22
E rin rang the doorbell and waited with her sacks. She’d decided to surprise Paetyn and Cruz with dinner since she still felt terrible about what she said to them a couple of days ago and how she responded. She knew Cruz was still at work, but she’d checked to see if Paetyn was at home without giving away the fact that she wanted to stop by and cook for them.
“Hey, Angel,” Paetyn greeted when he opened the door. He kissed her briefly. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I wanted to see you both and make dinner for you,” Erin responded, lifting the bags she held. Paetyn took them from her and stepped aside to let her in.
She’d only been to their house once last year when they all went swimming and played games. She’d had to get Alijah to send her the address because asking Paetyn would have ruined her surprise. Since most of their dates were in the city, her apartment was where they ended up.
Erin walked to the kitchen, and Paetyn sat the sacks on the island. She started pulling the ingredients from them. He took the bags from her and stepped out into the garage momentarily before returning. She was grabbing everything she needed for the marinade.
“Do you need some help, baby?”
“Do you have gallon-sized Ziplock bags?”
Paetyn opened a drawer, and she saw several different size bags organized in sleek containers, but she wasn’t surprised. Erin pulled one out before going to the sink to wash her hands. Once she’d dried them, she opened all the seasonings she’d brought, the other items needed for her marinade, and the Ziplock bag. She added all the ingredients except the lemon and honey into the bag.
Erin washed and dried the pork shoulder before placing it in the bag. She squeezed in the honey and took the knife Paetyn was holding out to her. She cut the lemon in half and squeezed both halves into the bag. She rewashed her hands, sealed the bag, and massaged the outside of it to get the marinade all over the meat. When she was satisfied, she placed it in the refrigerator.
“It has to sit for an hour,” Erin stated. “While it does, you can tell me how planning for the bistro is going.”
They entered the living room, and she sat beside him on the couch. She knew that he’d made an offer on a building that came with most of the equipment he would need, but he hadn’t told her about hearing back from the seller. Erin was sure having an almost ready-made building would cut down on much of the work he’d need to do.
“They accepted my offer, but the hold-up is on my end,” Paetyn stated. “They already have some of their permits and certifications but in their chosen name. I need to have them transferred, but I don’t have a name yet.”
Erin furrowed her brows. “You hadn’t chosen one when you were going to open before the other seller backed out of the deal?”
“I did, but it related to the street the building was on.”
She nodded understanding. It might not have worked in the new place if he’d been set on that name based on location.
“Have you picked out any other names at all? If so, are there a few that stick out more than others?”
“I haven’t. For some reason, nothing I think of speaks to me,” Paetyn responded.
“Well, bistros typically serve French cuisine, but that isn’t always the case, right? So, what are you serving? What’s the cuisine focus?”
“Majority of the bistros in town or nearby are French or Italian. There are two that focus on American cuisine, but I wanted to bring something different. The focus is Polish with Spanish influence.”
“That’s definitely different,” Erin started. “But it sounds exciting. It’ll be something new and stand out from the others. I’m sure it’ll bring in business because it’s yours, and people enjoy what you create. If you need help or want suggestions, you’ll let me know?”
“Of course, Angel.”
His phone rang, and she stood and headed down the right hallway where she knew a bathroom was. She took care of business and washed her hands before exiting. As she was returning to the living room, she passed an open door. The last time she’d been there, it’d been closed. She made out a chair from the light that filtered down the hall, but there was something by it that she couldn’t tell what it was.
Curiosity getting the best of her, Erin stepped in, finding four switches to her left. She tried the first one, and the room was bathed in light. She hadn’t been sure what she expected to see. Maybe another bedroom, perhaps an office. Neither of those things looked back at her. No, what she’d found was a playroom.
With the lights on, she didn’t know what the object next to the chair was, but she didn’t dwell on it as she stepped further into the room. There were rugs across the marbled floor, one with pillows stacked in the middle. A king-sized bed sat on the far side of the room. The top of it was made for a canopy but was instead bare. Some chains ran on both sides of the bed with handcuffs at the ends.
The walls on either side of the bed contained hooks with different sex toys. The floor and walls of the room were white, but the furnishings were wood, with black rugs and a few gray and black accent pillows.
“This is where you got off to.”
Erin looked over her shoulder to find Paetyn leaning against the door frame. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have been snooping.”
He shook his head, pushing himself off the frame. “It’s fine. Keep looking.”
She walked closer to the bed, running her hand over the soft comforter and through the opening to another part of the room. She found a sex swing across from a large mirror that gave the perfect view of the contraption. It also had a Saint Andrew’s cross in the corner. There was a set of stairs that caused Erin to furrow her brow. She’d been upstairs and didn’t remember anything on the second floor on this side of the house. However, there was no telling what was on the other side of the wall.
“What’s upstairs?” she asked.
“It’s a bathroom. Things tend to get messy in here,” Paetyn responded.
“This makes sense,” Erin stated as she returned to the room’s central area.
“What does?”
“The temperatures, how you reacted when I touched you after you told me not to. Recognizing a kink I didn’t even know I had.” She walked over to one of the walls of toys. “Were you going to tell me?”
“We were. Tomorrow, actually, and we planned on taking you in both.”
She turned to look at him, her hand on a riding crop. “Both? You each have one?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. How many other women have you used these on?” she asked, pulling the crop down. He didn’t respond, and she turned to find him looking at her with a raised brow.
P aetyn heard what she said, but he wanted her to clarify it. He didn’t think she was asking because she was jealous but wanted to genuinely know. However, he wouldn’t assume.
When she’d left the living room, he’d assumed she’d been going to the bathroom, but when he looked down the hall and noticed the light in his playroom, he’d gotten up to see. Usually, if someone was coming over, they didn’t leave the doors open, but he hadn’t closed it back after washing the bedding that morning. He hadn’t used the room in forever and wanted the linen to be fresh. Paetyn hadn’t been lying when he told her they planned on telling her the following day.
“I’m just curious,” she stated.
As bad as it sounded, Paetyn didn’t know the answer to her question. He didn’t keep up with it and bought new toys when needed. Naturally, he let his partners have anything penetrative when they split, or he threw them away, having no intention of using them on someone else. It also wasn’t as if they lived in this dynamic constantly. They enjoyed it, and the rooms were utilized a few times a month when they were in a relationship.
“We can buy new ones if you want,” he stated instead of answering her question.
“Okay,” she responded. “What’s that for?” She pointed to the spanking bench.
Paetyn took the riding crop from her hand and guided her over to it. “Get on your knees on this part,” he instructed. When she did, he placed his hand on her back and bent her over the top. For complete comprehension, he swatted her on the ass with the crop, and he’d expected her to gasp or shriek in surprise. Instead, she moaned .
His grip on the crop handle tightened, and he debated giving her another, but he knew that if he started, she wouldn’t end up cooking, and he’d mess up their plan of her experiencing the rooms with them together. Paetyn wrapped his arm around her waist and picked her up from the bench, placing her on her feet.
“I expected you to be more surprised,” he told her honestly as he hung the crop back up.
Erin shrugged. “The signs were there, and it isn’t like I’ve never been spanked during sex before. I’m also open to trying new things.”
“Come on,” Paetyn stated, holding his hand out. “Before I have you trying new things right now.”
She took his hand, and he led her out of the room, turning the light off. They returned to the living room, and he turned on the television, passing her the remote. There was still over half an hour left for her meat to marinate, so he figured he’d let her choose something for them to watch while they waited.
When she got up a bit later, Paetyn asked again if she needed help, and she declined. He continued to watch the show she’d chosen, and forty-five minutes later, Cruz walked through the garage door.
“Hey, Ma?y.”
“Hey, babe. How was work?”
“It was…interesting and creepy,” he responded, and Paetyn looked over as he kissed Erin.
“What happened?” Paetyn asked.
“Let me change, and I’ll come back and tell you.”
Erin returned to the living room, sitting on his lap, and Paetyn wrapped his arms around her waist. “Dinner is in the oven, but it will take an hour and a half to finish. I was going to make dessert, but I remembered Cruz doesn’t like cake, and if I’m being honest, that and cupcakes are the only desserts I ever make. I thought about grabbing some cookies, but they didn’t have any I liked.”
“There’s ice cream in the freezer, and I’m sure I have the ingredients to make cookies if you want them.”
“I’m supposed to be cooking for you.”
“You are, but making dessert is easy, so it doesn’t count,” he countered.
They were still sitting in the same position ten minutes later when Cruz came back down the stairs. He sat on the couch, and Erin slid off Paetyn’s lap to sit between them. She turned, leaning back against him as she draped one of her legs over one of Cruz’s. Paetyn rearranged a bit so she was more comfortable, leaning against part of his chest instead of his side.
“Tell us what happened,” she requested, muting the television as Cruz rested a hand on her knee.
“A disgruntled client comes in today and is making a scene in the lobby because he was demanding to see me, but since he came in angry, security wouldn’t let him up at first. They called my office to tell me what was happening, and I had them send him. The last thing I wanted was for his show to go on any longer in the lobby.”
“I will never understand why people think going somewhere and showing their asses is the best way to get what they want,” Erin stated.
“You and me both,” Cruz responded. “He gets in my office and immediately starts telling me how the technician installing his home security system was unprofessional and not cooperative with his requests and the service he wanted. He’s ranting and raving while pacing my office, and I have to tell him to sit down and start over calmly.”
“Knowing you, that was said more colorfully than you’re relaying it or firmly to the point that you scared the shit out of him,” Paetyn stated, and Erin laughed while Cruz chuckled.
“I will neither confirm nor deny that, but when he decided to speak normally, he reiterated that he was unhappy with his service. At that point, I asked him what exactly he was unsatisfied with.” Cruz shook his head. “This man tells me that he wanted the technician to put hidden cameras up in all the rooms in the house.”
“Was he serious?” Erin asked. “Even if he lives alone, when he has guests, he’d be filming them more than likely without their knowledge.”
“I wish that were the worst of it,” Cruz stated.
“It gets worse?” Paetyn inquired.
“It’s not even the house he lives in. He sublets the rooms.”
“That’s…he just wanted to be a creep,” Erin stated.
“Tell me about it. I reported him, but with no evidence that he’s done anything, I doubt there’s much the police will do.”
Paetyn could only shake his head. There were all types of people in the world, but the fact that he’d thought it was a good idea to complain that someone wouldn’t bow to his perverted request put him in a class of idiotic.
He turned his attention back to the television as Erin unmuted it, and they watched more episodes of the crime procedural she’d chosen. A while later, the timer went off, and she entered the kitchen. Paetyn could hear her moving around and glanced over as she set plates on the table before calling them to dinner.
C ruz put his fork down and leaned back in his seat. When Erin called them to eat, he’d known it would be delicious before seeing it. When she’d taken it out of the oven, the smell made his mouth water, and he was more than ready to eat since he’d worked through lunch. It had looked just as good as it smelled, and the flavor exploded on his tongue on the first bite. She told them it was honey-glazed pork shoulder over baby yellow potatoes, carrots, and green beans.
“That was delicious, Ma?y.”
“Thank you,” she responded with a smile.
“I agree with Cruz. I might need you to come cook at one of the restaurants.”
“Oh no, baby. I’m going to leave that to you,” Erin laughed. She pushed her seat back. “Do you both want some ice cream?”
“Sure, baby,” Cruz responded as Paetyn stated, “I’ll help you.”
As the two made bowls of ice cream, Cruz gathered their plates from the table and placed them by the sink. He’d wash them after they finished dessert.
They sat silently and ate their ice cream for a few minutes before Erin spoke.
“I need some advice or suggestions.”
“What is it, Angel?”
“I posted social media ads, stating I was hiring, what the position was, etcetera, and had interested parties email me their resumes. I have some interviews scheduled for Tuesday, and I need to know the best place to get employment documentation and releases for them to sign for background checks, drug tests, etcetera. I found some documents online, but….”
Cruz put his spoon down. “Paet, would your release forms work for what she needs?”
He knew Paetyn’s would be easier to change and brand with her shop name than his. Because of the type of work he did, every single one of his releases was complex, and he had different ones depending on the department someone was working in. Changing them would be more difficult.
“They should. I’ll look at them when we finish, and we can make them fit your needs, Angel.”
“Thank you,” Erin responded with a nod.
“As far as drug tests, I have people I employ to do that,” Cruz stated.
“You have people on your payroll that only administer drug tests?” Erin questioned with a furrowed brow.
“I have thousands of employees between the main office and the satellite facilities, and since I do random drug tests monthly, it’s easier and more cost-effective to have someone on my payroll that does it.”
Not only did all of his technicians have to be bonded, but he performed drug tests on them at random. The last thing he needed was for one to develop an addiction and attempt to steal something valuable from one of his clients. The people Cruz employed were traveling nurses who wanted more freedom in their schedules. Working for him gave them that and allowed them to travel for free.
“Give me the times of your interviews, and I can have someone come and administer the tests for those who sign the consent forms.”
“You can use our account to run your background checks,” Paetyn stated, finishing his ice cream.
Cruz watched Erin bite her lower lip. “Are you about to protest, Ma?y?” Just because they’d finally had the conversation, and she’d stated she understood, it didn’t mean she would lose the habit of protesting or wanting to easily.
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m aware that being able to ask you for advice and suggestions is beneficial since you’ve both been running your businesses for years, and this is new to me. I wasn’t asking so you would do it for me, but being a good businesswoman means utilizing your resources. Even if those resources happen to be your extremely handsome, wealthy boyfriends,” she finished with a smirk, and both men laughed.
“I ran the number you sent me,” Cruz stated, changing the subject. “It’s one of those text numbers.”
“Like one of those apps?” Erin asked, and he nodded. “So, there’s no way of finding out who it is.”
“They registered it with an email address.” Cruz pulled his phone from his pocket and brought it up, handing it to her. “Do you recognize it?”
“I don’t think so,” she responded. “How did you get their email address?”
Instead of answering, he smiled at her, and she laughed while Paetyn snorted because working in security offered him options and avenues that might not have always been the correct route.
“Them using a text app is odd. I know some people do it when they can’t afford phone service, but if that were the case they need to get their priorities straight. Not a tattoo. You blocked the number right, Angel?”
“I did,” she responded. “I was starting to feel a bit weird. Which is why I asked you to run it. Thank you, babe.”
“You don’t need to thank me.” And she didn’t. She never needed to thank them for wanting her to be safe and doing whatever they needed to ensure it.
Cruz finished his ice cream, and when Erin finished hers, she grabbed all three bowls and took them to the sink. She returned to the table and pulled him from his chair.
“Will you show me your playroom?” she asked, and he raised a brow at her before looking over her head at Paetyn, who was running water in the sink. “I was being nosy and found his,” she supplied.
He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen and down the left hallway. They’d put them on opposite ends of the house since it could get noisy if they used them simultaneously while dating separate women. He opened the door, turned the light on, and allowed her to enter before him.
She paused inside the door, and he was sure he knew why. His playroom was the polar opposite of Paetyn’s. They had a few of the same toys, but the color scheme was on different ends of the spectrum. While Paetyn had chosen white and wood, Cruz had gone more traditional with gray walls and floors, but the accents and equipment were all red and black.
Cruz watched her reactions as she took in the different tables and benches with restraints, the Saint Andrew’s cross, the handcuffs that hung from the ceiling, the wall of toys, the display case, and the different sex chairs. She looked up and then down at the floor base before turning her attention back to him.
“Why do you have a descending stripper pole?”
“Why not?” he countered.
She moved deeper into the space towards the king-sized bed but stopped at the sex swing. She touched the sides of it, pulling slightly before releasing it and watching it sway.
“You’re too tall for this to be used comfortably,” she said, gesturing to the swing.
“Sit in it,” he instructed. When she did, he walked over and stood in front of her. Her eyes zeroed in on his crotch in front of her before they came up to his face. “I disagree,” he told her with a smirk.
She placed her hands on his abdomen as she stood, and he stepped back. Erin went over to the bed, running her hand along the comforter.
“Your room is completely different from Paetyn’s, but it makes sense. Your personalities are different. His room is misleading; you could forget where you were and what was about to happen, so it’s a rush when it happens. Yours doesn’t let you forget. It’s a continual adrenaline rush. There’s no mistaking what’s happening, and realizing that you could get hurt here does…something.”
Cruz placed his hands on her waist. “Does that scare you?”
“No. Being scared would imply I didn’t trust you, and I do.”
“Do you think we’ll hurt you?”
“Only in the ways I enjoy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’re taking this well. The first time can usually be overwhelming.”
“Like I told Paetyn, I’m always willing to try new things, and I trust that if I don’t like something, you won’t do it again.”
“I won’t.” He leaned down and pecked her lips. “Stay with us tonight.”
“I don’t have any clothes.”
“You won’t need them,” he responded.
“You have your basketball game in the morning, and I’m having breakfast with the others. I need the use of my legs.”
Cruz chuckled. “Fine. Remember to bring clothes tomorrow afternoon. Or not, it's your choice.”
They’d planned to tell her tomorrow, and since she already knew the explanations were out of the way, they could jump straight into what they wanted to—finding more of what she liked and testing her limits.