TRUTH

by Sherri Hayes

  Lily glanced over at me. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Brianna. This is the part where you tell your friend all the things you can’t talk about to anyone else. This is girl time.”

  “Oh. Um . . .”

  “You can tell me anything.” She paused. “Or if you have questions, I’ll try to help. That’s how it works.”

  “Okay.” I was quiet for a few minutes as I tried to gather my thoughts. There was only one thing I really wanted to ask her. One thing I’d been dying to know the answer to. “Lily?”

  “Yes?”

  “How . . . how do I tell Stephan that . . . that I love him?”

  Stephan

  I was trying my very best to stay out of Michael’s office. He would come find me once he was done analyzing Ian’s statements. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have anything else to do.

  At five o’clock, I forced myself to go home without making a detour to our new CFO’s office. Being so close to having something that would put Ian Pierce behind bars was driving me crazy. I knew I needed to exercise patience. A distraction would have been good. Unfortunately, I was going home to an empty condo since Brianna was out shopping with Lily. I couldn’t even call Logan to come keep me company since he was still out of town until the following day.

  The first thing I noticed when I walked into my condo was the smell of food. Warm food. Going into the kitchen, I found a note on the counter in Brianna’s handwriting.

  I made dinner. Everything is in the crockpot. I hope you like it.

  It was signed Brianna.

  I smiled. She was taking care of me even when she wasn’t there.

  Lifting the lid of the crockpot, something in my kitchen I’d never used before, I saw a small roast, potatoes, and carrots simmering in brown gravy. If it tasted half as good as it smelled, I doubted there would be much, if any, left by the time she returned home.

  Dinner was lonely. I was used to having her there with me. Even if we didn’t typically talk much as we ate, her presence alone made a difference. I missed her.

  I took my time cleaning up, even wiping down the already spotless counters. Once that was finished, I was at a loss. Sitting in my chair, reading a book, or watching television didn’t hold any appeal without her, so I grabbed my laptop and went upstairs to my study. Maybe I could at least get some work done.

  It was almost eight o’clock when I heard the door downstairs open. Without thinking, I was already on my feet and headed down the stairs.

  “Sir?”

  Brianna called out moments before she came into view. Her hair looked damp, and for the first time I realized it had started raining outside.

  She smiled when she saw me. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  I walked toward her. She stood watching me, not moving, shopping bags in both hands.

  “Did you have fun with Lily?” I asked, crowding closer to her.

  “Yes.” She looked up at me. Her chest rose and fell with ever-increasing speed as I backed her up against the door.

  “Drop the bags, Brianna.”

  I still hadn’t touched her, but that didn’t matter. She did as I instructed.

  Leaning in, I skimmed my nose along the skin of her neck, up to her ear. “I missed you.”

  She sighed. “I missed you, too.”

  “Did you eat?”

  “Yes.”

  I towered over her, taking possession, control, while barely touching her.

  “Good, because I don’t plan on letting you out of my bed for the next couple of hours.” Without waiting for her response, I swept her up in my arms and carried her to my bedroom.

  True to my word, Brianna and I spent the next two hours in my bed. I’d even brought out the bullet vibrator and had some fun with her. She was now bare, and I loved it. The feel of her skin, sans hair, sliding against mine was something I couldn’t quite put into words. The only thing that would have made it better was if I could have gone without a condom. I didn’t want anything between us, but I knew I had to wait a little while longer. She’d gotten the all clear on her first blood test, but she would need another to be sure. The three-month mark couldn’t come soon enough.

  When I couldn’t put it off any longer, we made our way into the shower to clean ourselves up. There hadn’t been a lot of talking once I’d gotten her in bed, so I made the effort as we washed. “How did the waxing go?”

  She reached up to run the loofah across my chest. It had become a ritual of sorts. Whenever we showered together, I washed her and she washed me.

  “Julie noticed my scars.”

  I had to assume Julie was the esthetician. “Did you tell her how you got them?”

  Brianna shook her head.

  Taking the sponge from her, I had her turn around so I could wash her back. “Was the waxing what you expected?”

  “No. It didn’t hurt as much as I remember.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad.”

  I kissed her shoulder before turning her and kneeling down between her legs. Opening her up, I cleaned away the remnants of the wax I’d noticed earlier.

  When I stood back up, she had a look on her face I didn’t understand. “What is it, Brianna?”

  “I . . .”

  Stepping closer, I aligned our bodies and held her face between my hands. “You can tell me, sweetheart.”

  “I love you.”

  My heart pounded at her words, as if it would beat out of my chest with the pure joy I felt. “You love me?”

  She nodded.

  Brianna pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze. I realized she was nervous about the confession she’d just made. Did she really think I didn’t feel the same?

  “Look at me.”

  I waited until her hesitant gaze met mine. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me, sweetheart. I’ve been . . . I’ve been waiting . . . hoping . . . that one day you might feel for me as I do for you.”

  She still appeared confused, so I spelled it out for her.

  “I love you, Brianna.”

  At first, there was no reaction. Then it was as if my words finally sunk in, and a beautiful smile spread across her face.

  “Lily said I should tell you.”

  “Lily said?”

  She nodded.

  “How long ago did you realize how you felt?”

  “Saturday.”

  “Saturday? This past Saturday?”

  Brianna nodded again.

  “When?”

  “After you read my journal.”

  I pulled her against my chest and held her. “Is that what’s had you worried this week, love?”

  “Yes,” she whispered against my chest.

  “Here I thought it was the waxing appointment that had you all tied up in knots. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I . . .”

  I leaned back so I could see her face.

  “The women in the books . . . they all were scared to tell the men how they felt. They were all worried that he wouldn’t feel the same way and . . . and leave. I didn’t . . . I didn’t want you to leave me.”

  Hugging her back to me, I placed kisses all along her forehead, her face, wherever I could reach without releasing her. “I would never leave you. You are the strongest, most honest woman I’ve ever met. I want you in my life for as long as you’ll have me.”

  We stood in the shower until the water began to cool. I had mixed feelings about leaving the cocoon the shower enclosure provided. The admission of our feelings had created a type of bubble, and I didn’t want anything to break it.

  Slipping back under the sheets, I held her as close as humanly possible. “Never be afraid to tell me something, love. It will never change my feelings for you. I love you, and I always will.”

  Chapter 25

  Stephan

  To my great disappointment, Michael still had not sought me out about Ian’s bank statements. Other than passing him in the hallway, I hadn’t seen him. By the end of the day on Friday I couldn
’t take it anymore and knocked on his office door.

  “Come in.” He glanced up from his computer. “Oh. Mr. Coleman.”

  “Sorry to bother you. Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course.” He gestured to the chair for me to sit down.

  “I won’t take up much of your time. I know you’re swamped, but I was curious if you’d had the chance to look into the bank statements any further.”

  Michael removed his glasses and laid them down on the desk in front of him. “I have, although I’m not finished. I’ve mostly been going over them in the evenings at home.”

  I nodded in understanding. In a way, I felt guilty asking him to review bank documents that had nothing to do with his job. My need to make Ian pay quickly overrode any adverse feelings on the matter.

  “I still have several pages to go through. I was planning to spend the weekend combing through the rest of them.”

  “I don’t mean to rush you, it’s just—”

  He held up his hand to stop me. “If this man hurt someone you care about, I can understand your urgency. I have a daughter. She lives with her mother, so I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like, but if someone hurt her . . .” Michael let the implication hang in the air for nearly a minute. “I should have something for you on Monday.”

  Monday. Brianna’s birthday. For some reason, that seemed appropriate, considering she was the one who’d suffered most from his torturous ways.

  “I’ll let you get back to work.”

  Traffic on the way home was worse than normal for some reason, and I called Brianna to let her know I’d be a little late. Thankfully, since I didn’t live that far from the office, I only had another fifteen minutes tacked on to my usual drive time.

  Tonight we were going out with Ross, Jade, and their friends. The tickets had arrived at my office the previous day. According to the tickets, the band was called Black Diamond.

  When I arrived home, Brianna was in the kitchen as usual. She smiled when she saw me, but I could see the apprehension in her eyes. We’d talked about the concert, and her biggest fear was that she would have a panic attack in the middle of the club. With so many people around, it was a valid concern.

  I went to greet her, pulling her into my arms for a not-so-chaste kiss. “How was your day?”

  It took her several seconds to get her breathing under control enough to answer me. “Good.” She lowered her eyes.

  “Did something happen, or are you just nervous about tonight?”

  “Tonight.”

  I brushed my lips across her temple before burying my face in her hair and taking in her scent. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be right there with you.” And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, so would Cal and Jade.

  As planned, Brianna and Jade had gone grocery shopping on Thursday. The whole time she was gone, I’d been worried. Everything had gone as well as it could have. Jade never left her side. The only hiccup they’d had was when a fellow student had recognized Jade and came over to say hello. It happened to be a male student. Brianna had reacted as she normally did around strange men and retreated into herself. Jade, luckily, had realized Brianna’s distress and removed her from the situation as soon as she could.

  I was glad Brianna was making friends. That didn’t mean I didn’t walk on eggshells every time she left our condo with someone else. Even with Lily, I waited with bated breath for Brianna to call me and let me know she’d arrived back home safely. As much as I hated to admit it, I wasn’t sure that would ever change.

  Brianna and I ate dinner, showered, and dressed for our night at the club. She’d asked what she should wear, so I’d picked out a simple black dress that clung to her body in all the right places. It was made out of some kind of stretch material that was clingy but not tight. I wanted her to be comfortable. As always, she looked beautiful.

  Finding a place to park proved somewhat difficult. All the parking spots on the streets surrounding the club were full. If all of these people were going to the concert, the club was going to be at capacity. I reached into my pocket and palmed the collar and leash I’d brought with me. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to use them, but it was better to be prepared.

  After helping her from the vehicle, I linked our arms and walked toward the club. As we got closer, the number of people on the sidewalks increased. Brianna tightened her hold on my arm. In response, I placed my free hand where hers rested on my arm and squeezed, reminding her I was right there beside her.

  When we turned the corner, the club entrance came into view. There was a line of people waiting to get inside. Brianna stopped walking, and I glanced down to find all color had left her face.

  “Number?”

  It took her more than a minute to answer me. “Five.” She paused. “Six. Five.”

  I chuckled. “How about we go with five and a half?”

  Kissing the top of her head, I moved us up against the building and wrapped both my arms around her. Brianna rested her cheek against my chest and fisted my shirt in both her hands.

  “Do you want to go home?” Although I’d asked, I wasn’t sure I would agree to it even if she said yes. She needed to be around people if she was ever going to get over her fear.

  “No.” Her voice was shaky, but I was pleased with her answer.

  “Good girl.”

  She snuggled closer. We attracted some looks from passersby, but I don’t think Brianna noticed. Her eyes were closed.

  Checking my watch, I knew we needed to get in line. The concert would be starting in roughly half an hour, and we needed to find Ross and Jade.

  As if on cue, Ross stepped outside. He looked down the line of people and then turned in our direction. When our gazes locked, I nodded, letting him know I saw him.

  “Ross is waiting for us.”

  Brianna opened her eyes, looked up at me, and then glanced in the direction of the club. I knew the moment she saw him. She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

  Re-linking our arms, I guided her to where Ross was waiting. He ignored me and focused on Brianna.

  “Everything all right?”

  She nodded, but her entire body was rigid from her anxiety.

  He looked to me for confirmation. “Perhaps getting inside and to our table will help.”

  Ross seemed to agree. After saying a few words to the bouncer, I handed him our tickets and we were through the door.

  The club was dark, as most clubs were. People were everywhere, and I made sure to position Brianna in front of me as we started moving through the crowd. A woman bumped into us about halfway to our table, and Brianna froze. Without overthinking it, I halted our movement and reached into my pocket. Removing the collar, I used both hands to secure it to her wrist.

  Her reaction was almost immediate. With the collar around her wrist, she calmed considerably. In this instance, the low light worked to our advantage. No one around us gave any indication that they’d noticed the addition to her wardrobe. No one but Ross. As we approached the table and he turned around, he zeroed in on the piece of leather around her wrist and followed the leash up to where I had it wrapped around my hand.

  I was sure he was going to say something until Jade popped up from her seat and broke the growing tension. “I’m glad you came, Anna. This is going to be so much fun.”

  We all took our seats, and I positioned Brianna as close to me as possible. Ross frowned. Jade smiled knowingly.

  “I guess we should introduce everyone.” Ross was still giving me the evil eye, so Jade took over the introductions.

  Brianna

  There were people everywhere. I’d been close to saying yellow when that lady ran into us. Everyone was so close, pushing each other. Each breath had been an effort, and then when she’d touched me, everything stopped.

  The feel of leather enclosing my wrist brought a sense of comfort and security. I knew Stephan had brought the collar. I’d seen him slip it into his pocket. Maybe I should have felt awkward or embarrassed because he had
me on a leash, but I didn’t. He knew what I needed, and I trusted him to do what was best.

  Jade introduced us to the other people at the table while Cal sat grumpily by her side. I knew he still didn’t care for Stephan, but his reaction seemed over the top given we’d only just arrived. I didn’t understand it. Had something happened I wasn’t aware of?

  “Anna, Stephan, I’d like you to meet Justin, Mandy, and Phillip.”

  Stephan adjusted my hand so that it lay in his lap, just below his crotch. I knew without his saying anything that he wanted me to keep it there. “Nice to meet you.”

  A man approached the table, and I leaned into Stephan. He was about as tall as Stephan, maybe a little taller. The man smiled. He didn’t seem threatening, but sometimes it was impossible to tell.

  “I see your friends got here,” the man said.

  “Hey, Brian.” Jade motioned to us. “This is Anna and Stephan.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” Stephan held out his hand to greet Brian.

  “Anyone been over to get your drink orders?”

  The question was directed toward Stephan and me, but Jade answered. “No. Not yet. Everyone looks pretty busy.”

  “They are, but I’ll send someone over. No matter how busy the bar gets, they still need to take care of the tables.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to get backstage and check on the band. Make sure everything’s ready to go.” Then he turned his attention to us again. “If I don’t make it back over later, it was nice meeting you.” Brian’s gaze lingered on me a little too long before he walked away from our table, and I shivered.

  “I’m right here,” Stephan whispered in my ear as he tugged on the leash.

  I nodded and took a deep breath. Everything was fine.

  Justin shifted in his chair and took a drink of the beer in front of him. Everyone at the table had a drink except Stephan and I. “Have you guys ever been to Crazy Lewie’s before?”

  “No. This is the first time.”

  “How about you?” This time his question was directed solely at me.

  I shook my head.