A Lovely Shade of Ouch [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Read online

  Yet he wasn’t sure he needed a relationship, either. Wanted one, sure. Who didn’t?

  I really am a masochist, going to a collaring. Especially on the heels of a funeral.

  John still had more than half of the bottle of rum left. When he finally left the club that night, he could go home, pour another stiff drink, and think about scrubbing down the garage, even though it didn’t need it.

  Busy work.

  If I can’t be happy, at least I can be productive.

  Chapter Six

  Fortunately, Tom voluntarily slept in the guest room Thursday night. Abbey didn’t even have to ask him, which was a relief.

  It was a battle she’d dreaded, and she didn’t think she should have to give up her bed due to his asshattery.

  He didn’t emerge from his room before she left for work on Friday morning, either, although he’d started the coffeepot before she got up. On her way home from work early Friday afternoon, she stopped by a storage place that sold moving supplies and loaded her car with boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, markers, and other things she’d need.

  When she arrived home, Tom wasn’t there, but he returned a little while later with groceries.

  “How much is my share?” she tonelessly asked.

  “Don’t worry about it.” He set about putting things away while she retreated to her room to take a hot shower and lie down. He knocked on her door a little after six that evening. “Dinner’s ready.”

  They ate watching the evening news, no conversation as she sat on the sofa and he occupied the recliner.

  It felt painfully uncomfortable in a way even the agony in her back did not.

  He retreated to his bedroom after cleaning up the dishes.

  The next morning, Tom left the house early, with his luggage packed, and said he’d stay at a hotel in Tampa until his flight out Monday morning.

  Fine with her. It meant less contact with him.

  Later Saturday morning, it was actually Landry and Cris who picked up Abbey, because Tilly needed to assist with the preparations at the club and help Mallory get ready. Tilly had bought Abbey a present and sent it with her men, though. The pink tiger-print cane was adjustable, and Cris was careful to make sure it was the right height for her.

  “Tilly said if she sees you not using it today,” Landry said, “once you’re healed up, she reserves the right to spank you.”

  She struggled not to cry, didn’t want to cry today. Today was supposed to be a celebration for their friends, not a day for her to throw herself a pity party.

  The two men took her out for a late brunch, then back to their house so she could change before they headed to the club. Abbey couldn’t help but feel guilty that she wasn’t at the club and helping. Usually, she pitched in when someone had a collaring or wedding at the club, helping get the chairs set up and the decorations placed.

  Once they arrived at Venture, Landry got Abbey settled on one of the sofas and made sure she was comfortable before he and Cris went to see if their help was needed. It was still early, and the bulk of the expected crowd hadn’t arrived yet.

  She felt more than a little useless just sitting there, but her pain was worse than normal. Trying to help, knowing what her day would be like tomorrow with the impending move, would be stupid.

  The door from the outer lobby opened and a man who looked vaguely familiar walked in. He scanned the room, apparently searching for someone, before his gaze settled on her. He looked handsome, brown hair and greenish hazel eyes, and dressed in a nice suit and tie. Though he wore a rather somber expression.

  It was only when he walked over to her that she realized who he was.

  “Gilo!” she softly hissed. “Are you crazy? Tilly will kill you if she sees you here.”

  He sadly smiled, indicating the sofa. “May I sit?”

  A switch flipped inside her, sensing something drastically different about the man today. “Yeah. What’s wrong? What happened?”

  He slowly lowered himself onto the couch, as if weighed down by an invisible burden. “Just came from the funeral for my oldest friend.”

  Abbey felt horrible for the man. “Oh, dammit. I’m so sorry, John.”

  “Yeah.” He seemed to study his feet for a moment. “Sudden. Drives home how short life is. Don’t worry, Askel called me yesterday and asked me to keep it toned down today. Frankly, I don’t feel like acting out anyway. But I didn’t want to miss their ceremony. I came straight here from there.” He flapped his tie a little. “Hence the monkey suit.”

  She rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so, so sorry.” Actually, she sort of liked this look on him. Then again, a well-tailored suit on a man was one of her personal fetishes.

  “Thanks.” He took a deep breath and let it out again. “Was not expecting this.”

  “What happened? Or would you rather not talk about it?”

  “Shit happened. Complications from a routine colonoscopy. He was dead twenty-four hours later.”

  She’d played with Gilo a couple of times years ago, before she’d met Tom and started a relationship with him. They hadn’t had much contact outside the club, and she wasn’t even sure what he did for a living. The only reason she knew his real name was because when she played with someone, that was a requirement for her in case something went wrong. Even if only playing at the club.

  “Jesus.”

  “Yeah.” He forced a smile and looked at her. “So what’s new in your world?” He nodded toward the cane. “I’ve never seen you with that before.”

  “I thought you’d heard. Ruined my back. And my relationship’s in the shitter.” Before she knew it, just sitting there with him, alone like that, the story spilled out of her.

  “Holy crap, Abbey. That sucks. What an asshole. I’m sorry, but that’s just wrong. Especially if you’re having surgery.”

  At that point, Tilly appeared with Mallory and Chelbie in tow, but they headed straight for the bathroom changing area without so much as a glance their way.

  She noticed John froze, carefully watching Tilly, only relaxing once she and the two younger women were in the bathroom.

  “Hey, how about I make you a deal,” Abbey said, laying a hand on his arm.

  He returned his focus to her. “Yeah?”

  She forced a smile she didn’t really feel. “How about you let me hang off your arm and help me hobble around today for the ceremony, and I’ll protect you from Tilly.” She was only half joking.

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. But I’d help you hobble around even if you don’t want to protect me. Some of us are still gentlemen, even if Tom isn’t.”

  As they sat and talked, she realized there was so much about the man she didn’t know, that he was an engineer, that he was intelligent and funny and definitely far more than just the smart-assed masochistic clown many of the club members saw him portray.

  “Can I ask you something?” she said.

  “Sure.”

  “Why the SAM act?”

  He smiled. “Stress relief. As you can imagine, my job is pretty stressful. This is how I process that stress.”

  “By getting it beaten out of you?”

  “Yeah, I know. Look, this might sound out of the blue, and no is a totally fine answer, but I’ve got a four-bedroom house I’m rattling around in. If you want, you can move in with me. I’m only ten minutes from Tilly’s place. After your surgery, she can still come over and help you out while I’m at work.”

  She stared at him. “What?”

  “Yeah. I own my house. My last roommate moved out over a year ago. Only reason he lived with me was he’d lost his job and needed time to get back on his feet. In fact, the room he was using, I just have a few boxes stored in it. I can have it cleared out in under an hour.”

  * * * *

  John didn’t know why he suddenly made the offer. In fact, as soon as he did, he mentally kicked himself, knowing that it probably made him look like a douche or a desperate idiot or something.

  But the pain in
her expression, the ocean of sadness in her green eyes as she recounted what Tom had done and the cold, clinical way the man had justified his actions to her, it viscerally pissed John off to the depths of his being.

  Abbey was a good woman. She deserved to be treated better than that. Even if just as friends, he wanted to offer her the help. Yes, he tended to stay on the fringes of their social group, afraid the visibility of his job might make him vulnerable to being outed if he ran into anyone he worked with. That was why he usually wore a hood or at least a mask when playing at the club. He’d long regretted not becoming closer to her sooner, when they’d played before.

  Instead of shooting him down like he thought she would, she said the weirdest thing. “I have a tortoise. Is that going to be a problem?”

  Confused, he stared at her. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Huh?”

  “Okay, back up. My hearing’s not that great. What did you say you have?”

  “A tortoise. You know, like a turtle, but not. He’s my pet.”

  I. Am. An. Idiot.

  He felt blood fill his face. “Ah, okay. Sorry. Now I’m tracking. No, that’s not a problem.”

  “I’ve got an indoor enclosure for him I can put him in. I’m going to have to break down his outdoor one. I have it on a screened lanai right now.”

  “You could set it up on my lanai. I’ve got a pool and everything.”

  “They don’t swim.”

  “Oh. Well, then I guess we’ll keep the kid-proof screen up around the pool.”

  She smiled and tucked a stray strand of her reddish-auburn hair behind her ear. For the first time that day, his soul felt a little lighter. He’d actually made someone smile.

  “You say that like I’ve said yes.”

  “I’m an optimist.” He returned to serious mode. “Look, just friends, no pressure, no nothing. I’ve even got a roommate lease you can sign if you want to make things legal. Although I might have to add a clause prohibiting Tilly from killing me. And if you say no, at least let me help you with the move tomorrow, please?”

  She actually laughed a little. “Might take more than a clause to prevent Tilly from killing you. Why do you bait her, anyway?”

  He shrugged. “People laugh. It’s fun knowing I can push her buttons like that. If someone specifically pulls me aside beforehand and asks me not to goof around, like today, then I don’t. But people love watching her get riled up. I like making people laugh.”

  “And you’re a masochist.”

  “There is that,” he agreed. “She kicks a mean stiletto heel.”

  “So isn’t that kind of nonconsensually pulling her into your kink?”

  He considered that. “Hadn’t really thought about it like that. Actually, I guess you have a very valid point.”

  “Takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong.”

  “I never have a problem admitting when I’m wrong. Although I frequently question myself when I’m right.”

  A few minutes later, as more people started gathering for the ceremony, John offered his seat on the sofa to a woman who was a friend of Abbey’s. Before he stood, however, Abbey reached for his arm.

  “Hey, are you busy after this?” she asked.

  “No. I was just going to go home and drown my sorrows in a tub of Chunky Monkey.”

  She offered him a smile. “Would you mind if I went with you? To look at your place? I don’t want to say yes or no until we’ve had a chance to talk more. And if you don’t mind taking me home, I’d like you to meet George.”

  “George?”

  “My tortoise.”

  “Okay.” He paused, thinking. “How about we go to my place, then dinner—my treat—and then I’ll take you home.”

  She smiled. “You have yourself a deal.”

  He stood, remaining close so he could help Abbey when it came time to move over to the chairs for the ceremony. He wasn’t paying attention when Tilly emerged from the bathroom with Mallory and Chelbie.

  It was only when Tilly did a double-take and backed up to look at him that he realized how vulnerable he was.

  Thunderclouds filled Tilly’s face. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  He held up his hands to placate her. “Calm down, Tilly,” he said. “I just came from a funeral. Don’t worry, I’m not going to cause trouble.” He faced Mallory and gave her a slight, respectful bow. “Congratulations. You look beautiful. I hope you and Kel have many years of happiness together.”

  Mallory looked a little shocked at first, like maybe she didn’t recognize him in street clothes.

  He was beyond amused at how Tilly’s jaw opened and closed a couple of times, like she was going to say something but had been rendered speechless. Finally, she jabbed a finger in his face. “Behave yourself, or you won’t walk straight ever again.”

  He cocked his head, arching an eyebrow at her. He didn’t want to get into it with her then, and didn’t feel like explaining himself. “Believe it or not, I do have boundaries. You don’t give me credit for all the times I haven’t said a peep during a ceremony simply because I was asked ahead of time not to.”

  Tilly let out something resembling a snarl. “Yeah? Well…I’m going to have my eye on you, buster.”

  He blew her a kiss. “I’m flattered.” He flashed her a playful smile.

  Tilly let out one final snort and stormed away, Ross giving John a silent laugh and shake of his head as he led Mallory toward the other side of the play space where the chairs had been set up.

  He turned to Abbey. “I think it’s time.” He stepped in to help her stand, keeping his right arm around her waist and offering his left for her to hold on to as he helped her across the room.

  Abbey playfully tsked. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

  He shrugged. “I was good. I behaved myself.”

  As he glanced around, he caught sight of Tilly glaring at him. She pointed at her own eyes with two fingers on her right hand, then at him, and back to herself.

  I’ve got my eyes on you.

  He blew Tilly another silent kiss. Then he helped Abbey ease down into her seat before taking the one next to her.

  Abbey gently poked him in the ribs and mouthed Behave at him.

  But she was smiling.

  And, he noticed, she kept her arm hooked through his. Whether for her own comfort, or because she still thought he might act up, he didn’t know.

  Considering it’d been over five years since he’d gotten laid, he wouldn’t question the gesture. It felt good to have some gentle human contact that didn’t involve pain, or comforting someone in their grief, even though he enjoyed pain. Just in a different way.

  It was nice to have a little normalcy for a change.

  Yes, he’d behave himself today. Because the last thing he felt like was acting like a fool.

  But mostly because Kel had asked him not to.

  Still, he wouldn’t deny it felt good getting under Tilly’s skin.

  I owe her an apology before we leave. If she doesn’t kill me when she finds out what Abbey’s thinking about doing.

  And he wasn’t sure that Tilly might not do just that.

  It was hard to miss the frequent glares Tilly sent his way throughout the brief ceremony. Only when Tilly was distracted because she was taking pictures for Kel during Mallory’s piercing did Tilly’s attention waver from him.

  Abbey leaned in. “I might be able to trip her with my cane to give you a running start,” she softly joked. “But that’s all I’ve got.”

  He had to press his lips together to keep from laughing out loud and drawing Tilly’s attention as well as her ire. “No, hopefully Cris and Landry will run interference.” All joking aside, he knew what a dedicated friend Tilly was to those she considered “adopted” into her family.

  He respected her for it, even if Tilly didn’t know that. A lot of people respected her, even if in public they joked about their fear of her. She’d helped mentor plenty of newbie women,
who’d been kept safe from jackass predators in the BDSM lifestyle simply because they had Tilly as their “protector.”

  He also knew she’d been through a lot in her life, especially the last several turbulent years after Landry came into her life, bringing Cris back into it as well.

  Yeah, that had been a shock to the entire local community who knew the history there.

  John had been one of the first to privately welcome Cris back, albeit with the warning that if he fucked up again, John would be one of the first in line to string him up by his balls.

  Fortunately, Tilly, Landry, and Cris seemed to have formed a triad that worked for all three of them.

  When the ceremony ended, John remained in his seat because Abbey made no move to stand. Eventually Tilly, closely followed by Landry and Cris, made her way over.

  “What’s going on?” Tilly asked, her murderous glare now toned back to assault with intent.

  “You have to promise not to get upset,” Abbey said.

  “I make no such promise. Especially when it’s prefaced by that warning.”

  “Tilly,” Landry said. “Hear her out.”

  “John’s offered to let me move in with him—”

  “Oh, fuck no—”

  “Tilly,” Landry and Cris both said.

  John took over. “I have a huge house and plenty of room, and I’m only ten minutes from your place. You can still help her out after her surgery. If Abbey even says yes. She hasn’t yet. I’m going to take her over there now to look at it, then I’m taking her out to dinner. I’ll bring her home after.”

  Tilly looked like she was about to explode.

  Landry, smooth-talking ex-pat Frenchman that he was, laid a staying hand on Tilly’s arm. “How about this,” he said. “We’re no longer required here tonight. We’ll say our good-byes and follow you to your house. Then all of us can go out to dinner.”

  “That sounds like a plan to me,” John agreed.

  “Are you shitting me?” Tilly asked Landry. “You’re okay with her maybe moving in with this guy?”

  “Love, your concern for your friend is admirable. However, she is an adult. Our offer still stands, and it’s not yet confirmed she will move in with him. Let us not lose our composure over this, hmm?”