by Mia Ashlinn
“So,” Katie-Anne started. “How are you?”
Sarah colored deeply, her face turning red with embarrassment. “I’m good,” she muttered as she moved away, heading toward the far left corner of the store. She stopped by the wall of porn, and muttered, “Um, I met a guy.”
What the fuck?
“But I thought you had a thing for…” Katie-Anne trailed off. She didn’t want to out Sarah’s adoration for Shane’s foster brother, Deke, and his longtime partner, Adam Stanton. Sarah kept secrets for her, and she would be damned before she revealed hers.
Sarah’s eyes dropped to the floor, but not before Katie-Anne saw the pain in them. “That is a hopeless situation,” she said. “Deke hasn’t spoken to me once since December. Whenever he is in Serenity to see Shane, he makes sure to stay as far away from me as possible. Yesterday, he arrived back in town with Adam, and I accidentally bumped into him at Landon and Shane’s garage. Do you know what he did? He looked right through me and didn’t say a word.” She sighed. “Adam is his polar opposite. He is so sweet and kind, but I can tell he thinks of me as a child or a sister or something silly like that.”
“I doubt that,” Katie-Anne comforted, putting a loose arm around her friend. “I have seen the way Adam looks at you. Trust me. He doesn’t see you as a sister.”
Sarah blushed further, the color spreading to the roots of her caramel hair, but she still refused to meet Katie-Anne’s eyes. “Well, it seems like it. Lately, he practically lives in Serenity. He comes to town almost every week and shows up at my apartment to fix things that aren’t even really broken. Not to mention, he just happens to stroll by when I need help with the groceries? I swear he has stupid spies somewhere! Does he not understand that I have Landon living with me? He can help me, in any way that I need it.”
Katie-Anne nodded. “Yes, Landon can, but Adam wants to take care of you. That is obvious.”
It was more than obvious. Adam was completely transparent. The Dom was in love with Sarah. And what does a Dom in love do? He takes care of his sub. Their virgin Sarah just didn’t seem to get that. But she would. Katie-Anne knew that Adam would make sure of it when the time was right.
“And Deke,” Sarah exclaimed, “won’t acknowledge me, but he has been paying for my stuff! Even when he’s in Kinky, he manages to find out what I need and buys it for me—no matter how much it costs. I hope he doesn’t think I’m stupid enough to believe that money keeps falling out of the sky. Seriously! Do you know how many anonymous donations have paid for my bills? Or how many people have been giving away their used stuff because they got something new?”
Sarah growled. “Joe Johnson gave me his old”—she paused to air quote— “space heater. The stupid thing was still in the box! Joe couldn’t afford to give me something like that. He can barely afford to pay for his dinner. I mean, really, he works two stinking jobs to get by.”
Katie-Anne had never seen or heard Sarah be so open, so passionate about anything. Those two Doms were, obviously, driving her up the wall. She couldn’t help but agree with Sarah. They couldn’t possibly believe that they were pulling the wool over her eyes.
“Why does it bother you so much that they want to help you?”
Sarah sighed and, finally, glanced at Katie-Anne. “Because they won’t tell me they want to help me. They beat around the bush and pretend that it is all some big coincidence. It just makes me feel like they see me as some sort of idiot or, even worse, they think I won’t accept it.”
Sarah blushed an even deeper shade of red, appearing nearly purple in color. If she kept this up, her head would explode from the blood rushing to it. Reaching for a DVD case, Sarah added, “I like it when they watch over me. It makes me feel...special.”
“Aw, Sarah,” Katie-Anne whispered. “Tell them how you feel. Men tend to be stupid about matters of the heart.”
Sarah looked at her pointedly. “Sometimes women are, too. Like, say, you.”
“Touché,” Katie-Anne murmured, not the least bit angry with Sarah. They, often, bickered about Landon and Shane—even more so since the wedding. Sarah wanted the three of them together, and she made it well known. “Although, I—” She stopped herself before she said too much. Sarah would never let her hear the end of it.
“Ohhh, that sounds intriguing. Keep going, KA. I like to hear all about the dirty details of your life,” Sarah teased. “You do so many more interesting things than I do.”
The front door of the store opened, making the bell jingle all over again. Leila Schilling, The Bitch, as Katie-Anne called her, walked through the door. She didn’t seem to have spotted them. Thank God.
Katie-Anne couldn’t stand Leila. The annoyingly beautiful witch had been dating Shane for a while now. And Katie-Anne would love nothing more than to claw her eyes out for it. Leila made a point of rubbing their relationship into Katie-Anne’s face whenever she could.
“Uh-oh,” Sarah murmured. “Look what the cat dragged in.”
“I know,” Katie-Anne muttered as she eyed the petite beauty with gray eyes and dark, mahogany hair. “Let’s just be quiet, and hopefully, she won’t notice us.”
“Yes ma’am,” Sarah replied with a tiny salute.
Katie-Anne elbowed Sarah but couldn’t suppress a quiet giggle. “You’re so bad.”
“I try.”
“Why are we looking at the instructional videos, Sarah?”
“Well,” Sarah said hesitantly. “Gavin has a fascination with BDSM, and he says that I would make a perfect submissive for him. I want to learn more about it.” Another rush of color flooded her face which made Katie-Anne want to hug her. Sarah was an innocent, and everyone knew it. Her naiveté rolled off her in giant, crashing waves. Katie-Anne just hoped this Gavin didn’t abuse that.
“Sarah,” Katie-Anne whispered. “You are a natural submissive, but do you really want to let a guy you don’t know dominate you?”
“Like you and Rafaello Speranza?” Sarah asked innocently. “The two of you were just friends, but you spent time together at Deke and Adam’s club in Kinky, Kansas. I heard you liked for him to…well, you know.”
Katie-Anne felt like cursing. She had gone to The Edge with her business partner and personal friend, Rafe, but they had not done a damn thing. She’d been curious so he’d offered to take her on a tour in a purely platonic way, since Deke wouldn’t allow her in the good parts of the club.
Of course, one woman had recognized her instantly and spread the word like wildfire that Katie-Anne Blakemore had a Dom. And that was the edited version. The vindictive woman had gotten kicked out of the club and ran out of town, but the damage had already been done. Obviously.
“That is different,” Katie-Anne responded. “And, I am not sure which part you are talking about.” Although, she knew what had been said, so she had a distinct idea of what Landon’s foster sister was referring to. I’m not in the mood to confirm or deny shit, not even to Sarah.
“How is it different? And you know exactly what I’m talking about. They don’t call you Kinky Katie for nothing. From what I’ve heard, I would have believed they named the town after you when the first Dom and his sub moved in fifteen years ago, but you didn’t vacation there yet.”
Katie-Anne despised that nickname. It was bad enough that someone had dubbed her that, but the fact that she hadn’t earned it only made it grate her nerves more. Okay, maybe, I am going to deny shit. I don’t want Sarah, of all people, thinking that I had a Dom, especially if we had no emotional connection. She might get the wrong idea.
“Well, for starters, Rafe and I are close friends, and noth—” Katie-Anne started, ignoring Sarah’s reference to “Kinky Katie,” but stopped when she heard the door jangle again. Angie Moyer, Leila’s minion, entered the store, babbling into her neon pink cell phone. The 1980s Barbie-reject with copious makeup, boob-job breasts, and outrageous clothes strolled over to Leila, completely ignoring Katie-Anne and Sarah, and exclaimed, “Leila!”
The two women embraced then k
issed each other, brushing one kiss on each side of their cheeks. “Why did you come to this dump, Leila?”
“Because I am determined to get Shane into my bed, Angie, and this is the best place to get the things I plan to use,” Leila told her friend smugly. “If I had more time, I would drive to somewhere a little less trashy, but I must make do.”
“Is Shane still holding out?” Angie asked as she looked into the only wall mirror in the room. Caressing her ridiculously teased, bleach blonde hair, she admired her reflection. “So pretty,” she murmured then pursed her collagen lips. “So very sexy.”
“Mmmm,” Angie hummed. “How long has it been?”
Interesting. Katie-Anne turned to glance at the two women fully, no longer hiding her interest in the women’s conversation. Of course, the self-centered bitches hadn’t even noticed that they weren’t alone.
“Well, we haven’t technically slept together yet,” Leila responded as she picked up a pair of see-through, crotchless panties. “And I’m getting fucking tired of it. He hasn’t even called me in a month!”
They hadn’t slept together? Really? Of course, she really meant it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have admitted to anyone—not even her idiotic crony.
With a kiss to herself in the mirror, Angie joined Leila at the table filled with panties. She picked up a leopard-print G-string and looked at it disinterestedly. “I would be, too, but I thought you were fucking that rich guy.”
Leila grunted, dropping the panties back onto the table without re-folding them. “I am. Marvin has a lot of things going for him, but sex is not one of them.” She made a sound of disgust. “Okay, the only thing that old bastard has is money. I want a real orgasm. It is tiring to fake it all the time.”
Angie laughed. “I wouldn’t even fake it. The old fart cannot seriously believe someone as beautiful and smart and perfect as you would be interested in him.”
Katie-Anne wanted to snicker at Angie’s hero worship of Leila, but she didn’t.
“You would think he could tell that I was faking it,” Leila replied snottily. “Oh, Marvin. Oh, yes, yes, yes. You’re so good. Your cock is so big. Ugh yeah. Like that, baby.” She snorted. “Nasty old fucker.”
“So what’s your plan?” Katie-Anne called out across the store before she could bite her tongue. “It had better be a good one since he hasn’t already fucked your skanky ass and apparently won’t call you either. Personally, I think he is sending you a message.”
Both women whirled around, glaring daggers at Katie-Anne. Like twins, the two of them charged across the room toward her and Sarah. Katie-Anne frowned. Damn it. I so didn’t want to deal with this today. I need to learn how to keep my big mouth shut.
“But what could it be?” Sarah asked, obviously playing along, but still managing to sound sweet and nice.
Not even pretending to be polite, Katie-Anne glowered at the two women. “Oh, he is probably trying to tell her to fuck off. Or I guess I should say that he is telling her to fuck someone else,” she sneered.
“You smug bitch,” Leila snarled, her arm coming up and swinging toward Katie-Anne, but she caught it before it connected with her face.
“Ah-ah. We wouldn’t want you to break a nail,” Katie-Anne said. “You are going to need all the help you can get, if you want Shane between the sheets with you.”
Those words made Katie-Anne want to vomit. She didn’t want to think about the fact that this woman would possibly be fucking her husband in the future.
“I don’t need your advice on Shane,” Leila snapped. Standing straighter, the classically beautiful woman tossed her luminous hair over her shoulder. The mahogany waves fell back into place flawlessly, the mass flowing down her back. “It isn’t like you have been with him, anyway.” She sniffed.
“Wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Katie-Anne murmured. “But that is none of your business.” She moved around Leila and Angie, making her way over to the lotions and lubes. “I think it is about time you tell Shane about your extracurricular activities with your own personal and apparently perverted version of Daddy Warbucks.”
“Or what?” Leila queried as she came up behind Katie-Anne. “Are you going to tell him?”
Katie-Anne had to think about that for a moment. On one hand, he had the right to know, but on the other, she didn’t want to be petty. And she certainly didn’t want to hurt him. He didn’t deserve that. It wasn’t like Leila’s secrets would remain that way for long. The heinous woman’s true colors would shine through soon enough.
An idea formed in her mind, a perfect solution.
“No,” Katie-Anne replied. “You are.”
Angie half laughed and asked, “Why would she do that?”
“Because it is the right thing to do,” Sarah told Angie like it should be totally obvious.
Katie-Anne shook her head. “No. She is going to tell him because I refuse to be the one to do her dirty work, and I will not win by default. I want him to choose me. So, she will tell him and leave me out of it.”
“Hell no, I won’t tell him,” Leila countered indignantly. She shoved Katie-Anne’s shoulder, making her step back for just a second. “He will dump me, and I have plans for that man. Big ones.”
Katie-Anne clenched her fists at her side as she nearly went through the roof. And, for just a moment, she imagined what it would be like to have an all-out, free-for-all brawl with The Bitch in the middle of the store. Sighing, she knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, but it made for an entertaining thought.
“Oh, I think you will,” Katie-Anne replied.
Leila’s dainty lips lifted up in a maniacal grin. “Oh, no, I won’t tell him my dirty little secret without telling him all of yours.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Katie-Anne shot back, but dread still built in her stomach. She had a feeling that Leila knew all about her dirty laundry and would happily air it.
“Yes, you do,” Leila declared. “I think it is high time Shane and the rest of the goddamn town knows about your insipid double life.”
Katie-Anne’s head started to pound, and her palms sweated as she reached for the bottle of cherry-flavored lube with trembling hands. She hated cherry-flavored anything, but it was the closest one to her. “Go ahead, Leila. It isn’t like he or anyone else will believe you.”
Angie glanced from Katie-Anne to Leila and back again. She did it over and over so many times that it probably made her fat head dizzy. “Double life?”
“Yes. Katie-Anne has a lot of secrets that will destroy the perfect little bubble she lives in. Unfortunately for her, I know them all,” Leila gloated. She grabbed the bottle out of Katie-Anne’s hand and tossed it down. “If she tells, well, so do I.”
Katie-Anne moved closer to Leila, towering over her menacingly. “Go ahead. No one will believe what you say about me, except for Landon. He already knows bits and pieces of my secrets so fill in the blanks for him. It won’t change a thing between him and me. Speaking of Landon, why don’t you tell him about your relationship with the nasty old fucker, as you called him? He would take care of telling everyone for you, and they would all believe him.”
“Landon isn’t going to do a thing,” Leila spat. “That piece-of-shit grease monkey is stupid like you. He wouldn’t want to be the one to hurt Shane.”
“First of all, if you so choose to call my man that again, I will knock you flat on your ass,” Katie-Anne threatened. She reached around Leila and picked up another bottle, but this time she chose a lotion. Popping the lid open, she inhaled the flowery scent as she tried to calm herself before her fantasy became a reality and she punched The Bitch.
“Secondly, Landon would not keep his mouth shut for you. He would be the first person to tell Shane. Trust me, Shane will believe anything that Landon says. Anything,” Katie-Anne emphasized. She closed the lid to the bottle and placed it back onto the table carefully.
“If I were you,” Katie-Anne said. “I would forget all about Shane and your big plans
. We both know he won’t touch you once he knows the truth. Knowing him, he will warn every man in town about what a home-wrecking slut you are, and you will never get a date with a real man again. It is in your best interest to just leave him alone and move on.”
Katie-Anne sighed. “I am going to be the bigger person here. I will forget this conversation, and you will forget what you know. I think you are getting the better deal since my secrets are tiny blips compared to yours, and people will forgive me. Somehow I don’t think they will feel the same way about you.”
Leila paled, her porcelain skin looking pasty white, and she cowered as her bravado faded a bit. She, apparently, knew that Katie-Anne had her. “Fine,” she snapped. “You win—for now—but, if I were you, I would watch my back.”
On that note, Leila spun around and marched toward the front door with Angie nipping at her heels. Neither of them seemed to remember that they had lingerie flung across their arms. But that didn’t last long. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the alarms went off.
“Son of a bitch,” Leila cursed.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Angie muttered. “I cannot go back to jail.”
Katie-Anne wanted to laugh, and she would have but Ella charged into the front with Shannon and Jaycee close behind her. Ella went straight for the phone and dialed a number. “What in the blue blazes gave you two the impression you could steal from my shop?” She turned her back on everyone in the store and started rambling into the phone. “Yes, Belle, I have a little situation over at the store. Can you send someone over? It seems that Leila and Angie were shoplifting.”
“I was not,” Leila contradicted shrilly. “I forgot all about the trash on my arm.” She threw all the merchandise on the floor. “There. I wouldn’t want it anyway.”
Ella didn’t even look at her. She continued to speak into the phone to Serenity’s sheriff. “I want to press charges. She was harassing one of the customers who is too nice to report her, and she attempted to steal from me. Well, I’m not such a nice girl, and I am not the bigger person. I want someone to come get her, please.”
