by JP Sayle
“—so you see, I’m worried that he only said he loved me because he is feeling guilty for taking Glenn’s side.”
“Right, first off, I’ve only met Boyd once at the new bar, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who’d say something he didn’t mean. I also know you, and you’re really good at sizing people up. I’m pretty sure you’re letting Glenn’s dickish behaviour cloud your judgement. Unless there’s something else you’re not telling me?”
I sighed and recounted what had happened the first time Boyd had seen me dressed as a little.
“Hang on, are you saying he doesn’t want you to act little? Because if that’s the case, bin him.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at how indignant Adam got on my behalf. “No, he…he asked for some time to think about what it all meant. Things progressed between us when he asked me to move into his house.”
“Fuck, he’s a fast worker,” Adam stated, his eyes full of wonder.
“Nah, it wasn’t quite like that. He saw the state of my bathroom and wasn’t at all happy with me staying in a ‘death trap,’ as he put it.”
“He’s right,” said Adam, giving a dramatic shudder.
I rolled my eyes at him. “It was only when I moved into his place that things between us really changed. He’s really caring when I’m little.” I sucked in a deep breath before stating in a rush, “I love him, I’m scared he’ll wake up and realise it was all just a fad, and I’ll be left with a broken heart. My parents never really bothered to show their love for me. Boyd, god, the way he is with me. Shit, he has the power to crush me.” As I confessed to the power Boyd held over me, I acknowledged the part of me that was terrified that I wouldn’t be enough for him.
All humour fled from Adam’s expression as he placed his hand on my thigh. “Parents…well, I can empathise with you there, mine aren’t going to win any awards for parent of the year.”
I cringed when I recalled they hadn’t come to the wedding. “Shit, I’m sorry for bringing that up.”
“No, it’s fine, Carl shows me every day how loveable I am. That being me is okay. My question to you, does Boyd do the same for you?”
I was nodding before I even had time to really consider Adam’s question. My head and heart were in total accord.
“Then kick Glenn’s arse right out of your head and let your heart lead you where it wants to go. Because once you let go, I promise you won’t regret it.” His eyes brightened as he spoke.
Was it that easy? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to try, because the one thing I did know was that Boyd was worth fighting for.
Chapter Fifteen
Boyd
“When is Phil coming?” Brett whispered, his gaze moving furtively around the room.
I didn’t sigh, but it was a close call. He’d become so suspicious of everyone, it was hard to get him to listen to reason some days.
“Phil said he’d come at four when the men knock off. I got the impression he might have some news that requires privacy.” I shrugged, not sure what he’d found. The original time for the meeting had been changed with a cryptic message this morning.
Brett glanced around the busy room before he met my gaze. “Whoever is fucking with us better be prepared for hell to rain down on them when I find out who the fuck they are.”
“Hold your horses, Rocky. All we’ll be doing is reporting it to the police. We don’t need any more fucking drama.”
“What drama?” Nathan questioned, moving silently towards us. It never failed to surprise me how such a big man could move so quietly.
I cursed and looked about. Had anyone else heard me speaking? Seeing everyone was busy, I answered Nathan in a hushed voice. “Phil might have some info on who is messing with us. He’s coming at four this afternoon. You free then?”
His blond brows rose, and his expression became thoughtful. “Should be fine. I’ve nothing scheduled and Lenny is working at the restaurant this evening so I’m home alone.” Nathan glanced about the room. “Want to walk me through and talk about what’s outstanding.” When he glanced back at me, his mouth was pinched.
“Yeah, we’ll start in the kitchen. I think Lenny is going to cream his pants when he sees the new fitted ovens.”
Nathan’s face morphed into a stunning smile. “Lead on. He’s been desperate to come down and see how it’s progressing, but I’ve told him he needs to wait till it’s complete so he can get the full effect.”
We chatted as we walked through to the kitchen, Brett following and chipping in with the list of jobs that had been completed, and the ones that remained outstanding. Nathan didn’t point out the obvious, that it was only two weeks to opening night and the outstanding jobs list was larger than any of us would like.
Thankfully, there’d been no new setbacks last week while I’d been working on site at Sawyer’s, but I had an unnerving feeling that whoever was fucking with us wasn’t finished. When Nathan left later with a promise to be back at four, I went to tackle the tilers to see why the restrooms weren’t finished.
Time seemed to pass in a flash and the next thing I knew, I heard my name being called by Phil. I placed the electrical screwdriver down and checked my watch. Fuck, it can’t be four already! I swiped at my sweaty brow as I walked over to the completed bar he was leaning against, holding a thick file in one hand.
His pewter eyes surveyed the room and then came back to me. His dark hair was cropped in a military style and showed off his strong features. There was something about him that screamed ‘don’t mess with me’ and, not for the first time, I wondered what he’d done while he was in the military. He was well over six feet and though not overtly muscular, he appeared physically fit. His tendency was to wear black and today was no different. His black jacket matched the canvas trousers that had numerous pockets.
“Will the men be leaving soon?” asked Phil when I stopped in front of him.
I glanced back, seeing that the men were showing no signs yet of packing up. Had Brett offered overtime? My brow furrowed when I searched the room and didn’t immediately see Brett. I scratched my chin.
“They should be packing up, hang on.” I took a couple of steps into the centre of the room and hollered, “Packing up time, guys.” The sounds of drills, saws, hammers, and talking ceased for a brief second before the men started to gather their tools and tidy while the sound of talking increased.
When I glanced back at Phil, Brett appeared from the back room behind the bar, his face grimy with dirt and what looked like grease. “What have you been doing?”
Seeing his lips pursing and a glint of anger appearing in his eyes when he looked at the men behind me, I kept quiet, not wanting to deal with his anger in front of the men.
As the room emptied, I led Phil to a completed booth and indicated he should take a seat just as Nathan appeared. Within minutes we were all sat, and the room was finally quiet. Tension rolled off Brett, who’d opted to perch on a workbench he’d pulled up.
“What’s happened?” I asked resignedly.
Brett growled low in his throat and ran his hands through his filthy hair. “Someone poured fuck knows what down the drains. It blocked them good and proper, and it was only when the tiler alerted me to the fact he couldn’t get the sink to empty, that I went to have a look.” He got up and stalked in front of the booth, agitation showing in every step he took. “We were planning to run the water through the heating systems tonight and the overflow pipe would have been sat flooding the fucking place.”
“You’re fucking kidding me!” Nathan’s voice sounded deadly as he glared at Brett.
“Fuck’s sake!” I ground out through clenched teeth. My jaw throbbed with how hard I was working to keep control of my anger.
Phil opened the file he’d held and tapped at the paper, bringing our attention to him. “Your guy on site wreaking havoc is Fredrick Gale. From what I can see, he’s been with you about a year. He’s been texting and receiving emails from Glenn Maidstone—”
“You’v
e got to be fucking kidding me!” The strangled voice sounded nothing like me as my heart violently hammered against my ribs.
Brett’s face went a vibrant shade of red as Nathan remained stoically silent.
Phil continued as if I hadn’t interrupted him. “The correspondence started about six months ago. It would appear Glenn met Fredrick on one of your work nights out. They’ve been texting ever since. The emails started not long after. It appears Fredrick has a bit of a gambling problem and was an easy target…”
As I listened, I didn’t need to do the maths for when Glenn had started to enlist Fred’s help to sabotage my business. The timeline fitted perfectly from when I started to do some research on the internet to spice up our sex life. A snippet of the conversation we’d had when Glenn had left me floated through my head, making total sense now. He’d thrown out an insulting barb about my searches on the internet. Why hadn’t I questioned his snooping? He’d no need to use my computer, as he had his own.
The silence around the table penetrated through my misery and I glanced at the men staring at me.
“You okay?” Nathan’s face showed more concern than I deserved.
“Not really. It’s not every day you learn that the guy you dated for four years has been secretly working to discredit you. To try and ruin your business. The same business that was paying for everything he wanted.” The anger fought past the devastation and betrayal as I struggled to sit still.
I stared at Nathan. “I’m so fucking sorry, if you want to find someone else to finish the project I’ll fully understand.”
Nathan placed a hand on my arm and squeezed. “Why the fuck would I do that? You’ve worked your fucking arse off.” His other arm swept the room. “This place is everything I wanted and so much more because of your input into the design and planning. Your ex is the issue, and whoever the hell Fredrick is. Deal with them. Then work on completing on time. That will be the biggest ‘fuck you’ to the pair of them.”
Brett finally stopped pacing and grinned for the first time since we sat down, pointing at Nathan. “What he said but with one exception. I want to deal with Fred, the fucking little weasel. If he thinks he can fuck with me, he’s going to find out differently.”
“Stop, we do this the right way. We’ve enough shit to deal with without the police pressing charges and my best foreman ending up in prison,” I stated firmly.
“Alright, but I get to tell him he’s fucking fired when the police come to arrest him.” Brett sounded far from placated, but I’d known him for years, so I knew he’d stick to his word.
“Let me go through these emails and the traces I’ve put in place. I’ve also created a dummy website for your business so when Glenn hacks in, he will only access that from now on. You shouldn’t have any more problems.” Phil stated as if it were nothing, while he pulled out several pieces of paper that I could see were copies of emails.
Had my search for something more caused all these problems? Look what it gave you.
A vivid image of Sawyer’s face this morning popped into my head as he’d offered up his lips for a kiss before he’d set aside being Little to get ready for work. Would I want to change back to how things had been before? My breath caught in the back of my throat at the very idea.
No, what I had was worth fighting for.
“Let’s do it. The sooner I get this monkey off my back the better.”
Chapter Sixteen
Sawyer
The double shift I’d opted to do on my first day back at work left me feeling drained. My chat with Adam had buoyed me but now, as I eyed the phone I held, I wasn’t feeling as confident. Would Boyd come and pick me up? Of course he would. At the far too obvious answer, I rolled my eyes and hit dial once I’d found Boyd’s number.
After the fourth ring, I was starting to worry, but then a flustered sounding Boyd answered. “Hello, Sawyer? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just knackered and was ringing to see if you’d come and pick me up.”
“Yes, of course,” he answered. There was the sound of muffled conversation before he carried on, “I should be with you in about twenty minutes.”
When he hung up, I got the impression something wasn’t right.
“You gonna help with the set up for tomorrow? Some of us have places to be,” Scott said from the doorway of the locker room.
Heat flooded my face as I shoved my phone back into my rucksack. I gave him a sheepish smile, knowing he’d also pulled a double so had to be feeling as tired as me. “Sorry, I was just ringing Boyd to see if he’d come and get me.” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “I’m knackered.”
“You’ve just had a week off, how can you be knackered?” Scott returned my grin, his face glowing as he threaded his arm through mine as we walked back into the restaurant to finish setting the tables for the next day.
I rested my head on his shoulder. “I worked on the house with the workmen. It’s bloody hard graft building a house.”
“But just think how it will be worth it when you move in,” Scott enthused as he rubbed at my head before stepping away and releasing my arm.
The very idea of leaving Boyd’s home left me with palpitations. With yesterday still playing on my mind, my feelings for Boyd had never strayed far from my thoughts. One thing was certain, after my talk with Adam, I was ready to confess how I felt.
“Come on lazy bones, the quicker we get done the sooner we can leave. Luke is coming to get me in”—he checked his wristwatch— “ten minutes.” His happy grin was back in place at the mention of his boyfriend.
I went to the trolley housing all the glassware, clean tablecloths, napkins, and cutlery. “How are things with you and Luke now?” Scott and Luke had a rocky start to their relationship but from what I could see, Scott had never been happier.
“I’ve moved into his and god, he’s such a great Daddy. Some days I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s all real.” Scott continued to set up the tables as I stood staring at him.
“Did he ask you to move in?”
Scott glanced up, his hand pausing as he went to place a glass down. “He did, but it was kinda mutual. We couldn’t bear to be apart and how else would he be able to go Daddy on me if I’m living somewhere else?” He shrugged as he placed the glass down, then his gaze moved to me. “Do you want to live with Boyd?”
At his tentative question, I nodded. “His house is amazing, and I know mine will be too when it’s finished.” My teeth raked over my bottom lip. “Thing is, my house won’t be a home unless it’s got Boyd in it.” As the words came out of my mouth, it struck how true they were. When was the last time I’d visualised my home with me in it?
When I came up empty, I frowned at Scott. “I’m not sure…I want to move into it.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. “You’ll figure it out. Boyd seems like a decent guy, and from what you’ve mentioned, he wants to make you happy. Talk to him. It’s hard, I know, but opening up about shit really helps. Take it from me.” He sighed and his eyes clouded with sorrow before it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Shit, why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut today? First Adam and now Scott! “Sorry,” I mumbled when I remembered all the hassle Scott had been through when he’d found out Luke had done some crazy shit to his ex.
“Don’t be sorry, stuff happens,” Scott stated, clearly understanding what I was apologising for. “We’re cool, and I’ve never been happier.”
We finished laying the tables in a companionable silence. Scott skipped to the locker room to retrieve his things when Luke appeared. With a shout of goodbye, I waved them off before going into the kitchen. With ten minutes to kill, I figured I’d check if there was anything else I could do.
When Carl, the head chef, all but pushed me back out of the kitchen when Adam came in wearing a sexy smirk, I went willingly. There was no way I wanted to witness what the pair were going to get up to. Sometimes the noises that came from the locker room when they
went in there together were hotter than an electrical paint stripper.
Clutching my bag as I left through the front of the restaurant, I locked the door behind me and went to retrieve my bicycle. I stood next to it and waited in the carpark for Boyd to arrive.
I inhaled the night air and was disappointed when all I could scent was car fumes. The flash of headlights hit me before Boyd’s truck came to a standstill. I’d hardly taken a step before Boyd was out of the cab and wrapping his beefy arms around me. He clung on to me for a minute, burying his nose in my hair.
What was this about?
A sense of unease threaded through me when Boyd eventually looked at me. His face was drawn and there were deep lines of strain around his eyes. “Are you alright?” He’d only talked a little about the mishaps at work and I worried something else had happened.
He shook his head. “I need cuddles with my Angel boy first. Let’s go home.” At the casual way he referred to his home as if it were mine too, my heart swelled.
I left my questions for now and let him help fasten my seatbelt. On our way home, the silence between us continued. I rested my hand on his thigh, offering my support. When his hand settled over the top of mine, giving it a squeeze, the knots in my stomach eased a little.
At the warmth inside the truck, the long day, and the lack of sleep from the night before, my eyelids became too heavy to hold open.
A waft of cool air and the scent of flowers tickled my nose. My eyelids drifted open as Boyd lent over me and unbuckled my seatbelt. He reached in, his arm going under my legs as his hand went around my back. I didn’t protest as he whispered in my ear, “Hold on to me.”
Doing as I was told, I rested my head on his shoulder as he stood straight and adjusted me slightly after he’d shut the door. The lights flashed and then darkness surrounded us.
As he reached the steps, we were temporarily blinded by the security lights, then he chuckled, and his hot breath hit my cheek.