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up. “Call me egotistical, but if you’re going to be pleasantly sore and achy in the morning, I damn well want you to remember how you got that way.”
I smiled for the first time in hours. “Will you call me a cab, Mr. Parks?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Shortly after the cab arrived and I gave the driver my address, my eyelids grew heavy. I resisted sleep, but the temptation to give in grew too great. My last sight before succumbing was of Jeff, looking out his side window.
“Hey,” he said, what seemed like seconds later. “We’re here.”
Those two words filled me with dread because I knew Nathaniel would be pissed. My dread grew even greater when Jeff insisted on walking me to the door after paying the driver.
“You don’t have to,” I said. “My husband, uh, Master, is going to be upset enough as it is.”
“Ah, so you are a sub?”
“Yes.”
“If it were me and my sub was drunk, alone, and in the situation like you found yourself in, I’d be ready to pound someone into the ground.”
“Yes, so you see why it’s best if you leave now.”
“No, that’s even more reason for me to stay.”
He had that Dom look that told me he wasn’t going to change his mind. He was actually very dour-looking. I’d probably be scared if I wasn’t so drunk. Fuck, I was so drunk. Nathaniel was going to kill me.
Nope, Mr. Parks wasn’t going to change his mind. I knew his type. Hell, I’d married his type. I glanced down at his left hand. No ring.
“Do you have a sub right now?” I asked.
“No.”
“You’re not going to expand on that, are you?”
“No.”
“A man of few words.”
“Yes. And you’re stalling.”
We walked inside and I waved at the doorman. Together, Jeff and I rode up to the penthouse and I gave silent thanks the kids would be asleep when we arrived.
At our floor, I opened the door and stepped inside. I wondered where Nathaniel was.
I heard him before I saw him.
“Abby, you’re back sooner than I expected.” He walked into the foyer with a smile that disappeared when he saw Jeff. “Who’s this?”
I waved at Jeff. “This is Jeff Dark. Dark man. Dark Dom.”
He stepped closer. “Are you drunk?”
“Slightly.” I held up two fingers. “I had three.”
He glared at Jeff. “What the fuck is going on and who are you?”
Jeff held Nathaniel’s gaze and simply crossed his arms across his chest. “A Dom who knows better than to let his sub go to a shady BDSM dive, get drunk off her ass, and have to be rescued from a would-be rapist who doesn’t know the definition of a safe word.”
“Excuse me?”
“You can ask her, but if it wasn’t for me . . . Well, I don’t like to guess, but the man she was with didn’t take too kindly to her use of the word ‘red.’”
The tops of Nathaniel’s ears grew red. I’d never seen that before.
“Abby,” he said, so calmly I felt cold. “What the fuck happened tonight?”
My words rushed out. “Meagan’s a switch but didn’t tell me and took me to a BDSM club and went off with a guy and I might have had too many drinks and when I went looking for her I got trapped with a guy and this guy got me away from him.” My stomach rolled. “I think I’ll vomit now.”
I ran to the hall bathroom and when I returned, the men were shaking hands.
“Good to meet you, Jeff,” Nathaniel said. “Glad I had a chance to meet you before our meeting on Monday, though I wish the circumstances were different.”
“Likewise.” Jeff lifted a hand in my direction. “Good night, Mrs. West.”
“’Night.”
Jeff gave Nathaniel a curt nod and left. My heart beat wildly as Nathaniel turned to me. He didn’t look angry anymore, though; he looked shaken and scared, a combination I’d never seen on him before. At the sight of it, all the night’s events hit me at once and I crumpled into sobs again.
“Abby,” he said, hastening to gather me in his arms. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I have you.”
“That man . . .” I started, but couldn’t get out any more.
“Come here.” He lifted me up and carried me to the bedroom, all the while whispering to me. I clung to his shirt like it was a life vest. In that moment, it probably was.
“I’m going to take your dress off,” he said once he set me on the bed. “Are you okay with that or do you want to do it?”
“You do it.” The man at the club hadn’t touched me, but I needed Nathaniel’s hands on me to help erase his memory.
He turned to get my cotton nightshirt out of a dresser drawer. He picked my light blue one, my favorite because the material was so soft. Ever so gently, he helped me to stand and unzipped my dress. His fingers didn’t linger like they normally would have, but were quick and efficient.
In no time, he was pulling the sheets back so I could crawl into bed. It took him only seconds to step out of his own clothes and join me. I don’t think I’d relaxed entirely from the minute I stepped into the club until Nathaniel pulled me to his side in bed.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should have called you the minute I realized what type of club it was, or at least when Meagan left me.”
“I’m going to call her tomorrow and speak with her about this. As one Dominant to another. I know she’s your boss, but what she did crossed a line. You’re my submissive.”
I hiccuped and gave him a nod. I understood why he needed to talk to Meagan even though I didn’t necessarily like it.
He stroked my hair. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now I just want to hold you.” His voice cracked at the end and I knew he needed to hold me as much as I needed him to.
I curled up into him as close as I could. “I was so scared.” It was all I could say before I started crying again. He murmured soothing words I couldn’t make out and simply held me until I couldn’t cry anymore.
By then, we were both exhausted and fell into an uneasy sleep.
* * *
When I woke again, it was morning. Or early afternoon. And I was alone. The curtains were closed so no light came through the windows. Good for sleeping, but not useful in gauging time. I rolled to my side and checked the clock. Ten thirty! I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept so late.
On my nightstand were a bottle of water and two pain relievers. I swallowed them greedily. My head hurt like a bitch when I moved. I stretched out in bed and willed my brain to stop throbbing.
I finally gave up and decided to get up. While making the bed, I suddenly realized how quiet everything was. The penthouse was smaller than the estate house; some noise should have been present. Two young kids were bound to make some sort of ruckus. I stepped into the hallway to see if I could hear anything. That’s when I overheard Nathaniel on the phone.
“I don’t want to hear any excuses,” I could hear him saying. “It’s simply unacceptable behavior for someone claiming to be a Top.” He paused. “It doesn’t matter that she wasn’t acting as your submissive at the time. She was in your care. How would you feel if I left one of your bottoms at an unknown club, when I knew she’d been drinking?”
He surely got that phone call out of the way early. I needed to talk to her as well, but I’d wait until evening.
“I’m glad you see my point,” he said. “I’m not going to claim I’ve been the perfect Dominant, but I’ve become a better one because I was called out on behavior that was wrong.”
