“Weeell,” she drawls. “Not entirely. Not with this crowd. But nothing ever happens without the submissive’s consent. You understand that, right? I don’t know how much Logan and Emily have told you about the club, but it’s all consensual.”
“I got that and I, uh, read about it.”
DirtyGurl laughs again, but it’s not an unkind laugh. “I sense a convert. Logan will probably answer your questions, but if he doesn’t, or if you want another perspective, feel free to call me. Emmy’ll give you my number.”
“I won’t get you in trouble if I take you up on that? Sounds like a bunch of people already own your ass.”
She shakes her head, dreadlocks swinging around her shoulders, mouth stretched in a grin. “My ass is only available for short-term rental, and I can already tell you’re going to break a lot of subbies’ hearts. G’night, Master Max.”
“Pretty sure I haven’t earned that yet, but goodnight, girlie.”
She winks at me. “It’s not the title, or how many people you’ve topped. It’s the mindset that’s important, and you’re already well on the way. You’ll do fine.”
She turns on her bare heel—at a guess, it’s her Docs next to mine at the door—and disappears back into the great room to head down into the basement where she’s sleeping with Mr. Upper West Side and an older woman who hasn’t said much tonight but has been watching Logan like she’s his mother, which I know she isn’t because Logan’s parents died in a big car crash a few years ago.
I take that as my cue to head upstairs. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor of Logan’s townhouse. Which means there are six of us sharing the bathroom. Not ideal. I wait until its free then duck in quickly to brush my teeth and empty my bladder and get out of everyone’s way.
Emily’s one-eyed, black-and-white cat, who probably weighs all of five pounds but thinks he’s a puma, is waiting for me on the day bed. He growls when I turn back the covers, so I take a minute to pet him. “You’ll let me sleep with you, boy, won’t you?”
He blinks at me and I’m pretty sure I’m going to end up with claws either in my feet or chest at some point in the night. His fur is soft and silky under my fingers. I think Emily’s been brushing him. The tactile pleasure of petting the cat runs through me, raising goosebumps on my arms and causing my balls to tighten. I grimace at my own perversion before climbing into bed.
The bed’s long enough for me, but narrow and when I roll over a few hours later, I find myself right at the edge of the mattress. The cat immediately thumps down at my back, trapping me at the edge. “Sable,” I grumble.
The cat purrs.
I huff and resign myself to sleeping on an eighth of the mattress.
four
I must go backto sleep at some point, because the next time I open my eyes, sun is streaming through the window and my phone is buzzing. I check it. It’s the encrypted phone and Ness has tried to call me four times.
I toss the phone into my bag and roll out of bed.
The room door is open and the cat’s abandoned me, probably for the promise of food. I can hear faint noises from downstairs and smell coffee, so I give up any hope of going back to sleep. I check my other phone and answer a text from Ty before I pull on a fresh T-shirt and jeans and head downstairs.
DirtyGurl is in the kitchen in nothing but a black T-shirt that barely covers her ass, and it is a fine-looking ass. I spend a second admiring it, and her colorful ink, hopefully not too obviously. Logan’s cop-friend, Theo, is sitting at the dining room table with three boxes of donuts in front of him. Mr. Upper West Side’s next to him, looking relaxed and I’m guessing he took advantage of that fine ass last night, which sends a twinge of jealousy through me. It’s not that I’m interested in DirtyGurl; she doesn’t give off any of the effervescence that makes Emily so appealing. If anything, she comes across as cynical and a little sad. It’s more that I want what theyhave. The established rolesthey occupy. Their comfort with their sexuality while I still feel like I’m scratching around in my own skin.
I plop down at the dining table, snag a donut, and thank DirtyGurl when she brings cups and coffee to the table.
For three people who know each other well, there’s not much conversation between Theo, Javier, and DirtyGurl as we eat our donuts and drink our coffee. I break the silence by saying to DirtyGurl, “I think I’d like to take you up on that offer. D’you have some time later?”
To an absolutely ferocious scowl from Theo, she nods. “I’m heading into my shop at noon, but I’m finished at seven. I’ve got a couple of hours after that before I’m scheduled to go to the club if that suits you.”
“Sounds good. How about I pay you back with dinner?”
Now she glances at Theo. “As long as it’s just dinner. I’m not free-free because someone is a dick about orgasm restriction.”
Theo snorts but the irritation drains from his face.
“No problem. Just dinner. You mind coming to my place? I might be babysitting tonight.”
Ty’s text said his mother hasn’t been home since he got home from school yesterday. It pisses me off he had to sleep in their apartment by himself last night. The City’s a big, scary place and kids should not have to face it on their own. I told him to grab some breakfast and that I’d be home in an hour or so and we could go play ball. If his useless parent doesn’t come home today, he can stay at mine for the rest of the weekend.
“Sure. Do you have a younger brother or sister?”
I shake my head. “Neighbor. His mother sucks ass and either kicks him out while she screws her dealers in their apartment or leaves him alone all night. Bad enough on a school night but I really don’t like him being alone and unsupervised all weekend.”
DirtyGurl rubs her lips together, something shifting in her dark brown eyes, before she smiles. “That’s very cool of you. I’ll bring dinner. What do you guys like to eat?”
