by Ivy Nelson
Gary, the owner of Exposure, was first on her list. He was calling with the same conclusion that someone was targeting local women in the scene. Both had been active at club Exposure. He needed her help to deal with the press on this one. She promised to come by and help him come up with a statement for the media as soon as possible. She had a feeling that Midnight Diamond was the more likely point of connection. It was not a private club and their discretion practices left something to be desired. Why either woman would want to go there was beyond her. Especially since they were both active in politics and fundraising in D.C.
Next was Carrie. Her best friend had read about the murders and was concerned for her. Carrie and her husband Peter had been her first friends and mentors in the BDSM lifestyle. Peter had worked for the secret service followed by a private security company, but the couple left a year ago to move to California where Peter started his own firm. “Be careful Darci, we don't want to read about you in the papers,” her friend said at the end of their call.
“Don't worry Carrie. I'll be fine.”
“Just promise you'll be careful. Maybe you shouldn't put yourself in the spotlight so much.” Darci closed her eyes. Why is everyone always saying that?
“I will not stop doing my job just because some lunatic is killing submissive women,” she said. Carrie sighed but then changed the subject.
“I miss you, Darci. I love living out west, but we miss the scene in D.C.”
“Come see me,” Darci said. “I miss you and Peter so much.”
“Let me talk to Master. It might only be me. The security firm keeps him busy, but I’ll try to talk him into using some vacation.”
For the first time all morning, Darci felt excited. “Oh, I hope you guys can come. We have so much to catch up on.” They disconnected with Carrie promising to call her back next week to plan a visit. Darci smiled and worked on a new blog post. She considered calling Bradley back but waited a bit. She was still confused about him.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, Michael called her. She asked if he had connected both women to the community yet. He had, and that's why he was calling.
“We want to warn women in the community to be careful, but I know you'll have my head if I do it wrong.” She laughed.
“C'mon I'm not that much of a bitch, am I?”
“You're not a bitch, but I am a little scared of you. Just help me write a press release.” He sounded whiny, and it made Darci laugh.
“I'll e-mail you something with the backing of the ACSL. Community members respect our organization, they'll listen if our name is attached. I'm considering asking Gary to shut the club down for a few weeks since both women were associated with it. I don't want to see more of my friends dead.”
“I don't want to see you dead,” he said. There was a hint of frustration in his voice.
“I'll be fine. You just find the fucker that's killing these women,” she fired back.
“I'm working on it. Don't ask Gary to close Exposure. I don't want to panic anyone, and if this guy is targeting the club, we might have a better shot of catching him if we can watch the place while it's open. I’m doing my best to keep my connection to the community out of it so I can stay on the investigation, but if there’s a chance of it coming out, I’ll have to let someone else take over.”
“I'll talk to him and let him decide what to do.”
When Michael said he had to get back to work, Darci finally listened to the voicemail from Bradley.
“Hi. Just wanted to say I'm sorry if I scared you this morning. Call me back. I'm concerned that this guy might be targeting women in the lifestyle. I just want to know you're safe. I uh... I enjoyed having you over last night.” She smiled. He sounded nervous. Calling him back was the right thing to do, so she hit the green phone icon and waited for it to ring.
“I had the same thought about this guy,” she told him.
“Just promise me you'll be careful,” he murmured.
“You're the third person to tell me that today,” she said, slightly irritated.
“Well maybe you should listen to us,” he snapped.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “That came out harsher than I meant it to. I don't want anything to happen to you.”
She smiled, her irritation dissipating. “It’s OK. I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“I wish you had stayed longer.” His voice was soft again. Darci closed her eyes, not sure how to respond.
Before she could, he said, “I was looking for you.”
“Excuse me?” she asked, “Looking for me where?”
“At Exposure. That’s why I was there Thursday. I was hoping to bump into you.” He sounded nervous again, and it made Darci’s heart constrict.
“I’m not sure what to say. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” The call was getting awkward now, but she wished she had stayed at his apartment longer too, so she told him as much.
“I can tell you’re feeling nervous,” he said after an awkward pause. “So, I’m going to let you go now but promise you won’t avoid me.”
Darci blew out a breath. Was that a promise she could make?
“Please, Darci,” he said, tugging at her heart again.
“I promise,” she whispered before jabbing at the end call icon.
How soon before that promise was put to the test? Darci still couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a bad idea, but she also couldn’t shake the memory of his eyes piercing into hers just before she’d kissed him this morning. Avoiding Bradley was exactly what she needed to do before it was too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Once a month, Darci held a munch at a local restaurant. It was something she started doing not long after she became active in the community and went to work for the ACSL. Despite pulling back from the public kink scene after her break-up with Damion, she continued hosting the monthly event.
This month, with two women from the community dead, Darci wanted to go back to the basics and discuss lifestyle safety. The munch was two days away. She posted the time and information on how to get the location on her blog and checked the event listing on Fetlife. Forty-three RSVPs. It was usually only ten or fifteen. With so many planning to attend, she had asked a few people to speak on various aspects of safety and discretion.
First, she asked Michael if he would talk to the group about general safety practices. Even though he was a known Dominant at Exposure, he wasn’t fond of the idea. It was important for him to distance himself from the club while the investigation was in progress. When she reminded him that there were several people he wanted to talk to, and that a restaurant was a more friendly setting than a police station, he decided she was right and agreed to give the talk. Gary, and Edith, two of Exposure’s founding members would also be speaking. They were also having a small memorial for Peggy and Marlie.
Sitting in her office planning the event, her mind kept drifting to Bradley. She hadn’t spoken to him since Saturday afternoon after she left his apartment. That was five days ago. They had exchanged a few texts, but that was it. She wondered if he might like to attend the memorial in honor of Peggy. Staring at her phone, she clicked out of the screen with his name on it for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Stop being a chicken, Darci, she told herself as a finger hovered over the call button. Squeezing her eyes shut she pressed her thumb down and brought the phone to her ear.
They made awkward small talk for the first couple of minutes before she finally got around to the point of her phone call.
“I know you don't want to go to too many public events, but it would mean a lot if you showed up,” she said when she finished telling him about the munch.
“I'll think about it, Darci. I have to be careful but thank you for thinking of me.”
“If you want to come at the end, for the memorial, and slip in the back I'm sure nobody would notice.” Why was she pushing so hard for him to come? The question kept nagging at her as she spoke, but she tamped it down. She was just being a good fri
end.
“That might be a good idea.” Bradley paused. “I'll make you a deal. I'll come if you'll have drinks with me after. Just you and me.” She grinned at her phone. She should have expected something like this.
“You drive a hard bargain, but it's a deal.”
“Great. Thank you, Darci. I've missed you.” Her pulse quickened at the thought of him missing her, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to admit that she missed him too.
After a moment of awkward silence, she said, “I've been avoiding you. I’m sorry.”
“I know, but it's OK. I knew you would come around,” he said. She laughed at his confidence.
“I'll see you on Saturday afternoon.” As soon as she ended the call, her phone rang again. “Hi Carrie.”
“You sound happy. What’s going on in your world?” the woman on the other end asked. Darci giggled.
“Lots. You should come see me, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“That’s why I’m calling. Master says we can sneak away for a few days. He’s coming with me.”
Darci squealed. “It will be so good to see you!”
The girls compared schedules and agreed on dates in a couple of weeks. She couldn't wait to see her friends again. After they said goodbye, Darci’s mind drifted back to the upcoming munch and the prospect of seeing Bradley. She had to admit that she was more than a little excited about seeing him again.
The last two days had dragged by as Darci prepared for the munch but now it was here, and she was nervous. A talkative crowd filled the private dining room on Saturday afternoon. Darci waited until a half hour into the event to present the first speaker, so people had time to chat and order food. Michael spoke for twenty minutes on basic safety for everyone, but he took extra time to speak to the women.
“Ladies, don't be afraid to call the police station and request an escort home. If you live alone check for signs of tampering before you enter your house at night. If anything seems out of place, do not go inside. Call the police at once. Nobody will get in trouble for false alarms. I would rather come out for a false alarm than respond to someone discovering your body.”
Next, Gary led a discussion on discretion and the importance of not sharing details with those not in our lifestyle.
Someone asked about blogs like Darci's. He reminded them that while she was open, she never revealed event locations, real names of those she interviewed, or any other personal information.
The time came for the memorial. Darci had asked two people close to each woman to speak in honor of their memory. Someone lit a candle for both victims and led the group in a moment of silence. Darci noticed Bradley slip into the back of the room as the first candle was lit. By the time the memorial was over, there was not a dry eye in the dining room. When the service was over, Darci made sure to point out the donation boxes in the back of the room. Both women were involved in charity work and Darci encouraged guests to donate in their honor.
Bradley picked up his phone and caught her eye. He sent a text telling her he was slipping out to the bar area. She nodded in acknowledgment and went back to chatting with guests leaving. After pointing out the people Michael might be interested in talking to, she sat at a table near the door and waited for the last person to leave.
As she was saying goodbye to guests stopping by her table, she caught Bradley's eye through the window. He held a glass of whiskey in his hand. With a wink, he raised his glass to her and cocked his head in the direction of the drink he had already ordered for her. She smiled and returned the wink as Michael approached.
“Thanks for giving your safety talk, Michael.”
“No problem. You were right. It was easier to talk to people here than it would have been at the station or the club. Thanks for the invitation. The memorial was beautiful.”
He gave her a long hug. Through the window Darci noticed Bradley frowning at her. Jealous, is he? She squeezed Michael a little tighter, and when he released her, she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
• • •
Bradley watched as Detective Michael Silas hugged Darci. He wondered if they had ever been more than friends. The thought made him frown. He took a sip of his drink and kept his eyes on her as she made her way toward him. When she reached him, he gave her a broad smile.
“You were looking rather stern,” she teased as she settled onto the barstool next to him.
“Hmmm.” He nodded. “Sorry, I was watching you say your goodbyes. People like you, Darci.” She shrugged and took a sip of her drink. They had the entire bar area to themselves, and Bradley was grateful.
She reached over and lifted his tie. “I’m surprised you wore this on a Saturday.”
“Had a breakfast meeting,” he said with a shrug.
“Lucky me. I’m a sucker for a man in a suit.”
He grinned. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“So, here we are having drinks. Just you and me. What shall we discuss?” Her eyes were sparkling as she asked the question.
“I want to know everything about you, Darci. I don't want to scare you away, but I'm dying to get to know you.” He took another sip of his own drink and hoped she didn’t notice his hands shaking.
She smiled. “I want to get to know you too. I'm just nervous. I still think dating is a bad idea right now.” He watched her intently as he contemplated where to start.
“What’s your favorite touristy thing to do in D.C.?” she asked before he could come up with something. The question surprised him and was not what he wanted to discuss but he humored her.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve only really done one touristy thing, and that’s catching the sunrise at the Iwo Jima Memorial.” Her expression told him she was horrified.
“I love that memorial, but sunrise is way too early.”
“It’s breathtaking. I’ll take you sometime.”
She crinkled her nose in disgust.
“You’ve never done any of the museums?” He shook his head. “The Washington Monument?” Another head shake.
“Bradley! I’m not sure if we can be friends.”
He held up his hands. “I can’t help it. I hit the ground running as soon as I moved to town. I’ve been working ever since.”
“I suppose I can forgive that, but if we’re going to be friends, you have a lot of catching up to do.”
He nodded solemnly. “I have no doubt you will make an excellent tour guide.”
“So, how did a guy like you end up in my world, anyway?” she asked.
“Kink or D.C.?” he asked.
“Kink.” She was done with small talk, apparently.
“Honestly, I've kind of always been here.” He told her about discovering it on the Internet at an early age and his bad habit of forgetting to clear his browser history and it made her laugh. God, he loved that laugh.
“My parents would ground me for looking at porn, but honestly, I rarely looked at the stuff. I read forums, and stories about domination and submission. It was fascinating, and it just clicked for me. As a teenager and younger adult, I never felt like I had a lot of control in my life. I think it had to do with the fact that my parents made a lot of decisions for me with their choice to be in politics. What I read about D/s relationships sounded like something that would make me very happy and give me that sense of control I craved.” Was he rambling? Bradley did not want to embarrass himself in front of her, so he paused, searching for signs that he was boring her or talking too much. But she appeared to be listening intently and nodded solemnly as he told her about feeling out of control.
“That makes sense. I felt out of control too for very different reasons, but I turned to submission.” That tidbit of information was useful, and he wondered what she felt out of control about, but he didn’t push, just continued answering her question.
“When I got to college, I found like-minded people who taught me a lot of the basics and I just went from there. When I got involved with Senator Atleigh, I had
to pull back from the public scene, but I still have needs and urges.”
They exchanged stories of their first adult experiences in the lifestyle. She told him about Peter and Carrie being her mentors. “Is that the couple you talked about on your blog a while back?” She nodded. “My favorite picture of you is in that post. You look so happy.”
She blushed as surprise flitted across her face. She said, “They are my dearest friends. They moved out west because Peter wanted to expand his security company, but I miss them so much. They’ll be in town in a couple weeks. You can meet them.”
“I look forward to it.”
They spent the next hour discussing the lifestyle. Bradley discovered enough about her that by the end of the night he was dying to play with her. Now more than ever he wanted this woman in his life. The only problem was, she wasn’t sure what she wanted.
“After Damion, I questioned whether I was really a submissive. I spent over a year of my life making him happy with little thought for myself. I thought I was in love with him. I get a lot of joy out of submitting to someone, especially in a sexual context, but when I pushed him for something beyond D/s he shut me out. Part of me misses being in that role, but if I ever submit again, it won’t be so easily. Whoever it is will have to work for it.” She rolled her glass in her hands as she spoke and stared at the amber liquid, not meeting his gaze.
“Darci.” She looked up from her drink, and he took it from her. He set the glass aside and picked up her hand. “I want to do the work.” His voice was quiet, but commanding. “I want you to be mine.” Her eyes grew wide, and her cheeks flushed.
“I... Bradley... I don't know what to say.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “I want to play the game with you, but it's not a good idea.”
“I've told you before, you need to let me be the judge of that,” he said with a stern expression. For a moment, it looked like she might argue with him, but he continued to stare at her with a steady gaze that he hoped impressed upon her just how serious he was.
