Wow, I was learning more about my partner’s past today than I had in the whole three and a half years we’d been together! Salt often spoke of Russia to me but he only told me the good things, the happy memories. Did he have pain in his childhood to match my own?
“Well, at least you’ve had good experiences with the women in your life,” Stevens remarked. “It sounds like you had to be the man of the house at an early age. No wonder you feel protective of your partner.”
“I feel protective of Andi because she is my partner,” Salt growled. “Not for any reason in my past.”
Stevens shook his head. “Well, I wish the two of you the best of luck. Your captain can brief you on the details of the case in the morning. I believe you’re expected at the Institute for their welcome dinner tomorrow evening. So you have until then to get your minds right.”
“We’ll be fine,” I said defensively.
“I’m sure you will.” But the professor didn’t sound at all certain. He got up and started gathering the other outfits I had vetoed but Salt stopped him.
“Wait. The dress with all the ruffles—leave that one too.”
“What?” I frowned at him. “Salt, I’m not wearing that! It’s sick.”
“Is just in case,” he assured me but his eyes were flinty. “Besides, you cannot go with only one outfit.”
“There’s a costume shop at the Institute which should supply all your needs. But here.” Stevens draped the puffy blue party dress over the arm of the couch and nodded at Salt. “Thank you for dinner but I really have to go. I have a Kink in Classic Literature class to get to.”
“Wait? There’s kink in Classic Literature?” I asked.
Stevens only rolled his eyes.
“Oh my dear Detective Sugarbaker, if only you knew.” He shook his head. “No, I’ll find my own way out. The two of you look too comfortable together to disturb.”
His words made me realize that I was still sitting on Salt’s lap as though it was a normal state of affairs for us. I jumped off hastily and went to get the door for Stevens anyway.
“Good night,” I said. “And thank you, I guess.”
“You’re welcome.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a business card which he pressed into my hand. “And here. This is for after.”
“After?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“After the two of you get back from the Institute.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’ll be blunt—sending someone with your issues to that place is like throwing a lamb to the wolves. You’re going to need to talk to someone when you get back—I can make some recommendations.”
“I don’t have issues! So thanks but no thanks.” I tried to shove the card back in his hand but he refused to take it.
“Good night, Detective,” he said and left me staring after him, clutching the card and frowning. He was wrong, I told myself. Salt and I were going to be just fine. After all, we had each other. True, I was going to be put into an intensely vulnerable position but I knew that my partner always had my back. We would be all right in the end.
Wouldn’t we?
Chapter Three
“I told you, Salt—I don’t want to wear this one. It’s sick!” I stared down at the ruffled blue party dress in dismay. How had I allowed my partner to talk me into this?
“And I have told you, the other outfit is too much, at least to start. What do you not like about it?” He pulled the car into a parking space behind the broad, gray building with no windows.
The Institute was located on the far end of Ybor City, Tampa’s historic district. Ybor used to be home to large cigar rolling factories and the Cuban immigrants that worked in them. Now many of the old, historic buildings had been turned into nightclubs, tattoo parlors, cigar bars and tourist traps selling kitschy Florida souvenirs.
I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised that a resort devoted to Age Play was located down here. Ybor was also the heart of the Tampa kink scene. “Leather Daddy’s” was right down the street as well as another club called “Crimes of Passion.” I had no interest in what they held but I’d been to both of them at one time or another during my stint in Vice.