Victorious (12 page)

“
May
be able to,” Flynn says. Trust him to home in on that one word. “What if Natalie can’t get past it?”

“Then I’d recommend that whatever activity caused the reaction be ceased immediately and possibly permanently.”
 

“But you’re not recommending we don’t try this at all?” Flynn asks.

“Natalie says she’s intrigued, curious, interested. Never once has she said she’s afraid. That’s important.”

“I’m not afraid.” I swallow hard, trying to suppress the memory of the dream that reopened old wounds. I know I should tell them both about the dream, but I’m so tired of revisiting the past. I want to move forward with my amazing husband. I want us to have everything we want and deserve. “I want to live fearlessly.”

“You see why I love her so damned much?” Flynn says softly.
 

“I do,” Curtis says, smiling. “I encourage you to live fearlessly, Natalie, but I also urge you to proceed cautiously. Baby steps. Ease your way into this a little at a time to see what works for you and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to use whatever word you’ve agreed upon that stops everything. And keep the lines of communication wide open. Talk about it afterward, what you liked and didn’t like, what you’d like to do again and what you wouldn’t. That’s going to be critical to ensuring a successful experiment.”

“We’re getting pretty good at the talking thing,” Flynn says, glancing at me.

I nod in agreement.
 

“That’s an excellent place to start,” Curt agrees. “I’d like you to check in with me, Natalie, perhaps weekly for a while, if that works for you.”

“Sure, that would be fine.”

“I’m only a phone call away if you should ever need me—day or night. Don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you so much, Curt.”

“Yes, thank you,” Flynn says, “and I’ll text you where to send your bill.”

“There’s no charge. It’s my pleasure to see you settled and so in love, Natalie. I can’t think of anyone who deserves that kind of happiness more than you.”

Flynn puts his arm around me and kisses my temple. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Thanks again, Curt. I’ll call you next week.”

“I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

Flynn pushes the button to end the connection. “He’s great and obviously very fond of you.”

“He got me through a nightmare.”

“For that, he shall always have my gratitude as well as yours.”

“Do you feel better now that we’ve spoken to him?”

“I feel less worried than I was.”

“Soooo… What now?”

Once again, he leans in close to me, his lips touching my ear. “Now, I need to do some work.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“But tonight at eight o’clock, I want you naked and on your knees at the foot of the bed. Your hands will be folded in your lap and your head down in submission as you wait for me to tell you what I want. Do you understand?”

My entire body heats as his words register. “I… Yes, I understand.”

“Today, I want you to reread our contract and go over every detail we negotiated so you’re reminded of what could happen later.”

“Okay.”

“What’s the proper way to address me in this context?”

“Yes… Sir.”

“Better. Now kiss me and let me get to work.”

I expect a quick peck, but I should know better by now. He kisses me senseless and then leaves me reeling when he pulls back. I put Fluff down, get up from the chair, which I take with me when I leave the room on trembling legs. Eight o’clock is more than ten hours from now. How will I stand the insistent throb of desire between my legs for that long?

Chapter 7

I’m hard as concrete as I watch her walk away. Her reaction to my instructions makes me want to forget all about the power of anticipation and begin playtime right now. But I’ve promised Hayden I’ll work for part of every day, so I start by diving into the email that has accumulated during the time I’ve spent with Natalie.

I participate in a conference call with the production team on the film that has defied naming, and dismiss a lengthy list of ideas our marketing team presents to us at the end of the two-hour meeting.
 

Hayden reminds me we’re long overdue with making decisions on our next project and forwards me an email containing his short list of suggestions.
 

“I’ll take a look and get back to you with my thoughts.”

“Great, thank you. Nice to have you back, even part time.”

“Good to be back.”

The call ends, and I immediately call Hayden on my cell.

“Didn’t I just talk to you?”

“I wanted to speak to you privately, and I didn’t trust everyone to hang up if I asked to do it during the call.”

“Good thinking.”

“Especially in light of what I want to talk about. So Natalie knows.”

“What does she know?”

“Everything.” I let that one word do the talking for me.

“How?”

“Our old friend Valerie decided she needed to know.”

“You’re shitting me, right?”

“I wish I was.”

“Wow, she’s got some brass balls. You gotta give her that.”

“Perhaps so, but when I get back to town, we need to do something about her. It wouldn’t take much to ruin her career, for one thing. Hardly anyone wants to work with her anyway.”

“I can’t believe she’d have the nerve to fuck with you this way. So, how did Natalie take it?”

“We had a rough couple of days, but we’re better now. A lot better. She wants to come to the club.”

“So she’s interested?”

“Intrigued and curious were the words she used.”

“A lot better than depraved and disgusting.”

“I much prefer Natalie’s words.”

“Wow, Flynn… Congrats. You hit the jackpot. You found a woman who genuinely loves you
and
is willing to be part of the lifestyle, too. You’re a lucky bastard.”

I can hear the yearning in his tone. Perhaps someone who doesn’t know him as well as I do would’ve missed it, but I don’t. “You never know what’s possible unless you try.”

“Not gonna happen.”

“How do you know—”

“I gotta go. Another call coming in. See you when you get back.”

The line goes dead, and I shake my head in amusement and frustration at my best friend’s dismissal of my suggestion. He and Addie would be great together, but Hayden’s too afraid of what might happen if she found out about his involvement in the lifestyle. More than anything, I think he fears losing her friendship, not that he’s ever come right out and said that. Hell, he’s barely admitted his interest in her to me, let alone anything else.

I hope he can get out of his own way and decide to take a chance. I, for one, would tell him the rewards far outweigh the risks, but then again, I wasn’t risking a longtime friendship with Natalie. It’s a tough situation, especially because I believe Addie would welcome being more than friends with Hayden—again, not that she and I have actually talked about it.

Natalie appears in the doorway, and every other thought leaves my head except for those that involve her. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“You’re not. What’s up?”

“I talked to Aileen, and she doesn’t sound too good. She had chemo on Friday, and the kids are home today because of the snow. I was thinking I might go over there and entertain the kids so she can rest. Would that be okay with you?”

“Only if I can come with you.”

“I thought you had to work.”

“I did, and now I don’t have anything else scheduled until eight o’clock tonight.”

Her eyes drop and her cheeks flush at the mention of our date. “Oh, well, if you want to come, I’m sure the kids would love that.”

“You should check with Aileen first. I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind, but I’ll ask her if we can hang out with the kids for a while so she can rest.” She sends a text and receives an immediate response. “She says they’d love it and that neither of us are to look directly at her or at the condition of the apartment.”

I laugh at the cute but sad reply. “We can’t drive, though. With everyone home because of the snow, we’ll never be able to park. We’ll take a cab.”

“How will we get out of here undetected?”

“I have the perfect solution.”

“I won’t wear Russian fur on my head.”

“I wouldn’t dream of making you do that. I’ve got something even better.” He disappears into the bedroom and returns carrying two hats. When he hands one to me, I see they are knit ski masks with holes for the eyes, nose and mouth that cover the entire face. “No one will look twice at us in these today, because everyone will be wearing them.”

“I’ve always thought they were kind of creepy when I saw people wearing them on the street.”
 

“They do come in handy on days like this. And this way we can leave the security guys at home.”

“Where are they when we’re here?”

“In an office in the building next door. I call them when we need them.”

“That must cost a fortune.”

“It does, but it’s well worth it.”

We suit up in the warmest clothes we can find and head out a short time later with Fluff leading the way. In addition to the snow masks, we’re wrapped up in scarves, warm parkas and gloves. “I wish I had my boots.” The best she was able to do is a pair of black Nikes.
 

“I’ll carry you over any puddles.”

The doorman hails a cab for us, and as we’re on our way out the door, Fluff stops right on the sidewalk to pee. Natalie and I lose it laughing, which draws the attention of the photographers camped outside my place. “Quick.” I gesture to the waiting cab. I scoop up Fluff the second she quits peeing, and we make a break for the car before the photographers can get themselves organized.
 

Once inside the cab, we remove the masks.

“I can’t believe they stand out there in the snow hoping for a glimpse of you,” she says.

“And you.”

“But mostly you.”

“I don’t know… Liza says pictures of you are going for a pretty penny these days, too.”

After a slow ride through slush and ice, we arrive at Aileen’s building. The snowdrifts are so high that I have to make good on my promise to pick up Natalie—and Fluff—and carry them over the snow to the vestibule.

“Our hero,” she says.

“I specialize in damsels in distress.”

We go up a flight of stairs, and Natalie pushes the button for Aileen’s place. A buzzer sounds to admit us. Outside their apartment, Logan is waiting for us and lets out a happy squeal when he sees Natalie. She catches him up in a big hug.

“You’ve grown a foot since I saw you.”

“That’s not possible, Ms. Bryant.”

She keeps him in her arms as we enter the apartment. “You can call me Natalie now that I’m not your teacher anymore.”

“
Miss
Natalie,” a weak voice from the sofa says.

With one glance, it’s obvious Aileen is in rough shape. Her face is ghostly white, and she doesn’t get up when we enter the living room, which looks as if a cyclone has gone through it.