Page 26 of Hushed

She swirled her straw in her drink and picked up a fry. It drooped in her hand, and she tossed it back on the plate. “I’m good. You probably have work to do.”

“Work can wait. I care more about whether or not you’re OK.”

She blew out a long breath. “I’m OK. Promise. We’ll talk next week.” He didn’t sound thrilled about it, but he agreed, and they said goodbye.

After what felt like an eternity trying to keep her spiraling thoughts at bay, the jingle of the entry bell sounded as the front door to the diner swung open and two people who definitely did not belong there stepped in. A faint smell of expensive cologne filled the diner as they scanned the restaurant, ignoring the hostess offering to seat them.

The man wore a gray suit with a bright orange dress shirt underneath, and the woman wore an orange sheath dress that looked amazing on her long frame. In heels she was taller than the man, but not by much. Their clothes looked expensive, and somehow, Kenzie guessed they were here for her.

The man stood back a little as the woman approached her table. Her heels clicked as she walked, adding to her confident demeanor.

“Are you Kenzie Reginald?”

Kenzie nodded, her nerves immediately dissipating at the sound of her voice. “You must be Mrs. Yates.”

The tall woman offered a well-manicured hand in introduction. “Call me Austin. Do you want to sit here for a bit, or are you ready to go?”

Kenzie laid cash on the table and slid out of the booth. “I’m ready to get out of here, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. The hot guy over there is my husband, Patrick. You can totally call him Mr. Yates if you want. He seems to get off on it,” she whispered, with a twinkle in her eyes.

“And please forgive the ridiculousness you’re about to see in the parking lot. We were at a function for the city, and it was the fastest way to get to you.”

Patrick offered Kenzie his hand when they reached him. “Nice to meet you, Kenzie. Gage says you’ve had an adventure tonight.”

A nervous laugh escaped, and she bounced awkwardly on her heels. “Something like that, Mr. Yates.”

Austin grinned, as Patrick shook his head. “Don’t call me that, it goes to her head. Just call me Patrick.”

Austin leaned closer to her. “Yates is my maiden name. He changed his for me. I confess I’m the one who gets off on hearing people call him that.”

Kenzie giggled. These two were adorable together. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Do you need to pay a check or anything?” Patrick asked.

“Nope. All good.”

Patrick held the diner door open for them, and they walked out to the parking lot. Kenzie froze as soon as they were outside. “I see what you mean by ridiculousness. A limo?”

Austin laughed. “Sorry. Like I said, it was the fastest way. But pro tip, if you ever get the chance to have sex in the back of one you totally should.”

Kenzie frowned. Were they propositioning her?

Patrick’s face wrinkled at the same time. “Jesus, Austin, she’s going to think you’re coming on to her.”

Austin smacked her husband on the shoulder. “She will not. Besides, Gage said she got into trouble at The Cage.”

Then she looked at Kenzie. “Sorry. He didn’t say what kind of trouble. I shouldn’t be making assumptions about your personality.”

Kenzie laughed, not at all put off by the weird turn the conversation had taken. “It’s fine. It was my first time going to aplace like that. Turns out I picked a bad one. The one I wanted to try isn’t taking new members.”

“Midnight Tower?” Patrick asked.

“Yeah. I found it because I was checking out Exposure in D.C. They were listed as a sister club, but then I fell down a rabbit hole and found The Cage.”

Austin shuddered. “If I can be frank, I don’t recommend you go back there. They’ve had a lot of legal trouble. We can help you get into Midnight Tower if you really want to check it out.”

Her face warmed at the thought of these two strangers showing her around a BDSM club, and Patrick chuckled. “I think we’re scaring her, baby girl. Let’s get home.”

---