Chapter 4
Zee rolled his shoulders and blew out a breath, the stop-and-go traffic through downtown more frustration than he wanted to deal with.
Driving at rush hour was one downside of taking the job, and it grated on his nerves.
As excited as he was about being part of a team again, he knew it cost him time with his love. So why was he doing it?
He knew the answer was petty.
Truth was, he was getting older. His glory days as a champion were far behind him. But when he got the unexpected offer from the university to be a full-time technique consultant the same fire that had once driven him, sparked to life again and the thrill of the chase was re-ignited.
Over the summer, he threw himself into training, learning the latest technology and traveling to competitions to get up to speed with his team.
The congestion eased, bringing Zee closer to his tree-lined neighbourhood and Ella. His stomach dropped, thinking of home.
Oh, he wanted to go to get home, but he didn’t look forward to seeing the look on Ella’s face when he broke her heart.
Their daughters teased them for being silly lovebirds, but Zee wouldn’t trade what he had with Ella for anything.
This past summer, bringing Ella on most of those trips was a way to right a wrong.
Why hadn’t he taken Ella and the girls on the road more often back then? He’d made so many excuses, telling her it was too hard to travel with the twins. But deep down, he knew the real reason was that he hadn’t truly valued what he had.
He owed her everything.
That’s why disappointing her now was going to hurt him more than it did her.
But no matter how he turned it over in his mind, there was no way out of this one.
He sighed, brought up Annie’s latest piece that she’d sent him and tried to give over to the peace and beauty his daughter weaved into her piano—just like her mother did.
A car cut him off sharply, and instead of honking his horn futilely, he forced himself to unclench his fists, rolling his shoulders to release the tension.
Years ago, his temper had been a problem.
He never took it out on others, but he yelled, punched walls, and snapped at the people around him.
If he lost a meet or a competition, his competitors quickly learned to stay out of his way.
Coaches had always said he had potential, but he couldn’t seem to get his focus together to clinch that ultimate spot.
That changed when he met Coach Frederick.
Frederick wasn’t just about technique—he believed in Zee. He taught him that success wasn’t just about winning; it was about trusting himself.
He met Coach Frederick right after the twins were born, when he was twenty-one, and that’s the year he won Gold.
Ella was his everything, but he also owed Coach Frederick a lot.
His cell chimed, flashing his friend and the dungeon monitor for tonight, Max’s number.
Zee let it go to voicemail.
Tonight was 1920s night at Club Bandit, and it’s one they planned months ago.
These theme nights were a lot of fun, and Ella had thrown herself into the planning to make this a good night.
His stomach twisted as the gates to their property clicked open.
He and Ella didn’t work every night at Club Bandit, though he liked to pop in at least once an evening.
They had a trusted staff who were capable of running the place, but these theme nights were his favourites.
Maybe I’ll tell her tomorrow.
But putting it off wasn’t his way.
He’d rather get it on the table, and deal with the fallout right away instead of going all night, especially to the club and then dropping it on Ella the next day.
He parked in the driveway, and he took a moment to take in the view of their acreage.
Ella’s garden still bloomed, the warm weather holding on this year.
They had so much, and he was so lucky.
He opened their front door, the light notes of a modern piano sonata ringing in the air, the smell of something delicious cooking in the oven, the warmth of their home taking him in.
“Hello Master!” Ella ran over to him, sinking in greeting like she had for so many years, her hands cupping his ankles, her head bowed.
“Ella.” His voice caught on the word but with an effort he concentrated on this ritual, one of their daily ones that fed their dynamic.
“Thank you, love,” Zee said as she took off his boots. He reached down and gently pulled her up, then wrapped her in his arms, pressing her against his chest.
The smell of her favourite conditioner wafted through his nostrils.
He plucked a stray pink thread off of her blouse.
“What were you working on?”
“Helena dropped off a hat, asking me if I could sew a feather that had come loose. I asked her and Oliver for dinner before going to the club, but she got called out on an emergency.”
“Next time then,” Zee said. He hung up his laptop bag, Ella took his coffee tumbler and he followed her into the kitchen.
“Dinner smells good.”
“Your favourite, Master. I thought it was the perfect way to finish the week. How did practice go today?”
“Practice was fine. I enjoy being poolside. How was your day?”
“Busy. I had a special order from the new adult store in Langley. I had just finished the corset before Helena popped by.”
Ella’s eyes glowed. She loved being busy with projects and lost herself in sewing her gorgeous pieces that she sold, with all the proceeds going to the Scott Riddell Foundation.
“Annie let me hear a part of the piece she’s going to play on Friday. Zee, we should tell the girls on Sunday. I got them to narrow down a time we could call them.”
“Looking forward to it. Come here, dear heart,” Zee offered his hand, and her slender fingers caught it.
He led her into what he termed their great room when they bought this house because calling the space “a living room” didn’t do it justice.
It had floor to ceiling doors all around that folded open. With the nights being warm, he loved letting the breeze flow in.
When they hosted parties on the expansive lawn during the summer, guests could wander in and out from here and from the pool doors on the other side.
The hearth was to the ceiling; the fireplace banked now. Ella’s Bose sound system on the mantle, along with photos of their daughters.
The comfortable couches they picked out, her special kneeling cushion he had custom made and ordered from a friend.
He tugged on her hand as she kneeled and pulled her onto his lap as he settled on the couch. He spent a quiet moment tracing her jawline, nuzzling her, enjoying her closeness, and she made little sounds of contentment.
“My boss informed me today that the school has approved a new award to be given out to the most improved swimmer. It comes with a generous bursary.”
“That’s great, Master.”
“At first they wanted to name it after me, but I asked for them to name it after Coach.”
“What an honour that is!” Ella’s eyes glowed, she leaned in, her lips pressing against his with a suddenness that startled him.
The warmth of her kiss burned through him, sharp and fast.
Her excitement and joy at something for him only made his stomach sour more.
“Yes, it is an honour, and there’s an award ceremony.” Zee shifted, so he was looking at Ella straight on because he would not look away from seeing the impact of his words.
“Next Friday.”
And just like a light going out, her expression went from happiness to furrowed brows.
She glanced down, a length of red hair curtaining her face, and he knew she was struggling for composure.
“I’m sorry. You know I need you at my side. Everyone is going to be there. They invited Nico and Roger.” Zee swallowed.
His old rivals coming looked better for the school than it meant anything to him but it was a nice touch. “Sportswriters from around the world, a lot of press. I’m going to call Coach and tell him.”
He rubbed a circle on her back, wanting to soothe her. “Dear heart, look at me.”
He held his breath, waiting. Ella always obeyed him, but he noted it was a pause before her wide eyes met his. “I am sorry you can’t be there in person to hear Annie play and support her. She knows you love her. You can watch the stream.”
“Okay,” Ella nodded, her voice a whisper that pierced his heart.
“I know you’re upset. Do you want to talk about it?” Zee stroked her silky hair.
“Not right now, Sir. I have to get dinner out of the oven.” She went to move off his lap, and he held her for a moment longer.
“Maybe the event tonight will raise your spirits.”
“With your permission, I’d like to skip this evening’s event. I’m tired. At least we didn’t tell the girls yet, so I’m not disappointing them.”
She glanced away, fidgeted with her hem.
“I hate disappointing you, Ella.”
“I know, Master.” Her eyes met his, with that sheen of unshed tears, and he hated he was asking her to give something up for him.
This award ceremony was important.
He needed his wife on his arm, and there was no changing it.
But he’d give her the space she asked for.
“Let’s eat and then I’ll leave you to music.”
“Okay,” Ella slid off his lap, striding into the kitchen.
She took the food out of the oven, the plates down, and started serving his dinner.
Watching her flow through this daily ritual usually was a source of pride, but right here, knowing he broke her heart, her little acts of submission were like a knife’s edge cutting him open.
***
“Hey boss, you need to look at this.” Jefferson Mitchell, one of Zee’s employees, passed him an iPad, bringing up the security feed from half an hour ago.
“What’s going on?” Zee took the iPad, wariness in his sore, aching muscles. The Red Hot 1920s had been a success, and members were on their way out of the club.
Zee looked up from the iPad as Miss Helena touched his arm.
“Ella said she’d help me with a dress emergency, so I’ll see you this week.”
“Looking forward to it,” Zee said.
He searched her face to see if there were any signs that Ella had confided in one of her best friends about him being an asshole. But Miss Helena simply blew him a kiss and waved to Jefferson.
Zee played the feed, noticing the timestamp that showed the video was from a couple of hours ago.
A van circles the parking lot once, twice. Idled at the door, drove to the back and then drove away.
Lots of reasons someone might idle and not come into Club Bandit.
Maybe they were invited by a member and changed their minds. Maybe it’s a member’s vehicle, and they got called to work.
Those excuses seemed flimsy, and Zee rubbed his hand through his chin.
It had been a hell of a week.
Ever since the university sent out the press release about his official appointment with the swim team, his inbox had been filled with messages from journalists and podcast hosts. Zee had been touched by his former teammates and competitors reaching out with congratulations.
But there were a few times when he answered his phone and someone had hung up or he had voicemail of silence, and after the first few times, he wondered.
That was paranoia, a throwback to the times when he had to worry about a fan getting too close or showing their affection too aggressively.
He was a nobody now, mostly except for those who remembered or had an interest in sports journalism.
But now with this footage, he would act and call in the experts.
His first job was to keep Ella safe, and Club Bandit secure. If he couldn’t do that for his members, then he didn’t deserve their loyalty or their patronage. “Yeah, that’s interesting.”
“Thought you needed to see it. I’m going to do one last check upstairs.”
“Thanks, Jefferson.”
Zee glanced up at the empty club, spotting members laughing and talking on their way out.
He couldn’t wait to get home to Ella.
Running through his closing list of duties, he made his way to the front desk.
“Hey Sam, looks like everyone has cleared out. Do you have a ride?”
Their perky receptionist grinned at him, shaking her blue hair.
“I’m all set, Zee. I missed Ella tonight.”
“Yeah, me too,” Zee helped her close off the system.
Sam grabbed her coat from the little alcove they used as a boutique, and Zee spent a moment straightening up the hat boxes that had fallen.
“Sorry, everyone wanted some kind of feather hat tonight. The desk was too busy for me to put them back.”
“That’s okay.” Zee picked up a small black flapper hat, setting it down in the box.
He had no idea that Ella had stocked this room with costumes ready to go, but of course she did. Ella took care of the details.
“My ride’s here! Night Zee!”
“Night, Sam. See you next week.”
Zee closed the front door after her, the light flickering above him, and he had to remind James to come and fix that soon before the whole track went out.
He was many things but not very handy, if he had to admit it, and preferred to pay people to do things, especially when it came to the electrical.
“All clear, boss, I’m heading out!” Jefferson called.
“Good night!” Zee strode into the empty club, watching Jefferson disappear through the backdoor.
This place was all his, a vision brought to life because he wanted his kinky friends to have a place to play.
He stole the name “bandit” from the Bandit Brothers, a group of private security operatives he’d made friends with, thanks to his friend Jordan.
Zee wanted people to come here, to this tucked-away estate, to have a night to remember, indulge in the play that lit them up and then go home.
But what he didn’t want was to stand in the place by himself, still mad at himself for disappointing Ella.
On his way to his car, he placed an order for a bouquet for Monday.
He’d make Ella smile again, no matter what it took.