by Stone, Anna
“What happened?” Lindsey asked.
“What happened is that I ruined everything for her.”
“Just tell me what happened. Start from the beginning.”
Faith told Lindsey everything, from that night at Lilith’s when she’d exploded on Eve, to the moment Eve had shown her the video. Her explanation was all jumbled up, just like the feelings inside her.
“And then she said she needed space and told me not to come back.” Faith slumped in her seat. “This is such a mess. Eve is going to lose her kids. All because of me.”
“Faith, this isn’t your fault,” Lindsey said. “I’m sure Eve doesn’t blame you for what happened.”
“But it is my fault. We never should have gotten together in the first place. I was the one who kept pushing her. I had to find out if she was the woman in the corset. I had to confront her when she was being cold to me after the party. I convinced her to continue with this twisted fling of ours, even though we both knew it would put her family at risk. If I’d just let things lie, none of this would have happened.”
“You know that’s not true. You didn’t force Eve into this relationship with you. She made a choice, just like you did.”
“Well, clearly she regrets it now,” Faith said.
“Are you sure? For starters, did Eve say things were over between you?”
“She didn’t have to. She said she needed space. And considering what she’s dealing with, that’s understandable.”
“I’m sure the two of you can work it out,” Lindsey said. “Believe me, you don’t want things between you to end over a misunderstanding. ”
“There’s no point in trying to work things out. Even if she still wanted to be with me, I wouldn’t want to mess things up with her family any further.” Faith shook her head. “This is for the best.”
“Faith—”
“Really, it is,” Faith said. “This is hard. I want to be there for her. I care about her so much. But that’s why I have to stay away. You should have seen the look in her eyes.” Her shoulders shook in a silent sob. She steadied herself. “I can’t risk tearing Eve’s family apart. I can’t be the reason the twins grow up without a mom.”
“Oh, Faith.” Lindsey put her hand on Faith’s arm. “None of this is your fault. And you haven’t torn her family apart. You still don’t know how this custody situation is going to turn out.”
“Eve doesn’t even want to fight it. She’s just given up. She thinks the video is the final nail in the coffin.”
“Wait.” Lindsey cocked her head to the side. “That video. It’s from inside Lilith’s Den?”
Faith nodded.
“And Eve’s ex-husband took it?”
“Yeah.”
“You can’t take videos inside Lilith’s. Didn’t you read those agreements you signed the first time you went there?”
“Of course not,” Faith said. “There were so many pages!”
“Well, if you’d read them, you’d know that filming inside the club isn’t allowed. Even photos aren’t allowed. Confidentiality is a big deal there.”
“I don’t think Harrison cares.”
“Maybe he doesn’t,” Lindsey said. “But he signed those agreements too. Everyone who walks through the doors at Lilith’s Den does. They’re legally binding. There are serious penalties for breaching them.”
“Penalties? Harrison can just pay his way out of them. Or lawyer his way out of them.”
“I don’t think so. You know the owner of Lilith’s Den? Vanessa? You met her that night I invited you along, remember?”
Faith nodded.
“She’d want to know that this kind of thing happened at her club,” Lindsey said. “She takes privacy really seriously. And she might be able to help.”
“I doubt she can do anything. I don’t think you understand how much money and power Harrison has.”
“Vanessa has money and power too. You and Eve should talk to her.”
“There’s no ‘me and Eve,’” Faith said. “Not anymore.”
“Well at the very least, you can still tell Eve to talk to Vanessa. Let her know Vanessa might be willing to help.” Lindsey frowned. “Now that I think about it, I’m surprised Eve isn’t looking into that angle already. If she’s a regular at the club, she knows what a big deal it is for someone to take a video inside Lilith’s. And on top of that, there’s an unwritten rule in the BDSM community that you don’t out anyone. Ever .”
Eve had said the same thing to Faith once. “I guess she didn’t think of that. This whole situation has her really shaken up.”
“All the more reason you should talk to her about it,” Lindsey said.
“She made it clear that she didn’t want to see me.” Eve was right to feel that way .
An exasperated look crossed Lindsey’s face. “Just think about it, okay? Right now, you’re hurting. Eve isn’t the only one who isn’t seeing things clearly. Promise me you’ll take some time to think it over?”
“Fine,” Faith muttered.
“Good.” Lindsey placed her hands on Faith’s shoulders. “You can’t give up on her, Faith. What you have with her, it’s something special. I don’t even know her, but I can tell. You’ve been different lately. Happier. More like the Faith I met our first day of art school.”
“Is that a good thing?” Back then, Faith had been newly eighteen and still adjusting to the real world after years of being caged. She’d gone a little wild.
Lindsey smiled. “I think it is.”
Faith sighed. The years that had followed had been tumultuous, but she’d felt freer than ever before. And Eve had given her back that feeling.
But that was all over now. She’d screwed everything up for Eve. Eve was right to get rid of her. Right to ask for space.
It was better if she just stayed away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
F aith lay on her old gray couch, staring up at the ceiling. She had nothing to do now that she was out of a job. Sure, Eve hadn’t explicitly fired her. But she’d made it clear she didn’t need Faith’s services. And she’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with Faith.
Faith hugged a cushion to her chest. Several days had passed since that night in Eve’s office, and she’d been consumed by worry ever since. It wasn’t just Eve she was worried about. What was going to happen to the twins if Eve gave up fighting for them?
Faith didn’t know much about Harrison and his family other than what Eve had told her. They’d certainly made Eve’s life hell. But that didn’t mean they would treat the twins the same way. Leah and Ethan had never had anything bad to say about their father and grandparents. Maybe living with them full-time wouldn’t be so bad for the twins.
Faith threw the cushion across the room. She was deluding herself. There was only one thing about the situation that Faith was certain of. Eve was a good mother. She was a good person.
She didn’t deserve to lose her kids.
Lindsey’s advice played in her head again. Faith had a potential solution to Eve’s problem in her lap. Didn’t she owe it to Eve to tell her? It was a solution Eve couldn’t see for herself. She was too scared. She wasn’t thinking straight. She was giving up when she could still fight.
Faith sighed. Wasn’t she doing the exact same thing Eve was? Letting fear win? Wasn’t that why she was so adamant that she had to stay away from Eve? She kept telling herself that Eve wanted her gone, but that wasn’t what was truly keeping her away. She’d shut herself off from even the idea of ever seeing Eve again, not for Eve’s sake, but for her own. She’d fled at the first sign of rejection, just to keep herself from feeling that same pain she’d felt so many times before.
Faith steeled herself. This wasn’t about her, or her feelings. This was about Eve and keeping her family together. Faith owed it to Eve to help her in any way she could.
She just hoped Eve would listen.
Faith rang Eve’s doorbell and waited. She didn’t even know if Eve was home. She still had a key, b
ut she wasn’t about to waltz into the house after everything that had happened.
She glanced at the camera by the doorbell. Had Eve seen her already? Was she ignoring her, waiting for Faith to give up and leave? Faith wouldn’t blame her. If she was in Eve’s shoes, she wouldn’t want to see Faith either.
She was about to leave when the door swung open .
“Hello, Faith,” Eve said.
Faith’s heart sank. Eve looked as put together as ever, but her face was a mask of worry. It hurt to see her like this. Faith longed to wrap her arms around her, tell her everything was going to be okay. But it wasn’t her place. And that wasn’t why she was here.
She pulled herself together. She had to focus on helping Eve.
Eve stepped to the side. “Why don’t you come in?”
Faith followed Eve through the house and into the living room. There was no sign of the twins. Eve sat down stiffly on the couch. Faith joined her.
Eve looked at Faith, her eyes filled with emotion, and gave her a faint smile. “It’s good to see you.”
Why was Eve smiling at her? Why, when she was in the midst of this crisis, caused by Faith herself?
Faith’s resolve crumbled under Eve’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” she blurted out. “I’m so sorry, and I know you don’t want to see me again, but I want to help you. I want to fix this, and I think I know how.”
“Faith.” Eve held up her hands. “Slow down. What are you talking about?”
“I caused this whole mess, and you said you wanted space, but I need to tell you how you can fix all this.”
“What? You didn’t cause this. And when I said I needed space, I meant space to think.” Realization dawned on Eve’s face. “Did you think I meant I didn’t want to see you again?”
“Well, yeah.”
Eve flinched back. “I didn’t mean that. I didn’t mean to come across as so cold. I was distracted, worried about losing the twins, and I didn’t think about what I was saying. I never meant for you to think this was your fault.”
Had Faith really misread everything? For some reason, the knowledge didn’t make her feel any better.
“I know I said some harsh things, and I’m sorry,” Eve said. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I shouldn’t have said you wouldn’t understand because you’re not a mother. And I shouldn’t have said I needed space. I regret saying that so much. Faith, this whole time, I’ve been beside myself with worry. I wanted so badly for you to be here with me. But I thought that you’d want space too.” Her eyes wavered. “I dragged you into this family drama that you should never have been involved in. I didn’t think you’d want to be a part of that.”
“I thought that was what you wanted,” Faith said. “Me, out of the way.”
“I would never, ever want that. Faith, the other night I said that what we have has made me feel more alive than I ever have in years. More complete.” She laid her hand on top of Faith’s on the couch between them. “I didn’t mean having you as my submissive. I meant how I feel about you in my heart. I care about you, Faith. I want to be with you.”
Something flitted inside Faith’s chest. Wasn’t that what Faith wanted too?
But she had too many conflicting feelings swirling about inside her. Too many doubts, too many uncertainties. And she couldn’t possibly be happy with Eve knowing that their relationship was destroying Eve’s family.
She drew her hand away. None of that mattered right now. She had to tell Eve how she could fix things.
“That’s not why I came here,” Faith said. “I came to tell you that I have an idea of how to handle the situation with Harrison.”
A pained expression crossed Eve’s face, but it quickly disappeared. “All right. Tell me.”
Faith took a breath and explained what Lindsey had told her. About Harrison breaching the club’s agreement and how they could use it to fight him.
“So,” Faith said. “What do you think?”
Eve sat forward, leaning toward Faith. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought about any of that. But I don’t know if it will help. I don’t know if there’s anything we can do about it, even with Vanessa’s help.”
“I don’t know either,” Faith said. “But you have to try. Eve, I’ve gotten to know your family so well since I started working for you. I care about you, and I care about the twins. I know as well as you do that Harrison getting full custody isn’t the best thing for them. I know that splitting your family apart like this isn’t right. You have to fight this. If not for your sake, then for Leah and Ethan’s.”
“You’re right,” Eve said. “God, you’re right. The more I think about it, the more I’m certain that I can’t let this happen. I can’t let the twins be taken in by the kind of people that would do something like this. By the kind of man who would blackmail the mother of his children.” Her jaw set. “I can’t let him do this.”
“So you’re going to fight this?”
Eve nodded. “Let’s call Vanessa.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
E ve drummed her fingers on the tabletop. She and Faith were in the conference room at Eve’s office, waiting for Harrison to arrive. The trap was set. However, one crucial piece of the plan was missing.
Faith looked at Eve. Her face was wrinkled with worry. She took Eve’s hand under the table and squeezed it. “Don’t worry,” she said. “She’ll be here. This is going to work.” It had to. The fate of Eve’s family all depended on it. “Everything will be okay.”
Eve gave her a half-smile. “Thanks again for agreeing to come along. I really appreciate it.”
“I meant it when I said that I’m here for you if you need me.” Faith still hadn’t made up her mind about the two of them, but she couldn’t bear to see Eve like this.
The door swung open. A tall, raven-haired woman strode into the room. “Sorry I’m late,” Vanessa said. “I got held up in traffic.”
“It’s fine,” Eve said. “Harrison isn’t here yet.”
Eve had called her ex-husband the day before and asked him to meet her here to discuss the custody situation. She’d made it sound like she was ready to give in to his demands. He’d made her promise not to bring her lawyers.
He hadn’t mentioned bringing anyone else along.
“Faith.” Vanessa nodded at her. “Hello again.”
“Hi.” Faith was surprised that Vanessa remembered her. They’d only met once, at Lilith’s Den that night. It seemed like so long ago. “Thanks for helping out with this.”
“It’s no trouble.” Vanessa sat down at the end of the table. “Besides, it’s in my best interests to resolve this. No one violates the privacy of my club and gets away with it. And I won’t stand for this kind of disgusting blackmail.”
Although Vanessa appeared calm and collected, the anger in her voice was palpable. That was reassuring. She really seemed to care about the situation. Faith sensed Eve relax a little too.
The door to the conference room opened again. In walked Harrison with that same confident swagger he’d shown the last time Faith had met him.
He looked around the room, his eyes clouding over. “I told you to meet me alone.”
“You said no lawyers,” Eve said. “You didn’t say anything about anyone else.”
Harrison’s eyes landed on Faith. He snorted. “You brought your nanny? The one you’re fucking?”
“She’s not just my nanny,” Eve said. “She’s so much more to me than that. And I brought her along for support.”
He looked between the two of them. “So this is the real reason you left me? Because you’re a lesbian?”
“Oh, please. Leaving you had nothing to do with my sexuality. ”
Vanessa cleared her throat. “Are you two done? We have more important things to discuss.”
Harrison looked at Vanessa, frowning. “I know you from somewhere.”
“Vanessa Harper,” she said.
Recognition dawned on his face. Apparently, on top of secretly owning Lilith’s Den, Vanessa
was some big-shot CEO. Her power and status were what their whole plan hinged on. It was clear from Harrison’s reaction that her name held a lot of weight.
“What are you doing here?” Harrison asked.
Vanessa gestured toward a chair across from Eve and Faith. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Harrison sat down, a bemused expression on his face.
“Eve and I are acquaintances,” Vanessa continued. “She told me all about you and your little blackmail plot. You see, you probably don’t know this about me, but I own Lilith’s Den.”
Harrison’s face twisted with disgust. “You own that fucked-up place?”
“I do. And that ‘fucked-up place’ is patronized by lots of powerful people. They all take their privacy very seriously, for obvious reasons. It’s why the club has such strict confidentiality rules. By taking a video inside the club, you violated those rules.”
Harrison crossed his arms. “So, I broke some rules. It’s too late to do anything about it now. You can ban me if you like. I’m never going back there.”
“Oh, I can do much more than ban you.” Vanessa’s voice grew icy. “Before you entered Lilith’s Den, you signed a number of legally binding agreements. One of these was a confidentiality agreement, which included a clause prohibiting any photography or recording of videos inside the premises.”
“What, you’re going to sue me?” Harrison said. “You know as well as I do that we’ll just end up in a drawn-out legal battle. Are you sure you’ll come out on top?”
“I have no doubt I’d win such a case. My legal team created those agreements to be ironclad. But no, I’m not threatening to sue you. I could do that. But I could do much, much worse.” Vanessa leaned back in her chair. “We have a lot of mutual friends, you and I. Colleagues. Business contacts. Given your distaste for what goes on in my club, you may be shocked to hear that many of our mutual contacts are regulars at Lilith’s Den.”
Harrison tensed. Could he see where this was going?
“All those regulars are very private about the fact that they go to my club. And for a good reason, when there are judgmental people like you out there who are willing to expose what they like to do behind closed doors. How do you think they’d react if they knew you’d entered their sanctuary and taken a video in order to blackmail someone?”
