by Ivy Nelson
Chapter Eleven
“Damn it Darci. What part of don’t start a fight on national television did you not understand?”
Jim stood in front of her desk the next morning looking very unhappy.
Still, she grinned at him. “Technically, I’m not the one who started it. Bradley Givens is the one who decided to hit below the belt, and you know it.”
He sighed. “I know. It still doesn’t look good for us to have you blasting people like that.”
“Can I get back to work now? It's a busy day Jim. I need to check on our newest client, Tessa and I want to stop Atleigh’s bill from getting a vote. I’ve got three more senate offices to call and yell at today,” she said with a smirk.
He chuckled. “Always looking for a fight, aren’t you girl?”
“You know me, Jim. There's always a battle to be fought somewhere.”
“Well, I'm here if you need me. Don’t get in over your head. These D.C. people are animals.”
“Hey, watch it. I was raised here,” she said with a huff, feigning offense.
“Yeah, and you're one tough animal.” He winked as he left for his own office, and Darci chuckled as she watched him disappear.
A moment later, Kimberly poked her head in.
“You know you’re Internet famous right? Your blog is probably about to blow up.” Darci looked puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“Go look at YouTube. Or Facebook. Your little spar with Givens is all over the place. You’ve gone viral.” The assistant bounced up and down as if this were the best thing in the world.
Darci groaned as she opened her browser. Not exactly what she was hoping for but maybe this would slow down Atleigh's momentum. She told Kimberly to get ready to field calls from reporters and gave her a stock answer to give them.
“If they get too pushy just tell them I’m not in right now. I’ll call the ones back that I think will be most favorable for us.”
She dug into her to-do list for the day and tried to ignore the phone that was constantly ringing in reception. At lunchtime, she rescued her poor assistant by sending her to get them both food on her dime. A little while after she returned, Kimberly spoke over the intercom.
“Hey boss, I’ve got Bradley Givens on the line. Thought you might want to take this one.”
Darci sighed. She didn’t want to. Not after their heated exchange last night. But she knew she had to, so she told her to put the call through.
“Darci. I’m so sorry,” Bradley said in greeting. “I did not mean for this to go viral.”
“Does anyone ever mean to go viral?” she asked.
“Fair point. But I’m still sorry. And I’m sorry for my behavior in the green room. I know better than to pressure someone into going on a date with me and I did it anyway.”
The sincerity and contrition she could hear in his voice melted her just a little and she smiled.
“I appreciate the apology. How bad is the press for you guys over there?”
They discussed their mutual dilemma for a few more minutes before Bradley got called away.
As their call was wrapping up, he said, “I swear I’m not just looking for an excuse, but do you want to meet for lunch sometime to discuss this in more detail? I know you’re not interested in helping me, but I feel like I should do something to help you if I can.”
“I’ll think about it and have my assistant set something up,” she promised.
Darci left work at 6:30, stopping to let her boss know she was going home. Jim was usually the last to leave at night. She stepped out into the cool evening and walked to the metro to catch a train home. Most of her afternoon had been spent thinking about Bradley, despite the fact that she tried to banish him from her thoughts. Kimberly had scheduled lunch with him in two weeks which fueled her obsession with him more.
Determined to put him out of her mind, she had messaged her friends Stephanie and Elise to see if they wanted to hang out tonight. The plan was to ask if they could set her up with someone to help take her mind off Bradley. As long as he worked for Atleigh, he was the enemy. She had to stop having inappropriate thoughts about the man.
The trip home was short, only four stops to her neighborhood. As the train flew towards her destination, she wondered if she should have accepted Bradley's lunch invitation more readily. Dinner and drinks with Stephanie and Elise would be fun. She hadn’t seen them in a couple of weeks, but she still couldn’t get Bradley out of her head.
While she walked the three blocks home from the station, she messaged both women to confirm their plans for the night. In her apartment, she kicked off her heels and wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. A quick shower, and a change of clothes, and she was ready for a night out. She kept it casual. It was cool out, so she wore a pair of dark skinny jeans tucked into a pair of brown leather boots, and a pale pink top with a brown leather jacket on top. It was casual but stylish, typical of Darci's wardrobe.
Bradley stayed on her mind while she was getting ready and during her walk back to the metro. Waiting on the platform for her train, she sent him a text.
Do you go to Exposure often?
Adding a winky face for good measure, she put her phone back in her purse.
Two minutes later she boarded her train. There were no seats available, so she grabbed the bar above her and braced herself for the lurching take-off. A young woman caught her eye and recognition hit her. “You took my coat last week,” she said with a smile.
The girl looked up, seeming confused for a moment. Then she must have recognized Darci because she said, “Sure enough. Small world, isn’t it?” The mystery woman got off at the next stop, and Darci waved. She still looked so familiar. Everyone looked like someone, Darci just wished she could remember who this someone looked like.
Five minutes later she got off at her stop and made the four-block walk to the bar. Elise and Stephanie were climbing out of a cab as she walked up. She shouted hello and waved as they paid their driver and ran to meet her. There was giggling, and chatter as the girls greeted one another and exchanged hugs.
“Darci, I'm so glad you suggested this. It has been way too long since I've done anything fun,” Stephanie said.
“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 pai
n 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.
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, ap
proached 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.
