Beth was having difficulty containing her amusement. As she continued to stare at Drew’s lap, the bulge in his jeans became more pronounced. She knew she should probably look away, but she was enjoying the show too much.
“Sorry. I was watching a scene upstairs. Guess I’m still a little worked up.”
She forced herself to meet his gaze. He seemed embarrassed, although she couldn’t fathom why. Most of the males walked around the club in various stages of arousal. It was par for the course given the club’s vibe.
Beth knew she should let it go, but she couldn’t help herself. “And what about the scene had you worked up?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. The whole thing, I suppose.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“I don’t know the Dom’s name, but I’ve seen him around the club. I didn’t recognize the submissive. John said I missed a pretty impressive flogging.”
Although Beth was curious to know more of the specifics, and to dig deeper into what had aroused him about the scene, she let the subject drop. She was already having too many thoughts of her own about what she’d like to do to Drew. The last thing she needed was to add to it.
Silence stretched between them for several minutes. That didn’t mean she wasn’t extremely aware of him. She’d been too aware of him from the moment he’d sat down beside her.
Beth was scrambling, trying to figure out how to break the lull in conversation when he cleared his throat. “So what do you like to do for fun? When you’re not here at the club, I mean.”
As topics went, Beth figured this was a relatively safe one. “I like history.”
“History?” His eyes widened in shock.
“Not what you were expecting?”
“No, it’s just . . .” He shook his head. “Okay, yeah, I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’m sure there are a lot of things about me that would surprise you.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Beth wished she could take them back. She didn’t need to be flirting. It would only encourage him, and that’s not what she wanted.
He smiled, and her stomach did a little flip. “I’m sure there are.”
Beth needed to regain control of the conversation, and fast. “What about you? What do you like to do when you’re not here or out fighting fires?”
“Anything outdoors—hiking, camping, that sort of thing. Have you ever been camping?” he asked.
“Not since I was ten. That’s when I started realizing the importance of dry clothes and a warm bed.” Beth cringed again. Why did she keep putting her foot in her mouth?
Drew grinned. “The last part is only an issue if you’re sleeping alone.”
“Well, seeing as how that would be the case, I don’t see where it matters.” Her words came out sharper than they should have.
“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” He was frowning, and Beth hated to admit how much she wanted to see him smiling again.
She sighed. “Drew, we can’t be anything more than friends.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” she countered.
“Yes.”
Beth raised her eyebrows, broadcasting her doubt.
He met her gaze. “I’m not going to lie.”
“That’s good, because I detest liars.”
Drew nodded. “Would I like to take you out on a date? Yes. But if friendship is all you’re offering, then I’ll take it.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of his statement. Was he telling the truth, or was it only a ploy to get her to let her guard down? “Why?”
“Why what?”
Was he intentionally being dense? “Why would you be okay with friendship? And why are you wasting your time sitting here with me when you could be off finding yourself a Domme?”
He shrugged. “I enjoy talking to you.”
Beth was expecting him to elaborate, but he didn’t. “Are you not interested in finding a mistress? If you sit here all night talking to me, that isn’t likely to happen.”
Drew smirked. “I’ll take my chances.”
She looked him over, head to toe. “Are you sure you’re a sub?”
“Pretty sure, yeah. Why?”
Beth was trying to figure out a nice way to say it, but decided to throw caution to the wind. There was no reason to hold back. She was who she was, and if he didn’t like it, he could take himself somewhere else. “Because you’re awfully cocky for a submissive.”
He laughed. “That’s probably the firefighter in me. We tend to be a rather cocky bunch.”
If what he said were true, whomever his mistress ended up being would have her hands full. Too bad it wouldn’t be her. “How did you decide to become a firefighter?”
His smile grew wider. “I used to go camping with my dad when I was younger. By the time I was eight, I was begging him to let me build the fire. I’d take my time, making sure it was just right, and then once I had it perfect I’d sit there and watch it burn until my dad would tell me it was time to turn in. Dad said I was so fascinated with fire I’d either grow up to be a firefighter or an arsonist.”
“I’m betting he’s happy you chose firefighter.”
“Yeah.” Drew chuckled. “So what about you? What made you want to own a café?”
She began to relax. This was the kind of stuff friends talked about. This was safe. “That’s a long story.”
He shifted his weight, which brought their legs closer together. “I’ve got time.”
Beth hated to admit it, but she was more aware of him than she’d like—even when having such a mundane conversation. “Um. Well, the short version?”
“Sure.”
“I used to work in a bakery, but after the owner died it closed up. I was trying to figure out what to do with myself. One day I was having lunch with a friend at a little restaurant across town. When they brought out our sandwiches, they were less than stellar.”
“And you thought you could do better?” Drew asked.
“Not exactly. My friend thought I could. And by the end of our lunch, she had me thinking seriously about opening up my own place.”
He grinned. “And you did.”
Beth couldn’t help but grin back. “I did. It was the best decision I ever made. Lots of hard work, but definitely worth it.”
Drew cleared his throat. “I should apologize for last week—for just showing up in your café like that. I had no idea you’d be there.”
Beth sighed. “I know you didn’t. It’s fine.”
“So you’re all right with me maybe stopping in to get a bite to eat once in a while?”
Was she? To tell him no would be rude, but look at what happened the last time. She’d ended up hiding out in the supply closet for two hours.
“That was the wrong thing to ask, wasn’t it?”
“No. I mean, of course it’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” Oh, maybe because his appearance had thrown her off for the rest of the day? She couldn’t tell him that, though.
“Okay. Good. I’m glad.” He gave her a smile that had her heart racing.
“Nicole told me you’ve been a member of the club for a little over a month.” She needed to get their conversation back on track.
“Yes. It’s been a good experience so far.”
“You said you’re new to BDSM.”
“That’s right.”
Before either of them could say any more, Nicole sat down across from them. “My feet are killing me. I never should have worn these new boots.”
“That’s why you never play in new shoes,” Beth said.
Nicole slipped off one of her boots and began massaging her arch. Her submissive, Jeff, appeared a moment later with a drink for her. She took a sip and sighed. “Thank you, love. That’s just what I needed.”
Without words, she lifted her foot slightly and rotated it. Jeff got the message and lowered himself to the floor. He adjusted Nicole’s foot so that it was resting in his lap, and he began gently kneading her flesh.
The rest of the evening was spent with the four of them talking about an upcoming spanking event scheduled the following week. Nicole and Jeff dominated the bulk of the conversation. Spanking was one of their main kinks, and both of them were looking forward to the event.
While Beth enjoyed spanking, she didn’t get as into it as some of the other Femdoms. There were other things one could do to a sub that were a lot more fun, in her opinion.
As the conversation continued, she found herself watching Drew’s reactions. He seemed interested. Beth wondered if he’d ever had an erotic spanking before. It was a foolish train of thought, but one she was beginning to realize was inevitable. She was attracted to him. No matter how much she tried to deny it, facts were facts. That didn’t mean she had to act on it.
By midnight, Beth was ready to call it a night. Like last weekend, Drew offered to walk her to her car. She opened the driver side door and turned around to face him. “Thank you for the escort.”
Drew smiled. “You’re welcome.”
There was a moment of tension before Beth broke it by sliding behind the wheel. “Good night, Drew.”
“Good night, Beth.”
***
Drew continued to replay the conversation he had with Beth in his head the next day as he did some laundry and tidied up his apartment. Was he being too aggressive in his pursuit of her? Did that make him less of a submissive? He didn’t know the answer to that.
But what was the alternative? Beth had made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship. He, of course, was, and Beth knew that. Still, he’d been honest. If friendship was all she was comfortable giving him, then he’d take it and hope she grew to trust him enough to make herself vulnerable again.
As the day wore on, he grew more and more restless and all he could think about was going to the club again that night. Would she be there? And if so, would she be happy to see him? He didn’t know the answer to either of those questions and it was slowly driving him insane. Maybe he was more of a masochist than he thought.
All his worrying had been for nothing. When he arrived at the club a little after eight, he realized Beth wasn’t there. By nine thirty, he knew she wasn’t coming. Whether or not that had anything to do with him, he didn’t know. He hoped not.
By the time Monday rolled around and he returned to the station for his next shift, he was running scenarios in his head of what he’d do the next time he saw her—what he’d say. His mind was so full of Beth it had taken him twice as long to finish the paperwork on his desk. Most of the guys hated this part of the job, but Drew didn’t mind it. Not usually. The thing with Beth was playing havoc with his brain, though. He couldn’t concentrate.
As he was settling into his cot for the night, he remembered how she’d smiled when he told her about camping with his dad. Beth was beautiful—and even more so when she let her guard down.
Although there’d been some tension on Friday night, it was less than the week before. He wondered if that would have held true had Nicole not interrupted them. It seemed as if Beth was more comfortable keeping the conversation casual. Anytime it began getting too personal she would tense up, which was the last thing he wanted. Then again, he also wanted to know everything about her.
Taking a deep breath, Drew tried to push his inquiries out of his mind. He needed to rest. It was already after midnight.
Unfortunately, his sleep was interrupted two hours later by the alarm. Jumping out of bed, he joined the rest of his crew down on the main floor as they donned their gear. Although they’d all been awakened from sleep, it didn’t take long for the adrenaline to take over as word came over the radio from dispatch about the blaze. They were sending eight trucks, which meant it had to be of significant size. It would probably keep them busy for the rest of the night.
Sure enough, Drew and the other firefighters on the scene spent the next four hours putting out the flames and making sure all the hot spots were extinguished. He hadn’t been able to spend much time analyzing the burn patterns, but given the location and what little he’d seen, Drew wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out to be another target of the arsonist.
By six, the scene was secure, a fire inspector was on scene, and they were ready to head back. Drew grabbed hold of the rigging to pull himself up onto the truck when his gaze landed on two people watching from about three blocks away. Even though she was wearing a pink apron with what looked to be flowers, he recognized her instantly.
Hopping down from the truck, he hollered to the guys that he’d be right back, and then jogged over to where Beth stood. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Her eyes were wide, although her voice was steady.
He looked down at himself and took in all the soot. Only then did it occur to him how he must look after spending the last four hours inside a burning building. He shouldn’t have crossed the street to her. “I’m quite a sight, aren’t I?”
It was the young man beside her who answered. “We couldn’t believe it when we came into work this morning. I wasn’t sure I would even be able to get to the café with the roads blocked off.”
Drew didn’t want to take his eyes off Beth, but he didn’t want to be rude either. “Yeah, it was a hot one, that’s for sure. It was safer to keep everyone back until we got it under control.”
“Was it the arsonist?” Beth asked.
“Too early to tell.” Of course she would know about the arsonist. She was friends with Nicole. Besides, it wasn’t as if they could keep something like this out of the news. Several camera crews were on scene during the fire, but luckily, the officers who responded had kept them away from the action.
She nodded.
“I should probably get back. Need to get the truck ready to go before the next shift comes on at eight.”
“Cool.” There was a little more enthusiasm in the young man’s voice than was warranted. Drew could see a bit of hero worship in the man’s eyes as well.
Drew turned to go. He’d taken two steps when Beth stopped him. “Drew?”
He met her gaze, and realized there was still something about the way she was looking at him. “Yeah?”
“I have some muffins about to go in the oven. They should be ready in a half hour or so. If you’re free.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Good to know. Thanks.”
“Yo, Parker. Come on man. You can flirt on your own time,” Baily yelled from inside the fire engine. His voice echoed off the surrounding buildings even from so far away.
Drew took another long look at Beth, and then hustled to rejoin his crew. The whole way back to the station he couldn’t wipe the cheesy grin off his face. Beth had invited him to return to her café for muffins after his shift. He tried to remind himself not to get his hopes up—it was only breakfast. It didn’t mean anything. Maybe if one of the other guys had trotted down the street she would have extended the same invitation.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew it wasn’t true. He could maybe see her handing out something already made as a thank you, or even offering to have all the guys stop in later, but that’s not what she’d done. She’d given him a personal invitation.
With that in mind, he worked quickly to clean and stow his gear so he could head back over to Beth’s café as soon as possible. His crew noticed his rush and had to give him a hard time about it. He laughed it off and concentrated on what he was doing.
It was after eight thirty before Drew made it back to the café. He’d had to take a shower, which slowed him down, but he didn’t want to show up smelling, and looking, like a burnt piece of charcoal.
He opened the door and walked into the brightly lit space. There were a handful of customers seated at the small tables, and one at the counter talking to the young man who’d been standing beside Beth earlier. As Drew strolled toward him, he noticed the man was wearing a nametag that said Tommy.
“Hey, you made it,” Tommy said, catching sight of Drew.
“I couldn’t turn down the offer of fresh baked muffins, could I?”
“Beth makes the best muffins,” said the woman standing beside him, waiting for her order.
“Is that so?” Drew had to admit he was curious as to what this woman had to say. Clearly, she wasn’t a first-time customer. The way she said Beth’s name was too casual.
“Oh, gosh, yes. There’s nothing like one of her blueberry muffins hot out of the oven and a cup of coffee. The best way to start your day, I tell ya.”
Drew’s stomach took that moment to protest. He hadn’t had anything to eat since dinner the previous night.
The woman giggled as Tommy handed her a brown paper bag. She patted Drew’s arm as she went to leave. “Get one of the cinnamon rolls. I promise you won’t regret it.”
With the woman gone, Drew turned his attention back to Tommy. “You have some loyal customers.”
“Beth does. She has a talent for baking. I just help her out and follow her recipes.”
Although he knew he shouldn’t, Drew had to ask. “Have you two been working together for a long time?”
“I used to work with her at the old bakery when I was in high school. She was starting this place up, and found out I was looking for work, so she asked if I wanted to come help her. I’ve been here ever since.”
Drew was about to ask another question when Beth came through a set of swinging doors. She stopped when she spotted him. “You made it.”
“An offer of fresh muffins is hard to pass up.” He smiled, hoping it was having the effect on her he wanted.
“I suppose it is.” Beth slid a tray of chocolate chip cookies into a glass case and wiped her hands on her apron. “Did you want some coffee? Or we have milk or juice.”
“Coffee sounds great.”
She nodded. “Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll bring it out to you.”
Before he could say anything else, she disappeared through the swinging doors again. He shook his head and went to find a place to sit as far in the back as he could. When Beth brought his breakfast out, he was hoping she might stay and visit with him for a few minutes. A guy could dream, right?