Chapter 6
Three hours later, Alex tapped on the keyboard, grinning widely. This particular bit of code had been nagging him for days, haunting his dreams and basically being all-around annoying.
But it was his now. His to control and command.
A few more keystrokes, and it was done.
“Yeah,” he shouted, thrusting his hands into the air.
Ouch.
He brought his arms down gingerly, feeling the burn.
Oh yeah.
In a flash, he was back against the door with his arms in the air, waiting and wanting to feel the next stroke.
Alex massaged his arms and tried not to look at the calendar.
Six more days.
He’d already plowed through more work in the past few hours than he had in days. It was like he’d been reborn, the enthusiasm for his work almost overwhelming.
The phone rang, and he studied the caller ID before picking it up, instinctively searching for a reason to avoid answering it. He was on a roll and didn’t want to give it up.
The numbers resolved themselves on the display.
His sister.
He tapped the Connect button.
“Hey.” Alex reached for his drink and frowned at finding the can empty. “What’s up?”
“Getting ready to toss a few steaks on the grill for dinner. You been up to anything?”
Alex resisted the urge to look over at the closet. The door, specifically.
A shiver crept down his spine.
He was close to his sister, but some things you didn’t share.
“Nothing. Just working.”
“As usual.” Jane sighed. “I know you told Mike you weren’t interested in any blind dates, but—”
“I’m good.” Alex spun around in the chair and crushed the empty can in one hand. “I’m good.”
He closed his eyes and tried not to think of Kate.
Which, of course, immediately projected her face in his mind’s eye. She smiled at him and said—
“I know you’re full of crap, but I’ll let it pass for now. You need someone for the charity auction. I’m not going to deal with the heat I got last year by having you single and wandering around. You know how many offers I had to ‘take you off my hands’?”
Alex grunted, trying to remember what she was talking about.
“The auction.” Jane was too familiar with his avoidance techniques. “You know, the special one we help sponsor and attend ever year? For Mom and Dad?” Her voice shifted into mother mode, battering his ears. “You do have it marked on your calendar, right?”
“Yes.” Alex dropped the can in the garbage container and reached for a red pen and the tiny desk calendar sitting on the end of his desk. “I’ve had it marked for weeks.” He scratched the pen’s edge against the thin paper, trying to get it to work.
“Bullshit. But I appreciate the effort.” Jane laughed. “Just dress nice. All you have to do is show up. I’ve already done the legwork and made the arrangements as usual. The four of us—”
“Four?”
“Me and Mike, you and Monica. You remember Monica? From the wedding?”
He remembered a Monica. Bridesmaid, lovely until she got drunk, then she’d been downright annoying to be around. Horny and plastered, she’d kept tugging at his pants until he’d stuffed her in a cab and sent her home before someone else took her up on her offer.
Chivalry might not be dead, but obviously it liked to come back to bite you on the ass.
Alex resisted the urge to smash his head on the keyboard.
It’d ruin the code.
“I don’t need a blind date. It’s a charity event, for God’s sake. No one—”
“Humor me.” Jane’s tone shifted from playful to serious. “You haven’t gone out on a date for eons, at least not that I know of. You’ve been slaving over your desk working on your various projects.”
Alex’s inner vision flashed to an image of him bent over the desk with Kate behind him.
Oh. My.
He could email that scenario to Hooded Pleasures right now.
“Are you listening to me?” Jane’s voice cut across the sensual daydream. “Just be there. Two months from yesterday, Saturday night to be exact. Do not forget. Mark it on your calendar, program it into your cell phone, tattoo it on your arm, whatever you need to do to remember it.”
“Why are you hassling me so far ahead of time?” He shifted in his chair, uncomfortable between the daydream and talking to his only living relative. “Two months from now? Really?”
Jane laughed. “Because I know you too well, little brother. You’ll lock yourself into some deadline or some impossible project and wriggle out of this like you do with everything else.”
He couldn’t disagree with her. With her wedding a year ago, he’d managed to avoid the rehearsal dinner and the bachelor party, along with ducking out early from the reception. The excuse had been a deadline for the last major expansion of Wild West Shootout III. The deadline had been real, but he had been well ahead of schedule and could have easily attended if he’d wanted to.
It wasn’t anything personal. He loved his sister, and the man she’d chosen to marry was a good guy who loved video games, football, and understood the connection Jane had with Alex. When she’d introduced Mike as a financial adviser she’d met while dealing with their trust funds, he had taken to him right away, glad to see Jane happy after all the losses they’d suffered together. Five years without their parents had brought them closer together as siblings, but there was only so much he was willing to suffer for his sister.
He just didn’t get along with Jane’s or Mike’s friends. They were good people, but they tended to want to talk nothing but stock investments and all that. They’d graduated with business degrees, and he’d gone into computers and programming, game design and creation.
Nice friends, but he had about as much in common with them as he did with any group of random people snatched off the street.
“You’ve got no excuse not to be available for this. Be there. Please,” Jane said. “It’s for charity. We need to make an appearance and interact with the people, not show and go.” She paused. “Don’t even think about driving—I don’t want to hear about your car dying at the last minute. We’ll pick you up and drop you off, so you’ll stay a decent amount of time.” Jane sighed. “People noticed you left early last year, and I got the third-degree from the Board of Directors as to why you didn’t hang around until the checks got collected.”
A worm of guilt wriggled through his mind. Jane had taken over the job of volunteering and helping manage the charity events their parents had supported, long past when it would have been tactful to drop them. This one for research into Alzheimer’s hit close to home, having attacked both parents and hastening their deaths long before their time. The donated items went for a good amount, and it’d become a popular networking meet for businessmen, growing each year thanks to Jane’s hard work.
The least he could do was suffer through a few hours with a lovely lady on his arm.
“I’ll be there. Promise.” He flipped ahead two pages and made a hard mark on the calendar. “I’ve got to get back to work. On a roll and don’t want to stop.”
“Okay, bro. Love you.” She smacked her lips. “Later.”
“Back atcha.” He cut the connection and turned back to the glowing letters on the screen.
Bent over the desk.
His focus splintered into a thousand shards, each reflecting Kate’s face.
Damn.
He turned the pages back to the current month and glanced again at the calendar.
Six more days.
Double damn.
Kate pursed her lips as she held out the sketchpad at arm’s length, studying the black-and-white image. It’d taken her three days to get it to this point, which was excellent considering she’d started it not long after her first appointment with Alex.
Monday had been a bit rough but successful in its own way. Brian agreed with her analysis, and they’d called the office together to change up his dance card.
Julie, thankfully, had been free and had come on over to meet Brian. The minute she walked in the door, Kate knew she’d made the right decision.
Brian couldn’t take his eyes off Julie. He bid a teary good-bye to Kate, apologizing for his failure. Both women reassured him it wasn’t anyone’s fault and certainly not his.
Kate walked out, leaving the two together. She was sure Julie had taken the situation in hand and Brian was well on his way to a happier experience.
A day later, an email from Julie routed via Tracy’s desk thanked Kate for the opportunity and assured her Brian was in safe hands.
Kate wasn’t upset at losing him.
What she was upset about was not getting the damned proportions on this project right until a day later with plenty of erasing and cursing. With an action shot like this, it was important to get it right, get it perfect, get everything and everyone in the right place. One little bit out of sync, and the entire picture wouldn’t work.
She admired the final product, allowing herself a satisfied smile.
The elf swung out of the tree and down on the oblivious ogre, battle-ax at the ready. It was as if someone had been there with a camera, capturing the second before the imminent carnage.
Excellent.
A little more shading on the tree, and it’d be perfect and ready for her client. He’d asked for a depiction of his favorite role-playing character in this type of encounter. It’d taken a bit of effort to make the ax work for the elf since most elves weren’t drawn with that particular weapon, but this image leapt off the page.
She was glad for the chance to get back to pencil and paper instead of fumbling with the computer and the various art programs she had on file. She’d had plenty of compliments on her art skills in producing book covers for authors and beautiful images for people wanting a special present for a special person, but Kate liked to get her hands dirty.
She loved the touch, the feel of the pencil edge against the paper. The friction, the abrasion.
And speaking of—
Kate allowed herself a grin, remembering Nathan, her client for the day.
It’d been an interesting morning.
Nathan worked nights as a policeman and always scheduled his appointments for first thing in the morning when he got off duty. He loved to play in uniform, and she was the right woman to put him in his place, usually role-playing a new partner taking charge of the rookie cop and showing him the ropes, so to speak.
She had no doubt if his superiors knew his love of handcuffs extended far beyond slapping them on the bad guys, it would affect his career.
But she knew how to keep a secret, and so did Hooded Pleasures. For the last six months, he’d enjoyed her services without fear of anyone finding out. It had to be tough on a cop’s salary, but it helped that Wendy and Evan had a long-standing agreement to give discounts to first responders and the military.
As they saw it, these were the people who needed their help the most. There were people who would never be comfortable going to a club, afraid they’d be found out and their careers smashed to bits.
For them, Hooded Pleasures was perfect. And Nathan was a lovely client, one she enjoyed visiting.
He’d been a welcome diversion from thinking about her newest project.
Alex.
She couldn’t stop imagining new scenarios, new scenes to keep him entertained. A recent email had notified her of his suggestions, most of them aligning with hers.
Maybe Wendy was right—all she needed was a change. A challenge to keep her fresh, keep her dominant side intrigued.
Kate studied the image one last time.
Enough.
There was always a point at which she had to walk away from a creation. Another swipe of the pencil, another dab of ink and it’d be past the perfection she strived for. It was hard, but there was always another blank page waiting for her.
She placed the sketchpad on a stand and reached for her digital camera to send a picture of the finished work to her customer. If Sam liked it, she’d be able to deliver it to him in a few days after she found the proper frame for it. A good matte and frame would bring the image to life.
Her attention skittered over to Alex again as she snapped pictures with the camera. Another few days, and he’d be back under her thumb again, ready to do whatever she said.
He was a good man. A natural submissive.
She wasn’t interested in someone who wanted to play mind games. She wanted to go in, have her fun and give pleasure to the other person and leave.
No commitments, no screwing with her mind.
Unlike Carl.
The unpleasant memory had her scowling at the image.
Fucker.
The phone rang, bringing her out of her reminiscing before it got too toxic.
She snatched it up like a drowning woman grabbing a life preserver.
“Hello?”
If this was a telemarketer, he was about to get a full earful of—
“Kate?”
She couldn’t help smiling at the sound of her best and oldest friend’s voice. The shadows in her mind vanished. “Who did you expect to answer?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Some hot dude you’ve been keeping locked up in your bedroom?”
From your lips—
“I’ve got him on a long leash, scrubbing my toilet. What’s up?”
Ann laughed. “Just checking in on my sweetie. You still pining over that asshole, or you ready to go out in the real world and find someone new?”
Kate chewed on the edge of her pencil. “Haven’t thought about him in days.”
She knew it was a lie and knew Ann would know it was a lie.
When Carl had left, she’d been a wreck for two weeks, drinking herself into a stupor. It’d only been Ann’s constant visits with food and a shoulder to cry on that had helped her recover without serious medical intervention. A year later, and she still couldn’t thank her friend enough.
“Good. I was thinking about us getting together for dinner.”
“You and me, or you, me, Eric and a to-be-named-later blind date?”
“You wound me,” Ann replied. “Just the two of us. I don’t think you’re desperate enough to be asking me to set you up. Besides, the guys we know are a little too vanilla for your tastes.”
Kate smiled. “How about Delmonico’s Saturday night about nine? I’ll get the reservations.” She twisted the pencil between her fingers. “You can tell me about your happy married life, and I can tell you nothing about my love life.”
“Agreed. See you then.”
Kate cut the connection, grateful for the interruption. Ann knew about Kate’s rather unorthodox lifestyle but hadn’t judged her—it wasn’t only her unwavering acceptance that made her an invaluable friend.
She reached for another sketchpad and flipped it open.
A new page.
An empty page to draw anything she wanted on.
Kate took one last chomp on the pencil edge and began drawing again.
Most men went out on Saturday night. Nightclubs, restaurants, baseball games—whatever they wanted to do for entertainment. Strip bars where you didn’t even have to hide your appreciation for the female form.
Alex had tried all these and found them lacking. As in, downright boring.
What he needed, he couldn’t find in a nightclub or by hanging out in a bar.
Kate was right—he could find a woman without too much trouble; his good looks made it fairly easy to find a lover for the night. There were plenty of women who were okay with a one-night stand with no connections, no commitments.
He’d had enough of those.
Now he wanted something more.
The problem was it was only Saturday night and not Sunday afternoon.
Alex paced through his living room, making his fifth circuit of the house. Living room, kitchen, hallway, stairs, bedroom—rinse and repeat. He couldn’t sleep.
Or rather, he didn’t want to sleep.
He couldn’t shut his mind down. Flashes of code ran through his mind’s eye, tangling with reruns of last week’s appointment, his first visit with Kate.
Kate.
He increased his pace, jogging up and down the stairs to try to keep his desire at bay or at least channeled into something productive. The last few days had been wonderful, a glorious boost to his energy level fettered only by his need for sleep.
He’d worked out daily, kicking his exercise up to a new level. It was like he had opened a whole new part of himself and had to pour the vibrating energy somewhere, anywhere.
Anywhere other than his libido.
That was very healthy. It had taken a concentrated effort not to relive his first session nightly, twisting his sheets into knots with the aching need. The fantasy scenario he’d woven tugged at his core, tempted him to play it again and again.
But he’d said no.
Saving it all for Kate.
Pouring his excess energy into his work was paying off as well.
The coding had been perfect, his clients thrilled with the final product. They’d immediately asked him to help on the next phase and cut him a contract within hours to keep him on the project.
He’d thanked them and moved on to his next freelance job, not wanting to be unfair to his other clients. He was on a creative high, had been so for days.
His orbit brought him back to the kitchen, where he gazed longingly at the empty coffeepot. In response, his stomach rumbled and reminded him too much caffeine not only made him crazed but also gave him pain.
Not the good type.
Alex looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
Soon.
He forced himself up to bed. The last thing he needed was to upset Kate either by sleeping in past their appointment or worse, nodding off in the middle.
As if, his inner voice laughed.
As.
If.
Delmonico’s had been Kate and Ann’s hangout since college, the hole-in-the-wall restaurant a surprising find when they went out searching for good cheap Italian late one night. Good food, good service and a relaxed environment kept Kate coming back at least once a month.
They also stayed open until two in the morning, giving their guests plenty of time to chat and drink and nibble on delicate desserts.
Ann was already there, having taken over their usual table and ordered a bottle of white wine. The maître d’ welcomed her with a smile and a referral to the lasagna. They’d both taken him up on it and spent the next two hours stuffing their faces with way too much pasta and bread between giggling and gossiping about anything and everything that caught their eye.
Finally, Ann sat back and patted her stomach. “That was obscene. I won’t be able to eat for the next day or so at this rate.” She poked the remains of the lasagna with her fork. “I’d ask for a box, but I’d probably eat it before I got home.”
Kate covered her mouth as an unladylike burp escaped. “Tell me about it. I don’t know what they put into this, but it’s fabulous.” She waved the waiter over. “But we always have room for dessert.” She held up two fingers. “Cheesecake for two please. And coffee. Thank you.”
The waiter swept the plates off the table with a smile and disappeared into the back.
Ann twirled the half-empty wineglass between her fingers. She brushed a wayward dark lock of hair out of her eyes and attempted to push it back into the dying ponytail.
Kate flinched inside. It was one her friend’s signals, one Kate had learned the hard way.
She wanted to talk.
And not about picking up some pastries to go for Eric.
Ann smiled at Kate. “You’re looking good. That asshole keeping his distance?”
Kate nodded, grateful she hadn’t said his name out loud. “It’s good. He’s staying far away from me. No need for him to come around. He already got all his belongings out of the condo. Haven’t seen or heard from him for months now.”
She remembered how Carl had swept into her condo a few days after she’d seen him at the club with his new Domme.
He hadn’t even had the grace to look upset. He’d let himself in, packed up his stuff in five suitcases, dumped his keys on the kitchen counter and left with a jaunty wave of his hand.
He hadn’t taken any of their toys.
She threw them all out the next day.
Kate finished off her glass of wine in two gulps.
Dessert arrived along with two cups of strong coffee. The waiter slid the cheesecake slices onto the table with a wide smile and a flirty wink at Kate.
She blushed and waved him away.
“I hate having to say this again and again, but I need to. You can’t dwell on the past. You can do better.” Ann reached over and touched Kate’s arm. “You deserve better. Carl wasn’t right for you.”
Kate gave a noncommittal shrug, concentrating on the decadent slice of cheesecake in front of her. She didn’t indulge herself too often, but Delmonico’s treats were too much to resist.
“You told me he was acting up before he ever left,” Ann said.
Kate took up her fork and poked at the creamy yellow triangle.
“You said he started getting grouchy, upset over every little thing,” Ann pressed on. “He didn’t have the balls to try to talk to you about it, work it out.”
“There was nothing to work out,” Kate said, spearing a paper-thin slice. “He decided we weren’t right for each other and left.”
“Most people at least try to make it work. Not cut and run.” Ann picked up her own fork. “And they don’t slap their ex in the face by doing what they did. That’s unforgivable.”
Kate shrugged, hiding her smile. Ann still couldn’t refer specifically to the breaking point with Carl, the final straw shattering the camel’s back. She might accept Kate’s lifestyle, but she wasn’t comfortable talking openly about it.
“You deserve better,” Ann repeated. “There’s someone out there for you. You just need to find him. I don’t like to see you unhappy.” She paused. “Is there another, you know, place you can go to?”
Kate sighed. “There are other clubs, but it wouldn’t be the same. Not to mention I’d be always looking over my shoulder for Carl and the bitch.”
Kate wasn’t going to dignify her existence by saying her name.
“I hear you.” Ann reached for her coffee. “Don’t be mad at me for asking how you are and wanting to see you move on.”
“I know.” Kate leaned over and touched her arm. “And that’s why you’re my bestest friend in the whole world. But I’ve got to go at my own speed.”
“Okay. But you’re still working for this”—Ann waved her hand—“this company.” She lowered her voice.
Kate resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s not illegal. I’m not doing anything criminal or wrong.” She couldn’t keep the edge creeping into the words courtesy of the wine. “Don’t judge me.”
Ann held up her hands. “Whoa, now. When have I?” She glanced around. “I haven’t freaked out at anything you’ve told me.” Her cheeks went red. “Well, maybe a bit, but not that much.”
Kate drew her fingernails along the cloth napkin, carving out random images. “I’m sorry. I just—”
“I get that. I get you. It’s all good.” Ann reached over and took Kate’s hand. “As long as you’re happy and safe, I get it. I have a hard time relating to what you do at times.” She picked up her coffee cup. “Although I can think of a few men I’d love to jab in the balls with my stilettos.”
Kate laughed. “More than a few, I’d wager.” She folded the napkin, wiping away the images. “I get to do what I like, and everyone gets what they want.”
“As long as you’re safe,” Ann said. “That’s all I care about.”
“I’m careful. The rules protect everyone.”
“Okay. Enough babbling from me.” Ann pointed her fork at Kate. “Just promise me you’ll keep your mind open to any prospects. I know you. You get burned once, and you hide away, afraid to get hurt again. I’ll allow you a bit more time to mourn, but then you’ve got to get back out into the real world, whether it’s finding another club or going to a bar to meet new people.” She wagged a finger at Kate. “Remember Danny Allenby?”
Kate sighed and dramatically clutched at her chest, rolling her eyes upward. “Grade six. Stole my heart and my lunch daily.”
“Until you figured out he wasn’t anything more than a user.” Ann inspected her fingernails. “And you scratched the hell out of his arm next time he tried to grab your lunch.”
Kate laughed. “The teacher gave me shit until I explained the situation. Then he put Danny in detention for a week.”
Ann shook her head. “You put yourself in detention for the rest of the year staying far away from the boys. You paid more than he did.” She reached over and tapped Kate’s plate with her fork. “You get burned, you’re going to take time to heal. I get it. But don’t forget to come back and start living again.”
Kate took a sip of strong coffee before responding. “I will. When it’s the right time.”
“Okay. But don’t blame me for pulling you into the light every now and then.”
“Never have and never will.” Kate winked. “You keep me honest. So tell me about this new promotion to regional manager. Guess I can get free flowers from any shop I want now, right? Going to have my place smelling like a greenhouse all winter.”
Ann laughed and accepted the change in conversation.
They finished off the evening with Ann offering one last time to set Kate up with a blind date.
She refused.
After all, she already had men falling at her feet.