Naughty & Nice (Merry Elf-Mas 2)

Chapter 14

Damon

I hummed a merry tune as Angel and I wandered around the mall. We were running out of days to find the perfect gift for Rolly. Today had to be the day. We also need to find new suits to wear to Holli and Jack’s wedding. Rolly had asked us to be his dates, and we had to look amazing.

“Ugh…Why are we here?” Angel was lagging a few steps behind me, looking as if I’d taken him to a firing squad.

“We have to find Master a gift and get new suits.” I gave him a sharp look over my shoulder. “You promised not to whine and work with me today. Remember?”

He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I remember no such promise.”

This little shit. An exasperated sigh escaped me as I came to a sudden stop. Angel bumped into my back, and I whirled around to catch him in a bear hug. “You’d better behave or I’ll rat you out to Master.”

Holding him tight, I spun us around once and pulled my face into a playful scowl. Angel gave back as good as he got as he struggled free of my hold. He looked less than amused by my kidding around. Well, the feeling was mutual. I didn’t want to deal with a grumpy cat. I need him to take this shopping trip seriously.

It wasn’t just any gift we were getting. We were finding something for our forever Master. We had to show him we were serious and in this for the long haul. I might be getting ahead of myself, but whatever. I knew my heart, and it wanted Rolly.

Angel huffed and crossed his arms again. “Why do you keep acting like he’s our official Master? We barely know each other. There’s no way he’d collar us this soon.”

That’s what you think. Angel didn’t remember that night at the bar where he’d said he loved Rolly. We’d chosen not to tell him because I knew it would only upset him. He despised looking foolish and liked having a tight hold on his emotions. If he knew how he’d behaved that night, he’d die from embarrassment.

I shrugged and started walking again. “You never know. Now come on, we have things to do.”

Not giving Angel a chance to respond, I led us into a department store. We’d get the suits out of the way first. This was going to be the hardest part. Being the cat he was, my Angel hated shopping for clothes. He was so small and slim that we sometimes had to shop in the junior men’s section. It got under his skin in a bad way.

Memories of our childhood floated to mind. We never enjoyed hanging out at Angel’s house. His father, if you could call him that, was a terrible man. Being a former military meathead, he had very narrow ideas about who Angel was supposed to be. Every word that came from his vile mouth had been abusive criticism. Everything about my sweet kitty came under fire and never measured up. When he wasn’t spitting venom, that asshole acted as if Angel didn’t exist. No matter how hard I’d tried to convince Angel he was perfect as he was, I couldn’t fix years of abuse and neglect.

I mustered up my inner strength as we entered the men’s section, and I looked for a sales associate. It was best to rip off the bandaid and get Angel’s suit first. Master had said he’d wear his Navy blues, so I thought it would be cute for us to wear navy-colored suits to match.

A young brunette woman was standing at the counter looking bored as she folded some clothes. I grabbed Angel’s hand and beelined for her. Time to get this over with. “Hello.” I paused and read her name tag. “Kimberly.”

The associate paused in her task, and I didn’t miss her hands clenching in annoyance. “Hi, how may I help you?”

The business smile that she’d forced on her face softened when her eyes landed on me. Being cute had its advantages. Her entire demeanor changed as she took me in, seeming to like what she saw. That would make things easier for me. I hoped.

“Yes, we’re looking to get new suits. Navy, if you have them.” I gestured to Angel, but her eyes never left me.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Of course. Please follow me.” She turned with an exaggerated sway of her hips and strode toward the back wall.

A sudden weight tugged on my arm as Angel wrapped himself around it. He was glaring daggers at the woman’s back. Okay, this would not be fun at all. We followed behind Kimberly, and I sent out a prayer that we made it through this without a cat fight.

Kimberly riffled through the suits and pulled one off the rack. “I believe you’d look best in this style.” She held it up in front of me with smoldering eyes. “We can recommend a place to have it tailored if you want a more custom fit.”

Angel’s grip on my arm tightened. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Kimberly’s eyes fell on Angel as if she just noticed he was there. There was a sharp glint in her eyes as she took in how he was hanging on my arm. Sparks flew between these two and I knew the situation needed defusing. “I’ll consider it, but can we find a style for him first?”

The urge to roll her eyes was clear on Kimberly’s face. “Yes, let me see if we have a similar style in the juniors section.”

NO! Why did you say that? I felt Angel stiffen at my side. This was bad. Very, very, very bad. I took Angel’s hand in mine and squeezed it. Evade was the name of the game now.

Without a word, I turned us around, and we left the store. I could hear Kimberly following behind us, trying to remedy the situation, but the damage had been done. I needed a quiet place to talk to Angel, but there was nowhere in the public space that worked.

Good thing I worked here. I steered us to the nearest employee entrance and disappeared into the labyrinth of corridors. I found a spot for us to sit and sat down. Angel was stiff sitting beside me, and I noticed he was shaking.

I hated when this happened. The way he shut everyone out and bottled up his emotions. It wasn’t healthy. As much as I wanted to pull him into a hug, I didn’t. He wasn’t welcome to touch when he was upset.

What could I do then? We’d been here before, but I never seemed to find the right answer. I guess our trip was a bust, and I should just take him home. Just then, my phone chimed with a message. I checked the screen and saw it was a message from Rolly.

It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. Maybe what Angel needed right now was our Master. Without hesitation, I hit the call button as I got to my feet and took a few steps away.

“Hey, Damon. Everything okay?” Bless his perfect Dom heart for answering on the first ring and showing concern. Could we have found a more perfect Master?

No point in beating around the bush. “Master, Pineapple needs you.” I did a quick recap of what happened so he could understand the situation.

“What’s he doing now?” I loved how he took control of things, even though he wasn’t here.

“He’s sitting, being quiet. He was shaking but didn’t make a sound.” I looked at my boyfriend and my heart ached. He might have been small physically, but I never saw him that way. Now, though, he looked so tiny. Like an abused kitten angry at the world for every injustice it suffered.

“Okay, we’re starting a video call, and I want you to get right in front of him.” I did as directed and knelt before Angel. “Hey, Kitten.” Angel twitched, and his gaze centered on my phone. “Sunny tells me you’re having a hard time right now.”

“I’m fine.” That was the biggest damn lie.

Rolly gave a gentle chuckle. “Yeah, not buying it.” Angel opened his mouth to protest, but Master cut him off. “Nope. No arguing.” His mouth snapped shut, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You are both coming to my house now for some playtime. Then after that we’re ordering pizza and watching a movie. Does that sound good?”

“Sounds perfect, Master.” Angel gave me a dirty look because I was answering for the two of us.

“Good. I’ll see you both soon.” Rolly ended the call, and I pocketed my phone.

Angel stayed seated and stared at the floor. I waited a few moments, but when he made no sign he’d move, I heaved a heavy sigh. “Master said to come now.”

He lifted his head and met my gaze. I’d expected him to look angry, but what I saw was fear and uncertainty. “Why do you trust him so much?”

That threw me for a second. A ready answer was on the tip of my tongue, but those timid eyes made me pause. I sat on my butt and thought for a moment. There was no one thing I could come up with as to why I trusted Rolly.

From the moment we met, I’d just had this feeling that he was a good man. He’d backed it all up with his actions. Caring for the two of us and giving equal attention. He wasn’t playing games like the other Doms had. He was just everything I’d ever wanted. “I don’t really know. All I know is that he’d never intentionally hurt us.” I took Angel’s hand. “I believe he honestly loves us.”

Angel gave a little gasp and tucked his chin to his chest. “I’m just not sure. We’ve been hurt before.”

I reached out and cupped his cheek. “And it’s okay to be unsure.” Our eyes met again. “You don’t have to have all the answers all the time. You’re not alone, Grumpy Cat. Lean on Master and me.”

He chewed on his lip for a moment before giving his head a slight nod. It was progress, and I’d take it. He’d come around when he was ready and we’d be there for him. I rose to my feet and pulled him up with me. I embraced him and kissed his temple. He gave a hum in reply, and I knew we’d be okay.

Hand in hand, we walked out into the mall. I was disappointed that we had accomplished nothing we’d set out to do, but that was okay. Our old suits would be fine, and I’m sure we’d find something for Rolly. We’d almost reached the mall exit when the last voice I’d ever wanted to hear called out to us. Fuck, why was nothing going my way today?