Page 3 of Any Which Way

I take a bite of my croissant, a healthy serving of chicken salad heaped between the layers of flaky pastry I normally can’tget enough of. “We can keep pretending nothing happened, that nothing has changed in the last few weeks. But I really don’t think that’s going to solve anything, do you?”

The bagel halfway to Kai’s mouth pauses, a chunk of toffee falling to the table below with a hollow thud as I continue to stare at him, waiting.

Finally, he gives in, speaking first. “Eleri,please, can’t we just forget about it?” His voice is hushed, like he’s afraid people are listening in on our conversation.

“No, I don’t think we can. There are very few boundaries between you, Brynn, and myself, and disregarding this— whatever eventhisis—would be breaking one of the few rules we have established to always be open and truthful with each other.”

Kai holds my gaze, his dark brown eyes holding on to something that looks a lot like shame.

Reaching across the small table, I place one hand on his while continuing to speak, hoping to show him it’s okay. That he can be vulnerable with me much the way Brynn is often vulnerable with both of us as her Dominants when we not only scene at the dungeon, but when we’re together in the bedroom, too. “If you would really rather not talk about it, I’m not going to push you. That’s not my place. But I think there is a reason why you’ve held on to those pictures, Kai. And maybe you owe it to yourself to explore that more in depth.”

We eat without speaking for a few minutes, letting the sounds of the shop act as our soundtrack. Nearby, the sound of a spoon clinks against an antique teacup. Polly’s laughter drifts through the space as she talks to a customer, and an ad plays over the radio for a local cat beauty pageant.

It’s enough to break the tension, both of us turning toward the speaker to be sure we heard the radio advertisement correctly.

“I amnottaking Brynn,” I tell him.

Incredulously, he scoffs. “Like I would miss the chance to see who takes home the crown for Ellison Harbor’s fiercest feline. I’ll get her and I tickets tonight after work.”

The rest of the meal is filled with easy back and forth. Kai eats a second and then a third bagel, and not for the first time, I wonder how the man manages to keep his physique while juggling a successful career, multiple partners, and a busy social calendar of events. Of course, I know it’s in part to his early morning workouts, but while he is still young and into staying fit, I’m content with my slim yet not quite as athletic build that shows my age as I creep closer and closer to forty.

I probably should feel guilty at suggesting one more thing to add to his busy plate, knowing he’s already pressed thin…

But I don’t.

For some reason, my intuition whispers that I need to push just a little harder.

Knowing Kai needs to get back to his office soon, I muster the strength to talk about the pictures one last time, hoping a different approach will work better. I take the flyer from Ryan that has been in my pocket since this morning. Smoothing out the creases in the paper, I slide it across the table.

“What’s this?” Kai takes the paper, scanning the words much as I did earlier. “Oh, cool, so that’s where the summer performers come from. We should check out a few again this year. I always love to watch what they come up with.”

“I was thinking that this year, maybe you could check out the classes.”

His eyes snap to mine as his jaw tenses. “I don’t need to learn how to love myself, Eleri. I’m perfectly fine with who I am.”

“Then don’t do it for yourself. Do it for me. Fuck, Kai, do it for Brynn. You and I both know this is tearing her apart. She feels like she betrayed you, but she doesn’t know why.”

“What if doing these classes has the potential to change everything?”

I smile, hoping it’s reassuring. “Isn’t that better than everything staying like it is now?”

Kai groans. “You’re infuriating when you answer a question with a question.”

“Yeah? Well, you’re kind of cute when you’re flustered.” I wink, only half in jest. The blush climbing his cheeksiscute, and not for the first time since seeing the photos of him in lingerie, I let my mind drift to what the scene would look like in real life.

He takes the flyer, folding it back into quarters before sliding it into his tailored suit pocket as he stands. “No promises.”

Together we walk to Kai’s car, the afternoon sun like an old friend as it envelops me in its warmth. And when we reach his sleek, black Mustang, Kai takes over for the sun, wrapping me in his arms. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, a move that isn’t hard with our height being as similar as it is.

I spread my palms out over his broad back, loving the way it tapers into his narrow, toned waist. He’s strength and power, masculine without the toxicity that so often comes free with an order of male. Brynn and Ihaveto send his four sisters thank you gift baskets. Their influence on Kai’s upbringing helped to turn him into the human he is today.

Our lips meet in a gentle kiss, unspoken words passing between us. Kai drops his forehead to mine.

“Thank you again for the flowers. I love them almost as much as I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he responds. “And I will think about what you said. That’s all I can promise for now.”

And if that’s all he can promise in the moment, I’m more than happy with having that as a place to start.

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