Chapter Five #2
Dimming his grin until it was a warm smile, he turned his gaze on the pixie as he reeled off the list of Amatory clubs.
“Kink is a precious commodity. Give people safety and security, a touch of luxury and style, and they will come to play their hearts out. The BDSM community has its ups and downs, its shining stars and bad apples, but at the core… we just want to enjoy life.”
“He likes to think he’s a philanthropist and not interested in the money at all.”
Reaux laughed and wagged his fork at her. “Bennie, Bennie, Bennie, don’t be ridiculous. I fucking love the money. How else would I be able to chase your gorgeous ass over several state lines to bring you home?”
“Why do you call her Bennie?” Tamsyn asked softly. “It’s nothing like Violet.”
“Ah, it is a pet name, yes? My petite beignet. The sweetest treat designed for my palate alone. She is, will always be, my Bennie.”
“Merrick calls me his little owl.”
Reaux instantly knew why; those big, round, tawny eyes wouldn’t look out of place in a feathered face. He cocked his head, studying her quizzically. “Yes, I see now. So many delicate feathers on your cheeks. It’s very fitting, no?”
She automatically lifted her hands to her face, her fingertips stroking over her cheekbone before she realized he was joking. The cutest blush spread over her cheeks as she gave him a shy, embarrassed smile and lowered her hand to her lap. “For a Dom, you’re funny.”
“For a Dom?” He pressed his palm to his chest. “I’m wounded. Mortally wounded. Does your Merrick not have a sense of humor?”
Those two small words, your Merrick, lit up her face with an inner joy that was brighter than all the Christmas lights in New York City.
Her love for her Dom was blinding; it brought back memories of when Violet used to look at him like that, react just that way whenever someone mentioned his name to her.
Hindsight was a bitch on steroids.
“I guess he’s strict in the club, but when we’re home alone…
no one makes me laugh the way he does. Even when I get mad when he tells me I have to do my lessons, or I get scared when I hear something outside at night, he has this knack of turning the world around and making it brighter.
” The adoration scribed over her face was simply stunning.
“When the paperwork goes through, we’re going to be married. ”
“Paperwork?”
Violet cleared her throat. “Just the usual hoops any betrothed couple have to jump through at the whim of the higher powers.”
Oh really? As far as he was aware, the process for getting married was pretty simple—fill in an online application, schedule an appointment to obtain the license, flash some identification, and hurry to the damn courthouse to make it all official. That took, what, maybe a few days, a week?
“How long have you been waiting for the paperwork?” he asked casually, devouring some more of the spicy rice and a juicy crawfish as he waited for Tamsyn to answer and Violet to deflect it.
“Months,” the pixie said in a glum tone.
Violet’s sigh of exasperation didn’t go amiss as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Extenuating circumstances, Boudreaux. None of which warrant your input.”
“Perhaps I can help. I like to think I’m a philanthropist, do I not?”
Her temper flared so quickly, she almost broke her teeth by biting down too hard on the fork she’d just slipped between her lips. “Merrick and Tamsyn have Evander batting in their corner. Old blood and decrepit money doesn’t give you a back door into the government.”
“Ah, so it’s not state or even county paperwork.
It’s for the big guns at the top of the food chain.
” Chewing thoughtfully, Reaux scrolled through the mental list of names who might be persuaded to help the little pixie and her Dom.
There were a few who could help grease certain wheels, add weight to whatever pressure Evander was exerting.
He’d get Francoise to dig into potential avenues.
What Violet didn’t know was that he didn’t just have a back door into the government, he had a fucking red carpet and fanfare that had nothing to do with his family—blood or money.
A large part of Amatory’s membership consisted of government officials ranging from the lowest levels to the highest, all protected by NDAs and strict club security.
There would be somebody willing to help.
“Boudreaux,” Violet hissed in warning. “Don’t even think about interfering.”
“Moi?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Surely I would not dream of such a thing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him; he blew her a kiss.
Perhaps Tamsyn’s presence wouldn’t be as much of a hindrance as he initially believed. Violet was obviously very protective of her, which meant she was focused more on guarding the pixie than herself, giving him an opportunity to sneak through whatever chinks she left undefended.
She was good at such things, yes, but he was a master at circumventing them.
Violet
Things went smoothly after the semi-awkward meal, or as smoothly as one could hope when Boudreaux was thrown in the mix. He played the part of gracious host effortlessly, taking care of cleaning up and doing the dishes even though there was a perfectly good dishwasher in the kitchen.
Violet couldn’t fault him on that score.
He practically oozed Southern charm from his pores like pheromones; if Tamsyn wasn’t loyally, rigidly, desperately in love with Merrick, she might have fallen prey to that astounding charisma and the devil’s voice.
His manners were impeccable, his queries friendly and unintrusive despite the fact Violet knew damn well he harbored suspicions about the diminutive sub.
They watched a few movies, and Violet continued to send thanks heavenward that Tamsyn was not a Little.
She’d had the dubious pleasure of minding Callie and Sierra on occasion, and that…
well, after several hours of cartoons and children’s shows, she’d decided having a root canal or two would be less taxing on her senses.
When it got dark outside and the temperature began to drop, Boudreaux acted like a gentleman, standing quietly to draw the thick, floor-length curtains closed and light the fire in the oversized stone hearth.
Instead of coffee, water, and the soda Tamsyn loved, he made hot cocoa with tiny ghost-shaped marshmallows, just right for upcoming Halloween.
By the time the doorbell rang at just after ten, Tamsyn thought he hung the moon and danced on the stars.
Under any other circumstances, Violet might have believed the same, but whenever she got too comfortable with the pretense he was putting on now, she was reminded of the look on his face when he snapped her heart into pieces, threw them at her feet, and dismissed her from his world.
He slid his gaze over to her. “Would that be Tamsyn’s Dom?”
They both glanced over to the corner of the couch, where Tamsyn curled in a ball, fast asleep with her head pillowed in her hand. Faint movement beneath her eyelids and the twitching muscles around her mouth indicated she was in deep, well beyond being woken by the bell.
“It will be Merrick, yes.”
Dutifully, Boudreaux set his empty mug aside and rose to answer the door. It was hard not to watch his ass in those sweats, or to ignore the muscles flexing down his back as he walked, but Violet was proud to claim victory over the temptation.
She barely had time to set her own mug down before a cold breeze drafted in, then Merrick loomed in the doorway, flanked by Reaux. The Dom looked exhausted, hints of sweat still dampening his temples. “Merrick. Long day?”
“Could say that.” He glanced over his shoulder. “New sub?”
“Could say that,” she mimicked.
He grunted, a tired smirk kissing his mouth as Boudreaux padded past him to retake his seat. “Never known you to bring work past the front door, Vi.”
“Not all of us fall for the first mute we find hiding in a supply closet,” she replied sweetly. “Lady Luck likes you, Merrick. She likes Tamsyn more.”
“Of course she does.” Tired green eyes landed on the adorable lump on the couch and immediately softened with love. “Appreciate you taking her on for the afternoon. She enjoys spending time with Callie in short bursts, otherwise it takes her hours to decompress.”
“And we’re surprised by this?”
He chuckled. “No. That woman runs on a completely different wavelength. I know it’s past time I loosen the reins and remember Tamsyn is a grown woman, capable of looking after herself while I’m at work, but…”
“She won’t wander into another orgy, Merrick.
” Even as she said it, she saw Boudreaux’s attention sharpen.
“It will take a while for your protective instincts to calm. That was a scary night for you both. Add in what happened with her father, may he rot in everlasting hell, and it’s no surprise you’re reluctant to relax. She’s welcome here whenever she wants.”
“She’ll take full advantage of that, I’m sure.
You know, she still has trouble expressing herself when it comes to emotions, but I don’t think I’m overstepping any lines if I tell you she loves you, Vi.
” Merrick’s expression was serious, his eyes boring into her.
“We all do. I hope you realize just how much you’re loved here. ”
Did he know she was planning on leaving?
Violet almost snorted—of course he did; housekeeping was efficient, but when it came to gossip, they were like monkeys sitting in the treetops exchanging juicy segments of fruit for attention.
Their NDAs prevented them from talking to anyone outside of Serenity, not those also under the NDA umbrella.
In all likelihood, the majority of Serenity knew her business by now.
God help her.