The Daring Doms

by Isabella Kole

  "Dax, sorry to bother you on a Saturday night, but I need you to get back up to the site. Drive up there tomorrow, so you can be there first thing Monday morning. They're having problems again. We need to get this straightened out fast if we're going to stay on schedule."

  "No problem, Gerald. I'll leave in the morning. Same problems as before, or something different?" he asked.

  "Same as before; things just aren't measuring up to code."

  "I'll call you Monday after I've had time to assess the situation."

  "Good, if anyone can straighten this out, it's you. See that you get it taken care of."

  "I will. Good night."

  "Good night, Dax."

  The next morning, he took care of things as quickly as he could, packed and got ready to leave town again. Since he wasn't sure how long he'd be gone this time, he called Angela.

  "Dax?" she asked as she answered breathlessly.

  "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

  "No, not really, I was just coming in from church with the family."

  "I'm glad I caught you. I have to go up north again. I'm leaving now and have no idea how long I'll be gone. I wanted you to know."

  "I'm glad you called. Maybe when you come home, we can talk," she replied shyly.

  "Yes, we do need to talk, baby girl. I take it you met with Annie last night?"

  "Yes, I did. I understand some things a little better now. We'll talk. You can call me anytime you want, Dax. Hurry home."

  "Think about us while I'm gone, Angela. Think about where you want to go with this now. I'll do the same."

  "Okay, Dax, I will. Let me know when you get back."

  "I will. I'll miss you. Take care of yourself."

  "You take care, too, Dax. Be safe."

  As he hung up the phone, he realized Angela Vaccaro was the one girl he could never let go. If it meant changing his attitude, then so be it. The decision was made. It was out of his hands, and he guessed it always had been. He would do whatever it took to make her his, give up the lifestyle, marry her, anything, just as soon as he got back in town. But right now, he had to get on the road. The sooner he fixed the problem, the sooner he could get home to his beautiful baby girl.

  Dax stopped at the mall on his way out of town to pick up some things for his trip. As he drove north, headed out of the city, his thoughts went back to Angela, as usual.

  She had said she'd never give up. What had she meant by that? Never is a long time. She had asked to talk when he got home. Well, talk they would do. He would talk, and she would listen hopefully.

  Dax arrived at his hotel several hours later, and after checking in, he ordered dinner. He would stay in for the evening and have an early night, hoping to get to the site first thing in the morning to get things cleared up at the site and head home as soon as possible. Gone were the days when he'd have been in the hotel bar, chatting up the waitress or picking up a girl.

  He sent out a text to let Angela know he had arrived safely. She replied, thanking him for letting her know.

  When he got to the site at seven the next morning, coffee in hand, he went straight to the foreman of the crew. After several minutes with him, Dax walked around to inspect the work that had been done the week before then went back to address the issues.

  "Terry, I see three serious mistakes right off the bat. You know these beams won't make code. What gives?"

  "We've had to work fast to meet our deadline, Dax. Add the problems we've had with the crew and having to hire new guys, we've rushed too much, I suppose."

  "We can't have this. This will have to be redone. I suggest you get the men on that right away. I'll authorize overtime to see that it's fixed. Rushing never pays off in this business."

  "Sure, Dax," Terry replied as he walked away from Dax to address his crew.

  Dax phoned Gerald and told him about his findings. Of course, his boss was not happy about it. "You stay there until it's done right, Dax. Terry can't be trusted, but I can't hire a new foreman at this stage of the game. You're going to have to oversee it."

  Damn! "All right, I'll stay as long as I need to."

  When he got off the phone, he walked back over to where Terry and the other men were and listened as the foreman instructed the crew. When Terry had finished talking, Dax took him aside and said, "I'm going to be around so make sure this gets fixed and fixed right, Terry. I'm depending on you."

  "Yes, Dax. I'm sorry. I should have been watching them more carefully."

  "Damn right, you should have, but just get it fixed, and all will be good. Everyone deserves a second chance. Don't make me sorry for giving you one."

  "Thanks, Dax. I'll make sure it gets done right." Terry walked off, and Dax went into the makeshift office in the trailer onsite. He poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down. He wanted to give the man a chance to get the crew on target before joining them again.

  His thoughts wandered to Angela, and he wondered what she was doing. Since he knew she would be at work by now, he refrained from calling or sending her a text. When he returned to the building, he could see the workers hard at it, working to correct their mistakes. He stood next to Terry and watched as they tore down the work they'd already done before redoing it.

  At lunchtime, he invited Terry to ride into town with him. The two men talked over burgers and fries. They planned the schedule for the coming week, and by the time they'd returned to the site and saw the crew hard at work, Dax felt confident he'd be going home by week's end.

  That night, when he finally got back to the hotel, he called Angela.

  "Dax, hi, is everything okay?" she asked as she answered on the second ring. "Are you coming home tomorrow?"

  "It will be. But it looks like I'll be here all week. Our talk is going to have to be delayed until the weekend, I'm afraid."

  "So, you're really ready to talk?" she asked softly.

  "I am," he replied. "We can't continue in this stalemate, as you call it, Angela. We have to make some decisions. I know we haven't been together very long. But you know, as well as I do, we've been attracted to each other for three years. For our own reasons, we both chose not to act on that attraction. Now that we've opened the door, it's not going to go away. It's stronger than ever, and we have to decide where we go from here. And, of course, there is that other matter, too."

  "Yes, you're right. I've been doing a lot of thinking, Dax. I figure you have, too. That 'little matter' you refer to is by no means a deal-breaker either, so I hope that eases your mind on that score."

  "I'm glad to hear that. We will discuss it more later, too, after we get other things cleared up between us. I know you stayed away from me because you knew how I felt about commitment. I stayed away from you because I knew you were trouble. And I was right. You are trouble, but a kind of trouble I can't get out of my mind, apparently. A kind of trouble I want in my life."

  "I'm trouble? How do you figure?" she asked.

  "You're the kind of trouble that makes me want to rethink things I've said in the past, and I have to admit, that scares me, Angela. But, on the other hand, I know how to handle naughty girls," he teased.

  "I'd be lying if I said you didn't scare me, too, Dax. But not in the way you must be thinking. I'm familiar with the lifestyle."

  "Wow, we really do have a lot to talk about, don't we? I had no idea. I know you were scared I would break your heart. That's why I tried to walk away, but I found I couldn't, so I suggested taking a break instead. But we'll talk about all of it, including how you know about dominants and submissives. You are a woman full of surprises."

  "Get done what you need to do up there. When you come home, we'll have that talk, about everything. We'll get the air cleared and figure this thing out, once and for all."

  "Take care. I'll try to call you later in the week."

  "Stay safe," she said as she ended the call.

  The rest of the week progressed for Dax, but there were still problems with the construction of the building. It was an
apartment building, and it needed to be able to meet all the safety codes when the inspectors came. Dax and Terry worked diligently to correct the errors, but it was going to take some time. By Thursday, Dax knew he would not be home for the weekend. The crew would be working on Saturday, and he would be right there with them. He'd figured out that Terry wasn't lax in his job; things had just snowballed with one thing after another happening with his crew. He would be sure to let Gerald know that fact.

  When he called Angela to tell her later that night, he could hear the disappointment in her voice.

  "It's okay. I'll see you whenever you get back," she said. He was almost sure she was sniffling as she said it.

  "Baby, I'm sorry. I just can't leave right now. I don't like it any better than you do, believe me. We are at an important crossroad in our relationship, and these work problems couldn't have come at a worse time."

  They talked for a while longer, ending the call with Dax promising to call her again soon.

  Things went smoothly at the site on Saturday. On Sunday, Dax and the men took a much-needed day off and were back at it early on Monday morning. He and Terry were going over the blueprints in the office on Monday afternoon when they heard a loud commotion outside. They ran outside just in time to see one portion of the building collapse. Men were running and screaming loudly.

  When Dax and Terry got to the building, they were told two men were in the rubble. Desperately, Dax began to search through the wood and concrete for the men. As he screamed the order to call for help, Terry told him help was already on the way, and he joined Dax in the search. As they picked up pieces of wood, another rumble could be heard. As Dax looked up, the last thing he saw was another section of the building toppling down.

  Angela picked up the phone on her desk. The receptionist asked her to come up front.

  "What's going on, Nellie?"

  "Someone is here to see you. He says it's personal."

  "I'll be right there," Angela said as her hand went to her hair. She smoothed it, applied lip-gloss, and stood up, smiling. Dax is back!

  But when she entered the reception area, she was surprised to see Dane standing there, instead of Dax. He smiled nervously as she approached.

  "Dane, is anything wrong?"

  "Angela, can we sit down some place?" he asked.

  "Come into my office," she said, leading him down the hallway. Had something happened to one of his parents or to Annie? It didn't enter her mind at first that it might be Dax.

  She pointed to a chair in her office after she'd closed the door. Dane sat down and waited for her to take a seat in the chair behind her desk.

  "Angela, I'm sorry, but there's been an accident."

  "An accident?" she asked. "Who, what kind of accident, Dane, who is hurt?"

  Sadly, he looked at her. "Angela, it's Dax. There was an accident at the site. Part of the building collapsed. Dax and some other men were injured when it went down. We don't know any details. Dax's boss called Dad a little while ago. He was headed up there. Dad went with him. Annie's at the house with Mom, and they sent me to tell you. I'm so sorry." Dane hung his head and sobbed.

  Angela sat for several minutes, trying to comprehend what he'd just told her. Finally, she got up and walked to him, putting her arms around his shoulders. She whispered, "No, not Dax. Oh, Dane, I'm so sorry. You really have no details?" She tried to comfort him as best she could, but she was nearly ready to collapse, herself.

  "None, just that Dax and Terry, the foreman, were searching for two other men who were trapped in the first collapse. There was a second collapse, and—"

  He saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. Dane stood, stopping mid-sentence to hold her close. "Angela, come to the house with me. We'll wait for word together. You need to be there, with us. Dax would want you to be with the family."

  Angela was sobbing openly by now. "Oh, Dane, I've been so stupid where your brother is concerned."

  "Hush, Angela, no, you haven't. You and Dax have some issues, but nothing that can't be fixed. He loves you, Angela. And I've never said those words to any other girl about my brother, either. I don't think Dax has ever loved anyone else."

  "B-but n-now I may never get the chance to fix things."

  "Don't say that. My brother is going to be all right. Dad is going to call with good news as soon as they get up there."

  "Let me get my things, and I'll go with you." She picked up the phone on her desk and called her boss. After informing him what had happened, her told her to go and not to return until she felt she could. He wished her well and told her they would all be thinking of her and Dax's family.

  "I'll let you know when I hear anything; thank you, Edward."

  She hung up, turned off her computer and grabbed her purse. "I'm ready; let's go, Dane. I need to get to your mother."

  They rode to the Daring house in silence, each deep in their own thoughts of Dax. Dane, thinking of the brother he loved, and Angela, reflecting on the man she wanted to spend her life with.

  When they arrived at the house, Brenna hugged Angela. After getting coffee for everyone, Annie sat down with Angela. Dane paced back and forth, willing the phone to ring, while Annie tried her best to console both Brenna and Angela.

  The clock ticked as the hours dragged on. Still no word, and as darkness began to fall, Annie stood up. "We need to think about supper. I'll make us some soup."

  "I can't eat," Angela said, shaking her head. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face tear-stained.

  "Angela, go splash your face with cold water. Annie's right. We have to eat. I'll go make fresh coffee," Brenna said, in an attempt to assure Angela. Suddenly, the woman was stoic and in command of her family. "We'll get a call very soon, and we can all rest easy after that."

  Angela looked over at Dane. His face was ghostly pale as he reached for Annie. She went to him.

  "Come on, all of you. Snap out of it," Brenna ordered as she headed to the kitchen. "Dax is a strong boy."

  Angela walked into the kitchen after following Brenna's advice to splash her face. She'd tried to comb her hair and make herself look presentable. The rest of the family was seated at the table with coffee, while Annie poured vegetable soup into bowls for them.

  "Here are some dinner rolls and a salad to go with your soup. Now eat, all of you," Annie ordered as she sat down.

  Angela choked down the food as best she could. When she'd eaten as much as she could, she stood up and took her dishes to the sink, rinsed them, and put them into the dishwasher.

  "I'm going back into the living room," she announced as she went to the couch and sat next to the phone.

  Three hours later, it finally rang. Four worried faces stared at it. Finally, Dane picked it up.

  "Dad, thank God," he said. "I see… yes… should we come up there? Are you sure?"

  When he hung up, the women looked to him for answers. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he finally spoke. "They've found all four of them. The two men who were injured in the first collapse are in critical condition. Terry has a broken leg. Dax has a slight concussion, but there are no broken bones. They're keeping him in the hospital overnight, and if there are no complications, Dad will bring him home tomorrow."

  "Praise the Lord," Brenna said as she hugged first Annie, and then Angela.

  Dane walked over to his mother and pulled her close to him before turning to Annie and reaching out for her to join them.

  Angela sat, relief washing over her as she realized Dax was alive. She had feared the worst, and her prayers had been answered. She also knew without a doubt that it didn't matter if Dax wasn't ready for a full-fledged commitment. She wanted to be with him, and she would be. She would tell him when he got home. Her mind made up, she stood up and said, "I'm going home to get some rest now. I'll go over to Dax's after he gets home and has had a chance to settle in."

  "Let me drive you to your car. Remember, we left it at your office," Dane said.

  "I can drive her, honey. You stay h
ere with your mom. I'll be back soon. I think we should stay here tonight, don't you?"

  "Thanks, Annie, yes, we should stay here," Dane replied gratefully.

  Angela went to Brenna and spoke to her for a few minutes, gave Dane a hug, and went with Annie.

  As Annie drove, she suggested they get her car later. "You don't need to be driving yet, not until you've had some rest."

  "That's fine. My care will be fine at the office."

  "Ang, I get the feeling something's changed since we got the call about Dax. Do you want to talk about it?" Annie asked.

  "I've made a decision."

  "Oh, yeah?" her friend asked.

  "When Dax gets home, I'm going to tell him I'll accept whatever terms he wants."

  "And you can live with that?" Annie asked gently.

  "I've wanted Dax Daring for three years. He's mine for the taking, and I'll take him, no matter what the conditions. I love him that much."

  "I believe you do love him that much. And the lifestyle, how does that figure into the relationship, now that you know?"

  Angela glanced at her before saying, "I know a little about it already. I dated a guy who was a Dom a while back. Nothing came of it because we just didn't click, but we had several discussions about it. That's not a deal breaker at all. I can live with it. Look what it's done for you and Dane."

  Annie giggled. "Well, I can't argue with you there."

  Chapter 11

  Angela showered and fell into bed when she arrived home. Someone had kindly dropped her car off at the apartment for her. So, the next morning, she drove to work, although it was the last place she wanted to be while she waited for Dax to come home. She told Edward and the rest of the staff what had happened, and her boss asked if she'd like a few days off to spend with Dax after he came home.

  "You wouldn't mind?" she asked. "It's been a very stressful time, waiting for news."