Velvet and Lace(39)

They pulled into the parking lot, and Daphne was confused as she looked around, trying to figure out what Trent had saw. He came over to her side, and helped her down from the truck.

“Baby, don’t panic okay. But it looks like your tires have been slashed.” His words caused her heart rate to speed up. They had left the Camaro at the shop last night and she hadn’t thought anything of it, thinking it would be fine.

“I’m so stupid. Someone tried to set my building on fire. Why would they not slash my tires? I’m surprised they didn’t set my fucking car on fire.” Daphne wasn’t scared or nervous. Now she was just pissed. Trent stepped away to call the cops as well as a tow truck.

Daphne had to walk away because she was shaking with rage. She went to unlock the shop and went inside. The smell of paint hit her first and she decided to open the front door and a few windows to try and get the smell out. But the walls were dry and she was thankful for small favors.

Officer Gordon arrived and she answered all of his questions so that he could file a police report. She called her insurance company and got everything taken care of and the tow truck had arrived to tow her baby away. They didn’t have the correct tires in. So it would take a few days to get them in and fix everything.

Finally, an hour later, the ordeal was done. But Daphne was still fuming. Justin had told her that he would be looking into everything and suggested that they get the security cameras up and running today. There were numerous cameras, that completely captured the entire inside of the building as well as the outside. Daphne couldn’t agree more and Trent called the company to fix it.

Daphne stood inside the shop as she watched her car get loaded onto a tow truck, with a knot insider her stomach. She jumped slightly when Trent came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

He rested his chin on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, baby.”

“I just can’t think of anyone who would do this to me, Trent. That’s what frustrates me the most. Someone hates me enough to set fire to my business and then slash the tires on my car. How am I supposed to deal with that?” She leaned into his embrace, taking comfort from him.

“I’m not sure you are, exactly. I mean you have to deal with it in the sense that you have to cope with everything that has happened, but we need to find out who is doing this to you before you can really deal with anything. Officer Gordon said he was going to be on it and that they were going to try and patrol by here more at night. The security system company is already on their way out to install the cameras and maybe we can catch them on camera or at least deter them from doing any more damage.” He turned her in his arms so that she faced him.

He titled her face up to his. “I think you should just stay at my place for a little while. Until we figure this out.”

Daphne started to open her mouth in protest but he covered up her mouth with a finger. “I know you are thinking about Grams, but I have already thought about that. It is clear that they are not interested in harming or doing any damage to Grams property. So I want to focus on your safety right now.”

Daphne stood still for a moment, trying to absorb everything Trent was telling her. She slowly nodded her head in agreement. They stood there for a few more minutes until she decided that she needed to take her mind off of things.

They worked side by side, steadily and after a while his crew showed up to help set up the display stands and hang up everything that needed to go on the walls. Daphne used modern artwork to give the space a sense of flare; she didn’t want the place to have an overtly tacky sex theme. She wanted it to be a space that was as comfortable as possible for people to come in and explore their sexuality.

Once Owen and Carson figured out what she needed them to set out on the displays she had to laugh. She had brought the first few boxes of toys out of the stock room, and showed the guys her diagram of where everything would go. They blushed as she opened the boxes and got them to work.

She enjoyed her business and smiled at the heated looks Trent kept passing her way as she set up a display of butt plugs and other anal toys and lubricant. They were about half done when lunch rolled around and the boys went and grabbed sandwiches from Patty’s and brought them back to the shop.

After eating, Daphne finally felt a little less violated and could smile and laugh easily with the crew. Patty had packed them all large roast beef sandwiches, homemade French fries and fresh–baked cookies. Daphne made a mental note to give Patty the first tour of her store and let her pick out a few things for herself.

They went back to work setting out the rest of the stock including: massage oil, dildos, vibrators, light bondage gear, Ben Wa balls, lingerie, games, novelty items, and a bachelorette party section. As the store came together Daphne felt lighter and happier. She loved her job. With the large space she could host private parties where she could talk to everyone about the products and give away freebies.