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“Too bad you moved above the diner.” Sydney opened the door to the teashop with a taunting grin. “Otherwise, you could’ve enjoyed more rides from our sheriff.”
“Who’s riding our sheriff?” Nan wanted to know as soon as they stepped inside.
The tall brunette and owner of the teashop had welcomed Avery last week with as much open friendliness as everyone else. Well, she amended, Gertie had welcomed her, but not exactly with the enthusiasm the other two women displayed. She liked Nan’s sense of humor even as she blushed from her jest. “He gave me a lift last week after telling me it was too cold and dark to be out walking.”
“Well, girlfriend, if anyone can warm you up, it’d be Grayson. The man does have a way about him.” The look that passed between Nan and Sydney drew Avery’s curiosity, but she didn’t know either well enough to ask about it. “Do you know what you want this afternoon?” Nan waved them to a small, wrought iron table near the glass encased counter behind which an array of decadent sweets tempted Avery.
Pointing to a small lemon tart, she replied, “I’ll take one of those with a cup of the lemon green tea. Thanks.” Since Gertie included her biggest expenses of room and board with her job at the diner, this small indulgence offered her spirits a much-needed boost.
“You appear more at ease today. Are you settling in around here now?” Sydney asked as Nan turned to fill their order.
“Everyone’s so nice, it’s hard not to.” If only constant worry over what Darren might suspect or be plotting to deal with her sudden disappearance didn’t keep her on edge, Avery could grow to appreciate her temporary home more.
“Thanks, Nan.” Sydney waited until Nan set their tea and tarts in front of them and then moved away to check on the other two customers before turning back to her. “You know, Avery, when I ended up here, I was running away from one of my uncles and hiding out from the rest of my family to keep them from learning how low he had sunk. I knew no one except Caden, my new boss, whom I could turn to to get through the days of anxiety and loneliness, and he wasn’t too keen on my attention at first.”
Avery stiffened against Sydney’s well-meaning intentions even as her revelation about her similar circumstances offered hope her f
riend would understand Avery’s plight. Not that she didn’t appreciate Sydney’s consideration. Before coming to Willow Springs, Marci had been the only person to offer her unconditional support and knowing there was someone she could at least turn to helped loosen the stranglehold on her emotions. But, as with her occasional foster mother, Avery refused to put Sydney at risk by divulging what she knew about Darren and his partner. The ice-cold disregard for her life behind his calm suggestion of her meeting with an accident depicted how ruthless the man who had duped her was.
No, sticking with her original plan of getting to know Grayson well enough to decide if she could trust him with both her hacking crime and what she knew about two of Chicago’s finest remained her best option, at least for now. Since both Sydney’s and Nan’s teasing innuendos about the sheriff hit upon her personal interest in him, she let that guide her into bringing him up.
Pointing to Sydney’s ring, Avery replied, “It looks like he came around. Congratulations. Is he good friends with the sheriff?”
Avery tried not to squirm as Sydney appraised her with a steady look, sipping her tea before answering. “Yes, he and Connor both. In fact…” She glanced up at Nan who was listening from behind the counter and waited for her nod before continuing. “The three of them are partners in a club. That’s where I first met Caden.” Her lips quirked with a rueful twist as she admitted, “He caught me spying through the window, gaping at the goings on.”
The suspicion that had formed in her mind about Grayson during their phone conversation just grew. She was confident her disguised voice had kept him from identifying her as the shaken, naïve woman he’d assisted over the phone, and somehow doubted he had mentioned that call to anyone else. That meant no one knew how he’d brought her to a shattering climax with his strict, detailed instructions or how she longed for a repeat of that respite from her worries. It didn’t surprise her to learn of her mystery man’s involvement in a kink club like the ones even a geek like her couldn’t help hearing so much about. Even some of her colleagues at the precinct had hinted of first-hand knowledge of such places in Chicago.
Sucking in a fortifying breath, she got up the gumption to ask for clarification about what she was thinking. “Are you talking about one of those BDSM clubs?”
Nan chuckled. “She catches on quick, Syd. You don’t have to whisper, Avery. Everyone in Willow Springs knows about The Barn, and what goes on there. Heck, most of us are members and we’ve learned to ignore the few who disapprove.”
Sydney’s grin widened into a beaming smile. “Well, it knocked me for a loop that night, but I was so desperate for a diversion from my problems, I latched on to what was going on real quick, pushing Caden’s buttons until he caved and gave me a first-hand lesson into his kinks.” Cocking her head, she asked Avery, “Are you interested in checking it out, and seeing what Master Grayson’s into?”
It sounded like she and Sydney had a lot in common, but Avery shied away from the thought of trying to get to know Grayson at a public, sex-charged venue. Her nerves were already stretched thin. The only thing urging her to consider it was the memory of that one night, that one phone conversation she was sure meant more to her and had left a bigger impact on her than Grayson.
“I… don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I’ve never, I mean…” Embarrassed about her lack of experience, she blushed and stuttered to a stop.
“Don’t worry, I never had either. But I have to tell you, whew!” Sydney fanned herself in an overdramatic response. “For me, there was no going back to vanilla after that first night.”
“I’ve been involved a lot longer, and never tire of what a strict Dom can do for me,” Nan put in, leaning her arms on the counter. “I can tell you Master Grayson would be an excellent tutor, if you decide to try a scene. I’ve never had a Dom read me as well as he, except,” she flipped Sydney a mischievous grin, “maybe Caden.”
Sydney narrowed her eyes in a playful fashion. “Don’t go there or I might have to hurt you.”
Avery let them banter back and forth as she considered her options. It would take months for her to get to know Grayson from serving him once a week when he came into the diner. Observing him at the club would likely give her a faster, deeper insight into his character. But she took the pang that tightened her abdomen when Nan mentioned being with him as a sign watching him with others wouldn’t sit well with her. Need, not possessiveness caused that reaction, she told herself. A need he had stoked and left simmering for weeks to add to the burdens she already carried around with her.
“I have to get going. What do you say, Avery? How about coming to The Barn as my guest tomorrow night? I can clear it with Caden and maybe Gertie will let you come in early and get off sooner. No pressure, you can just observe and get a feel for things. I promise. There are several members who come just to socialize, some enjoy voyeurism more than exhibitionism,” Sydney explained.
“And some of us love it all,” Nan put in with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Avery couldn’t help but smile at Nan’s unabashed, straightforwardness as she answered Sydney. “Let me think about it and talk to Gertie. Can you give me directions and a time?”
Nan laughed and held up a hand. “Sydney still can’t find her way out there by herself. You don’t want her giving you directions. Here, I’ll jot them down for you.”
Sydney glared at her. “I am getting better, you know.”
“Sure you are, hon.” Nan smirked.
It must be nice, Avery thought, to have close friends you could rib with good-natured fun. “Thanks,” she told Nan, taking the paper she handed over.
