Sugar Dust (16 page)

Karen frowned.
She can’t mean Dan. She just can’t.

“Then it’s better that you went your separate ways rather than wasting each other’s time.”

“Perhaps. But you should know that
relationships
,” more air quotes, “aren’t always as great as people make out. They can be really one sided.”

“Of course they can, but mine isn’t.” The white gems in the slave band caught the light and Karen held it up, unable to stop herself. “Not that it’s any of your business, but he collared me. We’re committed now.”

Something dark passed across Beth’s eyes. Her upper lip pulled back into a snarl. She traced the delicate links of the bracelet with the end of one claw-like fingernail. “Christ, you poor deluded, idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you know how Dan and I met?”

“No. And it doesn’t matter.” Though she said it with defiance, Karen felt a twinge of fear.

“Of course it does. Aren’t you curious? After last night?”

Of course she was. Her gut writhed with the need to know, but she refused to give Beth the satisfaction of showing it. “A little, but—”

“What did he say when you asked?”

“You’re from his past. Not important.”

Beth chuckled, but not like she was happy. “Not important. Thanks a bunch, Dan.”

“Just spit it out. I have somewhere to be.”

She folded her arms, making the shrug ride up her breasts. “Dan and I were a D/s couple.”

“I don’t believe you. He wouldn’t pair up with...”

“Someone like me? You can say it, I don’t mind. Just shows you little you know.”

“I know plenty.” She touched the bracelet again, as if for support. “He wouldn’t.”

“He did,” Beth snapped. “Ask him. Make him tell you. We were together for two years. We switched occasionally, but I was the sub. It was amazing.
He
was amazing. I thought we’d be together for years.”

When Beth paused, seemingly looking inward, Karen bit her lip. She didn’t want to know but she had to. “And?”

“He collared me five weeks before dumping me for some skinny black bitch he met on
All SCS
.” The blue eyes hardened and swept up and down Karen’s body, an obvious display of fury.

Something deep inside roared and lashed out, with the strength of a panther’s paw. Karen actually jerked with it, stumbling forward as though punched. Far more than the casual racism, Karen reeled at the sense of abandonment and fury pouring off Beth like scalding heat. Cold crawled down Karen’s shoulders and sank to fester in her toes.

“He wouldn’t do that,” she gasped.

“No?”

“No, he wouldn’t just collar you and leave. He’s not cruel.”

“Ask him. He even got me one of those stupid bracelets,” she pointed to the slave band.

Karen leaned against the door. Her knees insisted. “No.”

“Yes. He clipped it on, made a big fuss about it, then bent me over the kitchen sink and fucked me three ways from Sunday. Two months later, he was gone.”

The words fought everything she knew about Dan. His caring nature, his attention, his passion. “Even if I did believe you, why are you telling me this? Why do you care?”

“Because I can see the signs. You’re just like I was. Us girls need to look after each other.”

“Bullshit.” She rallied with a snarl. Stood straight. Jabbed with her finger. “You’re jealous.”

Beth sniffed. “Even if you are the
All SCS
woman, I don’t see much to be jealous of. I’m happy now. Bones is a real catch and even if I don’t keep him there are plenty of other asses needing a spank. I don’t need Dan.”

Grunting, Karen jerked the door open. “Stay away from me. Keep your lies to yourself. And keep your pet away from me too—he shouldn’t be here.” She walked away without waiting for an answer. Soon she stood in the entrance parlor, gazing sightlessly at the photos lining the walls.

Crowds. Less than the night before, but still busy, bodies in fetish clothing swirling around her like a river current. Voices raised in chatter. Laughter. An occasional happy squeal. The parlor reminded her of a giant school playground, but one for kinky grown-ups.

She caught the smell of leather and sweaty bodies, even the faint musk of recent sex from a few who strayed too close. Her fingers itched. She tangled them in her hair, gripping the short strands and pulling. Dan was nowhere in sight, but in that moment, the thought of seeing him only increased her anger. Finally her vision blurred as tears caught on her eyelashes.

“Karen, sweetheart? You okay?”

She looked up. Found kind eyes and a cautious smile. “Denise?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I can’t—” Verbalizing the swirling maelstrom of confusion, anger and fear required strength she no longer possessed. “Thong in a knot...they both said it. What does that mean?”

He reached for her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Both? Who? Was it that Beth woman? Did she do something?”

“No. Yes.”

“Which is it?”

“I don’t know.” Karen bit her lip. “She said Dan was—” Frustration boiled within her as the words clung to her tongue. The weight of the slave band threatened to drag her wrist to the floor. When she pressed it to her chest, the warm links dug into her flesh. The pain helped steady her.

“Don’t listen to a thing she says. That woman is poison. I knew it the moment she sat down. And that Paul, I’ve seen him before. I’m sure I have.”

“He’s new.”

“I never forget a face, sweetheart. I just need to figure out where I’ve seen him.”

“Thanks Denise, but this isn’t helping. I need to find Dan.”

The man gave a kind smile. “Of course. But first, why don’t you come with me and Henrietta for a bit?”

“No.” Steel lined her tone. “I need to find him. He has some explaining to do.”

Denise raised his hands, palm up. “It’s not my business, sweetheart. But nobody should dive into a delicate conversation when they’re this angry. You might say something you don’t mean.”

She opened her mouth to argue. Instead, she sighed. “You’re right. But he lied to me. If Beth told the truth, he’s lying. If she’s messing with me, then she’s a fucking bitch and I’m going to slap her. But Dan needs to explain. I don’t know what to do.”

“Come with us. Cool off first. We’re going to walk around the grounds. I hear there’s a really nice St. Andrew’s Cross out there.”

“Outside?”

“One must cater for all tastes, sweetheart. Come on. Join us.”

Unlike Paul’s entreaties that felt pushy and predatory, Denise’s request spoke of nothing but genuine concern. Calm leeched the stiffness from her limbs. She took a deep breath and ran her hands down the sides of her corset. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Chapter Fourteen

The knock at the door made Dan jump. He turned off the TV and swallowed to control his fluttering stomach.
If I can’t watch porn here, where the hell else can I watch it?
He continued to grumble as he reached the door and flung it open saying, “Where have you been? I thought we were going to look at more stalls today.”

Beth raised her eyebrows at him. “We can look at stalls if you want, Spanx.”

Air jammed in his lungs and lingered there until dizziness fogged his mind. His fingers tightened on the doorframe. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought we could talk.”

“I can be civil to you in public, but that’s it. I’ve nothing to say to you.”

She chuckled. “Still upset about the sofa? You got a new one right? That one was ugly anyway.”

The remembered scent of singed faux leather filled his nostrils. “You nearly burned my flat down. I had to move. The landlord made me pay for smoke damage.”

“That friend of yours is a builder, why couldn’t he help?”

“What do you want?” The words oozed through clenched teeth.

“To talk.” She turned her shoulder and barged through, tossing her bag at the bed as she went. A flood of condoms poured out. “And other stuff.”

“Get out.”

“Make me.” Grinning, Beth shucked off her coat. She wore nothing beneath it.

Dan stared. Warmth gathered in his belly and began to travel down. “I mean it.”

“So do I. You want me out? Come make me.” She stalked toward the bed, bending low to retrieve the bag. She stayed bent over far longer than necessary, wiggling her hips. The motions brought Dan’s gaze to the tiny flash of light between her ass cheeks where he saw the green, glittering head of a jeweled butt plug.

“Beth!”

“Yes?” She straightened, brandishing a pair of handcuffs. A quick snap locked her hands together in front of her stomach. “You used to like cuffing me.”

Dan froze. He stared at Beth, then at the open door. The brightly colored spill of condoms slid off the bed as she reclined on the silky sheets with her legs crossed.

He kicked the door shut. “Where’s Paul? Or Bones, whatever the hell you called him?”

She shrugged. “He had to leave. Something about a work deadline.”

“What does he do?”

“No idea. Does it matter? Why do you care?”

“I don’t. You want to talk, then talk.”

“Don’t you want to come closer?” Beth played with her bright green hair, chewing a small section like a naughty child.

“Talk or get lost.”

“Dan,” Beth cooed. “Spanx, what happened between us? Why did it end so badly?”

“You tried to burn my flat down.”

“An accident.”

“We both know that’s bullshit.”

She smiled and traced her bound hands over the pattern of scars on her chest and shoulders. “Maybe, but before that. You left. We were so perfect. The terrible things you’d do to me. And what you let me do to you.” Her hands left the scars and gripped her breasts briefly before passing down. She stopped just above the line of her bare pussy and spread her legs, using two fingers to part her outer lips. “You miss it, don’t you? Miss this?”

Even from across the room Dan could smell her. Clear droplets of moisture formed around her fingers and she swirled it around. He jerked his head to the side, but the musky smell of her body lingered. “Beth, please.”

“Oh, you’re asking? I thought you didn’t sub anymore.” She snickered. “Of course you can. Come lick my pussy, Dan. Tongue my clit.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Is that so?” She cast a significant glance at his crotch. “Fine, I’ll suck your cock instead. I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and angled his hips away from her view. “Stop it.”

“Why? You used to love it when I sat with my legs like this. Nice and wide. So you could see everything. It’s just like before, shaved like you always wanted. Wet like you always wanted.” She fingered herself with more urgency, using her thumb on the base of her clit while thrusting two fingers inside. The damp squelch from between her legs and the hiss of escalated breathing thundered through the sudden silence.

The warmth in Dan’s stomach became a burn. Halfway toward the bed he stopped dead, startled that he’d moved at all. His cock struggled for freedom against the confines of his pants.

“You can’t do this,” he whispered. “Sorry it didn’t work out, but it’s done. We can’t talk about it anymore. I won’t.”

Instead of answering, Beth spread her legs even farther and planted her feet on the bed. She raised her hips off the sheets and rolled them in slow circles. “I’m doing yoga now. And Pilates. You wouldn’t believe the way I can bend these days.” She slipped a third finger, inside her body and groaned. A tremor rippled through her body.

“No.” Dan heard the weakness in his voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I need you to leave.”

“Need?”

“I
want
you to leave. Get out before Karen comes back.”

Beth’s eyes took on a wicked gleam. Her hair spread across the sheets like an emerald fan. “Karen. Pretty little Kitten Karen. Where did you find her?”

“None of your business.”

“Was it
All SCS
? The same place you met that other little bitch you dumped me for? Or is she the one? The one you ruined our perfect relationship for?” The fingers slid out of her body with an audible slurping sound. She held them out before her, wet and glistening.

“I didn’t dump you for her. I dumped you because you’re fucking crazy.”

“I loved you.”

He shook his head. Once upon a time he might have believed it, but after seeing those marks on Paul’s back he knew she was incapable. “You loved what I did to you, it’s not the same.”

“You collared me.”

Dan lowered his head. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t understand what it could mean. I had no idea what it meant to you.”

“You broke my heart.”

That stung but he had nothing to add. Not without opening the doors to a host of emotions he had no strength to handle. Leaving her hadn’t been painless. Such a breakup always resulted in multiple casualties. He knew she wouldn’t understand that. He looked at the floor again, willing his erection to dissipate so he could think more clearly.

“And now you’re going to do the same to Karen.”

Hearing her name from those lips, in that voice, in that tone...all sympathy vanished. “Don’t—” he began.

“You gave her one of those stupid bracelets with the rings. And I saw her collar. You’re doing it again.”

“No. Don’t act like you care about Karen. This is about your ego.”

“You haven’t even told her about us, have you? Fucking coward.”

“I love her,” he roared. “Everything she needs to know she already knows. You need to get over it and move on.”

“You what?”

Dan opened his mouth again, but before he could speak he heard the words again.
Love. Shit. I
do
love her. I really do.

“I love her,” he repeated, cold, calm, and slow.

Beth’s legs snapped closed. Her eyes blazed. “Fine.” She rolled off the bed and onto the pile of condoms, treading them flat as she stomped across the room. “Fine.”

He backed up. “What are you doing?”

“You need to undo these.” She stretched the handcuff chain. “The key is in my bag.”

“Then you’ll leave?” He searched her eyes, teetering on the edge of believing her.

“Yes. I know when I’m not wanted.”