1
Trouble liked to follow her around.
And right now, trouble had taken the form of a six-foot-two Dom with dark hair and gorgeous blue eyes. And he was sitting in her section. Again.
“You’re staring at him.”
She jumped with a gasp and turned to glare at Sophie. “Are you trying to scare me to death?”
Sophie just snorted.
“And I’m not staring, I’m watching.”
“There’s a difference?” Sophie asked, arching a perfect eyebrow.
Sophie could have graced the cover of any magazine, and they wouldn’t have to airbrush a thing. Standing next to her, Ria felt ordinary. And pudgy. She just couldn’t move those extra ten pounds she carried even if she starved herself.
“Yes, there is. Staring sounds rude. Watching means I’m simply paying attention.”
“Paying attention to what? He’s just sitting there, working on his computer.”
“Who works in a bar?” she asked.
“Maybe someone who likes to go play after he finishes work?”
Yeah. Well. That was a good point but she was still suspicious.
“Maybe. But why does he always choose my section to sit in?”
“Perhaps he likes you.”
It was Ria’s turn to snort. People didn’t like her.
There were waitresses who were prettier than she was. There were definitely waitresses who were nicer than she was. She wasn’t exactly known for her perky personality. Which meant she’d probably have made pretty crap tips if there weren’t weirdos out there who liked grouchy and blunt. Her section was usually the first to fill up each night. Some idiots thought she was a Domme. She had no desire to dominate anyone. But, whatever. She didn’t have to pretend to be nice and she was making more tips than any other waitress.
However, she was pretty sure Connor Jones wasn’t sitting in her section because he enjoyed her special brand of waitressing.
“I doubt it’s that. Come on, Sophie, don’t you think it’s weird that he was made a club Dom straight away?”
Club Dom’s weren’t just members. They had extra responsibilities, like monitoring scenes and teaching. The unattached subs could go to the club Doms if they had a problem or wanted help finding or vetting a play partner. He could also dish out punishment when needed.
“Ajax trusts him,” Sophie said confidently. And Sophie trusted Ajax, even though she probably wouldn’t admit to it. Or how attracted she was to him.
She studied him. He was dressed to blend in with an ugly, loose, gray shirt and dark jeans. He kept his shoulders slightly hunched, but his gaze was never still. He didn’t have the hard look of an undercover cop, but then she’d been fooled by one of them before, so she couldn’t rule it out. Private investigator? Her stomach danced with nerves.
Could Freddy have sent him? Possible but not very likely. Freddy’s crew were pure muscle. Testosterone-filled, macho men whose brains were mostly located in their dicks.
Connor wasn’t that. He had a leaner build. His slightly long, dark hair, which curled at the ends, could do with a cut. Hard to tell what he looked like under the scruff on his face. She liked a five o’clock shadow but anything beyond that just became a man-bib. She shuddered. Gross.
No, if Freddy had found her, he wouldn’t have sent this guy in. He’d come by force. The place would be filled with muscle. Freddy didn’t know how to do subtle. The ass.
God, she missed him.
She took a deep breath to calm herself. She couldn’t have anyone catching a hint of vulnerability. People exploited weaknesses, and Ria wasn’t going to be used ever again.
“He seems nice. Really quiet. Almost shy.” Sophie sounded a bit sorry for him. “Maybe he comes here to work because he’s lonely. Perhaps I should introduce him around, help him find a sub to play with.”
He didn’t really act like a Dom. She’d worked as a waitress at Indulgence for five months now, and the Doms here tended to roughly fall into three categories.
Newbie Doms. Generally hesitant and unsure. Although sometimes they went too far the other way and were filled with overconfidence and arrogance.
Jerk Doms. The ones who got off on being in charge but didn’t really care about those under their care. Luckily, they didn’t usually last long at Indulgence because Ajax and the club Doms didn’t put up with that shit.
Alpha Doms. These were the Doms that were the shit and they knew it, but they didn’t ram it down your throat. They knew what they were doing, they took charge without having to be a jerk about it and they genuinely cared about those under their care. These Doms wore their dominance like a cloak. They stood tall, their confidence out in full-force, and their protectiveness often over-the-top.
Ajax was one of them. He’d only been the manager here for a few months, and he was a huge step-up from the last dick, Jeremiah, who’d been a Jerk Dom.
“I don’t trust him,” Ria told her. “Stay away from him.”
“Ria—”
“Soph, my instincts are screaming that something is going on. Please.”
Sophie shot her a worried look then she patted her arm. “Okay, honey. I’ll be careful around him. You’re good at reading people. Wish you’d been my friend when I met Jerry. You’d have seen right through him.”
Ria wrapped her arm around her friend. “I wish I had been too.”
“I’ve made a new policy with men. No more big guys. Next time, I’m going for someone small and gentle.”
Ria didn’t bother telling her that small guys could be assholes too. Sophie knew that. She also didn’t point out that there were some big guys who were good, like Ajax.
“Ria, please don’t take offence, but I worry you’re becoming suspicious of everyone.”
Funny, she worried about Sophie for the opposite reason. Her friend was too trusting.
“My policy is everyone is a dick until proven otherwise,” Ria admitted. She didn’t think that was a bad way to be. Meant she wasn’t let down. It also meant she wouldn’t be taken advantage of again.
Sophie bit her lip and Ria knew she wanted to say something. “Spit it out, Soph.”
“I’m just worried that if you never trust anyone and let them in, you’re never going to find someone. It seems kind of a lonely way to live.”
Lonely was good. Lonely meant there was no one in her life to hurt her. And, truth was, she wasn’t looking for anyone to share her life with. She knew that was Sophie’s goal. Find a good man, apparently one who was short and skinny, and settle down.
“I won’t be lonely, because I’ll have you,” Ria told her. “You’ll find that perfect guy, have a bunch of little kids and I’ll be crazy Aunt Ria who buys them inappropriate toys and feeds them too much sugar then drops them home for you to deal with.”