Rather than shower, I simply pulled my hair up into a ponytail and donned a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater with my Uggs. I didn’t look like a supermodel, but I didn’t look homeless either, so I considered it a win.
I headed for the mall and fought the crowds in an attempt to find something that my mother might actually use. Seemed no matter what I had bought her over the past few years, she seldom used it, and sometimes, I even found my gift still in the bag, tucked in one of her guest room closets. Jim was easier to buy for because he collected hunting knives, so I had purchased his gift months before, finding the perfect one online. I ended up buying my mother some bath bombs and other goodies from Lush, hoping that she would at least get some use out of them.
After I’d made the required purchases, I did a little shopping for myself. I ended up buying a tiny fake tree that I could set on my kitchen table, along with a couple of cute little Santa and Mrs. Claus figurines that would brighten up the living room. It wasn’t much, but I was doing my best. Unlike usual, I did not buy any clothes or shoes, although I was tempted. Fortunately for my bank account, there were just too many people to make the trip enjoyable.
Once I’d escaped the throngs of overzealous procrastinators, I stopped for Chinese takeout, then headed back to my apartment and changed into yoga pants. At that point, I wasn’t really hungry, so I stashed my lunch in the refrigerator and settled in with some popcorn and decided to watch movies to keep my mind off everything.
It worked for a few hours and I cuddled up in a blanket on the couch, enjoying my alone time. Or, rather, pretending to. It became nearly impossible not to check my phone every twenty minutes to see if someone had texted me although I knew they hadn’t. Finally, I broke down and texted Kristen.
Luci: Missed you at yoga last night.
Kristen: Aw. I wish I had been there. We’re at Tim’s parents until Christmas Eve. Then we were planning to go see my dad for a couple of days.
Luci: Maybe when you get back to town we can hang out. You have plans for New Year’s?
Kristen: Nothing final. But I’d love to get together. Maybe the three of us can go out on the town.
I wasn’t fond of being the third wheel, but it sure as hell beat sitting at home by myself.
Luci: I’d love to do something. Hit me up when you get back.
Kristen: Will do. And Merry Christmas!
Luci: Merry Christmas to you!
And just like that, I was alone once again.
•
While I was flipping through channels that afternoon, debating on whether to heat up the Chinese food or come up with something else to fix for an early dinner, there was a knock on my apartment door. I figured it was my neighbor. Mrs. Idlemann was known to make cookies, using them as an excuse to stop by from time to time just to chat, and I figured since I had been holding odd hours, she was curious as to where I’d been.
Without looking through the peephole, I yanked the door open, ready to cheerfully greet Mrs. Idlemann, when I came face-to-face with…
My head snapped up and I was peering into intimidating hazel eyes. “Master.” My eyes darted to the other man. “Landon.”
“Sir,” Landon corrected, a beaming smile on his face. “From here on out, you can call me Sir.”
Master and Sir? That was going to get interesting.
“Okay…uh…Sir.”
They both grinned, and let me just say, the things that those smirks stirred inside me should’ve been illegal.
“What are you doing here?”
They didn’t wait to be invited in before they gently nudged me out of the way and stepped inside, closing the door securely behind them. Of course, I wasn’t at all surprised by this because, hey, I had already admitted that I wanted to submit to them. They knew me. This wasn’t exactly a boundary they were pushing.
I liked it.
Once inside, Sir made a beeline for my bedroom. I had no idea what he was doing, but I didn’t get the chance to go after him because Master pulled me into his arms and fused his lips to mine.
Needless to say, I was shocked.
And definitely not disappointed.
I moaned into his mouth as his tongue dominantly sought mine. The kiss was rough and sexy and…over way too soon.
“What’s going on?” I asked, the words said breathlessly as I fought to get air into my lungs. “I thought…I thought I was on holiday until next year.”
“We’re kidnapping you.”
He said it so matter-of-factly I actually believed him.
Now, I’d never had a fantasy like that, but I could admit, the idea sounded deliciously kinky.
