Page 19 of The Dom with a Safeword

“With a name like Q, I’m sure you can imagine. What’s Q really short for? Queenie?”

She grimaced. “Sorry. I’d tell you but then I’d have to erase your memory. We’d have to spoon feed you so you didn’t starve to death. I just don’t want that on my conscience.” The line moved and they shuffled forward – sideways for Q.

“So, how would you erase my memory?” His sexy grin derailed her for a moment.

Fuck him until he couldn’t remember his name? Nah, not subtle enough. “Shake you and hope your brain Etch-a-Sketches.”

He laughed, flashing even white teeth. “You on a lunch break?”

“More or less. The models I work with don’t eat lunch, so I tell them they need to relax so their expressions look more natural. That way I can grab a decent coffee, at least.”

“That’s a nefarious plan.”

He was so close she could feel his body heat, smell him. Again, she imagined him holding her down and almost whimpered. “I’ve had worse.”

“There are models around here? I would have figured they’d move to New York City.” He ran a hand through his short blond hair and her fingers itched to do the same.

“There are a few. The ones I’m working with today are girls from the college looking for extra money. I’m doing a shoot for the new wedding boutique downtown. Lots of white.”

“Are you running back now or do you have time to hang out?”

She contemplated calling in sick for the month. “That’s the beautiful thing about being the photographer. They have to wait for me. Sneakiest coffee date ever, by the way.”

“I’m an opportunist. It’s a gift.”

Q laughed just as she reached the counter. Jude ordered with her and insisted on paying. He grabbed a booth near the window.

“So did Sabrina freak out after you guys left the other day?”

“Not where I could see. She got a bit quiet for a couple of days, but she bounced back fast after that. We might have blown her mind a little... and mine. Every time I think of it I’m in danger of spontaneous combustion.”

He choked on his coffee.

Q grinned mischievously and handed him a napkin. “Swallow, it makes less of a mess.”

Jude shook with mirth. “You’re bad.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “No one’s managed to teach me any manners.”

He eyed the silver chain around her neck and the pendant she generally kept tucked into her shirt. Q reached up and toyed with the trefoil, a little embarrassed by it when sitting with someone who knew what it was. The BDSM symbol wasn’t recognized by most people. It wasn’t her public collar, though. Nico had taken that back when he’d chosen Isabelle over her. She always wondered if he’d given the necklace to his new submissive – and that made her more upset than the rest of it.

“Maybe you just haven’t met the right person. You seem pretty cozy with Sabrina – but as lovely as that is, I don’t foresee her teaching you to behave.” He smirked.

“We’ve been close for a few years, but we’ve only been roommates for six months. I wish we were cozier, but I’m not sure we’re going there. She keeps telling me she’s straight.” Frustration crept into her voice, unbidden.

“You two looked pretty into each other when I was there. It was...” He looked enthusiastic but gestured vaguely, like he didn’t have words to describe his thoughts.

Q realized that he’d barely taken a sip of his coffee since she’d made him choke on it. He’d ordered it black. Nasty. “I wanted to do a lot more, trust me. But thanks for stopping me when you did. I have trouble being rational where she’s concerned.”

She recalled the longing on Sabrina’s face after she’d stopped the kiss. How could Sabrina think she was straight when she reacted like that? Q sighed, already knowing the answer. It was her family’s expected reaction that held her back. Sabrina’s mom and aunts had verbally crucified her cousin – right in front of Q – when he came out of the closet a few years ago.

“I don’t know if I could have handled much more. I almost imploded, as it was.” His exaggeratedly pained face made Q snort. “It’s more than lust for you, though, isn’t it?”

Q was impressed he’d noticed that in the short time he’d been around them. She got the feeling this would’ve come out eventually, but baring her soul to a virtual stranger was still difficult. “Yes, I’m in love with her. She knows I love her as a friend, but she’s not ready to hear it’s more serious than that and I don’t want to mess up our friendship if she doesn’t feel the same way, you know?”

He nodded and smiled kindly. “I won’t tell her.” Jude took a drink of his coffee, then set the cup down and eyed her a moment. “Quincy?”

“Don’t I wish. My name was my mother’s maiden name. Family reunions would be a blast if I had that kind of family,” she grimaced. “You’ll never drag it out of me.”