Page 106 of Danger and Dominance
He couldn’t blame her.
Stepping out into the evening air, which was sultry and warm, David quickly called Audrey back.He’d taken long enough that it had gone to voicemail while he’d been making his way out.She picked up immediately.
“What’s up?”he asked.
“Well, hello to you, too.”
David sighed.He knew she was fucking with him, but she would just take it even further if he didn’t respond correctly.Siblings.
“Hello, Audrey, how are you?”
“I’m great!Things are moving forward with the bakery, but I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything,” he said immediately, making her laugh.
“You shouldn’t speak so soon, you might regret it,” she teased.“I’m going to be coming to Pittsburgh in two weeks to check out some of the apartment buildings I’ve been looking at online and also to oversee a few things with the renovation for the bakery.The contractor has been sending me updates, but I want to see it in person before making final decisions.”
“That sounds smart.So what do you need from me?”He wasn’t going to be any help when it came to making décor decisions, as she knew.She always teased him about how utilitarian his apartment was.
“A place to stay while I’m here.I was going to do a hotel, but I’m trying to budget wisely.I’d ask Grandma, but I think Mom would blow a gasket.Though she is my backup choice because I do need to come.”Though still cheerful, there was more than a little strain in her voice.
Normally, when Audrey visited, she stayed in a hotel.It had been one of the ways she’d been able to visit without their parents throwing a fit.She was always trying to keep the peace, and that way, their parents could pretend she was just visiting Pittsburgh, the city, not the son or the stepmother they hadn’t acknowledged in years.
“Budget wisely?Mom and Dad aren’t willing to pay for the hotel even though it’s for your business?”He didn’t say it aloud, but normally, they were controlling enough that they liked to pay for everything.It was their way of making sure Audrey and David felt like they ‘owed’ them.
David had gotten out of that trap, but it was a tactic that had always worked really well on Audrey.That and the fact she didn’t like disappointing them, whereas David had eventually realized he couldn’t live up to what they wanted without losing everything about himself.Audrey had managed to live in the middle space for so long, he had started to assume it would always be that way.
“Ah, yeah, well.It turns out, they thought I was going to fail long before this point.”She hummed, a little noise that she did when she was holding back her emotions.Their parents didn’t believe in their children expressing themselves, especially when they were upset.“For some reason, they didn’t think I was serious.”
That tracked.They’d done the exact same thing when he’d decided to join the army, all the way up until when he’d actually left.It didn’t matter that he’d signed a contract, they’d been sure they could buy him out of it when he changed his mind—not if, when.
You’d think they would have learned their lesson, but apparently not.
“Of course, you can stay with me,” he said immediately.“Though I can put you up in a hotel if you prefer.I um… I kind of have someone staying with me at the moment.”
“I can take the couch.It’s no big deal.Unless you think it’ll be too crowded… or if you’d rather not introduce me to your guest.”
The hesitation in her voice had him hurrying to reassure her.
“No, no, it’s not that at all.In fact, I very much want you to meet her.”He cleared his throat, shifting out of the way of a couple who passed him on their way into the restaurant.Moving farther from the doorway, he settled beside one of the large potted plants beside the entrance.“And there won’t be any need for you to sleep on the couch.The guest room is still open.”
Pure silence.
He waited.
“Oh…oh.So, it’s like that, is it?”Audrey sounded gleeful.“When I talked to Grandma last week, she mentioned something, but I thought she was exaggerating.Cassidy, right?”
“Yes.And she might have been exaggerating.Cassidy moved in with me for her own protection.She’s got an obsessive, abusive ex who’s been stalking her.”
“Okay, well, that sucks.But she’s staying in your room?Is that for her own protection, too?”There was real concern in Audrey’s voice.Though she kept her tone light, it was still more strained than it had been.She would remember what had happened to Tasha, too.
“No, that’s for my enjoyment.”
Audrey made a gagging noise, and he grinned.She should know better than to prod at him; she was always going to regret it.That’s what older brothers were for.
“All gross innuendoes aside, I can’t wait to meet her.Just try to keep it down while I’m there, okay?”
“Sure, we’ll break out the ball gag just for you.”
