Page 5 of The Dom with the Clever Tongue

“Because Sabrina is a genius, I think. You’re just as messed up as I am about this and we both need someone to talk to that gets it. If you get closer to us you have to promise me something, though.”

“What?”

“I think my girlfriend is really going to like you.” Scarlet swallowed hard at the lump that was forming there. “If I become the third wheel this will suck.”

His eyebrows shot upward. “I’m not that kind of guy. I won’t try to lure her away.”

Reece wouldn’t be lured if she didn’t want to be. This situation with their kink life had made her off-balance and unsure of where she stood with Reece. More than anything, she worried she’d miss the signs that her girlfriend wanted to end things,and hang onto hope so long that it got pathetic. She didn’t want to be that girl.

She took in Malachi’s serious expression. He seemed sweet and genuinely interested in helping. “Okay. She’s inside, why don’t I introduce you?”

“Sure.”

Scarlet led the way back into the living room. The crowd was thinner there. Reece was chatting with a woman on the couch, no doubt talking fashion. Scarlet could never use her work as a conversation starter in these situations. No one wanted to hear about house framing at a party.

The other woman rose and wandered off, and Scarlet beckoned for Malachi to follow her. Reece’s gaze met hers and she rose gracefully to her feet. Her smile reached all the way to her eyes. People were her thing – everyone loved her and she flourished in social environments. Scarlet had to struggle to make sure people didn’t think she was snobby and stand-offish.

The dress she wore skimmed her figure, making Scarlet’s fingers want to do the same. Fuck, she was hot. She just wanted to drag her off somewhere and lean her over something, pull her hem up to her waist and trace the scalloped leg seam of her black panties to her...

Where was Reece going in such a hurry?

Scarlet barely caught the flash of disgust on Reece’s face before she started to walk away. Was it Malachi’s tattoos? She wasn’t usually judgemental.

“Where are you going? Get back here.” Reece wasn’t going to like her tone, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t like her girlfriend to be rude.

She turned back at the doorway and stalked over to them, glaring.

“Well, now I know who the Dom is,” Malachi smiled.

“I am.” The answer was unhesitating and came from them both.

He looked amused.

Reece’s face was twisted with rage. “Don’t you dare laugh at me, Malachi Johansson.”

“I’m sorry. Do we know each other?”

“As if I’d forget my high school tormentor. Not surprised you don’t remember me, though. I guess it’s easy to forget people when they didn’t destroy your life.”

“Oh, fuck. Reece Duncan? I’ve been wanting to find you.”

“So you could mock me about being poor when I was a kid? Get a life, ass-hat.”

He stepped back, giving her space. “No, I wanted to say sorry. I was a complete fucking jackass in high school. Cross tried to knock some sense into me, but I was really too stupid to live at that point. Some of the things I said to you were so awful that I can’t even imagine how to begin to apologise. I was pretty fucked up back then – not an excuse, just an explanation. What I said to you in high school wasn’t about you.”

Why hadn’t Reece ever mentioned any of this to Scarlet? They’d talked about all sorts of shit from their pasts – especially how Reece had felt about her body when she was younger. She’d never mentioned a bully. Scarlet’s urge to punch said bully in the face didn’t match with how she saw Malachi though. How was this even the same guy?

“You calling me poor and ugly wasn’t about me?” Her expression was disgusted disbelief.

The room had emptied out before Reece recognized Malachi, thank goodness. Making a scene at a birthday party wasn’t a good way to keep friends. Scarlet hung back. She couldn’t fix this.

“No,” Malachi replied. “Not at all. And I never said you were unattractive. I was short and ugly. I got made fun of by the popular girls all the time. The guys thought I was funny. For some reason I always thought picking on you was hilarious in the moment, but then I’d go home and wonder why I was such a dickhead to you. It wasn’t until after graduation that I realized it was because I thought you were pretty and figured you’d make fun of me if you knew.” He frowned. “Anyway, I’m sorry I was so awful to you. I know that doesn’t make up for anything, but I just wanted you to know.”

Reece sighed and slid her hand into Scarlet’s. “I got over it a long time ago, Malachi. You’re really not like that anymore?”

“If I was, Cross would punch me out regularly. See? I don’t even have a black eye or anything.” He gestured at his face and half smiled, his dimples flashing briefly.

“You weren’t short that long, Malachi. You shot up junior year.”

---