Mine

35. Pepper

THIRTY-FIVE

PEPPER

For once in my life, I left work early on a Friday so I could ride with Salt to Nancy and Beth’s for dinner. He picked me up and the moment I got into his car, I felt a weight lift.

“Sorry, it’s not the nicest car,” he said, wincing as his ancient Honda hit a pothole on the road.

“I don’t care,” I said. “I don’t even have a car. I never drive anywhere.”

“ How ?” he snorted. “You’re the ultimate passenger princess.”

I smiled as I looked out the window. “I’ll wear that badge with honor. One, I hate driving. It makes me anxious. Two, after my divorce, I moved into my apartment and it’s just a few blocks from work. And Ellen lives just a couple blocks away, too. Everything I need is within walking distance.”

“So you just walk around?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head. “What about when it rains?”

“Have you heard of umbrellas?”

Salt chuckled. The scenery changed from concrete and steel to trees and land, the sky turning a hazy purple as the sun dipped down. He reached over, his hand settling on my knee for a moment, giving me a gentle squeeze.

“Are you nervous?” I asked him.

“A little. Nancy and Beth mean the world to me. I think you’ll like them.”

“I’m more worried about them liking me,” I said.

Another squeeze. “They’ll like you. Nancy is a little intimidating at times, but I don’t think I have any worries about that with you.”

“No, I like powerful women,” I said.

“Me too.”

This weekend was going to be a change of pace for the two of us. Instead of staying at my apartment, we were going to stay at his house tonight and tomorrow. He didn't have any shows planned either, so it would be quiet.

It would be a nice break before the chaos of next week. My eyes widened as I dawned on me that I hadn’t told him about my trip. I’d almost forgotten about it between everything that’d been happening.

“I forgot to tell you,” I said. “I’m going on a trip next week. It’s for The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards show in LA.”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “That asshole mentioned it. I meant to ask you about it, too. When do you leave?”

“Friday,” I sighed. “I still need to pick out a dress. And it’s too late to make any appointments, although maybe I can squeeze in a facial on Monday…”

“You look beautiful as you are,” Salt said. “They’ll worship the ground you walk on.”

I laughed. “Baby, you’ve been to LA. Everyone is beautiful there. I’ll look like a frog.”

He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles before adjusting in his seat, his eyes on the road. “I think that’s the first time you’ve called me baby.”

My cheeks warmed. “Do you like being called baby?”

“Yeah, coming from you.”

Part of me wanted to ask him to come to LA with me. But I knew if I did that, it would cause problems. Especially since I told Jeff he couldn't bring Ally. And because our relationship was still a secret.

Hopefully, by the end of next week, the contracts would be signed. Salt had sent them over to a lawyer earlier today, and I hoped they would move fast.

I just wanted ink on paper so I could finally tell everyone about the two of us.

Maybe it was a little shady. Maybe I was making bad decisions, but I was long past backpedaling at this point. I was committed to being with him.

Regardless of what happened, I wanted to be his.

It was crazy how fast things could change. But, I knew deep down in my bones that what we had was right for me.

“Maybe you can help me pick out my dress,” I said.

“I’d like that.”

He slowed the car and turned off onto a narrow road. I drank up the last of the sunshine, studying the trees that lined the street. “I bet it’s beautiful out here in the fall.”

“It is. Would you ever want to live somewhere like this?”

“Maybe,” I said. “It would be a pain to go into the office. But I’ve also thought about changing my hours and splitting them so I could work from home. Being so close to the office, I just felt like it made sense to go in every day. But if I lived further away, I’d want to change that.”

“I mean, you are the boss.”

I was. And I also was always flexible with everyone else’s schedules, so why can’t others be with mine?

Salt turned onto a driveway and pulled past a gate, easing down the gravel until we came to a roundabout with a tree at the center. A beautiful house was in front of us, and to the right I could see a large garage and a small red barn.

The front door opened and a woman with a bright pink mohawk stepped out and waved.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the friendly welcome alleviated some of the tension I felt.

“That’s Beth,” he laughed, turning off the car. “Okay. I’m very anxious. I’ve never done this before. If you want to leave at any point?—”

“Simon,” I said gently, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “We’re both nervous. But, it’ll be good.” I hoped.

My phone beeped. I picked it up and stared.

Jeff had texted me.

Are you fucking that guy? The new client? I heard rumors about the two of you, Pepper. Is there something going on???

We need to talk

Seriously. If this is happening then it’s a problem. I know it’s the weekend but this is urgent

HELLO???

Fuck. I’d be a liar if I said my heart wasn’t beating out of my damn chest. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

I turned my phone off before he could say anything else.

Salt pressed his lips together in concern. “You okay? You look pale.”

“Yeah.” I put my phone away. Rumors were just rumors, I reminded myself. Jeff didn’t have proof, and he wasn’t going to ruin my night. “We’ve got this.”

He stole one more soothing kiss, and we both got out of his car.

Beth came down the front steps to meet us with open arms. Salt bent down to give her a hug, and she patted his back, but then turned her full attention on me.

“I’m Beth,” she said. “Are you a hugger?”

“Sure,” I said. “I’m Pepper?—”

She gave me a big hug that had Salt sighing. “She’s always like this. At least she asked for consent?—”

“Oh shush,” Beth said, pulling back. Her cheeks were rosy and I felt a wave of comfort from her, one that brought my heart rate down just a bit. “You are gorgeous, Pepper. Come on inside. We don’t bite hard.”

Salt sighed dramatically again, but he was smiling. I followed Beth up the front stairs and looked around her front porch. There was an abundance of potted plants, a porch swing, and a myriad of kitschy things that made me smile. A clay fairy tucked away beneath the leaves of a pothos, pride flags wavering in random places. The welcome mat had a rainbow and said homo sweet homo .

“I love your house,” I said.

“Thank you, Nancy lets me do whatever the hell I want. And I like to have fun.”

“Where is Nancy?” Salt asked as we stepped into the foyer.

“She is in the wine cellar being extremely picky about which bottle she wants us to have tonight,” Beth said. “Oop. There she is.”

A tall, gracefully beautiful woman emerged from a set of stairs at the end of the hall and held up two bottles of wine like a man holding a fish in his dating profile. “I got them,” she announced, smiling as she approached. “Hi, Pepper, it’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I said.

Nancy gave Salt a hard look. “You look like you’re sweating through your boxers.”

“Nancy,” he groaned. “I’m not.”

She wiggled her brows, but then gave him a loving smile. It was clear they both loved him, and that warmed my heart. Maybe it was because I’d gone without parental figures in my life for years, but just knowing he had them made my chest feel light.

“I have to give him a little bit of a hard time. Been our kiddo for years and has never brought someone home, so it’s my obligation to make him a little anxious,” Nancy said.

I laughed, my hand finding his. I was pretty sure both of our palms were drenched. “We’re both a little nervous.”

“I told her we don’t bite hard,” Beth said with a smirk.

“Well come on in and get settled. I’ll pour us wine, assuming you drink. Simon, there’s soda in the fridge.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

Beth and Nancy headed towards the kitchen.

“Is it okay if I drink?” I asked Salt under my breath.

“Of course,” he said. “Passenger princess. Remember?”

“Yeah.” I smiled to myself as we followed them.

The kitchen was just as gorgeous as the rest of the house, and like the front porch, was a mixture of country-styled decor, queer, and kinky things. Salt followed my gaze as my eyes widened on some of the pictures on the fridge.

“Oh,” he said. “I maybe should have warned you. Beth and Nancy are very openly kinky.”

“Yes, we are,” Beth chimed. “Have a seat at the bar. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Salt pulled out a stool for me and I perched on top of it, the nerves returning full blast for just a few seconds. He sat down next to me, his hand sliding beneath the bar and settling on my leg. “What are we having?” he asked.

“Baked lasagna with Beth’s homemade sauce,” Nancy said. “Garlic bread, a strawberry poppyseed salad, and fresh rolls.”

“That sounds wonderful,” I said.

“So,” Nancy said as she uncorked a bottle. “We’re having a nice Blaufr?nkisch with dark cherry notes.”

“She’s showing off,” Beth snickered.

“Just a little. He’s told us nothing about you.”

“ Nancy ,” Salt hissed.

I laughed. I could handle bluntness any day of the week. “We haven’t told a lot of people about our relationship quite yet.”

“It’s still new,” Salt said.

“So what do you do?” Beth asked. “I build furniture.”

“Sex furniture,” Nancy clarified.

“I think that’s fun,” I said. “I’ve never been good at building things.”

“That’s not true at all,” Salt quipped. “You built a whole company.”

Beth and Nancy both raised their brows.

His hand gave me a reassuring squeeze. “I’m the CEO of Rosethorn Records,” I said.

“That’s amazing,” Beth said.

Nancy studied me a little closer before pouring three glasses of wine. “Is that how you met Simon?”

“We technically met in a coffee shop first,” I said,

There was a warm timbre to his chuckle. “Coffee shop. Then one of my shows.”

“Isn’t Rosethorn who you’re signing with?” Beth asked.

“Yes,” we both said.

Nancy slid the wineglass toward me. “Sounds like you need this.”

I picked it up by the stem, swirling the wine in the glass. I took a sip and hummed in delight. It was delicious.

The timer on the oven went off. Beth started to turn for it, but Nancy held up her hand. “Go set the table with the good plates and napkins. Simon, give her a hand. Pepper can help me.”

Salt lingered for a moment, but I waved my hand at him. “I’ll help Nancy,” I said. “You help Beth. It won’t take long.”

He pressed his lips together, glancing at her and then me. “Okay.”

Salt slid off the stool, and he followed Beth to the dining room, where I could see a china cabinet just inside the space.

The moment he was out of ear shot, I looked at Nancy.

She was studying me. Scrutinizing.

I wasn’t going to beat around the bush, “You probably think I’m too old for him?—”

Nancy barked out a laugh, one that startled me. “No. I was thinking that you’re the first person he’s ever brought home, and you must be something pretty damn special.” She grabbed an oven mitt and pulled the lasagna out of the oven. “You feel that way though, huh?”

“I worry about how we’ll be perceived when we tell more people. The two of us tried to fight what we were feeling, but that didn’t work out. I realize that I’m in a position of power, but I’ve done everything I can to ensure that he’s protected in case our relationship doesn’t work out the way we’d like.”

“I don’t think you’re taking advantage of him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

I frowned. “He’s not taking advantage of me either.”

“I know he’s not. There is a power dynamic here, but you are both adults. What are you worried about?”

I barely knew this woman, but I still decided to be forthright. “I worry that things are going too fast. And that everyone will judge us. But I don’t think hiding our relationship is working. I want to be out in the open with our relationship. I just worry about the rumors and the consequences. Do you know what I mean?”

She put her hand on her hip and gave me a withering look. “Darling, you’re talking to a woman who’s not only a lesbian, but a professional Domme. You want to know something? People are always going to judge.” She shrugged. “Does it matter if you’re happy and not hurting anyone?”

My reputation and career were everything to me. It was the only thing I had to show the world—proof I’d been existing and contributing in some small way.

But was I happy? That was the question I’d been asking myself for years. When Jeff told me he’d been seeing someone and wanted a divorce, I’d been so cordial, because deep down it was a relief. It was a relief to know I didn’t have to keep being unhappy with him.

The longer I sat with my decision to tell the board about our relationship, the more right it felt, even though I still had a thousand concerns.

“He is really talented,” I said softly. “My record label will be perfect for his music. He’ll go places.”

“I know,” she said. “And I also know nothing’s stopping you from going along with him. Just like nothing stopped me from coming to live here with Beth.”

We were both silent, and then she shrugged her shoulders again.

“Alternatively, he could just be a fling for you.”

I bristled. “I…”

“I wouldn’t judge you if that were the case. But I know Salt thinks of you as more than that, if he brought you here. So if you don’t want to hurt him, you should break things off sooner than later. Don’t string him along. He doesn’t deserve that, after everything he’s gone through.”

Don’t string him along.

That was the last thing I wanted to do.

“As far as your age gap goes, I’m not the right person to ask. Beth is almost twenty years younger than me and a Mom of two grown kids who are out living their lives. We’ve been together for a few years now. She’s the absolute love of my life. If you’re both able to communicate and create a healthy relationship, then really, age is just a number. Right?”

“Yeah,” I said, relaxing a fraction. “I’m glad that he has you and Beth. I’m glad we met like this instead of…” I trailed off, my face warming.

Nancy grinned. “I caught a glimpse of the two of you that night and went on my merry way.”

“Oh god.” I hid my face in my hands, but Nancy didn’t seem to care. She just winked and gestured at the food.

“Let’s take everything to the table. I think we’ve let Simon sweat enough. He’s never brought someone to meet us before, and he’s probably thinking I’m either embarrassing him or trying to scare you off. Have I scared you off?”

“No,” I laughed. “No you haven’t scared me off.”

“Good. Let’s eat and celebrate the weekend.”