Ravish

by Marie Tuhart

Lara laughed. “It was a delightful way to wake up.”

  “I’ll have to do it again.”

  “How about right now?” She took his hand and drew him to her bedroom with his husky laughter filling the air.

  * * * *

  Monday morning, Lara arrived at work on pins and needles, but the day proved to be a normal day, as did the rest of the week. Nothing from her father or brother, but she wasn’t quite ready to decide she was out of the woods yet.

  She’d gotten the report from the alarm company Friday morning and found someone had used her code. Lara had already changed it, but she let Officer Wolfe know what the alarm company had said and who knew the code.

  The officer had also given her an update on her case. The perpetrator had posted bail, with a hearing in several months. But since nothing was taken, he doubted much would happen with the district attorney. Lara thanked him and let the matter drop. It wasn’t worth pursuing. Colby might not agree with her, but Lara had a feeling it was a dead end. Now that she had new locks and alarm codes.

  Colby had also been worried that, maybe instead of taking anything, the robbery was a cover for placing something inside her apartment. Logan had given him the name of a security company who came over and swept her duplex. No bugs and no cameras, so the break in was still a mystery.

  Colby stopped by every day that week, actually more than once a day. He’d come in the mornings, then stop by in the afternoons. Lara grinned. Everyone was getting used to him walking in and giving her a kiss. She grinned as she cleaned up.

  “I’d grin too if I had that sexy man in my life,” Eve, her employee, said.

  “Thanks.” Lara couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have Colby in her life. They’d played last weekend at his place, and this week at hers. It was fun and exciting and darn right sexy.

  The café door opened, and Sierra and Crystal walked in.

  “Hey, ladies,” Lara called out.

  “Hey.” They both smiled.

  “Please tell me you have a piece of German chocolate cake left for me?” Crystal asked.

  “Of course. Sierra?”

  “Boston cream if you have any.”

  “I do.” There was one in the fridge. “Go sit down, and I’ll get it for you.” Lara went into the kitchen and plated the desserts before taking them out to the women.

  “You are a life saver,” Crystal said, digging into her cake.

  “Do you want coffee or anything?” she asked as Eve bustled up with two glasses filled with water. “Thanks, Eve.”

  “Water is perfect,” Sierra said. “Lara, will you sit down for a minute?”

  Since it was close to closing time, there wasn’t much to do. “Sure.” She sat. “What do you need?”

  “Last Saturday worked out perfectly, and Max and I were wondering if you could do it every Saturday night.”

  Lara was taken back. “Every Saturday.” It would be work.

  “Yes. The club members are enjoying the perk and so are we.”

  “I’d have to work out new costs since we only talked about doing it once a month. Every week can be done, but I’ll need to hire more help.”

  “Understood. Work out the costs and we can talk? Are you coming to the club with Colby tomorrow night?”

  “I’m not sure.” They hadn’t talked about it. “I know he’s working tonight.”

  “Yeah and tomorrow. I can’t believe how busy the club has gotten.”

  “I think Lara’s food has something to do with it,” Crystal said.

  “My food?” Lara stared at her. “It’s nothing special.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Sierra said.

  “I have to agree,” Crystal commented.

  Lara sat back in her chair. She served basic food, nothing fancy.

  “Forgive me for overhearing,” Eve said. “But they’re right. Haven’t you noticed how busy we’re getting?”

  “Until I get a new person onboard and trained, I have increased yours and Megan’s hours. So yes, I’ve noticed, but...” Her voice trailed off. “I see what you mean.”

  “I’ve mopped up and everything, and I’m going to leave. I’ll lock the door behind me so you ladies can talk,” Eve said.

  “I didn’t realize people from the club were coming in here,” Lara said.

  “Not only them, but people they work with and other friends,” Sierra said.

  Lara hadn’t really looked at the tallies this week. She put the money in the bank, scanned the receipts, and sent it over to her accountant. Accounting was not her strong suit. She much preferred her history and culinary classes.

  “Word of mouth is a great thing,” Crystal said.

  “I guess it is.” She was stunned at the turn of events. “I can work out some numbers and set up a time to talk with you and Max.” She rubbed her finger over her cheek. “Also, I’ll need help; I can’t see Max allowing one of my employees access to the club.”

  “Yeah, we’ll need to discuss that.”

  Crystal’s phone beeped, and she let out a groan. “The lord and master calls.”

  “I’m going to tell Jordan you said that,” Sierra laughed.

  “You do, and I’ll tell Max about your secret DVD stash.”

  “Bitch.”

  Lara loved the friendship between the women. Which reminded her. “I haven’t seen Tessa lately.”

  “Yeah, her mom is visiting, and Tessa wanted to keep a low profile right now. Not that her mom isn’t aware of what went on after all the crap with her father...” Sierra waved her hand in the air.

  What was it about fathers and brothers? Lara didn’t understand.

  “I better go.” Crystal stood and looked down at her empty plate.

  “Go, I can take care of it.” Lara stood. “You too, Sierra.”

  “You’re a doll.” Sierra dropped a twenty on the table.

  “Sierra, that’s way too much,” Lara said.

  “It’s perfect.”

  Lara unlocked the door, and the women walked out. After relocking the door, Lara picked up the money, the empty plates, and glasses. It only took her a few minutes to clean everything up and get today’s money in the bag for the bank.

  Lowering the metal gates around the doors and windows, Lara set the alarm and went out the back door. She drove to the bank and deposited the money. Once at home, she scanned the receipt and looked at the totals for this week.

  Oh my, she was making almost double the amount she made three months ago. That was amazing. Tomorrow was inventory day, but she had noticed today they were getting low on items that usually lasted longer.

  She made a note on her calendar to call her accountant next week and discuss everything. Next, she went through her spreadsheet on the food and supplies she’d been using at the club.

  It wasn’t super expensive, but she could see that doing it each week would mean making sure Megan and Eve both worked on Saturdays, and she’d recently hired a person who’d asked for time to finish up with their other job. She was in communication with him and setting up a training time. She wrote down several figures.

  It wasn’t that she was a bad business person; she wasn’t. She just sometimes didn’t know how to value things like her time. Colby would know. She picked up the phone and called his shop.

  “Durham’s Leather Shop, this is Colby, how may I help you?”

  “Hey, sweet guy, how about dinner before you have to go to the club tomorrow night?” She kept her voice light and flirty.

  “Well, sweet cheeks, that sounds grand. Will you come to the club with me after?”

  “Aren’t you working?”

  “I am, but having you there makes for a better night.”

  Lara shifted in her seat. “I wish you could come over tonight.”

  “I can be there after my shift.”

  “What time do you get off?”

  “Midnight.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  * * * *

  “You said you wanted my advice on
something,” Colby asked over dinner Saturday night. They really hadn’t had a chance to talk much on Friday, but she mentioned needing his advice.

  “Yes.” While they’d spent Friday night together, Colby had rushed off to his shop and her to her café this morning. “Max and Sierra have asked me to cater every week at the club.”

  He frowned. “That’s a lot of work.”

  “A bit. I’ve hired another person at least part-time to help at the café.”

  “What about at the club?”

  “The night of your demo showed me I don’t have to man the table all night, but I would prefer to have someone there. Sierra had Hannah restock food after we left, and it all worked out well. But I will discuss using Hannah with Max and Sierra.”

  “So why are you hesitating?”

  “There’s a reason I have an accountant, and I’ve made an appointment to see her next week. But I wanted to give Max and Sierra an answer, and I’d like a second set of eyes on my cost estimates.”

  “I thought you went to business school.”

  “I did, but honestly, now I have to value my time along with everything else. That’s the part I have the hardest time with.”

  “Good thing you have me around.” He flexed his fingers. “This isn’t something we can do over dinner. How about I come by tomorrow afternoon and we go over everything, and I’ll cook you dinner?”

  “I’d love that.”

  “Good. Now finish eating.”

  * * * *

  Colby walked around the club. He had the late shift tonight. Midnight to four am. He’d sat with Lara, and they’d watched some scenes together. Tonight, she’d been dressed in a black sports bra and boy shorts.

  While she was getting comfortable showing more of her body, she wasn’t comfortable playing in the club yet, and he wouldn’t pressure her. It didn’t stop him from touching her. They’d come in separate vehicles, and he saw her off at eleven, then waited until she texted him she was home before he went back into the club.

  Now, it was three. Almost time to close up. There were only a handful of people left, including Damon and Tessa.

  “Not a bad night,” Damon said, walking up to him.

  “No.”

  “I’m going to close down early. This will give us time to make sure everything is cleaned up and get home before sunrise.”

  Colby laughed. Since it was spring, the sun was coming up earlier and earlier. “Sounds good to me. Where’s Tessa?”

  Damon pointed to one of the sofas where Tessa was curled up with a blanket over her. “She worked today but wouldn’t stay home. She crashed about an hour ago.” Damon walked away and started telling those left they were closing down.

  While he did that, Colby took the cleaning wipes and began wiping down the equipment. When Damon returned, there were only two stations left to do.

  “You’re quick,” Damon said.

  “Most were already cleaned. The club members are very good about cleaning up after themselves.”

  “They are. If you don’t mind my asking, how is training with Lara going?”

  “Good.” Colby eyed Damon. “Has she said something?”

  Damon shook his head. “We’ve got a new batch of members coming in next month for classes, and we need to figure out who is available for training.”

  “I’d rather not train anyone.”

  “Kind of figured that. Since we usually use DMs for training, something has to change.”

  “What about using some of the unattached Doms?”

  Damon looked at him. “I know Noah and Oliver have been members for years, and they play with the club subs. They never bring anyone. I don’t believe either is married.”

  “They’re not.” Damon rubbed his chin. “I’ll talk with Max and Jordan; that might be a solution. Thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  They finished up, and Colby changed clothes and went back and waited while Damon did the same and picked up Tessa. Colby held the door and made sure it was locked as they walked out. He also opened the door so Damon could put Tessa in the car.

  “Night, Colby,” Tessa said softly, looking over Damon’s shoulder as he placed her in the vehicle.

  “Night, Tessa.” He waited until Damon closed the door. “Have a good evening, Damon.”

  “What’s left of it.”

  Colby climbed on his motorcycle and rode away. On the ride home, he thought about what he’d said to Damon about training. He didn’t want to train anyone else, but what if Lara could never play in the club?

  His gut tightened. How important was playing in the club to him? Before he met Lara, he would have said very important, but now? He wanted her to be comfortable, and if that meant she couldn’t play in the club, so be it. She didn’t seem to mind coming to the club and waiting and watching as he worked. He could play in the privacy of their home.

  Their home? Yes, he was thinking about a permanent relationship with Lara. He’d never enjoyed being with a woman as he did with her.

  When Colby parked his bike, a shadow caught his eye. Without thinking, he swung his helmet. He caught the person unaware. The helmet crashed into the person’s face.

  “Fuck.”

  The voice was male. Colby went into a fighting stance, but he didn’t have to worry. The guy was already running away. He ran to a car idling a few houses down, jumped in, and they took off.

  It was too dark to see the make of the car, let alone get the license plate number. With a sigh, Colby climbed the stairs to his apartment. Burglar or something else? Once inside, he checked his apartment. Nothing had been disturbed or was missing. He called the police to report what had happened.

  They took a report over the phone since no one was hurt. Well, he wasn’t, but he was pretty sure he heard bones crunch when he hit the other guy. Colby also texted Logan to let him know he’d filed a report.

  But Colby couldn’t get it out of his mind that this wasn’t random. It felt like the man had been waiting for him, especially at this time of the morning. Admittedly, his neighborhood wasn’t the safest, but still. No one ever bothered him or his mother.

  Mom? Colby sprinted out of his apartment to her house. It was locked up tight and nothing looked disturbed. Using his key, Colby let himself in. He tiptoed to his mother’s room to find she was sound asleep.

  He took a breath in relief and left as quietly as he came in. Back in his apartment, he yawned as he walked into the bathroom and stripped. After a shower and drying off, he fell into bed. It had been a busy day. He’d puzzle out his mystery attacker later.

  * * * *

  Lara made some iced tea for herself and Colby, and she had some cookies. She’d run to the grocery store Sunday morning. Colby said he would cook for her, but he was helping her out. So, she’d picked up everything to make spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread. Since the café was closed, she grabbed a couple pieces of cheesecake for dessert from the store.

  The doorbell rang, and she checked to make sure it was Colby before she opened the door.

  “Hi,” she said as her pulse kicked up at the sight of him.

  Colby pulled her into his arms, and his lips captured hers. Heat flowed through her veins. Lara wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close.

  “Wow,” she said when he lifted his head.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t wait to taste you.” He kept his hands on her waist as he walked her backward, pushing her front door closed behind them.

  “Nothing to apologize for.” She loved his passion. There was so much to love about Colby. Her thoughts froze. Love? Was she in love with Colby? The truth smacked her upside her head. While she’d thought she’d loved Walter when she married him, it was nothing like what she felt for Colby.

  How would he feel if she couldn’t play in the club? Lara’s gut churned. She still didn’t fully understand why she didn’t want to play in the club. She needed to talk with someone about that. Maybe Sierra or Crystal or even Tessa. The club was important to Colby, so if th
ere was any chance for them as a couple, she’d need to find a way to make it work.

  “I’ve got some iced tea and cookies in the kitchen so we can talk.”

  “All right.” He slowly let her go. “But after our talk, you’re all mine.”

  Excitement shot up her spine. “Of course. Plus, I have stuff to fix us a quick meal later.”

  “All right,” Colby said after she sat down. “Tell me how much it cost you to cater to the club?”

  “I’m embarrassed to say I never really figured it out, since I had everything Max wanted.” She ducked her head. “I guessed at what to charge Max.”

  Colby stared at her. “All right. Let’s break this down. How much food do you bring to the club?”

  “I’ve been bringing enough appetizers and desserts for people to have two each, the cookies, enough for three per person.”

  He scribbled on the paper she’d give him. “How much does each item cost you?”

  “Depends, the appetizers about a hundred for a box of two hundred, the desserts run from a dollar per piece to two dollars.”

  “What have you been charging Max?”

  “Three hundred.”

  Colby’s pen flew over the page. “Sweetheart, you’re barely breaking even.”

  “I never really noticed. Because I order what I use in the café, I wasn’t paying that close of attention. My accountant pays all the bills.”

  “You said you had an appointment with your accountant; would you mind if I went with you?”

  Lara sat back in her chair. Her first reaction was a big fat no. That was a gut reaction because of her family always wanting to step into her business. But this was Colby. She trusted him in more ways than one, and he ran his own successful business.

  “I’m overstepping, forget it.”

  “No.” Lara put her hand out to him.

  “I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable.”

  “I’ll admit it took me a minute, and my gut reaction was to say no.” She squeezed his fingers when he put them in hers. “Not because we have a relationship or anything like that, but because my family has tried to interfere with my business and tried to take things over more than once.”

  “I want to help you; I also want to make sure you’re making money from catering to the club. Right now, I can tell that you need to raise your price.” He paused. “I’ll talk to Max.”