Training Drew

by Blue Kincaid

  She was halfway home when she realized she hadn’t even grabbed her purse. She didn’t care enough to turn around and go back. Jeannie was home, she’d let her in and would be willing to go get the purse for her tomorrow, Drew was certain. She never wanted to set foot in that club again. Never wanted to be reminded of the fool she’d been both times.

  No more. She was done. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care, but it was a lie she couldn’t pull off just yet.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You look like shit.”

  Bas rolled his eyes at Harry, reaching past him to hand December the bottle of wine he’d brought and bending to brush a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks so much, love you, too. December, you look beautiful as always.”

  She smiled up at him, smacking Harry’s arm with the back of one hand. “Thank you, Sebastian. Harry, be nice.” She took his hand and pulled him inside, Harry shutting the door on the icy wind outside.

  “I’m always nice. I’m also honest.” Harry grinned at him. “You know it’s true. When was the last time you slept?”

  Bas knew the answer to that – almost a week ago, last Saturday night, when Drew had still been speaking to him. “I don’t really want to talk about it. Where’s Raphe?”

  December beamed, leading him into the dining room through the living room. “In the kitchen. I love this, I get to have dinner parties and it’s the men in the kitchen slaving while I, being the culinary neophyte I am, get to just sit around and drink the wine!”

  He laughed. “The joy of inheriting a rock star chef as a member of the family, huh?”

  “Absolutely. Not to mention that he made sure all you Neanderthals know how to cook. So even when Raphe’s off being the filthy manwhore that he is, I still get fed well. “ She grinned. “Bless him.”

  “I heard that, woman. See if I let you have first dibs on the tiramisu.” Raphe chuckled, emerging from the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel. “Well, look who emerged from the den of sadness. I didn’t think you’d make it tonight, buddy.”

  Bas let out a sigh. “I’d like to have some balls when I leave tonight, so could we just take the busting down a notch? Jesus.”

  December, squeezed his hand. “Is she alright?”

  He frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying her since Sunday, but she won’t take my calls or answer my texts. I considered just going by her place, but her roommate is ferociously protective, I might come away minus my balls altogether.”

  He’d spent the entire week wishing he’d done things differently. The irony of it was, he’d been about to tell her the whole story once he got her home. If Chad had just waited another half an hour, she would have known and, hopefully, understood and Chad would have been the one looking like an asshole.

  “Sit, I’ll open the wine. How long until dinner, Raphael?” December asked.

  “Twenty minutes or so. The meat needs to rest.” Raphe gestured to Jeremy. “Help December with the wine, dude.”

  “Because I don’t know how to open a bottle myself?” she asked with an arched brow. Bas snorted in amusement. Harry’s girl was anything but a soft little sub, which was really part of her charm. In some ways Drew reminded him of her – stubborn, opinionated, smart as a whip – no pun intended. They both had strong minds of their own, and neither he nor Harry would want them any other way.

  She came back a few minutes later with a tray of wine glasses for everybody, then sat down next to Bas. “So, can I ask you something?”

  He frowned. “Sure. Of course.”

  She took a sip of her wine, watching him over the delicate rim. “Why are you trying to get her to talk to you? What is it you want to say?”

  Bas frowned for real now, unsure what she meant. “I don’t…I want to explain. She misunderstood everything.”

  “Did she? I mean, it’s kind of true, isn’t it? You did want to make Chad pay. You did want to take her from him by any means necessary and you did use some underhanded means that night, by getting the security guys to make sure he wasn’t able to attend the auction.”

  He didn’t like the way that sounded, brows knitting. “It’s more complicated than that.”

  She smiled. “I know. You wanted her the minute you saw her. You would have chosen her whether she was with him or not. I know. But…you never intended to keep her, did you? Wasn’t your plan all along to let her go so she could find another Dom? Wasn’t it you who, just last week, was worrying that she was falling for you, that she’d pine and resist finding someone else?”

  Bas suddenly had an inkling where she was going and he really didn’t like it. “So?”

  She shrugged. “So what better way to make sure she doesn’t pine than this? She is furious with you, she thinks you lied to her – that girl’s not pining for you, Bas. She’s hurt, but she’ll get over that. We always do. Women are resilient that way. She’ll find someone else, and when she does she’ll remember the lessons you taught her because even if in the end you didn’t turn out to be real, what you taught her is and she knows it. So…mission accomplished, right? You saved her, just like you planned.”

  Bas just stared at her for a few heartbeats. He’d never thought of it that way. Why was he so desperate to speak with Drew? So she didn’t hate him? In the end, why did that matter? Was it for her that he wanted so badly to make her understand his motives? Would that help her? Maybe in the short term, she wouldn’t be so mad or so hurt. But was that what was important or was it making sure she chose wisely next time – when it wouldn’t be him?

  He scowled down into his glass. “I didn’t really think of that.” And he wasn’t very glad she’d pointed it out, either.

  December hugged his arm with a soft laugh. “I swear, you boys are so clueless sometimes. Listen, I’m not pointing all this out because I think it’s a good idea. In fact, I think it’s one of the dumber ideas I’ve ever heard. You thought you were going to waltz into that girl’s life, teach her how to be the perfect sub for you and show her how you’re the perfect Dom for her and then just…walk away? Sebastian, be honest, can you think of a single Dom in the DC metro area who you would consider worthy of Drew?”

  Indignance filled him. Of course he could. He scowled and thought, running through an impromptu list in his head of various members of the club, even branching out to New York clubs and groups. One by one he ticked through names and mental bios and in every single instance the idea of Drusilla belonging to anyone – anyone but him – made him want to punch something.

  December lifted her brows knowingly. “Told you.”

  Raphe let out a low whistle. “Harry, remind me never to end up on your girl’s bad side.”

  “Better make sure she gets first shot at the tiramisu, then,” Harry joked.

  Bas gave them an impatient look. “Okay, ha ha, but what the hell am I supposed to do now? She thinks I was playing a game. She thinks I would have done exactly the same thing if it’d been any other sub with Chad. How am I supposed to convince her otherwise when she won’t answer my calls or stand still long enough to let me explain?”

  Jeremy grinned, eyes lighting up. “You make sure she can’t run away next time.”

  Bas side-eyed his friend. “Oh okay, that’ll certainly help. I’ll just kidnap her in order to convince her I’m not the shady asshole she thinks I am. Excellent advice, man.”

  December lifted one shoulder and smiled. “I dunno – if I was wrong about the man I loved and he had to take some extreme measures to clear things up…I’m pretty sure I’d forgive him. You do love her, don’t you, Sebastian?”

  He thought about it for all of half a second before he realized the answer was so disgustingly simple. “I do.” And felt like an idiot for refusing to recognize it for what it was. He couldn’t let her go, just the thought of never seeing her again or, worse, seeing her at the club with someone else, made him nauseous.

  December grinned. “Then go get her. Make her see. I promise you, if she feels what you do, she’l
l be glad you didn’t let a misunderstanding throw away something special.”

  He hoped she was right. Because he knew exactly how he was going to make sure Drew let him say his piece and if December was wrong about the end result, he might just end up nursing his broken heart in the county jail.

  * * * * *

  Drew picked at the edges of what she thought might be her fourth coconut lime mini cupcake, sighing into the phone. “I hate him. I can’t even enjoy Emmy’s cupcakes.”

  Jeannie gasped on the other end. “That’s a travesty. Bring them home, then, because it has been a shit day at work, and working on a Saturday ought to be against the law anyway. I will happily eat my feelings when I get home.”

  Drew looked around the little shop which normally was like a haven for her on a bad day. It was impossible to be unhappy when she was surrounded by designer, artisan cupcakes and the bright, homey colors of the shop itself. At least she’d always thought it was impossible. As it turned out – totally possible, because she was currently just as miserable as she’d been before she left the apartment.

  “Look, at least you’re out of your pajamas and interacting with living people again. A few more days of that moping and I might have had to take drastic measures.”

  Drew smiled. “Yeah, I don’t think bringing home the entire ice cream department at the grocery store counts as drastic measures.” She pushed the cupcake away. “I’m gonna box these up and bring them home for you. Get back to work, I’ll see you later.”

  Instead of doing that, though, she set the phone down on the table and went back to fiddling and brooding. In fact, it was because she was so deeply immersed in being emo that she didn’t hear the bell over the door ring and didn’t look up when a shadow fell across her corner table.

  “I thought I might find you here.”

  She closed her eyes, wishing for auditory hallucinations – until she caught a whiff of him, spicy and so distinctly Sebastian. Was there such a thing as smell hallucinations? She let out a sigh and looked up, heart catching. How could he be such a jerk and so beautiful at the same time? How could she still react so strongly to him after how he’d used her? God, she really was a masochist, maybe.

  He sat down across from her, his eyes dark with sadness, and she forced herself to remember it probably wasn’t real. He’d played her so perfectly, to pretend he felt bad for it would hardly be a stretch of his acting capabilities.

  She tipped her chin up. “What do you want? No, wait, I don’t give a damn what you want. Go away.”

  “You know that’s not true. I wouldn’t blame you one bit if it were, but don’t lie to me, Drusilla.”

  Her jaw dropped, gaping at him. “Are you for real sitting there right now telling me not to lie?”

  Bas shook his head. “I know what you think and I can only guess what he said to you, but I deserve a chance to explain, or at least try to. If you still want me gone when I’m done, then fine. You’ll never see me again. But I’m not leaving until we talk.”

  Drew scoffed and grabbed her phone. “Fine, you stay. I’ll leave.”

  She heard his chair scrape behind her and cringed, knowing he was coming after her. Then, out of nowhere –

  “Sebastian?”

  Drew came to a sudden halt at the soft, surprised female voice, turning to find Emmy, the owner of the shop, staring at Bas like she’d seen a ghost. Oh god. Were they…? Emmy was devastatingly gorgeous, all sunset red hair and killer curves like a real life, grown up Ariel or something and Drew immediately felt like a sparrow next to a swan imagining they must have been lovers. She told herself she didn’t care, but it was such a huge lie.

  Bas grinned, shaking his head. “Emmaline! What are you doing here?” He looked around abruptly, eyes widening. “Oh shit, this is your place?”

  Drew blinked back the tears that stung, watching them reconnect like old lovers, and spun on her heel for the door.

  “Drew, wait! Emmy, I…I gotta go, nice to see you!”

  Drew rolled her eyes as she hurried out the door and down the street, glancing back at Bas as he caught up. “Oh please, don’t leave on my account. I’m sure Emmy would love to catch up, revisit old times.”

  Bas smiled, falling into step beside her. “You’re jealous.”

  She cast him a sidelong glare. “Don’t sound so pleased. I am not.”

  “Good. Because Emmaline Barton always has and always will belong to Raphe.”

  Drew stumbled a bit at that bit of information, angry at the surge of relief she felt. Why should she care so much that Bas hadn’t once loved that woman? Still…there it was, the tension rushing out of her. “She…she and Raphe?” Her steps slowed, turning toward Bas a little.

  He nodded. “Yes. Not anymore, not for years, I didn’t even know she was back in town, actually. Drew, please, let me talk to you. We can go back to my place and – ”

  Drew cut in with a sharp laugh. “Oh no. Oh, no you don’t. Not a chance.” She’d end up folding like a house of cards. She blinked back the burning in her eyes and shook her head. “No way.”

  Bas shrugged. “Fine. Then we’ll have this conversation here, in the middle of the street. What first? How about we talk about how perfect it is when we make love? How about how beautifully your body responds to me and how neither of us for one second believe that’s an everyday occurrence? How about we discuss you in my ropes, in my playroom, drunk with the way I make you feel or – ”

  Drew slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. “Oh my god, shut up! People are staring!” she hissed. They were, too, passersby frowning in their direction, a couple of construction workers at the curb appearing to listen closely.

  Bas tugged her hand away, but held onto it, lacing their fingers and refusing to let go. “Then let’s take it somewhere private. Either way, we’re having this conversation, Drusilla, you decide where.”

  She glared at him, chest tight with helplessness and anger and hurt – and fear, afraid that she would be weak and forgive him and end up made an even bigger fool. She closed her eyes briefly, swallowing past the lump in her throat. “Sebastian…”

  “Please. Little one, please. I’m begging you.”

  Dammit. She cringed, knowing she was going to regret this, but she did it anyway. “Alright. Fine.”

  He exhaled heavily and squeezed her hand. “Thank you. Okay.”

  She tugged her hand free and he let it go, apparently now that she’d agreed to play by his rules he wasn’t so worried she’d run off. Half of her wanted to, anyway. But then Bas was leading her down the street. “Where did you park?”

  He pointed. “A couple blocks up.”

  She frowned. “How did you know I was there?”

  He tapped the phone in her hand. “Your app checked you in on Facebook.”

  Drew sighed. “I always said technology would be the downfall of society. Turns out it’s just my downfall.”

  Bas smiled. “Maybe not. Maybe you’ll be glad for it after today.”

  She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t think so. More likely was that she’d listen to him, still feel like an idiot who got played and then go home and delete that damn app off her phone.

  As they climbed into his car a few minutes later, she buckled up and glanced over at him. “You know, my place is closer, if you want privacy. Jeannie’s at work.” The quicker this was over, the better.

  Bas hesitated, then shook his head. “My place. You left a few things and I figure this way if you still end up never wanting to see me again, you’ll already have your things back so…no reason to even remember I exist.” Their eyes met and Drew’s stomach pitched. As if forgetting him would be so easy.

  But she shrugged as if she didn’t care. “Fine. Whatever.”

  It was about five minutes of awful, terrible silence before Drew took note of their surroundings as Bas maneuvered his sleek black sedan through weekend, midday traffic. She sat up a bit straighter and then turned to stare at him.

  “Where are we going
? This is not the way to your place.”

  Sebastian glanced over at her, then took a deep breath. “We’re going for a drive.”

  Her brows shot up. “Excuse me? A drive where?”

  He shrugged. “Where doesn’t matter. The drive is the point. We need to talk and I had a feeling you’d just want to grab your things and bolt on me again if we went straight to my place, so…short of tying you up in my playroom, this was the only way I could think of to make sure you couldn’t run away and had to hear me out.”

  Drew’s heart raced as Bas guided the car onto the Memorial Parkway, but in the opposite direction of his apartment – shit. If she’d noticed where he was going sooner she might have been able to get out at a stoplight, but now…nothing but open road now and no reason for him to stop, short of running out of gas. “You cannot be serious. Are you insane?”

  Bas chuckled softly. “Maybe. I’m about to cross state lines and make this little ride a felony, so I guess I’m pretty fucking serious, Drusilla. All I want is for you to listen to me, hear me out, and then if you really want to never see me again, all you have to do is make one call to the cops and I’m pretty well screwed for life.”

  God, she wanted to slap him. He knew darn good and well she didn’t want his dumb ass to go to jail, but she didn’t say so because, well, he’d sort of kidnapped her and making him feel better wasn’t really high on her priority list at the moment.

  “You’re an idiot.”

  He smiled. “For you, yeah. Maybe.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing to say. You lied to me. You played me from minute one. You admitted it!”

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I mean, I’m sure it seemed that way, but I didn’t get the chance to finish.”

  Her arms crossed over her chest and she glared straight ahead at the traffic flowing around them. “Fine. Finish. And then take me home.”

  “I told you I’d seen you before. I didn’t lie about that.”