Four Beautiful Letters (Desire Island 4)

“See you tonight!” She added a heart emoji, deleted it, added it back, and hit send.

“Welcome back,” Jane, the barista at Sophia’s favorite coffee shop said as she came up to the counter. “The usual?”

“Yep,” Sophia replied, passing over her insulated travel mug. “Thanks.”

Jane fixed a large regular coffee with steamed heavy cream and placed it on the counter. As she turned back to prepare Sophia’s bagel with lox, cream cheese, onion and tomato, she said, “You look so tan and rested. Beach vacation?”

“Outer Banks of North Carolina,” Sophia replied, smiling back.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there,” Jane replied. “Which island did you stay at?”

“Kitty Hawk,” Sophia lied, not sure how Jane would take to the idea of a resort island dedicated to BDSM play. Not wanting to compound the lie, she said instead, “Those blueberry scones look good.” She pointed to the tray of fresh scones on the counter.

“Just came out of the oven,” Jane said. “Want a few for later?”

“Absolutely. I’ll take four.”

Slipping the food into her backpack, Sophia waved at Jane, who was busy helping a group of six teenagers who had just noisily entered the coffee shop, no doubt on their way to school.

Outside, the sun’s rays were just peeking over the Manhattan skyline in the distance. While the air was humid, it was still cool and pleasant at that early hour. Sophia placed her travel mug in the cup holder, unlocked her bicycle and slipped the heavy chain into the saddlebag on the back. Easing the bike onto the designated path near the curb, she pedaled down the block to Sophia’s Treasures.

Unlocking the front door, she pushed it open, causing the hanging brass bells to tinkle in welcome. Flicking on the lights, she stared around her shop with delight and contentment. She had missed the place, with its eclectic assortment of fine antiques and funky junk, liberally interspersed with curios and the knickknacks her aunt Lenore had called tchotchkes. She closed her eyes, inhaling the welcoming, familiar scents of lemon oil, wood polish, lavender and sandalwood, with undertones of mothballs and musty leather-bound books.

It was only a little after seven, and the store didn’t open until ten. She walked her bike through the shop to the back room. She’d suggested Laura take a well-deserved day off, but Laura, being Laura, had replied, “Are you kidding? I’m still waiting to hear every delicious detail of your vacation!” Which was why she’d bought the scones—Laura’s favorite.

Sophia, nearly done unpacking, cleaning and cataloging her new arrivals, looked up at the sound of the tinkling bells at the front door. A glance at her watch told her it was a little after nine. “That you, Laura?” she called out.

“One and the same,” Laura called back.

She appeared a moment later, two large to-go coffees and a greasy white bakery bag in her hands. “I bet you’ve been here since five a.m., am I right? You were probably in antique withdrawal, having been forced to spend a whole, entire week relaxing on a beach all day and playing in kinky dungeons all night. You must have been going insane,” Laura teased as she handed Sophia one of the coffees.

“You have my number,” Sophia agreed with a laugh. She set down the cup to give her friend a big hug. “I have to confess, I didn’t obsess about the shop quite as much as you might think. I was, uh, pretty distracted—at least for the first half of the week.”

“So, tell me all about this guy you met,” Laura said excitedly. “You’ve been dropping hints about this sexy dude all week. That’s why I’m here early. Stop what you’re doing right this second and take a coffee break. I brought apple turnover donuts from Moe’s to celebrate your return.”

“Yum,” Sophia enthused. “And I brought blueberry scones from The Bean.”

“My absolute favorite,” Laura said, rubbing her hands together.

They went into the tiny kitchen just off the back room and sat at the two-seat teal Formica table, circa 1950, Sophia had unearthed from her grandmother’s cluttered basement.

As they ate and sipped, Laura peppered Sophia with questions about Nick. While she didn’t go into great detail about the intense BDSM scenes, Sophia did share that they’d had an immediate and intense attraction that only increased each time they connected. She had already told Laura about his bailing early, and how disappointed she was.

“But you’re seeing this Dom again soon, right?” Laura asked eagerly. “The romance will continue?”

A wide grin broke out on Sophia’s face, despite her best efforts to remain cool, calm and collected. “I hope so,” she said.

“What do you mean, you hope so? Sounds like a match made in heaven. You guys are perfect for each other.”

Sophia sighed.

“What? What’s the sigh about? What’s the problem here, girlfriend?” Laura spoke in a teasing way, but Sophia could see the concern in her eyes.