Her words registered. “Wait, did you say you’re glad Cade decided to go? Did you tell him I’d be there?”
“I did,” she said without apology. “I worry about you in those situations alone.”
I rolled my eyes. “I was fine, Syd. And I would have been just fine if Cade hadn’t shown up. I’ve been in scary positions before, and now I know how to avoid them.”
“There’s always a risk, Brynn. I worry about you and when I told Cade you’d be at the party alone, he was worried too. You can be mad if you want, but it just shows you have people who care about you.”
I glared at her, trying to stay annoyed even though I knew she was looking out for me. “I wasn’t happy about it.”
She shrugged. “Sorry, not sorry.” She finished cleaning the coffee off the floor and got as much out of her clothes as she could. “So how did that lead to a kiss?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Fighting’s good foreplay.”
Her brows went up. “How was the kiss?”
I sighed, remembering his lips and the ache that had pulsed in my chest for the rest of the night after I’d gone home alone. “Even more memorable than I thought it would be.”
“That’s basically the same answer you gave for how you felt about Master Z.”
I winced. “I know. It’s a problem.”
She eyed me closely, her face changing from confusion, to realization, to shock. “Oh my hell! Do you like them both?”
I took another cookie.
“You do!” she said, pointing at me. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!”
“Yes,” I agreed with an abundance of reticence. “It appears I’ve caught feelings.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not a disease.”
“Speak for yourself.”
She took a breath deep from her chest, sat up straight, and put her palms on her thighs before looking straight at me. “I’m going to give you the same speech you gave me not too long ago about not wanting to end up alone. You want a relationship, B. You’re just afraid, and up until now, you haven’t found the right guy.”
“I’m not sure I have now, either,” I said, waving a cookie. But as I thought about her words, I realized she was right. I was afraid, and I hated letting fear rule my life. But look at what had already happened? I’d consumed almost all of Syd’s container of sugar cookies. If I kept up this relationship shit, it wouldn’t be long before I was bathing in a tub of uncooked brownie batter.
“Do you know much about Cade’s past?” I asked, curious whether he’d shared the information with Syd.
She pressed her lips together like she was trying to keep the words from coming out. “I know some.”
She stopped talking, like she didn’t plan to continue. I was not on board with that. “And…” I prompted, looking at her and really seeing her for the first time since she arrived. I noticed her face looked like she was trying a new shade of makeup called road rash. She must not have listened to my advice about how to take the lipstick off.
“And that’s not my story to tell.”
My mouth dropped. Syd was my best friend, my person—yet she was keeping the secrets of a random guy she’d known for a year over telling me, her bestie. “What the hell?”
She shook her head. “You value loyalty above all else, B. Don’t ask me to break the trust I have with another friend because you’re curious.”
Dammit. She was using my own arguments against me. Damn lawyers again! I was surrounded by them and their excellent arguments.
“He said he’d tell me eventually,” I pointed out.
“Then ask him.”
I could tell I wasn’t going to get any other information out of her, so I turned my attention to the mess on her face instead.
“Judging by your face, you had a fantastic night. Did Jax like your lips?”
She blushed. “Yes. Until I couldn’t get it off.”
“What’s happening with that?” I gestured in a circle like I was trying to outline her lips, which would have been impossible because everything around them was red, as if she’d tried to scrape the stuff off with sandpaper. “It looks like a situation.”
“You happened!” she said, frustrated.
I recognized the look. I’d had a similar problem the first time I’d tried to get the lipstick off, but I’d had the sense to use some coconut and lemon oil, which was much less harsh than whatever removal method Syd had attempted.
“It won’t come off,” Syd said. “Seriously. Did you test this stuff before you recommended it?”
“Of course I did! That’s why I recommended it. And I wear it often!”
She ran her fingers lightly over her lips like they were tender. I had no doubt. She didn’t look like she’d been kind. “Nothing makes it move. Not makeup remover, scrubbing, or prayers to multiple deities.”
“That’s kind of the point. It stays on through everything. Sexy times included.”
“Right, but I’d like to go to bed and not wake up looking like I bit Jax in his sleep and accidentally got an artery. What’s it made of? Turpentine?”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care what it’s made of as long as it stays on.” I got up, went to the bathroom and put some lemon and coconut oil on a makeup remover pad, then brought it back to her with a hand mirror. She rubbed it on her face, taking the lipstick right off.
“Works like a charm,” I said.
“I can’t believe it came off. You have no idea what I went through.”
“I told you how to get it off before you left. You were just preoccupied.”
She lifted a shoulder in concession. “I was about to spend all night having sex with Jax. Can you blame me?”
“Nope, I really can’t. But next time you have a problem, text or something. I could have helped.”
She leaned back against the couch cushion letting her shoulders, neck and head rest on the pillow behind her. She moved her neck so she could see me. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen the speculation about Mistress A and Master Z yet today?”
I furrowed my brow. “Nope. I saw the message from Master Z this morning and didn’t check anything else before going straight to the cookies.”
She glanced down at the cookie container that pretty much only held crumbs. Another friend would have been judgy. Syd was not that friend. “Everyone is trying to guess who they both are. Pics have been posted of people at parties all over Winchester last night. People are tagging anyone they think might have been Mistress A and Master Z.
“Great.” That was all I needed.
“You were in some of the photos.”
I blew out a long breath. “Even better.”
“I mean, you had that wig and mask on, so I don’t think anyone knew it was you,”
“—Master Z did. Cade apparently did too. I might as well have been wearing a damn name tag.”
Syd shook her head. “The people on social media were just speculating that the hot blond in red seemed like a good Mistress A candidate.”
“I shouldn’t have mentioned anything about where I was going, or what I was doing. I’ll have to stay quiet about events in the future.”
“You’re rarely quiet.”
“It will be a learning experience.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, the voices on HGTV narrating my thoughts as I considered Cade, Master Z, the speculation about Mistress A, and all of my other predicaments. I’d gotten myself into some doozies, but this was far more than I’d bargained for.
“They just put wallpaper in their kitchen and you didn’t say a word,” Syd said. “You hate wallpaper almost as much as small dicks. I’m worried, B. I’m really worried. Tell me you’re okay.”
I shook myself out of my thoughts and stood. “I’ll be fine,” I said, walking up the stairs. “I just need to figure things out.”
Syd’s eyes were full of concern. “You know I’m here for you.”
I nodded, appreciating the support. This was something I needed to figure out
on my own. I had things to do, and sitting around in my jammies, eating cookies wasn’t helping me to do them. I could wallow in self-pity and indecisiveness, or get something done. I decided to get shit done. I got to my bedroom, pulled out my phone, and messaged Master Z.
If I’d known it was you, I might have stayed.
Tips and Tits: The Word from Mistress A
Shock and Awe
The first time I saw Eyes Wide Shut, I watched it with a combination of shock and scandal. It felt like something I shouldn’t be seeing, but at the same time, I didn’t want to turn away. In the world of sex, few things are more hush, hush, than sex parties. Even in today’s hyper-connected society, it’s difficult to find them, and even more difficult to secure an invitation. But if you do, a world of knowledge will—sometimes quite literally—be at your feet. Every party is different. Some have a theme: ie. leather, costume, BDSM, orgy. Others have a large area for socializing and various rooms with different sex acts taking place. It’s like watching porn, except the people in the rooms are right in front of you. It’s the height of exhibitionism—if that’s what gets you off—and can pique all of your senses. It’s basically a sexy shock and awe for your naughty bits. I’m a firm believer in being open to all possibilities and trying anything once. If you ever get the chance to attend an event, I’d say give it a chance. Just know that most parties are a judgment free zone, with people who are completely comfortable in their own skin. If you don’t fit that profile, sex parties definitely aren’t for you.
I blew out a long breath as my shoulders sank into the back of my chair in the library. I’d started trying to divide my schedule between school and Mistress A. Mistress A was taking a lot more of my time than classes and homework. I’d decided to only reply to comments and messages at night, and go to classes and work on papers and research during the day.
I’d finished my homework and closed my eyes, trying to be in the moment for a minute, and in that time, heard my stomach rumble. The meditation would have to wait. I grabbed my bag and walked over to the commons area. It was only three o’clock, and a couple of the food trucks that usually loitered around campus at lunch would still be there. As I was walking, I felt hands go around my waist and almost jumped sky-high. I pushed away as I turned, trying to get a look at the person invading my space. I shook my head when I saw him. “Collin. I should have known.”
“I didn’t grab your ass this time.”
“Thanks for the consideration.”
He grinned, and it was hard not to grin back. Collin was charming that way.
“Where are you off to?” he asked.
“Getting some lunch from one of the food trucks.”
“Good idea. Can I join you?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Sure.”
We both got our food. Collin ordered a sandwich, and I grabbed a chicken wrap. We took it inside the student center and found a table in the corner overlooking the campus outside. The snow covered everything in a blanket of white, most of which had been trampled by students. It was still beautiful, though.
I took a drink of lemon water from the container I always carried with me. Lemon water was cleansing, and tasted better than regular water, so I always had some on hand. Collin unzipped his coat, and I stopped with my wrap halfway to my mouth, my jaw hanging open as I stared at his shirt. “Does your shirt really say ‘I enjoy vagina’?” I was stunned speechless.
His lips formed a mischievous grin. “Hilarious, right? I got it as a joke, but I’ve been wearing it everywhere.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know if people will think it’s funny, or be offended.”
He shrugged as he took a bite. “Probably both.”
“You really don’t care about what people think.” I said it as a statement, not a question.
“Neither do you. It’s one of the reasons we get along.”
I gave him a dubious look. “I think I care a little more than you. I don’t think I’d ever wear a shirt that said ‘I enjoy penis’.”
“But you do enjoy it,” he said, pointing his sandwich at me. “And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I don’t need to announce it to everyone.”
He looked at me for a minute, like he wanted to say something, and then stopped. That was weird.
“What did you do for Valentine’s Day?” I asked him.
He finished his bite before answering, “Went to a party.” He took a sip of his drink. “How was Sin and Sass?”
I stared at him, wondering how he’d known I was there. “How did you know that’s where I was?”
He shrugged. “That’s where you always go for Valentine’s Day.”
True…but still. I hadn’t questioned the guy I’d been dancing with at the party enough and he turned out to Master Z. Now I was extra suspicious of everyone. “It was good. I didn’t stay too long.”
“Why not?”
Because I’d been overwhelmed at the sex room experience with one guy I was having feelings for, and then been physically removed from the location by another. “I just wasn’t feeling it.”
He was about to take another bite of his food, but stopped and held his sandwich in front of him, considering me. “That’s not like you. No hot guys at the party?”
“Too many,” I said. “That was the problem.”
He balled up his wrapper, leaned in closer, and held my eyes, his gaze intense. “Maybe you need to pick one.”
I held back a gasp. Pick one? Did he mean I should pick between the two guys I was currently lusting after? Or that I should pick a guy in general? I felt a knot form in my stomach, and sensed an undercurrent of mystery in his tone. Like there was something I should be figuring out, but wasn’t. I tried to shake it off. “Maybe we both do.”
He nodded. “I’m thinking about it.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about Collin and our lunch. Could he really be Master Z? He was the same height and build as the guy as Sin and Sass. His hair color was lighter, but Collin easily could have colored it for the party. Surely, I would have recognized his voice? But everywhere we’d been that night, it was either loud, or we were whispering. Beyond that, voices were easy to disguise. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no freaking idea, and my mind was all over the place. I decided that I needed to get away and get out of my head. I went to the gym, doing a combination of cardio and light weights, and lost myself in the workout. I didn’t love working out—for some people, it was practically a religion—but it helped to clear my head and after all the sugar cookies I’d destroyed, I definitely needed it. I spent a couple of hours there before showering and heading home. I stopped at my post office box on the way, and grabbed some letters and a package, then took them all into the house.
I often got things from companies wanting me to review their products. Usually things like role playing costumes, sex manuals, and erotica books. I’d use those for sure. But of all the packages that had started coming since I’d become Mistress A, the ones I liked the most were the toy boxes. They were usually things that were newer to market, and stuff I hadn’t tried before. I certainly wasn’t going to turn down a hundred-dollar vibrator when they sent it for free, and I was happy to test it out, and offer a review.
I ripped the name tag off the top of the box and shredded it—it was habit, and the first thing I did when I got a package addressed to Mistress A’s company. Forgetting to do that could lead someone directly to me. The post office workers saw it, but the post office box was in my company’s name—which was different than Mistress A’s name. Neither the company, nor Mistress A was tied to my own legal name. If anyone ever put all of the information together, I’d just say I’d been contracted to pick up the packages from that box. Plausible deniability was the key to managing a secret identity. I opened the box, hoping it had some naughty battery-power inside. I squealed when I saw the various items. It did! A few vibrators, dildos with suction cups, and some leather restraints…
I heard a knock
on the front door and stopped sifting through the box to answer it. Jax was on the other side. “Hey, B.”
I smiled and put a hand against the door jam. “Hi, Blue Eyes.”
“Syd asked me to meet her. She was studying, but should be here soon.”
I nodded, opening the door wider and stepping out of the way.
Jax walked in and sat on the couch, noticing the box of sex toys sitting on our coffee table. “Uh…looks like you’re a little busy,” he said, motioning to the box. “I can wait outside and give you some privacy if you want?”
I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t using them.” Yet. “Plus it’s like, ten degrees out there. That’s not very friendly.”
“Well, this,” he said, motioning to the array of climax helpers, “might be a little too friendly.” Jax looked over the collection and picked up one that promised an orgasmic rotation.
I shrugged. “Research.”
His brow lifted. “Uh huh.”
“This one looks promising,” he said, picking up one that had multi-speed and thrusting capabilities.
I looked it over. “You should take it…see what Syd thinks.”
He grinned at that. “You think I won’t take you up on that offer, but I will.”
“No, I knew you would take me up on it, which was why I suggested it. You’re a good man, Blue Eyes.”
He smiled and put it back on the coffee table. If he didn’t take it with him, I’d leave it in Syd’s room and tell her it was a gift from Jax. She’d turn red, and then take it anyway. I giggled at the thought.
I heard voices on the porch right before Syd walked in, Cade trailing behind her. My stomach immediately started doing somersaults. I hadn’t seen him since the Sin and Sass party. Her smile grew when she saw Jax, and she came over, pressing her lips to his in a long kiss before noticing me. “Hey,” she said, then she glanced at the toys on the table. “Niiiice.” She picked up one that looked like it could find a G-spot better than ninety percent of men. “Did you raid the sex toy store?” She raised one brow. “Because I think you’d make an excellent naughty toy bandit. In fact, I think that should be your new nickname, sex toy bandit…STB.”
Chasing Brynn (A Tempting Novel Book 2) Page 18
