Page 43 of Derek

She continued to circulate through the room, stopping to talk to James and Laura briefly. Chris was introducing himself to Erin, and Sonja wondered how that would go. She hadn’t gotten any particular vibe over whether Erin was dominant or submissive. She didn’t even know if she was straight. They would have to work that out for themselves.

Half an hour later, Sonja was talking with another new attendee, Angie, who said she was waiting for her Daddy to arrive at the monthly munch. The beautiful, curvy woman had dark eyes, glossy black hair, and tan skin, hinting at a Mediterranean background.

Sonja felt uneasy around the woman, but she couldn’t pinpoint a reason. Sonja forced herself back to the conversation. It would be good to get more information about the Little mindset. Before she could ask her next question, Angie rose to her feet and exclaimed, “Oh, good, there’s my Daddy!”

Sonja looked up to see Jackson enter the restaurant with Derek and a big man with a crooked nose she didn’t know.Is that her Daddy?

Angie walked right up to the group and joined them. Sonja’s eyes widened as Angie flung her arms around Derek’s waist and beamed up at him. Sonja couldn’t see Derek’s expression, but it didn’t matter. To her, it felt like her entire world had caved in. Doubts and self-loathing assaulted her as she rose from the table with a hand over her mouth to hold back the sobs. Sonja snatched her purse and coat from the back of her seat. She caught a perplexed look from Erin, who was talking with Scott and Molly before she rushed to the back exit.

Derek didn’t know what had happened to him as he looked down into the familiar face of the woman who clung to his waist. She was still beautiful, but the look in her eyes was off for someone supposedly glad to see him. How could he ever have fallen for her?

“There you are, Daddy. I’ve missed you, bigtime,” she said with a voice he had once found endearing, but now it sounded put-on and sickeningly sweet.

If only he could shove her away, but the Daddy Dom in him couldn’t stomach that. He would never treat a Little like that, even this one. He reached behind him to unclasp her arms and moved a step back from her.

“What on earth are you doing here, Angie? And how did you find me?” He couldn’t hide the revulsion in his tone, but she was oblivious to it.

Derek looked around for support but Jackson and Detective Will Tolbert had given him privacy, which would have been considerate with a typical reunion but was unwelcome in this case.

The woman who had driven him to leave St. Louis and abandon the lifestyle for more than a year had found him. He only hoped the KCPD would be more helpful than the St. Louis police had been. Otherwise, he was fucked and not in a good way!

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Sonja slammed the front door closed and saw the tip of Snuggles’ tail as he rushed away from her. It was bad enough that Derek wanted someone else, but now, even her cat was turning his back to her. She should never have tried to be his submissive and babygirl. What had she been thinking? Hadn’t she learned from Colton or her years at Club Indigo? Why would he want her when he could have Angie? She was perfect for him. Small, beautiful and, obviously, a babygirl!

Sonja huffed at her wayward thoughts and tried to calm down. She rushed to her bedroom without bothering to take off her shoes and coat. With her purse still strapped around her body, she flopped down on her bed and gave in to her despair.

Derek didn’t love her. She broke down, and big, fat tears started streaming down her face. Her tears soaked the corner of her bedspread in a matter of minutes, and the waterworks were still falling. She hadn’t felt this kind of pain in a long time. Not since she had entered Colton’s garden on the night she found out her grandmother’s house would have to be sold to pay debts and found him kissing ‘Sleazy Sandy’ on his back porch.

She’d crammed her belongings in Gran’s old Buick and driven away, but she hadn’t been able to get away from herpain then, and she couldn’t now. She wasn’t the inexperienced teenager she had been back then. Sonja pushed herself up and grabbed a wad of tissues from the nightstand. She pulled back her shoulders with false bravado.

Fake it ’til you make it, right?

First, she would change her bedding, and then she would indulge in some comfort from Ben and Jerry’s.

Who needs a man when they have that delicious duo, right?

She would watchThe Little Mermaidand not think about Derek. Just his name brought tears to her eyes. Sonja pulled the strap of her purse over her head. She needed to put her phone on the charger for the night, so she took it out, realizing the battery was dead. Once it started charging, she checked it to find eleven missed calls and sixteen text messages.

What the?—

For a second or two, she felt curious and wanted to find out who’d called, but Sonja was sure it would be her friends, and she couldn’t deal with explanations right now. No, she would go to bed and deal with things tomorrow.

With Snuggles hot on her heels, Sonja went to her bed. Her beloved cat jumped on the bed with stiff legs, and she went to the bathroom.

When she returned, Snuggles was curled up smack in the middle of her bed and she allowed herself a sad smile. Someone else was going to be grumpy. Sonja turned off the light and nudged Snuggles so they both had room. She fought the urge to pull the sheets over her head as the tears started to fall anew. Crying, she waited for sleep, while Snuggles purred like a small steam engine in blissful ignorance.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Derek extricated himself from Angie with effort. The woman was like an octopus as she tried to hang on to him.

“Angie!” Derek snapped.

Big eyes welling with tears looked up to him, but Derek didn’t buy her innocent act anymore.

“What’s wrong, Daddy, aren’t you pleased to see me?” She pouted.

Derek steeled his heart. “No.”

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