The Dom With a Safeword (26 page)

“Q? Hi. Where are you both?”

“Home. Sabrina’s in the kitchen. Why?”

“I think our little sex toy needs to suffer.” He couldn’t stop an evil chuckle. Time to test Q’s dominance over their pet.

“
Mmm
. What did you have in mind, Sir?”

He was sure Q could think of her own torturous plans but it was too much fun to resist being a part of it. “First, is she wearing underwear?” He’d found out recently, Sabrina was notorious for walking around the apartment without it, just to tease Q.

“Sabrina!” Q’s sing-
songy
voice would make anyone suspicious. “Hey! No running away.” Her voice turned stern. “Stay right there, little girl.”

Bratting
already? He heard a bit of scuffling then a startled squeal.

“Nope. No underwear,” she said to Jude. “Hang on. Putting it on speaker.” A moment later, he heard Sabrina’s voice too.

“No, Q.” She giggled but it sounded nervous. “Stay back! I’m trying to cook our dinner.”

“You know what I said I’d do if I caught you without underwear,” Q said.

He pictured Q circling the little brat in their kitchen like a hunter focused on its prey. This was too much fun. He’d have to remember to do it again.

“Stay back!” Sabrina yelled. “I have a spatula and I know how to use it.”

Another scuffle with a few grunts thrown in then three loud smacks.

“
Ow
!” Sabrina howled.

“I’ll show you how to use a spatula.” Q’s voice rose above Sabrina’s protests.

There were three more slaps then quiet.

“
Ack
!” Sabrina yelped. “Did you just bite my ass?”

Q chuckled. “That was for prancing around without underwear. Again.”

Silence.

“Q?” he called into the receiver.

“Yes?”

“Bend her over the counter.”

“Already there.”

Mmm
. Delicious. He contemplated grabbing his keys and rushing over except that he’d promised his mom a call. “Is she wet?”

A second went by and Sabrina groaned.

“Soaked,” Q answered.

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here!”

Q snapped, “Hush!”

“Good girls,” Jude said. “Q, tease her as long as you’d like but don’t let her come.” In his mind, Q grinned wickedly and Sabrina stomped her foot.

“Yes, Sir,” Q answered, sounding a little out of breath.

Sabrina whined. “But…but…I can’t hold back!”

“Sabrina,” he said sternly. “It will please me if you try. It’s just one day. I’ll make it worth your while.”

In a smaller voice, she answered, “Okay.”

“That’s my girl. Q?”

“Yes?”

“You being a good girl and waiting for me too?”

“Yes, Sir,” she answered shakily.

He wished he could be there – kissing them, holding them. His girls. His perfect subs. “Good. I’ll reward you both tomorrow. See you then.”

He shut the phone off and lay back. His smile lasted a while.

***

The last thing Jude expected to see when he pulled around the corner to Q and Sabrina’s apartment was Sabrina taking to a black Chevy with a can of spray paint. A
goth
type was at the top of the porch staircase with his hand in Q’s hair and a devastated expression on his face. And yet Sabrina kept on spraying. Orange did not go well with a windshield, or with black body paint…or over the top of the hubcaps.

This must be
Nico
. Bastard.

Fuck. He was going to kill him for doing that to Q. The pain on her face…

A pile of ruptured bags on the ground spewing clothes, spoke of them being tossed overboard from the top of the stairs.

And Sabrina was a
demoness
with claws when riled. He grinned.

No parking spot except a handicapped one presented itself.

He drove in at an angle and stopped with a small screech about the same time as
Nico
did a double-take, let go of Q, and sprinted down the steps.

The door of his pickup squeaked plaintively as he thrust it open. The stack of ladders in the back wasn’t likely to impress on
Nico
the heights of his
badassery
. Couldn’t be helped.

What were the principles of fighting? Never go to a gun fight with a sword, or start a land war in Asia? Well, he didn’t have a gun or a sword, or a land war. The crowbar on the floor on the passenger side would have to be his last resort.

By the time he’d run up to Sabrina,
Nico
had reached bottom of the steps and was striding toward them, drawn up to full height, and so angry that it was a wonder steam wasn’t coming out his nostrils.

“Ho
w dare you,
you little cunt!”

“You’re lucky I only fucked up your car, dickhead!” Sabrina spat the words. “He just slapped Q around and wrecked our apartment! Call the cops.  No, fuck that. I’m going to kill him!” She stared at the can in her hand. “If this were a gun… I’d ram it down his fucking throat.”

“Take it easy.” He stepped in front of Sabrina. Cute and spunky in cut-off denim shorts only got you so far against an enraged guy with a thing for snarling and trying to rip women’s hair out.

Her reply made him think of a cat spitting. “I want to do something horribly fatal to him!” Then her hand touched his elbow. “Be careful, Jude.
Nico
is
batshit
crazy!”

“Got it.” He flicked his gaze upward. At least Q was out of the way, even if her face was dead white. Except, now she was heading down the stairs too. Trying to control this guy without anyone getting hurt would be damn near impossible with two women close by.

Get this over fast.

“You!”
Nico
jabbed a finger as he stalked. “This is between me and Q and this little cunt. Step back.” He stopped a few feet away and seethed. His jaw worked and his eyes stared madly as if at any minute they’d pop. The collar of his black shirt was askew and one button hung on a thread.

Q had reached the bottom few steps. Jude opened the car door and prayed the man had some sense. While herding Sabrina back behind him, he stepped away to give
Nico
room. “Go. Get in, and leave. You do not own Q.”

“Get your
hands off my car, you fucker!”

The lunge and lash of
Nico’s
fist was expected. He grabbed the wrist, then yanked
Nico
forward as he kicked at the man’s ankle and swept it out backward. Momentum, gravity, and luck agreed with what he wanted, for once. A second later
Nico
was on his knees, screaming with his arm wrenched behind his back.

“Fuck! Let go!” Though he was yelling,
Nico’s
lack of resistance, after one futile jerk to try free himself, made it clear he’d got the
armlock
right.

Jude leaned in and growled. “You will get in your car and leave. You won’t come back. You will stay away from the girls. If I catch you near them again, I’ll beat the living fuck out of you. I have many, many friends who will be keeping an eye on you. Got that?” He screwed the arm a little higher.

Nico
gasped and bowed forward. “Fuck! Yes! Got it!”

“Up!” He maneuvered
Nico
to his feet and shoved him into the driver seat then with his hand twisted in the man’s conveniently long hair, he gave a last command while staring down into
Nico’s
fear-widened eyes. “I know people in the community. Don’t try showing your face at any clubs. The word will be out that you’re a fool who can’t control his temper and assaults women.” He slammed the door shut.

When
Nico
started the engine and drove off, smoking the tires, but without more fuss than a string of shouted expletives and a finger out the window, the tension drained from Jude. He heaved in a breath and turned to the women.

Red-faced, hair plastered to her forehead, and paint can dangling from her fingers, Sabrina stood there, stunned. Then she whipped her head around. “Q!” She dropped the can to the pavement and sprinted away.

The collision of her body with Q’s was a small hurricane arriving – all noise and flailing arms, then she quieted. Her arms wrapped around Q and she did the same to her while patting Sabrina’s back. All he could hear were whispers.

When he reached them, Q was still saying it. “I’m okay. I am. Sabrina, I’m okay.”

“You’re sure?” After one last sniff and hug, Sabrina let her go, though they still held hands.

“Q?” At his voice, Q raised her gaze.
Fear
. There was fear in her eyes, of him?

She straightened and the familiar self-assured look took over. “Thank you, Jude. I’m sorry you had to see that.” As if the episode were done with, she straightened her t-shirt. “I’m going to get my stuff back upstairs.”

“No.” He frowned. There it was again – that twitch as if he’d scared her. Was it his voice, or just that he
was a man, a Dom? “Come here.”

At the shake of her head, he stepped up and gathered both of them to him. Her protests could go to hell.

“Jude. No,” she croaked. “I’m –”

“Q!” Sabrina piped up. “Give the man a hug. He just saved our lives. Well, mine, anyway. I’m pretty sure
Nico
was about to strangle me.” She laughed nervously.

Her struggles lessened and, when he kissed her forehead, Q let out a sharp exhale.

Though she didn’t cry, tears lined her eyelids. Q blinked them away. They hugged for a while in silence. When he had both their heads resting on his chest, and their soft breaths warming him, he felt at last that he had everything going the right way.

Maybe now was a good time to shore up the foundations of trust again.

“I’m glad I was here. If I hadn’t been – if
Nico
had hurt either of you – I don’t know what I would have done. You can’t be alone forever Q. Sometimes you have to let someone else take the load. As your Dom, I consider it my duty, and as a friend and a man too. If you refuse my help, you hurt me.”

Then he turned her face up to him. He brushed a strand of hair from her eye, and kissed her softly on her trembling lips. “Okay?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Wasn’t your fault. Forget him. You two are coming to my place. We’ll pack some clothes and stuff, and you can stay until I’ve done all I can to make sure he won’t bother you again.”

Q nodded. Determination surfaced in her eyes. “And Jude. Just so you know, you’ve shown me there’s a difference between being a Dom and being an abusive
asshat
.  I don’t think I really understood that before.”

He grinned. “Thanks. I think.”

Sabrina pursed her lips and examined them both. “You two were so cute kissing.” She stepped toward Q and stroked her hair, the sweetest look on her face. “See, Q? It's not true, what
Nico
said – that no one will ever love you.”

Nico
said that? The guy couldn’t really feel that way about Q, even if he was a psychopath. Who wouldn’t love her? Shit. Love. Uh oh. But, there was a truth there that rocked him. Falling in love with these two was not on his agenda. Or not on his father’s agenda anyway. And med school was not compatible with moving in with Q and Sabrina.

Or with anything else I want from life.

Q put her hands around Sabrina’s shoulders and tugged her closer. “Thank you for trying to distract
Nico
.” She lowered her head and kissed Sabrina. Not hard and sexual, just the kiss of a woman appreciating the one who held her heart. As quietly as the sun rising at dawn, he felt peace drift down on them. Magic.

Q cupped Sabrina’s face. “But that was the stupidest thing you could’ve done.”

Sabrina flinched at the sudden change of tone.

“Seriously. He could’ve really hurt you. Or pressed charges. If Jude hadn’t arrived, what would you have done when he reached you?”

“Ran like hell.” Sabrina shrugged.

Q nodded. “That’s the right answer. Don’t you ever, ever, endanger yourself for me again.”

“I can’t promise that. I care about you too much.”

Q opened her mouth to say more but Jude cut her off. “Enough.” They turned to him. “Let’s pack. We’ll forget him and have fun all morning. I’ll take you shopping, swimming at the
beach, out to lunch, whatever you want. Then back to my place. That’s an order. Snap to it and run your little asses off getting everything you need.”

With an evil glint in her eye, Sabrina nodded then did an exaggerated salute, with her hand doing a huge circle before she touched her forehead. “Yes, Sir!”