Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Once they were back in Connecticut, Rory hired a private investigator. He figured if Brandon had abused Kate, he’d probably abused other women. It took the PI nine weeks to dig up enough dirt to convince the police to file formal charges.
Kate insisted that she would testify if he didn’t take a plea deal.
There were four women in total, plus pictures on cell phones of the aftermath of domestic violence, a host of threatening texts, and tearful victim statements.
Like Kate, one of the other girls had been underage at the time Brandon had gotten a hold of her.
In the end, Brandon took the deal, which was smart because if Kate had had to testify, Rory would’ve been waiting for Brandon’s ass as soon as he got out of jail.
Kate’s reaction to her ex getting jail-time was astonishment and relief, and that pleased Rory so much that her gratitude felt like overkill. The guy deserved to be in jail. All he’d done to get that done was spend some money.
It took a few weeks after the deal, but eventually it seemed to fade from Kate’s mind, which was what Rory wanted more than anything.
If he could’ve paid to have it wiped from her memory completely, he would have spent anything to do it.
She seemed all right now though, which was all that mattered to him.
Kate came into the kitchen carrying her phone. “Hey, Sir? We’re trying to build bridges with our families, right?”
Rory nodded.
Earlier in the day, they’d talked about whether to attend his family’s annual beach holiday.
It was a tradition Rory himself had started, and he, of course, financed it.
He was happy to keep paying for it, whether he was actually there or not.
But he’d been tempted to skip it this year, so he could be alone with Kate.
It’s what she would’ve preferred, of course.
But in the end, they’d figured their going was an important gesture, so they’d relented and sent the email saying they’d be there.
Kate sat next to him at the island and rested her hand on his forearm. A sure sign, she was going to ask him for something she thought he wouldn’t want to say yes to.
“The club is kind of a family too, right? I feel like it is.” Her gaze slid to his face to gauge his reaction.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Could I volunteer to help Master J with his rope-tying workshop? Some of the other girls have volunteered, but he wants someone with bigger breasts like mine.”
Rory nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
J was a Shibari expert. Rory wouldn’t mind learning more rope bondage, and he especially wouldn’t mind seeing Kate tied up. The thought of that stiffened his cock as much as her asking his permission had.
She smiled and hopped up. “I’ll text right now. Thank you, Sir,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome. When that’s done, take a shower and get ready. Let’s get brunch out of the way, so we can have some time to ourselves.”
She nodded, all smiles now, which hit him the way it always did. Right through the heart.
I must be getting soft, he thought. Everywhere but my cock.