AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good evening, boys,” I said, greeting them both.
“Good evening, Lady Luxe,” they answered in unison. They each looked like the picture of submission: eyes lowered, feet shoulder width apart. Though Christopher had a smirk on his face that I could easily see. He was my bratty boy, and Lord knew he was likely coming up with some quick retort that would end in a spanking.
“Watch it, Jester,” I said, chiding him before he could even speak.
“I didn’t utter a word, Lady Luxe,” he answered, looking up at me with just a hint of defiance.
“No, but you wanted to.” I arched an eyebrow high, cutting off his brattiness with a mere look. “Now, what is it you boys need?”
“Just to congratulate you on such a beautiful scene,” Thomas answered with beautiful respect in every word. He was the polar opposite of Christopher, and Bex, for that matter.
“Thank you very much, boy.” I praised him, patting him on the head. Thomas was into pet play and he stamped his foot in adoration at my touch. “Now, both of you run along. And Christopher, don’t forget we have a scene coming up in a few days. Make sure you prepare properly.” My gentle reminder hit the mark as he nodded.
“You have them wrapped around your little finger, Luxe.” I turned to see Max shaking his head and rolling his eyes, but it was all good natured.
“I should probably head out.” I eyed the door longingly. Degradation scenes took a lot out of me, no matter how fun they were, and I was eager to get cleaned up and curl into bed.
“Leaving so soon?” I chuckled at the way Erin pouted.
“Soon!? I’ve been here for four hours!” I exclaimed. I bid them both good night and made my way to the entrance, focused only on bed and sleep.
“That was one hell of a show,” a slightly familiar voice drawled from the shadows near the main hallway, though I couldn’t place who it was.
“Excuse me?” I asked, stopping in my tracks. It wasn’t normal for people to approach me unannounced here in Haven. I was an intimidating presence, with my long red hair, tall stature, and dominating demeanor. Unlike my daily life persona, here at Haven I carried much more of afuck-around-and-find-outkind of attitude. It served me well.
The man was mostly shadowed where he stood, leaning against the wall with one foot propped up at an angle. He kicked off of the wall, approaching me with a sauntering slowness that oozed sex appeal and charm.
As the warm lights illuminated the man’s face, I felt my heart drop straight into my stomach, and my lungs felt like a giant fist was squeezing them. It was him. The new neighbor. It was Thatcher fucking Wells.
“I said that was one hell of a scene tonight.” He reiterated his words, but I was still in shock. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be here. Not here. Not now. No one from Apple Grove knew about this part of my life. No onecould everknow about Lady Lux. It would ruin everything.
“Yes, um… well, thank you. I was just on my way out.” My words came out in a rush as I stumbled over what to say. I was tired, and feeling the effects of my drop. Combine that with the shock of seeing someone from Apple Grove here at Haven, and it was a recipe for disaster. I needed to get out of there, and fast.
“Hope to see more of that kind of action — and more of you — in the future,Sadie Day.” he replied, nodding towards me before turning and walking deeper into the room, moving among the crowd until he was no longer visible.
“Oh God, I hope not,” I muttered worriedly before heading down the hallway and through the door leading to the parking garage. I couldn’t think about the implications of this mess. Not right now.
Instead, I focused on Bex and our scene tonight. I tucked my bag safely away in the trunk and situated myself in the car. I took a deep breath and allowed myself a few moments to defrag.
It was often necessary, when one led the kind of life like mine, to forcefully let go of one persona in order to find the other again. Putting down Lady Luxe and returning to Sadie Day was never a particularly easy task, but it was beyond necessary.
Both of my lives were taxing in their own way, but I needed each, just as I needed air to breathe. Because after living with secrets for so long, sometimes it was hard to know which one of them was more real.
I would think about Thatcher Wells — and what exactly I was going to do about him — later.
CHAPTER3
What the fuckwasI going to do? I looked over my reflection in the car’s visor mirror as I sat in my garage, trying to compose myself. I was the picture of dominant perfection. Every hair in place, and not a single smudge of makeup. All was right with the world. Correction: Allshouldhave been right with the world. That was, until Thatcher Wells had come crashing into my life.
The man had not only moved in down the street, but he had shown up at Haven, said my real name aloud, and acted every bit the supercilious, pretentious dominant alpha asshole that he most obviously was.
Before I could think on it any longer, I slammed the visor back up to the roof of the car and stepped out into the garage, walking quickly back into my home, my heels drumming a sharp staccato rhythm with every step.
“You’re home early, sweetheart,” Jamie greeted me as I took my first step inside the house. He stood there with a smile on his face and simply opened his arms to me. Dropping my bag just inside the doorway without a care, I stepped into his embrace, laying my head on his shoulder.
“Yeah,” I whispered against the soft fabric of his tee-shirt. He was already in pajamas. Granted, it was just shy of midnight, so that wasn’t entirely surprising.
“What happened?”
