18 Rich
I watch Kimber move through my house like she lives here, pointing out a place that she thinks this litter box is going, and dropping onto the couch to let her cat out.
Hesitant eyes keep looking at me and then away, and it’s a good thing Laci left right after I took the litter box out of her car. Kim looks a little frayed.
“You could have called me to pick you up,” I tell her, walking over to sit beside her on the couch. Brutus looks at me with unimpressed eyes before walking away, and I guess he doesn’t approve of me like he did of Russell.
“I know,” she says, biting her lip. “But talking to David made me freak out a little and I knew you would be at work still or commuting and - and Laci was totally down to pick me up when I told her I was having problems with Jonah.”
I stare at her, slowly leaning back against the couch. “You told her about Jonah?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t say he was dead. I just mentioned that I was having some problems because of him and I wanted to get out of my apartment. She actually said I could sleep in Emilio’s guestroom if I needed to, and it sounds kind of terrifying.”
“You are not sleeping at Emilio’s,” I say, frowning.
Her lips quirk up in a smirk, and she leans back into the couch with me.
“I know. I asked about help with a ride and a litter box and she cursed a lot but came to help me. She also threatened to shank Jonah if he showed up, so I guess everyone had a bad opinion of him. I should’ve listened to them. ”
Frowning, I shift around as she leans further into the couch and watches her cat disappear down the hall. “What do you mean?”
She glances at me. “Oh, he was someone who interacted with Laci once. I don’t really know how much, but Emilio and Laci hated him. He was at Sins with me for a whole day once and both of them looked at me like I had lost it. I didn’t think he’d turn out to be so dangerous.”
Her eyes darken, and she drops her head to the sofa and doesn’t speak again. I run my fingers down her arm, glancing at the bag she brought with. “So you came here?”
Kim tenses. “I thought it would be okay. David said if I’m getting drop offs at my apartment I should go somewhere I feel safe. But I didn’t even ask and-”
She cuts herself off, sitting up straight before I can get a word in. Her eyes are imploring as they meet mine, and she nervously brushes her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
“You can always come to me,” I tell her, reaching out to grip her chin. She’s said that before, and I’ll never turn her away. As I stroke her skin, some of the worry eases from her eyes. “Anytime you need something, I want you to know you can come to me. You’re welcome here.”
“Even though I brought my cat?” she asks skeptically.
“You want him safe,” I reply, glancing down the hall. I don’t know if Brutus is destructive or not, but maybe he’ll give me an excuse to redecorate. “And I want you safe. Whatever matters to you is welcome here.”
Kim’s shoulders drop, and for once there’s no worry in her eyes. “I thought you might say something like that.”
~~~
For the most part, Kim sleeps all of that afternoon and into the following day. She wakes up and eats with me, but she seems completely exhausted, and I guess she either asked or Bobby gave her a few days off.
She spends part of her Friday on the phone with David, whispering in one of the rooms even though I can’t hear her.
I’m not entirely sure what they are talking about since Kim hasn’t shared, but she’s a little less lively when she comes out.
She doesn’t want to talk about it, so I leave her alone until the evening.
It’s the weekend, so nothing else will happen with her case until Monday anyway.
“This is a bad idea,” Kimber says, gripping the seat in my car like I couldn’t wrestle her off of it. “I haven’t been approved to come back.”
“You aren’t a danger to anyone,” I tell her, and she shoots me a look.
I lied a little to get her to come out with me.
I told her we were going on a date, and we are going on a date, just not to a restaurant.
She hasn’t been back to S&S since before we went to the hot springs, and I know it’s weighing heavily on her.
This is her home. “And David is supposed to be here-”
“You talked to David?” she interrupts. “He’s my attorney now. Isn’t that a conflict or something?”
“Meh,” I say, opening the car door. “We’re not going to disclose to anyone else that we’re all part of a sex club.”
“You’re not part of Sins,” she says, frowning. I shoot her a wink and get out of the car, her voice carrying after me before the door closes. “Right?”
By the time I make it to her side she’s already opened her door and is getting out, glaring at me. “I don’t want to make Jo madder. I want to be back here and not ruin my bad reputation.”
“Your reputation is bad because people think you’re bad,” I say, helping her stand. She narrows her eyes at me. “But you don’t let most people see the real you either, do you?”
Kim hisses, snatching back her hand. She’s tucked the clutch beneath her elbow, and runs her eyes over me. “They won’t let you in if you don’t have a membership. It’s Friday. It’s busy. And you need a background check-”
“I’ve been stocking Sins for years,” I tell her, closing the door when she refuses to move. She barely steps out of the way, rooting herself in place. “They run my background check often enough since I’m sometimes present when the members are. Besides, I’m restocking.”
She eyes me, then peers at my car. “Restocking what?”
From my pocket I pull out a box, and she scoffs. “Condoms.”
“Rich,” she groans, “there’s three condoms in that thing. Did you pick it up at the gas station?”
“I have more class than that,” I tell her with a grin, looping her hand through my elbow when she keeps standing there. “It’s from my private stock. I’ve even got my logo on there.”
“Do you really design condoms?” she asks skeptically, letting me pull her away from the car.
“No. That’s not my forte.” I glance down at her, eyeing the form hugging purple dress that she chose tonight and the tall platforms that I pulled out of my stockpile for her.
They are just her style, and reminds me of the sketch of her that’s still sitting in my notepad at home.
“Toys and clothes. Not everything is custom made but it is hand picked.”
She nods, reaching up to toy with the necklace I gave her.
She’s still wearing it even though we aren’t playing chase, and she fingers the red stone in the middle.
Her nerves are definitely on edge, but unless Jo went around and told the staff she’s not allowed in, technically there’s no reason either one of us would be denied entry.
As we open the door, I reach into my pocket and hand over the maroon lanyard. Her eyes round as we step into the light, the shadows of fall in Denver disappearing behind us. “You brought my submissive lanyard?”
“You brought it with you from home,” I say, and our eyes meet. There’s a short security line to get in, and we just fit into the doorway as we wait. “It's been sitting on the bathroom counter for a few days.”
She hesitates as I drape it over her head, dropping her gaze and staring down at it, the little red ring twisted through the end. “I don’t have a set partner. Who’s the red?”
Smirking, I pull the other club lanyard out of my pocket and show it to her. It’s gold, which is usually reserved for staff and security, and at the bottom is a maroon ring. “That would be me.”
Her eyes widen. “Gold is for when you’re working.”
“I haven’t had the chance yet to grab a red one,” I explain. “I still have to pay the membership fee before I’m official.”
Kimber purses her lips, slowly shaking her head, but there’s a sparkle in her eye. “Jo’s going to hate this.”
“Oh, she’ll be okay. You’re not dangerous to anyone but the man you killed,” I say, leaning in to speak against her ear, “and he deserved it.”
She shudders, turning her gaze up to me as we reach the front of the line. There’s two guards tonight, so it’s going to be a busy one. When Russell spots us, he starts laughing. “Oh, this will be good.”
Kimber looks between us worriedly. “He knows-”
“Russell knows you’re a good person,” I say, turning her back to face him. Russell’s looking at us in amusement, and the guy next to him watches curiously as he helps the next person in line. “Right?”
“Hmm.” He looks between us and chuckles. “I know that. Let’s see if everyone else does. Give me the bag and I’ll check you both in.”
It only takes a moment to pass into the club, and Russell goes off to place Kimber’s bag in the secure coat area until we leave. I hand him my phone too, because I can’t have it back there, and I can just hear him saying ‘good luck’ as we make our way inside.
It’s packed, and I’m reminded why I always make deliveries early. There’s a lot of green badges in the crowd, so once again, they are letting in a wave of newbies. This is why bringing along our membership badges was a good idea.
Kim does a little circle, the worry in her eyes slowly slipping away as she breathes in the club. I glance around to see if I spot any of her friends, or any of the people she’s starting to get closer with, but my eyes catch on someone else instead.
“What the hell, Rich?” Vinny calls, stalking over to me.
I don’t see his wife anywhere in sight, but Emeric is walking just behind him, talking to a tall man with pale blond hair.
I’m about as tall as Vinny is, but this guy's almost half a foot taller than either of us, and I vaguely remember seeing him around the club, his cane making him memorable.
“Vinny,” I say with a nod, and Kimber shrinks beside me. “That took seconds.”