After a while, Tim moved a sleeping Tasha to the side and slipped out of bed. He checked to make sure the fire was out, picked up the wine and glasses, then got a warm rag to clean her with. Other than a small moan of protest, she didn’t move. Crawling back into bed, he pulled her to his side and tucked her into him.
Lying there, Tim thought about all that had happened and what was going on. The police were moving slowly, as usual, but he hated to involve Kyle. Kyle had connections and could make anything happen. If something didn’t break soon, he would call Kyle. He had to protect his girl. Decision made, he relaxed and let himself fall asleep, cuddling Tasha close to him.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, Tim woke early but let Tasha sleep since they had to work that evening, and he planned on playing in the club after everyone left. While she was sleeping, he did some searches on the Internet. He wanted to see what he could find out about Jason Childs.
There was a lot of information on the Internet, and with the help of a buddy, he was able to get into some secure sites. Mr. Childs had several restraining orders that had been served on him over the years. It appeared that he didn’t let things go easily. His father had bought Jason’s way out of most of the messes, and had almost bought his way into Congress before the mess happened with Tasha. This was probably one of the reasons they were so persistent about finding her. With the others, once Jason had been served with the restraining order, his dad had paid them off, and they had moved on. From what Tim could find, if Jason could reconcile with Tasha, then he would be much better off, and his seat in Congress would be guaranteed. Why, he couldn’t figure out, but there was something there.
When Tasha woke it was late, but they still had several hours before they had to go to work. Tim insisted she try on several things he had gotten for her. It was more fun than shopping had been. By the time she was done trying on what he wanted to see, it was time to go to the club.
He had not only picked up casual clothes but also some things for her to wear to work and some club wear, which she didn’t know about. He handed her the outfit he wanted her to wear to work and slipped the club wear into his toy bag. He would have her change into it before they played. It was Wednesday, and the club was typically slow, so they would be able to close early and play. The owners often closed the club on Wednesdays but not tonight.
When they got to the club, it was busier than usual. The owners were having a meeting and had all brought their spouses with them. Kyle was there with Jenna. Then there was Sadie with her two men, Evan and Dave. Rachel and Craig were there, and although they weren’t owners, there was also Tina with her husbands, Kevin and Kurt, and of course Theresa and Alan. It was like a family reunion.
“What’s up?” Tasha wondered out loud as they walked into the club. As usual, they had arrived early so Tim could set up the bar, and she was going to sit with him.
“Just the usual bored, I mean board, meeting. The guys get together every few months and see if any changes need to be made. This must be it. Sometimes I sit in. Sometimes I don’t. Looks like all the wives are here, so this would be a good time for you to meet everyone.” He led her over to the table where all the women were talking and laughing. Leaving her with Theresa to make introductions, he went to start his duties.
After telling everyone who Tasha was, Theresa sat and rested one hand on her distended belly. “He’s busy today.” She laughed.
Jenna, who was also pregnant, laughed, and so did the rest of the women. Of the women at the table, Tasha and Rachel were the only ones not pregnant. Rachel had just delivered her son a few months before, Theresa was due any day, Tina was just a few months pregnant, and Sadie was soon to have her second child.
“Lots of hormones at this table.” Tasha laughed, a little envious of all the babies.
“Do you want children?” Rachel asked.
“Yes, I do,” Tasha answered wistfully.
“With Tim?” This came from Sadie.
Tasha blushed and looked around to make sure none of the men were listening, and nodded shyly.
“If I would have met him first, you might not have the chance. That is one hunk of a man,” Jenna threw in. She then told the story of how Tim had helped rescue her when she had been kidnapped.
The girls sat and talked while the men had their meeting. Soon all the guys came over and escorted their wives out, and it was just Tim and Tasha in the club. There were still a few minutes before the club opened, so they sat talking. He asked her about Jason, and she gave him more details on what had happened.
“It was pathetic, really. He didn’t understand why I wouldn’t see him after he told me about the other women. He wanted to have his cake and eat it, too. He wouldn’t leave me alone, bothered me so much that I quit my job and moved to the next city over. I wanted to stay close to my mom and family, but he made that impossible. He even told me that after we were married I could have affairs if I wanted to. Who wants a relationship like that? When I laughed at him, he hit me. I had bruises for days. That’s when I started running. He’s always found me. I know now that Kathy is giving him information, but I don’t understand why. She knows what he’s put me through and has seen what he and his family are capable of. I don’t know how he got to her.”
Tasha leaned her elbows on the bar and rested her head in her hands. She wanted out of this nightmare.
Tim came around the bar and put his arms around her. “We’ll get it fixed. You’ll stay with me, and I’ll protect you,” he said, kissing her softly. He hated to end this, and knew she was vulnerable, but they needed to open the club and start work.
Tim walked Tasha out to the reception area and unlocked the door. The night was quiet, and they were able to close early, locking the doors at midnight instead of the usual 2:00 a.m. that they normally closed during the week. On Friday and Saturday, the club was open until 4:00 a.m. The club hours were changing again, and it would be better for all of them. They had decided to have the club open only on the weekends and the hours were going to be 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday and Sunday, keeping the hours 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Fri and Sat. It would be more of a set schedule for everyone.
After Tim had locked up for the night, he and Tasha went to the bar for their usual nightly drink. It had become a ritual to sit and have a shot of bourbon every night after work.
“Tasha, will you play with me tonight?” Tim asked as they sat sipping their drinks.
Tasha was sitting facing the bar, with her head on her hands, elbows on the bar, and she turned on her stool to look at him. “Sure, what did you have in mind?”
They hadn’t done much BDSM play. Tim had restrained her a few times and used a few toys, but nothing much.
“I’d like to put you on a St. Andrew’s cross. I have a few floggers I want to try out.”
“Floggers? Won’t that hurt?” They had watched a few flogging demonstrations, and Tim had explained to Tasha about subspace and the endorphins, but she still wasn’t sure.
“Baby, you will have your safe word, and I will watch you very close. Do you really think I’d hurt you?” he asked, turning her so that her knees were between his legs, and pulling her closer to the point that her knees were up against his crotch.