“Of course, honey.” Carly stood and wrapped her in a hug. “Whatever is bothering you, I hope you feel better soon.”
Chapter 11
“Today we’ll be talking about making your own toys, or as we like to call it, ‘pervertables.’” Allie stood at the front of the room with a tall, burly guy. He wore nice jeans, cowboy boots, and a dress shirt, but he had the look of someone who’d worked hard all of his life. His blond hair fell forward almost into his eyes, and he had a grin that AJ suspected the women would consider boyish and charming. He knew it was stupid, but he snuck a glance at Buffy to see how she was reacting.
She hadn’t said one word to him since the fiasco yesterday when he’d tried to encourage her to give Crash a chance. All her former friendliness must have just been acting. She obviously considered them a couple of dumb jocks who weren’t worth her time. There was no reason to be so bitchy about it, though. She could have just said, “No, thanks. I’m really not interested.” He would have respected that.
Instead she’d acted like he was trying to bully her into something. So okay. He knew where they stood now. She would probably laugh at them when her new outfits were delivered this weekend, but that couldn’t be helped. They’d made the offer, and they wouldn’t back out of it. The money wasn’t important. It was too bad it would be wasted on someone who couldn’t recognize what a great guy Crash was. Maybe he should try to get Crash to see that she wasn’t worth his time. It wouldn’t be easy. Crash had seemed to get it into his head that she was perfect, although for some reason he thought AJ wanted to go out with her.
She was sitting at the table across from him, staring down at her pad of paper. She didn’t seem to notice the guy with Allie. AJ felt a surge of satisfaction, then chided himself. In normal circumstances he would have asked her out in a heartbeat, but these were far from normal circumstances. She’d shown them in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t interested, and it was none of his business who she noticed or didn’t.
“Hi, everybody.” The blond guy had taken over now, and Allie was gone. AJ realized he hadn’t been paying attention. “As Allie said, I’m Dennis Cooper and I’m a local contractor. As you can guess, that means I spend a lot of time in hardware stores. I get a lot of ideas for toys there, sometimes to the point that I forget what I actually went in for.”
At his sheepish smile, Lucy let out an audible sigh.
Dennis opened a huge bag and started pulling out what looked like building supplies. There were paint stir sticks, carabiners, duct tape, and several other things that he didn’t immediately recognize.
“Now, the stir sticks are fairly obvious,” Dennis said, slapping one on his own forearm. He showed them the red mark. “You can get some nice color and even marks from these things. Of course they’re not very strong, so you have to be careful about breaking them.”
“Breaking them?” Susan gasped. “You’d hit somebody that hard?”
Dennis gave her an angelic smile, making AJ want to punch him. “Oh, yes. I’ve seen people being hit with cricket bats hard enough to move the whole spanking bench.”
Susan squeaked in alarm and even Buffy looked up in surprise.
“It was a little, tiny woman,” Dennis went on. “Afterward she was joking and laughing about the fact that she wouldn’t be able to sit down for a few days.”
“She liked it?” Susan’s eyes were round.
“Of course. Why would any responsible Dominant do it otherwise? If she wasn’t willing, that would be abuse. I happen to know that scene was actually a reward for her having accomplished a major goal that week. She couldn’t have been happier.”
“It takes all kinds,” Roy observed, shaking his head.
“It does. You’ll see all kinds in the community, too. People can be amazingly creative when it comes to making toys. All it takes is a little imagination and you can create a whole range of sensations from common household items. Back to the paint stirrers, for example, you already saw that they can be used as is to deliver a stingy swat. Now, if you duct tape a series of wooden golf tees perpendicular to the stirrer, you have a wonderful scratcher. If you glue sandpaper to it instead and drag it across the skin, another kind of stimulus can be achieved from the same old piece of wood.”
He picked up a small object and passed it to Greg. “This, as you can see, is a paint roller. It has thumb tacks glued to the outside, pointy side out, of course. Feel free to try it on your own arm or your neighbor’s—with their permission—and you’ll be able to see what a homemade Wartenberg wheel is like.”
Greg passed it to Susan. She immediately turned to Lucy, whose arm was already extended in readiness.
The next item was a short dowel rod with a tennis ball stuck on the end. “These make great impact toys, especially for warming someone up. Depending on the hardness of the balls, you can get quite a range of sensation out of it. They make different sounds, too. If there’s some good music going on in the dungeon, you can get quite a jam session going.”
“Does that feel like a massage?” Roy asked, squinting thoughtfully at the makeshift drumstick.
“More or less. Some people find it extremely relaxing. The top can make it as soothing or as uncomfortable as they want.” Dennis handed it to him and picked up another stick, this one tipped with a think wad of something white. “Another thing you can make with dowel rods is fire wands. You put several cotton balls inside gauze and soak it in alcohol. The alcohol will burn off without destroying the cotton so you can use it for fire play.”
“Fire play?” breathed Lucy. “When do we get to do that?”
“Later this week, I think.” The door opened behind them, but everyone was too engrossed in what Dennis was saying to turn around. Then Dennis looked up from his demo and his expression changed.
“Don’t go in there!” Allie’s outraged voice could be heard as everyone turned to see a short, balding man push through the door. It took AJ a moment to recognize Lou something, the inspector that had been by on Thursday.
There was a paper in his hand, and his expression suggested he was about to engage in his favorite activity in the world.
“I have a cease and desist order here,” he proclaimed importantly. “I will need all paying guests to leave this building at once.”
No one moved, except Allie, who stormed around to stand in front of him, hands on her hips. “How dare you interrupt our private class?”
He smirked. “I dare because I have documentation stating that you are not allowed to hold workshops in this building until it meets the fire code.”
Dennis strode over to them. “Lou, what trouble are you causing now?” He was still smiling and his voice was friendly, but he held out a hand for the paper with a manner that suggested he had a right to see it.
Lou handed it over, and Allie waited for Dennis to scan it. After a moment he gave it to her and shrugged. “It’s what he says it is. Can we move this class into the house?”
Allie gave Lou a venomous look but nodded. “Come on, everybody. We’ll finish this in the dining room.”
“They can certainly go in there, but I’ll need you to accompany me,” Lou told her. “I intend to do a full inspection of the plumbing while I’m here. House and barn.”
“Maybe I should go with you,” Dennis suggested, putting a hand on Lou’s shoulder. “Maybe I can help.”
Lou seemed to be on the verge of refusing, but Allie smiled. “That might be a good idea. Everybody, I’m afraid this lesson is going to have to be finished later. Do you guys mind entertaining yourselves for the rest of the morning?”
They all filed out silently, leaving the trio behind. As the door closed behind them, Crash frowned. “Should we go back there? Do you think it would help? Maybe we could persuade him to be more reasonable.”
AJ laughed. “I don’t think Allie needs your kind of help at the moment. Dennis is big enough to intimidate Lou, if he can be intimidated. Let’s see if we can talk to Buffy.”
Lucy scampere
d between Susan and Roy, her face shining. “I have a great idea! Can we go to our room and try it out?” Then she twinkled toward Crash and AJ. “Of course you boys are welcome, too. There’s no reason we can’t all have some fun!”
Crash looked as if she’d suggested they go on a crime spree. His eyes darted between her and AJ, who tried not to laugh. “Thanks, but you guys go ahead without us. We need to talk to Buffy.”
But Buffy was nowhere to be found. They searched the house, stopping in the kitchen for Crash to grab a quick peanut-butter sandwich. When they knocked on her door, she didn’t answer or wasn’t there, although they couldn’t find any trace of her anywhere else, either.
After half an hour, they gave up and went to sit on the front porch.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing to do but go into town,” Crash said.
“Feeling a need to make sure the diner is still standing?” AJ asked, getting to his feet and feeling in his pocket for car keys.
At that moment Lou and Dennis walked around the side of the house, looking serious as they discussed something in low voices. Dennis stowed his duffel bag in his oversized pickup while Lou climbed into a black sports car and drove off with a cloud of dust.
AJ went down the steps to talk to Dennis, Crash close behind. “So we’re not reconvening the class?”
Dennis closed the door. “I don’t think Allie’s in the mood to gather everybody again. She’s pretty upset.”
AJ considered for a moment. “Hey, do you have time to go for a cup of coffee then?”
Dennis shrugged. “Sure. I don’t want to bug Allie for it at the moment. Want to go into town?”
“Yeah. We’ll follow you.” AJ motioned for Crash to get into his car.
In a few minutes they were in downtown Grandpointe, stopping at a small combined coffee shop and bookstore.
“Hey, Rhonda,” Dennis called to the small red-haired woman who seemed to be in charge.
She waved at him. “How’d the class go?”
“Tell you later. Can we get some coffee? I’ll have a raspberry scone if you have one left.”
Crash studied the menu on the wall, muttering to himself. “Why didn’t we go to the diner? They don’t even have pancakes here!”
AJ ordered himself a muffin, smiling as Crash approached Rhonda with his head hung low, preparing to wipe out her entire selection.
While he was deep in negotiations with Rhonda about his order, AJ and Dennis went to sit at a table near the magazine rack. AJ took a sip of his coffee. “So can I ask what happened back there?”
Dennis was still watching Crash. He dragged his eyes away. “Back—Oh, you mean with Lou? He’s a power-hungry ass.”
“Yeah, I assumed that. What’s his deal?”
“He just got hired for this position, and it’s gone to his head. I was a few years behind him in school, but I remember that he was always an outcast. His folks were really poor, and they always seemed strange. Kept to themselves. It wasn’t that anybody was mean to him, but he never fit in, you know? A loner. He wouldn’t talk to anybody or let people help him. I guess he grew up with a chip on his shoulder. Thought the world was out to get him. Now he’s got a fairly powerful job, and he seems to be taking out his frustrations on whoever happens to be close, whether or not they ever did anything to him or his family. Allie just moved here a year or so ago, so he can’t have anything personal against her, Carly even more recently than that. He’s slapping fines on people that don’t make any sense, demanding that they do renovations they obviously can’t afford and usually aren’t necessary, things like that.”
Crash came over with his coffee and a large bag. He pulled out an oversize cookie and began eating it. “You talking about the inspector guy?”
“Lou. Yeah. He’s making life miserable for as many business owners as he can. Rhonda here had to replace her plumbing last month because of him.”
“Does that help your business?” AJ asked him.
“Well, yes and no.” Dennis grimaced. “I’m getting a lot of clients out of it, yes. But I’m trying to keep prices as low as possible for the people that I know Lou is harassing for no good reason. So I’m not making much of a profit out of it. It sure is keeping me busy, though.”
“What about Carly?”
Dennis sighed. “Carly is a different matter. I know he’s been on her ass about all kinds of stupid shit, mostly things that really aren’t that big of a deal. Her flooring is getting old, but there’s no reason it wouldn’t last another couple of years. That kind of stuff I could take care of for only a fraction of what it would normally cost. But she won’t hear of it. Refuses even to let me come in and give her an estimate. I don’t know why she’s so stubborn about wanting to do everything herself. Did you see her when we drove by her place? Trying to lug all of the junk out of her back room that Lou insisted was a fire hazard. I would stop and help, but she won’t let me. We got into quite a shouting match one day about it, and she asked me not to come back. I wish I knew what her deal was.”
“That’s weird. I like Carly.” Crash reached in his bag and pulled out a muffin. “She’s a good cook.”
“Absolutely,” Dennis agreed. “She’s a very sweet girl—but pigheaded, let me tell you.”
“Sounds like it. You got anything extra in there?” AJ reached for Crash’s bag. Crash grabbed it away with a panicked look, then relented and handed it over.
“I guess you can have a cookie if you want. But I call the twisty cinnamon thing. That looked good.”
“It does.” AJ peered into the bag. “Maybe I’ll go get one of those. Do you want one?”
“No, thanks.” Dennis picked up his coffee cup. “I need to go price sprinkler systems for Allie.”
He left, waving at Rhonda, and AJ went to buy the rest of the cinnamon twists. He brought them back to the table and sat down, leaving Rhonda shaking her head over her emptied pastry display.
“I miss Buffy,” Crash said morosely between mouthfuls.
“You can’t miss her. She hasn’t gone anywhere.”
“Yes, she has. You know what I mean. Why don’t you just ask her out?”
“Why don’t you?” AJ took a bite of pastry.
Crash shook his head. “You’re more her type. What would I do with a girl like that? She’d get bored with me in two minutes.”
“Don’t put yourself down,” AJ said. “You two would make a great couple. You should go for it.”
Crash was silent for a minute, staring down at the cookie in his hand. AJ had just decided that he’d gone back to concentrating on his food, but then he looked up.
“What do you think about Allie’s arrangement?”
AJ shrugged. “It seems to work okay for them, but I can’t imagine doing it.”
Crash grunted and dusted off his hands. “Let’s get back. I want to try to catch Buffy before lunch. She can’t hide forever.”
Chapter 12
Crash patted the bag of pastries that he’d gotten at the bookstore. They should tide him over the next day or two, he thought, smiling at the crinkle of the bag under his knees in AJ’s car. He loved that sound.
“I think we’ll stop at the diner.” AJ started the car and began maneuvering out of his parking space.
Crash stared at him. “You’re still hungry? Why didn’t you get more of those cinnamon things?”
“For one thing, I bought all of them that she had. They were good. For another thing, no, I’m not still hungry. Not all of us are stomachs on legs. I just want to see if we can help Carly out.”
“Oh.” Crash thought for a minute, then shot a sidelong look at his friend. “So it’s Carly you like?”
“Don’t be an idiot. Just because Tammy dumped me doesn’t mean I’m going to grab the first girl I see to replace her.” AJ’s voice was strained, and Crash knew it hurt him to mention Tammy. “You heard Dennis. Carly needs help. It doesn’t mean I have an ulterior motive.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t bite my head off.” Crash was silent
until they pulled into the small parking lot next to the diner. He followed AJ to the back of the building where they could hear banging noises and cursing.
Carly stood next to a pile of rubbish, throwing pieces of it into a nearby dumpster. With every throw she was yelling something that sounded like, “Take that, Lou!”
AJ strolled over to the dumpster, keeping an eye on the flying debris, and casually peeked over the edge.
“Is he in there?” Crash called over to him.
“Is who in there?” Carly stopped throwing things and waited for AJ to join them. Her face was flushed, and she was panting slightly.
“Lou. No, he’s not. I just wanted to make sure.”
“Not for lack of wishing on my part.” Carly put her hands on her hips. “Sorry, guys. I’m a little too busy right now to clean out the pantry. I’ve got a new cook inside, though. Just take it a little easy on her, okay?”
“We’re not here to eat, for once.” AJ reached past her and began loading his arms with the junk she’d been throwing.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Helping. Just point us to what needs to be done. We have a free hour or so, and with the workout Crash has been giving you lately, it’s the least we can do.” He took his load, about half of the pile she’d been working on, over to the dumpster and dropped it in.
“I don’t think so.” She stepped in front of the pile that Crash had been reaching for. “I don’t need any help.”
“Are you sure?” AJ squinted around at the piles of old equipment, scrap metal, and building material scattered around.
“You need to protect your hands,” Crash told her, grabbing them and holding them up like a surgeon asking for his gloves. “These are instruments of genius! How can you even think of endangering them like this?”
Carly rolled her eyes as AJ picked up the rest of her pile and disposed of it. “Really, guys. Aren’t you supposed to be in some class or other?”
“It got interrupted by your arch-nemesis,” AJ told her.
“Oh, no. He’s after Allie again?”
Double Dom Fantasies Page 14
