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The sun beamed down on Presley as she leaned against the balcony’s edge, staring out at the Las Vegas strip. The flurry of activity always passed by in a blur. Surrounded by patio furniture, she shut her eyes a moment, soaking in the warmth from high in the sky. She’d woken a little after ten o’clock, discovering Dmitri had left the hotel without saying goodbye. In fact, she only knew he’d come to bed last night because his side of the bed looked slept in. He’d left her no note this morning. No texts on her phone. Nothing.
She’d called his office once, but his assistant said he wasn’t accepting calls—and he always accepted her calls. She’d texted him twice, again with no response. Part of her wanted to go down to his office and demand he talk to her. The other part of her figured that if he wasn’t returning her calls it meant he was busy. Though her heart kept replaying the same question: Why is he too busy for me?
Done with ruminating over the same thoughts, she’d showered and ordered room service—pancakes, fruit, bacon, sausages, and eggs. Intent on eating her stress away, she’d ordered the works, figuring that if she had to live in a hotel, she might as well take advantage of it.
With a full stomach, she had ventured out to the patio, where she’d been standing for the last hour. She’d watched the tourists walking by in awe of the city, and she understood them. Not long ago she’d been there herself. God, it seemed like a lifetime had passed since she’d ended her engagement with her ex-fiancé, Steven Moser. His cheating had spurred her to join Cora at Club Sin, where she’d met Dmitri. Maybe she’d taken it all for granted just how much of a fantasy her life had become—a fantasy that deep down seemed to be coming to an end. One in which happily-ever-after didn’t exist.
Possibly all those thoughts were what made her crave the comfort of home. She moved to the couch in the living room. Her throat tightened as she lowered herself onto the soft white cushions and reached for the phone on the table. Her mother, Jennifer, answered on the second ring. “Hi, Mom,” Presley said.
“Hello, sweetheart,” her mother replied in her soft comforting voice. “Are you not working today?”
“Nope. I’m off until Wednesday.” Presley wondered what her mother would think of the fact that she, at Dmitri’s advice, had decided to work only part-time. Not that Presley didn’t love being a dental hygienist, but Dmitri had gently suggested that she cut back her hours at the dental clinic, since she often worked evenings and on weekends. Now, since she worked only three days at the dental clinic, she volunteered at the animal shelter every second week for a couple of days, and that brought her more joy than cleaning teeth ever could.
While she thought her mother would understand, Presley didn’t want her mom to know that she’d basically become a kept woman. Being an independent, strong woman was something her mother had ingrained into her while growing up. But Presley didn’t feel like a kept woman; she felt like a woman loved by a man who wanted to make her life easier.
> “Oh, that’s nice for you,” was all her mother said, to Presley’s great relief—she wouldn’t have to go into the details. “And Dmitri, how is he?”
“He’s fine.”
“Just fine?”
Presley stared out at the French doors, looking at the fluffy clouds in the sky. Her heart hurt thinking about it all. Things didn’t feel right between them; in fact, they had never felt so wrong. All of her friends had their Dominants at home, comforting them, wrapping their arms around them. Why wasn’t Dmitri holding her?
She tried telling herself he needed space. That this was a blow to him. That his club was falling apart. But she hated that distance.
She wanted him here—with her.
“He’s busy,” she finally replied.
“Being responsible for a casino will do that, I’m sure.” her mother said. Presley could hear the television on in the background—probably some gushy soap opera. “Your father and I were talking the other day and we’re hoping you two could come for dinner one night soon. I’ll make Dmitri’s favorite, roast beef.”
Presley couldn’t stop smiling. Her mother adored Dmitri. But of course she would. Dmitri was insanely successful and poised. He was respectful and well mannered—he brought her mother flowers each time he visited. He looked completely at ease having a family dinner with them. He was equally comfortable sitting on the porch with her father and chugging a beer.
Being loved by her family was never the problem.
Her loving him wasn’t the problem.
But a sharp ache in Presley’s chest couldn’t be ignored. Dmitri wasn’t being the man he’d always been with her. He was being something else altogether: Cold, distant to her feelings. “That would be wonderful,” she said, stifling her sigh. “I know Dmitri has a lot going on right now, but maybe we can take a drive down to Apple Valley in a couple of weeks.”
“Perfect. I’ll let your father know.” Her mother hesitated. “All right, baby girl, I need to get to my knitting group. Call me once you pick a day, okay?”
“Will do. Bye, Mom.”
Presley hung up the phone and dropped her head into her hands, consumed by thoughts of what her family would do if they found out about Club Sin. They would still love her, she was sure, but she didn’t want them to know such things about her private life. Or have to explain to her mother what a BDSM club was.
Fuck.
A sudden knock on the door made her jerk her head up. Her heart tripped as she pushed off the couch, hurrying to the door, hoping that Dmitri had sent someone to let her know that he was thinking of her.
Maybe he sent flowers…
She whisked the door open, and her already weakened soul took a harder hit. Ella, Kenzie, and Cora stood in the hallway.
Kenzie gave a sassy smile. “This is the new pad for a while, hmmm?” Being her usual pushy self, Kenzie stepped into the room without being invited.
“It is until this is over.” Presley shut the door once everyone was inside.
