Just One Taste (Topped #2)(30)

Tiffany grinned. “You say ‘hey, hot chef Dom, you should really tenderize this beef.’”

“She’s going to need a ride home,” Charlotte said. “Too bad her training Dom isn’t here. As for you, you need to be honest with Eric. It’s hard to openly talk about these things, but it’s important. Intimacy and sex are things most of us view as private and dirty and taboo. We’re so much happier as human beings when we acknowledge our needs and don’t try to fight them because they’re outside the norm. He won’t be shocked. He’ll like the fact that you’re talking to him.”

“He’ll definitely like the fact that she wants to have dirty sex with him,” Tiffany said with another giggle.

Her friend was cutting loose tonight and it worried Deena a little. Tiffany wasn’t the girl who got drunk at parties. She tended to be the one who looked after everyone else. If someone was going to make a scene at the boss’s party, it would be Jenni.

Deena sighed. It looked like talking to Eric was going to have to wait. “I’ll think about what you said, Charlotte. I better take this one home.”

Tiffany’s nose was a nice shade of red when she looked up at Deena. “I don’t need to go home. I’m partying.”

The very fact that she’d used the word “partying” gave Deena pause. Tiffany was a fun girl, but she didn’t party or overdo anything. She was a serious artist, more thoughtful than wild. “We can party at your place.”

She was going to feel like hell in the morning, and Deena wanted to be able to tell her friend that she hadn’t done anything embarrassing in front of the boss.

“Deena, I need to speak with you for a moment,” a deep voice said.

Shit. Tiffany might not be able to avoid the boss because Sean Taggart stepped into the room, and he seemed to be in full-on authoritative mode. His eyes were slightly narrowed, his shoulders squared off, and his voice deep. Was he pissed? “It’s all right. I’m going to take her home.”

“I don’t know why we should go home. All the beer is here,” Tiffany said, pushing her hair out of her face.

“I’ll have someone take her home. I think Sebastian was planning on leaving soon. He’ll take care of her,” Sean said. “You have something else you need to do.”

Sebastian seemed like a perfectly nice man, but Tiffany was her responsibility. “If you need me to help set up the buffet, I’m more than happy to do it, but she’s my friend. I have to make sure she’s all right.”

Sean stepped up and looked down at her. “I admire that, Deena, but Sebastian can handle her. You have something else to do and it won’t wait. Don’t worry about Tiffany. Sebastian will treat her well. He doesn’t put this out there often, but he’s a trained Dom and I would trust him with Grace.”

That was about as good a recommendation as Sean Taggart could give.

Tiffany managed to stand on wobbly feet. “I can take myself home.”

“No, you can’t,” Deena shot back.

“Deena, I need you to go upstairs, last door on the right,” Sean ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

“Am I supposed to get something out of there?”

“Oh, you’ll definitely get something.” He put a hand on Tiffany’s arm to help steady her. “Come on, Tiff. Let’s get you home.”

Charlotte watched as Sean eased Tiffany out of the room. There was a small smile on her face that Deena could only describe as mischievous.

“What’s going on?” Deena asked, suspicion creeping in.

“Sometimes wishes get granted. Be careful though. Some wishes make our backsides ache.” Charlotte winked and Deena was left standing in the middle of an empty parlor. She glanced toward the stairs. There was nothing else to do. It wasn’t like she was going to walk away.

She started up the stairs and hoped curiosity was on her side.





CHAPTER SIX



Deena opened the door and felt her eyes widen immediately. Of all the things she’d expected to find, Eric standing there looking deliciously yummy without his shirt on wasn’t it. She supposed she’d expected some sort of practical joke. The guys she worked with were good at those.

There was no humor in the way Eric was looking at her now. He stood in the middle of the room, right in front of…was that a spanking bench? She glanced around feeling somewhat like a mouse who’d walked right into a trap. She was in a private playroom. Chef’s private playroom.

Why was she in Chef’s private playroom with Eric? Her Dom. Her mind was starting to work overtime. Yep, she was in a private, beautifully done torture chamber with a man who had the right to punish her.

She stared for a moment, trying to grasp what the hell was going on. Eric was standing there, his shirt off, all those gorgeous muscles glistening. “Hi. Uhm, are you supposed to give me something to take down to the party? Chef told me to come up here. Is he doing a demo? I kind of thought this was a PG party, what with Grace’s son being here and all.”

He stepped forward, his bare feet moving over the hardwoods. She thought for a moment that he was moving toward her, but he stepped around her, passing her and moving to the door. She heard the door close and the snick of a lock being set into place.

“The party is certainly PG,” he said, his voice a bit rough as he moved to stand in front of her. He was so tall. He towered over her, seemingly taking up all the space around them. “What goes on in here will be anything but. Now, Deena, it’s far past time for us to have a long discussion about what happens to submissives who lie to their Doms.”