Son of anger, p.8
His Forbidden Kiss: Serpent’s Kiss Series Book 3, page 8
“Maybe you could suggest another movie.”
Her friend snorted. “I’ve tried that before. It never works. She says there’s nothing that says girl power more than Thelma and Louise.”
“Girls, you’ve got to see this,” Zelda said from two aisles away.
Kim put an arm around her friend and squeezed. “Two more days at most.”
Ali sighed. “I know. That’s what I keep telling myself.”
It had been two days since Kim had seen Justin. She would love to say she hadn’t thought about him since, but the truth was that she couldn’t stop thinking about him...about their encounter in the hallway.
She’d done her best to avoid him since their night together. It was a matter of self-preservation. He’d only promised her the one night and she’d eagerly accepted thinking it would be enough.
What a fool she’d been. It hadn’t been enough. Not even close. And a part of her dreaded the possibility that their night together hadn’t had the same effect on him.
But he didn’t look unaffected when they’d come face-to-face on New Year’s Eve. If anything, the opposite was true. He’d looked at her as though it was taking every effort he had not to push her up against the wall and kiss her.
Which was why she was currently standing outside his mechanic’s shop dressed in a knee-length pencil skirt and a red blouse that dipped low enough to give a hint of the cleavage beneath. It wasn’t the sexiest outfit she owned, but in order to get here before he closed, she’d had to come straight from work.
Taking a deep breath, she hiked her purse a little higher on her shoulder and strode inside.
Sandi, the receptionist slash office manager, looked up as Kim walked through the door. Her smile was instantaneous. Sandi had been working for Justin since he opened his shop five years ago and she knew all the Langleys well as they were frequent customers. “Kim. How have you been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
“I’m good, Sandi. Work’s been crazy. What about you?” Sandi was two years older than Kim. She’d gone to school with Mark and Justin. In fact, at one time, Kim thought there might be something between Sandi and her brother, but nothing had ever come of it. At least, not that she knew about, anyway.
“The same.” Sandi chuckled. “There’s always something to do around here. Justin’s reputation for fixing older cars has started to grow and business has been booming lately.”
“That’s great.”
Sandi stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of Kim. “So, what brings you by today? Everything okay with your car?”
Kim shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Why was she so nervous? Oh yeah. Because she was there to talk to Justin. “Nothing major. It just needs an oil change. I was hoping maybe Justin could squeeze me in.”
“Let me check,” Sandi said. “Chuck and Zach were still working on a transmission last I checked, but I’ll see if Justin’s free.”
Before Kim could say any more, Sandi disappeared through the door that led out to the shop area. The sound of a tool being used filtered through for the few seconds the door was open before it swung shut behind her. Kim was tempted to follow Sandi, but she kept her feet planted firmly on the floor. She wanted to talk to Justin, but not with an audience. If she’d played her cards right, Justin would agree to do the oil change and by the time he was finished, it would only be the two of them left in the shop. She didn’t want to have this conversation with anyone else around on the off chance she’d read him wrong the other night.
A few minutes later, the door opened again. But instead of Sandi, it was Justin. He was dressed in overalls that had a patch with his name on it over his heart. There was a smudge of grease on his cheek and his hair was sticking up in several places.
His gaze raked over her from head to toe before coming back to her face. “Sandi says you’re here for an oil change.”
“Yes.” Her response came out less confident than she wanted, so she tried again. “Yes. I was hoping you could fit me in before you close.”
Justin glanced at the clock. “We close at six.”
“Yes.”
“It’s five-forty.”
She swallowed. “Yes.”
“An oil change takes at least thirty minutes.”
These were all things she already knew. “Does that mean you can’t do it?”
He looked at her so long it took everything in her to stay still. Kim wished she could know what he was thinking, but he was giving nothing away.
“Give me your keys.” Justin held out his hand and waited for her to drop them into his palm. “Take a seat. I’ll come get you when I’m finished.”
With that, he turned on his heels and strolled into the shop, leaving her alone.
Kim blew out a breath and sat down on the faux leather couch that had seen better days. She pulled out her phone and began scrolling through her emails. Eventually, Sandi returned to the desk and began closing everything down for the night. “I can go ahead and get you checked out.”
Nodding, Kim tucked her phone back in her purse and dug out her credit card. Once all the paperwork was done, Kim returned to her place on the couch and reached for her phone again.
At six o’clock, Sandi turned off the lights on her desk, made sure the coffeemaker was ready to go for the morning, and strolled over to where Kim sat. “Did you need anything before I go? I hate leaving you here.”
“No, I’m good. Enjoy your evening,” Kim said with a smile.
Sandi gave one last glance into the shop before heading to the door. “It shouldn’t be too much longer. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Kim watched as Sandi locked the door behind her, essentially securing Kim inside. Once Sandi pulled out of the parking lot, Kim watched as the other two mechanics who worked for Justin got into their vehicles and did the same. Kim and Justin were the only two left in the shop.
It was now or never. She stood, walked over to the door that led to the shop, and turned the knob.
Her car was at the far end of the room, its hood up. At first, she didn’t see Justin, but then he appeared from behind a large toolbox that was as tall as him. He leaned over the front of her car, pulling the overalls tight over his ass. Her muscles clenched in appreciation.
Justin’s head whipped around as soon as he heard her heels clicking on the concrete floor. His brow furrowed and his lips turned down in a frown before going back to whatever he was doing. “I told you to wait in the lobby.”
“No, you told me to take a seat, which I did.”
The scowl on his face didn’t go away. “I also told you I’d come get you when I was done.”
She ignored him. “Sandi ran my credit card already and locked everything up.”
“I know.” He stood to his full height, grabbed the top of the hood, and lowered it back into place. Without a word or a look in her direction, Justin strolled over to the sink and washed the grease from his hands. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he turned off the water.
No beating around the bush. Now or never, right? Why did this seem harder than showing up at his place and kneeling naked in his living room? Oh yeah, because a relationship was worlds different than one night of kinky fun.
She took a step forward, then stopped herself. “I wanted to talk to you.”
He reached for a towel to dry his hands. “I wanted to talk to you as well.”
That surprised her. “You did?”
“Yes. I know you joined Serpent’s Kiss to explore your submissive nature. The best way to do that is to find a Dom, one you’re comfortable with and can experiment with to find out what you like and don’t like.”
Justin unzipped his overalls and stripped them off, tossing them into a nearby bin and leaving him in jeans and a T-shirt that had her wanting to investigate the muscles beneath. She was so transfixed by his body that she almost missed what he said next.
“You need to find a good Dom and I’ve decided to help you.”
Kim blinked. Surely, she hadn’t heard him right. “What?”
He handed her the keys to her car before walking over to the far side of the room and turning off several lights. “Finding a good Dom can be difficult, especially given your strong-willed personality and the fact that you’re new to the lifestyle. We need to find you someone who’s willing to deal with your somewhat bratty nature.”
“I’m not a brat,” she said, somewhat offended. Over the last three months, she’d been learning more about the lifestyle and the terminology. Strong-willed? Yes. A brat? No. She didn’t act out or object to be contrary or to get attention.
Justin gave her another long look. “No. You’re right. You’re not. But you’re also not a trained submissive.”
She took a few moments to digest what he was saying. “So you want to help find me a Dom.”
“Yes,” he said, lifting the bay door, then opening the driver’s door of Kim’s car for her, motioning for her to get inside. “I think that’s the best solution.”
Had she really misread the other night so wrong? And what about their night together? Had the sparks she felt only been on her side?
Lowering herself behind the wheel, she looked up at Justin. He seemed perfectly at ease with the conversation.
Before she could put words to her feelings at what he was suggesting, he continued. “We can start tomorrow. Meet me at the club around seven-thirty and we’ll begin weeding through the prospects.”
CHAPTER 10
Justin spent the next twenty-four hours running through the available Doms at the club in his head. He’d tried to go over all the options with an open mind, attempting to keep his own feelings in check. The thought of Kim with someone else had every muscle in his body tightening and not in a good way. It was something he was going to have to get over, though. She was off-limits and always would be. Nothing was going to change that.
By the time he arrived at Serpent’s Kiss on Friday night, he’d narrowed it down to three possible Doms for Kim. The first was Daniel. He was a little old for Kim, but he had a lot of experience in the lifestyle and the patience that would be needed to train a new submissive. Plus, Kim was already comfortable with him as he was friends with her friend, Ali. The second was Brandon. He acted as the lead bartender at the club, but he’d been in the lifestyle for over ten years and had an even temperament. The third option was a newer member of the club, younger than the other two. Gabe was only twenty-eight, but he carried himself well. Justin had been asked to observe Gabe’s first play session two weeks ago, and despite the sub trying to push her weight around a few times, he’d handled the scene like someone who’d been playing for years.
Straightening his shoulders, Justin stepped inside the main room of the club and surveyed his surroundings. It was early. Most members didn’t arrive until after seven.
Katrina caught his gaze and motioned for him to join her. Justin often helped her with new members, introducing them around, answering their questions, and making sure they understood how things worked. He was hoping that wasn’t the case tonight as he was on a mission of his own.
“Good evening, Mistress Katrina.” She was in her signature corset and leather pants that showed off her boobs and ass to perfection. Even though he had no interest in Katrina, that didn’t mean he was blind. The woman had a body on her that would make a man drool.
Katrina smiled in greeting. “You’re here early tonight.”
“I managed to close up the shop a little early.” While that was true, it was intentional. He’d wanted some time to get his bearings before Kim arrived.
“I see.” She signaled for him to walk with her as she began making her way around the perimeter of the club’s main floor. “How’s Kim settling in? I haven’t seen her play with anyone yet.”
He hadn’t expected Katrina to bring Kim up, but he shouldn’t have been surprised. Kim had listed both him and Ali on her application. “We’re hoping to rectify that soon. I’m going to help her find a suitable Dom.”
Katrina stopped walking. She turned and gave him a hard look...one that said she wasn’t liking what she was hearing.
“As a family friend, I want to make sure she finds someone who can handle her. She’s new and she’s quite strong-willed.” The look she was giving him didn’t change. “I have it narrowed down to three possibilities.”
She raised one eyebrow, but still she said nothing.
He gave her the name of the three Doms he felt might be a good fit for Kim and waited to see what she’d have to say.
Instead of answering right away, Katrina began moving again. She made him wait until they were halfway up the stairs that led to the playrooms. “I don’t think Daniel would be a good idea.”
“You don’t think he’d be willing to take on an untrained sub?” Daniel had played with inexperienced subs in the past, so Justin wasn’t understanding Katrina’s reasoning.
“That isn’t the issue.”
They were on the second floor now. He followed Katrina as she entered each of the playrooms, one by one. About an hour from now, they would be full.
“How do you think Ali would feel if Kim began playing with Daniel?” Katrina asked when they entered the fifth room. “I don’t need that kind of drama at the club.”
“You think Ali would have a problem with Kim being Daniel’s sub?”
Katrina shook her head. “Men. You can be so clueless sometimes.”
It took him a moment to understand what she was getting at. Daniel and Ali?
Justin took some time to think it over as they finished inspecting the rooms. He’d never seen them play together. Daniel did play with other subs on occasion, but that was usually because a sub would approach him, asking for a scene. The older Dom had a reputation for being a master at flogging.
Racking his brain, he tried to recall the last time Ali had gone upstairs with a Dom and he had to admit it had been a while. Granted, he wasn’t keeping an eye on her all the time, but when she was at the club she was either working the front lobby or hanging out with her friends...which included Daniel.
Interesting.
“I’ll mark Daniel off the list, then.”
“Smart decision.”
After they were finished with the rooms, they headed downstairs again and Katrina was pulled away to help with something in the women’s locker room. The club was filling up fast and he knew it wouldn’t be long before Kim got there. That is, if she showed up at all. It would be like her to stay home solely because he told her to meet him there.
A part of him wanted her to defy him so he could remind her she was the submissive and he was the Dominant. But then he had to remind himself that he wasn’t her Dom. She wasn’t his and he wouldn’t be the one to punish her for her willful behavior. That would fall to someone else.
The thought caused his chest to tighten and the muscles in his neck to tense. He was going to have to get past these irrational feelings of possessiveness. Kim needed him as a friend. She needed his experience in the lifestyle to help her find a good Dom. One who would treat her right. One who would care for her.
Brad and his wife, Kate, saw him from across the room and began making their way over. Brad was a surgeon and often had to work late. On the nights when Kate would come alone, Justin would watch over her for Brad. Their relationship was stricter than most of the other couples that frequented the club, but it seemed to work for them.
Tonight, Kate wore a black dress that went down to her ankles, but it was anything but modest. Both sides of the skirt had slits that came all the way to her waist. And the top was almost as revealing. Cloth stretched over her ample breasts, highlighting her pierced nipples. Those two were not shy about their sexuality. Especially not while inside the club. Justin knew that because of Brad’s position, they had to keep up appearances out in public.
“You’re here early tonight,” Justin said in way of greeting.
“No surgery today. It’s rare I get a full day at the office anymore. I wanted to take advantage of it.”
As they continued to talk, Brad moved his wife to stand in front of him. He slipped his hand beneath her top, plucking her nipple as the conversation moved from work to the scene Alexander and Grace, two of the club’s newer members, had done a few weeks ago.
It was impossible not to be drawn to the interaction between Brad and his wife, especially as she moaned against him. But that only lasted until Kim walked through the door. Justin felt her before he saw her, drawing his attention in her direction.
The moment he saw her, he knew something was wrong. To someone who hadn’t known her so well, they probably wouldn’t notice, but after all these years, he knew her tells. She had her hands balled into fists at her side, a sure sign that she was upset about something.
Justin scanned the area for Ali, but he didn’t see her. She was most likely working the lobby. That meant Kim was on her own tonight.
While that could be the source of Kim’s tension, he didn’t think so. Ali worked the front at least three times a month. This wasn’t the first time Kim was on her own in the club.
His suspicions were confirmed when she noticed him staring. Her eyes narrowed and she swiftly turned on her heel and marched in the opposite direction.
Brad had noticed his distraction. “One of the new subs caught your eye?”
Justin never took his gaze off Kim. “She’s my best friend’s little sister.”
The sound of Brad’s suppressed laughter brought Justin’s attention back to the other Dom. “Well, that could get interesting.”
“Yeah,” was all Justin said as his gaze returned to the woman in question.
An hour later, he was sitting on a barstool, watching Kim from across the room as she chatted with one of the youngest Doms at the club. The man had little to no experience and was the opposite of what she needed.
“Are you going to drink that or wear it?”
Justin McKay looked over at the bartender, Brandon, then followed Brandon’s gaze to the bottle of water Justin was holding in a death grip.
