Awakening Her Racy Passion [Racy Nights 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

Good morning. How is the No Gossip challenge going today?

He had no idea if she was even awake yet. She had to work tonight, so maybe she slept later on those days? It took less than a minute for his answer to arrive.

Good morning yourself. My online class has a group discussion in a few minutes, so I’ve had no human interaction other than your text. So far, no gossip! LOL!

She’d added a few emoticons that made him laugh. Then he texted her back to tell her that he would be sending all her texts about this challenge to Trent as well, and that she should plan on texting them both during these next three days. She agreed, and then she told him she had to log in to the class discussion. He promised to text her later, and then he grinned like an idiot as he read the texts again, twice, before forwarding them to Trent. Friday couldn’t come soon enough.

* * * *

Trent smiled as he walked into the ambulance entrance of Memorial Hospital Wednesday night. Even Paul wouldn’t be able to rattle his cage tonight. He and Wyatt had texted Ria all day, and she was still texting them during her shift at Luke’s Bar. Earlier, just before she’d left for work, she’d sent them both a picture of her wearing a black lace bra and panties. Both men had texted each other, asking if the other had asked her to do that, but they hadn’t. She’d done it on her own.

Trent had to beat off before coming into work because the picture was so fucking hot. He’d texted her afterwards, telling her in graphic detail what he intended to do to her body on Friday night after they were finished introducing her to BDSM play.

Wyatt had sent similar texts, and while at first Trent had to admit it was awkward reading about how his twin intended to suck Ria’s nipples until she begged him to stop, and lick her pussy until she came so many times she didn’t know her own name, the images racing through his head of her naked, lush body, tied up and at their complete mercy while they touched her, licked her, sucked her, and fucked her silly were the most erotic ones he’d ever entertained. He’d have to deal with it in person soon, so he might as well get used to it now.

Friday night couldn’t come soon enough, and Trent and Wyatt both had agreed, via text to each other only, that her sending the picture was proof positive she intended to consent to sex as well on Friday. They also both agreed that even if she lost the challenge, they wouldn’t deny her that. No fucking way.

He and Paul answered a call about a structure fire on Lawnview Drive, which thankfully turned out to be nothing more than property damage. When they arrived, Chad Bristol, one of the Racy detectives, was already on the scene, and shortly afterwards Cameron Sinclair, the fire chief, and Storm Jamison, the fire investigator both showed up. Chad told him and Paul that he’d called Storm and Cameron because the structure that had caught fire was empty and still under construction.

Even though no one had been in the building and he and Paul weren’t needed, Trent hung around to catch up with Chad, Storm, and Cameron, who were all Doms as well. Trent approached Chad first. He stood away from the building, drinking coffee from a thermos as he watched Storm and Cameron poke through the northwest corner of the building where the fire had started. “How is Annalise?”

Chad smiled. “She’s great. Dustin and Hannah might have to hire another vet because Giolanna Design Solutions has done such a great job of marketing the Racy Animal Clinic to all the surrounding farms in three counties.”

“Who is Hannah? I didn’t realize Dustin had help there.”

“Oh yeah. You were gone when he hired her. Hannah Stiles. She’s a Purdue grad like Dustin. He hired her last summer. You heard about the company that Annalise, Gina, and Olivia formed, right?”

Trent nodded. Wyatt had told him about Giolanna Design Solutions, the online marketing, PR and web design company that Annalise Kerr, Gina, and Olivia Kelly, Storm and Cameron’s sub, had started last summer. “So, I guess it’s safe to say it’s doing well?”

“Very well. And, you may not have heard this either, but Olivia is pregnant. She’s due in March. Storm and Cameron practically pop the buttons on their shirts whenever they talk about it.”

“That’s wonderful.” Trent wondered whether he’d ever have what Chad, Cameron, and Storm did. He studied Chad’s profile, wondering how he’d handled sharing Annalise the first time with his best friend, Dustin. Chad and Dustin had always been close. In fact, a lot of Racy residents had teased them about being so close they seemed married, even though they were both straight. And, in fact, Dustin’s ex-wife had cheated on him. If Trent was looking for advice on how to get over a significant other cheating on you, Dustin would be the person to ask.

“This is odd,” said Storm, emerging from the building with Cameron. “I found traces of accelerant, but what I can’t figure out is why the building didn’t go up faster.” He glanced at Chad. “Who called it in?”

Chad shrugged. “It was anonymous. Pre-paid cell so we can’t trace it, and none of us at the station recognized the voice.”

Storm shook his head. “So, whoever set it wanted us to find it, but why? If this was meant to destroy the building, they didn’t do a very good job of it, and they wouldn’t have called it in.”

Chad frowned. “Or it was someone trying to send a message. Pissed-off construction worker, maybe?”

Storm shrugged. “Maybe. We’ll have to check and see if they fired anyone recently. These are all being built by local crews, right? But who hired them?”

“I’ll have Chase and Ellis check on that. They’re the ones who issued the permits.”

Chase Taylor had been Racy’s building commissioner for years, and Trent remembered Wyatt telling him that he’d been instrumental in allowing Kari and Alexa to buy the home they’d renovated and turned into their fetish shop. And Ellis was Racy’s building inspector.

“I just don’t know,” said Storm, shaking his head again. “Something is off about this whole thing. It doesn’t smell right.”

Chad laughed. “Nice pun. Really.”

“It’s not a pun,” said Cameron. “If the bloodhound here says something is off, then something is off.”

Chad took another sip of coffee. “Okay. What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know,” said Storm. “But I will. Give me a few days. In the meantime, we need to seal this. It’s now a crime scene.”

Chad got on his radio and then walked back toward the ambulance with Trent, where Paul was waiting with his arms folded, watching them. “I was sorry to hear about Gerry Homer.”

“Yeah, we all were. I heard that Ned Meyers pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, right?”

Chad nodded. “Yes, he did, but there’s more to this story that I wish we knew. Gerry was mixed up somehow with heavy hitters.”

A shiver ran up and down Trent’s spine as he glanced over his shoulder at the smoldering building. “You think this is connected?”

Chad stopped walking and faced him. “Well, I don’t know for sure, but do you know what they were building here?”

Trent shook his head. This entire block was supposed to be reproductions of Victorian homes like the one that housed Tye Me Up. They wanted to make it an upscale collection of boutique shops and restaurants.

“Pearl Goodman was moving her antiques shop to this block.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. That’s one reaction.”

“Well maybe she’ll have more information for you, then?”

He nodded. “Yep. Guess I’ll have to go and have a long talk with her. The blueprints are in there and they weren’t badly damaged. They were done by a firm in Philly. I’d sure like to know how she found them, and how they’re connected with the people Ned and Gerry were mixed up with.” Chad glanced at Paul, who was pacing now. “Guess you’d better get back before he blows a gasket.”

“He’s a pain in the ass.”

Chad clapped Trent on the back. “I know, but we’re all so glad you’re back in Racy where you belong.”

“Thanks, man. That means a lot. It really does.” Should he say something to Chad about Ria? If she had the support of just a handful of them, the rest might follow. But nothing had happened yet. It wasn’t time to let the cat out of the bag, and it wouldn’t be fair to Ria. They hadn’t discussed that with her yet.

“I hope you’ll be back at Maddox’s club soon.”

He gave Chad a long look. “I might be there soon, but it will be with Wyatt and someone who is interested in exploring the lifestyle.”

Chad raised his eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Who?”

“I can’t say yet. But she’ll need a lot of support and encouragement.”

“You know we’ll all give her that. Just say the word and it’s done.”

Trent shook his hand. “I’ll hold you to that.” He sprinted back toward the bus and climbed in the passenger seat. As Paul drove away, a wave of guilt washed over Trent. He shouldn’t have said anything to Chad. What he’d just done was as bad as the gossiping they were trying to help Ria overcome. Clearly, Chad knew nothing about him and Wyatt being seen out with Ria, or he simply was too much of a grown-up to say so right now.

At any rate, they needed to ask Ria how much she wanted them to reveal to the rest of the community in Racy before he said anything to the others. He wanted to text Wyatt about it, but knew he’d be sleeping, so he made a mental note to do so in the morning.

For now, he’d concentrate on getting through his shift tonight and tomorrow, and then it would be Friday, and that meant he’d be with Ria again.

Ria stopped texting both men about ten because she realized Wyatt had to get up early in the morning, and Trent was at work. She didn’t want to take a chance on having someone Trent worked with see her texts, and she didn’t want to keep Wyatt from getting his sleep. But it was difficult to get through the last two hours of her shift without checking her phone, just in case. Neither of the men she’d dated had paid this much attention to her, and she liked it. She liked it a lot. It made her feel special and sexy.

It reminded her of happier days with her friends when they’d text all the time, but of course this was different. Wyatt and Trent weren’t her girlfriends. Wyatt and Trent were two gorgeous Doms who had promised to make all her fantasies come true. She hadn’t even told Bonnie or Leela yet that she was taking off on Friday to be with them.

She had asked both men earlier if it was all right to let her friends know about Friday, and they both said they were fine with that, as long as she didn’t cross the line into gossip. That had sparked a text conversation about what they defined as “gossip,” and by the end of it, Ria was convinced that talking to her friends or anyone else about a subject other than the weather would be considered gossip by those two, so she hadn’t said a word about Friday to anyone.

This was going to kill her, but it would be so worth it. And, she had asked for this. She had no one to blame but herself. She loved it that they wanted to help her with this aspect of her personality, but she also realized for the first time just how much hard work it was going to be.

* * * *

On Thursday morning, Ria woke up too early to the sound of text messages, but she didn’t mind because she assumed they were from Wyatt and Trent. Trent had texted her to say goodnight before he went to sleep for the day, and Wyatt had texted her to say good morning, and to let her know he’d be tied up in court most of the afternoon. He also asked her if she’d thought anymore about talking to Marisol.

She had, but she had also hoped that he or Trent would ease the way for her first. Realizing that they’d already told her this was her job to do, she got out of bed and took a long shower, mentally going over in her mind what she might say to Marisol.

Marisol still worked as a court reporter, but Leela said she only worked a few days a week now. Ria texted Leela to ask if Marisol was at work that day, and Leela called her within seconds of the text going through, as Ria had anticipated she would.

“You finally going to talk to her?”

“Yes.”

“What prompted this?”

“Nothing in particular.” Ria hated lying to one of her best friends, but she knew if she started down that path, the conversation would get out of hand. Once she proved to the guys that she could refrain from gossiping for three days, they could talk specifically about what she could or could not say to Leela and Bonnie.

“She’s off today. Want me to come over and help you talk to her? I have some vacation time I can take.”

“No. Thanks, but I have to do this myself.”

“Good luck. Ria, I’m proud of you, girl. Just wanted you to know that.”

Ria blinked back tears. “Thank you.”

“Call me later and tell me how it went.”

“I will.” She probably wouldn’t, at least not until she asked Wyatt and Trent if that would be considered gossiping. Ria stared at her phone for ten minutes while her mind tried to conjure up every excuse not to call Marisol, all the way from the fact that if she was off today she was probably still in bed with Ellis, or maybe even both Rafe and Ellis, to the fact that Marisol might bitch her out and then disconnect the call. But Ria knew Marisol wouldn’t do that. She might be cold, but she wouldn’t bitch her out.

Finally, with trembling fingers, she pushed the button in her contact list. She’d never taken Marisol’s number out of it. Marisol answered on the second ring, her voice hesitant.

“It’s me.” Ria rolled her eyes. She knew who it was. Chances were high that Marisol hadn’t deleted her contact information either. “I was hoping we could talk. About last summer.” Ria took a deep breath when Marisol didn’t answer. Her palms were sweaty and her heart pounded. She pictured Wyatt’s face and Trent’s sexy grin. She could do this. “I want to apologize, but not over the phone.”

“Oh…okay. Um…hang on.”

Ria listened to muffled voices, but couldn’t tell if one of them belonged to her oldest brother. When Marisol came back on the line, her voice sounded hopeful, and Ria had to blink back tears again. “When would you like to talk, and where? Ellis will drive me, but he won’t listen to our conversation.”

“How about Luke’s Bar? We can go upstairs. Peppi won’t be there right now. Ellis can wait downstairs or come up, too, if he wants.” At this point, Ria didn’t care if Ellis overheard them. In fact, if he did, he might take the conversation back to everyone else, and that would be good for her.