Chapter 11

Parker

The weekend is coming up, and I’m wondering if I should ask her to dinner again. Or something else. I think I’ve earned the right to a slightly adventurous date. Maybe I can find something to do downtown that isn’t the usual dating idea. I’m not sure what, though. Heartville isn’t exactly known for its nightlife.

I’m doing it again. I’m thinking about her when I need to be working. I have to stop doing that. This job is more important than a new relationship. Can I really call it that? We’ve only had one official date, but it was one hell of a date. We got so intimate in more than only physical ways. We’ve also been texting too. Not sexting, actually texting. Though I’ve been tempted.

She talks to me about her day and her clients. She can’t actually tell me their names or any identifying characteristics. She’ll say something along the lines of, someone came in at a specific time, or he was her first, second, third, etc. of the day. Then she’d talk about what they like to do in their sessions.

I enjoyed tying her up. However, from what she tells me about these clients, blindfolds and handcuffs are pretty basic. Some of them have these elaborate fantasies complete with character backstories. Does that make the role play more real for them? I want to ask Tess about it, but I don’t want to offend her.

Sometimes I’m not sure if I can offend her. She’s a human being though, and this is her job. She’s not having sex with the guys because that wouldn’t be allowed in a club like that. But she also sees them in private VIP rooms. Can I be absolutely sure that when those doors close, it’s going down the way she says it does?

She has no reason not to lie to me. At the same time, she doesn’t have a real reason to only tell me the truth either. In her text messages, she acts like we’re in a relationship. She’s easygoing with me, not a touch of formality in her voice. And wouldn’t she be acting more ashamed if she was lying to me? Maybe she wouldn’t care. I don’t know.

At the end of my day, I head over to my cabin only to notice a large black SUV parked outside. That’s Julia’s car. She’s my brother’s girlfriend. Why are they here? And did they bring our mother? Wherever Julia and Ryan are, our mother is never far behind. He’s with this successful woman, and I’m kind of floating along not sure what I’m doing at all.

Did someone tell them that I went on a date. I wouldn’t be surprised given all the gossip that goes on around here. No, I’m sure one of them would have texted me if that was the case. They do this sometimes. I’m a lot like my brother, and we get so bogged down in what we are working on that we forget when the last time we saw our family members. Then they end up stopping by. It’s a habit passed down from our father who’s passed on now, but his work ethic lives and breathes within Ryan and me.

I hope they brought food since there’s nothing in the fridge. I’ve been eating leftovers from the main kitchen every night since the date with Tess. It’s taken me extra time to catch up on the chores that fell behind while I got back to my regular routine. Although, I don’t regret it for a second, but I’ve still been pretty busy.

The lights are on in the cabin, and I can see the chimney letting out smoke from the fireplace in my living room. It probably smells great, which is so warm and inviting. I’m reluctant anyway because it comes with a price that I loathe… small talk. Get into an intricate discussion on the merits and ethics of reusing seed every year and I’m golden for hours. Try to make me talk about the mundane parts of my daily life and I want to run for the hills.

It’s a small town, they could still ask about the rescue, especially if Mom and Ryan went and talked to Casie before they came to my cabin. She might have said something. I can’t stay outside forever. Part of me wants to, but I’m also fucking starving. Might as well get this over with and enjoy a great meal that someone else cooked.

The aroma in the kitchen is one I’m quite familiar with: Mom’s prime beef roast and loaded baked potatoes. I can also smell a hint of chocolate and wonder if she has some of her lava cakes in the oven as we speak. After a long day, that would be most welcome. They converge on me when they see I’ve come inside.

“Parker! Oh honey, we missed you so much!” My mother is the first to greet me.

“Mom, I saw you a couple weeks ago.” My voice is muffled as she crushes me to her.

She releases me but holds my face in her hands. “A couple weeks is too long, son. You could at least call us once in a while.”

“It’s been longer for us,” Julia says. She’s setting the table.

“You two are always busy.” I head to the fridge. I’m going to need a beer for this.

“Grab me one?” Ryan is settling into a chair on one side of the table.

“Go, sit down,” Mom shoos me away. “The roast will be on the table in no time.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Do you need any more help with that, Paula?” Julia looks up as she finishes setting the table.

“I’m fine, dear. Thank you.”

Julia sits down next to Ryan on the one side, and I sit across from them, facing Ryan. Mom brings the roast over, then goes back for the baked potatoes. They’ve already put out all the fixings to load them up on the table. I start putting mine together as soon as she sits down at the head of the table.

“Someone’s hungry.” Ryan remarks.

“I’ve had a lot to do lately. Not much time to eat proper meals most days.” I dig in.

“So I’ve heard,” Mom says.

Fuck, I knew this was coming.

I look at her. “Really?” I say between bites.

“Yes, you’re the talk of the town, you know.”

“I am?”

“Everyone’s talking about how you rescued some damsel in distress out on the highway,” Ryan says with a wink.

I stop eating, reluctantly. “Damsel in distress? That hardly describes the woman I rescued.”

“So, you admit you rescued someone?”

“Mom, it’s not quite the scandal you may have been led to believe. I was out checking the back fence, and I saw someone on the road. She was clearly not dressed for a hike, or the weather at all, and she said when I stopped that her phone was out. You know how that tends to happen in that area. So, what else could I do? I gave her a ride to the ranch.”

“On your horse?” Julia asks.

“Yes,” I spear a piece of roast with my fork. “On my horse.”

“Then you brought her back here?” Ryan asks.

“I did, to the main cabin, not my cabin.” I give my brother a pointed look, knowing full well what he’s getting at. “Then I went back out to continue working on the fence, and she went inside to get some lunch and make a phone call.”

“And that’s all?” Mom asks.

“Yes, that’s all.” I put the food in my mouth, indicating that this is the end of the conversation.

We all eat and drink quietly for a bit until our plates are clean. I’m going in for seconds when Ryan starts up the conversation again.

“These chairs are looking a bit shabby. Do you want me to make you some new ones?”

“I don’t know, can you make something simple, or will it have to look like I live in a museum?”

Ryan smirks. “They can be simple.”

“Parker, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, dear, but whatever it is, keep it up,” Mom says and takes a bite of food.

“What do you mean?” I question.

“You’re setting boundaries and standing your ground. You seem more relaxed, but you told us you’ve had a long day.”

“I see.” I load up another baked potato. “I’ve been exercising more, getting into a couple new hobbies and learning.”

“Learning what?” Mom prods.

“Nothing very interesting, I promise. Just trying to divert my attention from constantly working.”

“I can understand that very well,” Julia says.

Ryan smirks at me again. He definitely knows something is up. I remember that Julia was a huge workaholic when they first met. Damn it, I bet he’s making the connection between having a good fuck and diverting attention from work. Let him contemplate. I’m not saying anything else. I dig into the potato I’ve made up, and Mom gets up to clear the other dishes.

It doesn’t take her long before she brings out a tray of lava cakes. I knew it! She makes these little chocolate cakes that have this delicious chocolate stuff inside them that oozes out lava from a volcano. I love these cakes.

“What’s the occasion, Mom?”

“I figured if I bring your favorite dessert, you have a reason to call me around more often.”

She’s not wrong.

“You got me there.”

We have dessert and say goodbye. My kitchen is pristine after they leave, and there are leftovers in the fridge, including lava cakes. I go back over the visit and realize I rushed through telling them about the encounter with Tess when we first met. I also didn’t tell them that we’d had a first date earlier in the week. I could’ve told them about the dinner part.

Why did I do that? Because Mom would’ve been all over me for more details if she found out I was dating someone who worked in a BDSM club. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to bring that particular part of Tess’s life up with my family. Then again, how could I hide it forever? Wouldn’t Tess tell them herself if she ever met them?

We’ve only been on one date. I haven’t arranged anything new with her yet, and she’s not pushing for it either. Work is an important part of who she is, and I know from our conversation at dinner that she loves what she does. She’s not going to be willing to hide it to appease my family or help me avoid questions.

Why do I need to avoid questions anyway? When I think about it a little more, I understand the answer. I don’t want my family to know that I’m involved in exploring these things too. Part of me is a tiny bit nervous about what Tess does and how she’s so proud of it. I don’t have any answers about that, though. I know I shouldn’t be.

What now then? I want to see her again. I want to explore more. I want to be with her completely. Yet how can I do that if I have to keep part of what we do together separate from the people that matter most to me. I’m not sure I could do that at all. I’m not sure about anything anymore.