Page 96 of The Dom with a Safeword

“That’s usually my job, but I’m too lazy today.” Jude smiled.

“Lazy Dom,” Q teased.

“I don’t deny it. Your shirt is inside out, by the way.” He stood, yanked it off over her head then redressed her properly. After grabbing the client loaner brush off a shelf, he insisted on brushing both girls’ hair, in turn. Q smiled as he did hers, gently unsnarling her hair with the brush and smoothing it with the palm of his hand. Bliss.

***

The day was sunny and warm without being too hot. A cool breeze swept in from the ocean from time to time, like the foreshadowing of autumn. Only a couple more weeks until September. The summer had blurred past so quickly that Q felt both like she’d missed it, and had intensely lived every moment of it.

They walked to a small restaurant down the street. Both girls linked an arm with Jude. Q wondered if other people saw what she could see – three people that knew each other too well to just be friends. When they went out to eat, she could predict what the others would order, they picked off of each other’s plates, and there were so many inside jokes it was like they had their own language. It made her feel important, valued, loved.

The place wasn’t busy, but they’d missed the noon rush by a couple of hours. They chose a table on the outdoor patio with a view of the ocean in the distance. Watching her two blond, tanned lovers as they ordered, she wondered what people thought of the three of them sitting together. Baywatch meets The Addams Family. Predictably, Jude ordered the special and Sabrina ordered seafood. Q didn’t care what the main dish was because the place had awesome fries.

As the server left to get their drinks, Sabrina leaned toward Q. “I feel like people can smell the sex coming off of us,” she whispered.

Q laughed, and when Jude raised a brow, she put her mouth to his ear and said, “Sabrina is worried we smell like fuck.”

Jude barked a laugh just as the waitress plunked his drink down in front of him and she eyed him appreciatively.

Nice! Q had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts she hadn’t seen their server. It wasn’t often she was oblivious to an attractive redhead. Jude hadn’t noticed her either. And he wasn’t just being polite to them by pretending not to. The girl moved off, looking disappointed that she hadn’t caught his attention.

“Hey Jude, if you collect her, you’ll have the whole set,” Q said.

Sabrina looked annoyed and muttered something under her breath about not liking to share.

He stared at her blankly then gave a lopsided grin. He’d missed the joke. They both laughed, and he shrugged and settled back, sipping at his beer.

Lunch came and they fell ravenously on their meals.

Jude groaned. “I feel like you two haven’t let me eat in days.”

“Yes, you’ve been too busy getting laid. You poor bastard.” Q arched a brow at him, daring him to complain. She’d lost momentum and already felt full. Sabrina was so hungry Q wasn’t sure she bothered to chew.

Jude’s dazzling blue eyes narrowed to sexy slits. His expression was damned smug. “I know, Q. If I had any buddies around here I wouldn’t get much sympathy. Maybe Fredrick would understand.”

“He won’t be very understanding if you don’t take those O-rings out of the sitting room ceiling soon,” Sabrina mumbled. Her eyes darted around to make sure no one else had heard her.

His expression changed to a pained smile. “Yeah. I’d better get on that. It’s hard to believe I’m leaving in a week. You two want to help me pack?”

The fries settled like a lump of lead in Q’s stomach. “A week? But there’s two more weeks until September.”

Compassion flashed in his eyes. Too close to sympathy for Q’s comfort. “I need time to settle in and visit my family before school starts, Q. I thought you knew that.” He paused, looking uncomfortable. “I’m sorry.”

They had never actually discussed when exactly he was going. And that, by itself, had seemed to mean maybe he wasn’t.

As if this were an everyday conversation, Sabrina poked at the remains of her meal. But as she placed the fork next to the knife, her hand shook and metal tinkled against metal. Her knuckles were white. Q felt like a rug had been jerked out from under her feet. Was this such a non-event that Jude could drop it into trivial conversation?

The silence stretched but no one seemed to want to break it. Jude looked from Sabrina to her and back. She’d always adored the hint of humor in his eyes and his mouth that turned into a grin at unexpected moments. It made him a man and not just her Dom. It wasn’t there now. His eyes seemed…dead.

“I wouldn’t have given this summer up for anything in the world,” he explained. “But it had to end. I have no choice. I never had.” He dropped the balled-up napkin from his hand and batted it into the middle of table.

He sighed and looked up at the sky. “I think I owe you an explanation.” Then he spoke very clearly though softly, enunciating words like they might explode if he handled them wrong. “I care for you both, a lot.”

Q swallowed.

“I didn’t mean to get emotionally involved, but it just kind of happened. Having two girlfriends was fun while I had the summer off but... You can’t leave your careers to follow me halfway across the country. And I can't let my family down and stay here. Though I’d love to keep this going longer, I can’t see it working out. We could try for long distance I guess.” He shrugged.

That suggestion was out of pity. He didn’t really want to try to make things work long-distance – he was just trying to soften the blow. That just made things worse.