by Ivy Nelson
“I… that’s not the same thing,” she said through sobs.
“No. They aren’t the same thing. But you almost got yourself fucking killed and I’m going to need some time to process that. I care about you. I want to keep seeing you. But right now I need to figure some things out. Let me take you to dinner next week and we’ll talk.”
They were pulling into her driveway.
“I’ll think about it. I’m too upset to agree to anything right now. Goodnight Michael.”
“Goodnight Adara.”
The passenger door slammed, and he fought the urge to go after her as he watched her run to her front door.
Chapter 23
Adara stood in the entry of her house and tried not to collapse into a sobbing heap on the floor. This was not how she expected tonight to go. Comfort is what she’d been after from Michael and instead, he’d ripped her heart out. She had to pull herself together. There was still an election to win. People were counting on her. The media was going to be swarming her house anytime now. It honestly surprised her that they weren’t already camped out at her house.
She needed her phone and purse. There was work to do. Sure, she just wanted to curl up in bed and weep, but that wasn’t an option. She leaned against the door and looked out the front window. Michael was just now pulling out of her driveway. Why was he taking so long? He seemed just as upset as she was but she still didn’t understand why he dumped her.
OK, so he hadn’t actually dumped her but everyone knew when someone asked for space, it was a precursor to the breakup.
She wandered through her house. It had been several weeks since she’d stayed here. It was going to be strange. Hamilton was still at Michael’s house. She would need to get him home soon so she could feel less alone. Her car was in the driveway, she could go to Michael’s and get him, but she wasn’t sure she could face him again tonight.
It was important for her to get her head on straight before she saw him again. Her stomach made a loud rumbling sound. There had been no dinner at the restaurant and she was starting to feel it. Rummaging in her cabinets and freezer, she came up with the makings for spaghetti. There was a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of red wine on the counter. The whiskey seemed most appealing. Fifteen minutes later, she sat on the living room floor with a bowl of spaghetti and her second glass of whiskey. Halfway through the bowl and a crap TV show, a knock sounded. Setting the bowl on the coffee table next to the whiskey, she scrambled for the door.
Bradley and Darci were standing there with kind smiles. But the thing that made her grin was the goofy dog wagging his tail.
“Hamilton!” she exclaimed as she kneeled to hug him.
“I see how it is. No hugs for us?”
Adara grinned up at them. “Sorry. I was just really missing him.”
“Michael called us. He didn’t give us details, but it sounded like you might need friends tonight and he didn’t want you to be alone.” Adara’s heart constricted. Even when he was breaking her heart, he was thoughtful. What was she supposed to make of that? Standing, she embraced Bradley and then Darci. “Come in. You don’t happen to have my phone do you?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s long gone. But I got you a new one.” Bradley held up a bag.
“Bless you.”
“We also brought campaign things to work on. Figured you might want to stay busy,” Darci said.
She motioned them into her living room. “I’m having spaghetti and whiskey if you want some.”
Bradley laughed. “Clearly you needed us. I’ll skip the pasta but I’ll gladly join you for a glass of whiskey.”
The three sat quietly after Adara poured them all drinks.
“So. How much do you want to talk about?” Bradley finally asked.
She twisted the glass in her hands. “I’m honestly not sure. I’m so confused. I almost die and he basically breaks up with me over it. It’s kind of a dick move when you think about it.”
Bradley set his glass on the coffee table and rested his elbows on hisknees. “I’m kind of in a tricky spot here. If it were still just us, I would ask if you needed me to hate the guy with you or just listen. But, he is Darci’s best friend and you’re mine.”
Darci chuckled from her place next to him. “You owe him no loyalty because of me. I have a few questions for him myself. On the surface it does seem like a bit of a dick move.”
Bradley slipped his arm around his wife and kissed her head. “I do understand where he’s coming from. And to hear him tell it, he didn’t break up with you. He just needs some time to think about how to handle things.”
“What’s to think about? I get that I went off the reservation and broke his trust. But I think the circumstances called for it.”
“That’s your opinion. He’s entitled to his feelings about the situation too. The way he sees it, you broke a rule he gave you and as a result you almost died. I tell Darci all the time that I don’t make rules just because I’m her Dom and I can. Every rule, every order I give has a purpose. Sometimes my rules give her more orgasms and sometimes they keep her safe.”
Adara scrunched her nose. She didn’t need to hear about her best friend giving his wife orgasms. Bradley ignored her face and continued. “Doms need their submissives trust with these things and by you disobeying the order you were given, you told him you don’t trust him or you don’t think his rules are valid. I’m not saying he isn’t a jack ass. He is. But his feelings are valid. I just think he could have waited to talk about them until you were settled a bit from your experience.”
Adara closed her eyes. Everything he was saying made sense. It didn’t make it hurt any less.
“He wants to have dinner next week. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to say to him to fix this.”
“I have no doubt you’ll figure it out. The two of you are good together. Darci tells me you’re the first one he’s shown real interest in so don’t give up on it just because he has shit timing.”
“It feels like he’s the one giving up.” She tossed back the rest of her drink. “Can we talk about something else now? Did you have anything to do with the fact that the press hasn’t swarmed my house yet?”
“I think you can thank Peter for that. The media doesn’t know you’re home yet. They were able to keep it under wraps. I also may have promised a couple of networks a one-onone interview if they stay away for a few days.”
“That was thoughtful. What’s next on the agenda?”
“We need to have a press conference. Get out in front of the whole, your dad is a terrorist thing.”
“Dead terrorist. I think that’s an important part of the spin.” She shook her head. “This is not the sort of thing I ever expected to need to spin.”
They spent the next hour going over campaign strategy for the next several weeks. It would seem sleazy to some, but being kidnapped and nearly executed on camera was going to do great things for her poll numbers. She didn’t plan to use it purposefully, but there was going to be no getting around talking about it once word got out so controlling the image of it all was in her best interest.
As they finished the last of their second drink—Adara’s fourth—they said their good night’s. Adara promised to be in the office early in the morning. The whiskey might seem like a bad choice then, but tonight she just wanted to sleep and forget.
The next day went by without event. Every hour or so she checked her phone hoping to hear from Michael but so far, nothing. First thing in the morning she took care of being debriefed by Homeland Security and the FBI.
Next, she went to a campaign rally and held her first press conference since the kidnapping. It was the first time she stepped in front of news cameras and not felt apprehensive. For the first time, her past wasn’t hanging over her. There were no secrets threatening her life or the lives of her friends. It should have been a happy, freeing moment, but it wasn’t. This was a moment she wanted to share with Michael. Why was he denying her that?
As she st
epped down from the podium and went back inside the building, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.
Without looking at the screen, she answered.
“You look good on TV.” It was Michael.
“Thank you. It felt good to be there without secrets hanging over me.”
“Can we have dinner tonight?”
“I’m not sure. Can I get back to you?”
“Of course.”
“I have to go.” She pressed end call. Talking to him again stirred up her anger all over again. It was probably best if she went to dinner and heard him out, but her pride wasn’t letting her. It still stung, the way he handled things. She was going to need time to see him the same again.
Her phone lit up with a text message.
I’m sorry. Please have dinner with me.
Her chest tightened. She wanted to just say yes but something was holding her back.
I’ll think about it. I promise. I’m just really angry right now.
His response didn’t take long.
So am I. Just have dinner with me.
Now she had no problem telling him no.
Stop asking. I’ll call you when I’m ready.
She huffed and shoved her phone back into her pocket and went to meet Bradley and Leslie Hanover. “Adara. Darling. I’m so sorry for everything. I just feel awful about James. I feel like I led him straight to you. I’m so glad you’re safe.” Leslie hugged her as she spoke.
“Thank you Leslie. Don’t feel bad about James. You had no way of knowing who he was. I’m just glad to be home.”
“Leslie was just telling me we should talk to my dad about his support. He’s doing a D.C. fundraiser next week. He’ll endorse you to the locals and probably raise a bunch of money for his campaign and yours.”
“It’s a good idea Leslie. Bradley, feel free to set it up. Is it black tie?”
Bradley nodded. “Yes, a full works fundraising dinner and ball.”
“Awesome. Let’s do it.”
Adara should have been more excited. Being endorsed by the likely next President of the United States was a big deal. But her mind kept wandering to Michael. It would be fun to take him with her, especially if he put on a tux. But that didn’t seem like a possibility at the moment. Would they ever be able to patch things up? Did she want to? She just didn’t know. For now though, she had to focus on the job at hand. There would be time to think about Michael later.
At lunch, Darci came into the office to see Bradley.
“Hey Adara. Are you coming to the club tomorrow night?”
She hadn’t given it any thought. Should she? Why bother now? But she was curious, and maybe Michael would be there. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“You should. It might be good to check it out on your own.”
Bradley’s eyebrow rose at that but he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll think about it. I am a member now. I guess I should check it out again soon.”
### When Michael arrived, the party at Exposure was just getting started. He hadn’t intended to come tonight, but Darci had called him and insisted he join them. “You need to get out Michael. It’s been a stressful few days for you. You don’t have to play with anyone. Just come hang out and relax. You’ll work things out with Adara.”
He hoped so. After she had hung up on him yesterday, he was still feeling angry but he still wanted to sit down and talk to her. What he really wanted was to bring her to the club with him so they could play and talk and work things out. He looked around at the people already playing and his heart constricted. Damn Darci for insisting he come here tonight. It was a bad idea right now.
As he scoped out the scenes taking place throughout the room, Leah, a female dominant motioned him in her direction.
“You have time to teach me something with knives tonight?”
Michael considered it a moment and then nodded. “Sure. I’ve got my knife kit.”
“Thanks. My girl Jess has been dying to experience some knife play, but I just don’t have the skill for it. Where’s the girl you’ve been hanging out with?”
“Not able to be here tonight,” he said stiffly. “Lead the way. Let’s see if we can teach you a few things.” Before they reached the station that Jess was waiting at, Michael said, “I’ll need to get consent and negotiate with Jess as well as you. I don’t negotiate with someone else’s top.” The tall Mistress held up her hands.
“I respect that. Not trying to negotiate for her. Just trying to get the ball rolling.” When they reached the corner, Michael was tempted to ask the girl for ID she looked so young. But he knew the club vetted everyone carefully and there would be no underage people allowed in.
He introduced himself and began his normal negotiation spiel. Ask about limits, medical conditions he should be aware of. Physical and emotional triggers, the boring but very necessary stuff. Then he got to the fun part.
“What about knives appeal to you?”
She was a bit shy but a gentle prod from Mistress Leah got her talking.
“Hard steel, soft skin. I like the contrast it creates.” It came out a husky whisper. Michael understood what she was saying. He felt the same way about knives. An object that could induce great fear was also capable of bringing intense sensuality and pleasure. Cold steel on warm soft skin was a beautiful contradiction. It was a contradiction he wanted Adara to experience. He banished the thought. He needed to focus on the person in front of him so he didn’t hurt her. He was cautious about who he drew blood with, and he never did that on a first timer. But he could tell that Jess would take to knives instantly and her Mistress would need to learn the skill or allow her to play with others.
When negotiating was complete, he opened the pouch that held his knives and pulled out three blades he enjoyed using on beginners. They had agreed to a blindfold and sensual touching but no penetration with anything, no drawing blood, but marks that didn’t break the skin were OK.
Jess stripped out of the simple dress she was wearing—with nothing underneath—and laid on the massage table that was set up nearby. He pulled out a blindfold and slipped it over her eyes. Smoothing her hair after he stretched the elastic over it.
He motioned for Leah to join him at the table
“Do you have any experience at all with blades?”
She shook her head.
After directing her to keep physical contact with her submissive so she didn’t feel alone, he spoke in a low voice and went over a few safety tips before resting the first blade he had chosen between the girls breasts, letting her feel the weight of the knife and the temperature of the steel. Ber breathing changed almost immediately, and he enjoyed watching his knife move up and down as she inhaled and exhaled. Picking up the blade, he ran the unsharpened edge across the underside of her left breast and gently ran his other hand down her right arm. She shivered and a gentle moan escaped her lips. Mistress Leah chuckled.
“I guess I’m going to have to learn a lot about knives. I love her response already.”
Michael ran the knife across her torso then looked up to hand Leah the knife so she could try. His hand stopped mid air, the blade gripped in his fingers.
He was staring right at Adara.
Chapter 24
Adara stepped into Exposure feeling better than she had in the last few days. Convincing herself to come tonight had taken some work, but once she had, she was committed. Scanning the dungeon, her eyes settled on the couches where she had spent time with Michael the last two times she had been here. Then, she spotted the play station where she had been introduced to the idea of a public scene. The memories brought a flush to her face. As she was sweeping the dungeon one more time, looking for Darci, or Peter, or someone she knew, her breath caught and she froze in place.
Michael was next to a massage table with a very naked woman on it. A knife glinted in the dim light as he dragged it down the naked woman’s torso. Her st
omach knotted, and she tried to keepbile from rising in her throat. It certainly hadn’t taken him very long to move on. This had been a terrible idea. She should leave. But her feet seemed glued to the floor and she couldn’t make herself move. Her heart raced, and the room seemed to spin. With jerky movements, she finally managed to turn around and make a beeline for the exit. Bradley intercepted her.
“Where are you going?” His voice was stern, and he wore a frown. What was his problem? Then she recognized it. A look she had seen on Michael’s face more than once. He was in dominant mode. Just lovely. Not exactly what she needed right now. Not from him anyway.
“I’m going home. He clearly doesn’t care about me like I thought.” “Clearly? I don’t think anything is clear and I think you need to pull your head out of your ass.”
Her mouth fell open. In the decade they had been friends, he had never spoken to her like this. “You heard me,” he continued. His arms crossed over his chest, his black T-shirt stretching tight across him.
“Stop speaking to me like that. I am not your submissive.” She folded her arms, mirroring his posture.
“No, but you are my friend and I see you jumping to conclusions that you have no right to be jumping to. And even if it is what you think, he’s been asking you to sit down and talk for days and you won’t give him the time of day. After you ran off and nearly got yourself killed. An act for which I would have taken you over my knee for without question if you and I had the same arrangement the two of you have—”
“Had,” she said cutting him off and trying to step around him.
His hand shot out and gripped her arm. “Stop. You’re being ridiculous right now and you need to recognize that. You went through a terrible trauma but so did he. He had to sit there and watch that god damn video and so did I and there wasn’t anything either of us could do about it. I’ve already said I thought he was an ass for how he handled it but you’re being one too.”
