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The idea teased at him like the scent of forbidden fruit. He’d love to be the one to lead Cela through that, uncover the layers of submission if last night hadn’t been a fluke and that need was truly there. He gripped the counter behind him, trying to get a hold on his quickly derailing thoughts. “You have nothing to worry about. Cela is a great girl, but I’m looking for a long-term sub. I steer clear of vanilla girls. Usually. Like I said, last night wasn’t planned.”
Andre straightened and nodded. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page then.”
Foster smirked. “So I guess Cela doesn’t know anything about your . . . proclivities.”
For a brief moment, the hardened-cop act flickered, and Andre’s shoulders dipped as if heavy hands were pushing down on them. “No, she doesn’t know any of it. She wouldn’t understand. My family wouldn’t understand. And I’d appreciate it if you don’t say anything to her.”
The coffeepot beeped, but Foster kept his attention on Andre. Foster knew what it was like to have to hide part of yourself. And from what he knew of Andre’s situation, the guy was having to hide a helluva lot. “I wouldn’t, but Cela may be more understanding than you think.”
Frown lines etched his face. “See you around, Foster.”
And with that, he was out the door.
The second Medina to walk away from him in a day.
TWELVE
“You okay, boss?”
“Hmm . . .” Foster turned away from the computer screen.
Lindy, his assistant, nodded toward his computer. “You’re on the same newspaper article you were on when I stopped in here half an hour ago.”
“Oh, right.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Guess I’m having trouble focusing today.”
“Rough weekend?” she asked, setting the take-out lunch he’d ordered on the corner of his desk.
“You could say that.” Rough. Amazing. Frustrating.
Lindy lifted a file folder in her other hand and waggled it in the air. “This should cheer you up. They found that little girl in Ohio last night. Scared to death and hungry but totally unharmed. She’d wandered off and gotten lost in the woods outside of her neighborhood. The Home Safe bracelet led them right to her.”
“Thank God.” A wash of relief went through him. No matter how many times he got that kind of news, each successful outcome was a triumph to be celebrated. And he had to hang on to those because he knew how many similar stories didn’t wrap up with that kind of happy ending. “That absolutely does cheer me up.”
“The father called in a few minutes ago. He wanted to know what he could do to thank you or help get the word out about our products. He’s already mentioned us in their local newspaper.”
Foster took the file from Lindy and opened it. The big smile of five-year-old Madison Dore greeted him. He touched the photo, the memory of another little girl always hovering at the edge of his mind. One who hadn’t been found. He closed the file quickly. “Tell him there’s no need to thank us. But if he really wants to help, he can make a donation of bracelets to a local school or he can do a testimonial for the website.”
“Awesome. I’ll tell him. And I’ll add her picture to the board. That’s fifteen this year. And the tenth for the bracelets alone.” She did a little fist pump. “Go team!”
He laughed. His assistant’s enthusiasm was one of the main reasons he’d hired her. There were often dark days at 4N. The situations they made products for weren’t happy ones. So the office needed all the positivity it could get. “Been hitting the coffee hard today?”
Lindy gave a sheepish smile. “Diet Mountain Dew, but yeah, probably need to lay off a bit.”
“Go eat something, absorb some of that caffeine.” He grabbed the bag of takeout. “I’ve got an article to read.”
“The key is to read left . . . to . . . right,” she said, talking slowly like he didn’t understand English.
He tossed a ball of paper at her. “Out, minion.”
Lindy shut his office door, and he pulled out the roast beef sandwich she’d brought in. But right as he was about to take his first bite, his cell phone rang with a familiar thrashing drumbeat. He sighed and pressed the speaker button on the phone. “Hey.”
“Whoa, yo
u actually picked up,” Pike said, the sound of car noise in the background. “I tried to catch you before you left this morning, then tried to call.”
“I had a lot waiting for me here, had to leave a little early and then got caught up in something.” He took a bite of his sandwich, not wanting to have this conversation.
“Uh-huh. You’re pissed at me. I get it.”
