Free Little Rainbows by Helena Stone Page A

believe it. He hadn’t felt anything close to lust in months only to have the sensation return to him the moment he decided he had to give up on domination.
    He wanted Heather badly, so much more than he’d wanted her twenty years ago. He’d no idea where the thought came from, but if there was a woman he could be vanilla with, it was her. And there was one of his problems. She wasn’t vanilla any more than he had been. Even if he could convince her to stay, even if he managed to seduce her, he probably wouldn’t be enough for her, not the way he was now.
    Walking around his apartment without spilling his drink proved hard but he managed. The lack of clutter and unnecessary furniture helped. He stopped for a moment and looked around, trying to imagine what his rooms would look like to Heather. Masculine, without a doubt, but would she like that?
    He was getting ahead of himself. Right now he shouldn’t be worrying about getting her into his bed. He needed to make her stay. He had to convince her he required her help with this party, that she was the only one who could provide the necessary assistance. And it would be true. There were party planners a plenty. But only Heather specialized in BDSM events. She’d know most, if not all, of the guests he’d invited. Only Heather would be able to give him information about these people. There would be so many Doms walking around The Blowhole that weekend, he needed to know who he could trust, who he had to be careful around, which among them had delicate egos and whether any of them were likely to try and take over proceedings.
    Would it be enough if he just asked her not to leave? If he told her she didn’t need to watch another demonstration, wouldn’t have to be involved in the activities during the weekend beyond supervising. If he were to be honest and told her how much he required her help, could she be persuaded to stay? He wasn’t beyond begging. He’d even admit to the attraction he felt for her if he thought it would help his cause.
    His smile was wry as he sat down again and drank the finally cool-enough tea. If he mentioned how much he wanted her, she’d run without waiting for him to finish his sentence. And he wouldn’t blame her. He’d never let anybody down as badly as he’d failed her this evening. He’d been so caught up in the way his hands felt on her body, the soft curves of her hips, the way her breath had quickened as the scene unfolded, he’d completely forgotten to pay attention to any warning signs. Surely there had been warning signs?
    He glared at his phone as it rang, before answering. “What?”
    “Whoa, Jason, easy man.”
    Hearing Hector’s voice send shockwaves through Jason. The Dom had never called him before. Why would he when they lived on the same grounds? Something had to be wrong. Jason nearly groaned. Not something else to add to his list of disasters.
    “What’s wrong, Hector? Why are you calling me?”
    “Just checking you and that gorgeous young lady are all right. I saw you leave. The beauty appeared distressed.”
    And didn’t things just get better and better. Not only had he fucked up, no, he had to do it in such a way it was obvious to everybody else as well.
    “No, I’m not. She’s not. Jaysus, Hector, I completely fucked up and I’m not sure how to fix it.”
    He considered it. For a moment he was tempted to just let it all out. If there was anybody he could confess to, it was Hector. He trusted the Dom with his life. But he was also the man’s employer. He couldn’t just drop his garbage on him.
    “Bottom line, Jason.”
    “Bottom line? She doesn’t think she can stay. I need her for this party and she’s planning on leaving in the morning.”
    He should have known he’d never get away with only half the story.
    “I’m sure there’s more to it than that, Jason. If that was the only issue, you’d find your way around it. I won’t ask though. I’ll tell you this—not that you don’t already