Jacky changed my life, and made me forget about Zoe. The screams of pleasure, those huge breasts bouncing in my face. It was exhilarating. The cuffs gave way to clamps, and the clamps to whips and leather and blindfolds and ball gags and so much more. I felt like a fucking titan, with Jacky as my personal sex toy.
She let me do anything and everything, and then some.
Imagine having that kind of power.
It was as addictive as crack.
That was until her husband found out, and she suddenly disappeared from my life. I was depressed again, hurt, angry, and I felt like I was losing control all over again. Martin made it all go away by forcing me to focus on work and building the business, but I was left with a sudden emptiness that quickly brought Zoe back into the forefront of my mind. From then on, the cuffs and clamps were the only way I could get off. The only way I really had control. Without them, I was as impotent as a fucking eunuch.
* * *
“Are you going to just stand there forever staring into the corner of the room?” I turned and looked at Martin as he made his way down the stairs to stand beside me. “Tell me you’re not still thinking about Zoe Maxwell.”
“I was thinking that you were right,” I said, forcing a smile, summoning Chad Walters back from the darkness. I held out my hands and waved them through the air as if I were performing a magic trick. “This would make a great area for a jacuzzi.”
Martin cut me a sideways glance. “So…”
“So, let’s sign the lease and get this motherfucker open,” I said.
“ Body by Chad New York City, baby!” Martin said, slapp
ing me on the back. “Soon, my friend, you’ll be the biggest name in town.”
“I’m already the biggest name in town.” I shot him a cocky smile, then looked at my watch again and headed for the door. I needed to call Zoe, but didn’t mention that to him.
“Hey, where are you going?” he asked. “We need to celebrate.”
“Raincheck it,” I said, reaching for the door. I had my phone in my hand. I waved it at him. “There is a certain blonde TV host who is waiting to have her body worked over by Chad. I’ll call you later.”
Before he could say a word, I ducked out and headed up the sidewalk with the phone at my ear.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Zoe
I didn’t really expect the call. Not really. Knowing Chad, I expected him to blow me off and forget about the whole thing entirely. After the shower, I couldn’t help but do some research on him, and my God, was he big. Body by Chad was more than just a successful fitness studio, it was a serious business and a huge brand. It was a surprise that he had even taken the time to show up in New York for the interview at all.
There were a dozen big names associated with Chad. I had never seen so many celebrities endorse a single business like this. He was a star amongst stars, and everyone loved him. At one point, I even wondered why he had bothered to do the interview in the first place. He clearly didn’t need it. His success made mine look like I had won the Spelling Bee at school.
So, I didn’t expect him to call. We had too much history, too many memories. I had, after all, dumped him and moved on, and it was hard to believe that someone who had grown this successful would bother with the woman who had left him behind.
But he did call.
The ringing of my cellphone startled me at first, and I hesitated when I saw his number. I was still trying to wrap my head around what I had read about him, and the intense orgasm in the shower. I tried to compose myself, paranoid that he might actually know about the shower or that I was researching him.
Get a grip. Show some balls. Dinner was his idea, after all.
Then a second thought hit me. What if this was just a ploy to get back at me?
Stop it. Answer the damn call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Zoe, it’s me,” Chad’s voice was like the whisper of a ghost in my ear, and I felt myself smiling. “Thought you wouldn’t answer.”
“Why wouldn’t I answer?”
“Just thought –” His voice trailed off, then came back a lot more confident. “You know, big shot author and all that, probably had some plans to celebrate today’s show.”
“I promised you dinner,” I replied. Yeah, because I’ve always been great with the promises.