AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was about to lean over and fondled her clit when a short bell went off on his mobile. It was a text from Bataar:
Kimani and her roommate left the house.
Placing one hand on Eumie’s lower back to hold her in place, he went slow and gentle till he had her purring. With his other hand, he picked up his mobile and texted back:
Where are they headed?
He waited a long two minutes before Bataar replied:
Bill heard them mention someplace called The Lair.
Chapter Ten
“Am I sure I want to do this?” Kimani asked herself in the mirror. She reviewed her outfit. What did one wear to a BDSM club? In her skinny jeans and cold-shoulder top, she looked like she could be headed to a ballgame. She wore her hair down with minimal styling and a headband to keep her curls from falling into her face. She looked over at Marissa, who wore leather leggings and a red strapless top.
“We don’t have to do anything. In fact, these days I just go to watch. I haven’t played since...” began Marissa, as she touched up her makeup. “I’m hoping I can play someday soon. If I can do that, I’ll be back to the way I was.”
Kimani bit her bottom lip. After what Marissa had been through, could one ever go back to being the way they were?
“I’m sorry,” Kimani said. “I’m sure the break-in isn’t helping things.”
Marissa put her lipstick back in her purse. “Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault our place got broken into.”
Kimani drew in a deep breath. It wasn’t right not telling Marissa. “It is my fault. It’s because I did the Scarlet Auction.”
Marissa tilted her head. “You did what?”
“After you told me what had happened to you, I started looking into the Scarlet Auction. It sounded really shady to me, so I went undercover to try to expose them. I didn’t bring you up at all, and I wasn’t going to mention you in the scoop. I was going to keep you out of everything.”
“What do you mean? How were you going to expose the Scarlet Auction?”
“I pretended to be a participant. I got bid on and bought by a guy who turned out to be a total asshole. He’s the one behind the break-in. The only thing taken was my laptop. The guy’s probably worried I’m going to write a tell-all article about him.”
Marissa sat down at the kitchen table as she tried to take in everything.
“I ended up pressing charges against him up in Trinity County.”
“So that’s how you really got your bruise?”
Kimani nodded, also taking a seat at the table.
“Your guy was just like mine? I wonder if he’s the same guy?”
“Yours sounded older, but I’m not surprised I found a jerk. It was just like I expected or hoping for. Guess I gotta be careful what I wish for. I didn’t get beat up as much as you did, thanks to another guy who intervened. If that guy hadn’t been there... I try not to think about it. It rattles you to the core. At first, I started seeing every guy as if he were Jake, the guy who bought me. Even now, I wonder about men—the guy behind me in the grocery line, or the pedestrian yelling into his cellphone, I wonder if these men are like him deep down.”
“What happened when you pressed charges?”
“He reached a plea deal with the district attorney for a fine and a restraining order.”
“See, that’s probably what would happen if I tried to press charges. It’s not worth it.”
“Well, if you change your mind—”
“Why would I want to do that? I’d have to give the Scarlet Auction back their money if they found out I broke the nondisclosure agreement. I can’t afford it. I’d have to stop seeing my therapist. Besides, I’m trying to put it behind me, not relive the shit.”
Kimani said nothing. When Marissa had first confessed what had truly happened to her, she had been appalled that her roommate wasn’t pressing charges against her abuser, but she was now more sympathetic toward Marissa’s position. Having gone through the process, it hadn’t been fun, to say the least. And the result was hardly satisfying. Still, she wouldn’t have done it any other way. The public needed to know what Jake was capable of, and hopefully soon, the Scarlet Auction would be held publicly accountable as well.
“So are you, like, doing a story on the Scarlet Auction?” Marissa asked.
