Free SimplyIrresistible by Evanne Lorraine Page B

Just the other
day, he’d walked through the elementary school doors on his way to first grade.
    Luckily, Liam had a full schedule and no time to wallow in
nostalgia. He zipped downtown. Peter Frango, esquire, attorney-at-law better
known as Pete had been Liam’s best friend since grade school. This morning they
were meeting to sign documents finalizing Sterling Enterprises’ newest project.
    Pete knew his preferences well enough to handle the closing
alone, but the personal touch was important, especially on big-money deals.
    The closing took longer than Liam had hoped. He rolled his
neck and stretched his back, easing the kinks before he climbed back into his
rig and headed for his own office.
    He checked messages during a traffic stop, nothing from
Tiana. At the intersection he pulled onto a side street and parked. He returned
a call from Jacques and got an update on Tiana, including names and numbers for
Doug and Grant, who’d been assigned to protect her. Most of the calls could
wait, but he read a text from Cam and grinned until the realization his baby
brother was a college freshman hit hard.
    He’d been two when their parents died. Liam showed him
pictures and told him about his wonderful mom and dad, but Cam had no memories
of his loving parents. Ben, four years older than Cam, had never wanted to talk
about their folks. Kyle had buried his nose in numbers and books about numbers
every chance he got—still did.
    Liam had been responsible for the family since the summer
they’d lost their parents. While they were growing up, too often the boys
seemed more like sons than brothers. Now they were all adults. He was damn
proud of each one. He’d looked forward to the time when he could have some
adult fun without juggling schedules and worrying about the kids. So why do
I feel like I lost my best friend?
    Then he thought about Tiana. She was sweet and brave in
spite of being scared. She needed exactly what he could give her—strength and
guidance. The relationship wouldn’t last, it wasn’t meant to. Someday when she
regained her confidence, she would find a more permanent relationship with a
different kind of Master. And he would find another challenging submissive.
    Before he’d started the engine, Coldplay’s Clocks signaled an incoming call. The Sterling Falls School’s number displayed. Not
Tiana calling to chat. Liam hooked on his earpiece, hit answer and snapped his
seat belt. “Liam.”
    “Hi there, Sid here. How are you doing?” The principal’s
cheerful tenor brought an instant image of his shiny pate, laugh-crinkled eyes
and thickening torso.
    “I’m good, what’s up?”
    “Well, I hate to bother you, but as you might remember the
best bid we had for a new roof was thirty thousand. The state approved fifteen
grand, the town and student body worked their butts off to raise another six.
We only have a few days left to guarantee the price. You’re our last hope.”
    “I’ll drop off a check this afternoon.”
    “Thanks, Liam, we appreciate it more than I tell you.”
    “No problem, see you soon.” He kissed a mini-chunk of profit
from the new project goodbye before they’d broken ground. Regret wasn’t an
issue. The money went for a good cause. Kids needed to be dry to learn.
    After the call from the principal Liam let his thoughts
drift back to Tiana. Guthrie hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said getting
involved with her wouldn’t be simple. Once committed, Liam didn’t run shy. He
looked forward to seeing her again, building on the foundation of trust he’d
already laid and keeping her out of trouble. From there he made the easy leap
to wondering what she was doing right now and wanting to hear her voice.
    He quit mooning around and dialed Tiana’s cell. “Hi, I’m
headed your direction. I’ll be there in an hour. Is this a good time for me to
stop by to meet my new neighbor?”
    “I appreciate the call. It’s a bit noisy here. Can you hold
on for a minute?” She