Unforgettable You (20 page)

T
rish calls me several times a day and assures me that, even though Sheila has vowed never to speak to me again, she’s still working to get that to change. After two weeks, I’m starting to lose hope completely.

And then the bottom completely drops out. I stop by the club to pick up my things because I just don’t have the heart to go back in, and I really don’t want to work with another sub. When I get there, Dave meets me in the hallway before I can even get all the way into the building. “Steffen, we need to talk.”

“I’ve just come to clean out my locker,” I say as I try to press past him. Then I catch the look on his face. “What?” I don’t like what I see, and I push on past.

“Steffen! Steffen, please! Wait! Steffen . . .”

It’s too late. I step into the big room and my eyes hit the one thing I never wanted to see.

It’s Lord Algernon, this crazy-ass Dominant that I’ve pushed to have removed from the membership about a dozen times. He’s working with a sub who’s strapped to a spanking horse, and he’s working her over, the chain on her nipple clamps dangling. She moans loudly as he brings the cat o’ nine down on her ass again, and my heart sinks.

It’s Sheila.

I wish I could relate all the things that go through my mind in that instant, but I can’t. It’s so hideously, horrifyingly painful that there are no words to describe it. The room starts to spin and my stomach starts to turn, and I feel hands on me. Next thing I know, I’m in Dave’s office, lying on the floor with my feet up the wall. He looks down at me. “You okay?”

“No. I’m not okay.” I struggle to sit up, but I can’t. I’m too damn dizzy.

“Just lie there for awhile until you get your feet under you.”

My eyes close and I sigh. “How long?”

“About a week now. Bought her own membership. And by the way, I know everything that happened.”

“Oh, I feel so much better just from knowing
that
.”

“Aha! Still spitting out the sarcasm. You’re in better shape than you think. Come on, let me help you up.” He gives me a hand and helps me up to sitting.

“Thanks.” I just sit there in the floor. I can’t go back through there, can’t stand the thought of seeing that again. My Sheila. My angel. I don’t think my heart can take it. “Mind if I go out the back?”

“I’d rather that you sit here for a few more minutes until you get your feet under you.” As the words drift from his lips, I hear a shriek, and I’m pretty sure it’s Sheila.

“Nope. Gotta go. But thanks. I’ll get Clint to bring home my stuff.” Throwing the back door open, I run to the front of the building and climb into my car. My phone rings almost immediately. Before I can even make a sound, I hear Clint’s voice.

“Steffen, come over here. I don’t want you to be alone.” I try to respond, but all I can do is choke and cry. “We’re headed that way. I’ll drive your car to our house. Please, please, don’t try to drive. I don’t want you getting hurt. Promise me?”

“Okay,” I manage to sputter out. Then I wait until they get there and go to their house.

Three days later, I’m still there. I simply can’t take care of myself. I’m numb all over and I can’t seem to function on any level. This is it. I’ve lost her. And I don’t think I can face that idea.

“You sure you’re ready?” Trish and Clint watch me packing what few things I have there. “Because you can stay as long as you need to,” Clint adds.

“Nope. I’ve got to get back to some kind of life. Three weeks is long enough.” Their faces are lined with concern as I turn to smile at them. “You have no idea how much I appreciate your help and friendship. Really. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you two.”

Trish plants a tiny, soft kiss on my cheek. “We’re here if you need us. It’ll get better, I promise. Have faith.”

“You still talking to her?”

“Yes. Every day. But she’s not budging. She still says she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

I give her a cheek-peck back. “Yeah. I know. Can’t say as I blame her. My fault; entirely my fault. What about Morris? What are you guys going to do?”

Clint smiles. “I’ve got your Mr. Riley working on that. We’re going after her. Well, as soon as we can find her. But I don’t think that’s going to be too hard. They’ll be able to follow her around now because she’s started showing up at the club, believe it or not.”

“At the club? Are you kidding me?” I just can’t believe Adele would do that, insert herself back into the one place she knows I’d be. And she has to know how much Dave hates her.

“Nope. Not kidding. And all decked out too, trying to get a Dom to play with her. They all know what she’s been up to with you, so they’re staying away from her, but I know there’s one who’s decided he’s going to play with her if it’ll help your case –
our
case.”

“Who?” Now I’m curious.

He grins. “Reggie.”

“Ah! That should be interesting!” Reggie is a world-class sadist. I’d
love
to see that. “Could you . . .”

“Absolutely. If she walks in and he’s free, I’ll ask him to stall and call you immediately. You wouldn’t want to miss that show.”

“Nope. Not at all! By the way . . .”

“Yes. Before you ask, yes. She’s coming in and out. She’s been scening every time she’s there. She’s trying to kill off the hurt, and she’s not doing a very good job of it. It’s always the hardcore sadists she looks for, so she’s using the pain to get through it, and it’s even worse when she and Adele show up at the same time. Honestly, I’m afraid Sheila’s going to actually be physically hurt. It’s kinda scary sometimes. I’m sorry, bud. I wish I had something better to tell you, but I just don’t.”

“Aw, it’s okay. Not your problem. Mine entirely.” I sling my bag over my shoulder. “I’ll let you two get back to your own lives and get out of your hair.” They walk me to the door and both of them hug me before I leave. “Tell the girls I’ll miss them. You guys are so lucky.” Trish turns away from me and I know she’s crying, so I use my best brave voice. “It’ll all be okay. Thanks again.”

My car roars to life and I head home. When I get there, I carry everything to my room and look around. The whole house seems so empty and barren, just like my heart. If she’d just give me ten minutes – I know she still loves me. And I love her more than ever.

That’s bound to count for something.

I’ve decided I’m going to go back to the club. I don’t really want to scene with another sub, and I’m certainly not going to fuck one, but I need to be around people, and those are my people. It’s a crowded night when I walk through the door and into the main room. Several of the male members stop and shake my hand, and the ladies hug me and kiss me on the cheek. Sometimes it’s nice to know you’ve been missed.

But my heart sinks thirty minutes later when I look up from my seat at the bar and see Sheila stroll in. She’s got this angry, defiant look on her face and when she sees me, she ducks into the locker room. My heart almost stops when she comes out.

A thong and stilettos. That’s it. And that’s not all. She’s had her nipples pierced. I take a deep, painful breath and try to let go, but I can’t. Everything inside me tips and I feel my heart spilling out onto the floor. She struts out without even looking at me and walks straight up to the bar. “Can I have a light beer, please? Don’t care what kind.”

Dave glances at me and I respond with, “I’ll pay for the lady’s drink.”

“Thanks, but not necessary.” She reaches for the glass, but I lay my hand on her arm. There’s a hard, dangerous edge to her voice as she snarls out, “Don’t touch me.”

I draw my hand back, but I simply say, “Sheila, can’t we at least be friends?”

Her eyes are cold when she turns them to me. “My friends don’t lie to me. So fuck off.” Beer in hand, she stalks away and finds a seat on a sofa. In no time at all, she’s joined by a Dom I’ve known for years. I see them chatting away, and I realize I’m going to be treated to her scening again. Great. In minutes, they head toward a performance area, and I wince as she takes off the thong and shoes and climbs up onto the bondage table. I can’t hear what’s being said, but she lies down on her back and he straps her down, wrists and ankles. In agony, I watch him take out a three-way clamp and clamp both nipples, then the hood of her clit, and tighten everything so that it’s pulled up and out of the way of that tiny little spot on her body that I called mine. He leans down, sucks it into his mouth a dozen times, and laughs as she squirms and cries out. Then he opens a drawer and pulls out a Hitachi Magic Wand.

He tortures her through at least eight orgasms. It’s almost impossible for me to watch, but, like a bad traffic accident, I can’t look away. She shrieks and strains against her bindings, and I remember the feel of her body under my hands, that satiny skin and dripping cunt, and I start to shake.

But that’s all forgotten when I watch him climb up onto the table, unzip his leathers, and fuck her. And that’s it. My heart is officially broken. There’s nothing more I can do except to watch the only woman I’ve ever really loved be royally fucked by someone who’s not me. Every jab of his cock into her is like a nail being driven into my chest. To my own surprise, I push my way up through the crowd until I’m standing right in the front, even with her head. Watching his dick pounding into her makes mine go completely limp, but I can’t turn away. It’s like it doesn’t matter anymore as long as I’m somewhere near her. When he finally comes, she’s a limp, worn-out mess, and all I really want to do is to go to her and hold her. And that’s when it happens.

She turns and looks directly at me. There’s a splitting sound in my head, like a tree branch cracking away from the trunk, and everything in my body goes still. Her eyes bore into me, empty and hollow, dead from the inside out. I really don’t know what to do anymore, so I just look into her eyes and mouth,
I miss you
. And she turns away.

The crowd around me is chattering quietly as I spin and walk to the front. When I get into my car, I just turn the key and drive away. There’s no emotion left. I’m just a shell. I don’t hate her. I don’t love her. I don’t feel anything.

Down deep in my chest, there’s no one home.

“Mr. Cothran?”

“Yes?”

“There’s a Mr. Riley on the phone for you.”

“Thanks, Bridget.” I grab the phone. “Mr. Riley! I hope you have some good news for me.”

“Yes, sir, I do. I just got off the phone with Mr. Winstead. We found her. I’ve got my guys on her, and they’re watching her twenty-four seven, have been since yesterday when we confirmed that it’s her. And I thought I’d ask: Do you know where she’s going at night?”

“Oh, I absolutely do.” I’d been seeing her at the club, and I always gave her a wide berth, so I tell him exactly what she’s up to. “And we can’t use that against her, because Clint, Trish, and I all frequent the club.”

“Oh, no, that’s not it. She’s leaving him alone.”

“What?” My voice goes up at least an octave. “You’re kidding! Seriously? What the hell?”

“She’s got some kind of point she wants to make, Mr. Cothran, and I think she’s picked the wrong way to make it.”

“Grounds for social services to . . .”

“Oh, absolutely. We’ll nail her. A week of documentation is all it’ll take. Hang in there.”