“Shall we begin?” said Richard, gesturing to the door, evidently wanting to move on with the proceedings.
I wondered what this part might be.
Constance took a deep breath. “How long do you watch for?”
“It’s a formality. Ticks in the right boxes. That kind of thing. Five minutes. How does that sound?” He lowered his gaze. “I’ll discreetly slip away and the next time you’ll see me will be at Chrysalis.”
“Where’s best?” said Constance.
“Bedroom’s fine,” said Richard.
“Well I’m ready.” Terrance rose and headed for the door, quickly followed by Constance.
“Stay here,” Richard warned me.
“She’s not coming with us?” said Constance.
Richard gestured for me to sit. “No.”
Constance came back and knelt at my feet. “Do you like puppies, Mia?”
“I love puppies,” I said, beaming at Richard.
He rolled his eyes.
Constance peered down at her Pomeranian. “Tilley has puppies.” She scratched her dog’s head. “Want to see them?”
“Yes, please.”
Constance sashayed towards the glass double doorway and opened it and I followed her. A sprawling green lawn spread out before us and beyond that an enormous blue pool. I’d certainly gotten the fun end of the deal and wondered where they were all going. Probably to sign the papers. Surely the office would be more appropriate?
Constance turned to face me. “They’re in the guest house.” She pouted. “Terrance has banned them from the house.”
“They shit everywhere,” he told Richard.
“We’ll be right back,” said Constance. “Mia, maybe you’d like to come back and play with me and the puppies sometime?” She flashed Richard a shy look. “If she’s allowed.”
Maybe we could swim too, I thought.
My gaze shot back to her then I looked at Richard.
“I keep Mia busy back at the office,” he said, gesturing. “Shall we?”
Had Constance just hit on me? She had. She’d frickin hit on me.
I watched them go.
My intrigue got the better of me. I headed off after them, making sure the housekeeper wasn’t around. Jolting to a stop at the foot of the sweeping stairway, I looked up to see Richard at the top of the stairs, glaring down.
He’d been waiting for me.
No words came out of my gaping mouth. I merely gestured to let him know I was puppy bound. I could have sworn he looked like he’d gleaned pleasure from my embarrassment. So I turned on my heel and went back the way I’d come.
Sitting crossed legged in the guest house, I played with one of the Pomeranian pup’s in my lap. Inside the velvet lined box, the other five tumbled around, crying for equal affection. I reached in, trying to placate them.
I cringed at my awkwardness and tried to take my mind off it, focusing instead on the puppy. It was certainly interesting to observe Richard interact with the Sullivan’s. He didn’t seem intimidated in the least by all this grandeur. I wondered if he’d grown up in a house like this.
“Have you had your puppy fix yet?” said Richard, leaning on the doorjamb.
Wondering how long he’d been there, I lowered the puppy back in with his siblings and climbed to my feet.
I headed after Richard. “Did it go all right?”
“Did what go all right?” He led me across the lawn and along the left side of the house.
“Signing the papers?”
“They haven’t signed them yet.”
“I thought that’s where you were going.” I broke his gaze and stared back up at the front of the house.
“Get in,” he said.
Our driver held the passenger door open for us.
I settled into the corner and reached for my seatbelt. “Do you travel everywhere with a driver?”
“That would be tedious,” said Richard, reaching for my seatbelt strap and tugging it across my chest.
“Why today?”
“Showmanship.”
The car glided out of the driveway.
I looked back up at the mansion. “But they didn’t see us arrive.”
“You know this for sure?”
Of course there may have been some truth in that. If it had been me I would have watched from a window in anticipation of Richard’s arrival.
“You made quite an impression,” he said. “Constance took a shine to you.”
“I think she hit on me,” I whispered, not wanting the driver to overhear.
Richard peered out of the window. “I’d take it as a compliment.”
This visit had been nothing but weird and I actually looked forward to returning to Enthrall. Within minutes we were back on the main road.
“Where did you go with them?” I said.
He gave a ghost of a smile. “To watch them fuck.”
“No really?”
His expression remained unchanged.
“It didn’t last long,” I said, my blush rising.
“I didn’t stay for the whole thing. Trust me, my hand twitched the entire time for my cell.”
I tried to wrap my head around what he’d revealed. “They didn’t mind?”
“It’s part of a one hundred year old tradition.”
“Tradition?”
“Our meeting today is to confirm they’re ready.” He turned to face me. “You have no idea what Chrysalis is do you?”
“I’m not sure I want to either.”
“You lied to me. You told me you knew.”
“You put me on the spot.”
His expression turned to disappointment. As though on cue, he reached into his pocket and removed his BlackBerry then ignored me.
Tension hung heavy and despite the air con it felt stuffy. I reached for the button to buzz down my window, but Richard’s wide-eyed reaction made me withdraw my hand and rest it in my lap.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
“Pull up here, please,” Richard ordered the chauffeur.
The car parked alongside the curb.
Richard stared dead-ahead as though deep in thought. After a minute or two he exited the car. I clicked off my seatbelt and slid along the seat to follow him out.
I deserved to be treated better than this. “Well, who are you going to watch doing it now?”
Richard looked amused. “Care for some?”
I frowned at him.
He tilted his head and gestured to Loard’s ice-cream store.
“Oh, yes please.” Maybe he wasn’t angry with me after-all.
A burst of cold air hit us on the way in. Line upon line of flavors rested in their multi-colored tubs secured behind a long glass window, promising no end of bliss.
“Vanilla cone, please.” Richard handed over his credit card. “And a coffee.”
He’d chosen for me and I tried to hide that it bothered me. Richard reached for the antiseptic gel and squirted some into his palm.
He motioned for me to hold my hands out. “Puppies are filthy.”
“They were cute.”
“Bacteria ridden fur balls.” He rubbed the gel into my hands, caressing them. He took his time massaging and my fingers tingled against his touch, the sensation relaxing.
The shop girl reached over with a cone. “Sir, there you go.” She handed him his coffee and card back.
The way she blushed made me realize it wasn’t only me he affected like this. Even Constance had acted like a school-girl right up until her husband appeared. I found that strangely comforting.
Richard handed me the ice-cream and led the way to a private booth. Sitting opposite, I waited for him to start talking, curious now more than ever about Chrysalis and why anyone would want to lock themselves away in there.
Richard eased off his coffee lid and took a sip. “Not bad.”
“Want some?” I offered my ice-cream.
He shook his head and leaned back, resting his arms on either side of his seat.
> Despite wanting mint, vanilla tasted good. This mom and pop store, though small, had a homemade coziness to it. They still had their Halloween decorations up.
“What does the word Chrysalis mean to you?” said Richard.
“As in butterfly?” I licked away.
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s like when a caterpillar is ready to become a butterfly it breaks out of its chrysalis.”
“And that is why our founder named our house in California, Chrysalis.” He picked up his cup. “It’s important to point out everything we do is with consenting adults.”
“So it’s like Enthrall, only people are doing it all the time. They live there?”
“They immerse themselves as either dominants or submissives, yes.”
“Why?”
“It’s complex.”
“Do they hate themselves?”
“No.” He looked serious. “By the time they come out they’re…refreshed. Revitalized. Renewed.” He held my gaze. “Reborn.”
I took a moment to consider his words, wondering if I’d ever understand them, or even understand anyone wanting that.
A flicker of a reaction from Richard showed he’d caught the gist of my thoughts.
“Is Constance going to be a submissive?” I said.
Richard pulled more napkins out of the silver holder and handed them to me. “Yes.”
I wiped the trail of cream trickling down my hand toward my wrist.
He pointed to his chin, mirroring mine. “Here.”
I wiped it off and got a nod of approval.
“And Terrance?” I said.
“Sub too.”
“I don’t think Constance is ready.”
He placed his lid back on.
I dabbed my mouth. “She’s doing it to placate her husband.”
“A psychiatrist with a laser-sharp perception has profiled them both. They’re ready.”
It was too much of a coincidence for Cameron not to be that man. “Maybe the psychiatrist’s wrong.”
Richard looked surprised and blinked several times at me.
“You told them you’d see them later?” I said.
“I visit there, yes.”
“Will I have to go there?”
“Do you bring in an annual income of at least 1.5 million dollars?”
“You know I don’t.”
“Then no. You’ll never see inside Chrysalis.”
I sat back. “So you do?”
“Did you just ask me how much I earn?”
I licked the cold creamy softness. “Maybe.”
His gaze fixed on me and he let out a sigh.
“Is everything all right?” I said.
“It really is.”
“What did you do before you worked at Enthrall?”
“Why?”
“I’m interested.”
“I was a stockbroker. I’m from New York.”
“Why did you come to L.A?”
“So I could breathe again.”
I twisted my mouth. “I thought there’s more smog here.”
“Cameron was here.”
“You’re really good friends, aren’t you?”
“The best.” He pushed his cup away. “Cameron gets me.”
“Where does he work?”
Richard caressed his brow. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not so sure you’re a good fit for us at Enthrall.”
I lowered my ice-cream.
“The staff like you,” he said. “But that’s not the point.”
“I’m sorry about that typo—”
“You misunderstand.”
“You underestimate me.”
He let out another long sigh. “I see your future and it looks—” He took the ice-cream from me and licked it. “Mmmm, vanilla.” He handed it back.
“I know what that means.”
“Well?”
“You’re telling me my life will be ordinary.”
“Actually, I was referring to your sex life.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re naive.”
“I’m not.”
“You are, Mia. I’ve sat here for the last ten minutes watching you with that ice-cream and you have no idea how arousing it is.”
Half in a daze and half to spite him I licked the ice-cream again. “You’re a pervert. You all are.”
“Oh Mia.” He beamed at me. “You have no idea.”
CHAPTER 8
HAVING ADDRESSED EACH INVITATION by hand for Chrysalis’s entire client list, I set about placing stamps on each one. This project would have been a lot easier had I been able to use a label maker. It had been an arduous task with over three hundred members receiving one. Richard had insisted this method ensured privacy as he’d handed over the gold embossed invites. When I finally looked up to take a breather, stretching my aching hand, I almost yelped.
Cameron stood a few feet away, that dark gaze of his burning a hole through me.
“Didn’t dare disturb you,” he said.
“Hey, Dr. Cole.” I tried to shake off this uneasiness, having not seen him enter the building.
“Please, call me Cameron.”
“Cameron.” I smiled. “Richard’s gone home.”
He twisted his mouth in disappointment. “I should have called first.”
My face burned up and I broke his gaze, reaching for my mouse and feigning something on the screen needed my attention. The last time I’d seen him had been three days ago when our strange ménage a trois of sorts had played out in Richard’s office. The life changing event that made me giddy when I thought of it. For goodness sake, this man had touched me intimately and yet now we were both being so formal with each other. Like nothing had ever happened.
He was still staring.
“How are you?” I said, trying to appear busy.
“More importantly, how are you?”
Please don’t want to talk about what you did to me.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Thank you so much for taking care of my car.” There, I’d parlayed an embarrassing moment into one that took the focus off me and placed it firmly on an inanimate object.
“That was my pleasure, Mia.” He moved closer and casually tucked his hands into his pockets.
I wondered if his patients fantasized about him getting into their pants as well as their minds. There was something so perfect about Cameron. He’d be a hard man to open up to for fear of disappointing him. Was he the psychiatrist who’d profiled the Sullivans? If so, I wondered how he concluded a person was ready for a stay at Chrysalis. Shouldn’t he be advising them to seek some form of treatment instead? Pop a pill. A round of therapy.
“Please don’t ask me what I’m thinking,” I said firmly.
“Why, what are you thinking?”
“That you want to talk to me about the other day.”
“Do you want to talk about the other day?”
“No, thank you.”
He lowered his gaze. “How are you settling in?”
“Great. I like it here.”
“Is your boss treating you well?”
“Yes, Richard’s very nice.”
“Nice?” He seemed to mull over the word. “Well that’s good to hear.”
I held up the list. “I was just finishing off with these invites.”
“You going?”
I placed the list back in their folder. “Richard told me it was probably best I didn’t.” I scrunched up my nose. “I don’t mind. Apparently things get pretty wild.”
“They kind of do,” he mouthed dramatically.
The way he’d said it made me smile. “I’m going to pop this back in his office.” I headed toward the door, file in hand, grateful Cameron had let me off the hook about discussing our recent tete-a-tete.
I was even thinking in French now, like a European hussy right out of a burlesque show. I hoped this shyness might soon pass. I needed to act normal and not let him see how he affected me. Still, from t
he way Penny and Scarlet acted when he was in the room they too were intimidated. I managed to make it past Cameron without looking at him.
“I can talk to Richard about letting you go to the party,” he said. “As long as you don’t go alone you’ll be fine.”
I paused by the door. “Richard was pretty insistent.”
He leaned against the desk and lowered his gaze. “He’s probably right.”
I forced another smile and headed through the door, making my way into Richard’s office. I secured the file safely away in his cabinet, locked it, and dropped the key back into his pen holder.
When I returned to my desk, Cameron had gone. It didn’t take me long to secure the invites into the lowest drawer, power down my computer, shred the post-it notes I’d scribbled on, and restock my printer paper. I went to grab my handbag and a wave of terror hit me. The gate to the elevator was wide open.
With a quick glance I confirmed my key to the elevator was still taped to the top of the lowest drawer. Whoever had gone down there hadn’t used mine. Though someone could have used it and placed it back during the time I’d been gone. I reached into my bag and pulled out my cell and texted Richard.
And waited.
Five minutes later and there was still no response from him. I wondered how he’d react to me visiting Enthrall’s forbidden zone to check for intruders. There was a lingering intrigue I’d not been able to shake. This out of bounds area had taken on a life of its own inside my imagination. Still, no way was I going down there.
Cameron reappeared from the staff hallway.
“I thought you’d gone,” I said, relieved to see him.
“Just left a note on Richard’s desk.”
“Why don’t you text him?”
“Not answering.” He glanced at his watch. “He’s probably out on a run.”
“Look.” I pointed to the gate.
“I thought we were the last ones here.”
“So did I.” I stared at the elevator as though this alone would cause it to spill its secrets.
“Let’s check it out.”
“I’m not allowed.” I raised my hand to let him know I had no intention of going anywhere near there.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, calling the elevator. “You’re with me.”
The doors parted and we stared into an open elevator.
Cameron strolled on in and gestured for me to join him. “It’s safer. I don’t want to leave you up here alone.”
[Enthrall Sessions 01.0] Enthrall Page 7
