The Bottom Line (25 page)

“I needed the money.” Wasn’t that obvious? Why else would she work every possible hour management offered her?

Christina offered a quiet smile. “I was sorry about you losing your job.”

“Ancient history,” Maggie said. “If you haven’t decided on what to drink do you mind if I serve those guys?” She turned away without waiting for their reply. Why did they have to pick this bar?

When she turned back, the three women lined up at the bar like birds sitting on power lines and looked as if they’d roosted for the night.

“We’ll take a bottle of the house Sauvignon Blanc,” Susan said.

“And some peanuts,” Julia added. “I missed lunch.”

Maggie nodded. “We have a bar menu. The snacks are pretty good if you’d like something more substantial.” Her voice emerged stiff and robot-like. She paused to draw a sharp breath and told herself to calm down. This job was important. Her new boss had emphasized customer service. She couldn’t afford to lose the job for scaring off customers.

“How long have you been working here?” Christina asked.

“I started yesterday. I have another job at a theme restaurant. You know the medieval one?”

Julia chuckled, although it wasn’t with her normal gusto. Maggie thought she looked sad. “That’s the one with the wenches with big boobs.”

“Yep,” Maggie said, handing over the opened bottle of wine. “Case in point,” she added, gesturing at her breasts. “I was perfectly qualified.”

“Oh,” Susan said, wrinkling her nose. “Isn’t that a bit degrading?”

“I needed a job.” Nothing less than the truth. Jobs were in short supply if a person lacked references. “It’s not so bad if you keep your wits about you. I have a good reason to keep going to the gym.”

Christina nodded, her eyes holding sympathy. “You look great. Have you lost weight?”

“A bit.” Money shortages had a way of making a person focus on the important things in life. She realized she’d let go of her anger toward the three women. Secrets. They weren’t necessarily a good thing between friends. And lying. That was where she’d gone wrong. “I’m really sorry I lied to you about Connor. It was wrong of me to break my promise.”

Maggie walked away to serve more customers.

The head barman returned from his break. “I want you to stay working this bar tonight,” he said. “You’re efficient and doing a great job.”

“Thanks,” Maggie said, appreciating the kind words. It would keep her busy so she had an excuse to steer clear of the women. She’d missed them so much. Heck, she missed Connor. But things were different now. She couldn’t go back to the way it was before. All she could do was go forward. She’d apologized and meant it. She was sorry for lying to her friends, but it didn’t make things right.

Susan waved her over. “We’ll take an order of fries, some spring rolls and—”

“We need something healthy,” Christina interrupted.

“And the vegetable crudités and hot spinach dip,” Susan finished. “Is that healthy enough for you?”

“Gotta have the five plus vegetables a day,” Julia quipped. “They tell us all the time on television.”

“Since when did you follow the rules?” Susan asked.

Julia’s smile faded. “People change. Things don’t stay the same.”

Maggie felt her pain and wondered at the secrets emblazoned across Julia’s face. Losing the baby had hurt her. It was funny because Julia was the last one out of all of them she’d expect to get pregnant or embrace motherhood. “I’ll take the order through to the kitchen. It won’t take long.”

When she returned a group of young guys had joined them. Rugby players she discovered when she overheard them talking.

Julia gestured for another bottle of wine, and Maggie hustled to serve both her and the new arrivals.

“How are you doing, Julia?” she asked in an undertone.

Julia shrugged. “Good days. Bad days. How about you?”

Obviously Julia wasn’t willing to talk specifics yet. “About the same as you. I don’t think I’m relationship material. Every one of them ends the same way, with me ending up alone. I think I’m doing okay, then things get mucked up and everything ends badly.” The words burst from Maggie, making her realize how badly she’d needed to talk.

Julia gave a sharp bark of laughter, one that held little humor. “You and me both. What say we give up on men and have a raging affair with each other?”

“Julia!” Christina said in clear shock. “Did you just proposition Maggie?”

“Why not?” Julia winked at her, but made sure Christina didn’t see. “We’re both off men, but like sex. I’m sure I could spank you, Maggie. Let’s talk.”

Susan started to splutter, while one of the young rugby players picked up on a pertinent word.

“Spanking?” he asked. “Which one of you is into spanking? There’s a great spanking blog that one of the other guys in my team put me on to. I thought it would be strange and kinky, but it’s really interesting.”

Susan blurted, “That’s Mag—”

“That’s great,” Maggie cut through Susan’s words, shouting loudly, and her friend clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes full of apology. “You sound very open-minded.” A pity he was too young for her.

In that moment, she knew she was going to meet up with her cyber lover. He pushed every one of her buttons and already knew she liked spanking.

“Where do you play rugby?” Christina asked, diverting the conversation.

Susan wasn’t so easily diverted, her speculative gaze going from Maggie to Julia and back. Maggie felt Susan’s gaze follow her down the bar while she served several beers and mixed drinks. It was another hour before things calmed down enough for her to check on her friends.

At least the initial stiffness had faded, although Maggie wasn’t fool enough to think their friendship would continue as if nothing had happened.

“Susan thinks we’re interested in each other. Connor would have a good laugh about that. He’s always said two chicks together are hot,” Julia said.

“Susan is gullible.” Maggie didn’t want to talk about Connor. She hadn’t seen him, not even at the gym. She hoped they didn’t mention she was working here. The last thing she wanted was to see him with his new blonde. She didn’t think she could cope with that. A sudden tight sensation behind her eyes told her she was far from over him.

Betrayal hurt—from both sides, which made her want to work to repair the rift with her friends.

“I’ve really missed you. I haven’t been going out much. Just work and Susan and Christina dragged me out tonight. I’m sorry I didn’t make more of an effort to see you,” Julia said in a low voice. “I really am sorry. You’re a good friend and you deserve better.”

“It’s okay,” Maggie murmured.

“It’s not, but thank you. Are you seeing anyone else?” Julia asked.

“Not really. Sort of,” she amended. Cripes, she was having regular cybersex.

“So, which is it?”

“I’ve been having some pretty torrid cybersex with someone I met through my blog.”

Julia’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Maggie moved away to serve some more customers, noting the crowd had thinned out. Some had left for home while others had moved to the adjoining restaurant.

When she returned to her friends, the rugby players had left. She gathered up the glasses, stacked them into the glass machine and switched it on.

“You can’t leave me hanging like that,” Julia said. “Spill.” She turned to the others and whispered, “Maggie’s having cybersex with some guy.”

“Maggie!” Susan said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so critical. What I meant is that cybersex could be dangerous.”

“I intend to be careful,” Maggie said.

“For goodness sake, tell Maggie cybersex is dangerous,” Susan said.

“Susan, you sound like my mother when she discovered I knew about the birds and the bees,” Julia said. “Maggie’s having safe sex. What’s wrong with that?”

“There are all sorts of weird people online,” Susan said. “You’re having sex with one? I don’t believe it. You don’t know anything about him. How do you even know it’s a him? It could be a woman.”

“Or a horny underage teenager,” Christina added.

Maggie thought about Kinky Lover’s posts. “No,” she said slowly. “I don’t think it’s an underage male. This man knows his way around a woman’s body. He knows what makes us tick.”

“He could be married,” Julia said.

“See,” Susan said with concern. “Even Julia agrees. There has to be something wrong with him if he has to have cybersex. What’s wrong with the real thing? Why can’t he go out and find a date like most men do? Aw, hell, I don’t mean to sound critical. It’s a safety issue.”

“It’s not always so easy to meet people,” Maggie retorted. “I know. Heck, Susan. You know too. That’s why you’ve applied to a reality show.”

Susan nodded with a wry smile. “Touché.”

“We got in,” Christina said, bouncing up and down on her barstool.

Maggie noticed a new arrival. “Hold that thought,” she ordered, moving down the bar to serve the elderly couple.

When she returned, the three were in deep conversation. Maggie used the time to remove some empty glasses and wipe down the bar. She chopped up a lemon and restocked the beer fridge.

“You can take a break now,” the head barman said.

“Is it okay if I sit with my friends while I’m on my break?”

“Sure. Don’t be late back.”

With a nod, she walked around the bar.

“Are you on a break?” Christina asked. “Or are you finished for the night?”

“I wish. My feet are sore from standing. No, it’s a break. I have another two hours for this shift.”

“Let’s sit over there at the table,” Susan said.

They moved over to the table, Maggie clearing it off and taking the glasses to the bar before she rejoined her friends.

Susan stood and hugged her. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch about Connor. I have no excuses, but I’ll try not to repeat it ever again,” she whispered fiercely.

Christina embraced her, too, a tight squeeze that said more than words. Maggie blinked rapidly to control the surge of emotion gripping her chest.

“Don’t look at me,” Julia said with a wink. “I don’t want to hug you and start spreading rumors about our hot lesbian affair.”

Maggie laughed and pulled out a chair. “So tell me about the reality show,” she said. “What happens next? Do you get filmed the entire time?”

“Christina and I have to go to another elimination round next weekend. We get to meet the farmers. From what they said, they allocate each farmer with a group of women. We get to talk to him together as a group and alone. At the end of the day, the farmer whittles us down to his chosen eight.”

“Sounds scary,” Maggie said. “What are you wearing?”

“We can talk about that later,” Julia said. “I want to hear about the cybersex. Where does this guy live? How do you even know this guy is from New Zealand?”

“That’s true,” Susan said. “You don’t know anything about this guy.”

Christina smirked. “Apart from the fact he’s good at sex.”

“Yeah, well,” Julia said. “You don’t even know that. He might talk the walk, but can he walk the talk?”

“Huh?” Susan said. “What does that mean?”

Maggie laughed. “It might mean he’s all mouth and no trousers.”

Julia groaned.

Susan’s confusion cleared. “Oh, you mean he might not be able to get it up. They have pills for that these days.”

“Gullible,” Julia mouthed in Maggie’s direction and they both started laughing. “Seriously, though,” Julia said when the laughter stopped. “Has he said where he lives or where he wants to meet? If you decide to follow through and actually meet him, you need to be careful. Take safety precautions.”

“I suppose it would work if you met him for coffee somewhere or maybe a meal in a public place,” Christina said. “One thing you shouldn’t do is meet in a hotel room. Even though you know him online, you need to get to know him on a personal level.”

Julia wrinkled her nose, the wine she’d drunk during the evening putting a flush in her cheeks. “Yeah, if he’s short with bad teeth and no hair, you need an escape route.”

“So you think I should meet with him?” Maggie asked.

Susan ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass. “I’m not convinced it’s a great idea, but you’re the best one to judge from the emails. I take it you don’t want to share?”

“No,” Maggie said quickly, unable to halt the race of color across her face.

“Just out of interest, have you been emailing him back with suggestive replies?” Christina asked.

“No,” Maggie said, but she couldn’t look at any of them. “Oh, okay,” she muttered. “I can’t lie to you guys. I have, and no, you’re not looking at my replies either.”

“Why don’t you arrange to meet at a restaurant?” Julia asked. “Tell us the time and place and we’ll book a table there too. That way, we can check him out and give you our opinions. And if there’s any trouble, we’ll be right there with you. Your mystery man won’t even need to know we’re your friends. As far as he’s concerned, we’d be diners.”

Susan nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“I’ll think about it and let you know,” Maggie said, after studying each of their faces. “I need to get back to work.”

Julia grabbed her arm. “Don’t you dare meet this guy without telling us, Maggie. We care about you and don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

With a knot of emotion blocking her throat, she nodded before hurrying off to the bar, feeling better than she had in days. While the old easy camaraderie wasn’t present again, she hoped they would actually talk soon and drag out the monsters hiding in the closets. Like all people, they each had their hot buttons from the past. Maggie poured a beer and admitted to herself if she had her time over, she’d make most of the same decisions. Sometimes a person just had to follow their gut instincts and hope for the best.

Chapter Twenty-one

“What if she doesn’t come?” Connor asked.

“Stop being such a wimp,” Julia said. “She’ll be here. You didn’t see her face when she was talking about her cyber lover.”

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he entered the restaurant. “She didn’t tell you about the emails, what was in them?”

“Relax,” Julia said. “She refused to tell us a thing.”

“Other than very general things,” Susan said. “I want to know why you didn’t just pick up a phone and call her.”

“I did call her. Constantly. I tried to see her in person, but she refused to answer her door.” Connor glanced at the door, struggling to hide his nerves. “She needed time. If I’d pushed her any harder, she would have run or at least reported me to the cops as a stalker. She doesn’t believe I want her.”

“And maybe the blonde parade had something to do with that,” Julia said in a tart voice.

“I haven’t dated a single blonde since I started seeing Maggie. I’m not interested in anyone other than her.”

“That’s not what I heard,” Christina said. “Besides, I saw you with a blonde the other day. She was draped all over you.”

Connor frowned. “Oh, you mean Sylvie. Believe it or not, Sylvie
is
my cousin, and she’s now dating one of my flatmates. She’s putting on a surprise birthday party for him. We were talking about the arrangements.”

“Are you sure?” Christina asked. “Because from where I stood, it looked as if she was interested in you and would give your flatmate the flick without a second thought.”

“When did you see me with her?”

“A couple of weeks ago,” Christina said.

“Did Maggie see you with her?” Julia asked. “Do you think that’s why she pushed you away?”

“Yes, she saw us. That’s why we broke up.” Connor shrugged. “She didn’t believe me, and refused to discuss it. I never go out with two women at a time,” he said. “Never. It’s a rule. I never look at another woman while I’m dating someone else.”

“Does Maggie know that?” Julia asked. “Because I didn’t know that.”

“Hell.” Connor dragged his hand through his hair and glared at the women. “I can’t believe you’d think so little of me. Yes, I told Maggie our
friends with benefits
deal was open and we could see other people, but I never did. I didn’t look at another woman after Maggie and I hooked up. And I haven’t since,” he added. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I’m not interested in any woman apart from Maggie.”

Susan sighed. “That’s so romantic.”

“You didn’t tell us it started out as a
friends with benefits
thing,” Julia said.

“I couldn’t think of any other way to get together with Maggie. She took a bit of persuading. And yeah, it might be romantic, but if I can’t convince Maggie to change her mind about me, it doesn’t mean a thing.”

“You’d better take your seat before Maggie catches us together,” Julia said. She grasped his hand and drew him into a tight hug. “Good luck. You and Maggie are my favorite people. You deserve a little happiness.” She kissed him lightly on the lips and drew back. “Oops, you definitely don’t need to wear my badge.”

Connor wiped his mouth and the women announced him lipstick-free. He crossed the restaurant and took a seat at his allocated table, more nervous than he could ever remember.

Nerves skittered through her belly as she walked down the street toward the bustling seafood restaurant. Although she wasn’t worried about safety because the restaurant was a busy one, she figured she wouldn’t be human if she wasn’t nervous. Kinky Lover made her feel good. She felt as if she could tell him anything and would receive a thoughtful and insightful reply. Plus the sex was hot. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like in person.

What did he look like?

That worried her. As the girls said, he could be any age. Photos. Why hadn’t she asked him to send her a photo? Damn, her inexperience showed. Sex and men, she decided, were like a many-headed monster. Lop off one head and another appeared in its place.

The Friday night traffic seemed heavier than normal. Maggie waited at the crossing for the lights to change and the green man to appear. She inhaled. In. Out. Probably not the best idea while standing in the middle of all that traffic.

An old Holden carrying several young teens passed. The driver tooted the horn. “Show us your tits!” one hollered.

Maggie glared after them. They’d die of shock if she actually lifted her top and flashed them.

At long last, the lights turned and she crossed the street. A thin film of perspiration coated her skin, and her bottom lip ached. Too much nibbling. She’d been doing it all day, letting nerves get the better of her. Her clothes clung to her body, and her panties felt embarrassingly damp.

A couple exited the restaurant, the man holding the door for her. She couldn’t prevaricate a moment more.

“Thanks,” she murmured, walking inside.

A wave of chatter and the clink of cutlery hit her along with the aroma of food and spices. Her stomach let out a rumble of protest. Maggie slammed the flat of her hand against her belly, heat rising in her cheeks. The last thing she needed was a rumbling stomach. That would create a great impression.

She stopped at the hostess desk, stated her name and said she was here to meet David.

Her stomach roiled when the hostess smiled and told her to follow. He was here.

Maggie spotted the girls sitting at a table toward the back of the restaurant, in the direction the hostess was leading her.

“Good luck, Maggie,” Julia whispered when she passed. “We’ll be here if you need us.”

Maggie nodded, unable to muster a smile this time.

The hammer of her heart echoed in her ears. Her fists clenched and unclenched.

“Here you go,” the hostess said, indicating a fairly private booth. She could see the back of a man’s head. He had short, dark hair and broad shoulders.
Turn around
, she thought.
Turn around so I can see you
.

The man noticed the hostess and stood. Maggie held her breath, nibbled her bottom lip.

“Connor?” she squeaked. Her legs trembled violently, and she grabbed the top of the table to stabilize her balance.

They’d tricked her. Tears filled her eyes as she blindly turned away. God, she just didn’t learn.

“No, wait.” Connor caught her shoulder and pulled her to a stop.

“Is everything all right?” the hostess asked.

“It’s fine,” Connor said. “Please, Maggie. I want to talk to you. If you want to go after I’ve talked, that’s fine. I’ll let you go.”

Maggie shook her head and swiped a tear from her eyes with the back of her hand. She saw Julia stand, blinked as her traitorous friend walked over to her.

“Please, stay and talk to Connor. He really cares about you. It’s not easy to find love.” Her face clouded and she swallowed. “When you find it you should fight for it, not walk away without a second thought. Just give Connor a chance to try to explain. Please.”

“Please,” Connor added his plea.

Finally, aware they were the center of attention, Maggie allowed Connor to lead her back to the table. She sat, glad to take the weight off her unsteady limbs.

“I’m meeting someone,” Maggie said.

“I’m Kinky Lover,” Connor said, watching her closely.

“You?”

“Yeah.” He stopped and dragged a hand through his hair, making her realize he wasn’t as confident as he appeared. “I’ve gone about this the wrong way. I should have been honest from the start.”

“About the blonde. Yeah, you should have,” Maggie spat.

Connor frowned. “You mean Sylvie.”

“I saw you with the blonde. She had her hands all over you. You kissed her. And there was the one in the pub too.”

“Sylvie is my cousin. You know Frank is my stepfather. Sylvie is my cousin via his side of the family. She thought we’d be good together and took some persuading otherwise. Jenny was the woman in the pub. It’s true I used to date her, but she was there celebrating her engagement. Jenny and her friends suggested I do something special for you, something memorable, and that’s when I came up with the idea for the corset. Our meeting was totally innocent.”

“I rang your flat to talk to you, and this Sylvie answered. She said she wasn’t your cousin,” Maggie accused.

“You rang me?” The realization brought both relief, and anger at Sylvie. “She misled you on purpose. I’d be happy to give you my mother’s phone number right now. You can ring and ask both my mother and Frank about Sylvie. Do you want me to ring them? Sylvie is dating one of my flatmates now. I could ring her so she can apologize to you. If I have my way she’s going to say sorry whether she likes it or not.” Connor grimaced. “Part of this is my fault. I should have told you straight off that I was interested in you and no one else. I love you. I’ve thought about you as more than a friend for ages. You seemed so cautious and wary I decided to do the
friends with benefits
thing. I couldn’t think of any other way to romance you.”

“But the blog. I remember getting an email from you almost straight away. You mean you knew all along?”

“Julia told me,” he said. “She told me I couldn’t say anything so I emailed you under a false name.”

The waiter approached. “Can I get you a drink? Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll have a Steinlager beer and the lady will have a glass of Shingle Peak Sauvignon Blanc,” Connor said without consulting her. “We’re not ready to order yet.”

“Very good, sir.” The waiter bustled off.

“But I don’t understand,” Maggie said. “Why did you take so long to spank me?”

“I was frightened I’d muck everything up between us. You know about my father. Hell, your own background isn’t dissimilar. Surely you understand?”

Maggie glanced at him and blushed. “You’ve never hurt me.”

“I know I’ve told you before, but the intensity of the spanking is incredible. I feel really close to you.” Connor reached across the table to grasp her hand. “I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

“But you always go out with blondes,” Maggie said.

“That was until a particular brunette seized my heart. Maggie, there’s no one but you. I haven’t looked at another woman, let alone had sex with one, since our first time together at the beach. You’re the color in my life, babe. Everyone else is black and white.”

“Really?”

“Really. I want to marry you. Will you marry me?”

She closed her eyes briefly before opening them to stare at him. “Yes,” she blurted.

He laughed and leaned over the table to cup her face with her hands. Maggie leaned even closer and kissed him, trying to put everything she felt into that one kiss. It went on and on because she had a lot to say.

She was vaguely aware of applause, and when she and Connor pulled apart, she found everyone staring at them. Most were grinning.

“Way to go, Maggie,” Julia shouted.

“Oh, heck,” Maggie muttered. “I can’t believe I did that in front of everyone.”

“Yeah, you’ve been a naughty girl. You know what happens to naughty girls, don’t you?”

Maggie’s throat went dry. She opened and closed her mouth, licked her lips.

“Maggie?”

“They get spanked?”

“That’s right,” Connor said. “It will be a long spanking, because I have a lot of time to make up.”

“I don’t know. You’re pretty good at cybersex.”

“But it’s not the same, babe. I couldn’t touch you. I couldn’t kiss your beautiful breasts or spank your bottom.” Under the table, she felt the glide of his hands over her knees and up her thigh.

“Here in the restaurant?” she asked with a cheeky grin. “Haven’t we given them enough of a show already?”

Connor opened his wallet and tossed some money on the table. He stood and walked around to her side of the table, stretching out a hand. When Maggie took his hand, he tugged her to her feet.

“No, not here, Maggie. I have a room in the hotel next door.”

“Oh,” she said.

He grinned, his beautiful eyes glowing with love. “Yeah, oh,” he said, and without another word he swept her up into his arms and carried her through the crowded room to the exit.

The chatter in the room ceased as everyone turned to stare.

“Is she going to marry you?” Susan called out.

Connor grinned down at her but kept walking. “What do you think?” he asked in a loud voice.

The applause started.

“Way to go, Connor!” Christina shouted and stood, clapping.

Maggie hid her face when the rest of the restaurant patrons and her friends followed suit.

They exited the restaurant with the ovation thundering in their ears. Maggie couldn’t believe it.

Connor loved her.

In the quiet of the hotel room, they faced each other with honesty and love. The gorgeous view of the distant harbor and Rangitoto Island went ignored as they disrobed. Connor wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips firmly. Seconds later, she let out a shriek of surprise when she found herself draped face down over his lap.

“You will never leave me like that again,” Connor ordered, paddling her backside with something she thought might be a special spanking paddle. “You will always give me an opportunity to explain if we have a disagreement.”

“Yes! I promise.” The sting made her cry out, dancing across her butt cheek and rushing to her clit. Her heart warmed in the knowledge of the care and preparation he’d gone through to declare his love and ask for a second chance. Each successive spank pushed her harder until her bottom stung and she felt a distinct bloom of juices surging between her legs.

“You like that, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re going to marry me very soon? This month?”

Maggie didn’t have to think about it. “I’d like that.”

“Good,” he said, swatting her for a final time.

He rolled her off his knees and kissed her hard. Her bottom felt as if it were on fire, but she’d never felt so loved before.

“I love you.” Connor placed her gently in the middle of the bed. Without taking his gaze off her, he removed his clothes, tossing them to the floor. He came down on the bed and kissed her again, this time tender. Slow. The brush of his lips brought tears to her eyes, the emotion pressing against her chest and threatening to make her explode.