This Moody Bastard

  “I wish you’d gotten a picture of him dressed like that,” Chelbie said. “That’d be priceless.”

  “Don’t egg him on.”

  Essie snorted. “You said egg about a kinky Jesus Easter bunny.”

  “To finish responding to your comment,” Cali said, “no. Mal losing the baby didn’t make our decision for us, but it focused us to actually give voice to our decisions. I was afraid it’d upset them if I decided not to have kids, and they didn’t want to push me one way or the other, even though they’d each kind of decided they like the way we are now.”

  “I believe you,” Chelbie said. “I just…wanted to make sure you were aware of that.”

  “How is Mal doing?” Essie asked.

  Chelbie shrugged. “I’m here and not there. Kel’s mom is with her this morning. She’s stopped pushing us away as hard as she was, but I wouldn’t say she’s doing better. Kel arranged with Doyle to have her talk to him twice a week, and Doyle’s working with her GP on prescriptions to—” She hesitated. “And that doesn’t go any farther than this table, right?”

  “Right,” Essie and Cali said, both nodding.

  Chelbie slumped in her chair. “Sorry. It’s so hard for me to see her like this and I can’t do anything to make it better for her. She’s been talking to Kel’s mom a lot. She went through a miscarriage. And June’s older sister, May, has been talking to her, too. They came over for brunch with her one morning, brought her food, and sat and talked, the three of them.”

  “Did they ever discover what happened?” Cali asked.

  Chelbie shook her head, her short, deep red bob bouncing a little. “No. That’s the worst part of this whole thing. Mal blames herself, no matter what the doctors and we tell her. She did nothing wrong. Sometimes, this…happens.” Her expression darkened. “But if one more fucking asshole says, ‘Oh, maybe it was god’s will,’ I swear I’ll cunt-punch them into the middle of next month.”

  Cali’s eyes widened. “Oh, no. People have actually said that to her?”

  “One that I know of, but not around me. Because anyone who’s tried to talk to her by getting through me first, if they’ve said any variation of that bullshit, I cut them off at the kneecaps and shut them down. Kel, too.” She snorted. “I only had three people try that shit, and I know Kel had at least one, because he walked outside with his phone and screamed at them.”

  Chelbie ran a hand through her hair. “I get that they think they’re coming from a place of love and comfort, but that filters into, ‘Oh, god must have thought you’d be a sucky mother,’ when Mal hears it. The one that did say it to her, it sent her back to bed all day Wednesday. Kel finally had to pull Master rank on her to order her out of bed Thursday morning to take her to her doctor for a meds adjustment.”

  Essie winced. “I’m guessing it wasn’t one of our kinky friends?”

  “No, it was a friend of Kel’s from high school. The guy’s wife. Somehow, I don’t think they’re friends anymore, either.”

  Essie moved the baby monitor. “How’s Kel doing?”

  “Stoic. You know how he is. If he was on fucking fire he wouldn’t ask for a glass of water if he thought it’d take a second of anyone’s attention from Mal. He’s…” Chelbie brushed at her eyes. “He’s amazing,” she quietly said. “I couldn’t have asked for her to meet and marry a better guy.”

  “So you tell us how you think he’s doing,” Cali said.

  Chelbie needed a moment. “Gutted. Heartbroken. The baby wasn’t exactly expected, but they threw themselves into becoming parents once they found out Mal was pregnant. Kel was going to be such a great dad. And now he’s lost his baby and he’s struggling to keep his wife going.”

  A pensive silence enveloped them for a moment.

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Essie asked.

  “Honestly? Right now, not really. Not beyond what you all have been doing. Checking in, the cards, food, that’s been good. Well, you know, actually there is something you could do.”

  “What?” Cali and Essie asked.

  “Because of the obvious, Scrye was going to do the suspension demo Kel was scheduled to do this afternoon at the club. But Scrye threw his back out this morning, so he’s out. As of an hour ago, they were still at the ER. June has to stay with him to drive him home and take care of him. Ross can’t do it, because he’s helping Ed deal with the media about Brita’s shooting yesterday. Leah volunteered to do it, and she’s qualified to do it, but Justin can’t be there today to be her rope bunny because he’s in a friend’s wedding. Seth volunteered to be her bottom, but he’s not exactly…thrilled, if you get my drift. So if you know of anyone who—”

  “What if I volunteer Sean for it?” Cali asked.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. He’s a rope slut.”

  “Do you think he’ll go for it?”

  Cali grinned. “Let’s just say he owes me a few.”

  * * * *

  As Cali walked home shortly after noon, she called Leah first and offered Sean’s services. It wouldn’t matter if she volunteered him if Leah wasn’t comfortable tying him, or if Seth overruled it.

  “…if you and Seth are comfortable with that, that is.”

  “I’m fine with it, and Sir probably will be, but let me ask.”

  Cali heard sounds like Leah getting up and walking, muffled voices as she pressed the phone against her shirt or something. A moment later, she came back on the line.

  “He’s totally fine with that.”

  “Tell her my balls thank Sean, too,” Seth called out in the background.

  Leah giggled. “You hear that?”

  “Yeah. What time do you want him there?”

  “Three. That way, it’ll give me a little prep time to talk to him.”

  “How do you want him dressed?”

  “Doesn’t he have one of those leather jocks like Justin has?”

  She remembered that morning’s dancing Jesuses argument in the office. “He sure does.”

  “That’d be perfect. Part of the demo today is going over physiology, not just the ties.”

  “We’ll see you then. Oh, can we work some photo time in at the end? Once you’re done tying him? Just him, not you. I need shots for the website header.”

  “I don’t see why not. It’s well before the open play session. We’ll warn people before you do it so they stay out of the shots.”

  “Thanks!” Cali hung up before walking through their front door, a brilliant, cunning plan already gelling in her brain.

  She found Sean and Max at work in the garage, trying to get caught up on making items for the online store. “You want the good news or the bad news?” she asked.

  They each looked up from their respective workspaces. “Bad,” they parroted.

  “Sean doesn’t get much work time this afternoon.”

  They both raised their safety glasses. “Why?” they asked.

  She grinned. “You’re like stereo or something.”

  “What’s going on?” Max asked.

  “The good news is, Sean gets to try out that rainbow rope sooner than he anticipated.” She grinned. “Break out your bunny ears and unicorn mask, buddy. We’re doing a photo shoot this afternoon.”

  “Huh?”

  She explained it, Sean’s head drooping as Max erupted into laughter.

  Max slapped Sean’s shoulder. “Why the long face, dude? I thought this was what you wanted?”

  “I did, but I didn’t think it’d be like that.”

  “You’re turning down a chance to be tied by Leah?” Max asked. “Really? Because I’d let her tie me.”

  “No, it’s not that.” Sean seemed on the verge of pouting again. “How are we going to handle the unicorn butt plug tail?”

  “We’ll clip the bunny tail to the back of your jock,” Cali said, already turning to go pack their gear. “And you can wear the bunny ears.”

  “They won’t fit over the unicorn head.”

  She stopped and t
urned. “How would you know that?”

  “Maybe I already tried it.”

  Max laughed. “Then get your hood and you’ll wear the bunny ears. I saw a kitty unicorn headband on Amazon. We’ll get that for Baxter and Photoshop him into the frame.”

  Sean’s face lit up as a wide grin spread across his face. “The plastic eggs! We can put them under me!”

  Cali wanted to groan, but it did make sense.

  At least it wasn’t the chocolate eggs they tried the last time.

  “Bring the mask anyway,” she said. “And the latex hooves. Maybe she can fit two ties in, and I can get some shots with you suspended as the unicorn for future use. I’ll wedge the tail under your jock after you’re tied or something.”

  “We have duct tape,” Max helpfully offered.

  “You’re not duct-taping a butt plug to my ass,” Sean said. “You know how much hair that’ll rip off when you remove it?”

  Max and Cali both grinned. “Yes,” they said.

  Chapter Three

  Marcia’s car was already parked outside the club when Sean, Max, and Cali arrived.

  “Why’d I let you talk me into this?” Sean muttered as they started unpacking equipment from the car’s trunk.

  Cali stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Hold on. Seriously? What’s going on? Why are you acting moody? You love this kind of shit.”

  He shrugged. “I like it on my terms.”

  “Can’t all be green,” Max teased.

  Cali ignored Max’s jibe. “You could have told me no when I told you about this.”

  An aggravated sigh escaped Sean. “I’m not saying no. I just…I like being silly and stupid at home with us, or at a party or something.”

  “You bug the shit out of me to be on the website headers.”

  “I know!”

  Max stepped in. “Let’s talk about this. If you don’t want to do this, it can be a straight suspension, no photo shoot. Or, if you’re really backing out, I’ll volunteer to let her tie me, if she and Seth are okay with it.”

  “I want to do the photo shoot,” Sean insisted.

  But the shadows in his crisp, blue eyes spoke otherwise.

  “Then why are you being such a moody bastard about it all of a sudden?” Max bluntly asked.

  “It doesn’t feel right,” he finally mumbled.

  “What do you mean, buddy?”

  The men had Cali’s full attention now. Sean was just about the most laid-back person on the face of the planet when it came to emotional stuff. And she knew he loved her—and Max—with all his heart.

  But Sean and Max had been together a lot longer, for twelve years, before she even entered their lives.

  She’d be a clueless idiot not to understand that sometimes Max had a better read on Sean than she did, and vice-versa.

  “I mean, Kel and Mal. And now Brita and Ethan. And we just keep on going about our lives like nothing’s happened. Isn’t that…disrespectful?”

  Max pulled him into his arms. “Hey, it’s not like that. But they would be the first people to ask us to live our lives. I thought we settled this before the St. Patrick’s Day party?”

  “We…did. I know it’s not logical to feel like this, but it’s how I feel. I’ll be okay once we’re into the swing of things.”

  “You sure?” Cali asked. “I don’t want to force you to do this if you don’t feel up to it.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll get my head out of my ass and enjoy it. I promise. Besides, if we don’t do it this weekend, it’s going to be a few weekends before either one of us are going to feel up to being tied, and by then it’ll be too late to make a header for the website.”

  “I can reuse an old one.”

  “No,” Sean said. “I’ll be okay. Let’s do this.”

  Marcia held the office door open for them when they brought in the first load of equipment from their car. While Cali set up the camera and lights and prepped the backdrop behind the A-frame, the men got the rope sorted.

  She’d ordered three different widths of rope, mostly 1/4” and 5/16”, with some 3/8” thrown in for suspension and heavier ties. Far more in overall footage than they’d likely ever need, but one could never have enough rope. The rope vendor had made a custom-dyed batch of the pastel rainbow colors, and it looked even better in person than it had on their website.

  Cali hoped it looked as good for her camera while it was wrapped around Sean.

  “Oh,” Marcia said as she emerged from the office. “Derrick and I need to talk to you.”

  “About what?”

  “Derrick and I weren’t here, but Shane came in last weekend.”

  Both men stood up like a couple of prairie dogs. “What?” they asked in stereo.

  “I thought he got banned?” Max asked.

  “What the fuck?” Sean said.

  Marcia held up her hands. “Relax, the volunteers didn’t let him in. Unfortunately, the volunteer on duty didn’t know the backstory. They told him he’d have to talk to Derrick about the reason why. So he did. He called him at our office on Monday to talk. I wasn’t there to intercept the call. To get him off the phone, Derrick said he’d talk to you, but if you don’t sign off on it, he won’t rescind the ban.”

  “Heh,” Sean said. “He’s shit out of luck then, isn’t he, babe?”

  Cali didn’t reply.

  Max frowned. “Babe?”

  “He was only banned because of me, right?” she asked, tuning her men out.

  Marcia nodded. “We’re fine with keeping the ban in place. Normally we don’t get in the middle of break-ups, unless there’s a restraining order involved. Derrick decided to ban him because that was a pretty shitty thing for Shane to do to you after eight years. But if we banned everyone because someone has an issue with them, we wouldn’t have a club. However, one of the nice things about this being a private membership club is that we can ban people for any reason we deem.”

  “Did he say why he’s come back?” Cali had heard rumors that he was back in the area based on what people had seen of his activity on FetLife, but this was the first time she’d heard about him actually trying to put in an appearance at an event.

  “He told Derrick he moved back to the area and is in a relationship. She’s a member in good standing here, and he wants to be able to come to the club with her. I don’t think you know her, she’s only been here a few times. I’ve never met her, but some of the other volunteers have. They said she’s pretty nice.”

  Cali snorted. “Poor girl.”

  Shane had left Cali high and dry, kicked her out, and basically left her penniless. She’d invested years of time and energy into a company he’d sold out from under her without offering her any compensation at all.

  And he’d cheated on her.

  “Tilly’s still in England right now, isn’t she?” Cali asked.

  “I don’t know. I think so. Why?”

  Cali smiled and hoped it looked as evil as it felt. “I say rescind the ban. He probably won’t last long once she gets hold of him.”

  “I think we’ll need a GoFundMe for her bail, but okay.”

  “Um, babe?” Max said. “One moment, please?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  She shrugged. “He bothers me, I can complain and they’ll re-ban him.” She looked at Marcia. “Right?”

  Marcia nodded. “Absolutely.”

  “I think it’d be funnier to see him get shunned by everyone,” Cali said. “Let them rub his face in it about how happy I am. Just give him a warning that if he sets a foot out of line around me, I won’t hesitate to complain.”

  Marcia smiled. “You want Tilly to break her hand again, don’t you?”

  “I’ll buy her some of those weighted gloves so it hurts him worse than it hurts her.”

  Cali realized Sean and Max were staring at her. “I didn’t lose my mind. I’d rather rub his face in it. He has no hold over me anymore. I’ve moved on.”

&nb
sp; “He’s not going to make it onto the private party lists, is he?” Sean asked Marcia. “Because that fucker’s not setting foot in our house, and I don’t want to be at a private party if he’s been invited.”

  Marcia snorted. “Gawd, no. Derrick already called Tony and Ross and told them about him being back. Only reason we’re talking now is because my Dom Dingbat is a stickler for giving his word. In trying to get the guy off the phone, Derrick did promise we’d talk to Cali.” She shrugged. “I honestly thought you’d laugh and say fuck, no, he can’t come back, end of story.”

  Cali slowly nodded. “I’m fine with him being unbanned. He’s likely going to wish he’d stayed in Miami.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Marcia said. “Because I know there were quite a few people around here who wanted to put him under the ground and not just on it when they heard what happened to you, thanks to him.”

  * * * *

  Seth and Leah arrived shortly after. She let out a squee when she saw the rainbow rope.

  “That is gorgeous!” She fingered one of the coils.

  “I know, right?” Cali told Leah what she had in mind for the shoot, about dressing Sean up in his bunny gimp gear the way he had been earlier.

  She snorted. “I thought you yelled at them about their last Easter stunt?”

  “Yeah, well, that also involved chocolate eggs. It wasn’t funny, it was gross.”

  Max and Sean both laughed, as did Seth.

  “Well, I can do a modified tie on him so he looks like he’s a hopping bunny in mid-air. Then you can pile the colored eggs under him and shoot it. I do a similar tie on Justin all the time. I’ll just angle Sean forward a little bit and tie his legs together instead of spread apart. Might want to leave the tail and ears off him until I’m done.”

  Cali also floated the unicorn idea, making Leah laugh. “Yeah, I can do that, too. I can use the same harness, bring him down, and change the position of the belaying ropes.”