The quiet atmosphere of the store welcomed me, and it put me further at ease. I found the packages of feathers, and chose three of the nicest ones, then headed to the register. As I stood in line, I took a moment to reflect over the easy pattern Delilah and I found ourselves in. I loved our nights the most. How we alternated between BDSM scenes and doing normal things like watching movies or playing a board game.
“Paige?”
I whirled around at the familiar male voice. “Preston?”
My former boss smiled broadly at me as he juggled an armful of red, white, and blue streamers, and some miniature flags. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“Fine,” I replied, trying to hide my lack of enthusiasm at seeing him. As an added measure, I flashed a smile. “Decorating the office?”
“Yeah.” He glanced down at the items in his arms. “Fourth of July is in just a couple of weeks. Gotta get our American on, right?”
“Right,” I said and covertly checked to see if the line had moved since we started talking. It hadn’t, and I stifled a sigh of frustration. My happiness at being given free rein quickly began to dwindle.
We stood silently for a moment before Preston spoke again. “Hey, did you ever hear anything back from those jobs you applied for?”
For a moment, I thought briefly about lying. About telling him that I’d received offers and was taking my time to choose. I’d never been a good liar though, so I sucked it up and gave him the truth. “Nope. I’ve had a couple of interviews, but nothing has panned out so far.”
His face lit up, and it took all of my self-control not to be offended by his apparent delight that I’d yet to procure a job. What the hell did I ever do to make him happy I’m jobless? I worked my butt off and gave that job everything.
“That’s great. I planned to call you later today, but since we’re here... I’d like you to come back on at the magazine. We’re just not running as smoothly without your magic touch. I could really use you back. What do you think?” He gave me a broad smile and it felt like the world dropped out from under my feet.
“W-what?” I stammered as I tried to process what he’d just said. “You fired me, and now you want me back?”
“Laid you off,” he corrected. “You weren’t terminated for performance or misconduct. Merely a downsizing of the company.”
“And now you want me back?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.
“Yes.” Preston launched that winning smile at me again. It reminded me of a used car salesman.
I frowned and regarded him carefully. “And how soon would you want me to start?”
“Immediately.” The smile remained on his face, unwavering.
“Next, please,” the clerk called out, saving me.
“I’ll think about it,” I said as I began to walk away.
“Think about it?” He followed me as he completely disregarded checkout protocol. “What’s there to think about? You don’t have a job, and I’m offering you your job back.”
The checkout clerk raised an eyebrow, then began ringing up my purchases without a word. I didn’t blame him, considering the awkward conversation that I figured just about everyone in line could hear by now.
“Preston, I appreciate the offer, but you know as well as I do that I’d fail as a manager if I didn’t take your offer and at least think about it for the night. It’s not like the company will fall apart if I spend twenty-four hours thinking about it. At least give me that long of a deadli— Oh...”
The reason for the pressure he was placing on me to make a decision hit me and I nearly smacked myself in the forehead. “It’s near the end of the month. What’s wrong? Things go to hell in May without me?”
“No, they went fine,” he said as a red flush started to creep up his neck. “They’d just go a lot smoother with you around.”
I pulled some cash out of my pocket and paid the cashier, then took my bag with a smile. As I turned back to my former boss, I let the smile settle into a blank expression. “I appreciate the offer, sir. I will be in contact with a response by tomorrow afternoon. Thank you. Have a great day.”
Without another word, I left the craft store and got into the SUV. On the way back to the house, I mulled over his offer. It would be nice to have my job back. I was respected there, and had a lot of control over the things that went on. Granted, that meant I also carried a great deal of responsibility, but I’d learned how to make things run like a well-oiled machine over the years. I certainly needed the money.
The only problem I found was the fact I didn’t know how long it would be before Preston decided to make cuts, and marked me as expendable again. A yo-yo job offered no stability, and I didn’t want to place my security on the whims of a man who made bad business decisions. Then again, with no other job offers in sight, what choice did I have? If nothing else, I could keep applying to other places and hope something came through. With the right job offer, I’d have the opportunity to leave the magazine before he’d have a chance to pull another firing spree.
By the time I reached Delilah’s house, I thrummed with excitement. I raced to the room where she worked and burst through the door with a, “I’ve been offered my old job back!”
She dropped her measuring tape and stared at me with an open-mouth. “You...what?” she asked after a moment.
“I ran into my old boss at the craft store. He offered me my job back,” I explained, nearly dancing with excitement. “He wants me to start ASAP.”
“You accepted it already?” Delilah leaned down and carefully picked the tape up. Her movements came off as stilted, jerky. Like she’d spent so much time around the mannequins lately that she was becoming one.
“No, I told him I needed to think about it.” Her lack of enthusiasm caused my own to start waning. I chewed my lip as I watched her remain focused on the dress. “Delilah, I—”
“Thank you for picking up the feathers,” she said, interrupting me. “What did you grab us for lunch?”
I flinched and hissed in exasperation. “I’m sorry. I completely forgot. I was so caught up in being offered my job back that I came straight back.”
She walked to the table and set her measuring tape down, then turned her music off she always listened to. “Why don’t we go out and grab some food together. You’re right. I need a break.”
The distance in her voice had me pausing, and I stared at Delilah. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes finally made contact with me, and she offered me a smile. It was the fakest one I’d ever seen her wear, and my stomach twisted at the sight of it. What is going on?
“I’m great. I’m just a tad flustered with all this work. I’ll feel better when we get something to eat.” She strode past me as she called, “Burgers and fries sound good?”
“Sure...” Burgers and fries? Delilah tended to be more of a health nut than that. Why was she diving after comfort food? I followed her, keeping my steps slow and measured as I tried to understand what had set her off. Hopefully not my job offer... Why would that upset her?
We rode in the SUV in silence, and when we arrived at the burger joint, I caught her hand in the parking lot and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The smile she offered me was more real, but it remained wan at best. Once we settled in and placed our orders, I took a deep breath and tackled the looming shadow between us that grew bigger by the minute.
“If I take the job, nothing will change. I will still be your service sub if you want me to. I will come home from work and we’ll do everything we’ve been doing. I just won’t be around to help you with the costumes as much. But that shouldn’t be a big deal. You’ve almost finished all of them anyway.”
Silence hung like a thick cloud between us, stifling the hope inside of me that we would work this out. I didn’t know how to respond to the mood she seemed to be in. Delilah kept a pretty stable demeanor. She wasn’t moody like me. Her sudden change in disposition completely threw me for a loop and I struggled with how to handle it.
“Loo
k, if it bothers you that much, we’ll nullify the contract and I’ll work out a repayment plan. Does that suit you better?” I asked as agitation swung my anxiety into full course. My leg jiggled nervously under the table and my stomach began to swirl for the first time in a couple of weeks. I didn’t realize how much she’d soothed away my panic attacks and how little they’d haunted me lately until this moment.
“No, it doesn’t,” she responded in a soft voice. Her head bowed and she studied her clasped hands. “I would rather you just stay home with me. That things stay the way they are. I...I...” Delilah drew a deep breath, then returned her gaze to my face. “I enjoy your company.”
“I enjoy yours too. I’m liking our lifestyle more than I ever thought I could. But I also know that eventually, it’ll be time for me to leave. I need to make sure I’m keeping an eye on the future,” I explained.
The corners of her mouth twitched in a half-smile. “Ever the realist. Take the job, if that’s what you want. You’re right. We’ll still have the nights for us. Just...please don’t start for a couple more days. I’d like to have a little more time with you. I’m asking this as your lover, not as your Domme.”
“Delilah... Mistress.” I reached across the table and placed my hands over hers. “You’re acting as if the job means I’m leaving forever. I’ll still be coming back at night, though I will need us to go pick my car up so I’m not monopolizing your SUV. We’ve still got six weeks left before our time is up.”
“Paige, I—” She snapped her mouth shut as the waitress returned and placed our drinks in front of us.
The rest of our lunch, we chatted, but the atmosphere of our conversations weren’t the same. Delilah smile and spoke, but somehow, I’d lost a part of her and I knew it. I didn’t know why, exactly. All I could tell was that she’d closed off something inside of her. I worried about how to bring her back out of her shell. Did she need time? Would she come back out all on her own eventually? Or was this some magic gesture or phrase I needed to unravel the wall she’d erected between us.
We worked on her commissions, and I refrained from calling Preston. If he had any sense, he’d give me the twenty-four hours I’d stated. Hopefully, he’d allow me to start work the following Monday instead of demanding I return to work instantly. Yes, it’d put production under pressure, but tough. He was the one who’d made the choice to release me from employment to begin with. Let him stew a little.
As the day wore on, I began to fidget so much I started messing up pieces by cutting them too short, or with skewed edges. After the fourth attempt at cutting a length of ribbon, I dropped the roll and my scissors with a frustrated sigh.
“Mistress?”
“Hmmm,” she responded as her hands wove back and forth while she stitched the hem on the slit for Amy’s gown.
“I want to go play at The Black Cuff. Can we?” I asked.
She paused and turned to me with a questioning look on her face. I never asked to go. I still wasn’t quite as comfortable there as I was here. But I thought the distraction would be good for us. Something, anything, to snap her out of this solemn mood that had gripped her so tightly.
“You want to go?” Her words were measured, careful, as if she worried she would send me running with the wrong tone.
I nodded as I met her gaze. “I’d like to check some of the scenes out. See if there’s anything new that catches my interest for us to try. I love the sensation play we do, but I’m feeling adventurous.”
For the first time since I’d come home from the craft store, she flashed me a genuine smile. “Well then, who am I to deny you? Let’s go.”
chapter eighteen
Techno music thumped loudly in the club as we entered and I gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the spiraling, flashing lights. “What on Earth?” I gazed around at the wild, dance club atmosphere.
“Oh, that’s right. Today is Kyle’s birthday.” Delilah glanced at me as she pointed at a Happy Birthday banner hanging from the ceiling. “He tends to throw a party and go a little crazy. It’s a good thing you said we should come. Otherwise, I’d have forgotten.”
“We’ll need to track him down and wish him a happy birthday,” I said.
We walked, hand in hand, to the bar and Amy greeted us with a warm smile. “One water with lemon, and one soda, Mistress?” she asked, nearly yelling to be heard over the music.
“Yes, please,” Delilah said.
Within moments, our drinks sat before us. Amy gestured at the office. “Master Kyle was looking for you earlier. He has some subs who are interested in registering for the auction. He also wanted to run where the proceeds would be donated to by you.”
My Mistress gave her a polite smile with a nod, then turned to me. “I suppose I’d better go tend to that first. I won’t be too long, and then we can go upstairs and play.”
She left and I leaned against the bar, scanning the crowd. There were a few faces I recognized, but I didn’t see my sister. I was hoping to see her so I could catch up with her and tell her about my job being offered back to me. Sipping on my soda and people watching became boring within minutes.
“You need any help with anything?” I asked Amy.
“You don’t have to help,” she said. “It’s not like you’ll get paid for it.”
I waved off her words. “It’s okay. I’m bored and want something to do. What can I do to help?”
She glanced around inside the bar. “I could use a restock on napkins and bottled beer.”
“Gotcha.” I headed off toward the kitchen and the stock rooms.
I knew if Delilah came looking for me, Amy would tell her where I’d went. I pushed the curtain to the kitchen area aside and walked down the small hallway, then veered a left into the room where supplies were kept. I would get the napkins first, stock them, then return for the beer in a moment.
I grabbed a package and walked out, then exited through the curtain. Just before I cleared it completely, an arm snaked out and a hand shackled my wrist. I fell off balance in surprise as my body jerked sideways. The package of napkins fell to the floor. The warmth of a body pressed against me, and I pushed away so I could see who had me.
“Let me go,” I protested as whoever had me whirled around and shoved me against a wall. Their body and arms barred any escape. I bit back the panicked scream that clawed at my throat.
“Teresa misses you,” a familiar voice whispered near my ear. “Your decision not to come with us as made her cry...a few times. I told her she didn’t try hard enough. I wanted you more than I wanted her. But she serves her purpose.”
“Bryce, let me go. I never gave you permission to touch me,” I said, hoping my voice reflected a bravery I didn’t feel. “You can’t touch a sub that doesn’t belong to you.”
“But you should belong to me. There was no bidder seventy-three. I asked, and no one had that number. I was the highest bidder, and you should be serving me.” He squeezed my upper arm tightly and stepped back far enough to glare down at me. I don’t know if it was the anger flashing in his eyes, or the violent promise in his grip, but I suddenly knew he planned to hurt me. He blamed me for his failure to purchase me.
“I belong to Delilah,” I reminded him and wished I could see past him to wave at someone for help. Using my tiptoes, I tried to crane to see, but he moved with me, blocking my sight.
“Oh yes... Delilah.” He nearly spat her name. “Teresa told me all about how you think you don’t like dick. Is that why you play so hard to get? You don’t want my dick in you? I think that’s what you need. A good dose of me to remind you how right it feels. You’ll be begging for it after I’m done with you, just like your bitch ex does now.”
Anger surged through me and I pushed at his chest forcefully as I glared up at him. “You are a dick. That’s why I don’t want you. You’re an arrogant, egotistical prick head.”
The crack of his palm connecting with my cheek registered before the sting did. I blinked at him as tears prickled my eyes. The pain b
rought back flashes of memory and I clenched my jaw as I tried to remind myself this wasn’t my volleyball coach. I’m not a kid. I can handle this. He can’t get away with this.
“You’re a stubborn little bitch, but you’ll be fun to break. It’s sexier than a woman who instantly crumples and gives up. Women like that are weak. Teresa is like that. It only took a couple of times to remind her of her place, and now she eats out of my hand like the little animal she is.” He gazed at me with a smug smile and the anger within flared into a nearly-blind rage.
“You’re a sick, twisted fuck.” I ground the words out slowly so he could hear every single one.
“That kind of talk to a Dom is not acceptable. You need to learn manners.” He drew his hand back again, and I flinched, waiting for the pain of contact.
When it didn’t happen, I opened my eyes to find Delilah standing in front of me. I peered around her and watched as Heath and his sub grabbed Bryce by either arm.
“Get your hands off me,” Bryce yelled loudly. “That bitch is a lying whore. She rigged the auction. The sub is rightfully mine and I’ll treat her how I want.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Heath said. “Mistress Delilah paid the auction fees, and she and her sub have a signed contract. Paige is not your property, and it is against club rules to lay hands on anyone without permission.”
Bryce turned his head to sneer at him. “Like you’re doing now, you fucking fag?”
“What is going on here?” The boom of Kyle’s voice filled the room and the two men released my attacker and stepped back.
“These two bastards attacked me. I demand they apologize at once,” Bryce immediately replied as he smoothed his dress shirt down and glared at Kyle.
My brother-in-law raised an eyebrow at him, then looked at us one by one. He froze when his gaze landed on me. With how much my cheek stung, I knew welts decorated my skin in a loud proclamation of Bryce striking me. Kyle approached me slowly and Delilah stepped out of his way so he could look at me.
The Abduction Agreement (Mistress May I Book 1) Page 15