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12LandonI ran my finger across the golden rooster emblem that was engraved into the bar. Once again, Andi was keeping me waiting. Instead of doing the self-respecting thing and moving on, I’d barely been able to think about anything else. It had been nearly a week since I tied her up and got my first taste. I’d been dead sure she would come crawling into the club after that, maybe even that same night. She could lie to my face if she wanted, but I’d seen the way she reacted to the promise of my touch. I knew how badly she craved it.
But when a day turned into days, and now days were threatening to turn into a week, I was forced to wonder if I’d read her wrong.
James turned his head and took me in with those dark, penetrating eyes of his. The question on his face was clear.
“She’ll come,” I said, almost to myself.
“What makes this one different?” he asked in his deep, gravelly voice.
He might not have said as much, but I knew exactly what he meant. What makes her different than Sydney? Sydney had been like the finale in a long, frustrating string of relationships. I’d vented to James afterwards about how I was done for the foreseeable future. No more dating. Women were just out to use me in one way or another, and I’d sworn I wouldn’t fall into that trap again.
“She’s different,” I said. Was she? After all, Andi had a very obvious reason to continue pursuing me. I held her inheritance in the palm of my hand. If she pissed me off, she probably knew it was likely to cost her everything.
James’ gaze seemed to shoot straight through me.
I sighed. “Alright. Fine. I don’t know if she is different, but I hope she is. I’ve enjoyed spending time with her, and I’m willing to put myself on the line again.”
“Fair enough,” James said in his rumbling voice. “Speaking of mistakes.” He lifted his glass and tipped it toward something behind me.
I followed his eyes and tensed. Sydney was standing on the other side of the lobby. She was wearing a sheer dress that left nothing to the imagination. She was sleek with almost exaggerated proportions.
She made a point of noticing who was admiring her, so it only took a few heartbeats before she caught me looking. She smiled in a self-satisfied way and started toward my brother and me.
James didn’t waste any time. “Count me out,” he grumbled, standing and leaving without hesitation.
Bastard.
Sydney eyed him over her shoulder and then turned her attention to me. She had silky black hair and the eyes of a seductress. None of that had any effect on me. Not anymore, at least. She had been like an island oasis in a long, lonely stretch of ocean once. I’d learned the hard way that those waters weren’t nearly as beautiful as they seemed—that just beneath the waves were razor sharp rocks and coral that would have torn me to shreds if I hadn’t left when I did.
In a way, I probably should’ve thanked her. She had been enough of a nightmare to finally snap me out of it. I hadn’t dated a woman like her since she and I broke up. Hell, I hadn’t dated, period.
“Sydney,” I said coldly. “I thought you were spending your time at The Diamond Pecker, lately.”
“Maybe I missed you,” she said with a teasing edge to her voice. “I heard a little rumor that you were courting a new submissive.”
“That’s interesting,” I said.
“But is it true?”
“It’s not your business anymore.”
She titled her nose up, just slightly. Sydney was the daughter of a real estate mogul, and she’d been raised to believe anything she wanted should be hers—information and people included. “You’re not still sour about how things ended between us, are you?”
I gritted my teeth. “If I lost a piece of gold, I would be upset. But if I found out that piece of gold was fake, why would I care anymore?”
She sniffed dismissively. “It’s cute when you try to hurt me. You want everybody to think you’re some tough, imposing dom. But I know how soft you are on the inside. I know all about what your daddy—”
I stood suddenly. The screech of my chair cut her off mid-sentence. “We’re done,” I growled. The coward inside me quickly put it together. If Sydney so much as suspected that Andi didn’t know the truth about who my father was, she could ruin everything.
“Landon,” she purred in an attempt to placate me. She reached to toy with the lapels of my jacket. “You trusted me enough to open up to me once. Just because we broke up, it doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me anymore.”
I removed her hands. “We’re done,” I repeated.
“I’ll be here when you change your mind, sweetie,” she called after me. “And say hi to that new submissive for me. I can’t wait until I have a chance to tell her all about you.”
