TheDungeon (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Stop crying. I can’t make out what you’re saying,” Sydnee
told Kendall.

After semi-composing herself, Kendall needed someone to talk
to and called her one true friend.

“You…you…were right…I shouldn’t have…gone to The Dungeon,”
Kendall managed to say in between her fits of tears.

“Why, what happened? Since I hadn’t talked to you, I just
assumed your last visit was satisfying for you.”

Kendall blew her nose, wiped her tears away and started
talking. “The wedding is postponed indefinitely,” she said, in a low, barely
audible voice.

“What? Did I hear you correctly? What happened?”

“Magnus was at The Dungeon and I—“

“What? Why was he there? Wait a minute, I need to sit down,
this is shocking.”

“You were right. I shouldn’t have gone there,” Kendall
reiterated, sounding as if she was in a daze.

“Okay, Kendall, you already said that. Now tell me exactly
what happened.”

“I should have left well enough alone and went straight home
that night. Anyway…I was at The Dungeon and saw Magnus in a tight leather
getup. He wasn’t wearing a hood, and—“

“What’s a hood?”

“A leather hood with slits for the mouth and eyes, it’s used
to conceal your face if you’re a sub,” Kendall explained.

“Okay, go on.”

“Anyway, I was walking down one of the hallways on my way to
the lounge area, and he was coming toward me. Of course I instantly recognized
him, since his face wasn’t concealed, but he didn’t recognize me. Well,
actually he did. He knew me as the Dominatrix that he had been with on several
occasions. I wear the same drag, so it was easy for him to spot me in the long
red wig, black latex and sunglasses.”

“Oh my god, what did he say? I can’t believe this, it’s as
if it’s a scene from a bad B movie.”

“He called out to me. I didn’t answer. I immediately turned
around and went quickly in the other direction, but he caught up to me and
started talking, asking if I recognized him without his hood. I didn’t say a
word, just held my head down. The minute I put my hand up to my face to help
conceal my identity, he spotted my engagement ring and said, ‘Kendall?’”

“Oh, shit. What did you do then?”

“I turned around and ran out as if I were Cinderella fleeing
the ball at the stroke of midnight.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Why didn’t you just stand there
and talk to him? He’s your fiancé, after all.”

Kendall sighed hard into the phone. “Well, that sounds as if
it’s the logical thing to do, but first you have to understand the dynamics of
The Dungeon. When a Domme chooses a sub, very few words are spoken. The sub
totally submits to the will of the Domme, and
I
was Magnus’ Domme. I did
things to him that most men outside the confines of the club would find
disgraceful, even emasculating. So when I realized that he was my sub, I
freaked and ran out. I didn’t know what else to do,” she said, sounding
forlorn.

“That’s a tough pill to swallow. See, I knew that club was
bad news. Why don’t you call Magnus and simply explain your presence there.
Tell him what you told me about wanting to experience something new and that
you joined before you even met him.”

“I went to see him at the casino today, but he was busy. I
called him tonight to talk, but…” Kendall broke out in tears again.

“Oh, sweetie, calm down and stop crying. Everything is going
to be okay.”

“No it’s not going to be okay,” she sobbed. After a few
minutes, Kendall regained her composure and then continued, “He said he wants
to postpone the wedding, but I think it’s over. He said that I deceived him and
that he doesn’t know what other secrets I could be hiding.”

“Oh, that’s bullshit! How about he deceived you too? It’s
not as if he admitted to belonging to The Dungeon. If he had told you that he
was a member, none of this would have happened. You both were wrong. The blame
for the deception shouldn’t lie totally on your shoulders. I can’t believe his
gall. Men!”

“You’re right, but I feel as if it’s my fault. I thought
about telling him at lunch the other day, but chickened out. Now I wish like
hell that I had told him about my dirty little secret.”

“Well, it wasn’t only
your
dirty little secret. He
played a major role. After all, he
was
the man underneath the hood, so
he’s not some innocent bystander.”

“I know, but he’s totally embarrassed. That’s why he called
off the wedding. He feels emasculated.”

“This is crazy. You guys are in love. So what if you both
have kinky fetishes, that should make the relationship stronger, not tear it
apart.”

“You’re right. I wish Magnus saw the situation that way. All
he’s seeing is that I lied and deceived him.”

“Well, maybe somebody needs to talk some sense into him.
Call him back. Don’t let Magnus slip away without a fight,” Sydnee said
adamantly.

Kendall sighed hard into the phone again. “I have to respect
his feelings, and give him the space he needs.”

“Fuck space. Maybe Kevin can talk some sense into him.”

“You and Kevin shouldn’t be caught up in our mess. Please
don’t call Kevin. I don’t want Magnus thinking that I went running to you guys
for help.”

“I don’t care what Magnus thinks. He needs a wake-up call
before he loses you,” Sydnee huffed.

Kendall was quiet for a few moments, thinking about the
situation, which was dire at best. “Okay, call Kevin. What do I have to lose?”

“Nothing. Sit tight, my friend, and keep the faith. All is
not lost. I’ll touch base with you as soon as I have some news,” Sydnee said
before hanging up.

Kendall held the phone, sat on the chaise lounge in her
darkened bedroom, and prayed that Kevin could get through to Magnus. She truly
loved him and didn’t want to lose a good man over a bad decision.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Magnus was racked with feelings of shock, guilt,
disappointment and regret. He was shocked to see Kendall at The Dungeon, guilty
from being busted by his fiancée, disappointed that she didn’t feel comfortable
enough to tell him about her membership, and he regretted not telling her of
his involvement at the club.

He mainly had been holed up in his penthouse for the past
few days, trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. Seeing Kendall
dressed not only as a Dominatrix, but
his
Dominatrix, was mind-blowing
to put it mildly. The thought of his woman seeing him in such a vulnerable
position made him sick to his stomach. Magnus was a strong Italian man and
wasn’t a punk by any means. Now that Kendall knew his secret, he felt that she
saw him as a weakling, and he had no other choice but to postpone the wedding
and maybe even end their relationship completely.

Magnus realized that they were both in the wrong, but felt
as if she had the upper hand since she had been the top to his bottom. He still
truly loved Kendall, but didn’t see how they could continue with their
relationship—let alone marriage—after this debacle.

The following morning after their conversation, Magnus
barely found the strength to drag himself out of bed. He finally got up, made
his way to the living room and plopped down on the sofa. His cell phone rang as
he mindlessly flipped through the channels. Magnus reached for the phone,
looked at the caller ID, and saw it was Kevin. He hit the “ignore” button. He
wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. No sooner had he put the cell phone on
the cocktail table than the house phone rang. He reached for the portable
handset, looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Kevin again. Magnus
sighed. He knew that if he didn’t answer this time, Kevin would keep calling.
His friend could be extremely persistent.

“Yeah,” Magnus answered.

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Nothing,” Magnus answered, staring at the television
screen.

“Magnus, how long have we known each other?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Since we were kids.”

“Exactly. So I know when you’re down and out. You wanna tell
me what’s going on with you? And don’t say ‘nothing’, because I know better.”

“It’s over between me and Kendall,” he replied, giving the
short answer.

“Stop playing. You guys are so much in love that it’s
palpable. Everyone can see how happy you make each other. You guys may have had
an argument, but I’m sure it’s not over by any means.”

Magnus sighed again, wondering whether or not he should tell
Kevin the real deal.
Why not? What do I have to lose?
“Kendall found out
about my secret fetish,” he said, sounding a little embarrassed.

“I’m sure your fetish can’t be bad enough to end the
relationship.”

“Actually, it is that bad. I might as well tell you the
entire truth. I’m sure Kendall will tell Sydnee all about it, if she hasn’t
told her already, and I’d rather you hear the story from me and not
secondhand.”

“Okay. I appreciate that.”

“Anyway, I belong to a private club called The Dungeon. It’s
a BDSM club, specializing in bondage, dominance, sadomasochism. I go there—“

“Damn, man! Bondage, dominance and sadomasochism? That’s
heavy!”

“Yeah, it’s heavy…” He paused. “But what’s even heavier is
that my girl also belongs to the same club. And she was the one dominating me
and saw me in all types of compromising positions. I can’t face her. I bet she
thinks I’m a punk.”

“Come on, Magnus. Anyone who knows you knows you’re not a
punk. Trust me, she doesn’t think that.”

“How do you know what Kendall thinks?” Magnus snapped.

“Because Sydnee told me about her conversation with Kendall.
I didn’t want to come right out and tell you that I knew about the breakup. But
you have it all wrong and need to know that Kendall is broken up about this.”

“All I need to know is that she lied and deceived me. She
should’ve told me that she belonged to The Dungeon,” he said, raising his
voice.

“Calm down, man. Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle
black?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you didn’t tell her about your membership either,
so why are you on your moral high horse?”

Magnus didn’t say anything right away. He sat there,
digested Kevin’s words, and then answered, “Can you understand how humiliated I
felt when I realized that it was Kendall who was beating my ass with a whip?”

“No, I can’t. I’ve only had wild sex with my ex-wife and by
wild, I mean doing it on the kitchen counter every blue moon. I’m really not
the adventurous lover type.”

“Well, I’ll tell you, it’s not a good feeling to know that
your woman was dominating you to such an extreme.”

“Has she ever been masculine in your relationship, trying to
take control all the time?”

“No, it’s just the opposite. I’m the one who pleases her
first.”

“See, there’s nothing to worry about. Kendall doesn’t think
less of you as a man. Actually, she told Sydnee in so many words that she loves
you and is sorry for not telling you the truth about her membership at The
Dungeon.”

“She said that?”

“Yes, she did. You guys really need to iron out this
misunderstanding and get on with the wedding.”

“I don’t know, maybe—“

Kevin cut him off. “Maybe nothing. You still love her, don’t
you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then stop feeling like an innocent bystander, call
your woman and get this wedding back on track.”

Hearing Kevin’s words brought Magnus back to reality. He was
acting as if he were the victim, when in actuality, he was partly to blame. If
he had confessed and told Kendall about his involvement at The Dungeon, none of
this would have happened. Now it was time for him to take back control and end
his pity party. “You’re right, Kevin, I’m not the victim. I’m the man in this
relationship,” he said with conviction. “Thanks for giving it to me straight. I
really needed to hear the truth. I’m glad you called.”

“No problem, man. What are friends for?”

After they hung up, Magnus called Kendall, but hung up
before the call went through.
I can’t do this over the phone.
He got up
from the sofa, went into the bathroom, showered, put on clean clothes and made
a mad dash out of the penthouse. He was on a mission to save his relationship
and only hoped that it wasn’t too late.

Chapter Twenty-Six

When Kendall didn’t hear back from Sydnee by the next day, she
assumed that Syd hadn’t gotten through to Kevin or maybe Kevin didn’t want to
get involved in his friend’s business. She then realized that if she wanted to
salvage the relationship, it was up to her. She wasn’t leaving her fate in the
hands of her friends, even though they meant well.

Kendall sprang into action and called her car service. While
she waited for the car to arrive to take her to Atlantic City, she quickly
showered, dressed and headed out the door.

The car was waiting in front of Kendall’s building by the
time she made it downstairs. She had given the service her destination over the
phone, so she settled into the backseat without saying a word. Her mind was too
preoccupied with what she would say to Magnus. As the car weaved in and out of
midtown traffic, she played that fateful night over and over in her mind. Now
she regretted running away. She should have stayed there and faced the music,
but it was too late for “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve”. She wasn’t going to
give up this easily. Kendall was going to fight for her relationship.

As the car neared the Lincoln Tunnel, traffic came to an
abrupt halt. Then they sat in the same spot, without moving, for what seemed
like hours. Kendall was already on edge and sitting idle wasn’t helping with
her nerves.

“Can you see what’s going on ahead?” she asked the driver.

He rolled down the driver’s window and craned his neck,
trying to see what the holdup was all about. “No ma’am, I can’t see anything.”

“Turn on 1010 WINS,” she said, referencing the news and
traffic radio station.

There’s been a major accident inside the Lincoln Tunnel.
All New Jersey-bound traffic is being rerouted to either the Holland Tunnel or
the George Washington Bridge,
the newscaster announced.

“Which way do you want to go?” asked the driver.

Kendall assessed the situation. They were in midtown and
closer to the George Washington Bridge. “Take the West Side Highway to the GWB,
and can you get there as fast as you can, without getting a ticket?”

“Sure thing, miss.” The driver made a tight turn, pulled out
of traffic and accelerated toward the bridge.

Kendall was a ball of nerves.
Why did I decide to go to
Atlantic City? I should have just called him. At the rate we’re going, it’s
going to take forever to get there.
She reached in her purse to call Magnus
and tell him that she was on her way there, but she didn’t see her cell. She
dug around in the huge Prada purse. Her phone wasn’t there, but her whip from
The Dungeon was at the bottom of the bag. The mere sight of the whip made her
stomach turn. She then remembered that she had left her phone at home on the
charger.

Damn it!

* * * * *

Magnus raced along the New Jersey Turnpike toward New York.
He shifted the shiny black TVR Sagaris into fifth gear and mashed down on the
gas pedal, taking the high-performance sports car to a hundred miles per hour,
well over the designated speed limit. Magnus blew past the other cars on the
highway as if they were standing still. He was on a mission and didn’t want to
waste any unnecessary time getting to Kendall and making amends.

Ahead in the distance, Magnus could see a cop car parked on
the side of the road.
The last thing I need is a ticket
, he thought,
slowing down to the speed limit.
Maybe I should call Kendall and let her
know I’m on my way to the city.
Magnus pressed the speed dial to her
number. The line rang and rang and rang before going to voicemail.

“Uh, hi, Kendall, it’s me. We need to talk. I’ll be at your
place in about an hour,” he said, leaving a message.

When she didn’t call back in a few minutes, Magnus called
again, and again his call went to voicemail.
Damn, she must be really
pissed.
He started to turn around and go back home, but wasn’t going to be
dissuaded. He was determined to talk to her and put their relationship back on
track.

* * * * *

It seemed as if every car that had been trying to squeeze
through the Lincoln Tunnel had been diverted to the West Side Highway on the
way to the GWB. Traffic crawled along at a snail’s pace.

“Excuse me, but forget about going to the George Washington
Bridge. You can make the next exit and take me back home,” she told the driver.

I can’t sit here in this car for the next few hours. I
need to talk to Magnus as soon as possible, so I can convince him that our
relationship is worth saving.

“Okay, miss.” He put on the right blinker, weaved through
traffic and exited.

Kendall was disappointed to say the least. She had wanted to
see Magnus face-to-face and explain her position. Now she’d have to settle for
talking to him over the phone.

* * * * *

Magnus had finally arrived at Kendall’s building. He had
driven just above the speed limit and had shaved nearly thirty minutes off the
drive. Luckily, there was a space in front of the building. He parked, hopped
out, rushed to the security door and buzzed her bell. He waited for her to
answer, but there was no response. Magnus buzzed again, this time lingering on
the button a little longer. No answer. He took out his cell phone and called
her, but his call went to voicemail for the third time.

“Hey, baby, pick up, it’s me. Please pick up. I’m downstairs
in front of your building. I’m so sorry for cutting you short and not letting
you explain when you called,” he said, pleading his case on the recording until
it cut him off. “Well, I tried,” he muttered to himself once the call
disconnected.

Magnus traipsed back to his car, feeling totally deflated.
He couldn’t believe that Kendall wasn’t responding to any of his messages or
answering her door.
I guess it’s really over.

He got into the car and slowly drove away, barely shifting
out of first gear. A lone tear fell from Magnus’ eye as he drove down the
street.

* * * * *

Kendall nervously tapped her fingers against her purse. She
couldn’t wait to get home so that she could call Magnus. She desperately needed
to talk to him before it was too late. The last thing Kendall wanted was to
lose the love of her life over a stupid misunderstanding. She looked down at
her beautiful engagement ring as the sun refracted off the exquisite facets,
creating a mini light show before her eyes. Kendall silently prayed that she
wouldn’t have to take the ring off and give it back. Her heart began beating a
little faster at the thought of ending their engagement and walking out of his
life forever.

Calm down, so that you can be coherent when you speak to
him
, she told herself. In order to clear her mind, Kendall took a couple of
deep breaths and looked out the front window of the car as they cruised down
her block. Ahead, she could see a black sports car and thought that it looked
familiar. She then remembered that Magnus had a small black car. “Excuse me.
Can you catch up to that car ahead?” she asked the driver.

“The black one?”

“Yes! Hurry up before we lose him!” Kendall said, excitedly
scooting to the edge of the seat.

The car she was in was caught by the light, and Kendall
watched the sports car get away. Her heart pounded. “Go, go, go!” she screamed
once the light changed. When they were only four cars behind, Kendall said,
“Beep your horn!”

The driver honked. The sports car kept moving through
traffic, oblivious to the car beeping from behind, trying to catch his
attention. Another light changed and caught Magnus’ car and the town car
Kendall was riding in.

“Damn it!” Kendall shouted. She thought for a second and
then decided that following Magnus’ car wasn’t working—the traffic was too
tight. She reached for the handle, grabbed her purse, opened the door and
jetted out of the backseat.

She ran as fast as her four-inch heels would allow down the
middle of the busy street, while screaming, “Magnus! Wait! Wait!”

Kendall ran and watched the light at the same time, praying
that it wouldn’t change until she caught up to him. “Magnus, it’s me, wait!”

The closer she got, she could see him looking in his
rearview mirror. She saw his car door open. He got out and ran to her.

“Baby, baby, baby!” he said, over and over, reaching out and
hugging her close to his chest.

Magnus and Kendall stood in the middle of the street as
traffic whizzed around them. His arms were wrapped around her waist, and she
was holding on to his neck. Their bodies embracing, interlocking as one,
fitting together like two perfectly cut puzzle pieces.

“I just left your apartment. I’ve been calling you all day,”
he finally said.

“I rushed out of the house so fast that I left my phone on
the charger.”

“Where have you been? I thought you were pissed and ignoring
me.”

“No, I wasn’t mad. I called a car service and was on my way
to Atlantic City to talk with you face-to-face, but there was an accident in
the Lincoln Tunnel and we couldn’t get through. We tried to take the bridge,
but the traffic was too bad, so I came back home,” she said, talking fast.

“Calm down, baby. It’s okay. I’m here now.” He kissed her
forehead.

“Magnus, I’m so sorry for not telling you about The
Dungeon,” she sobbed.

“Baby, don’t cry.” He rubbed a tear from her cheek. “I’m
sorry too. I should have told you I belonged to the club, but I thought that
you would have judged me for having such an out-of-the-box fetish.”

“And I thought that you would’ve judged me for playing the
role of a Dominatrix. Magnus, I never judged you for being at The Dungeon. I
love you!”

“I love you too. Please say that we can put this behind us
and that you’ll still marry me.”

“Yes we can. And yes! I’ll marry you.”

Magnus hugged Kendall so tightly to him that her purse
slipped off her shoulder and dropped to the ground, spilling out the contents.
She bent down to pick up her belongings and Magnus squatted to lend a hand. He
noticed the whip and picked it up.

They looked at the familiar BDSM toy and then at each other.
Smiles began spreading across their faces and they each broke out laughing.

“Get da hell out da street!” yelled a passing cabbie.

“Bite me!” Magnus yelled back.

“Excuse me, lady, but do you need my services any longer?”
Kendall’s driver asked, pulling up to them.

“No, I don’t. Have the service bill me,” she said and turned
her attention back to Magnus.

Once Kendall and Magnus collected her things, they walked
arm in arm back to his car. Inside, Magnus looked at Kendall and said, “I sure
hope you’re bringing that whip on our honeymoon.”

Kendall thought about Rob and his wife and their date nights
at The Dungeon. Obviously playing together had made their relationship
stronger, and she wanted the same thing with Magnus. She reached over, gave him
a deep kiss and said, “You better believe I will! Can you say ‘kumquat’?”

Magnus winked, smiled and said, “Kumquat.”

They both cracked up laughing at what would now become their
private joke.