“Is kinky a requirement?” Rae asked, glancing at Domi. Rae hadn’t completely sworn off the idea of a vanilla guy, though she’d prefer to find a kinky one, especially once she’d figured out where to look. Which was how they’d ended up at Stronghold in the first place. Domi hadn’t wanted a guy—at all—but now she couldn’t imagine herself with someone who wasn’t at least a little into the same things.
She didn’t need wild, kinky sex every time, but she couldn’t imagine giving it up entirely now.
“Maybe?” Avery shrugged. “It’s been so long since I’ve even had sex, I don’t know if I care.”
Ouch. Domi knew how that felt.
“So, your dry spell may be affecting your judgment,” she teased. “Maybe you should come to Stronghold with us and get laid before making a decision.”
“I don’t know when I’d have the time,” Avery said ruefully. “Marquis has only been open a few months, and I’m needed Wednesday through Sunday. Even though I can get the occasional Sunday night off, Friday or Saturday would be impossible, and by the time the restaurant closes, it’s way too late for me to go out.”
“What if you asked for the time off, super far in advance?” Rae asked. “Maybe on a Thursday night or something. And we could go to Marquis instead of Stronghold and watch a show. That way, you won’t have to travel, and it might give you a better idea about whether you want to hold out for someone kinky.”
Hope lit Avery’s eyes, but she still looked conflicted.
“I’m kinda smelly at the end of a shift…”
“We won’t care,” Domi reassured her. “We can just spritz you with body spray or something.”
They all laughed.
“Okay,” Avery said happily. “I’ll see if I can get a night off sometime soon. It might not be for a few weeks.”
“No problem. We’ll make it work. The reservations usually fill up several weeks in advance, anyway.” Rae grinned at her, then changed her focus to Domi, as they were all finishing up their dinners. “So… Domi. Where are you and Mitch going on Tuesday? Has he said?”
“No.” Domi glanced down at her phone. “I texted him to ask. He said it’s a surprise, but to dress casually and so I can move.”
Rae and Avery blinked, nonplussed. Clearly, they had as little clue as Domi did what Mitch might be thinking.
“Casual and so you can move? What does that mean?” Avery asked. Since she only knew what Domi and Rae had told her about Mitch, she had the least to go on.
“Knowing Mitch, it’ll be something memorable.” Rae picked up her glass of wine, which was only half-finished, and got to her feet. Domi and Avery followed suit.
Trying on clothes right after eating pizza might not be the best idea… but hey, he was the one who told her casual. Domi was going to take him at his word.
“Rock climbing, maybe? Trampoline park?”
“Is that the kind of thing he’s into?” Avery asked, bemused, as she followed Rae and Domi to Domi’s room.
“No idea. I’m not sure when the last time he dated someone, if ever. He’s not exactly Mr. Commitment.” Domi smiled wryly, heading to her closet and flinging the door open. “Hmmm… maybe I shouldn’t try too hard.”
“So, what am I looking for then?” Rae asked, rolling her eyes. “Something with holes in it?”
“My clothes don’t have holes in them.”
“Maybe something tacky… some mismatched accessories…”
“You’re an accessory,” Domi muttered.
“Thank you,” Rae said breezily. “I consider that a compliment.”
“I didn’t say you’re a pretty one.”
“Bitch, please.”
Avery started cracking up, and Domi and Rae winced, exchanging a look. Oops. They’d almost forgotten she was there. Yeah, they needed to be better about that.
“You guys are awesome,” Avery said, lifting her glass in tribute. Domi smiled back at her, relieved she didn’t seem upset at being left out, but she and Rae were still going to work on including her more.
“What do you think?” Domi asked, pulling out one of her favorite shirts. Cute, dark blue with big pink and white flowers on it, and incredibly comfortable, not something she’d normally wear for a date, but it would still look good. Also, it was worlds away from what she’d usually wear to Stronghold.
“Oh, that’s cute,” Avery said, stepping into the closet with them and reaching out to touch the material. “Oooh, soft.”
“So, he’ll want to get his hands on you,” Rae said, grinning and nodding. Domi rolled her eyes.
“Like his hands haven’t already been all over me.” They were doing the relationship thing a little backward, but that was okay. At least she didn’t have to worry about whether the sex would be good.
Just whether or not they could do anything other than the sex.
Yup. No big deal.
Chapter Thirteen
Domi
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Domi panted, ducking down behind a large wall, pressing her back against it. A moment later, Mitch slammed into position beside her, the lights on his chest blinking ominously.
Glancing at them, she snickered.
“Quiet,” he said defensively. “You’re a much smaller target than me.”
“Should have thought about that before we got in here,” she told him with a smirk. She wasn’t the one who had chosen laser tag for their first date. “Besides, I warned you I was awesome at this.”
He flashed a quick, hot grin and winked.
“Which is exactly why I chose it. I wanted to see you in action.”
As first dates went, it wasn’t exactly ripe for conversation, but Domi was still learning a lot about Mitch. He was competitive but a good sport. He wanted to win but accepted defeat gracefully. He was also a show-off and a goof, even in the middle of trying to win.
“I have to admit, I’m not doing as well as I usually do.” Domi groaned as she pushed herself into a crouching position, a spot in the small of her back aching slightly. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”
“Okay, Murtaugh,” Mitch said, laughing. He bumped her shoulder, leaning down to sneak in a quick kiss that sparked some heat, even though it couldn’t go anywhere. He was turning out to be a tease. “You’re only what, three years younger than me? I’m thirty.”
“I’m a mom,” Domi countered. “That means the last five years have operated more like dog years. Now, move it, old man.” She leapt into action rather than letting him kiss her again, sprinting across to the next barricade, shooting in the direction of the other team.
The birthday party of ten-year-olds were far more vicious opponents than any adults could be. They were smaller, faster, and didn’t have any hesitation in throwing themselves in any and all directions, whereas Domi kept worrying about throwing out her back. Yeah, yeah, she knew she wasn’t that old, but it was times like this when she felt like it. At least half of the birthday party was on her and Mitch’s team, even if that half didn’t seem super happy about it. Kind of demoralizing to realize they were the weakest link.