Page 75 of Ruin Me, Daddy

It took her several long moments of staring up at the ceiling to give that feeling a name.

Happy. For the first time in years, thinking about a man made her happy.

Wasn’t that a humiliating thought?

Before she had a chance to spiral down into that particular pit of despair, her phone buzzed. And buzzed. And buzzed.

Reaching for it, she grinned at Lottie’s name on the display before hitting the button to answer. “Hey, you.”

“Oh good, you’re awake! Ice said you’d still be sleeping.”

“Nah. I woke up a few minutes ago.”

“Perfect. Get your ass up and put something cute on. The men are occupied with whatever it is they’re talking about, so we’re going to brunch. Frankie’s meeting us there.”

“Isn’t Frankie supposed to be studying?”

“She says she’s all caught up. Don’t ask questions, Sil. Plausible deniability.”

Laughing at Lottie’s deadpan tone, Silver sat up and stretched. “All right, all right. I’m up. But I’ll need a ride.”

“Already on my way. I’ll be there in twenty.”

It was more like fifteen, making Silver wonder how fast Lottie had been driving. But she didn’t ask questions, and another thirty minutes later they were waiting for a table at a chic little cafe downtown.

“This is our favorite spot,” Lottie explained as Frankie gave her name to the hostess. “We usually come with our other friends, Eva and Portia, but they’re both out of town on business right now.”

“Oh I see. I’m your consolation prize,” Silver teased, earning herself a look that could only be described as withering.

“Are you kidding me? They’re going to lose their shit when I tell them I’ve been hanging out with you. Oh hey, that’s Ivy and Cordelia! Ivy!”

Head whipping around, Ivy smiled when she spotted Lottie waving frantically at them. After what looked like a quick, pleading conversation with her girlfriend, she tugged Cordelia over to the cafe entrance.

“Oh my god, you two are adorable!” Lottie gushed as they approached.

She wasn’t wrong. Once again, Ivy looked every bit the fairy princess in a dress the color of grass during a particularly lush spring with delicate strings of gold dangling from her ears. While Cordelia had opted for a pair of high-waisted pants that looked straight out of the early nineteen hundreds, complete with suspenders and a white button-down with a frilled neckline that was practically see-through.

Actually, the word Silver would have chosen was striking rather than adorable. If either of them had been single and she hadn’t been tangled up with Ice, she might have made a play for either of them. Or both of them, if they were game.

“Thank you,” Ivy replied, her cheeks turning pink from the compliment. “We haven’t had a chance to go on a real date in a while, so we thought we’d take advantage of the cooler weather and do some shopping.”

“Have you eaten yet? You should join us!”

Chuckling at her friend’s exuberance, Frankie slid an arm around Lottie’s waist and grinned at the newcomers. “Lottie baby, they’re on a date. They don’t want company.”

“Oh, but that would be so much fun.” Beaming with delight, Ivy turned to her girlfriend. “Can we, please?”

Silver wasn’t sure how anybody could possibly say no to that sweet smile. And obviously Cordelia hadn’t built up any kind of immunity to her charms over the years, because she folded like a house of cards. “Of course, blossom. Whatever you want.”

“All right,” Frankie said with a shake of her head. “I’ll go let the hostess know we’re a party of five now.”

Surprisingly, it didn’t take much longer for them to be seated, even with the extra guests. Lottie ordered a round of mimosas, insisting brunch was on her over Cordelia’s firm insistence she would pay for herself and Ivy.

“Nonsense. It’s tradition.” Despite not being a Domme herself, Lottie’s tone held no room for argument. “I picked the restaurant, so I pay.”

Judging by the way Frankie’s brows raised, that wasn’t entirely the truth, but Silver bit her tongue and focused on the menu. Everything looked delicious, even if she wasn’t entirely sure about pairing fried chicken and waffles together.

“So, Silver,” Cordelia began as soon as the waiter had disappeared with their orders. “What’s the deal with you and Elias? Are you whisking our viking friend back to California soon?”

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