by Ivy Nelson
“I'm ready to relax and have a good time. Not too good of a time though,” Darci said. Adding, “I have to work tomorrow.”
“Pssh work smirk,” Elise said rolling her eyes.
“Hey, not all of us have a rich sugar daddy supporting us Elise,” Stephanie teased. Elise pretended to pout, but they all burst into laughter and headed inside to eat dinner and drink cider.
Stephanie had been serious about Elise having a sugar daddy. The man she was dating had more money than sense, and he doted on Elise who had been his submissive for two years. At first, the dynamic seemed odd to Darci, but Elise was devoted to him and always seemed deliriously happy with the arrangement.
“Speaking of sugar daddies, I need one of you to introduce me to someone. I’m ready to get back into the scene after Damion,” Darci said as they settled in at their table. Both women whipped out their phones and began listing potential new partners for Darci. They ate greasy bar food and talked their way through two pitchers of hard cider.
It was nearly midnight when Darci looked at her phone again. Still no response from Bradley. Was he ignoring her because she brushed him off for dinner? The cider was making her feel fuzzy. Elise and Stephanie were chattering about finding a place to do karaoke when the bartender set another pitcher in front of them.
“Did you seriously order a third pitcher Elise?” Darci asked, her eyes wide in disbelief as the perky brunette refilled her glass.
“Of course, the night is young!” Darci frowned at Elise but poured herself another cider. What the hell, maybe I'll just call in sick tomorrow.
Darci woke up with a raging headache after her night out. There had indeed been karaoke. Terrible karaoke. It might be a good idea to check Facebook for incriminating videos. After popping a couple of pain killers and chugging a glass of water, she checked her phone.
It disappointed her that Bradley wasn't responding to her message. Oh well, it was a stupid text to send. One of the cardinal rules of the lifestyle was that if you saw someone outside the club, you didn’t acknowledge that you knew them from that setting. Many people were close friends outside of Exposure, so it wasn’t a big deal but in D.C. discretion was everything.
Vowing to forget the text, she focused on getting ready for the day. She was definitely hung over, but she could hide in her office all day unless Jim sprang a last-minute meeting on her. When she climbed out of the shower, her head was still pounding, and she decided to take the morning off.
After sending a message to her assistant telling her she wouldn’t be in until after lunch, she curled up on the couch with a stack of things she had been meaning to read. The time spent at home helped, and at noon she fixed herself lunch and headed out to face the day.
Chapter Twelve
Darci arrived at the ACSL building at one-thirty that afternoon. A grinning Kimberly greeted her in the reception area. What's gotten into her? It all made sense when she got to her office. Sitting in the center of the desk was a bouquet of aqua blue Gerber Daisy's with a small card attached. Kimberly was hovering in her doorway waiting for her to read the card. Darci chuckled and picked it up. Because she knew it would drive her nosy assistant crazy, she took her time opening the small envelope, turning it over several times before she finally lifted the flap.
“Come on Darci, don't be a tease. We need some excitement around here,” Kimberly whined.
I might go more often if I knew I would see you there.
Bradley
Her heart skipped a beat as she read the short note again. How did he know my favorite flower?
“Well?” Kimberly prodded.
“Just a new friend,” Darci said, grinning at the look of frustration on the young girl’s face.
“You're no fun,” Kimberly pouted, heading back to her desk.
Darci sat in her chair and thought about how to respond to his gesture. Answering a text with flowers? That's not something that had ever happened to her before. Reaching for her phone to send him a reply, she reminded herself that she couldn’t date him, but her reasons why were a bit fuzzy at the moment.
Thank you for the flowers.
But how did you know those are my favorite?
Less than a minute later he responded.
I told you. I'm a fan of your blog.
Oh Right! She would have posted something about that before. He must have been a true fan to remember a small detail like that. A few seconds later her phone buzzed again.
Will you consider moving our lunch date up a little?
Two weeks is a long time, don't you think?
She fired back,
It's not a date but I'll think about it.
Well, that sounded rude, she thought. Hopefully the follow-up smiley face she sent would make it seem less harsh. She had her assistant contact his to change the lunch meeting to tomorrow but decided not to tell him as much. A smile formed. Messing with him was fun.
For the rest of the day, she was in a cheerful mood despite still feeling hung over from last night's festivities.
A few hours later, a scan of the local headlines blew away her cheerful disposition. Sean Atleigh was pushing his anti-pornography bill even harder after the momentum he gained over Bradley’s comments on the air the other night. Seeing the bouquet in the corner made her angry, and she fought the urge to throw them out. Instead she called Kimberly into her office.
“Cancel my lunch with Bradley Givens please and have a messenger send him these.” Darci handed her six VIP tickets to the benefit and smirked. They were going to cost Atleigh eight grand each.
• • •
Bradley spent the afternoon struggling to keep a cheesy grin off his face. The flowers had been clever of him and seemed to be successful. It took all of his willpower not to invite her to dinner tonight. She was trying to defeat a piece of his boss’s legislation, and he was about to be buried in campaign events. It was important not to get too attached to the pretty redhead.
Thinking of the pornography bill, he shot an e-mail to Cassie asking him for a breakdown of the legislation. He wanted to be able to discuss it with ease when he met with Darci. As he was organizing his notes, Adara opened his door.
“Boss, I’m so confused right now. Darci Sanders just canceled your lunch meeting after she had me move it up just this morning.”
Bradley’s eyes grew wide and he frowned. “I’ll look into it Adara. Don’t worry about it.”
“She also sent this by messenger,” Adara said, handing him an envelope.
Bradley took it and opened it. She had sent him benefit tickets—the most expensive tickets available. He groaned. Oh well, she was doing him a favor after all. When he sent her a thank you message and asked why she canceled lunch, he got no response.
At the end of the day there was still no word from Darci, so he tidied his desk and took a few minutes responding to e-mails and reviewing his schedule before heading home. He also sent a donation to Peggy's charity. His calendar reminded him he was supposed to escort her to a benefit next week, so it seemed like the right thing to do. He should call and check on her. They hadn’t spoken since she had left him at the pub the other day.
By the end of the day on Thursday, Bradley was feeling anxious and cabin feverish. It had been a tiresome work week.
Darci was refusing to answer any of his attempts at communication. All his instincts told him to just give up on pursuing her. He did in fact know how to take no for an answer, but he couldn’t get her out of his head.
Now he was wrapping up his day, and he didn't relish the idea of going home to an empty apartment. He needed to get out of the house. It was Thursday night; he could go to Exposure.
The club was only open Thursday to Saturday each week. Going to the club alone had never appealed to him, but with any luck, he would run into Darci. Even if she didn’t speak to him, it would be nice to see her in an environment they were both comfortable in. Briefcase in hand, he headed home to change before taking his own car to the club.
&n
bsp; When he arrived at Exposure two hours later, he saw that Peggy was there, but she didn’t appear to be with anyone. Since she hadn’t spotted him yet, he decided not to approach her. Later, after he saw if Darci was there, he might talk to her. He moved around the large room that was the main dungeon but didn’t see her. Next, he checked the social area, but still no Darci. This was a mistake.
“Bradley?” a quiet voice behind him said. He turned to find Peggy standing there fidgeting with her fingers.
“Hello, Peggy. How are you?” He smiled at her, but she didn’t return it.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you liked this place,” she asked. Her tone turned from nervous to accusatory. Shit, he thought. How did he explain this to her?
“I found myself alone for the evening and thought I would check out the crowd,” he said with a shrug, hoping the explanation satisfied her. It didn’t.
“You wouldn’t be alone if you hadn’t dumped me.” She seemed angry now.
“Peggy don’t,” he said, but she interrupted him before he could finish.
“Goodnight Bradley. It was good to see you.” The leggy blonde turned and stalked towards the main entrance.
Bradley spent another hour wandering the club. Normally, he would have enjoyed watching others as they engaged in all manner of delicious and sexual activities, but tonight, everything he saw made him think of Darci.
How would she respond to a crop or a paddle? How long would it take for her pale skin to turn pink under his hand? What noises would she make if he tied her in his ropes? The thoughts had his pants growing tight. He tried to put her out of his head. Bradley couldn't remember a time when a woman had plagued his thoughts this way. It was a bad idea to come here. As he was considering leaving, Gary, the club’s owner, approached him.
“Was Peggy with you tonight?”
“Umm no, why?” Bradley asked, a puzzled look on his face.
“I’m sorry. You two were talking earlier and I know you’ve been together in the past. I ask because I just got a strange call from the owner over at Midnight Diamond. Apparently, she’s there and drunk. They were going to put her in a cab, but she mentioned your name and said you were here. I don’t know if you want to go get her or not.”
Bradley sighed. “We changed our dynamic but we’re still friends. I’ll take care of her.”
“Thanks man. And please tell her that if she’s going to be outing people at my club, she’s not going to be welcome back. I hate to sound harsh, but I take the privacy of our members seriously.”
Bradley nodded. “I get it man. I’ll have a talk with her. I promise.”
Twenty minutes later, he reached the Midnight Diamond. It was a less than discreet BDSM club. Marlie Dixon liked attending, but Bradley had avoided it. He was unaware that Peggy ever went there. Inside, he spoke to the owner who pointed in the direction of the girl.
Peggy sat on the couch, intoxication obvious in her face and body language. She was scowling at the burly man in black who was standing nearby. He had obviously been put there to babysit her. Approaching, he thanked the man for watching over her and sat next to her. “You’ve had too much to drink it would seem,” he said.
“Why the fuck do you care?” she bit out.
“That’s enough Peggy. I’ll help you get home. But first let me buy you something to eat. Come on,” he said rising from the couch.
“I don’t have to do what you tell me anymore,” she said sticking her tongue out at him. She sounded and looked like a bratty child. He closed his eyes, praying for patience.
“Peggy Lynn Jacobs stop being a brat this moment.” His tone was quiet, but his eyes were hard and cold. Though she said nothing, the change in her demeanor was instant. He lifted her from the couch by her arm and walked her to the coat area. Thank goodness she wasn’t wearing fetish attire tonight.
After collecting her coat and bag, he put her in his car and drove them to a nearby diner. The meal was awkward, but halfway through bacon and eggs she had sobered up a bit.
“I’m sorry Bradley. Our break-up just has me so upset,” she moaned.
“I’m sorry Peggy. I hate hurting people. But be honest. Were you really happy with me or were you just happy at the idea of the power couple we made?” She blushed, and he knew he was right. “Peggy you’re a wonderful woman. I mean that. You’re going to find someone that’s right for you, and I have a feeling they’ll be even more powerful than me.”
They finished their meal in relative silence. Bradley could tell she was still somewhat drunk, so he planned to drive her home, but she insisted on taking a cab. As they waited for the one he called, he made her promise to text him as soon as she was home safe. She started to argue, but he stopped her.
“Peggy, I mean it. If you’re going to take a taxi you damn well better text me when you get home. If you don’t, I’m calling the police.” She stuck her tongue out again. It was something he had punished her for numerous times. He stifled a laugh and gave her his meanest glare as the cab pulled up to the curb. “I mean it, Peggy.”
“I will. I promise,” she relented. She planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for taking care of me.” He gave her a little wave as she shut the cab door.
After the car disappeared, he stood in the parking lot for a moment. Poor Peggy he thought. At least she admitted that she wasn’t happy with him. Driving his own car, he headed home for the night. It was way later than he intended to stay out and tomorrow was a workday. To top it all off, he hadn’t run into Darci.
Chapter Thirteen
“Peggy, come on, answer the door!” Bradley banged on Peggy’s door again. He hadn’t heard from her since late last night when she sent her home safe text. She was supposed to meet a friend for lunch but never made it. They called Bradley and asked if he knew where she was. She wasn’t answering her phone, and she hadn’t shown up for work today either. That must be one hell of a hangover, he thought.
“I'm going to use my key if you don't open the door,” he shouted
He glanced up at the second-story window he knew was her bedroom. That’s odd, he thought. It was freezing last night. Why would she have the window open?
After several more minutes of knocking, he gave up and pulled out the key she had insisted on giving him. He should have given it back to her already, but it was proving useful now. “Peggy,” he called as he opened the door. “Come on, I know you were drunk, but this is a little ridiculous girl.”
He climbed the stairs trying to decide how mean he wanted to be if she was still asleep. The bedroom door was closed, so he knocked again. There was still no answer, so he pushed open the door.
“Peggy, come on, it's time to wa...”
He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes landed on the bed.
“Peggy! Oh my God no.”
Bradley's stomach churned and bile rose in his throat. Peggy was tied to the bed covered in blood. Her eyes were open. She had been terrified when she died. Bradley fumbled for his phone and dialed 9-1-1.
“FUCK,” he shouted not sure what to do next. The police instructed him to wait for them to arrive. He shut the bedroom door again and jogged down the stairs. This was a fucking nightmare.
• • •
He couldn’t believe Peggy was gone. How could this have happened? The image of her bloody, lifeless body was seared into his brain. After the police took his statement at the scene, they had asked him to come to the station.
Bradley's stomach was still in knots as he sat in a small room waiting to be interviewed. A tall man with dirty blonde hair and a five o’clock shadow entered. Bradley raised an eyebrow at the man. It was Detective Michael Silas, a fellow Dominant and member of Club Exposure. He started to say hello, but the detective gave a sharp shake of his head, indicating that Bradley should not acknowledge their friendship.
“You OK man? You look a little green.” The detective handed him a bottle of water. He took a long drink before answering.
“Uh yeah, I just... I
can't get Peggy's face out of my head. There was so much blood.” Bradley closed his eyes but opened them again. Her lifeless face was there waiting for him.
“I’m detective Michael Silas. I'm sorry for your loss, but I need to ask you a few questions.” Bradley nodded his agreement. The detective sat down and pulled out a notepad and started up a digital recorder. “This is Detective Michael Silas with D.C. Metro, Interviewing Bradley Givens for the record.”
Bradley recounted the story, trying to decide how much to tell him about being at the Midnight Diamond the previous evening. He decided to be honest and hope it didn't get out to the media. He did leave out being at Exposure. No sense ruining the privacy of people he considered family. Halfway through the interview, the detective’s cell phone rang.
“Detective Silas,” he answered. He listened for a moment as a frantic voice gushed something he couldn’t quite make out on the other line. “Darci, Jesus, calm the fuck down woman. I'll have to call you back. I'm interviewing the guy that found her. No, you can’t talk to him. Jesus woman I’m doing an official interview. I'll call you when I can.”
Darci? Bradley wondered if it was Darci Sanders but decided not to ask. Michael had been a member of the club longer than Bradley. It would make sense they knew each other. A moment later his own phone lit up. It was Darci. He hit ignore and finished the interview. By the time he left the station, he had four missed calls and two texts all from her.
“Darci, I'm fine. What's wrong?” he asked when he called her back.
“Oh, Bradley, I'm so sorry about Peggy. I heard you were the one that found her. I tried to get details from Michael... Detective Silas but he was talking to you when I called. I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. I’m so sorry.” Bradley let out an amused chuckle. She was talking a mile a minute.
