I hope you’re enjoying the Blossom Ridge series. Are you ready for Stella and Walker’s story? Stay tuned for Building Trust!
Please enjoy the following excerpt from Building Trust.
Stella
“You’ve been awfully mysterious lately.” Amy giggles. “And oddly busy. Methinks there’s a man behind the silence.”
Holding my cell phone to my ear, I flop onto my bed and stare up at the ceiling. Grinning. My best friend is right, but I’m not willing to talk about it yet.
“Stella… Spill.”
“I’m only going to say that you’re right. Don’t ask me for more. I don’t want to jinx it.” That’s kind of true. There are a lot of reasons why I haven’t told Amy or anyone else who I’m dating.
“I knew it.” Amy’s voice elevates. “And I’m offended. Why the secrecy?”
I roll my eyes, still grinning. Amy isn’t offended. Her voice gives her away. She’s using her pouty voice. “I bet you don’t talk to Foster in that tone.”
“Not unless I want my butt spanked, no. But you’re avoiding the subject.”
I roll onto my side and set my cell phone on the mattress next to me. It’s ten in the morning on a Monday. My café isn’t open on Mondays. “What are you doing calling me at this hour anyway?” I ask. “Aren’t you working?”
Amy is the chef at Blossom Ridge, the resort that stole my best baker. Not that I can blame her. Amy’s an amazing chef. One of the best, and it was time for her to take a bigger job than what I can offer at the café.
“Yep. I just finished cleaning up from the breakfast rush. I’m prepping for lunch. Figured now was a good time to call since you’re off on Mondays. But you’re still avoiding my question.”
“Does Foster know you’re calling me?” I tease, deflecting. Foster is Amy’s Daddy Dom. Amy doesn’t do much of anything without his permission, including making phone calls.
“Stella,” Amy shouts. “Stop changing the subject.”
I chuckle. “I’m just sayin’… What if you get caught? I bet he doesn’t let you make phone calls while you’re using a knife. It wouldn’t be safe.” Even though I’ve never met him, I can picture Foster’s stern expression if he finds Amy—though he calls her by her full name, Amelia—swinging a knife around while talking on the phone.
Amy sighs. “Yes, Daddy knows I’m talking to you. And, no, I’m not using a knife. He made me promise if I was going to multitask that I not touch anything dangerous.”
I laugh. “Knew it.” If I’m perfectly honest—which I have no intention of being—I’m probably jealous of the relationship Amy has with Foster. They’re an amazing couple. Perfect for each other. He makes her so happy. Every time I see her, she’s smiling. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.
Amy had known Blossom Ridge was a resort for age play guests when she took the job, but she hadn’t considered herself Little. It had taken her about ten minutes to get snatched up by the firm Daddy Dom, and now she’s living her best life.
It’s not the age play I’m jealous of. It’s the fact that Amy has found her perfect someone, and I’m… What am I doing? Grinning incessantly over a man I’m probably not suited for in the long run.
Walker Kline. I don’t want to tell Amy about him because she knows him from the club we both belong to—Surrender. Although Amy doesn’t go there anymore. She’s moved an hour out of Seattle to work at Blossom Ridge, and she’s in a committed relationship. She and Foster don’t venture into the city to visit a fetish club. They don’t need to. They live in a full-time age play relationship at the resort.
“Seriously, Stella. Why won’t you tell me about your mystery man?” Her voice sounds a bit more hurt this time.
Maybe it’s wrong to keep this from her. I chew on my thumbnail as I debate my options. Finally, I decide to continue deflecting. “Because it’s no big deal. I’m just having fun. We enjoy each other’s company is all. It’s not something sustainable.”
“Why not? You sound giddy. If you like him so much that you’re spending a lot of time with him, why can’t it become something more permanent?”
Because he’s a Daddy and I’m not a Little. Because he scrambles my head every time I’m with him and it scares me.
“Please tell me he’s not married.”
“He’s not married. Promise.”
“Then…I have to assume he’s vanilla and you haven’t told him how kinky you are. How long have you been dating this guy?”
I draw in a deep breath. “A few months. And, yes, he’s kinky.”
“Months? And you’re still keeping him a secret?” Amy’s voice switches to full-on offended.
I cringe. “Look, it’s not like I’ve told ten other people and not you. I haven’t told anyone. I don’t even see him every night. Once or twice a week usually. We don’t…” I hate sharing this with her. I don’t want her to lecture me.
“You don’t what, Stella?” No noises are coming from Amy’s end of the line anymore. I figure she’s stopped working and is focused solely on me. Her horrible best friend who is keeping secrets from her. If I were in her shoes, I’d be pissed.
“We don’t share the same kink,” I admit. If I don’t get off the phone soon, she’s going to guess everything.