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He shook away the fantasy. Dahlia was no slave girl.
Yet.
~*~
Dahlia came out of the bathroom, toweling her hair as she made her way to her overnight bag. After she’d used the toilet, she’d called out to Hayden that she was going to shower. She’d kind of hoped he would join her, but he’d just called back to take her time.
The smell of coffee brewing and bacon sizzling awakened her appetite. She dressed quickly, blow-dried her hair enough so it wouldn’t frizz, and made her way to the kitchen. Hayden was at the island, his back to her, his iPad propped in front of him.
“Smells good in here,” she said as she entered.
He swiveled on his stool. He was shirtless, wearing only striped pajama bottoms. He looked sexy as hell. “I hope you don’t mind, I already ate. I was starving. There’s bacon for you keeping warm in the pan, and bread ready to toast in the toaster. Butter and jam are on the counter. Juice in the fridge, if you want some.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” she replied with a smile. She liked that he felt comfortable enough not to stand on ceremony with her. “That sounds perfect.”
She popped down the toast, poured herself a mug of coffee and helped herself to the four slices of bacon resting on a paper towel in the warm pan. When the toast was ready, she buttered it, smeared on some strawberry preserves and made her way to the island with her breakfast.
Just as she took her first bite of toast, Hayden’s phone, resting beside his iPad, chimed. Glancing at the screen, he picked up the phone and took the call.
“Hey there. What’s up?” he said. He listened for a moment and then frowned. “Oh, shit. I totally forgot. Damn it.” He glanced at Dahlia, his face crumpling.
“What is it?” she mouthed. If it had been the hospital, he would have answered, “Dr. Pierce.”
He held up a hand, indicating she should wait a moment. He swiveled away from her as he continued his phone conversation. “Okay. Yeah, okay. I get it. I’ll be there. Just give me like thirty minutes. Right. Yeah. Okay. See you soon.”
Setting down the phone, he swiveled back to Dahlia. “I am so sorry, but I totally forgot an appointment.”
“With a patient?” she asked, confused. “On Christmas?”
“No, no. At the Masters Club. I totally forgot I agreed to help out with the training of a new staff slave who’s having trouble adapting to the Masters Club routines. I’m already fifteen minutes late.” He slid off his stool.
Turning back to her, he added, “Please, don’t feel like you have to leave. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. You can stay here—take a bath, relax, catch up on your charts or whatever. If you need to go out before I get back, that’s cool, too, of course. The front door is self-locking. If you want to get back in, Norman has a master key. I’ll text him.”
He ran his hand through his hair, looking genuinely miserable. “Man, I hate this. I don’t want to leave you, but I have an obligation.”
“No, it’s okay,” Dahlia hastened to reassure him, though she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt. What the hell did this so-called training consist of? Did she really want to get involved with a guy who ran off routinely to his stupid club while she was left behind?
Refusing to be one of those clingy girlfriends, Dahlia forced a bright smile. “No worries. I have a ton of stuff I need to get done anyway. I think I’ll head out, too. We can connect later.”
“Great,” he breathed, clearly relieved. “I’m gonna hop in the shower and then sprint over there. Later, sexy girl.”
“Later,” she echoed, but he’d already left the room.
A little over an hour later, just as she was unlocking the door to her apartment, her phone chirped, indicating a text message. Shoving the pile of junk mail she’d retrieved from her lobby mailbox into her overnight bag, she pulled her phone from her coat pocket and looked at the screen, expecting to see a text from Hayden.
Instead, it was from Jess Cooper.
Hey there. It was really great talking to you last night. I know it’s short notice, but would you be available to join me and a girlfriend for a drink and maybe early dinner this evening around 5? There’s this great little bar in the Village that’s open year-round, even on xmas. Let me know.
Dahlia smiled, pleased Jess had reached out, and so quickly. Without pausing to think about it, she thumbed back a response.
Sure! That sounds great. Where should I meet you?
Hayden texted at around two, letting her know he was free, and asking if she’d like to come back to his place and pick up where they’d left off the night before.
