Page 8 of Be My Temptation (Temptation 2)
Kate hesitated. She’d never been one who sought revenge or who would ever intentionally make another person suffer in any way. But even though Brock’s game had ended up helping her, he’d had just a little too much fun at her expense. She remembered how he’d pushed her to call him Master. How he’d punished her for not obeying him without question. Oh, yes, he deserved to squirm a bit before she broke it to him that she knew the truth.
It was fun at first. It’s just getting old. We’re always talking about fantasies and trying to live them out. I want to have nice, normal sex once in a while. How do I tell him that?
I’m not a sex therapist, Kate, but the easiest way would be to tell him.
I can’t talk to him like I talk to you. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I trust you.
You’re right, it doesn’t. I could be anyone.
Maybe it’s because I don’t consider you real that I feel like I can be myself with you. I can tell you anything. Will you help me figure out if he loves me?
Does this mean our game is on again? Are you looking for a Master?
Angie burst out laughing. “You have to give him credit for asking. He’s definitely a boundary pusher. Set him straight, Kate.”
Oh, I will. Kate texted: No. But I will describe how it goes with him. In hot, graphic detail. If you help me.
You’re playing a dangerous game, Kate.
You’re the one who taught me to enjoy games, Mr. Elf. Are you in or not?
There was a long pause before he answered: I’m in.
Kate turned the phone off. Her hands were shaking, but she was smiling. “Let him stew on that until I text him tomorrow, right?”
Angie grinned in approval. “I love it. Have you talked to him today? I mean, as Brock?”
“No. He’s been calling, but I didn’t answer because I didn’t know what to say. Do you think I should contact him now?”
Angie shook her head and leaned back against the counter behind her. “You are way too nice, Kate. If you aren’t going to let him sweat a little over this, you might as well tell him everything now.”
Kate chewed her bottom lip. “I didn’t think this would be so hard. I feel guilty already.”
Angie handed Kate the prepaid phone. “Then throw the phone back in the trash and end the game now. Go confess and talk it out like mature adults.”
Kate weighed the phone in her hand. “I should.”
“But?”
“It’s kind of exciting to be talking to Mr. Elf again—even more now that I know he’s Brock.” Kate shook her head in confusion. “Does that even make sense? I mean, is there any way this can end well?”
Angie shrugged. “What’s the worst-case scenario? He finds out? How can he be upset when he did the same thing to you? The way I see it, worst case: He can’t take what he dishes out, and then he’s not the guy for you. Best case: You put him through his paces, and he comes out a better man for it, and one you trust again.”
“I have a feeling you could sell legs to a centipede,” Kate said, smiling reluctantly.
Angie smiled back. “I wasn’t always knee-deep in diapers, you know. I left behind a marketing career for all this.” She waved her arms around her.
“Are you happy, Angie?”
Suddenly serious, Angie nodded. “Yes. I gripe. I miss my friends at work. But this is important. Mike says if I want to go back to work he’ll figure something out with his schedule. The boys are growing so fast—I know we’ll come to that soon enough. But for now, I want to be here with them. How about you?”
Kate traced the edge of the table with one hand. “I feel like I’ve been in limbo for too long. I waited for my mother to pass. Waited for my divorce papers to come in. Now I’m waiting to find out how Brock really feels about me. Meanwhile, I’m doing nothing.”
Angie walked over and put a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “You realize Brock can’t make you happy, right? No one can. Find a goal outside of him and do something to work toward it every day. That way, no matter how this turns out, you’ll be okay.”
Kate stood up and hugged Angie. “Tell Mike I’ll babysit the boys the entire weekend.”
Angie hopped in her embrace. “Are you serious? I thought you and Brock were going away to the Cape.”
Kate shot her a huge smile. “I’ll tell him I want to see how he is with children. A weekend with your kids sounds like a perfect test.”
“Have I created a monster?”
“Do you want a babysitter?”
“I’m shutting up now before you change your mind. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
***
Waiting for his crew to leave for the day was excruciating. Brock wanted to cut his day short and hightail it to Kate’s house, but he didn’t want to let on that he knew anything. If Kate was confused enough to be reaching out to a man she didn’t know, he wanted to make sure he played the situation right.
He hadn’t lost her yet, and he had no intention of doing that now. As he was closing up his office, Linda met him just outside the trailer.
“Did you talk to Kate yet?”
He shook his head and started walking toward the parking lot with his sister. “I’m heading over there now to do just that.”
“Did I tell you that she—?”
Brock stopped. “Lin, I love you, but I don’t want to talk about Kate with you. Let me handle it, okay?”
“I just thought you should know—”
“Linda, it’s been a long couple of days, but there is nothing you can do to make this easier. Kate and I need to figure this out ourselves. You can help me by not getting involved, understand? Don’t call her trying to smooth things over. Don’t talk to your friends about her. Let this play out. Can you do that for me?”
Linda didn’t look happy about it, but she agreed. “I just want you to know I care.”
Brock gave his sister a kiss on the side of her head, then a mock punch to the arm. “I know you do. Trust me, though, I’ve got this.”
A short time later, Brock repeated those words to himself as he rang Kate’s doorbell. “I’ve got this.”
Kate opened the door about a foot and said, “Sorry I didn’t answer your calls.”
“I missed you, Kate.” Kate opened the door the rest of the way. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with her hair tied back in a neat ponytail. He’d never seen her more beautiful, but he didn’t say that. He waited for her to speak first.
“I needed time to figure out a few things.”
“And have you?”
“I think so. But there are things we need to talk about, Brock.”
“That’s why I’m here. I’ll listen as long as you want to talk. Although it might be easier inside where it’s not as frigidly cold.”
Kate backed up to allow him in. “Sorry. Come on in.”
Brock followed her to the living room. She sat in a single chair. Brock chose the couch next to it. She looked nervous. He was tempted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she stopped worrying, but he didn’t want to push her. She said she couldn’t speak to him as easily as she could speak to Mr. Elf, and he wanted to change that. “You can tell me anything, Kate. I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you tell me to.”
Kate looked down at her hands in her lap and said, “I feel like we’ve been on fast-forward since we met. I haven’t had time to catch my breath. Being with you is exciting, but part of it still feels unreal. Maybe because we’re always playing games or pretending to be other people. I don’t know. Can we tone it down a bit? Just be you and me for a little while and see how that goes?”
“Come here, Kate.”
Kate crossed the space to sit beside him. He took her hands in his. “We can tone it down as much as you want. I rushed you, and I shouldn’t have. I’m happy you feel comfortable enough to tell me this.”
Kate met his eyes. “Honesty is important to me. So is trust. I need more time, Brock. I gave my heart to a man once, and he trampled on it. I’m not eager to do that a
gain.”
“I’m not your ex. I’d never cheat on you.”
“Or lie to me?”
Brock faltered on that one. He wanted to say he’d never lie to her, but was keeping his dual identity a secret really a lie? “I would never intentionally hurt you.”
“I want to believe that.”
“You will, but like you said, trust takes time. Luckily, we have that, Kate. We have all the time you need.”
“Speaking of time, is it too late to cancel our place at the Cape? Angie needs a babysitter this weekend, and I told her we could do it.”
“We?” Brock remembered the last time he and Kate had visited their friends’ home. They had twins, if he remembered right. Watching them was not exactly the romantic weekend he’d planned, but he wasn’t about to say no. “Sure.”
“You’re really fine with it?”
