“What about cider donuts?” she asked with a sideways glance.
He shrugged. “Never tried them. Every time the fair comes along, I’m away on business, so this is my first time.”
“You’ve never had a cider donut?” she nearly shouted. “Well, what are we waiting for? You can’t possibly live a second longer without one.”
He laughed, then said to Banner, “I like this one already.”
Her nose led her to the booth where the bakery had set up a makeshift donut shop. Trays of sugary donuts waited to be devoured. Her mouth watered already.
She went to order, but Ambrose stepped in before she could. “I’ll take a dozen.”
When she opened her mouth to offer to pay, Ambrose waved her away.
A few moments later, they each had one in hand.
“Go ahead,” she said to Ambrose. “Let’s see if I steered you right.”
He took a bite, managing to fit almost the whole thing in one mouthful. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated an answer, as if he were a food critic at a fancy restaurant. She had to laugh at his exaggerated expression.
“Hmmm.”
“Come on,” she said. “You can’t hate it. If you hate it, this date is over.”
Nodding, he swallowed the bite. “It’s delicious.”
“Told you!”
“Seriously,” he said, shoving the rest in his mouth. “Probably the best-tasting breakfast I’ve ever had. I’d buy three dozen more, but then I wouldn’t fit into my pants anymore.”
“Some things are worth getting fat for.” She took a bite of hers.
Banner piped in. “I’m gonna bring some to Rook. The boy has a sweet tooth just like our dad did.”
She’d almost forgotten he was there. Feeling guilty, she turned to give him some attention too. “That’s a good idea. How’s he doing, anyway?”
He shrugged. “Seems like something’s up. I’ve been visiting more often just so he knows I’m around to talk to.” He frowned. “I worry about him.”
“I know. But you’re a great brother, and he’s lucky to have you.”
Ambrose took another donut from the bag and held it out to her. She wanted it badly, still hungry from having skipped breakfast, but she hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t.”
“Come on,” he said, waving it in front of her. “I know you want it.”
Laughing, she grabbed the donut. “You’re bad.”
His eyes darkened in an instant. “You have no idea.”
The mood shifted and the funny feeling she got when Banner acted dominant crept into her belly, making her freeze in place. She wasn’t hungry for donuts anymore.
“Um.” She cleared her throat. “So, what do you do for work?”
Ambrose smiled, seeming to enjoy making her squirm. She couldn’t tell if it annoyed her or aroused her. The whole sub drop thing was still keeping her off balance.
“I’m in the shipping business.”
“Ah.”
He laughed again.
“What?”
“It’s a conversation ender. Nobody ever asks me more.”
“Oh.” Guilt crept up on her and she frowned. “Sorry. I just don’t know—”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s a boring job, and it’s even more boring talking about it.” He looked around at the tents. “I need a drink.”
“Cider!”
“Now you’re talking,” he said with a grin. “Hard cider?”
She peered around the booths. Tables were set up with baked goods and homemade house goods, but she remembered from last year there was a beer tent. “They have that somewhere around here. I like hot cider though.”
He gestured away from the donut booth. “Let’s go find some, then.”
His genuine smile, easy demeanor but hint of dominance made Ambrose the most likely match so far. Banner had good taste in best friends.
The thought sent a reminder, and she swung around, feeling bad Banner was an afterthought. “Coming?” she asked him.
“Uh.” He ran his hand through his hair, then shook his head. “Nah. I’m going to go look around for the fresh ravioli Meadow likes. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He was probably just giving them space to be polite, which made her sorry she’d pushed him to come. She didn’t mean to make him feel like the third wheel. Honestly, she’d thought Ambrose would bore her and she’d mostly hang out with Banner. But Ambrose was fun and sweet and hot. She wanted to get to know him better, if for no other reason than it would take her mind off of Banner. Maybe throwing herself into this situation with Ambrose was a bad idea but sitting around her apartment moping over Mr. Perfect not wanting her wasn’t going to fix anything.
She studied Banner’s face for a moment. She thought she caught a fleeting look of hurt, but it was gone in an instant, and he gave her a reassuring smile instead.
Maybe he wasn’t okay, but neither was she. This was his idea, so fuck him if he was upset about it.
Kate nodded and walked off with Ambrose, determined to have a good time and secretly hoping Banner would come charging back up to reclaim her.
He didn’t.
They spent the morning sampling the food the fair had to offer. She was surprised at just how much fun she was having with Ambrose. He was easy to be with, easy to like. If not for his size, she wouldn’t sense the same amount of danger there was with Banner, but there were hints of dominance—enough to keep her interest.
Maybe this was what was supposed to happen all along. Ambrose seemed like a better match.
In the back of her mind, though, Banner was there with that rejected look on his face. But this had been his idea. And she knew he wanted her with someone he trusted instead of some fake Dom she might meet in a club.
Ambrose was his best friend. If they clicked, he’d be happy for them.
Right?
***
She’d gone to the fair hungry and left so stuffed she was sure she wouldn’t eat for a week. Apple pie, fried dough, fresh cannolis, caramel apples—it was amazing the button hadn’t popped off her jeans and folding herself into her car was uncomfortable. They never did find Banner again, but Ambrose kept her distracted.
The stop-and-go traffic through town gave her time to assess the day.
The man could eat! Which made her not as shy about trying some of everything too. He seemed to like that her appetite could almost keep up with his. He’d named her his Foodie Friend, and they had plans for Vietnamese food the next weekend. At his place.
What if he wanted to play right away? Was she ready for that? She thought about playing with Ambrose, but Banner kept replacing him in her thoughts.
It was Banner she wanted, but he was determined to get rid of her. The rejection still stung, even if the reasons made sense. Feelings often weren’t very sensible.
She pushed the thoughts away and pretended Banner had never happened. Making believe she’d met Ambrose by chance at the market, she thought about their upcoming date.
She wondered what kinds of things he was into. Banner had told her their kinks mostly lined up, but he’d also mentioned Ambrose wasn’t as strict and had a weakness for brats.
Was she a brat?
A shiver shot down her spine as she daydreamed about what they might do in the privacy of his house.
In her head, they were in Banner’s dungeon. She’d never been in other dungeons so most of her fantasies happened there.
If he was into the same things as Banner, would he tie her up? Use her mouth? Whisper nasty threats in her ear?
She shuddered.
A picture formed in her mind. She was on Banner’s bed on all fours while someone shuffled behind her. Whimpering, she wondered if he was getting lube.
Would Ambrose insist on taking her ass as Banner had wanted to? A man came up behind her, stroked down her back, making her arch like a cat and purr.
“There’s my kitty,” he said, voice rough and seductive.
But it was Banner’s voice.
Fuck.
She gave her head a shake and placed Ambrose there instead. Her clit tingled, and she wished she had access to her vibrator. In five minutes she’d be home and could take care of things. She squirmed in her seat. No harm in fantasizing to get ready though.
Ambrose walked around her needy body then put a finger under her chin to force her to look at him. Only Banner’s face was there when she tilted her head up.
Ugh!
“Get out of my head!”
She forced Ambrose back into the picture.
“Are you a good kitty or a bad kitty?” he whispered.
“Um.”
He moved his hand to her hair and yanked it.
In real life, a rush of heat flooded her pussy. Her underwear was probably soaked. Oh, she was a bad kitty, alright.
A car honked and she looked up, realizing she’d been sitting at a green light. Mortified, she cleared her head and focused on driving the rest of the way home. Her clit still ached when she made it into her condo parking lot. Vibrator was a must. But first, she wanted to text Banner. Maybe some resolution would get him out of her fantasies.
She pulled out her phone and wrote, Ambrose is great. Thanks for the hook-up!
She waited a moment to see if there’d be a response. When none came, she sighed and walked to the door. Pixie would need to go out, so her vibrator plans would have to be put on hold. Actually, by the time she got settled back at home, the mood would be over. She hated when that happened.