Chapter Twelve
Lakyn listened asTobi, Gracie, and Mia all encouraged her to rethink her two-year plan. Their arguments were solid, but it was going to take a while for her heart to catch up with their logic. Tobi set her tablet on the counter between them and quickly brought up the sketches Lakyn had sent during their conversations.
“Look at these, Gracie. Our friend is damned talented,and I’d love to see what she could come up with for club wear because these are already edgy.”
The women fussed over the designs, and Lakyn felt herself being drawn into their enthusiasm for the breadth of possibilities if she expanded her portfolio. Knowing Tobi and Gracie would help her get the exposure she’d need in the specialty market of fet-wear was a huge plus. Gracie grabbed Lakyn’s forearmand gave it a reassuring squeeze. The pretty Latino woman took a sip of her wine and turned to Lakyn, a question dancing in her eyes.
“What will your brother say if you start designing dresses with cutouts that allow a woman’s nipples to show? Is he a prude? Prudes don’t usually appreciate much about the lifestyle.” The pretty woman’s eyes were beginning to glaze over, and Lakyn laughed whenGracie’s loud hiccup seemed to surprise her.
“Great, my business partner is toasted. Real nice, Gracie. Way to be compassionate to those of us who can’t,” Tobi’s eyes darted around the room, and she quickly amended, “I mean, those of us who don’t actually like wine.” Winking at Lakyn, she turned her attention to the bottle of water in her hand and frowned.
“I’m glad Cooper wasn’t badly hurt.Have you heard from him, Lakyn?” Mia’s words were slightly slurred, and Lakyn might have found it amusing if she hadn’t been so shocked by what her friend had said. When she didn’t respond, Mia looked at Tobi and flinched. “Shit. I’m really no good at all this spy stuff. I need to stick with pictures. Despite that damned saying about pictures being worth a thousand words, they really don’t talk.Pickle fudge, I’m going to be in so much trouble.”
Lakyn didn’t say a word and didn’t want to put her friends in the unenviable position of being forced to lie to her, so she simply turned on her heel and headed back to the Wests’ office. It wasn’t far, but her transformation from recovering victim and target to pissed off celebrity had taken place between one heartbeat and the next. Knockingonce, she didn’t wait for an invitation before walking into the room with her head held high, shoulders back, and steam rolling out her ears.
All eyes turned to her as she marched through the room, but the only person who said anything was Luke Grayson. His quickly whispered, “Oh shit” was the only thing she heard until she let Trac see how betrayed she felt, then turned her frosty glare on KyleWest.
“Where is my brother, and what’s happened to him?” Kyle stood and started to move around his desk, but she put up her hand, stilling his movement. “Let me be crystal clear here, Mr. West, you are no longer dealing with the shaken woman who slid ashore on Mr. Barnes property. You’re dealing with a very pissed off sister who has the patience of a provoked rattlesnake when she’s being yankedaround. I deal with people trying to blow smoke up my ass all the time, so don’t even try to placate me.” When Trac stood and moved closer, she used the same hand to halt his advance as well.
“Don’t. Just don’t.” She was so angry, she was practically vibrating with it and could feel tears beginning to pool in her eyes. She cursed under her breath at the wave of emotion building so fast, it wasthreatening to break her into a thousand pieces.
The room was deathly quiet, and no one appeared to be prepared to answer her question until Jen McCall looked around the room and shook her head.
“I tried to tell you this was going to happen. You can’t play it like this with intelligent women. Damn.” Shifting her attention to Lakyn, Jen met her gaze without flinching. “Your brother is fine, Lakyn.He got worked over, night before last, but he was checked out before hopping a plane and heading here. He’ll be here later tonight.”
Lakyn fell back into a chair, feeling like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The flood of relief knowing Cooper was all right had been more than her trembling knees could stand. It took her a few seconds to pull in enough oxygen to push back the black dots dancingin her vision. She stood again before anyone could move to her side and once again, faced the men she felt had misled her.
“Tobi told me several times how important honesty was at the Prairie Winds Club… how critical communication… honest communication was to a successful D/s relationship.” She took a couple steadying breaths before continuing. When she looked up, Juan was standing in the doorway.The stricken look on his face almost stole her resolve, but she turned her attention back to the Wests and Cameron Barnes.
“Respect is a two-way street, gentlemen, and trust is earned. Don’t ask for something you aren’t willing to give. I have to wonder if you really are friends with Cooper because I’ve never known him to spend time with anyone whose integrity I believed could be called intoquestion.” She saw them flinch, but none of them voiced an argument.
Turning to Jen, she asked, “Can you please give me a ride into Austin? I’ll find a motel room there until I can see my brother. Then I’ll catch a flight back to New York. At least there, I know I’m dealing with deception, so I’m prepared for it.”