Page 39 of Night By Night
Chapter Nine
Later that evening, Maddox joined Eliza and Rusty for dinner at Sigalo’s after he sat through the rope class at Venture. Following dinner, they returned to the club, where he’d joined as a member earlier when he checked in for the class.
The shibari rope rigging class was fun. He learned some things he didn’t know, even though it was a beginner-level class.
Itstillfelt weird not calling her Mrs. McElroy, however. And it totally made sense she was a Domme, looking at it in retrospect. Tonight, they both wore volunteer name badges.
“By the way, thank you,again, for everything you and June have done for Hank and JJ,” Maddox told her. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that. Ireallyappreciate it.”
Eliza shrugged. “We’ve been blessed. We like to pay it forward. Kind of a thing with our group of friends. Especially when it comes to the welfare of kids. That’s why we enjoy playing matchmaker for our friends, too.” She tipped her head and seemed to consider him. “Sooo. You said you’re bi. Is he—”
He shook his head. “He’s never given me any indication he is.”
“Ah. Too bad.”
“Yeah.Tellme about it,” he added before taking a sip of water from the bottle in his hand.
“I notice you don’t seem to object to the idea, though,” she noted.
“I don’t.” He sat back. “Between us? I’ve always crushed hard on him, but never admitted it to him. Now I definitely can’t admit it to him.”
“Why not?” Rusty asked. “You’re single, and he’s single.”
“Because I don’t want to weird him out or put more stress on him.”
“But this morning he told me you guys have been hanging out every day.”
Maddox sighed. “We have. I’m still secretly crushing on my straight best friend. I’m absolutely going tohatewhoever he starts dating next.”
Eliza snorted. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
Maddox stomped back the hope that wanted to flare in his heart. “Why?”
“Because he’s so stressed, for starters,” she said. “He’s also hyper-focused on being a good dad. Which, everything I’ve seen, he’s anamazingdad. JJ is a very lucky little girl. But he won’t let himself take a break. If anything, I honestly think he’d feel guilty about dating.”
Maddox watched as a couple prepared to start a suspension scene on the large A-frame closest to the social area. A man and a woman. “Probably. He always was hard on himself.”
The woman stripped down to her panties and a sports bra. She smiled and chatted with the rigger in voices too soft to carry to where they were sitting at a table in the social area.
Ironically, watching a scene like this in a club a year ago would have had him surreptitiously adjusting himself. The woman was pretty, a little on the short side, and not a skinny twig. She wasn’t busty, but she had rounded curves in her ass and thighs, the perfect kind of woman to flip over your lap and spank.
Tonight, however, all he could think about was Hank.
How much he’d like to flip him over on his lap and spank him.
Eliza’s voice intruded on the start of a good fantasy of putting Hank on his knees in front of him, the perfect height for him to—
“Earth to Maddox.”
“Hmm?” He looked to find her smiling at him.
“I was offering to introduce you to her when they’re finished.”
“Why?”
Rusty snorted but didn’t respond. Eliza playfully backhanded her husband’s shoulder. “Because…you’re single?” she snarked. “I mean, isn’t that a good reason?”
“But she’s with someone. Not exactly proper form to ask a guy’s submissive out.”
