Chapter 2
Watching Reece move across the room was breathtaking. The slide of muscle, the swing of curved hips, the sway of breasts. Over a year together and the woman still had the power to make Scarlet lose track of an interesting conversation and hyper-focus on the way she walked.
A girlish laugh at Scarlet’s elbow reminded her she was being rude. She turned her head to grimace at Reece’s friend, Sabrina. The rest of Jude, Q, and Sabrina’s living room came back into focus. Groups of party-goers stood in groups of three or four, chatting – although most had already moved into the backyard.
“Sorry. I just...”
She shrugged. “No need to apologize. I have a hard time not staring at Q when she walks into a room and we’ve been together longer. Except I have Jude, too, so I spend a lot of time standing around with my mouth hanging open. People must be constantly questioning my intelligence.”
“How you manage with two is beyond me.” Scarlet chuckled then sipped at her drink. “And with Zenobia almost walking now, your time for gawking must be limited.”
Sabrina perched her butt on the arm of the overstuffed chair behind her and grinned. “We do okay for ‘us’ time when she’s asleep. At least she’s sleeping through the night. Reece said she fussed for a while after we dropped her off the other night?”
“Yes, Mommy. How dare you and Mama and Daddy go to a movie,” Q said as she rounded the corner and joined them. She wrapped an arm around Sabrina’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “She has to get used to us leaving and coming back. It’s part of healthy attachment.”
“I don’t think we should go out to the movies anymore. Not until she’s eighteen or so. She can’t handle it. Jude agrees.”
“He’ll say anything you want to make you stop angsting about it. You’ll get used to it. Reece said she stopped fussing after five minutes.” She winked then wandered off and asked people if she could get them anything.
“So where’s the birthday boy?” Scarlet was starting to get a buzz from the sangria. Her nose was numb and the front of her thighs felt weird. They hadn’t been going out much lately, so her tolerance was way down.
“Cross and some of the other guys just started Stupid Dom Games in the backyard. Fredrick is running it, as usual, so it should be pretty funny. The guy I wanted to introduce you to is back there, too. Come on, let’s go laugh at them.”
Scarlet lagged behind, but Sabrina grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
A Dom tutor. How had Reece convinced her that this was a good idea? She and Sabrina had concocted this plan when they were shopping a few weeks back, and Reece had come home over-the-top excited. Sabrina knew all sorts of people who knew all sorts of people in the kink community. So even though she and Reece weren’t that interested in going to munches or to the local club, Sabrina had decided she was going to find someone to help them figure out what was going wrong in their kink life. So embarrassing.
The creepy old house had a huge backyard that Scarlet had always admired. She wasn’t sure which of the inhabitants was the gardener, but the simple, park-like setting was beautiful – even in the harsh glare of the floodlights. A dark corner of the yard boasted the swing set, slide and monkey bars that Jude and his buddy Cross had been building when they’d visited a few weeks ago. From the size of the thing, either the little family was planning to rapidly expand, or Zenobia’s parents liked playing too. She didn’t know them that well yet, so she hadn’t asked.
The yard was filled with men, and a few women, drinking and egging each other on. At the moment, several of them were hunched over, running in circles with their foreheads pressed to the handles of baseball bats. Most were stumbling, and one hit the dirt. An even louder crowd watched. Were they betting?
She stifled a laugh and refilled her glass with sangria from the punch bowl.
Drunk, and now dizzy men staggered toward the back fence. They were supposed to touch it and come back, but half of them were on the ground laughing and rolling around. Fredrick – whom she and Reece had gotten to know over the past few months – was calling out the action like a sports commentator. His submissive, Peter, knelt at his feet holding their drinks and laughing so hard that he looked like he was in pain.
Her sides hurt from holding in her laughter. She spotted Jude, crawling purposefully along the ground toward the fence. The birthday boy was a cheater. Either no one noticed him in the chaos, or it was just too funny to interrupt. Sabrina leaned over to her and pointed at her Dom.
“I got the smart one.”
Cross, who stood nearby, grinned at her. “That’s the man you’re thinking of breeding with, Sabrina? You might want to reconsider.” His women were cuddled up on either side of him, and Scarlet could see they were holding hands at his back. She hadn’t met them yet. Cross she’d met briefly at Zenobia’s baptism. The man reminded her of a huge human bulldog, although he seemed nice enough.
“Okay, maybe you’re the smart one Cross,” Sabrina answered, “because you’re not playing. But Q and I got the pretty one.”
“If Cross is smart and Jude is pretty, what does that make me?” Another man joined them that Scarlet hadn’t noticed earlier. He wasn’t as tall or muscle-bound as some of the other men, but he was still a few inches taller than her. If she had to describe him at a police station, she’d say he’d been a pirate captain in a former life, or maybe worked as the stand-in for movie Satans. The dark, unruly long hair, blue eyes, and goatee did the trick. Devilishly handsome, perhaps? The silver rings in his ears would have looked wrong on most other men, but on him they worked. He was also covered in tattoos.
“I think that makes you the Dom with the good personality, Malachi,” Cross’s girl with the red hair and tattoos supplied helpfully.
“Oooh, ouch. Next time just say I’m ugly – it would be kinder. My self esteem needs a pint of ice cream now, Gemma. By the way, remind me to get you a gag next Christmas. Your screaming has been scaring my customers away.”
Cross’s laugh boomed and he clapped the man on the back – a blow that should have sent him sprawling, but apparently he was stronger than he looked.
Gemma looked unfazed. “You’re just jealous I get to go home for lunch. Blame my Neanderthal. Maybe you should keep his hands cuffed behind his back during your shop’s office hours. It would make me less prone to screaming.”
“Just his hands? Man, I have to draw you a diagram or something.”
Cross raised a brow. “Hmm. I have what – two girls? And you have...” Cross looked around expectantly. “Oh right. You’re single again. Maybe I should be the one drawing the diagrams.”
“Thanks, Cross. The lot of you piss off while I talk to this pretty girl.” He waved them away.
Cross and his girls strolled off and the big man’s rumbling chuckle trailed in their wake.
“Well,” Sabrina began, sounding amused. “This wasn’t quite how I pictured this. Malachi, this is my best friend’s girlfriend, Scarlet.”
“Nice to meet you, Scarlet. Sabrina has told me a lot about your situation, although she didn’t name names, of course.”
Sabrina smiled. “You two get to know each other. I’m going to go mix more sangria before this mob starts sobering up. And don’t mind his tattoos, he’s mostly harmless.” She headed back into the house.
With difficulty, Scarlet ignored the urge to follow her. She wasn’t great at small talk – that was Reece’s job.
“I work in construction. I don’t know many people without tattoos.” She smiled, hoping she seemed friendly without seeming too eager.
“I own a tattoo shop downtown. The Ink Haven. Over the years, between myself and my apprentices, I’ve gotten pretty covered in them. He smiled at her and turned his arms over so she could see the extent of his ink. Every inch of his forearms were covered in traditional-type tattoos – some well done and some a bit amateurish. “Everyone needs to start somewhere, and I’d rather let the new kids use me as canvas than have them screw up on customers.” His grin was open and friendly.
Scarlet felt her smile widen. “That’s nice of you.”
“Yeah, I’m almost a saint. My application’s in and everything.” His eyes glinted mischievously. “Really though, it’s just a mix of good business and remembering what it was like starting out. Everyone needs people to practice on.”
The man eyed Scarlet speculatively for a minute, which surprised her. She wasn’t a snappy dresser, so she often faded into the background when Reece was around. Then again, Reece was still in the living room as far as she knew.
“I’m not into guys, Malachi. Just going to throw that out there now. Don’t think of me as a potential conquest because it’s not going to happen.” And the guy Sabrina wanted to help them walks off in 3... 2...
He shrugged and grinned. “Can’t blame a guy for hoping, pretty girl like you.”
“Yeah, if you like your girls to look like dudes.”
“You’re way too pretty to be a dude. Then again, so’s Jude over there. I’d probably flirt with him too if I liked guys and if I wasn’t so scared of Q.” His eyes shone and tilted up when he grinned.
Scarlet quelled a smile and cocked a brow at him, instead. “So that’s how you got picked to help us out? You’re known as a desperate man?”
“I’ll try not to hump your leg, but you might want to keep a spare pair of jeans on hand.” He twisted his mouth wryly.
“Leg humping is a hard limit.” She chuckled.
“In my defense, though, Sabrina’s explanation was intriguing. Most of the kinksters I meet have been into it for years, or are new but mostly know what they want.”
The crowd cheered at something, but she ignored them. “Yeah, I admit that when it comes to kink, we’re a bit of a mess. I’m not sure what you’d get from helping us out, though. We’re monogamous and I don’t do guys anyway.”
“You’re hot and I’m bored. Even if I potentially have a chance to watch, it’s worth my time.” Did he always look amused? Weren’t Doms supposed to be menacing-looking? “I don’t have trouble finding willing partners. This just seems more interesting than the other offers I’ve had lately. So what are you hoping for help with?”
Scarlet grimaced. Tell him everything now? Here? She glanced around, but everyone was busy watching the shenanigans. The second group of Doms and Dommes was competing and people were shouting, betting, and not even looking their way. “I’m not sure what’s going on with us. We’re both drawn to kink but it’s always frustrating when we play around. I think our ideas of what we should want and what we do want aren’t matching up. Or maybe our kinks just aren’t compatible.”
The panic welled up in her chest again. What if they found out that kink between them wouldn’t work? Vanilla just wasn’t good enough anymore, but if that was all they had would Reece stick around? Would they end up resenting each other? The idea of giving Reece up was like choosing to rip a gaping hole in her own chest. She was her match in every other way, except this. But sex was important, even though thinking that seemed shallow.
Malachi squeezed her shoulder and looked down at her, his expression kind. For some reason having this stranger’s hand on her didn’t seem weird. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it doesn’t look like happy thoughts. Before you go off on a mental tangent, let’s try figuring out if we can fix this. Even if you two just need someone else there to offer suggestions while you talk it out, I’m okay with that.” The last vestiges of his cocky demeanor fell away, and his eyes were sad. “My last serious relationship went south because we couldn’t get our kink life sorted out. If I can help you two with this I think it’ll help me, too.”
“You’re not sure if you’re a Dom?”
“Oh, I’m a Dom, alright. I just wasn’t the right Dom for her. She needed someone more serious and consistent. I don’t do that well.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t meet her needs and she was miserable. I tried to change my domming style to match her, but faking it only worked so long. I’m not an uber Dom – I’m an attention deficit Dom.” His light words and small smile at the end didn’t mask the regret in his eyes. He’d obviously loved her, but love could only fix so much.
Which brought her back to thinking about Reece. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out. Was it recent?”
“If recent and a year ago match up in your world, then yes, it was recent. Cross’s girls have been kicking my ass, trying to get me to look for another relationship, but I’m still not over Ivy. I don’t think anyone chooses to be the rebound girl and I’d feel like a shithead doing that to someone.” He snorted then took a swig of his beer. “Why the hell am I telling you this?”
“Because Sabrina is a genius, I think. You’re just as messed up as I am about this and we both need someone to talk to that gets it. If you get closer to us you have to promise me something, though.”
“What?”
“I think my girlfriend is really going to like you.” Scarlet swallowed hard at the lump that was forming there. “If I become the third wheel this will suck.”
His eyebrows shot upward. “I’m not that kind of guy. I won’t try to lure her away.”
Reece wouldn’t be lured if she didn’t want to be. This situation with their kink life had made her off-balance and unsure of where she stood with Reece. More than anything, she worried she’d miss the signs that her girlfriend wanted to end things, and hang onto hope so long that it got pathetic. She didn’t want to be that girl.
She took in Malachi’s serious expression. He seemed sweet and genuinely interested in helping. “Okay. She’s inside, why don’t I introduce you?”
“Sure.”
Scarlet led the way back into the living room. The crowd was thinner there. Reece was chatting with a woman on the couch, no doubt talking fashion. Scarlet could never use her work as a conversation starter in these situations. No one wanted to hear about house framing at a party.
The other woman rose and wandered off, and Scarlet beckoned for Malachi to follow her. Reece’s gaze met hers and she rose gracefully to her feet. Her smile reached all the way to her eyes. People were her thing – everyone loved her and she flourished in social environments. Scarlet had to struggle to make sure people didn’t think she was snobby and stand-offish.
The dress she wore skimmed her figure, making Scarlet’s fingers want to do the same. Fuck, she was hot. She just wanted to drag her off somewhere and lean her over something, pull her hem up to her waist and trace the scalloped leg seam of her black panties to her...
Where was Reece going in such a hurry?
Scarlet barely caught the flash of disgust on Reece’s face before she started to walk away. Was it Malachi’s tattoos? She wasn’t usually judgemental.
“Where are you going? Get back here.” Reece wasn’t going to like her tone, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t like her girlfriend to be rude.
She turned back at the doorway and stalked over to them, glaring.
“Well, now I know who the Dom is,” Malachi smiled.
“I am.” The answer was unhesitating and came from them both.
He looked amused.
Reece’s face was twisted with rage. “Don’t you dare laugh at me, Malachi Johansson.”
“I’m sorry. Do we know each other?”
“As if I’d forget my high school tormentor. Not surprised you don’t remember me, though. I guess it’s easy to forget people when they didn’t destroy your life.”
“Oh, fuck. Reece Duncan? I’ve been wanting to find you.”
“So you could mock me about being poor when I was a kid? Get a life, ass-hat.”
He stepped back, giving her space. “No, I wanted to say sorry. I was a complete fucking jackass in high school. Cross tried to knock some sense into me, but I was really too stupid to live at that point. Some of the things I said to you were so awful that I can’t even imagine how to begin to apologise. I was pretty fucked up back then – not an excuse, just an explanation. What I said to you in high school wasn’t about you.”
Why hadn’t Reece ever mentioned any of this to Scarlet? They’d talked about all sorts of shit from their pasts – especially how Reece had felt about her body when she was younger. She’d never mentioned a bully. Scarlet’s urge to punch said bully in the face didn’t match with how she saw Malachi though. How was this even the same guy?
“You calling me poor and ugly wasn’t about me?” Her expression was disgusted disbelief.
The room had emptied out before Reece recognized Malachi, thank goodness. Making a scene at a birthday party wasn’t a good way to keep friends. Scarlet hung back. She couldn’t fix this.
“No,” Malachi replied. “Not at all. And I never said you were unattractive. I was short and ugly. I got made fun of by the popular girls all the time. The guys thought I was funny. For some reason I always thought picking on you was hilarious in the moment, but then I’d go home and wonder why I was such a dickhead to you. It wasn’t until after graduation that I realized it was because I thought you were pretty and figured you’d make fun of me if you knew.” He frowned. “Anyway, I’m sorry I was so awful to you. I know that doesn’t make up for anything, but I just wanted you to know.”
Reece sighed and slid her hand into Scarlet’s. “I got over it a long time ago, Malachi. You’re really not like that anymore?”
“If I was, Cross would punch me out regularly. See? I don’t even have a black eye or anything.” He gestured at his face and half smiled, his dimples flashing briefly.
“You weren’t short that long, Malachi. You shot up junior year.”
“I know. I was impatient and an asshole.”
“Yes, I’ll concede that you were definitely an asshole.” Reece smirked.
They all stood there awkwardly for a moment. “I didn’t recognize you at all at first, but now I see it. You’re even lovelier than I remember. It’s so weird that Sabrina decided to ask me to help you, of all people, with kink. She never told me your names.”
Reece looked stunned for a moment then tossed back the rest of her drink. “Well, jeez. It’s you she’s been talking about? Well this is awkward.”
“Yeah. I’ll go. If I think of someone else that can help you out I’ll let Sabrina know. It was nice to see you, even if the feeling can’t be mutual. Scarlet, it was a pleasure.” Like a guy from an old movie, he tilted his head and backed a step before he turned away.
“Wait, Malachi.” The sight of his departing back made Scarlet panic. She couldn’t give up that easily. He turned but didn’t walk back to them. She squeezed Reece’s hand and stared into her deep brown eyes. “Kitten, what if this is the only chance we have to figure things out?” she whispered. “We’re lost and this guy could help. I talked to him for a long while outside and I don’t think he’s the same guy you remember from high school. We could meet with him once and see if it’s too weird for you. If he says anything mean I’ll punch him out, myself.”
“You’d really do that?”
“I’d curb stomp the motherfucker.”
Reece’s eyes widened and she giggled. She got quiet again and Scarlet began to wonder if she shouldn’t send Malachi away so Reece could think in peace. After a long time she nodded. “I guess Sabrina wouldn’t have suggested him if he was still a jerk. Just once for now, and we’ll see how things go. I want to fix this.”
Scarlet drew Reece along to where Malachi stood waiting. “Can we meet once to see how things work, Malachi, or would it be too awkward for you?”
“Really? Okay. I mean, it wouldn’t be awkward for me, I’m just worried about Reece.”
“I can take care of myself, Malachi Johansson.” With crossed arms and a cocked brow, she was her normal challenging self. Reece was no wilting flower. Sometimes her demeanor made Scarlet want to paddle her ass.
In a heartbeat Malachi’s expression went from mild and friendly, to that look . Scarlet had noticed the look many times on Q and Jude when Sabrina got sassy.
Interested, with a capital I – like the game had begun.