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Chapter Four
Two weeks later, James was in the basement re-stocking the bar in anticipation of his guests’ arrival. The open space was warm, thanks to excellent insulation and the gas fireplace, and he’d turned on the lights in the game area. The basement ran the length of the house and had two guest bedrooms, each with its own bath, wide French doors that led to a walkout patio, and a half bath under the stairs. They’d renovated it at the end of the summer, outfitting it with soft carpet and recessed lighting, and it made for excellent entertaining space of both the kinky and vanilla varieties. Amanda had held her PR company’s holiday party there, and a week later they’d hosted a similar party for all their kinky friends.
Well, notexactlysimilar.
The kinky furniture had been since stored away, so the large sectional sofa and comfortable club chairs in dark leather were grouped around the fireplace, an old trunk serving as a coffee table in the middle, and the other side of the room held the portable bar and gaming area. There was a round table with half a dozen chairs that could be used for poker or board games, a large screen mounted to the wall for video games or movies, and the newest addition sat in the middle of the room.
Amanda had given him the custom pool table for Christmas. The carved walnut table was topped with grey felt and had a cover that would allow them to use it as a solid surface for entertaining. He’d been worried about how they’d get it out of the way if they needed the space for a club party—it was way too heavy to lift—when Amanda had pointed out that it was on wheels for ease of movement.
He could always count on her to pay attention to the details.
He hadn’t played a game yet, with being out of town over New Year’s and the work he’d had to catch up on since, but he thought he might get one or two in tonight. Only a few people were coming for the monthly Doms & Tops gathering, and though he normally enjoyed the company of all the friends he’d made in the kink scene, he was glad to have a smaller group this time. Jack had texted earlier to let him know that he’d be there, which meant it was a perfect time to pick his brain regarding humiliation play.
“Babe? You down here?” Amanda called.
“Yep,” he called back, and set the ice bucket on the bar before turning to watch her cross the room. He smiled. “You look nice.”
“Thanks.” She gave a little twirl, the calf-length skirt of her dress floating up around her knees as she moved. The dress was deep green, her knee-high boots nearly the same glossy brown as her hair, and her faux fur was draped over her arm.
She looked good, but she rarely dressed up to go to the Subs & Bottoms meeting. “What’s the occasion?”
“We’re meeting at Charlie’s,” she told him, naming a popular tapas bar downtown. “Caroline’s mom is still visiting, and a lot of the others cried off, so we decided to make a night of it.”
“I’m going to have a light crowd, too.” He slipped his arms around her waist and bent down for a kiss. “Who’s going?”
“Sadie and Rebecca for sure,” she replied, stroking her fingers over his jaw, which was clean-shaven now that he was back at work. “A few of the others might meet us there. Oh, and Sam’s going. Collette is still out of town, and he had the night off, so he volunteered to be the designated driver.”
James nodded his approval. Sam didn’t make it to a lot of club events—his job as a hospital nurse kept him busy, and his schedule wasn’t always predictable—but he tended to have a calming influence on some of the rowdier members of the group. “Good for Sam. Are you taking a ride service in?”
“No, he’s picking us up. Nick’s bringing Sadie and Rebecca here with him, so we’ll all head out together.”
“You’ve still got two more days of antibiotics,” he reminded her, and gave the flirty ends of her hair a tug. “So no more than two drinks.”
“Two?” She stared up at him, her lush lips—painted a glossy pink—turned down in a frown. “Doctor Google said alcohol won’t interfere with amoxicillin. And I feel fine.”
“Three drinks, then,” he amended, and tugged her hair again. “You’re still a little run down, and I don’t want you relapsing.”
“Fine,” she mumbled.
He kissed her pouting mouth. “Promise me.”
She sighed. “I promise, only three drinks.”
“Thank you,” he said, and kissed her again.
“You’re welcome,” she said, most of the pout gone, and glanced around the room. “You didn’t set up for poker?”
He shook his head. “Only three people are coming, so I thought I’d try to interest them in a mini pool tournament instead.”
“That’ll be nice.” She turned at the sound of the doorbell. “That’s probably Nick and the girls.”
“Send Nick on down, would you?”
“Sure.” She lifted her face for another kiss. “Have fun tonight.”
“You, too. Three drinks,” he reminded her.
“I remember,” she said with a sassy little eye roll, and skipped out of his reach with a laugh.
