“I’m so sorry he put you through that, Rowan. A BDSM relationship is a sacred, precious union, or it should be. I hate to think of him perverting the connection like that, and terrorizing you in the process. He’s not a Master, Rowan. I hope you understand that. A true Master doesn’t arbitrarily impose his will on his sub. He listens with his mind and heart, and respects the choices that work for her.”
A waitress appeared at the booth with another mug and a carafe of coffee, two large plastic-coated menus under one arm. “Boyfriend finally showed up, huh?” she said, grinning at Rowan as she set the mug in front of Eric and gave them each a menu. “I’d say he’s worth the wait.”
“Oh, um,” Rowan said, her cheeks flushing.
“I’ll have some coffee, thanks,” Eric said quickly, hoping to spare Rowan any further embarrassment. “We’ll let you know in a minute if we want anything else.”
“You got it. Cream and sugar there on the table.” She gestured with her chin toward the bowl of creamer and packets of sweetener next to the metal napkin dispenser as she poured coffee into his mug.
“You hungry?” Eric asked. It was nearly eleven, and the glazed donut he’d had on the way to his workshop several hours before was just a distant memory.
Rowan shook her head. “No. I had breakfast, thanks.” She looked around anxiously. “Um, do you think we could just leave? I really appreciate your coming all the way out here. I doubt he’ll figure out where I am but…”
“Yes, of course,” Eric said, rising quickly from the booth, any thought of food forgotten. “We can go right now.” He pulled out his wallet and dropped a ten-dollar bill on the table to make up for not ordering anything.
Rowan, too, got to her feet. “I don’t even know why I made you come all the way out here. I-I wasn’t thinking clearly.” She colored slightly, glancing away. “There’s a train station with routes to the city about six blocks from here. I have a girlfriend in the city I can call. We were in school together. We’ve…we’ve sort of lost contact lately, but I bet she’ll let me crash with her for a while, until I figure things out.”
“You have your phone?” Eric asked, recalling that Garfield had taken away her phone rights “for her own good.”
“Yeah. Battery’s dead, of course.” Rowan gave a small, embarrassed laugh as she added, “I’d borrow yours to call her, but I don’t actually remember her number. We mostly just texted. I’m sure I can find a seat on the train with a USB port. Once my phone’s charged up a little, I’ll shoot her a text.”
Eric didn’t want to leave Rowan alone, not with that asshole possibly already after her, not while she was still in such a fragile state. At the same time, the last thing she needed right now was another guy ordering her around and telling her what she was going to do.
Keeping his tone light, he suggested, “How about let’s ride back to the city together? I’m taking an Uber back. No sense in your taking the train. You could come back to my place to charge up your phone and we can take it from there.”
Rowan brought her hand to her mouth as she seemed to consider his offer. When she started to nibble a nail, he lightly touched her arm.
She lowered her hand with a self-conscious laugh. “I really do need to stop doing that,” she said.
“You do,” he agreed, smiling. “You will, now that you’re ready.”
“Yes,” she agreed, flashing a genuine smile that warmed his heart. She grabbed her purse from the back of the chair and slung it over her shoulder. “Okay, yes. If you’re sure it’s not a bother, I’ll accept your offer of a ride back to the city. Thanks, Eric. For everything.”
It took every ounce of self-control not to pull her into his arms and hold her close. Instead, he just smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you called me.”
He stepped out of the booth as he pulled his phone from his pocket. Opening the Uber app, he tapped in his address. After a moment, he glanced up with a grin. “Same driver took the fare. He should be here in three minutes.”
They waited for their ride just inside the glass doors at the entrance. Rowan stood stiffly, shoulders hunched, hands clenched at her sides, as if she expected Garfield to appear at any moment. While Eric doubted the guy would show up, he kept an eye out, just in case.
When the Uber pulled up in front of the diner, Rowan pushed through the door and power-walked toward the car, clearly eager to get inside and away from Scarsdale. Keeping up with her, Eric opened the door for Rowan and slipped in beside her.