The Dom on the Naughty List (8 page)

She raised her head and looked at all the familiar faces at the table. Cousins she’d grown up playing with. Her grandmother who’d spoiled her rotten as a child. Aunts, uncles, her
father… God she hoped she didn’t disappoint him. He was her rock, her anchor. It was his displeasure that had made her feel the guiltiest during her rebellious teenage years.

Jude and Q chatted politely while they ate. Sabrina barely touched her food. It was hard to pay attention to anything past the thundering beat of her heart. She felt nause
ous. Jude kept rubbing her thigh under the table. That they supported her made a lump lodge in her throat.

Finally, dinner ended. Coffee was served. Q made her a cup the way she liked it and put it in front of her. Sabrina eyed it.

“What I need is alcohol,” she whispered, but took a sip anyway.

Q smiled.

“Sabrina, what’s wrong with you today?” her mother asked from across the table. “You’ve barely eaten or said a word. Are you feeling sick?”

Jude squeezed her thigh. Q inhaled a deep breath. It was now or never.

She closed her eyes.
Jude and Q love me and I’m a good person.

“Actually,” she said, looking at her mom. “I’m a little nervous because I have an announcement to make.”

She scanned the curious faces, pausing at her aunts’ glittering eyes and grins. Oh god! They thought she was about to announce she was getting married...or was pregnant.

“Um,” she started again. “Well, you may have noticed that I’ve been bringing my friend Q with me to all the family events.” Her chest tightened so much it was hard to breathe. “That’s because she’s more than just my friend. She’s my girlfriend and I love her.”

Though she stared down at the dark red tablecloth, she didn’t miss the gasps around the room. Silence stretched on for an awkward moment as she frantically puzzled over what more to say.

Jude jumped in. “Sabrina and I are still together. She has plenty of room in her heart for two people. The three
of us have been living in my house – er,
our
house – the past year and are the happiest we’ve ever been. You should be very proud of having raised such a loving daughter.”

“Proud!” her mother yelled, making Sabrina flinch. “
Proud my daughter is living like some…hippy?”

She rolled her eyes. Leave it to her to be dramatic.

“It’s not like that –”

“My god,” she went on. “I can’t believe you’re a lesbian. I mean, I looked for all the signs when you were younger, especially after finding out about your great-uncle Marcelo…”

“Who?”

“But I never guessed. How could you do this to me? And so close to the holidays!” Her aunts nodded in agreement. “Are you purposefully trying to embarrass me
? Living with a man and a woman – whoever heard of such a thing?”

Sabrina’s throat closed up. Hot tears welled in her eyes. Her gaze dropped to her hands trembling in her lap. She’d been
prepared for this but it still hurt.

Her mother rambled on, outraged and mortified. Sabrina couldn’t get a word in even if she knew what to say. Jude sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Q
had her head down too. God, Q must’ve felt so awful! So much for her mother not making a scene in public.

“I’m…sorry,” she tried to tell Q, but her voice was so raspy she wasn’t sure if she
’d been heard.

“Enough!”
Her father’s clipped voice cut off the rant. “That is enough, Leonora!”

Silence enveloped
the entire restaurant. It felt like all eyes were on her. The tears would spill over any moment.

She pushed her chair back. “Excuse me,” she muttered
and stood then fled the restaurant just in time.

She felt someone at her
heels. Soft footsteps. It was Q. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she speed-walked straight to the car.

Once in the privacy of the back seat, she let loose. Q wrapped her arms around her and f
orced her head onto her lap. Deep sobs wracked her body as she soaked through Q’s jeans. What had she been thinking? That Q would be welcomed with open arms? She was so stupid. She’d put Jude and Q through this nightmare, trying to do what she thought was right. Who knew what was right or wrong anyway? The world was a mix of grays – even when it came to religion. God still loved her. She knew it, felt it every day. Why couldn’t everyone see it? Why couldn’t they see God in love? In Q? In Jude?

“I’
m blubbering all over your pants,” she said between hiccups.

“
Shh,” Q soothed. “It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry.
” She looked up through watery eyes. “I’m so sorry about what they said.”

Q chuckled. “I’ve been bi a long time, beautiful. I’ve heard it all.”

The car door opened and Jude shoved in on the other side of Sabrina. He pulled her from Q’s grasp and hugged her tight into his chest.

“You did great, love,” he cooed.
“Such a brave girl. I’m so proud of you.”

“That was a disaster.”

“No. Once you left, your father stuck up for you. He said you were their daughter no matter who you loved and that me and Q are welcome to all the family events.” He chuckled. “You should’ve seen him, Sabrina. I think there’s an inner Dom there.” He stroked up and down her back. “Your mom will come around. You did the right thing.”

Did she? She turned to look at Q.
Her Q. Sexy, funny, loving. “I wouldn’t give you up for anything,” she told her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

Q smiled.

“And I’m not comfortable going to the family Christmas party if they don’t accept you.”

“No, Sabrina –”

“It’s my decision.” She pulled away from Jude and straightened out her hair and dress. “I won’t expose you to their scathing looks. Either they behave or we’re not going.”

Jude opened his mouth, presumably to argue.

“Don’t bother arguing,” she snapped. “I’ve made up my m–”

A hand clamped over her mouth. She glared at Jude.

“I was going to say…” He shushed her with the Dom eye. “That you’re not one to make demands about good behavior.”

Q laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

She rolled her eyes then pulled his hand away. “Ha, ha, very funny. I’m ready to go home.” Wiping her tear-streaked face, she sighed. “Can we cuddle?”

Jude nodded.
“Movie night?”

Q and Sabrina exchanged a sly
glance. “Christmas movie night,” Sabrina said, beseeching Jude with her eyes.

“Yes!” Q cheered as Jude groaned.

Maybe if they gave him a blowjob during the movie, he’d start to see the joy of the holidays. Maybe she would too. She was going to try to forget today for a while at least.

Jude

Hubert, the doorman to the Archway Towers waved an officious yet friendly goodbye and the elevator doors glided across silently, cutting him from Jude’s view. Now that was a smooth, efficient five-million-dollar-per-apartment door glide if Jude had ever seen one. The elevator began to rise.

“Made it past the Doorman at the First Gate.
Onward to the Second Gate,” he droned, hoping the solemn tone would shake Sabrina from her jittery mood. He understood why she was nervous. This was the first time he’d brought both girls to a family event other than his dad’s funeral.

“Will they let us through?” Q looked down at her clothing – all black and all Q. “With me dressed like a mentally disturbed
goth freak?” She smirked at Sabrina. “Isn’t that what you call me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly. You don’t
look mentally disturbed in that dress. You look pretty.” Her gaze dropped to Q’s shoes. Mary Janes, he’d learned on the train ride over, and the buckles were shaped like little bats. But there’d been a fight about them. It was Q’s one requirement for wearing what she’d called a “grown-up dress.” Sabrina had argued round and round but Q’s stubbornness had won out.

With a pointed glare, Sabrina said, “
Those
are what make you look like a goth freak.” Then with a sigh, she stepped in and fussed with Q’s hair.

It surpr
ised him that Q didn’t bat her away – until he saw her gaze glued to Sabrina’s cleavage. He chuckled. “Good view there, Q?”

Only a flicker of embarrassment crossed her features before she shrugged. “What? It’s mine to leer at too.”

Sabrina caught on. With a huff, she yanked up her purple and black dress and tossed Q a stern look. “Maybe we should trade roles tonight since you can’t seem to behave.”

In less than a second, Q had Sabrina pressed up against the elevator wall. “I’m the only switch around here, little girl.”

The elevator dinged and Sabrina’s eyes flitted nervously to the door. “Let me go, Q,” she whispered as if someone outside were listening.

Q released her and Sabrina straightened out her hair and dr
ess, avoiding eye contact with either of them. That little show of dominance had put Sabrina right into sub mode. He could see the tension ease from her shoulders as her eyes drifted shut a moment. She inhaled, then exhaled a deep breath. Sub mode did tend to settle her down. Had Q done that on purpose?

As the elevator doors opened, he shared a glance with Q and she winked.
In these situations, Q always seemed a little more relaxed than Sabrina. Years of feeling like a disappointment had toughened her. He was still struck with the impulse to hunt down Nico and do bad things to him, but ending up in jail wouldn’t help Q any.

“This is our floor,” he said
, then held them open as the girls walked out.

Sabrina stared at the patterned red and gold rug as they made their way down the long hallway.

“I feel like there should be dark, ominous music playing in the background,” Q said. “Sabrina, our resident DJ, any suggestions?”

Her head popped up and her bottom lip was red from biting it. “What if they don’t like me?”

Q’s attempt at lightening the mood didn’t work. With a sigh, he stopped in the middle of the hallway and took Sabrina’s face in his hands.

“It’s just my brother,
his wife and kids, and my mom. You’ve already met –”

“At a funeral!”
She pulled away. “That’s not a very good introduction.”

It was obvious her family’
s over-the-top reaction had scared her into thinking his family would do the same. Last year, when he’d walked away from the best thing that had ever happened to him, his mother had been the one to set him straight. She knew about Sabrina and Q – their relationship – and she accepted it. Jude suspected she was just happy he’d fallen in love at all. She’d always been a romantic, wanting for her sons to have a strong, enduring relationship like she’d had with his dad. Matthias had been the first. Seven years ago, he’d married Vanessa and now he had two kids and probably plans for more.

“My broth
er is a very open-minded person,” he said. “They live in New York City. I’m sure he and his wife have seen every mixed up, unconventional, crazy combination of pairing out there.”

A hint of a smile o
n her face made him grin.

“
Maybe you’re right.” She glanced around the empty hallway. “Though the swanky apartment complex in the Upper East Side doesn’t inspire confidence. What’s he gonna think of Q covered in creepy tattoos?”

Q arched a brow.
“Nothing, because he’s not going to see them.” She wrapped her arms around Sabrina’s shoulders. “And they’re going to love you. Everyone who meets you does.”

“Sure,” she mumbled.
“Can I just sit at the kids table? Kids usually like me.”

Jude chuckled. “Okay.
If that’ll make you feel better. Now come on. We’re late already.”

He knocked on door #49
and it swung open. They were met with Matthias’ cheery grin. “Merry Christmas!”

Coats were taken, hugs exchanged, backs were pounded and cheeks kissed. Everyone was smiling, even Sabrina when he checked.

“Your beard is gone,” Jude said, taking a good at the brother he hadn’t seen since the funeral. From a long way back, Matthias had persisted in growing some sort of facial hair. A big man, his frolicsome wavy mass of reddish hair on top of his head had often matched his face.

“It is, alas, brother,” Matthias boomed, scrubbing his clean chin. “
I’m impressing the interns, so it had to go.” He winked at the girls.

“Thank god,” Vanessa
whispered loudly, twitching her peach skirt aside like a cat swishing its tail. “I hate scratchy beards. I even threatened to put on a fake one made of scrubbing brush once, soon after we married. It didn’t work.”

“Of course not, hon.
If anyone’s wearing a scrubbing brush beard, it’s me.” He grabbed his wife around the waist, swept stray locks of her auburn hair out of the way, then leaned her back in a grandiose kiss.

Jude grinned.
Knowing Vanessa, she would’ve really done the prank too. The pair of them had been drama geeks back in college. Shakespeare was still probably Matthias’s favorite author.