Rough Exile

“Ilya doesn’t know many people. He also had no video games as a child, so he doesn’t crave it,” Bron explained. “Then again, neither do I. When I moved to the island twelve years ago, the technology wasn’t so good, and since it’s difficult to get a signal there…” He shrugged. “We could get a signal booster, but phones waste your life if you let them.”

I felt my fingers twitch, wanting to yank the phone out of Bron’s hand. It was a portal to a world I hadn’t had access to for months now. I wasn’t as addicted to social media as some of my siblings, but it had been weird learning how to fill empty moments with only my thoughts rather than with perpetual entertainment.

Was going without a phone a bad thing, though?

I felt so much calmer without one, now that I was used to it. The effect Ilya’s island had on me would be hard to explain to other people—as though the trees and working in the dirt were a magical cure for the constant pressure I’d felt back home. There were different stressors here, but I only had two people to cater to. I should have missed my family, but the only person I missed, if I was being honest, was Lane.

Bron shoved his phone back in his pocket. “We’re going to a club tonight.”

“A night club?” Ilya asked, incredulous. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“Thankfully, it’s not that kind of club,” Bron said, eyes twinkling. “I’ve seen you dance.”

Ilya flipped him off. “I doubt you can dance, either.”

“Of course I can dance. I wasn’t raised by wolves, like you.”

“What kind of club is it?” I tried to think of what to wear. They’d bought me so much clothing I’d abandoned the work of hanging things up in the closet after a while, my arms like noodles. Despite how tired I was, going out sounded like fun. I hadn’t gone to clubs much back home, because I was always working, running the house, taking care of the kids, and low on cash.

“A kink club.”

Both Ilya and I looked at him. I was shocked, but Ilya looked confused.

“There’s a kink club here?” I asked.

“The one we’re going to is exclusive. The kind where you have to sign an NDA.”

“Oh.”

“Kink?” Ilya asked.

“It’s a sex club,” Bron explained.

It was so strange that Ilya had no experience with vanilla sex, other than seeing it in movies. There was no porn at the house that I knew of, and they didn’t have the internet.

“People have sex there? Right in the club?”

“Yes.”

“Why would we go to a sex club when everyone we have sex with is here?”

“It will be good for you to see how domination works for other people. It will also be good for Delilah to remember how to act more submissive.”

I didn’t miss the glance he sent my way.

“I’m not really a submissive,” I pointed out.

“No, you’re a whore. For Ilya’s sake, you’ll have to fake being submissive to him when we visit his family.”

Hearing him call me a whore stung. Sure, I’d been called one before multiple times, but it was usually just dirty talk. This was personal.

Ilya got up from the couch and towered over Bron. “Don’t call her that.”

“Such a great defender of women, and yet you can’t defend yourself.”

“She’s sacrificing herself for her family.”

“Whore is a job description, suka. I’m not passing judgment on your little wifey.” He pinched Ilya’s cheek.

“Apologize to her.”

“Or what?” Bron’s laugh was disbelieving and aggressive.

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, springing to my feet and pushing between them.

“It’s not fine,” Ilya said, not taking his angry gaze from Bron. “It’s fucking rude, and Bron is going to apologize.”

“Am I?”