Red Hots (27 page)

“We
didn’t have a hand free to reach for the phone.” Hanson looked back as the
phone started ringing. “Which has been going off as much as the bell on the door.”

“Well,
we’ll get everyone served.” Masaun glanced around at all the people picking in
the store, grabbing the boxed candies like they were on sale.

Hanson
stepped up to him and dropped his voice. “If you could field all
the…um…bondage…um, you know, questions?”

Glancing
at his male employee, Masaun saw the shifting of the young man’s gaze and
fiddling of his hands around a roll of receipt tape. Evidently people had been
asking Hanson and Connie questions about BDSM that probably shocked and freaked
them both a little. He’d have to remember to have a meeting tonight once the
store cleared and explain their lifestyle to Hanson and Connie, not to train
them, but so they would be comfortable in knowing they weren’t working with
psychos.

 “I’ll
take care of them. By the way, Hanson, if you or Connie see the woman
distributing fliers again, call the police.”

Sighing
then smiling, Hanson said, “Phew, thanks, Masaun.” He went back to his job at
the register.

Masaun
turned to the crowd. “Welcome to Decadent Treats, how can we serve your sweet
tooth?”

~YH~

“What
is going on?” Emmalee stepped in and gave her a hug.

Returning
the embrace, Kindle said, “No emergency. Sorry if I scared you.”

“A
little.” Emmalee stepped away. “As long as you’re okay, it’s all good.”

“I
ordered from Pasha Mezze. Care for some?” Kindle led the way into the kitchen
where the take-out containers were arranged on her counter.

“I
sure will.”

Kindle
made her own plate, piling it with hummus, jasmine rice and spinach
borek
,
while Emmalee called Razor to let him know she’d arrived safely and tell him
what they were having. As he told her what she could have, Emmalee scooped it
onto her plate. When that was done, she told him she loved him and hung up.

It
wasn’t long ago, Kindle would have rolled her eyes internally at the ‘permissive’
kind of call. However, being with Masaun, she understood her best friend a lot
more. Even though Kindle never wanted that level of submission, a 24/7 kind,
she no longer mocked her friend’s relationship. Razor loved and adored Emmalee
and Emmalee was happy and that was all that counted. Kindle only wished that
someone loved and desired her in the same manner. Not wanting to think about
the faux relationship she’d had with Masaun, she focused on the situation at
hand.

“Let’s
take it to the living room.”

“Really?
Like eating casually while we chat?” Emmalee teased.

“Maybe.”
Kindle grabbed her water and plate then went to the front room.

“What
in the hell have you done with my best friend.” Emmalee trailed behind her, her
plate filed with stuffed eggplant, Mediterranean salad and a quinoa cake.

“I
may have to rethink my offer of food,” she threatened.

Emmalee
pulled her plate close to her chest as she sat on the other end of the couch.
“I apologize.”

They
ate for a moment. Kindle felt the guilt of her treatment of her friend over the
last week. “I’m actually the one that owes you an apology, Em.”

“No,
you don’t, Kin. I’m just glad you’re all right. Master and I were concerned for
you. Then when I saw the paper the next day I wanted to find that damn weasel
of a reporter and beat the shit out of him.” Emmalee speared some of her salad
onto her fork.

“You
and me both.”

“He
had the nerve to try and ask us questions. He doesn’t know the people at The
Dollhouse don’t talk. That’s why he had to put that bogus internet dribble in
his report.”

“I
wish he had not put information about Decadent Treats in his report. He could
have just stuck with me.” Knowing how she’d brought disgrace to not only the
dungeon, which was built around confidentiality, but Masaun’s business as well
shamed her. These people had trusted her and she’d brought reporters to their
doorstep.

Emmalee
reached across the couch and placed a hand on her knee. “It’s not your fault.
No one blames you. I’m sure that’s what Dom Hawk has told you.”

Kindle
looked away and continued eating her food.

“Kin.
He has told you you’re not to blame, right?” Concern filled Emmalee’s voice.

“I
haven’t talked to him.”

“Since
when?”

Silent
again, Kindle stared down at her food.

“Oh,
Kin. Not since that night. Tell me that isn’t true.”

“I
had too much on my plate to worry about.” Kindle set her plate on the coffee
table and picked up her water. She didn’t feel hungry any more.

“You
can’t go a week without speaking to your Dom.”

Standing,
Kindle said, “He’s not my Dom, Em.”

Setting
her food down, Emmalee asked, “Since when?”

“Since
always.” She stared down at her friend. “I told you from the beginning, this
was only temporary. The trial is over now, and that’s all we agreed upon.”

“Kin,
you can’t be serious?” Emmalee rose.

Kindle
moved around the table, needing space. She felt her chest tighten and she felt
warm. Lifting the glass, she drank half her water.

“Talk
to me. Help me understand, because I recall when you came to our house and you were
a mess that day after court. You said you
needed
Dom Hawk and you wanted
to show him you were alright in his world.”

Shaking
her head, Kindle glanced over at her friend, “Perhaps I was too presumptuous.
Over this last week while I’ve been trying to get my life in order, I recalled
that Masaun isn’t the fight for love kind of guy.”

Walking
to her, Emmalee stood in front of her. “What are you talking about? I saw the
way he looked at you when he escorted you from the dungeon. The hurt in his
eyes when you just drove away. If that’s not a committed man, what is?”

“You
only know the trainer, not the man in a relationship. His last submissive left
him for her job and he didn’t even go after her and they were together a lot
longer than he and I.”

Emmalee
reached out and took hold of her arms. “Time doesn’t matter. How you feel
does.”

“Maybe
I don’t feel anything.”

Dropping
her hands, Emmalee stared at her. “Or maybe you’re feeling too much and it’s
scaring the shit out of you.” She shrugged. “You keep talking about Masaun not
being the fighter. What about you? Where’s your fight?”

“You
expect me to go after some man that doesn’t want me?” Kindle threw her hands up
and let them fall hard against the side of her thighs.

“Not
some man. Your Dom.” Emmalee placed her hands on her hips and stared at Kindle.
“Since I’ve known you, I’ve watched you pour every ounce of your energy into
your career. Why don’t you pretend being Masaun’s submissive is the career of a
lifetime.”

Biting
her bottom lip, Kindle gazed at her friend and asked, “What if he turns me
away?”

“What
if he doesn’t?” Emmalee turned and walked back to the couch. Taking up the same
position, she picked up her plate and started eating, leaving Kindle to her own
thoughts.

Kindle
realized she had been avoiding Masaun for one reason, she was afraid. Afraid
that she was the one who broke their agreement and fell in love with him. She’d
never failed at anything she tried to achieve in her life, now her best friend
was telling her to risk it all, put her heart on the line. Even as petrified as
the thoughts made her, Kindle knew she had no choice if she wanted to truly be
happy.

You
looked happy. Out of everything I’ve ever seen of you, nothing compared to the
joy captured on your face in that kiss,
her mother had said to her. Kindle hated to admit it,
but Beatrice had been right. In that moment, in Masaun’s arms, she’d felt
unspeakable joy.

“Thanks,
Em.” Kindle returned to the couch.

“It’s
what friends are for—loyalty, understanding, bitching you out when you’re being
pigheaded—just the basics.” Emmalee smiled as she brought her water to her
lips.

Kindle
laughed. “Well, now that you’ve gotten me on the right course with my
relationship, which do you want to hear about next…me resigning from my job or
my mother showing up at my house?”

Emmalee
started choking and sputtering water all over the place.

Patting
Emmalee’s back, Kindle stared at her friend. “You all right?”

“Are
you trying to kill me?” She wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.

Rising
from the couch, Kindle went to the kitchen for a paper towel. “No, just looking
for some of that loyalty, understanding and bitchiness you were just preaching
about.

Emmalee
stuck her tongue at her then coughed some more. “See if I come…again…in your
hour of need.”

Bringing
the napkin back to her friend she smiled. “You will, because you love me.”

“Not
so much anymore.” Emmalee wiped her mouth and hand then took another drink,
slowly. “Now tell me about the stranger that came to your door.”

~YH~

 “Mr.
Langston?”

 “So,
you’re the man attempting to ruin my daughter’s career?” The tall, dark skinned
man rose behind his desk.

Masaun
stared at the lofty man before him. He had known deciding to see Kindle’s
father, on the man’s turf, was a risky move. Figuring he had seen the article
in the paper or the news broadcast, he would not be pleased to meet him.
However, it was something he had to do. “I’m Masaun Hawkes. I’m not trying to
harm your daughter, but I care deeply for her.”

“Well,
you have a shitty way of showing it. Letting her name get smeared all over the
paper.” Mr. Langston jammed his hands on his hips and stared at him through
tight angry eyes.

“I
didn’t
let
that happen. Trust me, if I could have stopped the asshole I
would have. I’d have beaten the hell out of him if I knew the mess he was going
to release.” Normally a more calm and controlled person, Masaun allowed his
emotions to show a little. This man before him was Kindle’s father and he
wanted him to understand that he would and could protect Kindle with his very
life.

The
yawning silence stretched between them as their tension filled the room.

Lowering
his hands, Mr. Langston pointed to the single chair by his desk. “Take a seat.
I assume there’s a reason you’ve come to see me.”

Exhaling,
but keeping his guard up, Masaun sat down. Once Kindle’s father returned to his
own chair, he began, “Your daughter is an extraordinary woman.”

“I’m
sure for a candy shop owner, she must have been quite the catch.” Mr. Langston
leaned back and crossed his legs, normally an odd position, but the dignified
man seemed to pull it off.

Masaun
slowly lifted an eyebrow. He could have shared with Kindle’s father that he had
been an extremely successful lawyer with a high six-figure income at the end of
every year, but he didn’t want to impress this man with status, but gain his
overall understanding, if not acceptance. “My store is successful and I have
more than the means to provide for your daughter, even if she didn’t work.”

“Oh,
Kindle will work. She’s put too much into her career and regardless of the
pictures in the paper of your spanky-spanky night, she’s still on top. Most
likely will be elected to the CA position next year.” The older man’s voice was
filled with pride.

“She
probably will. Kindle is one of the best lawyers I’ve seen.” Masaun watched the
smile spread across the man’s face as Mr. Langston stroked his gray tie. “But
will she be pleased doing it?”

“What
is that supposed to mean?” He raised forward some in his chair.

Shifting
and folding his leg up, Masaun made himself more comfortable in the chair.
“Kindle is a smart woman. A consummate professional that will stop at nothing
to make you proud.”

“You
mean make herself proud.”

Masaun
shrugged. “I’m not sure if she knows the line between your wishes and her
desires.” That wasn’t completely true, Masaun knew through the long night
discussion he had with Kindle, hearing her talk about a summer she spent as a
paralegal in college with a pro bono lawyer. Her eyes would light up as she
shared with him her experience being with the small litigation team. When he’d
asked her why she never went that route, she simply said, ‘I love my father. He’s
all I have and I enjoy making him proud.’ That had ended the conversation.

“Kindle
could do anything she wanted. She chose to be a lawyer. She loves it.” His voice
was emphatic.

“Yes,
she does.” When the man relaxed again, Masaun went on, “I didn’t come here to
debate Kindle’s career choices. That belongs to her and I’ll stand by whatever
path she takes.”

“As
will I,” Mr. Langston confirmed.

“Even
if that path is me? A Dominant male with a proclivity for bondage you may not
understand?”