Dominion Trust Series - Vol.1 (69 page)

Nathan looked left and shifted lanes, the brittle clicking of the blinker loud in the cab. “I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d give him a hand.”

“I see. Just in the neighborhood — in the middle of nowhere?”

Nathan stayed silent, frowning.

“You must have dogs,” Keihl said. “Show them or something?”

“Dogs?”

Keihl hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Yeah. That’s a dog cage back there, right?”

Nathan looked back over his shoulder. “Oh — dogs. Uh, yeah.”

Keihl wasn’t sure he liked the quick twitch of Nathan’s mouth.

“So tell me about the Dominion Trust. You guys must be doing pretty well, floating all that money for part of Tom’s down like that. What is it into? Real estate? Must be hurting right now, if it is.”

“It’s actually very diversified, got interests in a lot of areas.”

“Even transportation, apparently?” Keihl smacked Nathan on the arm with his knuckles, grinning.

Nathan smiled back. “Oh sure.”

Time to take another tack.

“You got a family? A girl maybe?”

Nathan gave a quick nod. “A girl.”

“Yeah? How long?”

Nathan braked suddenly, cursing as a car merged into his lane too closely. He glanced at Keihl. “Pretty serious. Been together — wow, five years now?”

“You gonna marry her?”

“We’re already committed.”

Keihl rubbed his chin. It was turning into an interrogation, and he was getting nowhere. He was tired. Slipping into the cool sheets of his bed, and pressing himself against his wife’s warm, naked body sounded very nice indeed. He was looking at a vicious hangover in the morning though.

They rode in silence the rest of the way into the city. When the truck pulled up to Keihl’s house, Nathan held out a business card to him. “Been a pleasure, Mr. Warren. You ever need a lift, or just help with anything. Anything at all. You call me.”

The card read: “Nathan Graham” with his phone number beneath the embossed blocky lettering of The Dominion Trust.

“Uh okay, that’s — kind of you, Nathan.” Keihl took the card and shook Nathan’s hand. “I’ll keep ya in mind.”

It was fucking weird, but it was the perfect fitting capper to a truly weird night.

“Goodnight, Nathan. Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime, Mr. Warren. We’ll have your car delivered to you in the morning.”

“No, no. That’s not necessary.”

Nathan held up his hand. “Already done, sir. Mr. Forster gave clear direction on that. Have a good night.”

Keihl waved as the Hummer pulled away, then looked down at the card.

Fucking weird, all right.

Chapter Six

“S
o… what did you think of it?” Joely’s voice was the low, urgent whisper of a conspirator.

Kirsten shrugged. “It was okay, I guess.”

Joely’s slim eyebrows lifted. “Just
okay
? What was wrong with it? Everybody I’ve loaned that thing to didn’t want to give it back.”

Kirsten opened the menu, but couldn’t decide what to order. How could she tell Joely? She couldn’t. Not really. “I don’t know. It was fine — just didn’t really do it for me.”

Joely smiled, combing her fingers through her blonde ponytail. “Too kinky for you?”

Oh, if you only knew, Joely.

Kirsten looked up over her menu. “I don’t know about that. It just didn’t seem… real.”

“It’s fiction, honey. It’s not supposed to be
real
. Most of the girls who’ve read it wanted to jump their husbands afterward though. It’s that good.”

“Not really a problem with us.”

“Really? You guys are hardly ever home at the same time. Got a long distance romance thing going?”

“He’s home enough. We find the time, believe me.” Kirsten winked.

Their waiter walked up to the table. “Can I get you ladies something to drink? A glass of wine perhaps?” He was a young guy, maybe nineteen or twenty at the most. Kirsten felt like a cradle-robber for noticing the width of his shoulders and his clear blue eyes. She needed to think about something else.

“Nothing for me, thanks.” Kirsten said, waving her hand.

“Wine would be great.” Joely looked up at him through long lashes. “A Riesling? Whatever you have is fine.”

“Great. Be right back with that.”

She watched Joely’s eyes home in on the kid’s butt like a radar-guided missile.

“Ho,
damn
. Very nice,” Joely whispered, grinning at Kirsten.

“You need to get laid, Jo.”

“Oh stop it, you old lady. He’s cute! They know they get checked out. It’s good for their tips.”

“Horndog.”

Joely laughed. “So seriously, what about that book didn’t — um — do it for you?”

Kirsten wanted to tell her. She really did. But how do you tell your friend that the supposedly racy BDSM erotic romance she’d lent her was too…
tame
?

“Maybe I’m just weird. The heroine just seemed — I don’t know. Should we be talking about this here?”

Joely looking around, her hand waving at the crowded tables nearby. The huge rock on her finger sparkled in the muted light of the restaurant. “Who cares if they can hear us? We’re grown women. Nothing to be ashamed of, right?”

“Joely, stop. Lower your voice, at least.”

She was the boisterous to Kirsten’s reserved, the frivolous to Kirsten’s sober. She wasn’t sure how they’d become friends. Sometimes opposites did attract after all. Kirsten loved her friend, loved her fearlessness and outspoken ways. She appreciated those qualities most… because she’d never ascribe them to herself. Quite the opposite, actually.

“Fine, fine mom.” Joely kicked her foot under the table. “Was it the spanking? Too much?”

“Joely,
shit
.” Kirsten rubbed her eyebrow. “Not so loud.”

“Was it because he tied her up? That’s pretty standard now, you know.”

“I don’t read the kind of books you do, apparently. Perv.”

Joely snorted. “Please. You need to get with it, Kirsten. There are some — let’s say,
fringe benefits
, to reading this shit.”

Kirsten shook her head. “I can only imagine.”

“When I read that thing, I called Kevin and told him to come home. Now.”

The waiter returned with the wine. “You ladies ready, or do you need a couple more minutes?”

They ordered, and Kirsten watched Joely’s predatory eyes roving over the young man’s ass once again as he left. It was a nice ass, she had to admit.

Slut.

“Kevin would just love to see you checking out guys like that.
Love
it.”

“Whatever,” Joely said. “What do you think guys do when the wives aren’t around? It sure as hell ain’t talking about football.”

Kirsten smiled, taking a drink of her water. How did she tell her friend about The Game? The one-upsmanship, the daring? She’d seen a new side of Keihl in the past month, and God, she wanted more of it. So much more of it. Now with the baby on the way, things might change. They’d have to, right?

“Earth to Kirsten,” Joely said, waving a hand in front of her face.

“Sorry, Jo. Mind wandering, I guess.”

Joely lowered her voice. “It’s the baby, isn’t it? Worried?”

“A little. It wasn’t exactly planned, and things have been so good. So good.”

Her friend’s wicked grin returned. “Keihl’s been laying it down?”

“What are you ‘street’ now?”

“Bitch, please.”

Kirsten laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “Yeah, he’s been — yeah, it’s been really good.”

Joely sat back, sipping from her wine. “Get it while you can, girl, because the first trimester
sucks
.”

“Was that how you were with Kaitlyn?”

“Don’t you remember?” Joely grimaced. “I so much as looked at food and I was retching.”

“Probably not a good time, Joely.” Kirsten looked around at the people seated nearby.

“Sorry, right.”

Kirsten hadn’t been sick at all, but then she was essentially only a little over a month along. Her OB had warned her that by the beginning of the third month she’d likely not be feeling so well.

“Do you remember Kelly Hartwood?” Joely asked, pointing at Kirsten.

“Um, yeah I think so. She was a grade behind us, right?”

Joely reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She punched a few keys on the phone then handed it to Kirsten.

“That picture is from two days ago.” Joely said, her eyes wide.

“Holy crap. She looks — great!”

“I know. The bitch. How is that even possible?”

Dishes crashed in the kitchen at the far end of the seating area, and both women flinched.

“Didn’t she have a bunch of kids?”

Kirsten smiled, placing her hand on her still flat belly.

“I did a little social media check and the number I saw was
five
.”

“Five? And she looks like that?” Kirsten handed the phone back to Joely. “She must have sold her damned
soul
to look that good after five kiddos.”

“Just think how often they must fuck to get her knocked up five times.”

“Jesus, Jo.” Kirsten shook her head.

“A shitload. I’ll bet he was on her twenty four seven.”

“Well, he was on her at least five times, anyway.”

“I showed her picture to Kevin,” Joely said, “He told me about her husband being part of some clean living society. Can’t remember what it was called, but he said it was all about living as purely as possible. No drugs, no booze.”

“No birth control either, apparently.”

Joely’s peal of laughter was loud even over the din of the crowded restaurant.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m one to talk, right?”

“Pfft, whatever.” Joely ran her hand through her long blonde hair. “She deserves it. Too perfect, really.”

“You’ve had two and look how you’ve turned out, Jo.”

Her friend’s smile faded. “Too bad it’s not noticed.”

“What?” Kirsten frowned. “Trouble? Is it Kevin?”

Joely nodded, looking away a moment. “Since Kaitlyn, things have been… rough.”

“You guys fighting?”

Kirsten hated fighting. She just wanted harmony in her marriage. She’d grown up in a household with constantly fighting parents, and even though they still loved one another, fighting was just her parents’ way. Their way or not, Kirsten had vowed she’d never live that way again. So far, she’d gotten what she wanted with Keihl, and she hoped the new baby wouldn’t change things — even though she knew a baby would change
everything
.

“He just — I don’t know, Kirsten.” Joely set down her wine. “Do I look good? Hot?”

“If I was a dude, I would
so
do you.”

“You going lesbian on me?” Joely’s smile was bittersweet, but Kirsten was glad to see it.

“Why did you ask that?” Kirsten thought her friend was stunning. If anything she was a little envious of Joely’s blonde California girl good looks. So unlike her own dark haired, dark eyed paleness.

“I — oh hell, I might as well say it.” Joely brushed her fingers across her lips. “Kevin’s hardly touched me since Kaitlyn was born.”

“Not at all? Shit Jo, that’s awful. What’s going on?”

Joely shook her head. “No, we’ve done it a few times, but it was… rushed. Like he was getting it over with.”

“Oh hon, I’m so sorry.” Kirsten reached out and clasped Joely’s hand. “Why?”

“I think it was from when I was pregnant. He didn’t want to have sex, especially once I started getting bigger.” Joely looked around, her voice almost a whisper. “I think he thought he was going to break me, or something. Said he didn’t want to hurt me or the baby. All I wanted him to do was touch me, screw my brains out. Anything.”

“Really? Seriously?”

Joely nodded, her gaze firing with the memory. “Especially the second trimester. It was all I could think about. Don’t you remember how I was?”

Kirsten giggled. “A little. You were reading smut non-stop.”

“That part didn’t stop after Kaitlyn,” Joely said with a wry grin. “I don’t even want to think how many batteries I went through.”

“That bad? Kevin just checked out?”

Joely nodded, sipping her wine, the memory of the hurt still obvious in her eyes.

Kirsten hoped,
prayed
, Keihl wouldn’t lose interest once she started showing. She knew she’d need him to show that he still desired her, still valued her. She knew it was stupid, going against all the feminist ideals drilled into her from an early age, but there was something inside her that needed it. If she was going to carry a man’s baby, she needed to know more than ever that her man loved her, still lusted after her.