United

by Karen Nappa

  He braced on the bar top and dipped his head to look her in the eyes. “Why, Kate? Why did you say that?”

  Kate took a sip of her drink as she searched for the right words. “I – I was afraid. The night meant a lot to me and I was worried it didn’t to you. I lashed out to protect myself.”

  “Oh, Kate.” Chris extended his long arm and touched her cheek. “Beautiful Mistress. I accept your apology. I hope you don’t doubt that it was important to me, now?”

  “No, I know it mattered to you, too.” She reached for his hand. They remained there quietly enjoying each other’s presence, until Julie bounced over to order a water. Kate excused herself and went to find Mitch.

  “Chris!” his mother’s delighted voice was slightly out of sync with the movement of her mouth on the screen of his tablet. When his parents moved to Arizona, they’d come up with this Sunday ritual instead of the regular visits Chris had paid them.

  “Hi, Mom.” Chris grinned, as his father’s head materialized behind his mother. “… and Dad.” Although his father didn’t enjoy talking to a screen, he usually joined the Sunday chat for a bit.

  “How you doing, boy? How’s work?” His father’s voice was eerily similar to his own and still powerful. Chris might be a man in his prime, but he would always be his father’s boy.

  “Good, sir. James and I are still working on that downtown project I told you about last week.”

  They talked for about ten minutes. His mother had joined a pottery class – “Disastrous,” his father had coughed in his fist, earning him a glare from mom. His dad’s assessment was probably spot on given the other hobbies his mother had attempted and abandoned. They had new neighbors and their dog had dug up dad’s freshly planted potatoes this morning. Chris leaned back in his chair as he enjoyed the glimpse into his parents’ lives. As soon as his father left, mumbling something about replanting those damn potatoes, Chris’ mother turned assessing eyes on him.

  Uh oh.

  “How are James and that darling Laura doing?”

  Although the question was innocent, Chris knew exactly where it was leading.

  “They’re doing fine, mom. James sends his regards.”

  “Any chance of a nice daughter-in-law for me any time soon?”

  Ah, okay, his attempt on diversion had failed and mom had latched on to her favorite topic. “As soon as I meet her, I’ll let you know, mom.” Why did a blond angel and a red-headed Dominatrix pop in his mind? Marriage wouldn’t be possible with their triad.

  They chatted for a little while until his mother excused herself. “I have to get going, darling. If I don’t get your father out of the garden, we’ll either be late for church, he’ll sit there in soil-stained clothes, or we won’t get there at all.”

  Chris chuckled. His dad tended to forget his surroundings when he was working with his beloved plants. After he bid his mother goodbye, he visualized his father and Kate working together, bonding over their mutual interests in plants and gardening, while his mother tried to talk Yvonne into joining one club or another.

  Kate had arrived ten minutes early at the Smokehouse for the munch. Molly, a new Domme Kate didn’t know well, was talking with Ruby already. She walked over to them. After a friendly greeting, Kate listened to the women talking about tattoos.

  “Who did your phoenix?” Ruby wanted to know, “It’s a great piece.”

  “Thank you.” Molly inclined her head. “I had it done by Derek Jackson in Washington, DC.”

  “Why there?”

  “I stayed with my sister and brother-in-law in DC for my chemo and radiation. I was too weak to care for myself. When I went back there to celebrate the anniversary the next year I had the tat done,” Molly explained. “I’d seen some of Derek’s work and really liked it.”

  Ruby’s head went up and down like a bobble-head, but she bit her lip and studied Molly with squinted eyes.

  Kate could relate. Having cancer and losing a breast must be hard on a woman and, like Ruby, she had no idea how comfortable Molly was with talking about it.

  Molly seemed to understand the dilemma. “I like your tattoos, too.” Molly’s eyes roamed Ruby’s body with apparent appreciation.

  Ruby launched herself into an explanation about her tats and their meaning, and turned to Kate. “How about you? Do you have any tattoos?”

  “No, I’ve never had the inclination.”

  Molly nodded. “I didn’t either before the cancer. For me, it was about starting a new phase of my life.”

  “I like the symbolism. You wear it well.” Kate noticed a new arrival at the entrance. “Here comes Sonja. You’ve met her, haven’t you?”

  “I have and I need to talk to her about something. If y’all will excuse me.” Molly turned to intercept Sonja.

  “I guess it’s you and me for the moment.” Ruby grinned. “Alone with the evil Mistress?”

  “Is that what the subs think of me?” Kate’s back stiffened.

  “Oh, no Ma’am. I was just joking.” Ruby’s eyes widened at Kate’s obvious displeasure.

  “I certainly hope so. As a sadist, I expect to be a bit intimidating, but I have no intentions to come across as evil.” Kate chuckled to show she had no hard feelings. “If you’ll excuse me, I see a Domme I met last month and I’d like to continue our conversation.”

  “Sure. I’m going to go catch up with Sandra. Nice talking to you!”

  Kate watched how the colorful subbie scuttled away and wondered if she really was that intimidating.

  When Chris arrived at the Smokehouse the place was buzzing with conversation and anticipation. Several new women and a couple of men he didn’t recognize were talking with longstanding members. Good, they could use new blood and variety. He looked around for Kate. His heart leapt when he spotted her. She looked beautiful with her fiery hair in a chignon and in casual chic attire. But his Kate always looked gorgeous, no matter what she wore. Or didn’t wear. Fuck. Chris closed his eyes and inhaled slowly through his nose to calm down his unruly body. Why did I have to imagine her naked? Kate seemed to be in a serious conversation with a woman he hadn’t seen before. Chris decided to leave them to it and went over to say hello to Bob and the women next to him.

  “Chris, good to see you,” Bob gestured to his companions. “This is Lynn, and this is Erin. Ladies, this is Chris. He’s a popular Dom at the club.” Bob lifted his voice slightly on the word “Dom,” subtly inquiring if dominant was still his designated role.

  “Switch actually, and my days of popularity are over,” Chris responded. “I’m no longer available for casual play.”

  “Oh?” Bob lifted an eyebrow.

  “I’m exclusive to Kate and Yvonne for at least the next three months. I have a contract to prove it. Sorry ladies.” Chris leaned his shoulder against the wall.

  “I’m sure we’ll survive, Chris.” Erin curled her lip. “Not everyone swings your way.”

  “My apologies.” Chris struggled to keep his casual stance. “No offense intended.”

  “None taken,” Erin agreed. “I just like to get my orientation on the record right away. I’m looking for a Dominatrix. What about you, Lynn?”

  “I lean toward the dominant side of things, but I’m pan-sexual when it comes to partners.”

  He was intrigued. A pan-sexual was attracted to a person without regard to their gender identity. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something different about Lynn.

  “Are you interested in joining Club Indigo?” Chris addressed the women.

  “Yes, definitely.” Erin might be the submissive in their small group but she was the most forward person too. “It’s got the best reputation of all the places in town. I also like that members are screened. It makes me feel safer.”

  “I’d like to check it out,” Lynn said. “It’s harder for me to find a place to be comfortable than for you all. I’m still transitioning, as you can probably tell.”

  Chris studied her closer. I’ll be damned.

&
nbsp; “You’re both welcome.” Bob almost made Chris jump – consumed by the conversation with the two women, he’d forgotten about the other switch.

  “That’s good to hear. Thanks, Bob. You’ve been very helpful and welcoming. I’ll try to get there in the next couple of weeks. It depends on my work schedule right now.” Lynn shook hands with Bob and the others. “In fact, I have to get going now. I’m due at work in an hour and it’s on the other side of town.”

  “Glad you could stop by. It was good to meet you.” Chris offered his hand, too.

  “Interesting woman,” he mentioned to Erin and Bob as they watched Lynn make her way to the exit.

  Chris still gazed at the doorway imagining Yvonne coming through it when Laura and James arrived a few minutes later. He hadn’t had a chance to tell them about his contract with Kate and Yvonne and looked forward to sharing his happiness with his best friends.

  “Earth to Chris.” For the second time that evening Bob caught him off guard, and Chris turned back to him and Erin.

  “I’m sorry. I was just thinking.”

  “Nothing wrong with that, but you were ignoring our charming companion.” Bob gestured toward Erin.

  “Don’t apologize. I think we were finished talking. It was nice to meet both of you.” Erin adjusted her purse higher on her shoulder.

  “We look forward to seeing you at the club.” Bob seemed to remember his manners better than he did.

  “Yeah, what Bob said,” Chris echoed, aware it sounded lame.

  “I look forward to it, too,” Erin concluded and headed toward the bar.

  “So, things are going well with you, Kate and Yvonne?” Bob cocked his head.

  “We’re in the getting-to-know-you phase, but so far, everything is great.” Chris pulled a hand through his hair. “Sorry for mentally checking out. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

  “No problem. It’s nice to see someone happily distracted.” Bob turned his attention to Chris’ business partner. “Hello, James.”

  “Hi Bob, what kind of crowd is here tonight?” James acknowledged Chris with a chin lift which he returned with a grin.

  “The usual mix. Some brand new and some experienced folks. I’ve already given out three invitations to the club. It’s good to see so many members for a change, too.”

  “That’s excellent. I trust my partner has been helpful?” James planted a hard hand on Chris’ shoulder

  “He’s been his usual flirtatious self until his head went to dreamland just before you arrived.”

  “Hey, guys. I’m right here,” Chris interrupted.

  James squeezed his shoulder, and he had to concentrate not to wince. “Sorry man. It’s fun to give you a hard time.”

  “I think I’ll leave you two alone. I can be more useful elsewhere.” Bob tipped his empty glass in a greeting.

  “Thanks!” Chris returned the ironic gesture with two fingers to his temple.

  “How is it we can be business partners and see each other almost every day and I have to hear from Kate you guys are together?” James scowled. “And a threesome, to boot?”

  “We’ve been busy lately.” Chris’ temperature rose. James had a valid point. Although… “It’s not the kind of thing I want to be talking about on a construction site. Too many ears. You’re here now. What would you like to know?”

  “I thought Kate was dead-set against anything to do with you?”

  “That was before she helped me out with Yvonne when we had a scene at the club. I panicked when she started babbling in Dutch, which sounds like someone gargling. Chris shook his head as he remembered the horrible sounds she made. “Have you heard it?”

  “I can’t say I have.”

  “It turns out she switches to Dutch when she’s in subspace. Kate realized it was another language and not some kind of choking problem. The three of us connected then and I managed to talk Kate into considering the possibility.” Chris raked his hand through his hair again. “It took some doing to convince her I don’t want to go all Dom on her, but I managed it.”

  “So, you’re a switch?” James perceptive gaze bore into his.

  “With Kate. I don’t want to submit to just anyone, but Bob pointed out that when you’ve invited me to join you and Laura, you were in charge then and that was okay with me.”

  “Well, sure. Laura’s my wife and sub.” James paused. “I see what you mean. So Kate is the Domme and you’re in between her and Yvonne?”

  “More or less. We both submit to Kate, but I get to dominate Yvonne, too. We’re spending the weekend together at Kate’s and we’ll visit the club Saturday night.” His arms and neck tingled at his next words. “I have to tell you, I think this is more than just a play contract. I’m falling for both of them. Hard.”

  “That’s great, man.” James opened his mouth, paused, and spoke again. “What’s the catch?”

  “What do you mean?” Chris let out a strangled laugh. “There’s no catch.”

  “You don’t look exactly thrilled.” James’ brows drew together. “There’s more than you’re telling me.”

  The man knew him too well! “I’m not sure how to handle it. Two women is different from anything I ever imagined.” Chris scratched his head, trying to identify the problem. “And Yvonne is only here on a visitor’s visa. I don’t know what her long-term plans are. What if she leaves and then Kate decides we don’t work without her?”

  “You, sir, are borrowing trouble.” James gave him a quick slap on the back of his head. “Live in the moment for a bit. See how things go. Do they feel the same way you do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “BDSM is all about communication and it seems like you need to do more of it,” James concluded.

  “Maybe you’re right. I’ll think about it and talk to Kate. Where’s Laura?”

  “She wanted to catch up with Kate, but I don’t see her from here. I’m sure she’s around somewhere.” A noise behind them caused Chris to turn in his chair. “Hey, what’s going on at the door?”

  Both men looked to see Derek Kiriakis with a small dark-haired woman shrieking as Jim Cagney tried to pull her off him.

  “I don’t know. I thought Derek and Sonja were together these days.” Chris’ muscles tensed as he watched the scene. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before. Derek doesn’t look very happy, that’s for sure.” They continued to watch as Jim, Paula and a man they didn’t know removed the woman from around Derek’s waist. She screamed even louder, this time wanting the police, and Chris started chuckling. “I guess she doesn’t know she’s with cops already, does she?”

  “She must not.” James’ frown had deepened and he too looked ready to jump in. “I wonder who she is.”

  “Well, they seem to be showing her out. Maybe we can find out when the dust settles.”

  Paula had pulled Derek over to a table and forced him to sit. Moments later, she jumped from her seat and scanned the room. With a worried expression on her face, she left the table and came over to Chris and James. “Have either of you guys seen Sonja?”

  “I saw her around earlier, but I couldn’t tell you where she is now.” Chris scanned the room but came up empty.

  “Sorry, I only got here a few minutes before you did, and I haven’t seen her,” James added. “You might ask Kate. She usually keeps a good eye on the room.”

  “Thanks, guys.” Paula started to move off.

  “Wait a minute.” Chris wanted to know what had happened and Paula seemed a reliable source. “What’s going on? Who was the crazy lady you threw out?”

  “Short answer. Derek’s ex. He’s afraid Sonja saw the dustup and I need to find her.” Paula’s tone was clipped, and she glanced over to Derek who looked like bolting any second. Paula made a reassuring gesture to Derek, inclined her head to Chris and James and rushed off, leaving them with almost as many questions as they had started with.

  Kate stood with Sandra on the far side of the bar. Sandra had just finished a story about her latest
patient, who’d behaved like a toddler with a temper tantrum.

  “That has to be the worst client ever,” Kate spluttered with laughter.

  Sandra wiped the tears from her face. “How about you? As a massage therapist your clientele must share common traits.”

  Kate leaned back against the bar. “I had this one guy I told if he wanted to feel better, he needed to get exercise on a regular basis. I told him that every week for almost a year. He finally stopped coming to me. I asked him why and he said, he’d been coming for a year and he was still sore.”

  They burst out in a fit of laughter again.

  “Go figure. There’s not much we can do if they won’t take advice, or follow instructions.” Sandra’s voice trailed off and she leaned to the side. “That’s odd.”

  “What is?” Kate tried to follow her gaze.

  “Sonja’s leaving already and by the back door.” Sandra indicated the direction.

  “I wonder what’s going on?” Kate tapped a fingernail on the bar top. “I thought she was meeting Derek here.”

  “Maybe their plans changed?” Sandra suggested.

  Paula walked over to them. “Have you two seen Sonja?”

  “She just went out the back door.” Sandra gestured to the exit.

  “Did she seem upset?” Paula’s brow wrinkled, and she chewed on the corner of a short nail.

  “I didn’t see her face. She seemed to be in a hurry, though.” Sandra shrugged.

  Paula turned questioning eyes Kate’s way.

  “I’m sorry, but I didn’t see her at all. What’s going on?”

  “Apparently, Derek’s ex decided to show up and make a play for him. We think Sonja saw what happened and rushed off before we could remove the ex. Let me tell you, that’s one crazy woman!” Paula shook her head.

  “Oh, mealybugs! That’s not good. Sonja’s probably sure Derek wants his ex back, and she ran rather than have to face it. Sonja might be an assertive businesswoman but as a submissive and in dating not so much.”