Free Mardi Gras by Lacey Alexander

you wanted.
    “Any calls?” he asked, getting back to normal.
    “Yeah, Bobby called in. He’s going to be late again.” Ty responded under his breath, rolling his eyes, “Bobby might not have a job for much longer.”
    “And Rich from Sure-Pak called. Wants to set an appointment to show you their new line of baskets and carriers.”
    He nodded. “Anyone else? Like a woman with a sexy voice?” She almost smiled, but held it in. “No, that’s it.” He responded with a sigh. “Okay. I’ll be in my office.” Mia watched him walk away, and again, had the burning urge to don her wig and mask one last time. In a way, it seemed crazy—she’d managed to pull it off and had given them both the night of their lives, so why risk messing it up now? Yet on the other hand, how was she supposed to resist that hungry, happy look in his eyes? Or the letdown expression that had replaced it when he’d learned she hadn’t called? She was suddenly the object of Ty Brewer’s affection. He wanted her. Madly . How could she refuse that?
    Glancing up at his open office door, she let out a sigh of her own and answered herself.
    Simple. She couldn’t.
    57

    Lacey Alexander
    * * * * *
    Ty sat in Jack’s rundown old office on Royal Street, waiting for him to get off the phone. He was used to this, but…well, not this exactly .
    He was used to waiting for Jack to get off the phone with clients . But lately—the last year or so—he’d been waiting for Jack to get off the phone with Liz.
    You guys can’t get enough of each other at home? he always wanted to ask. Apparently they couldn’t. And today, for some stupid reason, it made him feel sort of…lonely.
    He ignored the emotion the best he could, though, because it was likely just one more effect of riding an emotional roller coaster. The memories of Saturday night, still so fresh in his mind, filled him with a deep, glowing sort of satisfaction he couldn’t ever remember feeling—or at least not since he’d been very young, getting first kisses from girls he really liked and thought would be in his life for much longer than they actually had. His masked Mina had really done a number on him.
    But the dips in the ride came when he recalled how thoroughly underwhelmed she’d seemed by his request to see her again. Had he done something wrong? Had he not been good enough for her? He’d always felt pretty accomplished at fucking, but…well, this had been new. Maybe he hadn’t been submissive enough? After all, that part sure hadn’t come naturally. For her, he’d done it—and he’d enjoyed the results—
    but giving up total control had been difficult. Hell, for all he knew, maybe she’d wanted him to fight back more. He just didn’t know how these games worked well enough to accurately analyze it.
    And since when did he feel he had to analyze his sexual performance, anyway?
    Since Mistress Mina had whisked into his life with her sexy leather riding crop, he supposed.
    Finally, Jack hung up, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his ankles on his desk.
    “What has you lookin’ so jumbled up this mornin’? And where did you disappear to so early on Saturday night?”
    “Same answer to both questions. A woman.”
    58

    Mardi Gras
    Jack raised his eyebrows. “A woman has you jumbled up?” Ty was less than thrilled to hear he looked “jumbled up”, but decided to move past it. “Yeah, and I need to find out who she was. A redhead with a killer body in a black see-through blouse and a black Mardi Gras mask with feathers. She was handing out the king cake.”
    Jack blinked and lowered his feet to the floor. “I remember who you’re talkin’
    about. But I never spoke to her, so I don’t know who she is. Hang on a minute,” he said, holding up one finger.
    He picked up the phone again, dialing Liz back, Ty figured. Two minutes later, he hung up once more and gave Ty a perplexed look.
    “Well?”
    “Liz doesn’t know, either. She saw her, too—helped her with