“All right.” He pulled onto the road and drove toward her apartment. “Text me when you feel better though, okay?”
Fox had turned out to be more of a distraction than she’d expected. He hadn’t been a fling at all. And falling for him was dangerous in more ways than one.
“Okay.”
Chapter 14
She wasn’t answering.
He’d texted. He’d left a voice mail. He’d driven by her place and waited until she walked by a window. When he saw her looking healthy and unconcerned, he’d left. She was safe and choosing not to respond to him. It gave him some relief that nothing crazy had happened to her, but it would have been nice if she’d at least shot him a text to break things off rather than ghosting him.
Around him, he was vaguely aware of the chaotic milling of people that was typical for the club area of Fitte, but it was all background noise while he flipped through his texts with Addison. He could feel Luke and Atlas watching him, but he just wasn’t in the mood to be here tonight.
It had been three full days since he’d helped move her grandmother, and he couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong. Had it all been about the money? Because it was really starting to look that way. He kept catching himself trying to hope she was just busy, but they’d developed the kind of relationship where they texted back and forth all day. Silence for days was a pretty clear message.
He was far more angry and hurt than he would have thought possible. He’d really liked her—still really liked her—but apparently he’d been deluding himself into thinking his feelings were reciprocated.
Had she freaked out after introducing him to her family? Had they hated him but been polite until afterward? He’d thought things had gone well. Maybe he’d been too chummy with them. There were ways of telling him these things without just disappearing though. Had it been something unfixable? Unforgivable? If she couldn’t even voice her concerns to him, if she couldn’t even trust him that much, maybe ghosting him was for the best. But hell, he hated not having any closure. Not knowing why was the worst of it. He tried to be callous and not care . . . but he cared, all right. Too fucking much.
“Earth to Fox.” Luke snapped his fingers in front of Fox’s face.
Fox jerked his head back in annoyance. “Fuck off.”
“So grumpy when you’re not getting any pussy.” Luke shook his head in disapproval. “We didn’t decide to come here so you could sulk. How long are you going to wait for her?”
“It’s only been three days, dickbag.” Atlas chuckled. “Leave him be.”
Fox stared off into the surroundings of the club section of Fitte, wondering what it would have been like to bring Addison, even though he’d vowed not to. Here and there masochists and submissives were tied to pipes protruding from walls, and to overhead pulleys.
There was no opulence in this part of the hotel, just a sterile, industrial environment, like some sort of steampunk laboratory torture chamber. Men and women being flogged, tickled, whipped, tortured. Submissives knelt at their dominants’ feet. People watched, talked, made out. Some drank, although no one was drunk. Danced. The heavy metal that came from the speakers was quieter in the seating areas. The only time it got deafening was when a band, like Fitte, performed. Playing with her here would have been fun, especially with the option of taking her upstairs again.
Wishing he could have spent more time with her was stupid and pathetic if his money was all she’d wanted.
Several pretty little kinksters had been checking them out since they’d arrived but Fox found himself comparing them to Addison. They were lacking, at least for him.
A diminutive redhead in pigtails and a schoolgirl uniform was shyly watching Atlas, but giving a definite “come hither” vibe.
“Just go, for fucksakes,” Fox grumbled. “I don’t need babysitting.”
“
Looks like she does, though.” Luke laughed.
“It’s so hard to resist a woman who knows how to do the naughty schoolgirl shtick so well.” Atlas got to his feet, and Fox and Luke snickered when her eyes went very round. Apparently Atlas was bigger than she’d anticipated. When he approached her, she backed a step, but then held her ground.
Good. Atlas enjoyed a woman who’d stand up to him. She was smiling up . . . way up . . . at him and twirling her hair. Ugh. Fox was glad his own bedroom was in the basement. He wouldn’t have to listen to them tonight.
“How is that going to work?” Luke winced.
“Carefully, I’m guessing.”
“Slowly and with lots of lube.” Geir grimaced and sat down with them. The club owner swept his long blond hair back from his eyes. “He’s going to break that bit of fluff. And where’s your woman, Fox? I was hoping she’d be here with you so I could ask to borrow her.”
“You know that’s not how things are. I don’t own her. She’s a free woman. One that’s not texting me back at the moment.”
Geir’s grin was vaguely threatening. “Too bad I don’t know her whole name then.” He slung a companionable arm around Fox’s shoulder. “I like a girl who isn’t shy about worshiping cock in public places.”
Like Fox needed that reminder.