Tony smiled and stuck out his hand. “Good enough.”
Mike shook with him. He hoped his boss couldn’t feel how his hand trembled.
“That said,” Tony continued, “if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Off the clock and outside of work, of course.”
“Um, thanks.”
“Now, how did you two end up here tonight? I’m guessing from the ‘oh, shit’ look you had on your face when we walked in that you weren’t expecting to see me here anymore than I was expecting to see you.”
“Apparently your wife and mine are in a book club together. My wife looked up local munches this week and here we are. As far as I know, your wife didn’t talk to my wife about this specifically, just in general terms.”
Tony let out a laugh, his body language relaxing. “Oh. That. Yeah, she’d showed me what they were reading and that she’d told them about the articles she’d written. Okay, that makes sense. So your wife is bringing you into this, huh?”
Mike nodded, now totally at a loss.
“Don’t worry. That’s very common. Especially since Kindles. Let’s get back in there, then.”
Tony’s comment about the e-readers baffled him a little. And, truthfully, at that point, Mike didn’t want to go back in there. He wanted to send Jenny a text to get her ass out of there and meet him at the car and head home.
And dig himself a hole into which he could hide.
For the rest of his freaking life.
Unfortunately, from the way his boss seemed to be waiting for him, it looked like that wasn’t going to be a viable option. Not without possibly giving Tony the wrong impression. He knew Tony had gotten married a couple of years earlier, but they’d had a small, private family wedding at the beach, so no one from work had been invited to that. Even if they had, it had been the same weekend as a Scouting campout, and Mike had been there with Mikey.
Hell, he knew very few personal details about his boss. They were usually too busy at work to think about anything but work, and the little bit of free time any of them spent together at lunch, they were usually discussing work.
“Coming?” Tony asked.
Michael finally nodded and fell into step behind him to return to the restaurant.
When they returned to the table, Jenny wore a scared-rabbit look. Michael settled into his chair next to her and reached under the table to find her hand and give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
He did not want to talk about it there and then. Far better to wait until after dinner.
Tony took his seat on Shayla’s other side. She wore a slightly questioning expression as well, but Michael didn’t miss how when she looked at her husband, he gave her a smile and a tiny shake of his head.
He didn’t have to be a mind reader to intuit Tony’s meaning.
Not right now.
Loren’s husband, Ross, reached over and clinked his water glass with his fork, calling for everyone’s attention. There were about fifty people or so in attendance by Michael’s best guess. A few wore wide-eyed expressions that likely bespoke their newbie status, but the rest looked comfortable as they finished their conversations and turned to pay attention.
“I’m going to start out by saying that if you’re looking for the computer group, we have no clue who or where they are.” From the way many of the people laughed, Michael assumed it was a well-worn joke. “Welcome to the Suncoast Society munch. I’m Ross, and this is my wife and slave, Loren.”
The woman smiled and lifted her hand in a wave.
“We have several new faces tonight,” Ross continued. “So before we start I’d like to tell you a little bit about us. We usually go around the room and everyone introduces themselves. Feel free to say as much or as little as you’d like. If you’d rather not say anything, you are welcomed to pass. No pressure. I’m one of the hosts of the group. Those of us who’ve been around the longest call ourselves hosts, because we’re not an official group, no money changes hands, and there are no bylaws. Also, if anyone ever thinks they can do a better job, they’re welcomed to it.”
More laughter rolled around the room. Apparently, another old joke.
He wasn’t through. “For those of you who don’t know about it, we hold a lot of events in conjunction with Venture, a private BDSM club here in Sarasota. You have to be a member of the club to attend the parties or play sessions there, and to become a member you either need to be recommended by someone, or attend one of their orientation classes. So if anyone here is interested in joining, feel free to come talk to us about it tonight during dinner.
“Also, feel free to friend us on FetLife.com if you’d like. We have a munch group on there as well that you can join…”
Michael studied the room, tuning Ross out as the man spoke. Most of the people in attendance looked…normal. Middle-aged, a few seniors, some younger people. Other than one girl who looked to be around college-aged and who was dressed in a more Goth style, everyone else appeared average- to upper-income.
They could be anyone he’d run into on the street.
Or at work.
He had to stifle a nervous giggle that threatened to escape him at that thought.
Ross called on a woman at one of the back tables at the far end of the room to start the introductions. “Tilly. How about you and your guys kick things off?”
The woman let out a playful groan, which earned her a titter of laughter from some of the others in the room. “You freaking sadist,” she teased.
“Your point?” Ross shot back.
“Exactly,” she said. Then she raised her hand, waving to the room. “Hi, I’m Tilly. It’s complicated.”
Another round of laughter, slightly louder, including from Tony and Shay next to them.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Ross said from where he stood. “Come on. We have newbies. You can do better than that. I’m not letting you off that easy tonight.”
Just from the tone of their banter, Michael got the distinct feeling the two were good friends.
She let out an exaggerated, put-upon sigh and pointed to the older man seated to her left. “This is Landry, sadist extraordinaire, and my husband and sometimes Top when I’m in the freaking mood to let him be.” More laughs from others as she pointed to the man on her right, who looked closer to her own age. “This is Cris, Landry’s sadomasochistic slave, and our partner, and my sometimes Dominant when I’m in a mood to let him be that. I’m a switch, mostly Dominant, and definitely a sadist. And it usually takes the two of us to keep King Fussypants here in line on some days.” She hooked a thumb at Landry.
“There will be a test on this later,” Landry added, a smile curving his lips as he circled a finger indicating the three of them. Apparently it was his turn to take over. “What my delicate flower of a wife said”—which earned a roar of laughter from some of the attendees—“and I’d like to add for the newcomers a little clarification that, yes, we’re a poly triad.” He looked around Tilly to Cris. “Your turn.”
Cris shrugged. “I think the two of them said it all.”
“What I think,” Ross said, addressing the newbies in the room, “is that the three of them privately get off on keeping the rest of us guessing about what permutation they are at any given event.”
“Duh,” the three of them said together, triggering even more laughs.
“Privately?” Landry snarked. “We’ll openly admit it. What part of ‘sadist’ did I not make clear?”
The introductions moved around the room. Nobody asked for a pass, although a couple of apparent newcomers settled for giving their names and some variation of, “I’m new,” or, “I’m still figuring things out,” and then leaving it at that. As people talked, two servers quietly worked their way around the room, taking orders from the attendees.
Their table was the last one in the rotation of introductions. Michael was glad Ross picked Shay and Tony to go first, giving him a last moment to figure out what he wanted to say when it was finally his turn.
He opt
ed for simplicity and honesty. “I’m Michael, or Mike. I’m here with my wife because she wanted to explore this, and we’re new and still figuring things out.”
From the way Jenny beamed up at him, if nothing else, he knew it’d been a good enough answer for her.
And that was good enough for him.
When Jenny spoke, she elaborated a little. “I’m Jenny, and I’m in a book club with Shayla, but we didn’t realize our husbands…um, know each other. I stumbled across the website for the group, and we sort of had a little surprise when they showed up tonight, too. But I’m glad we’re here and I’m looking forward to learning more.”
“Well, we’re glad you found us,” Ross said. “And with that, please enjoy your meals tonight. If anyone wants to ask questions, feel free. I want to remind everyone now that they add a gratuity to your check at the end of the evening, but don’t be bashful with tipping the staff. Remember, they’ve heard everything you’ve said tonight.” More laughter from some of the old-timers, apparently punctuating yet another familiar joke.
A few minutes later, Tony and Shayla got up to speak with someone else. Jenny took that moment to lean in and whisper in Mike’s ear. “Everything okay?”
He nodded. He didn’t want to talk about it there, even if Tony couldn’t hear them.
During dinner, he tried to relax. Yes, everyone seemed perfectly nice. Welcoming, even. Jenny’s initial fears seemed to have completely fallen away as she and Shayla talked.
He supposed he should be happy about that, but the niggling worry in the back of his mind that wouldn’t leave, about how this revelation would really impact his career, kept intruding on any attempts he made to throw himself into conversations. He found he was censoring himself, hesitating to ask questions with Tony right there and able to hear everything he said.
Although, the one thought he held on to was that over the years his boss had proven himself a man of his word.
If he says this won’t be a problem, hopefully, it won’t.
If that turned out not to be the case and this was a problem…
Maybe I should spruce up my résumé.
Chapter Eight
Jenny waited until they were safely back in the car to ask again. “Is this going to be okay?”
She meant specifically Mike’s boss, but BDSM in general. From what she’d heard tonight, she’d wanted to burst into relieved tears several times.
Not only was she not alone in feeling this way, but she wasn’t some freak. There were people who understood, who got it.
People who were happy to answer her questions and be totally nonjudgmental about it.
He nodded. “He says so.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, feeling responsible. “I really didn’t know she was your boss’s wife. I’ve never met him. I didn’t even put together the name, and she never discusses what he does other than that he’s in IT. I didn’t know her that well. She’s a friend of one of the other girls in the group. I don’t think she’s even mentioned where he—”
“Jen, it’s all right,” he said in that tone that meant it might not be all right, but he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m sorry.”
“No,” he said. “Please don’t apologize. You don’t owe me an apology.” He finally looked at her. “I know you didn’t realize this would happen. I’m not upset.”
“Then why do you sound upset?”
“I’m…just rattled.”
She didn’t know how to respond.
He put the key in the ignition. “He says this will be okay. That it’s not a problem.”
“Is that why he pulled you outside?”
“Yeah. He wanted to lay down the law.”
“What?”
“Sorry, bad choice of words. He told me that we do not talk about this at work, that it never happened. But that if I have questions, I’m free to ask him after-hours.”
Relief filled her. “Well, that’s good, right? That he told you to ask questions?”
“I love you, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable talking to my boss about…this.”
“Oh.” More guilt filled her. Mike really wasn’t excited about this. And that was a massive understatement.
He was doing this for her. Not for himself.
And she knew that wasn’t fair to him.
Her hands fidgeted in her lap. “Look, Mike, if you don’t want to do any of this, it’s okay. I get it. I just…” She let out a sigh. “For the first time, I saw people who were saying stuff like they were looking inside my brain and reading my thoughts. I didn’t know this was a thing that we could do until recently. That other people did it. But I won’t force you to do it. I’d rather not do it and us be okay than try to make you be someone you’re not.”
* * * *
Mike knew she wasn’t trying to be passive-aggressive, wasn’t trying to manipulate him. But the hurt tone in her voice tugged at him.
This really was important to her. And if he put his foot down and said absolutely fucking not, he knew she’d let it go and never mention it again.
He reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. “I want to do this for you.”
“But if you don’t want to do it, that’s not fair to you.”
“You just need to be patient with me and let me wrap my head around it at my own speed is all. Okay? I might not be able to do this as quickly as you want me to. You’ve been reading your books and you have these things in your head that are all breaking news to me. So I need time to process it and figure it out.”
She looked at him. The parking lot lights shone through the passenger window, slanting across her face. He saw how close to tears she was.
How much she truly wanted this.
He leaned in and kissed her. “Can you be patient with me?”
She smiled, nodding, and it nearly broke his heart. The hope and longing in her features.
Especially the hope.
It’d been a long time since he’d seen her truly moved by something to this extent. All throughout dinner, she’d looked alive, vibrant.
In a way she hadn’t looked since they first met and during their first couple of years together.
Before life and parenting and jobs and everything else got in the way.
Why didn’t I ever notice that before? I’m a shitty husband.
He wanted that light to stay in her soul, illuminating her from within. It had been one of the things he’d fallen in love with when they met.
He cranked the car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading toward home. She rode with her hand on his thigh, the way she always did. “What is it about this that you really want?” he asked.
It took her a few moments to answer. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I mean, not the hard-core stuff. I just…” She let out a sigh he could hear over the soft music playing through the speakers. “I completely trust you,” she said. “And I love you. I know you’d never hurt me. But I’ve always had fantasies about this kind of stuff.”
He nearly swerved off the road. “You have?”
“Yeah,” she quietly admitted.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me before?”
“I don’t know. I guess I felt…weird.”
More guilt washed over him. “Sorry. I never meant to make you feel you couldn’t trust me enough to tell me.”
“No!” she quickly said. “I didn’t mean I didn’t tell you because of anything you did.” She seemed to need a minute to figure out how to phrase it. “It’s not like it’s something I talked about with my friends. And after what we went through with my sister, I thought I was weird and wrong. But then all these books. And those articles Shayla wrote. It was like they were speaking to me. And it was such a relief to know that I’m not some freak.”
“I don’t think you’re a freak.”
She laughed. “Please. I make Rusty look normal.”
He thought about what he now knew regarding his friends, but held his tongue. “No, sweetheart, you don’t
. Trust me.”
* * * *
It was with great trepidation Michael climbed into his car the next morning for his Monday drive to work in Bradenton.
Despite what Tony had said, he half expected to show up on campus and find his boss standing there in the data center’s lobby, waiting for him.
Meaning he was getting the ax.
That had been Tony’s style, catching people when they came to work in the morning and immediately shuttling them off to HR to deliver the news. He’d seen him waiting there before, relieved to find out it wasn’t his neck on the block.
But when he opened the door and stepped into the data center’s lobby, his heart hit his feet when he spotted Tony standing there.
Swallowing hard, Michael walked over to him. “Okay,” he quietly said.
Tony frowned. “What?”
Now Michael was confused. “You’re not waiting for me?”
“Yes.” Apparently, realization hit the man. “Oh. Sorry, not for that. Go log in and come take a quick walk with me.”
Michael wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or even more scared. He swiped his ID and practically bolted through the door to get into the main data center. After logging in and clocking in to the terminal he usually used, he locked it and rejoined Tony in the lobby. Without a word, the man led him back out to the parking lot, to where his own car sat.
Looking around, Tony fished his keys out of his pocket and opened his trunk, grabbing his laptop case from inside. “Just wanted to restate what I said last night,” he quietly said as he glanced at Michael. “I’ll gladly answer any questions you have. But when we’re inside that building, or around any of our coworkers, that aspect of our lives does not exist. Deal?”
Michael nodded hard.
Tony shouldered his laptop case and smiled. After closing his trunk, he stuck his hand out again. “Sorry for the scare. I wasn’t thinking about that when I waited for you. I just wanted to chat with you real fast. I only got here a couple of minutes before you did.”
Michael shook with him, knowing that maybe the man meant it, but suspecting more.
A Roll of the Dice Page 6
