Full Circle

by Lynne, Donya

  She lifted a spoonful of soup and blew on it, totally engrossed at this point. When she got home, she would need to spend some time perusing Cārvāka’s site. Definitely.

  Daniel clicked a few more times. “And then you can pair any of those cock rings with any of these prostate stimulators.” He clicked on one made of glass with a broad, rounded handle at the base. “I recommend something like this. It’s smooth, not too large, has a nice, gentle curve that will allow it to hit him just right, and with the wide base, you won’t risk losing it inside.”

  “Losing it inside?”

  Daniel and Zach both smirked. Then Daniel said, “Inferior anal plugs don’t have wide bases and can get accidentally pushed inside. That’s not a good thing to have happen.”

  “Oohhh. Okay. Duly noted.” She started eating as Daniel turned the laptop back toward him and continued typing.

  She assumed he was bringing up more products for her to look at, or even going to another site, but when he sat back and closed the screen with a shit-eating grin on his face, she got the distinct feeling something was up.

  “Happy birthday,” he said, his smile widening.

  “My birthday was in November.” She slowly lowered her spoon into her bowl.

  “Then happy belated birthday. Or early birthday. Whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

  “What have you done?”

  He pushed the laptop aside and slurped a spoonful of soup and shrugged. “Be expecting a package early next week.”

  “Daniel!” She reached across the counter to smack him, but he was too fast, pulling away, laughing.

  “Hey, I’m just looking out for your best interests, sweetie.”

  To the side, Zach snickered. He cradled his bowl of soup in front of his chest and had clearly seen what Daniel had ordered for her.

  “You didn’t stop him?” she said, incredulous.

  “Hell no.” Zach stepped to the side as if to pull out of range if she decided to slap him.

  “I can’t believe you two.” She settled back onto her barstool. “I’m going to pay you back.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Daniel said, taking his place in front of her again. “It’s our early wedding present to you. Or a housewarming gift. Something to definitely keep the house warm.” He winked.

  “Fine. Whatever.” She slowly stirred her soup. “So, what am I to expect when I open the box?”

  “One of everything I showed you,” Daniel said as if he were far too pleased with himself. “And maybe a surprise or two.”

  “What kind of surprise?”

  Daniel ate a spoonful of soup then sucked on the spoon for a second as if it were a lollipop. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Zach set his bowl down and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Oh, and Karma?”

  “Yes?”

  “I suggest you do a loooooot of research on cock rings and ass dildos over the weekend. A lot of research. You’ll want to know how to use them when they arrive.” He winked and picked his bowl back up.

  Great. Just what she needed for an already busy weekend.

  Chapter 15

  A relationship with no arguments is a relationship with a lot of secrets.

  -Author Unknown

  “Good evening. How may I help you?” The modelesque brunette with hair as straight as a ruler and extending at least six inches past her breasts gave her and Mark a practiced smile as they stepped up to the podium.

  “We have a reservation,” Mark said.

  “And the name?” The woman glanced down at her ledger.

  “John Mason.”

  When Mark had made the reservation, he’d chosen to put it under her dad’s name because, as he’d said, “I know how your dad feels about me, and I think it would be a nice gesture on my part if he didn’t have to say my name if he arrives before we do.”

  For Mark to consider her dad’s feelings showed just how compassionate he was . . . as well as how important it was to make nice with him.

  “The other two in your party haven’t arrived, yet,” the woman said. The small light shining up from under the lip of her podium cast alluring shadows over her features. “Would you like to wait here or be seated and wait at the table?”

  Mark glanced at her. “Table?” he said.

  “Yes.” Something about being seated and ready to order sounded a lot safer for when her dad arrived.

  He turned back to the woman. “We’d prefer to be seated, please.”

  “And would you like to check your coats?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Mark helped her out of hers then handed both to an attendant who stepped forward to take them.

  The lady handed them a ticket then sashayed away.

  She and Mark followed a third hostess into the elegantly attired dining room. White tablecloths. Sparkling wall sconces. Candlelit centerpieces and glittering stemware. It was the type of restaurant Mark was used to, having come from money. As for Karma, she was still acclimating to this new lifestyle.

  “I’m nervous,” she said once they were seated.

  “I know.” He reached for her hand.

  Her palms were damp, but Mark didn’t complain as he protectively enveloped her hand in his warm, dry one.

  “This’ll be a lot easier tomorrow with your parents,” she said.

  Tomorrow was his mom’s birthday party. They were heading out around seven o’clock to get in early enough to rest and clean up before going to his parents’ in the afternoon.

  “I talked to my mom yesterday and told her you were coming with me.” He smiled at her. “She’s dying to meet you.”

  “Do you think she’ll like me?”

  He angled toward her, face affectionately alight. “She’s going to love you.”

  Mark always had a way of making butterflies flutter in her belly. Maybe it was the way he looked at her. Or the tender tone of his voice. Or perhaps the way his skin seemed to melt into hers wherever he touched her. Whatever the reason, ripples teased her tummy.

  “How many of your girlfriends has your mother met?”

  “Not many.” He straightened and glanced toward the white candle in the center of their table. “Carol, of course. Maybe two of the others.” His face tightened. “I preferred not to let things go that far. Before, I mean.” He bobbed his head abruptly to the side, indicating the past.

  She grinned and leaned closer. “When you were honing your mad skills of seduction?”

  His mouth screwed into a twisted smile as he met her gaze, eyes twinkling. “My ‘mad skills of seduction’?”

  “Well, what would you call it? A learning phase?”

  He studied her for a moment then leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Would you like me to show you exactly what I learned while honing my mad skills?”

  She giggled, tipping the side of her head against his. “I thought you were already doing that.”

  He chuckled, pressing closer. “No. I mean now. Right now. During dinner with your parents.”

  Sobering, Karma pulled back, eyes wide, mouth gaping. “You wouldn’t.”

  He laughed. “Probably not, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking about it.” Even though he was smiling, heat flared from his gaze. He looked like the devil who sat on one shoulder, all wicked smiles and suggestive glances, while an angel preached from the other. She could almost hear his voice inside her head. You know you want to. You know it will feel good. So naughty but so nice. Come on, live a little.

  “You really want to do that to me, don’t you?” She bit her lip, her breath shallow as her gaze remained fixed on his. “Right here. In front of my parents? My dad? You must have a death wish.”

  He closed the distance between them again, gently cupping her face as he lightly kissed her ear then whispered, “What I really want to do is take you back out to the car and fuck you in the parking lot, where anyone could walk by and see us.”

  She swallowed heavily then let out a little breath. “Oh.”

  “I t
old you I like the thrill of getting caught in the act.”

  “Uh . . . yes, I know. Um . . .” Honestly, what he suggested sounded very exciting. She got wet just thinking about it.

  “Do you think you’re ever going to want to do something like that with me? Not just fantasize about it, but do it? For real?”

  She pulled back and searched his dark, hungry gaze. Yes, she wanted to do that. She wanted to know what it felt like to be caught. Or to at least risk being caught. How exciting! The thrill and adrenaline rush would probably be incredible, making for one intense orgasm.

  “I . . .” She smiled. “I think . . .”

  “Are we interrupting?”

  Karma jerked away from Mark with such force she nearly tumbled out of her chair.

  “Mom! Dad! Hi. Mark and I were just . . . we, uh . . .”

  Her dad shifted uncomfortably, frowning.

  Mark collected himself faster than she did and stood, running his hand down his blue and silver tie. “Mr. and Mrs. Mason, thank you for coming.” He didn’t dare use first names until invited to do so, especially with her parents. But he did hold out his hand to her father.

  Karma held her breath.

  After a brief hesitation, her dad stiffly shook Mark’s hand. That was a good sign, but it didn’t mean her dad had stamped his ticket on Mark’s train. This dinner could still go very badly. The tension between Mark and her dad hovered between them like a giant, bloated wedge.

  “Hi, Mom.” She stood and hugged her mom, keeping her engagement ring hidden so the cat didn’t leap out of the bag before she and Mark were ready to make the announcement.

  “Hi, sweetie. You look well.” Her mom’s sentiment was genuine, and Karma got the feeling her mom was the one who’d convinced her dad to be nice and behave himself.

  “So do you.” She sat back down, her mom on her right, Mark on her left, and her dad across from her.

  The four sat in awkward silence while the conversations of the other diners murmured around them.

  Her mom was the first to speak. “So, Mark, how are things at Solar?”

  “Very good, thank you. Not as enjoyable now that Karma no longer works there, but business is good.”

  Her mom and dad shot her confused glances.

  “You no longer work at Solar?” her mom said.

  She met Mark’s eye just as he appeared to realize she hadn’t yet told her parents about her new job.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I thought you’d told them.”

  “Not yet.” She forced a smile then looked back to her mom. “I left back in December.”

  “Why?” Her dad’s voice held an accusation he didn’t express, but he clearly thought she’d been booted because of Mark.

  Before he could say something he would regret, she said, “It was my choice, Dad.”

  “But I thought you liked it there.”

  “I did, but now that”—her gaze flew to Mark’s again—“Mark and I are together, I decided to leave. They offered to transfer me into another department, but those positions didn’t appeal to me.” She fiddled with her napkin. “So, my old college professor helped me get a job as a junior editor for Winstrom Press in Chicago.”

  “That’s terrific, honey,” her mom said. “You always wanted to work in publishing.”

  “Thanks, I did.”

  But her dad simply scowled. “And you didn’t take five minutes to tell us.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You haven’t exactly been receptive to talking to me lately, Dad.”

  He squared his shoulders and avoided meeting her mom’s accusing, I-told-you-so stare. “Well, you still could have told us sooner than this.”

  Ah, ever too proud to admit he was wrong.

  Irritation rustled beneath her skin. She couldn’t believe her dad was making this out to be her fault.

  Mark seemed to sense her growing distress and took her hand.

  “Karma has been so busy. I’m sure it just slipped her mind.” And there was her Mark. Her fiancé. Genial peacekeeper. Tempering her fire by taking some of the oxygen out of the room, but not so much that she disappeared completely. “I surprised her with a trip to the Caribbean over Christmas, and once we got back, she started her new job. And then there are the classes she’s taking, which are required for new editors, and, well . . .” From his expression, he was thinking about the house they were moving into in less than a week, as well as the ring on her finger. “It’s just been a really busy couple of months.”

  Her dad harrumphed. “My daughter doesn’t need you speaking for her.”

  Her blood instantly boiled. “He’s not speaking for me. I—”

  Mark squeezed her hand, cutting her off.

  She slouched against the back of her chair. This dinner was falling off course fast. How dare her dad make such accusations against Mark when he’d been dictating how she lived her life since as far back as she could remember. Maybe her dad hadn’t spoken for her, and maybe he hadn’t told her what to do, but he’d always made his expectations clear. And when she failed to deliver, he’d made his disappointment just as clear, too, which was as bad as, if not worse than, speaking on her behalf, because it affected her more deeply on a psychological level.

  Like with Brad. Her dad had wanted her to marry Brad. She hadn’t wanted to. By breaking off their engagement, she had suffered her dad’s silent treatment as retaliation. It was his way of trying to influence her to go back to Brad, even though he knew she wouldn’t.

  True, this was the first time he’d gone to such lengths to make his displeasure known, but she’d also never stood so steadfastly against him on such an important issue. Not even when she chose to leave the engineering program at Purdue to pursue journalism instead. Her dad had been furious over that, and he still hadn’t quite forgiven her for walking away from what he saw as a lucrative, successful career as an engineer to become a “lowly” writer, but this was her life, not her dad’s. And she planned on living it the way she wanted to from now on.

  “Forgive me,” Mark said. “I realize she can speak for herself, Mr. Mason, but . . .” He pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding tightly as if a path had just presented itself and he’d decided to take it. “Well, sir, I know you don’t like me, and I just want to prove to you that I have your daughter’s best interests at heart and love her more than anything. And maybe that makes me try too hard to maintain the peace between you two and show you I’m not a bad guy.” He paused, eyebrows tight. “I hate that I’m the reason why you and Karma haven’t spoken since Thanksgiving. I hate seeing her so upset and knowing I’m responsible for that.”

  She squeezed his hand, drawing his gaze to hers. Shaking her head, she said, “It’s not your fault.”

  “It’s no one person’s fault, but if I hadn’t fallen in love with you, you and your dad wouldn’t be at odds with one another, so I have to take responsibility for my part in this, whether I would change it or not.” He turned back to her dad. “And I wouldn’t. I will never stop loving your daughter. I can’t. She’s everything to me, and there’s no way I can see a future without her.”

  Her mom was practically holding her breath, as if she sensed what was coming. As for her dad, a combination of shame, acceptance, and prideful resistance fell over his expression.

  Mark lifted her left hand to the table. “Which is why I’ve asked her to marry me.” He removed his hand, revealing the ring.

  This was not how they’d planned to tell her parents about their engagement, but, in a way, it was perfect. Even better than their plan.

  Score one for spontaneity. Maybe there was hope for Mark yet.

  Her mom squealed and reached for Karma’s hand to get a closer look at the diamond.

  Her dad, on the other hand, recoiled and frowned. His upper lip curled in disgust. But at least he didn’t make a scene. Instead, he sat quietly, seething.

  “Dad?” she prompted. “Aren’t you going to congratulate us?”

  She deserved that mu
ch. He could at least give her that.

  He cleared his throat and said, “Congratulations.” But the word came out like a tight, dissatisfied grumble instead of a sincere expression of good will. And he didn’t offer to shake Mark’s hand, either, to welcome him to the family.

  Still, his response was a step in the right direction. It showed her dad was making strides, even if they were teeny-tiny baby strides only a microscope could record.

  “Thank you,” Mark said, maintaining a low key.

  “Goodness, Karma.” Her mom gushed over the ring. “This is beautiful. Just gorgeous.” She hugged her, obviously delighted even if her dad was still cool to the idea. “So, when’s the wedding?”

  “Well . . .” Karma glanced at Mark. What was she supposed to say? They still hadn’t set a date. Surely, now that they were through the hard part with the house and all that remained was moving in, they could choose a date.

  Mark’s face paled, and he hastily said, “Well, Solar’s coming in to spring, which is the busiest time of year, and I’ll be doing a lot of traveling and working a lot of late nights, and Karma is swamped with her classes and adjusting to her new job, so we’re waiting until things settle down to pick a date. That way, we can focus all our attention on the wedding.”

  Hold up.

  Wait a second.

  When had they decided this? The last time the subject of setting a date came up, he had told her they would pick one after they got settled into the house. That was less than two weeks away, so she’d been mentally preparing, looking at her calendar, even doing a little casual legwork to check out the availability of possible venues. And now he was telling her parents they were going to wait until after spring? Until after work calmed down and her classes eased up.

  She had news for him on that front. Her classes lasted a year. They wouldn’t ease up until next spring. And then Solar would be back into the busy season again. So, what? Was he saying they weren’t even going to pick a date until next year? Next summer, to be exact?

  She was starting to get a little peeved.