Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Domi
“That was Mitch. Mitch. Your… our Mitch.” Rae quickly changed the pronoun, shaking her head as she pulled away from the hospital’s roundabout.
Ana was strapped into the backseat behind Rae, and Domi couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder every couple of seconds to make sure she was okay.
Mostly she looked tired but didn’t seem to notice what Rae had said.
Considering Domi had never so much as mentioned Mitch’s name around Ana, she wouldn’t have been surprised if her daughter was curious, but she was either too exhausted or overwhelmed to take notice. Hopefully, she hadn’t noticed the little moment between Mitch and Domi right before they left.
Domi wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or worried about Ana’s distraction. She didn’t want Ana thinking too much about Mitch—or Murse Mitch, as he’d told her to call him, which had made her giggle—but she didn’t like to think that Ana was in too much pain or anything, either.
“Did we know he worked at the hospital?” Rae asked, giving her head a little shake of disbelief. Domi knew just how she felt.
Seeing Mitch in the emergency room had thrown her for a loop.
On the other hand, she’d found his presence incredibly reassuring.
He’d taken charge immediately, letting her focus on Ana and trusting him to tell her what to do.
Not her normal position anywhere except in either Stronghold or Marquis, but she’d been grateful for it. For him.
Argh. Which did not help her feelings towards him. Watching him charm Ana… yeah. And he hadn’t treated Domi any differently after finding out she was a single mom.
“No, no, we did not,” she answered Rae, keeping her emotions out of her voice. “He’s a nurse there.”
“He called himself a murse,” Ana chimed in from the back seat, proving she actually was listening. She giggled. “For ‘man nurse.’”
“It’s okay to call him that, but only him,” Domi reminded her. “Others might not find it funny.” That Mitch not only embraced but encouraged the term was probably the least surprising thing about today.
“He would,” Rae said, echoing Domi’s thoughts.
“He stayed with us almost the whole time,” Ana said. “And helped Mommy.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” Rae asked, sending Domi a look as if she wasn’t sure she approved. Considering how tangled Domi’s feelings were over the man, she didn’t blame her bestie for being dubious.
“He was very helpful,” Domi said. She sighed, leaning her head back against the headrest. “It was nice having someone there I could trust to explain everything to me.” Even though she couldn’t see Rae’s expression, she could feel the other woman soften.
“Yeah, I can see that.” Rae glanced. “Weird to see him there, though.”
“Very.”
They drove in silence the rest of the way home, neither she nor Rae able to really gossip about Mitch while Ana was in the car. Not to mention, Domi was completely spent, as though she’d been put through the wringer. She heard Ana yawn. Today might be a nap day, which was not Ana’s usual anymore.
When they pulled onto their street, Marcus was there waiting for them, standing next to his car in front of their house.
Domi blinked. It was almost weird to see him without Julia.
She felt a little guilty, being relieved Julia wasn’t there, though that was nothing compared to the sick feeling filling her stomach at having to actually face her co-parent after letting their daughter get hurt.
She knew it was an accident, and Marcus hadn’t sounded angry on the phone, just worried.
He’d told her he was going to try to get out of work and meet them at home, but she hadn’t heard from him after that, so she’d assumed he hadn’t been able to leave work yet.
“Daddy!” In the backseat, Ana perked up when she saw Marcus standing in the driveway. As soon as Rae parked the car, Ana scrambled out of it, wincing when she moved a little too quickly, causing all the adults to wince too. “Daddy!”
“Hey there, who’s my brave girl?” Marcus asked, giving her a huge hug and picking her up in his arms. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to be at the hospital with you.”
“That’s okay.” Ana leaned her head against his shoulder, yawning again. “Mommy was there. And Murse Mitch.”
Rae snickered as Domi winced. Marcus just looked amused. He didn’t realize the significance of Ana’s statement. Ack. She wondered how long it would take for Ana to reveal Murse Mitch was Mommy’s ‘friend.’
Why did that make her feel guilty?
“Let’s get you inside, peanut,” Domi said, reverting to the nickname they’d used for Ana when she was a baby. Revealing just how tired she was, Ana didn’t protest the endearment. She stayed cuddled up against her Daddy, who carried her in.
Turning, she saw Jordan and Karen peering out of their front door.
“I’ll go update them,” Rae said, giving Domi a little push to follow Marcus and Ana. “You go talk to Marcus.”
Sighing, Domi did as she was told. They got a yawning Ana settled into her bed, where she fell asleep almost immediately, then Domi took Marcus to the kitchen to explain exactly how everything had happened and what the doctor had said.
She glossed over Mitch’s presence, causing Rae to give her a look since she had joined them by then.
Whatever.
She didn’t feel like explaining Mitch to Marcus. It wasn’t as though he was going to be around, anyway. The encounter with Mitch was probably the only one Ana would ever have.
Too bad, a little voice whispered in her mind. She liked him. He was good with her. You need a guy like that.
Yeah, one who actually wants a relationship.
Which was not what Mitch wanted.
“How’s Julia doing?” Domi asked to change the subject.
“Better.” Marcus perked up. “The anti-nausea meds seem to be working well. She’s eating again and has more energy. If this keeps up and Julia feels up to it, do you think Ana could spend the weekend with us?”
Technically, Ana was supposed to be at Marcus and Julia’s right now, then coming back to Domi’s tomorrow, which was Saturday.
The tug to be with her baby all weekend and watch over her and her arm was strong, but she knew Marcus would be feeling that same tug, especially since Ana had gotten hurt on her watch.
“Yes, of course,” she made herself say, her stomach only twisting a little. It’s not like Marcus hadn’t wanted to spend his full week with Ana.
“I don’t blame you, Domi.” Leaning over the table, Marcus put his hand over hers, his expression earnest. “It was an accident. They happen.”
The little twist in her gut relaxed a little, and she managed to smile back at him.
He really was a great guy. Steady. Reliable.
Kind. The kind of man she should have feelings for…
if she was going to have feelings for a guy.
Not a commitment-phobe fuck buddy. No matter how great he’d been in a crisis.
Mitch
Feeling even more tired than usual but also extremely satisfied with himself, Mitch headed home, Domi and her daughter foremost in his mind the entire way.
Ana was an extremely cute miniature version of her mom, with the same energy and sass.
He’d wondered where Ana’s dad was but hadn’t felt it was his place to ask.
Did he want it to be his place?
That was the question.
He and Domi had always gotten along well at the club. That had never been a problem. But how did he know whether he wanted more?
He missed her.
His friends all called the end of their arrangement a breakup.
But what did it all really mean?
The question plagued him all the way home, then out to Stronghold, where he was meeting up with the guys.
“Mitch. Earth to Mitch. Come in, Mitch.” Brian waved a hand in front of Mitch’s face, making him jerk back in surprise. “You okay, man?”
“Yeah. Yeah, just tired. It was a long day.” Mitch shook his head as if he was trying to shake away thoughts of Domi, not exactly something easy to do in Stronghold, even when she wasn’t there. He didn’t expect her to show up tonight.
“Are you gonna go play?” Zach asked, tipping his beer bottle toward the Lounge area, where the unattached submissives were gathered.
He was leaning on the bar table next to Kincaid.
The two of them were standing so close, they were almost touching, but not quite.
The energy coming off them was almost enough to distract Mitch from his own thoughts.
Mitch glanced over at the subbies.
Any one of them could do a scene with him, scream for him, come for him.
It wouldn’t be the same.
The whisper threaded through his mind, and his chest tightened. Dammit. He didn’t want any of them. He wanted Domi.
“Hmmm, looks like Mitch is feeling conflicted.” A little smile on his lips, Zach half-turned to address the woman at one of the tables behind him. “Hey Sharon, what’s that term you use when a man whore starts wanting only one woman?”
“Magic pussy?” The petite sub half-pulled away from her boyfriend, whose arm was wrapped possessively around her, her eyes lighting up with interest. “Oooh, who got magic pussied?! Is it Mitch? Does Domi have the magic pussy?”
Her boyfriend, Jake, turned with her, eyes alight with curiosity, as were the rest of the group they’d been talking to.
Great. Mitch banged his head on the table. So much for privacy. Not that he had any huge expectations of it in Stronghold or Marquis—gossip central with no gender lines.
“We’re pretty sure Domi has magic pussy, though Mitch has yet to confirm,” Brian said, chuckling.
“Oooh, yay! Kate owes me five bucks!”
“There is no such thing as magic pussy!” Kate protested. “And he’s not confirming… he’s banging his head on the table. That’s not the same thing.”
“You okay, buddy?” Kincaid patted Mitch’s shoulder with false sympathy, his tone syrupy. “Do you need more time to come to terms with the magic pussy?”
Mitch straightened up.
“I hate all of you.”
“Woo-hoo!” Sharon cheered, and Mitch’s lips twitched. She turned back to Kate, pointing her finger. “You so owe me five bucks. I told you magic pussy is real. You are not an anomaly!”
Next to Kate, Andrew smirked, then winked at Mitch. With his fiancé by his side, he looked more content than ever. Would they be one of the couples who made it? Intellectually, Mitch knew not everyone was like his parents, but the odds were pretty stacked against them.
Sharon and Kate fell to bickering about magic pussy, while Zach turned expectantly back to Mitch, raising his eyebrows.
“Can we talk about something else? Literally anything else?” Mitch practically begged. “What about you, Kincaid, any special playmate?” Kincaid shook his head, eyes dancing with amusement. “Should we try talking about work?”
“My partner thinks his wife is cheating on him, which has been the main thing going on this week,” Kincaid said dryly. “Trust me, it’s not a fun conversation.”
Yeah, didn’t sound like it.
“Brian? Work? Women?”
Brian shook his head and took a sip of his beer, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.
Fine. He’d go for the low blow. Zach was the one who had started this, after all.
“Zach, what about you and Amy?”
Blinking in surprise, Zach stared back at him. Beside him, Kincaid stiffened. Yeah, well, he should have helped change the conversation instead of leaving Mitch out to dry.
“What about me and Amy?” Zach echoed.
Mitch shrugged.
“When was the last time you scened with someone other than Amy?” he asked. Zach scowled at him.
“She’s engaged.” Something in Zach’s tone, the prim way he stated the fact, caught Mitch’s attention. Uh oh. “I’m only scening with her so she can get what she needs since her fiancé isn’t kinky.”
Shit. He’d only meant to poke at Zach and Kincaid, and whatever was going on between them.
He hadn’t realized Zach actually had a crush or some kind of feelings for Amy.
The man was still scening with her, even though it was purely platonic.
Everyone knew Amy didn’t do anything sexual at Stronghold.
“Then I guess we’re back around to Brian.
” Mitch grinned easily as if he hadn’t realized Zach’s intensity meant anything.
Kincaid was now eyeing Zach with speculation and worry.
Good job, Mitch. Brian was going to have to suck it up and share the hot seat instead.
“Are you going to find someone to scene with tonight?”
Brian glanced over at the Lounge area. As far as Mitch knew, he hadn’t scened with anyone since Rae at Marquis.
“Yeah,” Brian said slowly, putting his beer down, not looking away from the subs. It was the first one of the night, which meant he was free to play still. “Yeah, I think I will.” Nodding his head, he got to his feet, refocusing on Mitch. “Coming?”
He should.
He really should.
But he didn’t want to.
“Didn’t think so.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Brian’s lips.
Zach clapped Mitch on the shoulder and leaned in.
“Magic pussy,” he whispered in Mitch’s ear. After having accidentally revealed the man’s feelings for Amy, with Kincaid right there and who knows what going on between the two of them, Mitch let him have the jab.
Besides, he wasn’t entirely sure Zach was wrong.