He went silently through the connecting door into the dining room. He may have been angry. Allie couldn’t tell. She knew that what she’d said to him was true. Maybe he would think about it, and maybe he wouldn’t. But she’d done what she could. She shrugged and went back to her cooking.
* * * *
Decker had packed and unpacked his bag three times before he heard the crew break. He looked out his window and saw Finn and Daphne walking across the yard, clinched together and smiling happily into each other’s faces.
He sighed and tried to make himself turn back to the half-full suitcase on the bed. You should be happy, he reminded himself firmly. That’s not a situation you want to be in. She’s better off. He’s better off. You’re better off.
But it wasn’t helping. He wasn’t naturally jealous, and he was legitimately happy for both of them that their relationship seemed to be coming together. But part of him ached at the sight. He wanted to be involved with them, but he knew it wouldn’t work. He was concerned that his presence would throw off Finn’s attempts to be dominant, but also because he kept seeing Sharon’s face. Rationally, he knew Allie was right. Sharon would want him to be happy. She wouldn’t want him to give up the lifestyle, give up the rest of his life, and fade away because hers had ended. He just felt so guilty whenever he considered having sex with someone else. It was like that would mean he’d accepted her death, that it was okay. That would be disloyal. His brief interlude with Daphne had kept him awake all night wrestling with his feelings of guilt. He had even tried jacking off like a maniac, but it hadn’t helped. He couldn’t get away from the fact that he just wasn’t ready for Sharon’s death to be okay.
Then there was the scene he was supposed to do on Saturday with Finn and Daphne. He couldn’t let them down by leaving, but it would be ten times harder the next week. There was no answer to this situation.
Finn and Daphne disappeared onto the back porch along with the rest of the crew. Decker still stood at the window, debating with himself over his decision. He didn’t think he could stay here and watch the beautiful and talented Daphne pining for a man who had no clue how to handle her. He’d tried to teach Finn that a Dom needed to be strong but loving, firm but playful. A Dominant had to be able to bring out the best in his submissive. Find things she didn’t even know were in her. Make her want to achieve things—initially to please him, maybe, but then because she had discovered she could and that she wanted to. Being submissive to a good Dom would make her—make both of them—more than either could ever be on their own. Finn had the potential to be that Dominant for Daphne, at least as far as her career was concerned. God knew she needed someone to take her in hand, to structure her days into worktime and playtime, and to fill her nights with the kind of passionate sexual experiences she’d never dreamed were possible. But he wasn’t completely confident that Finn could pull that part off.
Suddenly the barn door banged open, and Blaze strode out. He looked like he’d been auditioning for a part as a member of a ‘50s street gang in a cheesy musical. Stuffing something into his leather jacket, he pulled out a cigarette, or more likely a joint, and lit up. It looked as if he was talking to himself, pacing back and forth in front of the bright-red building. Then he looked up and apparently caught sight of Decker watching him through the window. His face contorted into a nasty leer. He took one last hit off whatever he was smoking, flicked it into the bushes at the corner, and presented his middle finger before striding off around the side of the house.
As he disappeared, there was a crash. Decker had been watching the bushes where Blaze’s cigarette had flown, but at the noise, he came to life and sprinted for the stairs. What the asshole had done, he wasn’t completely sure, but it was something, and Decker meant to find out what and make sure punishment was meted out.
Finn, Daphne, Allie, and Karl were standing on the back porch when Decker arrived on his way through. They were looking around, obviously having heard the noise.
“It was that ziptard Blaze,” Decker told them, pointing to the north side of the house.
They all started down the steps in that direction, and Allie sniffed. “Does anyone else smell something?”
In a moment they could see a wisp of smoke rising from the grass next to the barn. They raced over and began stomping on the sparks that were threatening to turn into an actual fire.
“What an asshole,” Decker said in disgust, checking his shoes for damage.
“I’m so sorry—” Finn began, but his phone rang. He flashed an apologetic smile and walked off, a hand covering his free ear to better concentrate on his call.
“Did we get it all?” Allie asked, peering around the ground. Karl, Daphne, and Decker helped her go over the area until they were sure there was no more danger.
“Yes, I think that’s it. But what was the noise?” Karl said, shielding his eyes to look back at the house. They began to walk in that direction, but Finn stopped them with a triumphant yell.
“Daph! Great news!”
The investigation of the mysterious noise was forgotten as four heads swiveled back to him. Finn was striding in their direction, waving his phone as if it had just spit out a winning lottery ticket.
“That was an LA station! They want to do a story about you! Tomorrow!” He grabbed Daphne and swung her around, planting a kiss on her lips.
Daphne let out a whoop of joy and threw her arms around his neck. Everyone else crowded around, congratulating and hugging them.
“We need to be at the station at six a.m. to get ready for the spot,” Finn said. They moved apart, still standing with their arms entwined, smiling happily into each other’s faces. “They need some archival footage of Daphne performing, as well as some current stills, sent over to them by e-mail.”
“In LA? Tomorrow morning at six?” Allie interrupted suddenly. “How are you going to manage that?”
Finn’s smile faded. He glanced at his watch. “I guess we’ll need to drive down tonight. I want Daphne to be able to sleep beforehand so she can look fresh.”
“That’s like a six-hour drive,” Karl said. “You won’t get there until midnight, even if you start right away.”
“Hmm. And we can’t start right away. I’ve got to get the information they want put together and e-mailed to them.” Finn rubbed his eyes. “I guess there’s nothing we can do about that.”
Decker tried to move his feet to go check on the damage Blaze might have done. But they were rooted to the spot. Instead he heard someone say, “There is something we can do.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and he realized the voice had been his. Finn froze in the act of starting for the house.
Then he heard himself saying, “I could borrow a small plane from a friend of mine and get us there in no time. Just let me make a phone call to get things in motion. I’ll need to file a flight plan and make some other arrangements before we get started. It should take about an hour.”
His mind was spinning at the enormity of what he’d just done—or what his mouth had done without his consent. What did I just get myself into? I haven’t flown in nearly a year. I hope I can do this. I really don’t want to let her down.
“A plane?” Daphne squeaked, clapping her hands. “I love flying!”
“Really?” Finn stared at him.
Decker nodded silently, looking at the two of them regarding him as if he was a parent who had just offered them a trip to Disneyland. He had planned to be a hundred miles away from her by this evening, and instead he was now committed to flying her to LA and spending close to twenty-four hours in her company. He would probably be next door to her in a hotel listening while she fucked Finn. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that. His dick twitched at the thought, accompanied by a visual of Daphne inviting him over for a threesome. But that wasn’t about to happen.
“Thanks, man! We really appreciate that. I’d better get my shit done, then,” Finn said, pausing to shake his hand briefly before rushing inside.
&nb
sp; Daphne stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Just let me know what I can do to repay you.” She batted her eyelashes at him as she lowered herself to her normal height, a coy smile on her lips.
“Shouldn’t you negotiate that with Finn first?” Decker told her, trying to give her a stern look.
She just laughed and said, “I’d better go pack.” But her fingers trailed down his arm as she turned toward the porch.
He and Allie exchanged a look as they followed the rest back into the house. “Are you sure about this?” Allie asked softly, pausing outside the door which closed behind Karl.
He shrugged again. “Why not? It should be okay, and I don’t have anything else going on.”
She twisted the dish towel she still held in her hands. “You were going to leave today, weren’t you?”
“Yes. But it can wait.”
They looked out over the vista at the setting sun. It was turning the sky and the ocean into a beautiful pink-and-purple mosaic, reminding Decker suddenly of how much Sharon loved the ocean and sunsets in particular. He sighed.
“Are you running away to keep from getting involved?”
He desperately wanted to turn away from the view and the memories it was bringing up. But he also didn’t want to meet Allie’s gaze, especially when she wanted to talk about his feelings for Daphne. He stared stubbornly to the west, willing her to stop asking questions and go back to whatever peculiar thing she was planning for dinner.
She was silent, probably giving him time to gather his thoughts. Decker knew what his thoughts were. He just didn’t particularly want to share them. It was confusing, and he had the feeling that things were coming up around Sharon’s death that he hadn’t dealt with yet. How could he enter a new relationship, especially with someone as high maintenance as Daphne obviously would be, when he still had issues to work through? Maybe if he just turned on his Dom personality, he could intimidate her.
“I don’t know,” he finally said when it became apparent that Allie wasn’t going to leave without an answer. “I don’t see how it could work with her—them.”
“Well, that’s your decision. But remember there are no coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason,” Allie said. He didn’t realize she had left until the screen door shut behind her.
It really couldn’t work. Daphne was beautiful and fun and sexy as hell, but it just wouldn’t work. They were too different, and he wasn’t ready.
So why did he have this uncontrollable need to take her to LA?
Chapter 15
The television station was a whirlwind of activity at six. Finn, Decker, and Daphne arrived and were shown into a small room, where people came and went periodically, bringing them coffee, verifying facts and data, and finally fixing Daphne’s makeup and telling her to be ready to go on in ten minutes. Decker watched her calmly chatting and lightly flirting with the station employees. She looked ravishing, in a black leather vest over a lace top with shoulder cut-outs, a black bra, tight leather pants, and high-heeled boots. She was a true performer, he thought. Easy with everyone, confident, comfortable in her own skin. At least she certainly gave that impression. Finn, on the other hand, looked like he was at his first job interview.
“Okay, Daph, let’s go over the things you want to talk about,” Finn said, nervously clutching his stack of papers.
Daphne laughed and took his face in her hands for a kiss. “I don’t think I’m going to get much say in what we talk about. But I’ll try, I promise. There’s the new CD, the music video, the tour we’re planning for next year—”
“Knock on wood,” Finn put in, looking around for an appropriate surface to act out his words.
Daphne smiled and reached over to tap on his head. “Okay. There. Now please calm down so you don’t have a stroke, and let’s go get this done.” She smiled at Decker. “He’s so cute when he’s nervous.”
They got up and went out into the hallway, where a waiting assistant led them to the interview room. Daphne shook hands with the reporter, Ken Standish, who then turned to Decker, hand outstretched.
“You’re Daphne’s manager, is that correct?”
“Actually, no.” Decker nodded at Finn, who was fussing over Daphne’s outfit, straightening the vest and lace sleeves. “He is.”
“Ah. Of course.” The reporter waited until Finn was done with his last-minute instructions then stuck out his hand and introduced himself again. “Would you like to be included in the interview as well?”
“Me?” Finn stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi as they shook hands. “I don’t—”
“That would be wonderful!” Daphne cut in, taking Finn’s other arm. “You can keep me from saying something stupid—won’t you, Sir?”
Finn turned his head to her, and gradually his shoulders and chest lifted. “Of course,” he said, seeming to recall his role. “That would be great.”
More makeup people came then and prepared Finn. He, Daphne, and Ken took places in what Decker considered “talk-show chairs” to wait for their cue. Daphne’s eyes were closed while they waited, and Decker suspected she was going through a private ritual to access her public persona. Nobody could be that intensely alive all day long. He watched in fascination as her face went from calm sleepiness to sensational rock star.
When Ken leaned over to ask anxiously, “Is she okay?” Daphne’s eyes flew open, and she gave him a dazzling smile, straightening her spine and shaking her hair back. Her personality seemed to expand until it filled the entire room, making even the generic plastic furniture appear exotic and exciting.
Ken blinked a bit then turned to the camera as the beginning of the interview was announced.
“Good morning,” he said with a practiced cheerfulness. His own professional personality switched on, but was completely overpowered by the celebrity sitting across the little coffee table from him. Finn, in the middle, looked from one to the other, apparently overwhelmed by the collision of charisma that was going on around him. As he talked, Ken seemed to become aware that he was no longer the brightest light in the room.
“Today we have Daphne Monroe from the band Dark Epiphany in the studio with us, along with her manager, Finn Scott.” Ken’s eyes flickered for a half second to the teleprompter. Then he turned to Daphne with a steely friendliness. “Welcome, Daphne. How are you today?”
“I’m totally fantastic, Ken.” Daphne smiled in a way that seemed to include Ken, the camera crew, the audience, and anybody else in a ten-mile radius. “How are you doing?”
“I’m just fine, thanks.” Ken’s chuckle suggested that he was humoring a small but amusing child. “Thanks for being here today. I understand you have some new projects going on. When are we going to see the results? Weren’t you expecting to release your new CD before now?”
Decker thought that Ken’s voice was taking on a distinctly confrontational tone. He felt his hands ball up into fists, and he forced himself to relax. It was probably his imagination.
Daphne gave a light laugh. “You know how these things go. We wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect.”
“So you’re working hard?”
“Oh, yes.” Daphne reached over and squeezed Finn’s knee. “My manager here is a real slave driver.”
Finn sat forward. “There are a couple new songs that we want to make sure get included. Genius just can’t be rushed sometimes.” His smile looked a little forced to Decker.
“No doubt,” Ken said. His lips turned upward, but it wasn’t exactly a smile. “I understand you’re staying at a small guesthouse in Grandpointe. Can you tell us how you’re finding the area?”
Daphne leaned forward, her expression suggesting she couldn’t imagine a more exciting place on the planet than the sleepy little town. “It’s wonderful. We’re at Clifftop Fantasies. It’s the nicest place I think I’ve ever stayed. There’s so much to do in the area! I just love it there.”
“Certainly not as exciti
ng as being in Los Angeles or, say, Sacramento,” Ken suggested. “I understand you kind of make your own excitement wherever you go.”
Daphne blinked at him, but her smile didn’t falter. She let out another musical laugh. “I like to have fun. And I’ve met lots of really friendly people.”
Ken turned to Finn. “Is it fair to say you’re in charge of keeping Miss Monroe’s more exuberant tendencies in check?”
Finn seemed to be taking stock of the reporter before he answered. “Daphne is a high-spirited girl. It gives her music and dancing a quality that has to be seen to be believed. In fact, next year we’re working on a tour—”
“That’s great,” Ken cut in. “So you got her out of the city to keep her away from other elements—”
“We’re working there,” Finn firmly interrupted in his turn, “because it’s a great location, has hospitable hosts, and allows us to focus on the projects we’ve got going. The music video we’re working on should be completed in the next week, and it’s fantastic. Daphne is writing one more song—”
“Mm-hmm. It’s very convenient to Sacramento, isn’t it, Miss Monroe?”
Daphne’s expression froze, but she cocked her head as if he’d said something half-witted and she was debating how to be tactful in answering.
“I love being near the ocean,” she said. “I get my best ideas when I can smell the salt air and stare out over the endless expanse of water. It’s inspirational. I really envy people who grew up in that kind of environment.”
Ken’s smile took on a harder edge. “But isn’t it true that you’ve been taking lots of trips to the capital?”
Daphne frowned. Decker felt his body stiffen, like an animal that has scented danger. Something odd was going on here. He wasn’t sure what the reporter was up to, but his instincts told him he needed to be alert. He watched the two, Daphne and Ken, staring at each other while Finn’s face went through a series of expressions, ending up in anger. He controlled himself, though, and cut into the conversation with a professional laugh.
The Masters of Falcon's Fantasies [BDSM Menage Fantasies 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 15
