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“All I can say is,” Dahlia continued doggedly, “the few times we’ve been together have been, categorically, the most exciting sexual experiences of my life.”
To Dahlia’s dismay, Naomi’s face softened, not with understanding, but with concern. “Oh, honey,” she said gently. “I get it you’re caught up in all this and somehow you think it’s daring or whatever. But it’s not okay. I don’t care how you package it, what he’s doing is abusive. What happened to the strong, empowered, kickass feminist I’ve known since college? This guy’s got you brainwashed, that’s what. Somehow, he’s got you convinced it’s okay to hit a woman, but it’s not. Not ever.”
She reached across the table to cover Dahlia’s hand with hers. “There’s help for this, Dahlia. I know a really good therapist who—”
“Stop it,” Dahlia snapped, yanking her hand from Naomi’s. Heat washed her cheeks, not from embarrassment now, but angry frustration. “I don’t need help. Where’s the open-minded, forward-thinking free spirit I’ve known since college? Since when did you become so judgmental? I thought you were my friend.”
“I am your friend,” Naomi cried, clearly affronted. “That’s why I’m telling you this. Friends don’t let their friends get into trouble, if they can help it.”
The waitress appeared with more food. After she’d set it down and walked away, neither woman said anything, but the atmosphere crackled unpleasantly between them. Dahlia was angry, but she was also more shaken by Naomi’s reaction than she cared to admit.
It had been incredibly sexy and thrilling at the time, but could Naomi be right on some level? How could Dahlia, a grown, independent woman, have allowed a man to spank her to the point where he introduced bodily trauma? Was she sliding down a slippery slope? Was there a point where the lines became blurred between consensual impact play and actual abuse? Was that line different for every person, every relationship?
“Look,” she finally said. “I’m still feeling my way in all this. What I can say is, I trust Hayden. He’s not just some random dude I hooked up with. We were friends, first, don’t forget, and colleagues. More than that, I feel so alive when we’re engaged in a scene. It’s this amazing adventure. And the sex”—she hugged herself, her nipples stiffening just at the thought of Hayden’s gorgeous body looming over hers, his hands on her wrists, his mouth on hers as he nudged her thighs apart…
Naomi snorted, bringing Dahlia back to the moment. “Look at you,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t remember the last time I saw you all goo-goo-eyed like this about a guy.” She sighed histrionically. “Okay, I’m going to trust you on this—for now. Just be careful, okay?”
“I will, I promise,” Dahlia agreed.
“And I want to meet this guy,” Naomi added emphatically. “You’ve been talking about him one way or another since you moved to the city. Let’s see if Dr. Hayden Pierce can pass the Naomi Bernstein boyfriend material approval test.”
“It’s a deal,” Dahlia agreed, laughing with relief.
Eager to change the subject, she added, “Now, it’s your turn. Tell me all about Alan Peters. Did any sparks fly?”
“Enough to start a small fire,” Naomi replied with a grin. As she regaled Dahlia with Alan’s many charms, Dahlia’s mind drifted. It bothered her how defensive she’d become at her friend’s criticism. She was disquieted by the issues Naomi had raised, even if she could refute them from an intellectual standpoint. She wished she had a friend in the scene, a like-minded woman who had extensive experience with the lifestyle.
The meal concluded pleasantly enough, both of them keeping to lighter topics that revolved around work, family and what some old friends from college were up to these days.
They parted in front of the restaurant with promises to get together soon, not just for spin.
“Don’t forget,” Naomi said. “I want to meet Hayden, sooner than later.”
“Okay,” Dahlia agreed. Mention of his name returned her thoughts to the man. She missed him. The hospital had a way of gobbling them both up from the moment they got there until it spit them out, exhausted, at the end of each long day.
BDSM complications notwithstanding, was it even possible for two physicians just starting out to have a relationship? Would she have been better off falling for someone with a less rigorous schedule than her own? Not to mention his commitments at the Masters Club, though she remained vague on what those might be.
“Don’t be stupid,” she muttered as she made her way to the nearest subway station. “You aren’t the first two doctors to fall in love. People do it all the time. They make it work.”
Wait. What the hell had she just said?
Was she falling in love?
Surely, it was too soon to say. But whatever it was she was feeling, all she knew at that moment was that she wanted to see Hayden. Pulling her cell from her coat pocket, she texted:
