Waiting on April

by Bella Settarra

  “I’d forgotten about work! I need to be there by half after six, what time is it?”

  “Time you were getting ready,” he chuckled.

  April leaped up and went to take a quick shower and get changed. She was glad Master Steve had a car. She would never make it on time if she had to wait for the bus.

  “All done?” He was his usual calm self as he took his keys from his pocket.

  “Only just.”

  They climbed into his SUV and he gunned the engine.

  “What are you doing afterward?” he asked as they drove toward the club.

  “Straight to bed, I think,” she said with a yawn. “I’m exhausted already and I haven’t even started my shift yet.”

  “I need to have a word with the boss later so I’ll pick you up.”

  She smiled. He was so caring. “There’s really no need, I can get the bus home,” she assured him.

  “I want to,” he told her with a smile.

  She felt a warm glow in her stomach and reached over and placed her hand on his knee. It was nice to be this close to him.

  “Only if you’re sure? I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

  “You’ll never be that,” he promised her, placing a hand over hers.

  * * *

  April was sad to say good-bye to Master Steve when they arrived at the restaurant. He’d hung around while she explained to Master Dominic about her black eye and they had decided that she should wear her tinted shades. They weren’t quite as obvious as her dark sunglasses, but disguised the bruise somewhat. She had hoped Master Steve might stick around for a drink or something, but he seemed to have something on his mind. He’d had another message from Dave Preece, so she guessed they must be working on a case.

  “We’ve got a busy night tonight,” Master Dominic told them all at curtain call. “I want you all at your usual stations, but be prepared to help out if one of you gets snowed under. It’s all about teamwork.

  “Summer, you’ve got some VIP’s coming in at eight, so you’ll need to get their meals done on the fly. I’ve already warned the chef. April, you’ve got a party of nine at eight-fifteen, so you’ll need to join tables ten and eleven and lay up accordingly.”

  April nodded. At least she would be kept occupied tonight. They went through the menu and everyone dispersed to their sections. April’s mind wandered as she set about organizing her tables. She was surprised at how much she was missing Master Steve. She had never spent a whole day with him and she smirked when she remembered their lovemaking. It was a shame it had all gone sour afterward though. It was hard to believe that she had actually imagined being pregnant with his baby.

  She was shocked at how excited she had felt at the prospect. She was twenty-five, but hadn’t really considered settling down yet. It would be so easy with Master Steve though.

  The glow inside her ignited when she realized how deep her feelings were for him. When he had told her that she was his she had really believed it—or wanted to believe it. In that moment she had relished the thought of belonging to him. Could she really be falling in love with the guy?

  “Penny for them?” Heaven was laying up a nearby table and smiled over at her.

  “Oh, nothing.” April hadn’t realized her friend had been watching her.

  “It didn’t look like nothing. You had a broad smile on your face, honey. Had a good day today?” Heaven gave her a cheeky wink and April felt herself flush a little.

  “Yes, actually,” she replied with a giggle.

  “Good for you. Master Steve’s lovely isn’t he?”

  April smiled, remembering how Heaven had been there for her last night. The redhead was a little older than her and really sensible. She must have explained to the staff already about her eye, as no one mentioned it, although she had received a hug from Summer and Tuesday already.

  “Yes he is.” She nodded, wondering just how much the other girl knew about her relationship with Master Steve. Heaven was a shrewd woman. She probably guessed a while ago that they were getting close.

  A thought struck April as she poured out the sauces for her guests. When Master Steve was trying to placate her about the condom issue he had said that he hadn’t been with anyone but her in nearly a year. She had split from Greg Preston about six months ago, and it was about a month after that she started having sex with Master Steve in the dungeon. She hadn’t wanted anyone but him either. Could Master Steve really have had feelings for her all this time?

  She felt like she was walking on a cushion of air for the rest of the evening as the thought lingered in her mind. She hadn’t thought she would ever trust anyone again after Greg was unfaithful, but somehow it was different with Master Steve. She had assumed he was having sex with other girls in the dungeon when she wasn’t there, but she had never seen him with anyone else.

  They had only been playing in the club anyway. Everyone was allowed to have sex with whomever they wanted while they were playing, provided it was consensual of course. Today however, they hadn’t been playing. They were making love—he’d said so himself!

  She smiled to herself as she served her guests, despite the odd looks she received off some of them. She couldn’t be sure whether it was her smile or the glasses that made them look at her strangely, but it didn’t matter. As far as anyone was concerned, she had tripped over a coffee table and bumped her face. There was nothing for her to be miserable about.

  As the night drew on, April found herself watching the doorway more and more. She was hoping to see Master Steve appear at any moment, coming for a drink in the small bar while he waited for her to finish her shift. She was quite despondent when she served her last cup of coffee and he still hadn’t appeared. Her tables were all laid up for tomorrow’s lunches and her dumbwaiter was spotless. She had even had time to help Summer with her orders, enabling the young waitress to concentrate on her VIPs.

  “OK everyone.” They all gathered around Master Dominic as soon as the last guests left the room. “Well done, another superb service. Despite the kitchen being in the weeds a couple of times tonight, I was really proud of you all. You were all efficient and professional, exactly what I expect. It was good to see you all working as a team too.”

  His smile gave April a small thrill. Apart from the fact that Dominic Ray was drop-dead gorgeous, and had a wonderful English accent, he was a Dom, and any sub loved to make a Dom proud.

  “We should have a quiet lunch tomorrow, so April, if you want to drop a shift you can come in for the evening only, if you like?” He went on.

  April smiled. She wondered if he was a little embarrassed about her wearing the shades in the restaurant, but then she reasoned that if that were the case he wouldn’t have still wanted her to do the evening shift or, indeed, to have worked tonight. No, knowing Master Dominic, he would be thinking that she might need the rest more than the other girls because, as far as he knew, she’d had a bad fall yesterday. He was a kind man, and very considerate.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  As soon as they were dismissed, the girls headed for the door.

  “April, could I have a minute please?” Master Dominic called her back.

  She felt a little concerned as she left the crowd and went back to where he stood by a table.

  “Are you all right?” he asked kindly.

  “Yes, of course.” She smiled.

  “Good. I’ll see about squeezing you in for another shift later in the month so you won’t lose out financially,” he told her quietly.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded. “Also, there was a message for you. Master Steve has been delayed at the station. He apologizes, but he won’t be able to drive you home tonight after all.”

  She felt a thud in her stomach.

  “I can drive you if you like? I’ll just finish here and I’ll be with you in…”

  “No, it’s fine, honestly.” She shook her head. “I was happy to take the bus anyway. He just thought he might get away in time, that�
��s all. It’s no big deal.” She forced a smile and he frowned back at her.

  “Are you sure? It really is no trouble.”

  “Positive. In fact, I might go down for a drink at the Bottom Bar before I leave. I’ll see how I feel. Thanks anyway, that’s real kind of you, Master Dominic.” She had already taken a step away from him, adamant that she didn’t want him to take her home. If she couldn’t have Master Steve then she didn’t want anyone.

  “All right then. But if you change your mind, just let me know.” Master Dominic conceded, but she could see that he wasn’t all that happy. Being a Dom, he wanted to look out for her, she knew that, but she really didn’t want to try to make conversation with him tonight.

  She nodded and hurried off to the changing room, praying she would get there before the tears began to trickle down her face.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Detective Ratner seethed as he downed his umpteenth coffee of the evening.

  “It doesn’t make sense.” He shook his head.

  “Face it. He’s got a watertight alibi, bro. We had to let him go.” Detective Dave Preece ran a hand through his black wavy hair. “You heard what the old lady said; she called as soon as she got back into her house.”

  Steve grunted. “Only ’cause she was too terrified to do anything else. Those bastards scared the poor woman half to death!”

  Dave sighed. “She was complaining about the noise, they were drunk. What would you expect? They’re not exactly the best neighbors to have even when they’re not tanked up, according to what she said. She called the cops, lodged the complaint about the noise, expressed her concerns for her safety and that was it.”

  “And she’s adamant it was Preston she spoke to at the door! That’s what doesn’t make sense. He can’t have been there five minutes before she called the station and then got over to April’s place in time. I swear the old lady’s got to be confused.” He shook his head, downing the last of his drink.

  “She seems to have her head screwed on the right way to me,” Dave assured him. “Either Preston’s got an identical twin or he wasn’t at April’s last night.”

  “Don’t think I hadn’t thought of that. He’s definitely an only child,” Steve growled irritably.

  “Well, his buddies have all vouched for him being at the party, as we expected, but without the dang CCTV working we can’t prove it. Is that little girl of yours positive it was Preston? Maybe he hit her from behind or something?” Dave leaned on his elbows over the table of the little café.

  Steve looked away nervously.

  It was late and they were both tired. It had been a frustrating night. Preston’s time was up and the only evidence they had managed to dig up was in his favor, not theirs.

  He felt a thump in his gut. “It had to have been him.”

  Dave frowned. “Maybe we should have another word with April? See if there’s anything she can remember that might give us a clue. He just can’t have been in two places at the same time, buddy, much as I’d like to believe it.”

  Steve thumped the table. Could he have got it wrong? He scratched his head through his short, dark hair.

  “He wanted her back, but she didn’t want him.” He said his thoughts aloud.

  “And she definitely said it was Preston who came to her house and hit her?” Dave studied his friend, making Steve feel very uncomfortable.

  “Not exactly.” He huffed.

  “Dammit, Ratner. Just what in hell did she say?” Dave hollered, making some of the other customers look their way.

  “She told me she fell into a coffee table, but she didn’t. She couldn’t have. The table was too heavy for her to have just knocked over and, besides, there was another side table which had obviously been thrown toward her.” He knew he sounded like a sulky child, but he didn’t care.

  Dave thumped the table, attracting even more attention from the diners.

  “For fuck’s sake, Ratner. Did Preston hit her or not?”

  Steve felt sick. He was certain Preston had hit her, but even she hadn’t admitted it. How in hell was he supposed to explain this one?

  He sighed. “She didn’t actually say he did.”

  “So we arrested this guy on a hunch? Is that what you’re saying?” Dave sounded incredulous.

  “Sort of. It was obvious she’d been hit. I asked her about Preston and she said he’d wanted her back, but she said no. It had to be him.” Steve’s teeth were as clenched as his fists.

  Dave scrubbed his hands over his face. Steve could see that his friend was as fed up as he was—probably more so now that he’d confessed that he was acting on instinct instead of fact.

  “I’m sorry, buddy. How ’bout we call it a night and have a sleep on it? I’ll speak to April in the morning and see what else I can find out. We know the fucker’s out of town tonight so he won’t be troubling her again. She’ll be safe for now.”

  Steve felt like shit, and guessed he probably looked like it too. It was nearly two in the morning and they had been trying to figure out this mess all night. He knew April would be safely at home by now; Dominic would have passed on his message and hopefully driven her back.

  Dave nodded. “OK. Call me if you find out anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  They got up and Steve noticed that the waitress looked relieved as they threw some money on the table for her and left. They didn’t speak as they got into their cars and drove off. Steve knew Dave was pissed at him, but things would look better in the morning.

  He hoped.

  * * *

  April was awakened by someone thumping the hell out of her front door. Pulling on a robe, she rushed to see what was going on. Her heart raced. The clock in the hallway told her it was only seven-thirty. Surely Master Steve wouldn’t come ’round this early? He knew she’d have been working until after midnight, and was supposed to have been working late himself.

  Remembering the last time she answered the door in a hurry, she made sure the chain was on before she opened it a crack.

  “April? Open the door.”

  “Greg? What the hell are you going here? Do you know what time it is?”

  She couldn’t see him properly through the tiny gap, but she’d know that voice anywhere. He sounded pissed. Great.

  “I need to speak to you.” Now he sounded adamant. Pissed and adamant. Even better!

  “What about? Look, we spoke the other day. Can’t this wait? I’m not even dressed.” She didn’t even try to hide the annoyance in her voice. It was far too early for this shit.

  “No. It’s real important. Something’s going on here and I need to know what the hell it is. I ain’t leaving without an answer.”

  She sighed. What the fuck was his problem now?

  She really wasn’t in the mood for his dramatics, but he sounded like he was about to camp out on her front porch until she dealt with it. Enough was enough.

  “OK, but just for a minute. I need to get back to sleep, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know. It won’t take long.”

  Chewing her lip, she slowly released the chain from the door and stood back to let him in. “OK, what is it?”

  She watched his eyes widen as he stared at her face. She’d forgotten about the bruises, and realized that without any make-up they would probably look worse than ever. She closed the front door behind him.

  “What the hell happened?” He looked genuinely concerned, shocked even, as well as furious.

  She frowned. “You mean you don’t know?”

  “All I know is that I’m getting the goddamn blame for this. You don’t honestly think that I…?”

  “I don’t know, Greg.” She studied him hard as they stood in her hallway. She hadn’t been sure whether he knew about that Trammell guy, but it certainly wasn’t his style to have her threatened. Greg was perfectly capable of doing that himself.

  “You tell me who did this to you!” He suddenly grabbed her arms, his eyes flashing fiercely at her. “Was it him? Was it that damn cop fello
w you’ve been hanging about with?”

  “No!” she shrieked. She certainly hadn’t expected this reaction from him and was stunned to find that he knew she had been spending time with Master Steve. “Of course it wasn’t. It has nothing to do with him!”

  “So who was it? Who did this?”

  For a second she actually thought he cared about her. He seemed so fired up about the whole thing it was starting to scare her.

  “He said he was here because of you!” she blurted out, trying desperately to shake him off her.

  “Me? What about me? Why the hell does everyone think I had anything to do with it?” He looked startled as well as angry.

  She could certainly believe now that he didn’t know anything about it.

  “He said he was your girlfriend’s brother. Your pregnant girlfriend’s brother!” She yelled at him. Even if he hadn’t sent the guy, which she truly accepted, he was still responsible.

  Greg let her go as if she was burning his fingers. He stared at her in disbelief.

  She took a step back, folding her arms angrily.

  “Are you going to tell me that you haven’t got a girlfriend? Or that she isn’t carrying your baby?” She spoke slowly and precisely, watching the news sink into his head that she knew his dirty little secret only too well.

  He looked more annoyed than angry now.

  “It’s not how you think, sweetheart. Me and Mary-Lou haven’t been right for some time. We’re always fighting about something. I was going to split with her; I even told her how I felt, but then…”

  “Then she told you she was pregnant?” April guessed. “Well, now it looks like you’re going to have to face up to your damn responsibilities for once in your fucking life, doesn’t it?” Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she sneered at him. The guy always was a fool. It had just taken her until now to realize it.

  He sighed, looking down at her with big doe-eyes. She’d seen that look so many times before, but this was the first time it made her feel angry. Usually it would get her in the heart and she would melt, forgiving him anything and everything. Not now though. He was an idiot and would have to sort out his own mess for a change. There was nothing she could, or wanted to, do.