen, the noise sounding as though someone had dropped a piece of silverware onto something glass. “Yesterday I was too pissed to see past the end of my nose,” Adam told Deke. “I realized this morning that this is going to upset Sarah, and I don’t want that. I want our girl safe and happy.”
Our girl. Knowing she couldn’t be with them didn’t stop her heart from singing at those most beautiful words. She sighed, wistfully wishing that things could have been different for the three of them.
“What am I missing?” Deke’s apparent frustration was priceless. The know-it-all man seemed at a loss—over her. Amazing.
“You two can attempt to tell Mr. Thick Skull again why Sarah’s going to be mad at all of us, especially him. I have better things to do than waste my breath,” Sam grumbled. “Besides, my duty as liaison is done.” He chuckled. “Thank God. I was getting pretty damn tired of going between all you men. It’s a full-time fucking job.”
“Go pack,” Deke commanded. “I told you that I’d help you get out of town if you’d help us get rid of Leila. You held up your end of the bargain. Now it’s my turn.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam replied. “I’ll get packed while these guys give you a clue about your woman before you make an ass out of yourself.”
“Go, Sam,” Deke barked. “Leave before I kick your ass out of here myself.”
“Good luck getting Bozo to listen to you,” Sam said, seemingly talking to Adam and Hale, not Deke. A second later, the kitchen door opened and closed as Sam presumably left.
As soon as Sam was gone, Deke stated, “I just don’t get what the big deal is. You’re all driving me nuts with this shit.”
Hale groaned. “We’ve been telling you the same thing for the past five minutes. You’re just not listening because you don’t want to hear it. Sarah will be worried about the innocent people caught in the middle of this scandal.” He sighed. “Let me spell it out for you, her friend, Lainey, is going to get harassed over her slutty sister’s screw-ups. Sarah is not going to like that, especially when she knows we didn’t stop it.”
“He’s right,” a soft-spoken voice said from behind her.
With a squeak, Sarah rounded on The Edge’s resident psychologist and her newfound friend, Kylia Katz. “KK,” she whispered. “I didn’t see you there.”
“I can see that,” the drop-dead-gorgeous blonde woman said. Her green eyes twinkled mischievously. She was clearly enjoying herself. “But you might want to be more careful. The fellas aren’t going to like you spying on them.”
“Yeah,” Ansley Lockhart agreed as she appeared behind Kylia. “If you were anyone else, your ass would be cherry red before The Bosses were done with you.”
Sarah felt herself blush. She hadn’t meant to get caught, especially not by KK and Ansley. The two women, who had an oddly similar resemblance considering they were best friends and not sisters, had become her friends over time. And she knew how they would respond to her spying. They’d tease her relentlessly. That’s just how the two women were.
Unless KK was in therapist mode or Ansley had her stethoscope around her neck, they gave Sarah a sense of normalcy she craved. They joked around and teased her when she was in a good mood, just like they held her and cried with her when she was in a bad one. Everything in between was flexible, depending on their whims.
“And her knees would be sore,” Kylia joked.
“Maybe that’s what she wants,” Ansley told Kylia, elbowing her playfully. “She’s probably ready to put The Bosses out of their misery.” Her lovely lips twitched as she apparently fought to suppress a grin. “Hopefully. I’m getting tired of Deke’s grousing and Adam’s mooning. Sheesh.”
Shaking her head, Sarah purposefully disregarded the two beautiful blondes’ teasing. Instead, she gave them her back. “Go away,” she said. “I’m busy.”
“Looks like you’re real busy,” a silky voice said, the amusement present in the man’s tone. Oh crab cakes. Wyatt. “Wonder what your Doms would
think.”
Sarah wasn’t Deke and Adam’s sub. But of course, Wyatt already knew that. He was just being a pain in her butt. He enjoyed toying with her when it came to Deke and Adam. He knew how she felt about his bosses, how much she wanted to be their sub. And he constantly attempted to push her buttons about BDSM and the Lifestyle.
She had a feeling that Wyatt did it in hopes of changing her mind about D/s. But she wasn’t convinced he could. No matter how much she wanted Deke and Adam for Doms, she didn’t know how to let go of the past. Not just yet. Maybe one day.
Grimacing, Sarah opened her mouth to correct Wyatt. However, she never had a chance to utter a word before Deke said highhandedly, “We don’t particularly like it.”
Without preamble, Deke grabbed her elbow with his broad hand. His firm touch somehow managed to be simple, unthreatening. And she appreciated that. She didn’t feel her normal need to flee, which was a vast improvement. “Come with me,” Deke commanded.
He didn’t exactly give her an option. Utilizing his hold, he tugged her into the kitchen. Surprisingly, he and Adam were the only ones in there. At some point, Hale had disappeared. He was good at that. And so were Wyatt, Kylia, and Ansley. They made themselves scarce before the door had time to even swing shut.
As soon as he saw her, Adam smiled. “Good morning, sweet pea.”
Her pesky heart melted at the tender tone Adam used, the softness in his eyes. She practically turned into a puddle of mush. “Good morning,” she murmured. “I–I hope everything’s okay.”
Even though I know it’s not. She figured it would be best to pretend that she didn’t know anything, that she hadn’t heard a word.
Deke’s dark expression and deep growl indicated his disbelief.
She cleared her dry throat. “Is it time to leave for Her Majesty’s Pleasure?” she asked optimistically. “I would hate for the other women to do all the work without me.”
Deke frowned. “We need to talk.”
Adam raked his eyes over her body, from head to toe then back up again. Surprisingly, he barked, “Later,” at Deke without glancing his way.
“No,” Deke snapped, rubbing his nearly back hair in distinct vexation. “We should get this over with.”
“Later,” Adam repeated himself. Cutting his baby blue eyes at Deke, he glowered. “It’s Thanksgiving. We can discuss this tomorrow when things have settled.”
Gulping, she nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.” Although, it didn’t really. She knew she wouldn’t want to talk about this any more tomorrow than she did today. And really, she would fret over this all day, especially when she saw Lainey at the Thanksgiving dinner they were holding at the bar. However, she preferred to not ruin everyone else’s day because of her upset. She’d done that enough lately. “Please wait, Deke.”
Deke’s jaw clenched but he relented. “Fine. We’ll wait.”
The tightness in her chest loosened, and she felt as though she could actually breathe again. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath—obviously for some time. “Thank you,” she said.
Nodding curtly, Deke disappeared out the doorway quietly, leaving her alone with Adam.
“Are you hungry?” he inquired as he ushered her over to a barstool then helped her onto the leather cushioned seat. Brushing an unexpected kiss across her cheek then another more fleeting one on her nose, he smiled in his special way, the way that left her speechless. “I could make you something or we could wait.”
“Wait,” she croaked past the lump in her throat.
He nodded. “Okay. But you have to promise to eat a lot of food later. We need to make sure you don’t lose any more weight.”
“I promise.”
* * * *
Four hours later, Sarah regretted her promise to Adam. She was full, “need to unbutton her pants and pat her belly” full. Sitting at the table filled with her friends and family, she glared at the remaining food on her plate. No way. With a grimace, she pushed her plate away.
“Full, sweet pea?” Adam whispered into her ear, the humid heat from his mouth tickling her lobe. He skimmed his shockingly graceful hand across the top of the table then slowly led it under the table. Taking her hand in his, he kissed her temple in a poignant brush of his sensual lips to her skin, and she sighed before she could stop herself.
Her heart sped as powerful adrenaline seeped into her skin. The urge to run—toward him and away from him—assailed her, and she had to concentrate on staying in one place. Breathing carefully, she nodded. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Adam winced, his face a mask of a hurt man. He pulled his hand back, but she refused to let him go.
“N–no,” she said. “I meant that I ate too much.”
Sighing, he relaxed back against the wooden chair then chuckled. “You’ll be fine. If not, I’ll hold your hair back for you.”
She couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face. Despite her earlier freak-out when she’d arrived and seen the huge group of people milling around, she was having a good time. Her friends had made this Thanksgiving special, and the two men flanking her had made it perfect. Or as perfect as it could be for me.
As unobtrusively as possible, Sarah allowed her eyes to drift to Deke. He seemed to immediately sense her attention. Turning toward her, he smiled. “Enjoying yourself?”
Blushing, Sarah nodded. “Yes, Deke. It’s lovely.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Deke murmured as he cupped her flushed face with the gentlest of touches. “Thanksgiving is…” He unexpectedly trailed off, his face freezing as he appeared to notice what he was doing to her. Clearing his throat, he dropped his hand from her face. “Special.”
Anxious, Sarah nodded. “It is,” she said before quickly glancing away from the strong face of one of the men she loved. Panting, she closed her eyes and attempted to recover from Deke’s touch. When his flesh had connected with hers, something had come over her. Something she hadn’t known. For a second, she’d wanted to nuzzle his hand, to kiss his lips. She’d needed to hold him and love him. But even more than that, she’d craved the possessiveness, the dominance in his piercing eyes.
Shaking her head, Sarah forced herself to focus on anything other than the man who was holding her hand and the man who’d just caressed her face. She stared at all the people around her and out of the blue, she realized that this moment and these people were the sweetest dish in her life. Even with her disastrous year, the love in this room made her feel joy, nearly whole.
In that eye-opening moment, Sarah realized it was time—time to move on, time to get a real life and start living it. The pictures she’d gotten from Leila had shaken her. But this Thanksgiving was an earthquake.
Leaning back, she shifted in her seat then crossed her legs under the table. But still, she didn’t release his hand. As usual, Adam kept a close eye on her movements, but he didn’t say anything. And she was grateful for that caring gesture.
She had a lot of decisions to make. She had a lot of garbage to go through and throw out. But with these people’s love and their support, she could be happy. She would be. And those were her sweetest dishes—love and moving forward.
“How about dessert?” Jaycee called out from across the table. Groans and grunts were her only response, and she growled in clear frustration. “Pussies.”
Sarah laughed. She couldn’t stop herself, and she refused to try. The people around her gawked at her, their faces ranging from shock to amusement to indulgence. Every man and every woman quickly joined in with her. Even the three babies seemed to smile. But that could have been her imagination. “What?” she asked, which made them laugh all the harder. These people are so peculiar. Good thing I love that quality.
When everyone’s amusement died down, Cade shouted, “How about some football, boys? We can eat dessert in celebration of when the Titans kick the Colts’ asses!”
A few seats away from him, Landon snarled. “In your dreams.”
“I�
��m with Landon,” Caedon piped up as he slung his arm around Ella’s shoulders then kissed her cheek. “The Colts are going to tear the Titans apart.”
Jaycee snorted. “You boys run along and watch your sports. We girls are going to have a nice chat.”
For once, every man listened. They all hopped up from their seats and hightailed it across the bar to where they’d set up the big screen LCD television earlier.
“And they were never to be seen again,” Shannon joked.
“They’ll be back,” Katie-Anne said confidently. “Eventually.”
“That’s right,” Ella agreed as she scooted down several chairs to sit by Shannon. “They need to get laid once in a while.”
Jaycee snorted. “Once in a while? Shit, you must be doing it wrong, Ella.”
“She could obviously use some pointers,” Addy commented. “And so could I. Anyone up for a little Thanksgiving Day porn?”
“Oh crud,” Sarah said, sliding next to Katie-Anne. “You guys are so bad.” Really, really bad. “We’re supposed to be watching parades, not porn.”
As she moved, so did every woman at the table. Nearly all of them converged, lounging where they could all gossip and giggle at whim. Only Svetlana, Stellina, Cass, and Maggie meandered away from the table and headed toward the kitchen with their hands full of trays. And Piper and Penelope Portman gathered the flower arrangements they’d brought from their shop, Pretty Petals, and carried them to the counter.
As usual, certain women at the table remained close to certain women. Two of the Dawson sisters sat side-by-side while their other sister sat across from them with her friends. And of course, Sarah cooled her feet with the women she was closest to—Katie-Anne, Jaycee, Shannon, and Ella on one side and Kylia and Ansley on the other.
“Well, well,” a richly cultured, very manly voice with a strong Italian accent said unexpectedly. “Look at all these beautiful women gathered together. It makes me worry about the men who dare leave you alone.”
Sarah, along with every other woman at the table, swung around to see the man behind the velvety voice. And they were rewarded when they did. The highly successful art dealer and notorious playboy with dark hair and even darker eyes stood at the head of the table. He smirked, the smug smile of a man who held the world in the palm of his hand. From what she’d heard, he probably did.