After his confession last night he should have stayed as far away from Vicki as possible to give her time. What he’d told her last night wasn’t for the faint-hearted. There was no excuse for his still being married to Kate. Vicki needed time to figure things out. Instead he arranged a date, not giving her any time at all. His hands shook as he picked up the phone to order food from the local diner.
A knock at the door distracted him. “What?” he asked. The heat was going to kill him. Tristan opened the windows as his door opened.
“There’s a lady here to see you. She says it’s urgent,” Marla said.
“Okay, send her in.”
“Don’t you want to know who it is?”
“Law Castle doesn’t need to wait,” he said, opening the top button of his shirt. He intended to stay in Law Castle, and because of that he needed to make sure he was open to the people who lived there.
When he’d first arrived in the small town Tristan held his doubts over his future of being a Sheriff. He’d been a detective in his time and even spent time in the army doing his bit for his country. At forty-five years old he’d seen the world a time or two. Settling down in a small town where threesomes and more-somes was the norm and appeared to be protected by a local gang known as The Law Castle Bad Boys, seemed a little out of the norm for him. In his world, cops took charge and there were only two people to a relationship. He didn’t like to share and didn’t intend to. Watching the way the couples got on made Tristan rethink his ideals. He’d seen how Cheryl, Noah, and Drew worked out, and he was always amazed by the love on display among them. Then there was Zoe and her three men.
Pushing the thoughts from his mind he turned around and froze. Kate, his wife stood in the doorway. She wore an expensive suit, and her hair was tied up in a neat bun. There was nothing out of place. In the city, she’d blend in, whereas in his town, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
He recalled a time being completely affected by her presence. His body would respond like he knew how connected she was with her. This time, nothing. He stared at her and saw a business woman. Tristan didn’t see his wife or his reason for high-tailing it to this town.
“Tristan,” she said.
“Kate, what are you doing here?” he asked, pulling out his chair and taking a seat.
Marla stood watching them. He dismissed her with a wave of the hand then waited for the door to close. Kate took the seat opposite him.
“I needed to come and see you. I know it’s short notice, but I couldn’t help it. You stopped calling me,” Kate said.
He’d stopped calling Kate around the time he’d taken Vicki’s virginity and been plagued by thoughts of the much younger woman. Kate was in her late thirties. She’d known the game better than he did at the time.
“A lack of communication doesn’t explain why you’re here.” Rolling up his sleeves, Tristan stood. He’d never expected to see Kate again. They’d both gone their own separate ways.
“What happened, Tristan? We used to be so close,” Kate asked. Her voice took on the tone of almost whining. He closed his eyes as anger rolled over him. Why did she have to invade his life here?
“Everything changes.”
“We don’t change.”
“Actually, you do.” He turned around to face her. She sat on the edge of the seat. Tristan knew why she was perched on the seat. “You’ve actually come to me when you’ve got his marks all over your ass.”
Kate flushed and fidgeted in her seat. He caught the wince along with the pleasure flash in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me. I know you, Kate. I know how you think and how you work. I bet you’ve got fresh marks on your ass.” He shook his head because he knew it to be the truth, and he hated that fact he knew the truth.
“I’m not here to talk about me. I’m here to talk about you. Tristan, you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. I’ve not seen him.”
The him she was referring to was the man who liked to give Kate the kind of pain she needed. Angered by Kate treating him like a fool, Tristan marched up to her. He tore the case from her hands, lifted her from the seat and bent her over his desk.
“If you’re going to lie to me then you won’t mind me seeing if I’m right or not.”
Kate didn’t protest. She didn’t fight him either. This was all part of the kink she liked. He hated it. Tristan didn’t know if she was telling the truth about the effect he had on her or if it was all a lie. Did she like being forced?