Impact (Suncoast Society #32)(5)

She was scared, of her boyfriend, and for Cris, despite him reminding her he could take care of himself.

He supposed she’d found her way to a gang member for a boyfriend.

You can’t save everyone.

It sure as hell hurt, though. Hurt on a cellular level, a soul-deep level. Even deeper than what he was going through by walking away from Landry. At least he had the choice to leave. He could take an action.

It hurt even worse with Landry being equitable about him leaving, about buying him out, giving him a solid nest egg to leave with.

He wished the man had fought for him. Anything.

Like he wanted to fight for Fi.

Unfortunately, in both cases, he couldn’t fight the fight for them.

They had to want to fight.





Chapter Two


Now…



“I am not going to fight about this with you,” Tilly said.

“Then take my damn car.”

“I can take a cab—”

Cris grabbed her by the hair and tipped her head back. “I’m not arguing with you about this, either, Redbird,” he growled in Master tone. “Take. My. Car.”

She still managed to roll her eyes at him. “Okay, fine.”

Who was she kidding? She couldn’t resist him.

Especially when he played the Dom card.

“Fine what?”

She sighed. “Fine, Sir.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her, then released her hair, pulling her in for a hug. “I still don’t understand why you won’t rent a car.”

“Because I don’t want to end up on TMZ.com,” she mumbled. “That little f*cker really pissed me off a couple of weeks ago. I’ve heard through the grapevine that now he’s out to get me since I told him off and he didn’t get it on video.”

“That’s all?”

“I don’t want to give him any ammo he can use against the gang.”

That was her nickname for the poly trio of Lucas, Leigh, and Nick, their friends.

Oh, and Tilly’s employers. It was common knowledge that Leigh and Lucas were married and close friends with Nick, with whom they were also business partners.

It was not widely known that macho-man action star Nick was Lucas’ bisexual slave. As was Leigh. Lucas’ slave, that is, but not bi.

“How can you renting a car give him any ammo against them?” Cris asked.

“Why would I rent a car when I have a place here in LA?”

“Uh, because it’s in the shop. The same reason a lot of people have to rent a car.”

“Yeah, exactly. Because I was an idiot and hit a traffic barrel. I don’t need him hunting up a police report.”

“But it wasn’t your fault. The wind blew it in front of you before you could avoid it. Two other people hit it after you did. I’m just glad nobody was hurt. None of you were even cited for it.”

“Thank god no one recognized me at the accident scene last night.” She crossed her arms over her chest. They’d flown back to LA Sunday evening, and she’d barely been there twenty-four hours before wrecking her car.

“By the time the guy gets done with the story, if he gets hold of it, he’ll have it looking like I ran over an orphanage school outing, or was in a drunk driving accident, or something equally bad, and that it’s getting covered up. Once something like that gets out, it makes people talk in the bad way no matter what the truth is.”

“You make no sense, sweetheart.”

“You’re right that it doesn’t make sense,” she said. “This is Hollyweird we’re talking about. Where the paparazzi lie in wait to get the perfect picture of a celebrity rubbing their face so it looks like they were picking their nose.”

Cris stared at the living room windows of their condo. “Remind me to tell Lan we need to add extra thick window blinds to all the windows.”

“Duh. Damn Interstate construction, anyway. I’ll never bitch about Tampa’s traffic again. Are the roads ever not under construction here?”

“Freeway,” he said.

“What?”

“We call it the freeway out here, not the Interstate.”

She planted her fists on her hips. “Really? You’re seriously going to go there?”

“I’m just sayin’.”

Then he smirked.

Time folded and faded and it felt like the five years he’d left her had never happened. That handsome, playful smirk he wielded could completely disarm her sarcasm cannon and dampen her panties.

At the same time.

Yes, it shocked the hell out of her, too. This was never a situation she’d thought she’d ever experience in her life. Not only loving, but having forgiven Cris for leaving her in the first place.

“I have a lot of work to catch up on,” Cris said. “You can take me to work and pick me up. That way, you’ll have the car all day, as long as you need it.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl.”

Not many people got to see this side of Tilly with Cris. Most people saw her treat him as an equal, or co-topping him with Landry at Venture, the BDSM club they frequented in Sarasota, where their home was located.

Only recently had Tilly been able to allow the final remnants of the wall in her heart against Cris to crumble. She’d finally been able to ask him to be her Master again.