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“And no more bribing police officers. I don’t care how good the coffee is,” he yelled after her.

Michael was one of her best friends. They met while she was in college, though he was more than a decade older than her. When he first learned of her lifestyle, he wasn’t thrilled about it. But once he understood it wasn’t a bunch of men abusing women and that it made her happy, he accepted it and even did his own exploring as a dominant. Considering how they met, it was only natural he was protective of her. She closed her eyes as the bitter memory of their first encounter flooded her mind. With a deep breath, she did her best to shove it out of her head and made her way to work. As she rode the train, she thought about Michael’s assertion that he had plenty of fun without dating. Maybe that was the attitude she needed to have. Last night had been fun. And having him there this morning had been comforting, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Could she have fun with Bradley without striking up a serious relationship? She scowled at her reflection in the window. That was not the direction her thoughts needed to be going right now.

But that’s where they stayed for the rest of the day until five, when he called right as the clock ticked over.

She took a long, shuddering breath and answered.

“Hi.” His voice was tender and filled with concern, and it nearly made her cry again. But she squeezed her eyes shut and held the tears at bay.

“Hi.”

“How are you?”

“Nope. Don’t want to talk about feelings or I’ll cry again. How was your day?”

“I worked a little, read a little. I’m reading the last book on your reading list.”

It made her heart swell. “You worked your way through it already?”

He chuckled. “You sound surprised. I’ve been devouring them during breaks and at night before bed.”

She sniffed and wiped a wayward tear from her cheeks. “That’s wonderful. I’m glad you’re enjoying them.”

“Have dinner with me?”

“I think I’m just ready to go home and call it a night, Bradley.”

He was quiet for a minute. “Breakfast then. I’ll put it on my calendar as a business breakfast so my assistant doesn’t get annoyed at me for being late to the office.”

Darci laughed. “I could do breakfast. Where should I meet you?”

“How about the Blue Duck?”

She whistled. “You’ve got quite the expense account, don’t you Mr. Givens?”

It was his turn to laugh. “Just say yes. I miss you.”

Despite all the misgivings she had about him, she heard herself saying, “Yes. I’ll have breakfast with you.”

“Good girl. I’ll text you a time as soon as I email Adara.”

8

BRADLEY paced in front of the Blue Duck and looked at his smart watch again. Had she bailed on their breakfast? She’d seemed so amenable to the idea that he was certain she’d show. But now he wondered if she’d gotten cold feet after their tryst on Saturday night.

Just as he was about to call Darci’s cell, a rideshare pulled up and she climbed out.

“I’m so sorry. There was a delay on the metro, so I got off a few stops early and called a car.”

She brushed her hair out of her face and straightened her skirt as she stood in front of him.

“It’s fine. Have you ever been here before?”

She shook her head. “It’s not in my budget.”

He laughed. “You’re in for a treat, then.”

“I'm starving.” Darci flashed that amazing smile at him.

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