by Sherri Hayes
After taking the glass from Drew, she turned back to her friends, effectively ignoring her unwanted admirer once more. Nicole had a knowing smirk on her face that Beth desperately wished she could wipe off. Maybe she could borrow one of the club’s floggers. It had been a while since she’d thrown one, and she had to admit the thought of having the leather in her hands again was appealing.
For the next hour, Drew continued to sit beside her in silence as she chatted with her friends. Everyone in their small group brought Beth up to date on what was going on in their lives. Meanwhile, her new admirer said nothing. And although he did little more than sit there, he was making her uneasy. Every one of her nerve endings seemed to be aware of him.
Finally, Beth couldn’t take it any longer and turned to face him. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but let me spell out exactly what I’m not looking for. I’m not looking for a submissive and I don’t play with random partners.”
“I understand.” His voice was smooth, and it sent tingles down her spine. This was not good.
She quirked an eyebrow at him. “You understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Beth waited for him to leave, but he remained where he was. “So if you know I’m not looking for a relationship or a play partner then why are you sitting here?”
“I’d like to get to know you, if you’re agreeable.” He sounded sincere.
“You want to be friends?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “You seem interesting.”
Beth gave him a hard look trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. She never used to question her judgment, but after Ben, everything was different. “Do you have a mistress?”
“No, ma’am. I’m pretty new to the lifestyle.”
“How new?”
“A few months.” His gaze never left hers.
“Have you ever played with a Femdom before?” Why she was asking was beyond her. It wasn’t as if she ever planned on playing with him.
“No, ma’am.”
Again, she had no idea why she was pressing for information, but the questions kept coming to the forefront of her mind and she kept asking them. “No vanilla girl out there for you?”
“I’ve tried vanilla relationships and they don’t work for me. I want a woman to take control.”
The image of him tied to a bench completely at her mercy flashed in her mind before she squashed it. No. She would not go down that path.
If he wanted to be friends, she could try, she supposed. But there would have to be ground rules—no seeing him outside the club being the number one. She had no idea if he frequented the local munches or not. If so, she would have to be careful. Munches were more laid back. That could open up a whole new set of problems—especially since she was already having a physical reaction to him.
Theirs would have to be a lifestyle friendship only. If Drew had questions about BDSM or needed help finding a Domme, she could maybe give him advice. That was it, though. Beth wasn’t ready to get tangled up in another web of emotional attachment.
Taking a deep breath, she offered her hand, and introduced herself. “I’m Beth. Beth Davenport.”
He wrapped his fingers around hers almost reverently. “It’s nice to meet you, Beth Davenport.”
Chapter 2
Drew’s alarm woke him bright and early at six. He didn’t get in until almost two, and he was feeling it. Originally he’d planned on leaving the club at eleven—he had to work Saturday, after all—but after laying eyes on Beth, getting a full night’s sleep became less of a priority. She’d stayed until one thirty, so he had as well. The thought of leaving before her didn’t cross his mind.
Padding into his bathroom, Drew stepped into the shower, and turned on the spray. He adjusted the temperature so it was a little cooler than normal hoping it would help wake him up.
As the fog lifted from his brain, he recalled the end of his night. When he’d offered to walk Beth to her car, she’d looked at him with shock, and then panic. He wanted to comfort her, but he was at a loss. She wasn’t his mistress. They’d agreed to be friends, and he’d gotten the impression she wasn’t entirely comfortable with that much. He had to be cautious. As much as he wanted to touch her, he knew it wouldn’t be a good idea.
Drew smiled as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. Turning off the water, he grabbed a towel, and swiftly dried himself off. Beth hadn’t sent him away. Friendship wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but he could work with it. She’d been hurt. He could understand that, too. Drew’s last girlfriend, Mya, hadn’t understood his need to relinquish control. Although at the time he didn’t completely understand it himself, he’d tried to explain it to her. She’d lashed out at him, and they broke up.
Their fight was the driving force behind Drew’s exploration into BDSM. He needed someone who understood what he needed, what he craved. Trying to fake it wasn’t working for him anymore.
Drew pulled up to the fire station with five minutes to spare. He parked his car and grabbed his duffel bag from the backseat. He worked in one of the larger stations in St. Louis, and they were in the middle of a shift change. People were coming and going from all directions. Everyone he passed acknowledged him in some way. Being a firefighter was like being part of a large family. Sometimes it even reminded him of a college frat house.
“Parker!”
He whirled around and looked up. Chief Franks was leaning over the second-floor railing. “Morning, Chief.”
“I need you to grab your crew and head down to Crawford Street ASAP. Madison’s crew is still there holding a scene until an inspector gets there.”
“Is the fire out?”
“Yep. All I need you and your guys to do is sit on your pretty asses until the inspector gets there and takes over the scene.”
“Arson?”
Chief Franks nodded. “Looks like.”
“Let me put my things in my locker, and I’ll grab the guys.”
Without another word, Chief Franks headed back into his office.
Drew worked his way to the locker room. Baily and Irwin, two of the guys on his crew, were already there. “Hey. We need to grab our gear and head over to Crawford. Shawn and his crew are holding a scene until one of the inspectors show up, and we need to go relieve them.”
“The fire’s already out?” Baily asked.
“ ’Fraid so.”
Both Baily and Irwin sighed and shut their locker doors.
Drew focused on putting his own things away. “Do you know if Romeo’s made it in yet?”
“Looking for me, Cap?” Eddie Romero—otherwise known as Romeo—strolled into the locker room right on cue.
“Put your things away, and then grab your gear. We’ve got to go relieve Shawn’s crew.”
“Fire?”
“It’s already been put out, man,” Baily said.
Since Drew had an SUV, they all piled in and drove over to the scene. The mood was a lot more somber than it would have been had there still been a fire to fight. As it was, all they would be doing was standing around twiddling their thumbs.
The warehouse was less than five miles from the station. A lot had changed in the area over the last ten years. Most of the old warehouses had been converted into apartments and storefronts. Drew supposed they were lucky the building the arsonist chose was still abandoned.
He parked along the curb behind the truck. His buddy and fellow captain, Shawn, and his crew were lounging against the side, waiting. When he saw Drew pull up, he pushed off the truck and sauntered over to meet them. “I was hoping you’d be the inspector.”
“Any idea what’s taking so long?” Drew asked as he rounded the vehicle to unload their gear from the back.
“Not a clue. Dispatch said they were on their way, but so far nothing.”
With their gear unloaded, Drew handed his car keys over to Shawn. “I guess we wait, then.”
Thirty minutes la
ter, they were still waiting. Drew was about to radio dispatch again to see what was going on when a dark blue sedan pulled up in front of the fire truck. A woman exited the vehicle, her head tilted down looking at something. He began striding over to her, not sure who she was or what she was doing at the scene.
She looked up, and Drew nearly tripped over himself. It was Nicole from the club. Beth’s friend. And someone he knew for a fact was a Domme. From the way her eyes widened, Drew guessed Nicole was as shocked to see him there as he was to see her.
Nicole recovered quickly and walked toward him. “Good morning, gentlemen.”
His crew mumbled hello while Drew got his bearings. He wasn’t sure what to say or how he should handle the situation, so he decided to play dumb, remembering what Mistress Katrina had told him about the privacy of the club’s members. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
Drew didn’t miss her smirk. “Nicole Owens. I just transferred to the Fire Marshal’s office. I understand we have a suspected arson.”
“You’re the fire inspector?”
Amusement lit Nicole’s eyes at his question. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Drew was still shaken, but he knew he needed to buck up and do his job. “Baily, Irwin, stay with the truck. Romeo, you’re with me and the inspector.”
They spent the next few hours combing through every inch of the building. The pictures, or what he could see of them through the digital camera Nicole was using, downplayed the damage, in Drew’s opinion. It looked as if the building had been in the process of being remodeled. All the new internal structure was ruined. The building was only safe to be walking around in because of its brick exterior and the quick reaction time of the responding stations.
Nicole followed them down, out of the building, and back onto the sidewalk. “Thank you for going over everything with me. I think it’s safe to say this was arson. I’ll get this turned over to bomb and arson so they can take it from here.”
Romeo smiled, and Drew realized his friend was smitten with the new fire investigator. Too bad he was married and Nicole was currently spoken for. “It was our pleasure, ma’am.”
During their walk through the building, Drew and Nicole had done their best to keep things professional. They spoke when needed, but that was where it ended. It was for that reason the next words out of her mouth stunned him. “I’m starving. What would you guys say to some lunch? I know a little place around the corner.”
Before Drew even had a chance to respond, Baily was answering for all of them. “Sounds great. Lead the way.”
***
Beth had been running around like a mad woman all morning. She hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep, and Tommy showed up late. Of course, the lack of sleep was entirely her own fault. Beth should have left the club well before midnight. She didn’t want to dwell too much on why she’d stayed until almost one.
It was a little before noon and the Saturday lunch rush was already in full swing. Half the tables in her café were occupied and they had several patrons at the counter waiting on their orders. What she wouldn’t do for a break, or even better a nap, right about now. Too bad that wasn’t likely to happen in the next two hours. Lucky for her it wasn’t a weekday. They were so busy sometimes during the week that she didn’t make it home until almost dinnertime.
She piled the roast beef on a slice of still warm rye bread. Most of Beth and Tommy’s customers were locals. They were lucky. Even on Saturdays they were usually busy. With the revitalization going on in the area, they were hoping to stay that way for many years to come.
The bell above the door jingled announcing another customer, and Beth tried to hurry. Getting behind would only make it worse.
“Hey, B. You have a visitor,” Tommy yelled.
Beth sighed. She hated when he called her that, but telling him did no good whatsoever. Tommy was twenty-three and felt the need to give everyone a nickname. She had to admit B was better than the first nickname he’d come up with for her—Bumble Bee.
Cutting the sandwich in half, Beth placed it along with chips and a homemade pickle on a plate and brought it out with her to give to Mr. Keller. “Here you go.”
He smiled back at her and took the sandwich. “Thank you, dear.”
Beth wiped her hands on her apron and started toward the counter where Tommy was chatting with someone. When she saw who it was, she grinned.
Then Beth noticed the man standing behind Nicole. Drew Parker.
No. No, no, no, no. This was not supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to know anything about her life outside the club . . . the lifestyle.
The only thing that made her feel a little better was the look on Drew’s face. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting to see Beth any more than she’d been expecting to see him.
“Nicole. What are you doing here?” Beth asked through gritted teeth.
Her friend acted as if nothing were amiss. “We were working in the area and got hungry. I told Captain Parker and his crew that I knew of a great place for lunch, so here we are.”
Beth was going to strangle her.
Putting on her best hostess smile, she tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. “What can I get you?”
Nicole ordered her usual, turkey on wheat, and then stepped aside so Drew could order. Beth tried really hard not to react to him, but it was impossible. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She hadn’t missed that he was wearing a polo shirt with the St. Louis Fire Department logo on it. They hadn’t talked about jobs the night before. Beth wasn’t sure how she felt about him being a firefighter.
That thought brought her up short. What the heck was she doing? What did it matter if he was a firefighter or not? It was his life. It had nothing to do with her.
“Hi,” Drew said.
“Hello.” She adjusted the straws displayed on the counter, and then stopped herself. Why was she fidgeting?
He smiled and cleared his throat. “I’ve never been here before. What’s good?”
“Everything’s good. We bake all our breads and pastries fresh daily.”
“Hmm.” Drew glanced up at the menu behind the counter. “I think I’ll try the pulled pork.”
“Make that two,” the man standing behind him said. The sad part was, Beth had completely forgotten about the rest of them.
“Sure. Two pulled pork sandwiches coming right up.” Beth swallowed and looked to the other two men. “And what can I get you two?”
The one on the far left spoke up first. “I’ll take a roast beef sandwich.”
“Turkey, please, ma’am,” the blonde said. In response, his buddy rolled his eyes.
Beth nodded absentmindedly. All she wanted to do was get out of there as soon as possible. “I’ll be out in a few minutes with those.”
Disappearing into the back, Beth helped Tommy with the sandwiches, and then made him take them out front. She hid in the kitchen until Tommy yelled for her again. “I’m busy.”
“Oh no, you’re not.” Beth looked up to find Nicole standing right inside the kitchen with her hands on her hips.
Reaching for the nearest towel, Beth began tidying up. “Yes, I am. Tommy was late this morning, and we’re behind. I’d like to get out of here at a decent time today.”
Nicole propped her hip against the metal counter less than a foot away from where Beth was pretending to clean. “That may be true, but it’s never stopped you from coming out to visit me for a few minutes.”
“You have people with you today. You don’t need me interrupting.”
Her friend shook her head and clicked her tongue in disapproval. “You can’t fool me, Beth Davenport. The only reason you’re hiding in here like a chicken is because of that man out there.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nicole went on as if Beth hadn’t said anything. “Which tells me that, as much as you claim to have no interest in him, you do. A lot of interest, if I’m not mistaken. So stop being a coward and g
o out and say hi to the man.”
Beth dropped the towel and hunched her shoulders. “It’s not that easy.”
“Oh sweetie, yes it is. He’s not Ben.”
“You don’t know that. You don’t know any more about him than I do.”
Nicole edged closer. “I know he’s been a firefighter for seven years and was recently promoted to captain. I know he’s got an eye for detail. When we walked through a building today, he spotted a few things that both me and his buddy missed. And I know from the looks he was giving you last night and how he kept glancing over his shoulder to see if he could catch a glimpse of you throughout lunch that he’s interested.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry. I know you mean well, but I just can’t. It’s too soon.”
Her friend sighed. “Okay. I don’t agree with you, but . . .”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I’d better get back out there. Don’t want them to think I ditched them or something.” Nicole winked and turned to go.
“Nicole?”
“Yes?”
“You don’t think he’d say anything, do you? I mean, he’s new. He knows not to . . . I mean . . .”
Nicole grinned. “I don’t think he’ll say anything. We were both shocked when we met this morning. I figured if he was going to let the cat out of the bag, he would have done it then. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t even act like we knew each other. I’d say you’re safe.”
“Okay.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah. If you ever pull anything like this again, I’m going to ask to use Katrina’s cat-o’-nines.”
Nicole laughed and ducked out of the kitchen. “You’d have to catch me first.”
Beth threw the towel in her friend’s direction. She missed, and it landed on the tile floor a few feet shy of the doorway. Sighing, Beth ambled across the room to retrieve the towel. Throwing it in the hamper, she went to the closet to get a clean one.
