Full Measure [Mastering Holly Oaks] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (16 page)

Just then Jay’s cell phone rang. He got up to answer it and left the room. Great. Jay never left to talk on the phone unless it was the prosecutor’s office in Denver. He didn’t want Mac to have to hear about the cases they discussed. If the prosecutor needed Jay’s help so soon after the last case he worked, he knew it must be a bad one. He only hoped Jay wouldn’t have to worry about kitten as well. Mac decided to call in to work and start delegating some of his responsibilities. He owned the fucking company. He would damn well start taking advantage of his resources. He needed to be at home until some of the shit in their lives calmed down. He would not have either Jay or kitten dealing with any of this without him.

* * * *

Kat woke up with her alarm. Damn. Five thirty was really fucking early. She loved her job, but she had to admit that it would be so much better if she didn’t have to go in till eight. Oh, well, at least today was going to be really busy. Kelly was bringing in “Mac’s” dog for his dental, and there was a nasty tumor removal and two spays on the books. If even three people called in this morning to drop off sick pets, they would be slammed. Busy was good. She wouldn’t have to think about Suzy or the mess of yesterday. Yes, busy was definitely good.

She couldn’t hide the dippy smile on her face when she came into the kitchen and saw Mac pouring a cup of coffee. He looked up and immediately came over to embrace her. “Morning, baby.” His voice was a bit gruff.

When she pulled back from the hug, she cupped his face and gave him a soft kiss. “Morning, Mac.” God, she would love to just stay here all day with them, but she was going to be late if she didn’t go now.

“I need to head out. Have you seen Sampson at all? I know he found his food and litter box, but he hates new places. Usually he hides for a while. I’m a little worried that in a house this big, I’ll never find him.”

Mac watched her gather her things, a frown forming on his beautiful face. “If we can’t find the cat, how are we going to know if it hurt itself…you know, smacked into something and broke its neck? And you aren’t leaving until you eat something, kitten.”

Kat looked at him in confusion for a minute. The last person to demand she eat breakfast was her mother. He was worried about the cat and her. It was so cute. Big bad Dom man was fretting.

“Kelly’s bringing bagels this morning with the dog. As far as Sampson goes, I guess if he breaks his neck, we’ll find him when he starts to smell. Gotta go, love you!” She was giggling all the way out the door over the look of terror on his face.

* * * *

Mac was still searching for the damn cat when Jay finally came out of the office. Yup, bad case, probably a murder. He had that distinct look of misery on his face that he always wore when he worked a murder case.

“They need some help in the Denver office?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Yeah, it’s a bad one. A young woman was found in an abandoned warehouse. I looked through the file and autopsy pictures they sent. I have
never
seen anything so awful. I had to turn off the fucking computer halfway through. What that girl must have gone through is incomprehensible.” Jay slumped down into the couch.

“You taking the case?” Mac sat down beside him.

“Haven’t decided. They could really use the manpower, but I’m not sure I should get involved when we just got on solid footing with kitten. Not to mention my concerns over Suzy.” Mac understood he felt torn, but that wouldn’t do. They called him for a good reason. He was an incredible attorney. And Mac knew that as much as a case like this would cost him emotionally, he’d never forget that he was asked to help bring this woman’s killer to justice. Mac was certain that if he didn’t take the case, he’d feel like he let the victim down.

“I’m cutting back on work. I’ll be here for kitten, Jay. If you feel you need to be a part of this, you know you have my full support. Kitten would feel terrible if she thought your decision about this case was impacted by her presence or the issues with Suzy. Don’t do that to her. It isn’t fair to either of you. You decide what to do based on your gut, just like you’ve always done.” Mac was holding Jay’s hand, trying to remind him that he could share his burdens with his lover, his Master.

“I need to take the case, Mac. Something doesn’t feel right about their theory or their suspect. I called Davis to see if he can get in on the investigation. I think they need a fresh pair of eyes. You’re right. Kitten wouldn’t want me to walk away from this one. I just hope she can handle it if I need you to help me through it.”

Jay was resting his head on Mac’s shoulder. “She’ll understand, Jay. She loves you. She’ll be your support just as much as I will.” Mac just held Jay and prayed, for them and for the victim.

Kat had just finished getting all the sterile packs ready for the scheduled surgeries when she heard Kelly come through the door. It really couldn’t have been anyone else.

“Get your ass in the door right this minute, Carson. Heel! If I have to tug on this leash one more time, I swear you’ll lose more than a few bad teeth today!” A huge black Lab snorted at Kelly and walked past her. He was a beautiful dog, but it was obvious he wasn’t as impressed with Kel’s Domme voice as her subs were. Kelly just rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, we both know how much you like licking your balls. Just remember that next time I give you an order.”

“Kelly! Do not threaten that sweet dog in such a horrible manner.” Kat rushed over to Carson, who started wiggling his whole body in excitement. It looked like Kelly was the only one he wasn’t thrilled with. “I won’t let the mean Domme take your balls, sweetheart. Mac would definitely not approve of that procedure. You’re safe here,” she whispered.

“Oh, don’t baby him, Kat. He’s supposed to be attentive to me and ferocious to everyone else. Look at him. He’d welcome a burglar into my house with more enthusiasm than he does me. Idiot. I don’t know what school Mac sent him to for training, but he should get a refund.” Kelly looked positively dismayed.

“Oh, I don’t know, I think you’d be surprised. He’d probably tear an intruder apart. He’s just not intimidated by you. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you.” Kat really hoped that was the case. She might be a little more convinced if Carson wasn’t currently licking Ryan’s face.

“He hasn’t eaten anything since five yesterday, has he? I need him sedated for the procedure.” She could see another car pull up. Better get Carson squared away before he made another new friend.

“No, nothing. When am I supposed to pick him up?”

“Any time after 5:00 p.m. We like to keep them for a few hours to make sure they’re recovering well. I’ll call you if I find anything that isn’t standard. I’m going to clean his teeth, and if I see any that look decayed or infected, I’ll pull them. He’ll be fine.”

“Will Suzy be here when I pick him up?” Why did she have such an innocent look on her face? Kat just nodded.

“Good. I look forward to it.”

“Kelly, please, just let it go. It’s not worth it, and I really don’t want her any more pissed than she’s going to be after James talks with her today.” God, was she actually feeling fear over making this bitch angry? She didn’t want to be afraid, but she could admit to herself she was, at least a little. Nobody had ever singled her out for any kind of attack before. It was beyond creepy.

“Okay, honey. Don’t worry. I’ll behave, but to be honest, I’ve never been nice to her, and I don’t intend to start now. By the way, I’m taking you to the club for lunch. The
first floor opens at two, and we are going to relax. It’s a perfect day for margaritas, well, most are, but today absolutely is, and I have a trusty designated driver to pick us and Carson up later. I’ll come to Mac and Jay’s around quarter to two.” Before Kat could agree, she was out the door.

* * * *

By the time one thirty rolled around, Kat was bouncing on the balls of her feet and staring out the window, waiting for Kelly. It had been such a long morning. The tumor removal did not go well. It was much deeper than they originally thought and there was a lot of blood loss. They busted their asses to save that dog, and the owner had the nerve to complain because they wanted to keep him hospitalized overnight! She really wanted to force people to pass a humanity test before they were allowed to own an animal. And she
really
wanted that friggin’ margarita. When Kelly pulled up, she flew out the door.

“Whoa, did Mac stick a hot poker up your ass? That should definitely be on your hard limits list. Why are you running?” Kelly asked.

“I was not running. I was walking with determination. There’s a difference.” Kat huffed.

“Where are the boys? Did you even say good-bye? Mac doesn’t like it when I leave and forget to say good-bye. He makes me feel like a teenager forgetting to tell her dad she’s going out. ‘Where are you going? Who’s driving? When will you get home? Make sure you call me when you get in.’ Jesus, he’s like Commander Safety.”

Kat just laughed at that. Yup, her Mac was a total worrier. He called her three times already to make sure she was okay, let her know he had to go to the office, and to remind her to call when she got home since she would be out drinking. ’Course, Jay called her as well to say he had to go into Denver and to call him if she needed him. Christ. What would they be like if she got the flu? It was a terrifying thought.

“They’re both at work. But you should know that Jay will come get me if you’re mean to me.” This better just be food and alcohol.

“Denver is twenty minutes away, dear. Do you have any idea what I can accomplish in twenty minutes?” There was that devious grin again.

“I swear to God, Kelly, if you plan to have anything else of mine waxed, I’ll do something terribly evil to you! I have no idea what…I’m not a terribly evil person, but I will find someone who is and do whatever they tell me!” There. Well, that was as threatening as she could get, but at least she felt it came out stern.

“Don’t worry, pet. I promise no pain today, though Mac already made you another appointment at the spa. But you really need to work on your intimidation tactics. You kinda suck at it.”

Sitting at the table and perusing the menu, Kat was frantically trying to come up with menacing statements to try on Kelly. Shit, she really did suck at intimidation. When a shadow fell over the table, she looked up and groaned. The Titan again. Great.

“Hello, ladies. I’m bartending this afternoon. What can I bring you?” Kat could see the humor in his eyes.

“We’d like two margaritas, Kent. And be nice to Kat, she knows terribly evil people who can give her advice should you be mean to her,” Kelly said in a completely stoic voice. Kat could feel her face turning red. Why did she like this woman?

“No worries, love. The boss already asked me to treat his pet with care. I’ll bring those drinks right away.” He winked at them and strode off.

“Boss? What is he talking about? And could you please stop trying to embarrass me? You’re extremely good at it, and it isn’t fair,” Kat whined.

Kelly was just snickering at her. “You, pet, are far too easy to play with. Seriously? You are so adorable when you blush. You didn’t know Mac and Jay own part of this place? It’s a side venture they have with James, Ryan, and I. Oh, honey. Every Dom in here is going to know who you are by the end of the week.” Oh, great. Just how many Doms came to this club? She really hoped they’d just ignore her.

“Don’t look so terrified. They’ll be perfectly nice. Most of the time.”

* * * *

Lunch and three margaritas later, Kat was having a ball. She was totally drunk, but she really liked Kelly. She hadn’t had a girlfriend since college. Kelly asked all about her life and really listened. She made Kat laugh. Maybe one day Kel would be comfortable enough to share her life, too. She told her the basics, but it was obvious she was trying to avoid something painful. Kat really wanted to be the kind of friend she could lean on, share her life with.

“You guys are going to make beautiful babies,” Kelly said dreamily after a long pause in the conversation. What? Where the fuck did that come from?

“Babies?” Kat could barely get the word out with more than a squeak.

“Yeah, you know, very little humans with big heads. Why are their heads so big? That’s extremely weird.” Oh, my, Kat was not the only drunk one here.

“Why are we talking about babies? I know we’re sort of going at relationship warp speed, but come on. Besides, I doubt there’ll even be babies.”

“Why wouldn’t there be babies? You said earlier that you wanted them, and Mac and Jay love kids. You guys would be great parents.” Kelly might be slurring a bit, but she was totally serious. God, she did want babies. She always felt like she was meant to have them. But how would that even work? Would she marry one of them? Which one? Would they want to know who the father was? Jesus, could social services take the kids away because of their relationship or lifestyle? That was a lot of questions, and it was way too soon to be worrying about that anyway.

“I don’t know, Kel. There’s a ton we need to talk about before that happens, and I’m not ready for kids yet. I’m still kind of dealing with the whole, ‘I just moved in with two guys, we’re all fucking each other, and oh, by the way, there are floggers involved’ part. Let me catch my breath.” Great. Now she was totally thinking of babies.

“Fine, but I’m just giving you a heads-up that I am not babysitting, no matter how cute they are. I am
not
good with kids. I had to babysit my nephew when he was two so my sister could voluntarily go deliver a second kid. Disaster. I was praying for backup after three hours. I seriously considered putting him in the stocks for his own good. Do you have any idea how fervently little children try to kill themselves? It’s unbelievable. I have never been in a position where my companion was constantly doing something that could easily get him killed. And the mess! How something that little could make so much of a mess is beyond me. I don’t even want to know how I got some of the stains on my clothes.