She grinned, shaking her head at what a dominant, kinky bastard he was turning out to be. Yes, sir, I understand.
She continued to bring out pastries and even had a few customers dashing in despite the rain for the next hour. She was constantly on pins and needles, waiting for Nicholas to start up the toy again, but naturally then he didn’t.
It was only when she’d all but forgotten about it and was deep in doing the morning’s dishes when the vibrations started up again, making her shriek and drop a large mixing bowl into the soapy water.
Sloane grabbed the edges of the sink while Nicholas tortured her from afar, closing her eyes and leaning over the basin at the same time the bell from the store dinged.
“Shit,” she swore, grabbing blindly for the towel to dry her hands. She somehow managed to walk to the front of the store, every nerve-ending in her sex screaming out in pleasure. How the hell was she going to talk pleasantly to a customer when she felt like howling out her release and humping the toy jammed up her pussy?
“Hi,” said the man at the counter. She didn’t hear much beyond that. She had to make him repeat his order twice and then finally just point to what he wanted. He was frowning and probably thought she was nuts by the time she’d rung up his order.
“Uh, I think you only charged me for one loaf instead of two.”
She just waved a hand. “We’re running a special today. Have a lovely afternoon.” Now please get the hell out of my shop, she screamed in her head as Nicholas amped up the vibrations and a text pinged on her phone in her pocket. He was probably wondering where her text to him was. She was supposed to text him right away and she was late.
When the man seemed inclined to linger, she shoved his receipt across the counter towards him and yanked out her phone. She didn’t care about customer service right now. She cared about Nicholas so she yanked out her phone, for once ignoring the customer in favor of her personal life, glimpsing his text.
Nicholas: ?
Without hesitation, she texted back: I’ll do whatever you say.
But nothing could have prepared her for his next text. The man across the counter made a disgruntled noise, probably at being ignored, but at least he turned around and left. Good. Because Nicholas’s text had her frozen: Go to the back door to the alley.
She was so shocked by the text that at first she didn’t even realize the vibrator inside her had stopped buzzing.
She quickly texted back: That’s not funny.
Nicholas: Are you at the back door? I said go to the back door and you said you’d obey whatever I asked. Was that a lie or do you trust me?
Almost without her volition, her feet started in that direction. He was just asking her to go to the door. It didn’t mean he was going to try what she thought—
She shook her head. Well, her entire body was shaking. She stood at the back door, trembling, and brought out her phone. Why was he doing this now? She was at work, for God’s sake.
She lifted her phone, thumbs fumbling over one another to type: I’m here.
Nicholas: Push open the back door and step out. Do it now.
She shook her head and stepped back. It was too much. A bridge too far. He knew better. She thought he understood. She glared down at the phone. Red.
Nicholas: No safewords. Not today. We’re in danger. I’ll be KILLED unless you step out that door. Remember what I said last night. I’m always with you. You have the strength. You always did. Now step out that door. Do what I say. You promised.
Sloane shook her head. No. No, this was some twisted game but it wasn’t fucking funny. She couldn’t. She COULDN’T! She jammed the button to call Nicholas and lifted the phone to her ear but it immediately went to voicemail.
Nicholas: Go. Run. NOW. DO YOU TRUST ME?
Goddamn him. She couldn’t just—
She pushed the door open, and was transported back to months ago, standing on a different threshold, a different life on the line.
She couldn’t even go outside to save her cat.
Was any of this true? Could going outside now really save Nicholas’s life? None of this made any sense. Why the hell hadn’t he said anything to her this morning when he kissed her goodbye? Why hadn’t he prepared her? Told her to pack or come with her? Why would he do it this way?
Maybe it wasn’t even him on the other end of the phone. Maybe this was all some horrible trap.
Fat raindrops started up again outside. It was freezing and she didn’t even have a coat. She didn’t have anything but what she was wearing.