Just One Taste (Topped #2)(51)

“Guys, can I borrow the boss for a minute?” Deena asked, stepping close to Eric again.

Javi waved them off. “There’s a nice closet in the front of house. I stash condoms in there and everything.”

“I think we can go outside.” There was no way he was taking Deena into Javier’s broom closet.

Deena nodded. “Yes, I’m not missing graduation because I picked up a venereal disease, Javi.”

“I’m very clean, sweetheart,” Javi protested. “Did you hear about the condoms? I’m all about the glove love.”

Tiffany groaned. “One of these days you’re going to fall in love and she’s going to be so turned off by your skanky reputation.”

Javi shook his head. “Nah, this is too much man for any one woman. I owe it to the world to put this out there.”

Eric took Deena’s hand and led her outside. The sun was low in the sky, the heat of the day warming his skin. The back alley behind Top might contain the garbage bin, but it also had a basketball hoop and a couple of bistro tables and chairs for breaks.

“What did you need, baby?”

She went up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his lips. “To thank you. I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last few weeks without you.” She settled back on her feet.

“I was happy to help.” He was also happy with how easily she touched him these days. “So do you have plans for after graduation or can I take you and Tiff and Ally to dinner?”

“It’s going to be more than me and the girls. I’m going to need you to meet my mom.” A grimace went over her face.

“Of course,” he replied quickly. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“She doesn’t exactly know you exist.”

Yes, that was an issue. “And why is that? Because of the D/s relationship?”

“No, it’s pretty much because you have a penis.”

“Okay, that’s something we’re going to have to deal with. I was going to say we can certainly keep the fact that we’re in a D/s relationship private, but your mom is going to figure out I probably have a penis. Is it my particular penis she’ll take issue with or any penis at all?”

Deena sank into one of the chairs. “She’s kind of a hard-core man-hater. I’ve told you about my father leaving. He took off and it was rough on her. I disappointed her when I got married so young. She’s excited about me graduating. I think finding out that I’ve got a serious boyfriend is going to upset her.”

He sat down across from her. They were serious? He’d always been serious. Hearing the word from her was a revelation. “I’ll handle your mom.”

“She can be difficult, Eric.”

“And I can be charming.”

“She won’t like that one bit.”

“Okay, then I’ll be honest.” He was planning on that anyway. He’d already thawed one frosty Holmes girl’s heart. He could handle a second. Hey, maybe after a few decades, they would both figure out he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Whatever she says, don’t take it too personally,” Deena said with a frown. “She’s spent a lot of years hating my dad. When Eddie and I got divorced, she tried to get me to move back in with her because, as she put it, we didn’t need men. We just needed each other. I wasn’t willing to go back to small town life. We haven’t talked much over the last couple of years. I’m a little surprised she’s willing to come to the graduation.”

“She’s proud of you for rising above it all,” he guessed. He hoped. If she was coming to Dallas to try to talk her daughter into going home, Momma should be prepared for a fight. He wasn’t going to let go of her easily.

Deena nodded. “I’m going with that theory, too. Anyway, she’s staying in a hotel downtown. Another surprise. My mom tends to be super frugal, so I expected her to sleep on my couch.”

“That would definitely be awkward if we’re trying to hide the fact that I have a penis.”

A throaty laugh came out of her mouth, the sound going straight to his cock. That closet was looking better and better.

“We can’t hide your penis, babe. We do have to talk about the fact that we’re supposed to graduate from training school a few days before my college graduation, and one of us is going to have to tell Big Tag that we’re only going to play together. I heard a rumor that he’s planning on pimping the new Doms out.” Her eyes had narrowed and got that steely glint she always used when she was going to be stubborn.

“I’ve got Macon working on that end.” He wasn’t about to tell Big Tag that his pimping plan wasn’t going to work out unless he had a pie to give him. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Big Tag. I’m not about to top that crazy chick from the DA’s office. Besides, I happen to know we’re the only ones coming out of this thing as a couple. Althea has agreed to work full time for Sanctum.”

Deena’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? Doesn’t that mean she can’t have sex?”

It was a juicy bit of gossip. “Not while she’s working with clients, she can’t. I listened to that lecture when Big Tag offered us the jobs. That man really likes the word f*ck.”

“He offered you a job?” The question came out quietly, but he could hear the shock in her voice. And that little tone told him he was back firmly in boyfriend territory and that he shouldn’t head into Dom mode. It was a delicate balance with her, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.