Page 38 of Whatever Lola Wants (Odyssey #2)

Simon frowned at his phone, annoyed. Lola was at a dress fitting with Anna , and apparently the rest of the night had been designated as ‘girl time, no dudes allowed’, which put his plans for a sparring match and scene on hold.

And with both the bachelor and bachelorette party planned for tomorrow night, he wouldn’t see her again until Saturday .

Dammit.

Last night had been the first time he’d felt as though he could really let loose since the accident, and judging by the way she’d come screaming—several times—she’d been just as ready as he for a return to their usual rough play.

He’d hoped to continue with more of the same tonight, but it looked like he’d have to wait.

He glanced up at the rap of knuckles on his office door. Grant stood there with a file in his hands. “ Got a minute?”

Simon grunted and gave a come ahead gesture with one hand while the other tapped out a text. Setting his phone aside, gestured Grant into a chair. “ What’s up?”

Grant tossed a thick file onto the desk. “ Everybody’s favorite client, and he’s all yours.”

“Fuck.” Simon scowled at the file. The minor—very minor—film director who had more money than brains was a perpetual pain in his ass. “ What’s wrong with Howard now?”

“He thinks he’s being stalked.”

“Again?”

Grant nodded grimly. “ He’s been getting emails.”

Simon frowned. “ Harassing ? Threatening ?”

Grant shrugged. “ Mostly annoying. It reads to me like typical fan mail. You know, ‘ I admire you so much, I just want to work with you, blah blah blah’. When the flattery didn’t get a response, it escalated a bit. I still wouldn’t characterize it as threatening, but you know Howard .”

He was very much afraid he did. “ I don’t suppose you could handle this?”

“I’m getting married next weekend. But even if I wasn’t, after the last time?” Grant shook his head. “ You could double my salary and I wouldn’t do it.”

“I’m tempted to test that, but fine. What are his upcoming public appearances?”

Grant didn’t even have to consult the file. “ A keynote address in L.A . tomorrow night. He’s on a plane to Dallas right after to judge a small film festival over the weekend, then location scouting for a new film. Here in Chicago .”

Simon paused in his note taking. “ When is he here in town?”

“All next week.”

“Okay. Let’s put Zachary on a plane to L.A . tonight, he can handle the keynote and the film festival. We’ll switch off when they come to Chicago , give Zachary a break.”

“He’s going to want combat pay,” Grant warned.

“He’ll have earned it,” Simon muttered and Grant laughed.

“Howard says he wants to meet with you when he hits town to talk about adjusting his personal security.”

Simon sighed. “ I hope to Christ he’s just blowing hot air again. If he’s actually being stalked this time, we’re never going to be able to get rid of him.”

Grant chuckled in agreement and rose to his feet. “ What’ve you got planned for tonight?”

Simon scowled. “ Nothing , now. My plans got derailed by ‘no dudes allowed’ night.”

“Mine, too. I was going to test drive a new e-stim unit. Now it’s going to have to wait for the honeymoon.”

“Unless you’re honeymooning on a deserted island, you better pack a gag along with it,” Simon warned him.

Grant laughed. “ I’m packing two just in case she chews through the first one.”

Simon chuckled. “ Since we’re both out of luck tonight, why don’t you grab a six-pack and come by for poker. We can get a head start on tomorrow night’s festivities. I’ll call Michael , see if he’s up for a game.”

“If I play poker without Anna , she’ll be pissed,” Grant said with an evil grin. “ Perfect .”

Simon laughed. Anna was a cardsharp, and had more than once fleeced all of them of everything but the lint in their pockets.

“Eight o’clock,” he told Grant , and picked up the phone.

* * *

A cigar clamped between his teeth, a glass of whiskey at his elbow, Simon studied his cards. Utter crap.

But maybe he’d get lucky with the draw.

“I’m in,” he said and tossed in his chips. The bet went to Michael and Grant , with both of them staying in.

Michael was doing double duty as the dealer. “ How many?” he asked Simon .

“Four.”

“Shit, son.” Michael shook his head and dealt four new cards. “ You sure you don’t want five?”

“Blow me,” Simon suggested and, tossing aside his discards, picked up his new hand.

Michael grinned around his cigar and dealt two cards to both himself and Grant . “ Hey , it’s fine by me. Without Anna around, I might actually have a chance at winning a hand or two.” He shot Grant a sorrowful look. “ Your woman is a mean little thing with cards.”

“I know,” Grant said smugly. “ She’s so fucking hot.”

Michael’s chuckle blended with Simon’s . “ That , too.”

Grant tossed in his chips. “ Fifty .”

Michael met the fifty. “ Seeing you so happy with your sub gives a man ideas.”

Grant raised an eyebrow. “ You thinking about settling down?”

Michael chuckled. “ Not me. I was talking about Simon .”

“What about Simon ?” Simon asked and, deciding to live dangerously, tossed in a handful of chips. “ See your fifty, raise you fifty.”

Michael lifted his glass and swirled the whiskey before taking a savoring sip. “ I was talking about your sub search.”

Simon frowned. “ What about it?”

“Still going strong?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Michael gave a negligent shrug. “ You and Lola have been together a while now. I thought it might be getting serious.”

Simon shook his head. “ It’s only been…”

“A month,” Michael supplied.

Had it really been a month? Simon shook his head. “ We’re not together, not like you mean. Just having fun.”

Grant’s eyebrows drew together in a frown. “ You’re not exclusive?”

Simon set his jaw. “ Not exclusive. Not together. She’s a switch.”

“So?”

“So, we’re not compatible long term,” Simon told him. “ I’m a Dom ; I need a submissive. And believe me, she isn’t.”

Grant’s expression turned thoughtful. “ No , I guess not.”

“Well, if you’re still looking,” Michael said, drawing Simon’s attention, “ I might have someone for you. A friend of mine from Boston called earlier today to tell me that a submissive he used to play with just moved here, and she’s looking for a Dom .

He asked me to watch out for her while she’s getting her feet wet in the local scene. ”

Simon saw Grant’s frown out of the corner of his eye and ignored it. “ Tell me about her.”

“Her name is Kayla . I spoke to her briefly, got a little of her play history, her D /s experience. She’s been in full time D /s relationships before, and that’s what she’s looking for.” Michael dug his phone out of his pocket and after tapping the screen a few times, passed it to Simon .

He studied the screen. A pretty little blonde with sparkling green eyes looked out at him, a shy smile on her lips.

“She said it was fine to give her number out to anyone I thought might be a good fit,” Michael continued. “ There are a couple of club members that are looking for new partners, so she shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone.”

Simon continued to study the picture. She was lovely, and he liked the shy look in her eyes. If she was interested in a D /s relationship, she could be perfect. So why wasn’t he excited?

He was just nervous, he told himself. He passed the phone back to Michael . “ Give me her number.”

Michael’s eyebrows shot up. “ Really ?”

“Yes.” Simon realized both Michael and Grant were staring at him. “ What ?”

“Nothing.” Michael tapped his phone screen. “ Sending you her contact info now.”

“Great.” Simon felt the phone in his pocket vibrate as the text came through. He looked at Grant . “ Bet’s to you, pal.”

Grant sent him an odd look before he reached for his chips. “ See your hundred and raise it.”

Simon settled into the rhythm of the game and tried not to dwell on why his stomach felt as though he’d eaten something sour.

* * *

At ten o’clock the next morning, Simon picked up his office phone and dialed.

He hadn’t called last night because the poker game hadn’t broken up until well after eleven, and Simon had wanted to wait until Michael had a chance to let her know he’d be calling, tell her a bit about him.

A single woman couldn’t be too careful, and he thought she was going about finding a new Dom the right way. He just hoped they hit it off.

“Hello?”

Her voice was soft, quiet. Sweet .

“Kayla.” He resisted the urge to clear his throat. “ My name is Simon Hastings . I got your number from Michael O’Riley .”

“Yes, Simon .” Her voice warmed. “ Michael told me you might be calling. How are you today?”

“I’m well, thank you. And you?”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“Good. Settling in to Chicago all right?”

“So far,” she said with a musical laugh. “ It’s very different from Boston .”

“I’m sure,” he replied, then found himself at a loss for words. Get to the point, Hastings . “ Listen , Michael thought we might hit it off, so I wanted to see if you’d like to meet.”

“I’d love to,” she said in her soft voice. “ I’m available for lunch today, or dinner, if that works better for you.”

“I already have plans for dinner, but lunch sounds good. What part of town are you in?”

She told him, and he frowned in thought. Not very convenient to the office, but doable. And there was a restaurant in that neighborhood that struck just the right balance of casual and intimate. “ How does Italian food sound to you?”

“Oh, fine,” she said. “ Really , I’ll eat anything.”

“Okay, then. How about twelve-thirty, at Mama Lucia’s ? I can send you the address.”

“Oh.” She paused. “ You’re not going to pick me up?”

He blinked, surprised. “ I assumed you’d feel safer meeting me at the restaurant.”

“Yes, of course. That would be better.”

“Will twelve-thirty work?”

“Perfectly. How will I know you, Simon ?”

I’m wearing a grey suit, white shirt, no tie. I’ll uh, have a rose in my lapel,” he said, remembering the roses on his receptionist’s desk this morning. He could convince Glynis to spare him one. “ A yellow one.”

“All right. I’ll see you at twelve-thirty.”