Initiative (Suncoast Society #31)(40)

“No, it’s okay,” Darryl said. “He won’t be up in the morning until after Grant’s gone for work anyway.”

Grant pulled them together for a group hug. “We’ll get through this together,” he said. “We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“I hope he doesn’t come to hate me,” Susie said.

“He won’t,” Darryl assured her. “He’s just upset right now.”

In fact, later, Kyle seemed disappointed that she was leaving so early.

“She’ll come over for dinner tomorrow night,” Darryl told him. “We’re going to help her roll up her new character for the game.”

“Cool.” He tipped his head as he stared at her. “I’m sorry I was rude earlier. I like you. I think you’re nice.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I like you, too. And it’s okay. I understand parents can make you feel crazy.” She nudged Darryl with her elbow. “These guys should remember that.”

When she got home, she immediately started hunting through her closets until she found the box she was looking for. As she sat on the floor in the spare bedroom and opened it, she smiled when she found her dice bag right on top. A black canvas zipper pouch with a white Hello Kitty on it. Inside, her old polyhedral dice, several different sets in a wide variety of colors, as well as extra six-, eight-, and twenty-sided dice.

“Hey, boys. We’re baaack.” She zipped the case closed and set it aside. The men had told her they were playing a newer version of D and D than she still had books and modules for, so she set those aside and kept digging.

Then she found her high school yearbooks, and the pictures tucked inside.

Including the one from prom.

She smiled as she stared at the three kids smiling for the camera. Who knew twenty years later where they’d be? There was Grant and those intense blue eyes of his, and Darryl and his sweet smile, their arms slung around her and each other, chins resting on her shoulders.

Perfection back then.

She packed everything away except her dice and the pictures and slid the box back into the closet. The rest she took out to the kitchen, laying them on the counter. She’d need to get the pictures framed.

Between college, her whirlwind romance with John, and then working like crazy, those memories had just gotten…lost. Misplaced.

As she stood there, she realized she hadn’t gone through her usual routine. She had completely bypassed the front table and her cuffs and collar waiting there.

Turning, she spotted John’s urn sitting on the shelf in the living room. She walked over to it and stared at it. “I hope you’d like them, Master,” she said. “They took good care of me back then, and I know they’ll take good care of me now. You told me you wanted me to go on living. I think I finally found my reason to do just that.”

Now that she had a second chance, she damn sure would take the initiative and make sure she didn’t lose the men again.





Chapter Thirteen


Grant texted her a little before eleven that he’d be heading over soon. She was waiting, naked, wearing her collar and cuffs, kneeling in the front hallway for him.

His cock thickened as soon as he saw her there. He closed and locked the door behind him and set his bag down, walking over to her to greet her.

“Such a good girl,” he murmured, stroking her hair as she leaned in to nuzzle her head against the front of his jeans. “My very good girl. I didn’t even have to ask you to be ready.”

“Is Kyle okay, Sir?”

“He’ll be fine. He talked some more after you left. I think he really is serious this time about moving in with us.” He helped her to her feet and kissed her. “Question is, are you going to be okay with that?”

“Absolutely. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Kind of cuts into some of the crazy plans we’d had.” He smirked. “Less nakey time.”

“This is a little more important. As long as I’ve got you two in my life, nakey or not, I’m happy.”

He hugged her. “Good girl.”

“I found my dice.” She led him to the kitchen and he smiled when he saw the pictures.

“Wow. Look at those two goofy dudes.” He picked up the prom picture, a wistful look on his face. “You know, that night when I finally got home, I think I rubbed three or four out.”

She snorted. “How romantic.”

He set the picture down and turned her to face him. “You have no idea. I didn’t understand stuff back then. None of us did. I had fantasies about both of you. That’s another reason I never got serious about anyone in college or later, until Darryl. I already knew, deep in my heart, who I wanted to be with. It was just a matter of time, learning, waiting, until I had a chance with Darryl. I never thought I’d see you again. I definitely didn’t want to lose him.”

“You knew Chelsey wouldn’t last, didn’t you?”

“Unfortunately. I did some snooping, too. She had user profiles all over the place on all the dating sites that were starting to pop up back then. She’s still as much of an idiot now, sad to say. And I was in IT, even back then. I tried to gently nudge Darryl into taking things slow with her, but at the time he was kind of spooked by his true feelings and jumped into a marriage with her.”