Just like Kaden.
Which shouldn’t be a surprise to her, considering how the two men had practically grown up together from infancy. They’d sounded alike when Kaden was alive, some of the same turns of phrase, the same mannerisms. They truly were more brothers than friends.
I need to get over this. It’s my problem, not his.
If only he’d acted differently while doing this. If only he didn’t remind her so damn much of Kaden, it wouldn’t have bothered her.
Add to that the fact that she felt guilty about feeling this way.
She could never admit it to him. He’d want to take the display down, not understanding the problem wasn’t him, or what he was doing, but her.
It was her issue to deal with, and deal she would.
He couldn’t fix this for her.
She didn’t want him to fix this for her.
She knew she needed to get through it on her own, to adapt and overcome. Hopefully, next year, she’d be better.
This year, it had blindsided her.
She wanted to share his joy in this.
It would mean a long road of tiny steps forward, with the occasional step back. She knew from the past that she could now walk it.
Only she could walk it.
He plugged in another inflatable he’d staked out, a waving Frankenstein monster.
Seth turned. “Well? What do you think?” he asked as it slowly came to life.
She smiled. “I love it. I think it’s great. It’s going to be a great new tradition.”
She knew in her heart that it was the truth.
Now she just had to keep repeating it until she could believe it.
Chapter Three
“You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to this party tonight,” June said. She was dressed as a pornographic Tinkerbell, complete with a sparkly pink strap-on adorning the front of her outfit. Over that she wore a long trench coat that hung to her ankles.
Her husband, Mark, also known as Scrye to his friends, let out a snort. “Nooo. Enlighten me, please. You’ve only been talking about it nonstop for the past two weeks.”
“Well, look how long it’s been since we’ve gotten out. What, Valentine’s Day? I can’t help it. I want to see everyone.”
“Sorry.”
“I wasn’t blaming you.”
“Yeah, you were.”
“Okay, I was, but I didn’t mean to sound bitchy about it.”
He smiled. “You weren’t bitchy. I just like banking the guilt trip.”
“Sadist.”
“That’s ‘sadist Sir,’ to you.”
June blew him a raspberry. Their daughter, Sonya, had withdrawn from UF and moved back home for most of the summer. Then she’d applied to USF, was accepted, and now shared an apartment up in Tampa with her younger sister, Maren. Maren not only excelled in academics, but with her competitive swimming, too.
Sonya was working part-time to help pay expenses. Mark and June had done some financial juggling that wouldn’t hurt their retirement plans too much, but Sonya was now a lot happier and thriving in her classes, instead of being miserable and struggling.
It had taken Mark a while to ease June into the idea that one of their daughters wasn’t quite as perfect or driven as the other. It hadn’t hurt that he brought up the point that, if Sonya moved back from Gainesville, it meant no way would she get back together with the little asshat she’d been dating. Mark had had to drive up there to have a man-to-man conversation with him on Valentine’s Day night.
But having Sonya living at home for a few months had put a crimp in their kinky lifestyle, which hadn’t helped June’s mood any. Fortunately, that didn’t last long. And now that June wasn’t teaching kids’ gymnastics anymore and had focused solely on teaching adult yoga, her demeanor had calmed dramatically.
Something Mark was desperately grateful for. People who saw the two of them together, and didn’t know them very well, saw June’s calm exterior and his sometimes hyperactive one and then felt sorry for June.
She could run him ragged even on her worst day.
And frequently had.
Yes, he was the Master and husband, but June was no shrinking violet, either. Not really.
Especially not when her dander was riled.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m going to make it up to you tonight.”
“You’d better.”
He gave her side-eye.
“Sir,” she added.
“That’s better. Don’t think I won’t spank you in the bad way for getting mouthy. Just because I was lenient the past few months doesn’t mean I’ll stay that way. Tax season’s over, Sonya’s moved out—again—and I’m feeling pretty damn feisty.”
“Promises, promises,” she muttered sotto voce.
“Just remember that when I’ve got you strung up tonight.” Kel would be bringing his large wooden swing frame, which was a great portable bondage suspension solution.
“That’s what I’m hoping. Sir,” she snarkily added.
* * * *
When they pulled up to Seth and Leah’s, Scrye stopped the car on the street, taking the sight in.
“Holy crap,” he muttered. “That boy obviously needs a hobby. A different hobby. I know you said it’d be big, but I had no idea.”
It looked like their elaborate and extensive Christmas display…only done in Halloween. Yes, Seth went nuts at Christmas, because it had been Kaden’s thing. Scrye got that.
But this?
“I think this is his hobby,” June said. “I don’t even know where to look first.” She leaned forward and craned her neck to see. “Is that a freaking cat? It’s bigger than their damn house!”
He actually backed the car up a little to take it all in. “Yep. That’s a really big black cat.”
“Biggest pussy contest winner, right there.”
He laughed. “Hey, that’s a good one.” He finally pulled into their long, winding driveway and parked. Which wasn’t difficult, considering it looked like they were the first arrivals.
Halloween lights dripped from the trees, illuminating the parking area in a soft orange- and purple-hued glow. As they unloaded their gear and headed toward the front door, Leah stepped out to meet them on the porch. She was dressed in a French maid outfit that was almost long enough to cover her ass. Up top, a corset pushed her breasts up and nearly out, her nipples barely concealed.
“Spank or Treat!” Leah greeted them. “Well? What do you think?” she asked, indicating the yard.
“I know you said he was going nuts,” June said. “But this?”
“I know, right?”
“I’d hate to see your light bill,” Scrye said. “Wait, I do your taxes. I will see your light bill.”
“I don’t even want to know what the light bill is,” Leah said. “I’m just glad he’s happy.” Leah took the homemade cheesecake they’d brought from June. “Feel free to go walk through it, if you want. He set up a path that leads to the lanai out back.”
“Right now?” June asked.
“He really wants people to enjoy it.”
June exchanged a glance with Mark.
“Why not?” he ruled. “Let’s see what he did.”
Mark left their bags just inside the front door and they headed through Seth’s spooktacular maze of horrors.
Well, the happy fun-time version of horrors. Even a four-year-old likely wouldn’t be scared by most of the props.
There was even an animatronic zombie that looked incredibly lifelike. June had leaned in to get a better look at it when it reached out and grabbed her hand, making her scream.
Mark burst out laughing, as did the zombie.
Who, it turned out, was Seth.
June started laughing. “That wasn’t funny!”
“You’re laughing,” Seth said.
She swatted at him. “Leah set us up.”
“Hey, don’t blame her. She’s under orders to steer as many victims as possible this way. I love Hallow
een. This is going to be a blast!”
They made it the rest of the way through the maze without further incidents. Leah met them on the lanai with an apologetic smirk.
“Sorry, but I couldn’t have resisted even if he hadn’t ordered me to set people up. He’s having too much fun.”
June gave her a big hug. “I understand.”
“Hey, is that a dildo poking me, Tinkerbell, or are you just happy to see me?”
June opened up her trench coat and shook her hips at Leah. “Yes, and yes.”
“I’ll go get our stuff,” Mark said as he stepped around them and headed back inside the house. A large, gauzy ghost figure hung from the ceiling by the front door, rigged to move up and down when the door opened and closed. Someone walking in and caught unawares would likely be startled by it.
As he was getting their bags, he spotted headlights sweeping up the driveway. “Leah,” he called out. “Your next victims are approaching.”
“Oh, goodie!” She hurried past him in her high heels, her short, ruffled maid’s skirt and her mostly exposed boobs flouncing and bouncing with every tottering step as she headed outside to meet Derrick and Marcia before they could bypass the ambush.
He got their bags put up and rejoined June on the lanai. She’d ditched the trench coat.
“You should see the ghost hanging right inside the front door,” he told her. “Seth’s really going all out.”
“Did Leah go to catch the next ones?”
“Yep. Is it just me, or does she seem a little down about all of this?”
“She’s so used to making a big deal over Christmas that I think, now that Halloween is a big deal, too, she’s feeling it. She’ll be okay. It’s just another first, more progress.”
“Ah. Very astute.”
“No, that’s what she told Tilly and Loren. They told me.”
“Smart ass.”
She smiled. “Yes, Sir.”
* * * *
Through the front windows, they saw Kel and Mallory’s truck turn into the driveway just as Marcia let out a shriek from the side yard, making both June and Scrye giggle like maniacs.
Okay, June would admit it was hysterical.
Especially when it happened to someone else.
Scrye walked out front to help Kel and Derrick unload Kel’s suspension frame from his truck.
June and Marcia were torn as to whether or not to let Mallory fall prey to the prank when they heard Leah tell her she was welcome to tour the display.
Then they decided misery loved company and huddled over by the side door on the lanai to await the opportunity for them to laugh their asses off at someone else getting pranked.
But instead of the expected terrified shriek, they heard a loud, pained, “Ow!”
A man’s voice.
Marcia and June glanced at each other before hurrying out the door and around the side of the house in time to hear Mallory sounding horror-stricken and apologetic. They found Seth standing there, bent over, holding his nose.
“Oh, my god, Seth, I’m so sorry!”
June couldn’t help laughing. “Let me guess, she decked you?”
“Fucking ow!” Seth moaned.
Leah came toddling up on her high heels. “What happened?”
“Seth almost became a real-life extra for The Walking Dead,” June said, barely able to contain her laughter.
“I’m sorry!” Poor Mallory looked like she wanted to crawl under one of the fake tombstones and pull the sod over the top of her. “Oh, my god, Seth, I’m so sorry!”
Marcia couldn’t help but snicker. “Don’t worry. He deserves it for scaring the crap out of the two of us.”
June held out a fist and Marcia bumped with her.
“I warned you, Sir,” Leah said. “I told you that might not be a good idea. This is not the right crowd to be grabbing and scaring people. They’re liable to hit back. Let’s get you inside and get a bag of frozen peas on it or something.”
Kel, Scrye, and Derrick ran up. “What happened?” Kel asked.
Leah waved them off. “I think Sir’s already had a little too much fun. He’ll be okay.”
Seth still clutched at his nose. “Ow!”
Kel walked over to Mallory, who looked near tears. “What happened?”
“I wasn’t expecting to be grabbed. I had my back to him, and he clamped a hand onto my shoulder, and I reflexively backhanded him.”
The three men burst into laughter as Kel pulled Mallory into his arms. “That’s my girl,” Kel said. “He’s fucking lucky it wasn’t Tilly. She would have killed him.”
“He’s lucky Sir doesn’t let me carry at parties,” June said. “He might have ended up shot.”
With that bit of excitement over, they all returned to the house, the men helping Kel get the frame set up on Seth and Leah’s lanai.
Well, all the men except Seth, who was now sitting at the kitchen counter with a bag of frozen peas stuck to his face like the Xenomorph from Alien.
“That’ll teach him,” June muttered to Marcia. “We subby women aren’t a bunch of pushovers. You might get away with that kind of shit with a bunch of kids, but not one of us.”
“Oh, he meant well. He was having fun.”
“It’s all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone of shame,” June said.
Marcia laughed. “I thought you guys didn’t do puppy play anymore?”
“I’m thinking about getting back into it. Tony’s going to be working with Shayla for both pup and pony. She’s got some nice pony tack, too. We just haven’t had time to get together.”
“There’s a human pets and primals group that meets at the club every month, you know.”
“Yeah, but I’ve never been able to make it,” June said. “Either our kids were home, or I was teaching gymnastics. Now I can give up my Saturday yoga classes to someone else who has a day job in addition to teaching, and maybe actually have a life again on the weekends.”
“I know that feeling.”
June caught something in her tone. “What’s going on?”
Marcia glanced around before leaning in. “We’re going to announce it tonight. Derrick asked Kel to be his partner in the club. After that health scare last month, I put my foot down. He’s not getting any younger, and running the club by himself is a full-time job in addition to his full-time job.”
“Congratulations!” June was glad Scrye hadn’t been asked. He likely would have said yes, and she would have had to play bad guy and put her foot down.
Playing at the club, sure.
Teaching at the club, sure.
Writing the books about rigging, sure.
Running a BDSM club?
Hell, no. That was a liability she didn’t want, and an aggravation she didn’t need. Volunteer at the club when they wanted to and had the time? Absolutely.
But that was all she wanted them committed to doing. The time suck of running the club would stretch their already limited free time together to the point their relationship would hit critical mass, and that was something she would not allow to happen.
“Thanks,” Marcia said. “I’m really happy about this. You have no idea. It means less stress on him now. And, hey, it’ll be good for the club, too. They’ll be able to expand and keep up with growing demand.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
The ER trip had been scary. An acute gallbladder attack due to gallstones Derrick didn’t even know he had, and at first everyone had been worried it was a heart attack.
Now he was one gallbladder lighter, and his heart had checked out fine.
Except Marcia’s nerves were shot over the incident, understandably so.
They watched as the men finished assembling the suspension frame. Once the men had it set up and Kel had tested it, Scrye looked around the lanai, found June, and crooked a finger at her.
“That’s my cue,” June told Marcia.
“Have fun.”
June grinned. “I can only hope.”
&
nbsp; Chapter Four
At first, Derrick had been a little aggravated with Marcia for going behind his back to arrange for his night off.
Then he realized how much this night meant to her and he sucked it up. She was his wife. She had a right to attend events like this, private parties hosted by their friends.
It wasn’t fair to her to saddle her with working at the club every weekend.
“So are we telling everyone tonight?” Marcia asked as he drove them toward Seth and Leah’s house.
He noted how eager she sounded to get the news out there. “I’m thinking so. Kel and I got the paperwork signed on Wednesday. It’s official.”
“I’m glad you’re finally doing this. Now if I could just convince you to retire.”
“That’s a dirty thing to say to a guy.”
“Hey, I’m a masochist,” she shot back. “You think I think retirement will be easy on you? Think again. But having Kel as a partner in the club is a good thing. It means you can scale back and have some of your weekends back for a change. We can have them back.”
“I know.” Venture, the BDSM club he’d owned and operated for over ten years, was his baby. A labor of love, since it damn sure would never make him rich.
Combined with his CPA firm, he had too much stuff on his plate. And the health scare the previous month showed him he needed to work some free time into his schedule.
He was blessed with a lot of great volunteers, but he needed someone else helping behind the scenes to run the club.
His friend and landlord, Askel, had been the first one he’d thought of asking to come in as a partner. It would take off a lot of the stress, as well as give Derrick some free time.
Kel was out as kinky, so he didn’t have to worry about that. He was also self-employed as a photographer, another point in his favor. So when Derrick had formed his list trying to decide who to approach, Askel had hit the top of the page.
Fortunately, his friend had said yes to the plan.
There was even another unit adjacent to the club coming up vacant in the next three months. After crunching numbers, Derrick knew it was doable. Their attendance had been steadily growing, membership renewals were up, and every Saturday night, the place was packed. Even Friday nights, which were traditionally slower, had started picking up as some people switched over trying to take advantage of the lower attendance.