“What?” her mom finally asked. “I’m not allowed to even ask you about your life now?”
“Francis,” her father said. “We talked about this today. I thought we’d agreed last night that you weren’t going to act like this anymore.”
“I just want to be involved in her life.”
“She’s already told us where she’s going,” he said, not losing his patience. “What did she tell us? That was just a few hours ago. Or don’t you remember?”
“Of course I remember.” Em watched her mother shoot her father a dark glare.
Maybe this is how we have to play it.
“Then what did she say?” her father repeated.
“She said she was going out to dinner with friends.”
“Then why did you ask her again?”
Em was perfectly fine with silently standing back and letting her dad fight this battle for her.
“Because she didn’t tell us who she was going out to dinner with.”
“And she doesn’t have to.”
“What happened to what we talked about last night?” Em asked, hoping maybe this was just her mom reverting back to bad behavior and not an indication of something deeper afoot. “About not living scared.”
“But what if something happens to you?” She turned to Em’s father. “How will we even know where to start looking for her?”
“Do you realize our daughter had a perfect track record of not getting abducted and murdered while going out to dinner with friends before we moved in with her?”
Go, Dad!
Before her mom could respond, he pressed forward. “Don’t you understand it’s this kind of constant questioning from you that’s out of line? What has gotten into you? I’ve been watching you the past few days, and believe me, I see exactly what Em’s been talking about.”
“Meryl—”
“Oh, for chrissake, Francis!” He stepped forward, making her mom take a step back. “From now on, I’ll be addressing you as Francesca-Annalise.”
“Don’t you dare! You know I hate that name.”
“Well, Em has told you countless times that she doesn’t like the name Meryl. Frankly, I don’t blame her. I wanted to name her Jennifer.”
Okay, this was another new fact Em had never heard before.
“And I told you that was a stupid name!” her mom said. “Boring! Her great-aunt’s name was Merylicia, and she was married to a rich oilman in Texas.”
“If I was Jennifer, at least I could have found souvenirs with my name on it,” Em said, glaring at her mom. “Do you know the teasing I suffered in school because of my name while I was growing up? I hated it. I still hate Merylicia.”
Her mom stared at her as if Em had slapped her, but now that Em was on a roll and had her dad’s support, she wasn’t stopping.
“It just shows how little respect you have for me if you won’t even honor one simple request to address me the way I wish to be addressed. And growing up with a name like yours and knowing what it felt like to hate your name, and yet you still won’t even budge an inch? Thanks.”
Em turned and headed out of the kitchen.
Her mom followed. “Well, at least tell me what time you’re going to be home.”
Em wheeled around. “Assume I’m going to spend the night with my friends,” she said, barely keeping her voice steady. “Assume I’m not coming home tonight. And then tomorrow morning, I’m calling your doctor and telling him blow-by-blow about this very conversation we’re having as more proof that there is something going on with you. Medical or psychological, I’m not sure what. But it’s. Not. Normal.”
She caught sight of headlights sweeping across the front of the house as the men pulled in. Em grabbed her purse and headed for the front door.
“Love you,” she called out.
Her mom started to say something, but her father cut her off and at that point, Em was already hurrying out the front door and pulling it closed behind her. She raced down to the car before either man could even get out. There, she opened the driver’s side back door and slid inside.
“Go, go, go!”
Garrison was behind the wheel. He immediately cranked the engine again, not hesitating or questioning. Jarred, in the front passenger seat, turned to look at her.
“Problem?”
“Noooobody expects the Motherly Inquisition,” Em said, making both men laugh.
“That bad, huh?” Jarred asked.
“What happened to last night’s progress?” Garrison asked.
“Apparently she’s backslid today. More proof to me and Dad that she’s got a problem. We finally made her confront it, and she’s upset.”
“If you’d rather not go tonight—”
“Oooh, no,” she said. “You don’t get to back out on me like that. You guys promised me a Mom-free night, and I’m taking it.”
Garrison let out a chuckle. “Did you even tell her it was us you were going out with?”
“Nope. Didn’t get that far. Just said friends. And FYI, I’m good to be out all night long.”
“Someone’s a naughty girl,” Jarred teased. “At this rate, she’ll be trying to get you committed to a convent by the end of the week.”
“Or a looney bin. Or I’ll be trying to get her committed.” She settled back in her seat. “Sorry, guys. Normally, I would have let you come in and say hi to my dad, but she pushed my buttons, the two of us got into it with her, and all I wanted to do was escape.”
“I think you’ll like our friends,” Jarred said. “They’re nice people.”
“Am I walking into a sex party or something? Not that I’m judging, because I’m not, I just want to be prepared.”
“Just dinner with friends,” Garrison assured her. “And there might actually be children present, so the conversation will probably be kept vanilla, too. One of our friends, Tilly, she’s been out of town working for some of our other friends and they’re all back in town for the first time in a while. Oh, and discretion is mandatory tonight. We vouched for you to get you added to the guest list, so no pictures or Facebook postings or anything about who you meet tonight.”
She chuckled. “Why? Are they famous or something?”
The men exchanged a glance. “You’ll see,” Jarred said.
They drove to a house east of I-75 in Sarasota County, in a rural neighborhood filled with homes surrounded by larger lots, some holding horses. There were already eight cars in the driveway when they pulled in, and another car pulled in and parked behind them in the grass.
“Was I supposed to bring a dish or something tonight?”
“No,” Jarred assured her. “It’s being catered.”
Meanwhile, Garrison had gotten out of the car before she did and opened the door for her, offering her his arm.
“You’re going to spoil me,” she said as she took his arm and let him help her out of the car.
“Maybe that’s our intention,” he said. “Maybe we like spoiling a woman.”
She stared up into his eyes. “Watch out. I might say, ‘challenge accepted.’”
Jarred got out and closed his door. “Who says we don’t want that, either?”
Jarred led the way, Garrison keeping his hand over Em’s left hand on his arm. Not that she wanted to let go of him, but that he was planning on her staying like that…she didn’t mind.
The man who answered the door had dark brown hair, green eyes, and was casually dressed in jeans and a button up, short-sleeved shirt. “Hey, guys. Glad you could make it.”
“Tony Daniels, this is our friend, Em Woodland.”
She reached out to shake with him. “Thank you for extending the invite for a plus one. I really appreciate it.”
“Nice to have new people. Eh, the guys warned you about privacy?”
“The basics, but not exactly why.”
Tony grinned. “You’ll see. Come on in.” He stepped to the side to allow them to pass and then greeted whoever was walking up behind them.
The
house was nice, obviously nicer than hers, and in a higher income and property tax bracket, definitely, but it felt warm and inviting inside. Nothing snooty or posh here, the furnishings felt like she could cozy up and be comfortable. None of the other people she caught sight of seemed to be anything other than average men and women dressed for a casual dinner at a friend’s house.
If these were their kinky friends, they apparently did a damn good job disguising that fact.
With her still on Garrison’s arm, they led her through the house to the kitchen, where three women were talking.
Garrison made the introductions. “Shayla Daniels, Leah Erikkson, and Loren Connelly, this is our friend, Em Woodland.”
“Nice to meet you,” Shayla said, shaking with her. “I’m glad you’ve managed to drag them out tonight. We’ve missed having them around.”
Jarred held up a finger. “Um, we only met her this past week. Just friends for right now, although we filled her in on the…basics.” He pointed at his neck and drew a circle in the air that Em suspected represented a collar, meaning BDSM.
“Oh, sorry.” Shayla smiled. “Still, glad to meet you. How did you three meet?”
“Her mom called the po-po on us,” Garrison joked.
Loren frowned. “What?”
Em’s face heated, but she told the story, including Jarred’s run-in with the carpet knife and their decision to mess with Em’s mom’s mind. When she finished her story, all three women chuckled.
“Well,” Leah said, “sounds like you have a plan.”
“I hope that didn’t make me sound like a monster.”
“Not at all,” Loren said. “Can’t say as I blame you. Oh! Tilly and the gang are finally here.”
The three women left the kitchen. When Em turned, she found herself struck speechless at who she saw standing in the entryway.
Garrison leaned in. “Yes, that’s who you think it is.”
“No. Freaking. Way,” she whispered.
“Way,” Jarred said. “Hence why the need for privacy tonight.”
“Oh. My. God!” She stared. “That’s Trevor Nichols! The Trevor Nichols! You guys know Trevor Nichols?”
“He prefers to go by Nick at these events. Trevor’s just his stage name. The people with him are Lucas and Leigh. They’re married to each other, and Nick and Leigh are both Lucas’ slaves. The triad behind him are Tilly, Landry, and Cris. Tilly and Landry are married, Cris is Landry’s slave, Cris is sort of Tilly’s Master—used to be, at least—and sometimes is again when she lets him. And Tilly sort of sometimes submits to Landry, when she feels like it.”
Now she finally looked up at Garrison. “Huh?”
He wore an adorable smirk. “Exactly. Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it.”
“Tilly works for Lucas, Leigh, and Nick,” Jarred added. “She’s their executive assistant for their production company. Sometimes the paparazzi stake out Lucas, Leigh, and Nick’s house. So when they’re in town and want to have a private dinner with friends and keep it on the down-low, they’ll have someone else host it, and they pay for all the catering and stuff. A lady who’s a member of the club, she runs a catering business. Very discreet for these kinds of events.”
“Club?”
“Venture,” Garrison said. “The BDSM club here in Sarasota that…Marcia and Derrick run. There.” He pointed the couple out, making their way over to the newcomers for hugs and hellos.
“There’s a BDSM club?”
“I thought we told you about that,” Garrison said. “Sorry. Yeah, we’ve been a couple of times, but Janis usually couldn’t go. Too much risk with her job visibility. The private parties were different, because they’re a very small, hand-picked guest list. Especially the ones at Lucas, Leigh, and Nick’s house, because they hire outside security to watch the perimeters.”
“I mean, is that legal? A club?”
“Oh, sure,” Jarred said. “They’re insured and have a business license and everything. They don’t allow sex, drugs, or alcohol there, so it’s a private membership club that allows nudity. Nothing illegal about that.”
“Huh.” She finally focused on him, not sure which part she was having trouble digesting more—the fact that she was about to be rubbing elbows, literally, with one of Hollywood’s A-list movie stars, finding out that the uber-macho ladies’ man was a real-life slave to another guy, or that there was a BDSM club in her hometown.
“Brain-fried?” Garrison asked.
She refocused on him and he still wore that adorable smirk. “Yeah. I never would have pictured Trevor Nichols as a…slave.”
Garrison arched an eyebrow at her. “What about us?”
“Ah. Point made. I think I’m going to learn a lot tonight, aren’t I?”
“Yep,” the men said.
Chapter Thirteen
Em let go of Garrison’s arm as they waited their turn to greet the six folks. But it was actually Tilly who pushed through the throng and hooked her arms around the two guys and pulled them in for a group hug.
“Oh. My. God! You two brats! You didn’t tell me you were going to be here tonight!” Tilly affectionately kissed them each on the cheek and playfully ruffled their hair, almost like little brothers. “How are you guys doing? I’m so glad you came out tonight.”
“We’re good,” Garrison said. “Just, you know, day by day. Like to introduce you to Em Woodland. She came out with us tonight to meet everyone.”
Tilly let go of the guys like they were hot potatoes and turned to her, hand extended. “Gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. No disrespect intended. I should have asked permission. Tilly LaCroux.”
Confused, Em shook with her. “I’m sorry, but what do you mean by disrespect and permission?”
Jarred touched Tilly’s arm. “It’s okay, Til. We’re just friends. She’s new. Long story. Shallow end of the pool for now.”
Tilly smacked herself in the forehead. “Sorry again. It’s very nice to meet you. I swear I’m not an idiot.”
“She also doesn’t look good in prison orange,” Garrison said, making all three laugh. Apparently it was a familiar joke.
“So how did you all meet?” Tilly asked.
They repeated the story for her, and Tilly also laughed. Then she turned around and poked Jarred in the shoulder. “You ass. Carpet knife? Really? Nonconsensual solo knife play?”
Tilly slapped a hand over her mouth and looked around, then dropped her voice. “Crap. I really need to remember just because I don’t have the kidlet with me doesn’t mean there aren’t kids around. Tony and Shay said this is supposed to be a vanilla night.”
Garrison laughed. “Where are the kids?”
Tilly grinned. “We pulled a switcheroo. Me and the guys, we took Katie over to the gang’s house, right? Leo, Jesse, Eva, and Nate, they brought their kids over, too. They parked in the garage. So then we took Leo’s minivan and left, all of us hunkered down while Landry drove. They’re babysitting all our kids over there tonight. We got out without any stray photogs catching sight of us or following us here.”
“Ah, sneaky,” Jarred said.
“I know, right?” Her grin faded and she poked him in the shoulder again. “Tetanus shot?”
“Of course.”
“Staples, stitches, or both?”
“Both.” He looked at Em. “Tilly’s a nurse.”
“Used to be,” Tilly corrected.
“Ah.”
“And the head matchmaker we warned you about,” Garrison said.
Tilly’s gaze narrowed as she focused on Em, calculating. “Waaait a minute—”
“No,” the guys said together. “We call dibs,” Garrison said. “We’re still in the just-friends stage. Give us a chance to figure out if it’ll ever be more before you steal her out from under us, huh?”
“Well, you’re going to pretend to be my boyfriends,” Em reminded them with a smile. “That counts, right?”
“Be careful,” Tilly warned, but her smile belied her tone. “You
might find you like it a lot more than you thought you would. Next thing you know, you’re headfirst down the rabbit hole.”
Em was about to reply when the doorbell sounded again. The gathered group moved into the living room to get out of the entryway while Tony went to answer the door.
There stood Chelbie, Nick, and Rich.
Em’s eyes widened, and she fought her initial urge to duck behind Garrison and Jarred.
But Jarred had apparently noticed her reaction, as did Tilly, who turned.
“Chelbie,” Tilly squealed, hurrying over for a hug.
Jarred leaned in close. “What’s wrong?”
“I know them.”
“That’s good, right?” Garrison asked.
“I—” Well, it wasn’t bad, she supposed. If they were there, too, that meant…
Em didn’t know what it meant.
Chelbie caught sight of her and walked over, smiling. “Hey, stranger.” She hugged Em, who still wasn’t sure what the proper etiquette was for running into someone she knew at a party like this.
“Um, hi.”
“You look like a woman new to things.”
“Yeah.”
Nick and Rich—Em realized two Nicks in attendance could get confusing very quickly—walked over to join them.
“Hey, Em,” Rich said. “And you two strangers. Where’ve you been?” The brothers hugged Garrison and Jarred.
“We didn’t know you guys knew each other,” Nick said.
Chelbie’s eyes widened. “Wait! These are the guys your mom called the police on the other day?”
Em felt heat rise in her face as she nodded.
Chelbie held her hand up for a high-five with her. “Come take a quick walk with me, girlfriend.”
Before Em could refuse, Chelbie had hooked her arm around Em’s and was leading her through the house and out to a screened lanai that looked onto a gorgeous backyard full of plants.
Chelbie took Em’s hands in hers and glanced around before dropping her voice. “I’ve known those guys for a couple of years now. I can’t claim to know everything about them, but everything I know personally, and have heard from others, is that they’re really nice guys. Tilly’s crazy about them, so that carries a lot of weight with me.”