Near Perfection [Aspire 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (6 page)

“Haley!”

She turned at the sound of her name.

“It is you! I thought it was, although your hair is different, and that uniform…
You’re
the chef?”

Haley smiled at Muriel Presner. “Hello, Muriel.” She nodded at Knox, Muriel’s husband. “How was dinner?” she asked.

Knox said, “It was terrific, Haley. Good to see you again. I didn’t think it was you in that outfit, but Muriel insisted.” He patted his wife’s hand affectionately.

Haley kept a straight face when she remembered Knox’s particular sexual interests he assuaged at the Club. It took one to know one. Muriel chattered on about the wonderful food and the service and how the restaurant was divinely decorated while Haley nodded at appropriate times. Finally, Muriel asked what was clearly nearly making her burst.

“I didn’t know that Warren would allow you to work, Haley?”

Haley smiled again, keeping everything well under control. “Warren and I aren’t together anymore, Muriel. And this is my career. What I do.”

Muriel flushed and narrowed her eyes, and Knox patted her hand harder. Haley kept smiling.

“Well, you do it well,” Knox acknowledged.

Muriel spoke up again. “I didn’t mean to infer that this was a hobby or some sort of demeaning thing, Haley. I apologize if I offended you.”

Haley reassured her and upped her estimate of the woman. “Not at all. I’m glad you came tonight.”

She could feel their eyes on her as she completed her stroll and made it through the doors into the kitchen without meeting anyone else she knew. They weren’t bad people, just curious, she supposed. It was just unfortunate that now everyone at the Club would know about her and Warren. She would have spared him that, allowing him to tell people what he chose. Haley angrily shook her head. Why the hell she still worried about Warren, she couldn’t say. She was kidding herself. She missed him so much. And now Warren would find out where she worked, sooner than later. The Club was a hotbed of gossip, much like any other place that people congregated, regardless of their interests. Haley didn’t think he would want to see her again, considering how cold he had been when she left him, but he
had
tried to pay her off, and she had effectively spit in his eye. Warren didn’t like it when things didn’t go the way he thought they should. Well, she wasn’t his sub anymore. And she wasn’t the same woman she had made herself into for him anymore either. And she needed to stop thinking about him and dry her eyes and organize the troops. The kitchen wouldn’t clean itself.

* * * *

Haley slipped out the back door of the restaurant and scanned the lot. She felt pleasantly tired and pleased with how things were going. She spotted Gordon sitting in his car under a light in the lot, reading the paper. He picked her up after work every night rather than allow her to take a cab, or God forbid, the bus, considering the late hour. Haley felt cherished and didn’t argue with him, although she did raise her concerns about how his social life would be impacted. Gordon had simply smiled at her, and the look in his eyes now made her knees weak. He still hadn’t touched her in any way that could be construed as sexual, but he had that presence, and Haley felt it keenly. It stood to reason that Gordon couldn’t replace Warren in her affections, but he was beginning to ease his way in to stand shoulder to shoulder with her errant thoughts about Warren. He hadn’t talked about his friend or shared any of his secrets, and Haley respected him enormously for that, despite her curiosity. Aside from the first day when she had unloaded on Gordon, Haley hadn’t talked about Warren either. When the tears came, Gordon would hold her until she cried herself out or let her go and deal with things her own way. He seemed to know intuitively what she needed at the time. And Haley was slowly but surely building defenses against her heartbreak over Warren as time went by and she allowed herself to be her real self again.

Gordon got out of the car and went around to open her door and hand her inside, just as Warren used to do. He made sure she fastened the seat belt before closing the door. He got back in, and she watched him buckle up and then drive out of the lot with his usual competence, his big hands resting on the steering wheel. Haley’s breath hitched as she looked at his hands. He was a true caring Dom, taking care of her, looking out for her, even if he didn’t demand submission outside of the bedroom. Haley brought her thoughts under control immediately. She refused to be so damn needy.

“How was your evening, little one?” he asked.

Haley smiled at him. It was easy to do. Gordon was simply a wonderful person.

She could almost pretend that he wasn’t a Dom, too, until he looked at her in a certain way and her body responded.

“It was busy, but that’s how I like it,” she said. “I ran into some people who know me, though, Gordon, and they know Warren as well. And you, too, as they’re members of the Club. I doubt he’ll care enough to do anything if he hears from them that I work at Enrico’s, but I thought you should know. He won’t be pleased that I’m living in your home. Although I didn’t tell them that I was. Living with you I mean. In your house. Anyway, I thought you should know. Because, well, I just wanted to tell you.”

Gordon didn’t take his eyes off the road as her babbling finally ran down like a dying battery. He said, “I’ll deal with that if it happens, Haley.”

To her surprise, Haley accepted his statement and was content with it, leaning back in her seat to doze on the drive home. Gordon would be the perfect Dom for some lucky woman. He inspired such trust and confidence. Of course, it couldn’t be her. He was Warren’s best friend, and she still loved Warren. Haley slipped back in time, remembering how Warren’s pale blue eyes seemed to catch all the light as he bent his head to kiss her…

“I don’t want to play tonight, Haley.” Warren’s deep voice warmed her. “I want to fuck you until you scream, but I don’t want you passive.”

Haley said, “Whatever you want, Warren. Anything.”

Warren stole her breath with another kiss, and she felt his big cock notch itself at her opening. She was ready for him as she always was, and he slid home until he hit her womb and then retreated to pull out almost all the way out and surge back in. Haley wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her hands down his arms, reveling in the touch of his heated skin. She clenched all her inner muscles and hid a smile when Warren moaned. He held himself above her and thrust until she was begging for him to push her over. Warren stilled and then reached for her clit, pinching it at the same time as he pumped twice more. Haley screamed for him, and for herself. It felt like making love to her, mad, passionate love. And so she had hoped that Warren was feeling more deeply for her.

The sound of the garage door lifting up pulled Haley from her flashback, and she looked guiltily at Gordon. He stared back at her, unsmilingly, and bent over to kiss her, just a gentle, swift kiss, but one that blurred the memory of Warren and then mingled with it. Her arousal spiked.

“Time for bed, Haley.” Gordon’s smooth voice brought her back further to the present. “You’re tired, and I have an early day tomorrow.”

Haley let him help her from the car and then followed him into the house. They once again parted at her bedroom door, and Haley felt a twinge as he left her with his usual peck on the cheek. She had to stop this. There wasn’t room in her heart for two men, even two such disparate men.

* * * *

Warren wasn’t enjoying his life at home. Madeline either seemed be inordinately slow with her work or steadfastly immune to his blandishments. Meals were late, his laundry was stored carelessly, and the house lacked the usual shine it flaunted when Haley was living there. He acknowledged that Madeline was older, elderly even, but he hadn’t realized how much Haley did while he was away working. And he knew that she would have assisted Madeline in a manner that wouldn’t have offended his old employee. Madeline had likely been as oblivious as he. He had been extremely comfortable over the past year, damn it, and he knew who was responsible now that the little wench had walked out on him. He had swallowed his pride and called everyone he knew that might have an idea where Haley had gone. There weren’t a lot of numbers to call. He was ashamed that he knew as little about her as he did, and it seemed that she had eschewed all her previous relationships and focused herself on him, just as he had expected her to do, because no one knew where she was. She hadn’t been in contact with any of them. The only person he didn’t call was Gordon. Warren was too ashamed to tell Gordon that he had driven Haley away, especially when he knew how his friend really felt about her. He didn’t want to lose the regard of one of the few people he felt close to. He and Gordon hadn’t talked for some time, and Warren worried that his friend would soon make contact and then his stupidity would be revealed.

But Warren was getting concerned. He began to wonder if something might have happened to her, despite his growing inner belief that Haley was quite capable of looking after herself. Warren had given Haley a great deal of thought over the past week or so. He actually hadn’t thought of anything else. Haley might have presented herself as the perfect sub for him, but he had fleeting memories of other qualities, like the time he had been unavailable to deal with a difficult contractor. The bathroom remodel had gone poorly from the start and the contractor was successful in timing his appearances to coincide with Warren’s work schedule, so he was always away. Warren had made a special trip home that day to confront the man, although he hadn’t told Haley of his intent to do so. He had heard raised voices, no, make that one raised voice, as he entered the house. He had walked quietly down the hallway to hover just outside the living room.

“The craftsmanship is unacceptable.”

Warren had found it hard to credit that it was Haley speaking those words. The tone and inflection froze
him
, and he wasn’t even in the same room! Bob the contractor had blustered and even shouted at her, but Haley was inflexible, calm, and pushed the point while remaining civil and polite. Bob had settled down and then apologized, promising to correct the mistakes and bring the project in within an additional two-week period. Warren had then strode in and reiterated the concerns, with Bob meekly agreeing and repeating his promise. Haley had left the room without either man noticing. Warren admitted now that he would probably have alienated the man and been forced to get another contractor if he had been the one to deal with him first.

Warren began to understand why the comments he had previously heard about Haley being very good at her job had been so approving. Running a kitchen well clearly took skill, dealing with all sorts of pressure and personalities. No wonder Haley had been so effective with him and his household. He felt more shame at not according Haley her due, especially when it was now apparent he had not concerned himself with how she might have viewed shelving her career. Warren really didn’t want his subs to work. He wanted them to be available whenever he wanted, and his wealth and position had made that possible. Now he was forced to consider what Haley had given up to make him happy. It didn’t feel good, but then being selfish wasn’t a great personal attribute.

And then there was the deal with the paperboy. Warren hated to read newspapers online and insisted that they be delivered before breakfast. The local urchin who delivered the papers persisted in decorating the flowerbeds with them. They got soaked with dew, more often than not, and Warren had decided to have the kid fired once he raised hell with the office. The following day, however, the papers were on the steps. Warren overheard Madeline chortling with the gardener about how Miss Haley had corrected the boy without raising her voice and probably without him knowing that he had been manipulated. Madeline informed the gardener that the boy in question just needed someone to take an interest and have some expectations of him and that Haley had known it and had done something about it.

Warren had never been faced with a Haley who could manage a recalcitrant child and convince a seasoned contractor to make things right, all without getting upset and making them defensive. They wanted to please her. Warren found that
he
wanted to please her, and had stupidly thought he had done so. Now that he thought about it, Haley had really had never asked for anything, trusting that he would know what she needed. Like his love. Warren jumped up from his chair. Good God. How could he love Haley? He didn’t even know her! She had been perfect for him, he who demanded perfection, but there were depths to her he had never suspected and therefore hadn’t bothered to plumb.

Probably he wouldn’t like what he would have found. That was it. Although he might have wanted to find out if she had given him a hint. He was so damn conflicted that all he could think about was finding her to find out, even if he had to tie her to his bed and withhold orgasms to do so. He missed her. The wealthy, competent, selfish, self-absorbed Dom missed his sub. Doms were supposed to give, too, not just sexually, and theirs hadn’t been just a play relationship where everyone knew the score. He had royally screwed things up. He was going to locate her. Warren placed a call to a private investigator his business used to vet new employees.

“Andreas and Company.” The cool voice of the receptionist calmed him.

“George Andreas, please. Warren Chalmers calling.”

“Andreas, here.”

After a few moments of catching up with the private investigator, Warren explained the situation. As he did so, and heard George’s voice deepen with suppressed strain, Warren remembered that the man had lost his permanent submissive, his wife, some years previously. George’s wife had died under mysterious circumstances in another state, and the rumors had flourished for some time. For a second, Warren wondered if it was fair to ask George to look for
his
lost sub, as it was obviously bringing back some difficult memories that the other man was unable to hide. Warren felt quite astonished at his own sensitivity and tried to backtrack, but George cut him off and became the professional he had always known, inside and outside the club.