Read Online Slapping Leather by Desiree Holt - Free Book Online

herself. “About what?”
    “Alex asked Reece to ask me to call you and plead
his case.” She laughed. “God, are we in high school here? So anyway, here I am.”
    “About what?” she asked again.
    “First of all, let me assure you this has nothing
to do with whatever does or does not go on between you and Alex at Rawhide. So
let’s get that out of the way.”
    “Katie, wait-”
    But Katie rolled along as if Liz hadn’t said a
word. “He has not discussed any details of whatever’s going on between the two
of you, nor would he. If Reece didn’t check the sign-in sheets once a week, he’d
never even have known you went back to the club.”
    Liz felt the knot in her stomach unclench. She’d
been worried about how to handle this part of her life when the place she went
to conduct it was owned by friends. So far no problems, and she and Alex had
been meeting three times a week for almost a month. She’d gotten to where she
anticipated these meetings more than she’d expected and was having to work very
hard to compartmentalize. Alex Wright was like a drug working its way through
her system, and she’d already been in that rehab once, thank you very much.
    She caught some of her employees looking at her
with mild curiosity. After all, this was the first time she’d gone out in the
evenings since John died and she became the owner of the Lucky L, but she
pointedly ignored their silent speculation.
    So what was the deal with Alex? She’d only been
looking for a partner, someone to play with after all this time. For the sexual
pleasure she’d been denying herself. Why was he making this so complicated?
Surely there were plenty of other women for him to see socially.
    “What does he want?” As if she didn’t know.
    “Liz, he really, really would love to see you
outside the club and he says you just shut him down.”
    “And he talked to Reece about it?” Liz was
stunned.
    “He just brought it up in conversation. Said he
wondered if you were involved with someone in a vanilla relationship.”
    Liz gripped the phone, irritation washing over
her. “He should have talked to me about it.”
    “Honey, he says he has, and you just ignore him.
So what’s the deal? Did he do something wrong? Because if there’s a problem-”
    “Katie, no.” She sighed. Shit, shit, shit. “I
just…have my reasons.”
    There was a second or two of silence. “There is
something wrong. I can tell by your voice. And it has nothing to do with Alex.”
    “Just leave it, okay?” Every unpleasant memory
she’d shoved in her mental attic was banging on the door to be let out.
    Another pause. “I’m coming over. And don’t say
no, or I’ll make a scene in your front yard and every hand there will come out
to see the show.”
    “Katie-”
    “Uh uh. I’m on my way, so get out the wine.”
    And Liz was left holding a dead phone. Oh, hell.
    She really didn’t feel like spilling her guts to
Katie, exposing a time in her life she did her best to keep buried. But she was
aware how relentless her friend could be, how unstoppable when she set her mind
to something. She had also learned that Katie was the least judgmental person
she knew. Still, dredging up that pain after all this time…
    If she hadn’t confided her sexual preferences to
Katie…
    If she hadn’t allowed herself to be talked into
going to Rawhide in the first place…
    If she just hadn’t fallen so hard for Alex…
    Sighing again, she pulled a nearly full bottle of
chardonnay from the fridge and got down two glasses. She’d hidden from the hurt
and betrayal for so long. Maybe it was time to unload on someone. And Katie had
become a very good friend.
    By the time Katie rang the doorbell, Liz was
already on her second glass of wine. No way could she do this cold sober.
    Katie looked at the glass. “Liquid courage?”
    Liz shrugged. “Maybe.”
    “Honey, I didn’t come here to make your
miserable. I hope you know that. I just knew from your tone of voice you had