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Celia leaned out her window. “I can vouch for that, and we live in the same apartment complex.”
“Good enough.” He nodded his thanks before drilling Allie with a pointed look. “Now, go away, and, if you return to Casey’s, stay away from the upstairs.”
Allie settled behind the wheel, putting her hand out to stop him from closing the door, craning her face upward as he cocked his head. “Does your girlfriend get off on you spanking her?”
“I don’t have girlfriends, just play partners, and, yes, the woman you saw upstairs enjoys a little painful stimulation,” he returned, appearing unperturbed by her blunt question.
Unwilling to let her curiosity go, she asked, “I thought spankings were only for discipline, you know, when someone disobeys a silly rule.”
“You thought wrong, and our rules aren’t silly. They’re put in place to ensure safe, sane, and consensual activity.Nowgo away.”
Frustration crossed his face when Allie again stopped him from shutting the door. “I’m not into your kink, so what will you do if I disobey your rule?” She wouldn’t but wanted to goad him for the perverse pleasure of watching him get annoyed.
Leaning down, Brett got in her face and drawled, “Try it, baby. I guarantee one thing. You won’t do so again.”
****
Satisfied with thewary expression on Allie’s face when he delivered that threat, Brett shut the door and stood back. The rev of another engine drew his attention to the taillights of another car, this one speeding out of the parking area, tires spewing gravel as the driver accelerated then turned onto the main road with a screech. If he’d been able to see who it was, or even the make of the car, he would have had a word with them when they returned. The safety of their clientele came first and was priority until they left their property.
Allie drove away at a much more reasonable, sedate pace, which surprised him given her devil-may-care personality and obvious dissatisfaction with him and his rejection of her overtures and behavior. Even if he didn’t find her appearance with all the jewelry, bright glittery nail polish, and pink-streaked hair too flashy, she was too young and inexperienced for his preferences.
Brett’s phone buzzed as he started up the stairs, and he groaned seeing a text from Gina.I have a proposal I want to run by you. I’ll come over in the morning.He sent a quick return text, giving her the same answer from day one of filing.Sign the damn papers.As he figured, she ignored him and responded,Don’t worry, you’ll go for this idea. See you around 10.
He swore and continued upstairs, his frustration with his ex and now Allie threatening to boil over. Both women managed to put a damper on his evening, although he couldn’t blame Allie for being who she was. A different time and place, and if she were a few years older, she might have amused him enough to indulge her. But that wasn’t the case and now, with his mood foul and his interest centered on going home alone, it wouldn’t be fair to Kat to continue where they’d left off. At least he’d had time to give her a long session with her favorite multi-strand flogger and two climaxes to relieve the tension she tended to build up working as an EMT.
Their club manager, Jordon Myers, was waiting for him before going down to take over for Reed as Brett requested when he walked out to deal with their peeping Tom. Bianca, Jordon’s long-time girlfriend, and Kat were conversing on the sofa when Brett entered, and he was grateful Jordon hadn’t minded releasing Kat from the bench. He eyed her naked breasts, long legs, and casual demeanor while sitting there wearing only a thong and tried picturing Allie in Kat’s place. For the first time since he’d set eyes on Allie earlier, he wanted to smile. No, he couldn’t picture the flighty, flirty chit obeying his command to wait around for him without clothes.
“Did you run her off?” Jordon asked, striding over to greet him.
“Yes, and, with luck, she won’t pull a foolish stunt like that again.” Brett nodded toward Kat. “Everything okay?”
“Of course, as you know or you wouldn’t have left her with me, regardless of an interloper. But if I want to keep my job, I’d better get downstairs.” Jordon flashed him a grin.
“No worries there.”
Neither Brett nor his brothers would have enough time to deal with the bar without Jordon putting in the hours to manage the weekend club and the books. Having known him most of their lives, he was one of the few people they would trust to go into business with.
“I’ll see to Kat. You and Bianca have a good night .” Bianca filled in at Casey’s, serving drinks. “Thanks for stepping in for me.”
“No problem. The girl livened things up.”
Brett couldn’t deny the truth of that, but, speaking for himself, he didn’t need anyone pushing his buttons. He had his hands full dealing with Gina and work. Kat’s dress still lay on the floor by the bench and he scooped it up, waving to Jordon and Bianca as they left. Carrying it over to her, he felt bad for cutting their time together short, but his head was no longer in the game. She deserved his full attention when they were together, and tonight, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Rain check?” Kat asked, reading him accurately when he held out his hand.
“I appreciate that – thank you.” No explanations or excuses were asked for or needed between them. Other than the five years he was married and she was committed to someone else, he and Kat had been getting together infrequently for a long time, each giving the other what they wanted from a limited relationship. “I’m leaving and will walk you out.”
He helped her dress and escorted her downstairs, resenting Allie for interrupting his evening and Gina for her greedy stubbornness. Most of all, though, he disliked his own gullibility in falling for both women’s wiles in the first place.
Brett took the main road back to the Soaring Eagle Ranch instead of traveling the shorter route along bumpier, unfinished back roads, having enough of a bumpy time tonight already. Casper, the largest city closest to their spread and Eagle’s Nest, lay in the opposite direction. He passed the Hendersons shopping mart where the nearby residents could get anything from groceries to tools.
He and his brothers thought Ina Henderson was old back when they were teenagers and hung out at the old-fashioned soda fountain in her mercantile, but both Ina and her husband, Howard, were now in their sixties and showing no signs of slowing down. The block-long establishment the couple owned and ran boasted a popular diner at one end and a laundry facility at the other with a mercantile in between. Visitors renting at the nearby campsites and cabins as well as neighboring residents in Casper and Eagle’s Nest provided a booming clientele for the Hendersons. In turn, Ina’s offered fast, easy shopping options and the best fried chicken and chicken-fried steak in the area.
A win-win for everyone.
Brett’s disgruntled mood worsened upon seeing Gina’s car parked in front of his house. He drove around to the rear entrance into the garage and sat a moment to get his temper under control before confronting his ex about this late night, unexpected, unwelcome visit. Entering from the garage, he walked through the mudroom and kitchen, finding her sprawled on the plush sectional curved in front of the adobe fireplace.
Irritated beyond measure, he tossed his hat on the counter and sucked in a deep breath. Moving to plant himself in front of her with his arms folded across his chest, he eyed her hiked-up dress and casual legs-parted pose with disdain. “A little obvious, even for you, don’t you think?”
