Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“You didn’t ask him his name?” Her tone is shocked, so I answer a little defensively.
“Of course I did. The guy not only rescued me but helped me carry the heavy-ass cactuses to my car, which I’m sure he could be fired for if someone found out. But I did that thing where I accidently rapid-fired off a bunch of questions at once, and I didn’t realize he answered all of them except for giving me his name until I was already halfway home.”
She smiles a little, her eyes curious. “What were the other questions?”
My brows furrow as I try to remember. “There were so many things I wanted to ask him, and I kind of just word-vomited them all at the same time. I know I asked him why he had first aid supplies in his car, along with the little toiletry bag he got the tweezers out of, and he just said he likes to be prepared for anything. But that was earlier. I don’t remember exactly how I worded the questions, but I remember his answers clearly. He was a boy scout and fireman when he was younger. Did I mention the salt-and-pepper beard?”
“You did. About thirteen times while you were naming off each and every detail about him. Which is also kind of impressive since you really couldn’t tell much about him, because he was all covered up. But seeing as most of the Doms at our club dress similarly, we know good and well just how different each one can look, even when they’re all dressed alike from head to toe. Aside from height and weight and muscle tone, just their own personal vibe, their aura, can make them seem so different from someone else, ya know?”
I nod frantically. “Yes! Totally get that. Like the first time I ever met Sarge and saaay, Knight?” I say her husband Corbin’s Dom name, since that’s how I was actually introduced to him the first time, and the fourth co-owner of the club, Knight, also known as Brian outside of Club Alias. His wife, Clarice, is the photographer for all our book covers. “Sarge is like half the size of Knight, but if I were to meet them in an alley, it’s Sarge who would be the scarier of the two. Knight is like… a big ole gentle giant. But Sarge….” I shake my head, not knowing how to explain it to her, since she’s his wife, and I don’t want to offend her in any way. While she’s my best friend, I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth no matter who I’m speaking to. It’s why I like to stick to writing, where I can backtrack and delete things, unlike when words leave my mouth.
“I know exactly what you mean,” she assures me, and I immediately relax. “The first time I met them, I was barely eighteen and they came into my rock climbing gym together. Brian was like seventy-three feet taller than me, but Corbin… he gave me chills. And while he probably gets that reaction from most people, I’m the weirdo who was turned on by his scary aura.”
“I can only imagine being that young, a virgin, and suddenly feeling all those very adult feelings for the first time when you encountered… him. I mean, he’s never been anything but nice to me. He’s great, truly. But he’s still kinda terrifying,” I say with a nervous laugh.
Thankfully, she just giggles and shakes her head at me. “I mean, he’s an award-winning marksman with two Purple Hearts. I’m sure a lots of people find my honey… intimidating.” She lets out a dreamy sigh of her own. “So fucking hot.”
I wave my hand between us. “Hey, none of that. This is supposed to be about the hotty I found. Not yours. You always get to talk about your hotty. This is brand new territory for us! A new hotty!”
She straightens with a firm nod. “You’re right. Tell me more.”
Now that I have the floor, I don’t know how to proceed. “Well, that’s the thing. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me, Vi. I don’t even know this man’s name, no idea what he even looks like. But one quietly spoken order from him and my mind went into full-on ‘yes, Master’ mode without me even being conscious of it until my body was doing his bidding on its own.”
“When did he give you orders?” she asks, switching to mama-bear persona in an instant. “No one is allowed to give you orders without your consent, Sienna.”
I pat the air down with both hands in the international sign for “calm thy tits.” But I do admit, at least internally, that I fucking love that my best friend is this protective over me. “He didn’t mean them as orders-orders. I unconsciously just… reacted to his instructions that way. Like he told me not to move when he ran to get the supplies to fix my hand. And then he told me how to take care of it once I woke up this morning.”