Chapter 16
Two days ago
Fairfax
Ash Riley
“Are you shittin’ me?” I exclaimed.
“What?” James asked, startled.
I grabbed the offending little duck from inside my lunch container and held it up. “I’ve fucking had it with these things, man. They’re not my daughter’s, they don’t come from any kid who occasionally stops by the office, and they’re sure as fuck not mine.”
Someone was fucking with me, and I couldn’t figure out who.
Had this been a recent thing, I would’ve suspected one of the brats in Mclean. But this had been going on for months now.
I jumped off the tailgate of my work truck and strode over to the nearest dumpster, where I threw it away. We were in the middle of a worksite, so I didn’t suspect anyone here of messing with me, that was for damn sure.
Motherfucker. Now I couldn’t eat my lunch in peace without seeing a goddamn duck?
They’d been varying in color lately too. Before, they were all yellow, but I’d found blue ones, pink ones, and green ones as well. This one had been blue.
“Should we go through your list of enemies?” James joked.
“I don’t have enemies. I’m too lovable.” I huffed and returned my attention to my turkey casserole. “That said, I do have a short list of suspects.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nodded, mouth full of food. At the risk of turning into Lily, my lunch lacked ketchup.
My food was lacking altogether these days, though. Nate and I had been a team. I was decent on my own, but together, we’d crushed it.
“My nieces,” I said. “With Theo’s help, obviously.
They’re too young on their own.” Theo and Claire had sworn their girls had nothing to do with the ducks, but I wasn’t entirely convinced yet.
“Theo and I were good at pranking each other back in the day, and I once sent him an air freshener in the mail every month for almost two years. I wrote poems about how bad he smelled. I started when I was like…seventeen or something.”
James chuckled with a mouth full of chicken Alfredo that Jordan had made.
I was a little envious, I couldn’t lie.
“So, next time you’re there, go snoopin’ for plastic ducks in your nieces’ rooms,” James said.
I nodded and wagged my fork at him. “Solid idea. We’re supposed to play board games with them on Sunday, Mikey and me. And you know what? I can threaten them. If they don’t fess up, they can’t play with the latest family member.”
And that was Paws. Penelope had given me an actual kitten as an early birthday present, so guess who was no longer dying alone.
This guy.
Provided that the cat lived till he was thirty.
“I’m glad you’re not going overboard or anythin’,” James commented.
Asshole.
I nudged his elbow with my own. “I’m glad you’ve gotten over the whole drunk debacle where you practically begged me to fuck you. Remember that?”
He snapped his mouth shut and scowled at me.
I grinned.
“Boss, you promised we’d never bring that up ever again.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
My bad. I had so few things to keep my mood up these days that I had to take advantage.
After work, I drove out to Mclean.
Not for any fun reasons, but to pick up Hallie.
Noa, the brattiest brat to ever have bratted, was also one of the sweetest kids I’d met.
He’d hooked my girl up with a part-time job right after the cruise.
I’d mentioned in passing that Hallie wanted a job, and he’d just called his manager at the grocery store where he worked. Where he worked for fun.
When I was almost there, Nate called, so I inserted my earbuds and took the call.
“What’s up?” You motherfucker.
Maybe I was still 100% butthurt because he hadn’t cared to fight for the National Parks Passport.
“What we’ve been dreading finally happened this morning,” he said. “It wasn’t Micah, though. It was Lily. She asked why you and I never kiss or hug.”
Oh. Hell.
Well, see, princess, your dad doesn’t want me anymore.
“What did you answer?” I asked.
He sighed. “Micah kinda saved my ass by blurting out that kissing was gross because of cooties—at which Lily got huffy and said he was wrong, because kissing means you love someone.”
“That’s my girl,” I murmured, turning into the parking lot of the store. “So, you didn’t tell her that you don’t love me anymore?”
“Funny.”
Not one bit.
He cleared his throat. “I told her I’d talk to you about it but that we definitely love each other, which… I don’t know. I feel bad lying outright.”
I clenched my jaw. “Well, I need one more week.” Maybe. Actually, I probably only needed two days, but I was gonna try to stretch that to two weeks. Because I was a dumbass masochist.
It was just the thought of taking off my ring—a thought that plagued me every damn night at the moment—made me wanna cry.
“I gotta go,” I said, killing the engine. “I’m about to pick up Hallie. Are you home?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit, then.” I ended the call and climbed out of the truck, breathing in the fresh spring air.
Focus on the good shit in life.
I was trying, dammit. I’d reconnected with my friends.
I was back in the kink community. I had brats running around me every time I was out there.
I’d joined an event, even. I was gonna be the King Master Owner of Penelope’s new girlfriend tomorrow.
Nonsexual playtime, obviously, but damn, Nora was funny.
She sure as hell scratched the Sadist’s itch in me.
I walked into the store, figuring I might as well pick up dinner. They had a deli here I could try.
I wasn’t in the mood to cook anyway.
After grabbing a basket, I made my way toward the back—
Hold up.
I heard Hallie’s voice in the next aisle over, and she wasn’t alone.
“Was there anything else?” she asked.
I frowned. I knew my daughter’s moods, and the tone right there—she wasn’t happy.
“Yes, one thing,” some guy replied. “You know, I can totally picture you in my bed.”
The fucker said what? I turned cold in an instant, and I gnashed my teeth and strode—
“That’s so funny,” Hallie giggled, “because I can totally picture you in a ditch.”
I stopped short and swung around, almost knocking over a display with my basket.
Fucking hell!
Not a goddamn word in the English language could describe how fucking proud I was, all of a sudden.
“Excuse me?” Oh, the guy wasn’t happy now either. “Look, bitch—”
“Whoa, we got a problem over here?” Was that Noa? It sounded like Noa.
I was ready to come running again. Nobody called my daughter a bitch and got away with it. But I was too curious to see how Noa and Hallie would work it out. I had to let my girl do this her way. She was clearly brilliant at brushing off idiots already.
“No,” the guy responded sourly. “Fuck this store anyway.”
“Yeah, okay,” Noa said, way more cheerful. “Have a blessed day, fucknut.”
I grinned to myself.
The guy must’ve walked off.
“Store policy—we have to be nice to customers,” Noa explained. “That’s why I like to bless their day.”
I stifled a laugh while Hallie let hers out.
“You did great,” Noa added. “Never take their shit.”
I made up my mind. I walked back toward the entrance and left my basket, then headed over to my truck.
This was her moment. Goddamn, I was proud of her. And when I saw Noa tomorrow, I’d give him a big hug.
Maybe I glanced around to see if I could spot a guy who might’ve insulted my baby girl, but unless it was that eightysomething-year-old over there in the motorized wheelchair, the blessed fucknut had already escaped.
It didn’t take long before Hallie appeared from the side of the building, and I couldn’t stop smiling at her.
“Hi, Dad! Why aren’t you in the truck?”
I shrugged. “The sun is nice. How was work?”
“It was great! Noa is like the big brother I wish I had.”
I chuckled and winced. “Baby, whatever war you and Dylan are waging on each other needs to fucking stop.”
“Whatever,” she sang.
I opened the door for her, but before she could climb up, I pulled her in for a hug.
I had to.
“I love you,” I murmured.
“I know, Daddy,” she chuckled awkwardly. “I love you too. Are you okay?”
“More than. I just want you to know that Dad and I are so proud of you.” I released her at last and nodded for her to jump in. “Tell me all about your day, and spare no details.”
I had to bide my time the following day, ’cause everyone was focused on the event—and so was I, of course. Nora and I faked it till we made it; she pretended to be a good slave, and I pretended to be a Master.
I was fairly sure I did more pretending than she did. She was a sub through and through and at least curious about high-protocol. I had zero interest in the Master/slave business.
That said, it felt great to be around kink again, and my buddies were hella forgiving.
Now, did it take the edge off? Not as much as I’d hoped.
I was still thinking too much about James and Jordan, but as I’d told Penelope and Nora the other day—nothing had happened and nothing would.
I’d made up my mind. Fucking around with my neighbors?
That could get messy, and then what? I’d live right next to them.
At the end of the day, Nora and I gathered with the others just south of the pool out on the lawn, because it was time to see who won.
Nora stood slightly behind me, ’cause God forbid a slave stood next to you.
Reese was munching on one of the cookies the slaves had baked during the event. Part of the whole domestic servitude schtick.
“As always,” he said, brushing crumbs off his tee, “it’s been fun watching brats suffer.”
“I will make you suffer sometime!” Noa hollered.
KC sighed loudly at his boy. “Noa, I fucking swear. Shut your little piehole for one minute.”
I grinned.
Countless members had signed up for today’s event, even people like me who weren’t into the high-protocol shit. But it was part of a monthly challenge they were running, and competitive brats wanted to collect points.
This time, it’d been Reese, Penelope, and two newer members, Jack and August, who’d hosted the event.