Kari & West, Book Four in the Club Decadent Series A MF, High-Heat, Age-Gap Romance

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Copyright © 2025 by K.C. Ford

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the publisher’s express written permission. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any means without permission.

This is an original work of fiction. No AI was used in its creation.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction; the names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

PSA, while this book features elements of kink and BDSM, it is NOT a how-to manual. This is a work of erotic fiction, and everything written here should be treated as such. Always do your research and ALWAYS practice in a SAFE, SANE, and CONSENSUAL manner.

All brand names and products used in this book and its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks, and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and text are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-0691328-3-3

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-0691328-5-7

Cover Design: Katherine Ferguson

Edits: Katherine Ferguson

Formatted with Atticus

List of Content Elements

·         Written in third person and dual POV

·         Adult language and situations

·         Found family

·         Unique family dynamics and drama

·         Awesome friend group with Sunday brunch shenanigans

·         Age gap (15yrs)

·         Daddy Dom and Baby girl vibes (not dd/lg)

·         Piercings and tattoos – MMC is heavily tattooed and pierced.

·         Insta-lust/Insta-love

·         Violence – the FMC is grabbed by her ex. The ex-boyfriend also meets his demise

·         Custody issues, abandonment issues

·         Sexual situations involving public displays, spanking, multiple orgasms, spit play, pegging/anal play, cum play, breeding kink (no pregnancy mention until epilogues), BDSM, and kink exploration

·         Guaranteed HEA

Chapter One – Kari

It didn’t matter that Katherine Davis hadn’t walked a runway in over two years. Kari’s strut along the busy sidewalk drew a lot of attention.

She supposed it’s possible that people stared because of her pissed off expression; either way, more than one person looked her way as she approached the building at the end of the block.

She didn’t have time for this detour. Anything longer than five minutes, and she’ll be late picking her sister up from the sitter.

Kari told Spencer to throw away the things she’d left there when they broke up. She didn’t need any of it. Yet somehow, the weasel convinced her to come get what she didn’t even remember leaving behind.

Taking a deep breath, Kari centered herself. “You saw the real guy beneath the facade, and he’s not your problem anymore. Let’s get this over with.”

Three months into their relationship, Kari ended things. Spencer shoved her against a wall one night when she was five minutes late for work.

On instinct and from learned experience, Kari kneed him in the balls, and he dropped to the floor, rocking and crying in a fetal position, effectively ending their brief relationship.

The next time she arrived for her shift, Kari asked him if he wanted to try touching her again. Spencer held his hands up in surrender, telling her he’d learned his lesson the first time, and Kari thought that was the end of it.

She was wrong.

Three weeks after she left Spencer cradling his balls, Kari regretted not blocking his number. She already knew she was going to be late picking up Izzy. For what? A pair of leggings and some makeup? “Fuck you, Spencer.” Kari climbed the steps to his building and pressed the buzzer for 2B.

“Yo, who is it?”

She rolled her eyes and pressed the intercom to respond. “It’s Kari. I’m here to get my stuff.” She tapped her foot when he didn’t answer and pressed the intercom again. “Hey, asshole, are you going to let me up, or what? I don’t have time for this.”

On the verge of turning around and leaving, Kari caught sight of Spencer through the front door. Did he bring her stuff? Nope. Nothing except his smug smile and empty hands, which pissed her off even more.

“What’s going on?” she asked when Spencer opened the door and looked up and down the busy street.

“Come on.” He urged, ushering her inside.

“Why didn’t you bring my stuff down with you?”

“I wanted to talk.”

“We have nothing more to say. You’re lucky your balls are still intact.”

“Come on, Care-bear. Don’t be petty,” Spencer said, reaching for her hand.

Kari jerked out of his reach. “Petty? I’ve told you not to call me Care-bear of all fucking things, and we’ve already established how I’ll react if you touch me again. Hands off.”

“Geez. Okay, okay.”

When they reached his apartment, Spencer looked down the hall behind her. Kari turned to find nothing out of the ordinary and asked, “Why are you acting paranoid, Spence? Owe your dealer for an eight-ball or something?”

The cocaine habit he developed became another thing Kari berated herself for turning a blind eye to. She knew firsthand what addiction did to a person, yet she ignored the signs, desperate to have someone to depend on, all while knowing she could never rely on an addict.

She didn’t have to search far for an example when her own mother, the original addict in her life, stole everything from her.

Spencer lured her in with a bit of charm and care at first. He let Kari lean on him while she struggled to find her way, and she missed the signs of the slimy snake beneath the surface. Once she grabbed her stuff and found another job, she’d never have to deal with him again.

“No, I don’t owe anyone…,” Spencer said, shaking his head. “Fuck, never mind. Come in, and I’ll get your stuff.” He ushered her inside and locked all four locks on his door.

With each resounding click, a shiver skittered down Kari’s spine, and she spun to face him. Her intuition told her to run. Spencer tugged on his short, dark hair. “I swear I’ve touched nothing for three days. Listen, I wanted-”

They both jumped when someone pounded on the door. Spencer stepped into her space with a frantic look on his face. He kept his voice low, less than a whisper. “Don’t make a sound. Get in my closet and don’t make a fucking sound.”

Kari’s gaze went to the door, the wood vibrating from the fist on the other side, making her heart skyrocket. Spencer pointed to the closet next to his unmade bed. Kari weighed her options, and she didn’t have many. She won’t risk a fight with an unknown assailant, and with her escape route blocked...

She stumbled a few steps when a rough voice shouted, “Spencer, I know you’re in there. Open the fucking door. Now.”

“Fuck.” Spencer pulled at his hair, messing his careful style. He reached for a gun tucked into the back of his pants, making Kari gasp. He glanced over his shoulder and mouthed, ‘Hide.’

Kari went to his closet and shoved it open. She crouched among Spencer’s things, her breath coming in short, frantic pants.

Was her breathing always this loud?

She covered her mouth and clutched her phone, waiting for Spencer to unlock the door. The space between the slats allowed Kari to see what was going on, and she prayed the thin closet door would keep her hidden.

Spencer didn’t even get the last lock undone when the person on the other side lost their patience and kicked the door open, sending Spencer backward with force. The gun he held skittered under his coffee table out of his reach.

A large man with shaggy brown hair stood in the doorway. He leered at Spencer. “A little birdy told me someone has sticky fingers. So where the fuck is the boss’s money?”

Kari made sure her phone was on silent and opened a new text thread. She typed 911 and hit send with shaking fingers.

911: What’s your emergency?

Kari: This is Kari Davidson. A man kicked in the door of my ex-boyfriend’s apartment.

Kari: He has a gun

911: What’s the address? We’ll dispatch the police

Kari: 32 East 1st Street, Apt. 2B

Kari: Please hurry

911: Police are on their way

911: Try to stay calm. Are you somewhere safe?

Kari: Yes. In the closet

911: I’ll update officers

The man stepped closer to Spencer. “I asked you a question. Where the fuck is the boss’s money? I won’t ask for a third time.”

Spencer shuffled back and raised his hands. The man stood over him, the gun in his hand pointing at Spencer’s chest. “Listen, Leo…I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t take any money.”

“A little birdy told me otherwise,” Leo taunted.

“Who-whoever said those things is lying, man.”

Where are the cops? Kari strained to hear any sirens in the distance, hearing nothing beyond her racing heart and the confrontation in front of her.

Kari: I think he’s going to shoot him. Please hurry

911: An ambulance is being dispatched to the scene. Can you tell me what’s happening?

Spencer made a sudden lunge for the other man’s gun, kicking him in the shin when he did, causing him to lose his footing.

“Motherfucker.” The man dropped to the ground, taking Spencer with him, and they rolled behind the back of the couch, disappearing from Kari’s sight. She heard some thuds. Fists meeting flesh. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you,” Leo shouted.

Oh, my God.

Kari’s phone vibrated in her hand. Shit. Right. The cops…where the fuck are the cops?

911: Kari?

Kari: They’re fighting on the floor.

Kari: I can’t see them.

911: Where’s the gun?

Kari: I don’t know

The sound of a gun going off made Kari’s ears ring. She gasped, not realizing how loud she was until the man who kicked Spencer’s door in stuck his head above the back of the couch and glared at the closet.

Kari swore he’d stared right at her. She dropped her phone and covered her mouth with her hands when the man with the gun got to his feet.

If he finds her, he’ll kill her.

Kari didn’t want to die. Who’d be there for Izzy? Tears filled her eyes. Panic and despair froze her as the man took a menacing step toward her hiding spot.

Then she heard the unmistakable sound of a police siren outside the building. Leo heard it too, deciding to run for it rather than risk more time checking what’s in the closet.

Kari didn’t move. She didn’t breathe while her phone vibrated in her lap. It seemed like endless minutes passed, yet seconds later, police swarmed the apartment with their guns drawn.

It didn’t take long for them to clear the bachelor-size suite. One officer checked the bathroom, while another scanned the kitchenette, and two more went to where Spencer lay behind the couch, radioing for the paramedics to bring the crash cart.

The last officer who entered wore a suit instead of a uniform and looked at least a decade older than the rest. Kari didn’t take her eyes off him while he surveyed the situation. The paramedics came in behind him, hauling a stretcher and their equipment.

Is Spencer okay?

“Detective Wilkins,” said the officer who cleared the bathroom, approaching the older man.

“What do you have for me?”

“One fatality. No sign of the suspect. Or the woman who contacted 911. We have officers canvassing for both.”

Spencer’s dead? 

Kari whimpered, and the men turned toward the closet. The detective approached her hiding spot, while the other kept watch, his pistol raised.

“Lower your gun, Douglas. I’ve located the witness. Ms. Davidson? I’m Detective Wilkins. I’m going to open the closet door, alright?”

Kari whimpered again, trying to wrap her head around witnessing Spencer’s murder.

The closet door slid open. “Hey…Kari, right? I’ve got a concerned 911 operator named Marie who wants to know if you’re okay.” The detective glanced over his shoulder. “Toss me a blanket, will you?”

The officer did as the detective asked, and Kari found herself surrounded by warmth, which calmed the shivers wracking her body. Detective Wilkins helped her to her feet, and her forgotten cell phone slipped to the floor. The detective bent to retrieve it, finding several unanswered texts.

“Is it okay if I let Marie know you’re safe? She’s like a mother hen and will fret until someone does.”

“S-sure,” Kari’s teeth chattered when she tried to talk.

“There,” he said, handing Kari her phone. “When we get to the station, if a kind woman with a heart of gold seeks you out, it’ll be Marie.”

His kind smile faltered. “Hey, you’re in shock. We need to get you assessed.”

“I’m…I’m not hurt.” Why did her entire body ache as if she’d gotten hit by a bus then?

“And we’re going to confirm your self-diagnosis at the hospital.”

Hospital? 

Kari didn’t have insurance, and after her mother emptied her bank account, she didn’t have the funds to pay for an emergency room visit either. “No hospital. I swear I’m fine.”

“If the paramedic says you’re fine, then no hospital.”

“They’ll say I’m fine,” Kari said with a stubborn tilt to her chin. The detective stepped to her side, doing his best to block the gruesome scene behind the couch. Despite his efforts, Kari will never forget Spencer’s lifeless body being loaded onto the stretcher.

Detective Wilkins walked her out of the apartment and to a second ambulance, waiting by the sidewalk. He pulled out his phone while the paramedic assessed her. “Ms. Davidson, this is my department-issued phone. I’ll use this digital app to take notes while I ask you some questions. Okay?”

The paramedic shone a light into Kari’s eyes. “Sure.” Then she pushed the paramedic’s hand away to look at the people loitering behind the police tape. Is the guy who killed Spencer among them? The true crime dramas she indulged in made her believe it’s possible.

“I’ll answer your questions, I swear.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You haven’t caught him yet, have you?”

The detective shook his head. “Not yet. Officers are searching the area.”

“Is it possible for you to ask them somewhere more private?”

“Did the suspect see you?”

“I-I don’t think so. The street was busy…and the guy pounded on Spencer’s door after I got there…he might’ve when I arrived.” Kari sucked in a deep breath and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Her phone buzzed in her hand. Izzy’s sitter’s name is on the screen. “I have to take this.” Kari caught the paramedic’s name stitched to his reflective vest. “No need for the hospital, right, Bill?”

The guy gave her a brief glance and said, “Yeah, you’re good.”

Kari stopped listening after his yeah and pressed her phone to her ear. “Hey, Mel. I’m so sorry…something…uh…something happened, and I need you to look after Izzy a little longer. I’m okay…can you give me two hours? Thanks. Tell Izzy I love her, and I’ll be there soon.”

Kari disconnected the call and met Detective Wilkins’s intense stare. “Clocks ticking, detective. Let’s get this question-and-answer session underway.”

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