Jesus, I never know what to say to her when it comes to Dante.
First, I just thought it was a crush. The man is absolutely gorgeous and there’s no woman alive who wouldn’t think it. He has the kind of looks that only get better with age and the last time I saw him was at her parents' anniversary where he announced his engagement. That was nearly a year ago.
“I know... you don’t have to say it. It’s stupid. Now that is stupid because I can’t be with him. I just need to get to the part when I kick that fantasy to the curb. Give it a good kick because the ship has sailed into the great beyond.”
“What happened?” I ask. Something must have happened for her to bring him up. She’s seemed fine outside of the times she’s seen him. She dates and gets up to her wild adventures with her guys and we only even mention Dante in times like these when she starts sulking for one reason or another.
“He’s coming back to Chicago with his fiancée. They’re gonna settle down here, so that means he’ll be working at the same place as me. I’ll see him every day. Dad’s planning to slow down so he can spend more time with Mom, and well… that means Dante may be in charge. It won’t be me and that’s cool. I’m not cut up about that. I’m fine with what I’m doing. What I’m not that thrilled about is seeing him and knowing I can’t be with him… ever.”
I bite the inside of my lips.
“Rachel, I’m gonna try to be you and give the advice I think you’d give me. You’d say to move on, or…” I hold my breath because Rachel’s advice is always something with a twist of some spark to get a person thinking. Just like how she told me to give this thing with Josh a chance. Another friend wouldn’t do that. Jia would be in agreement and has been, but she wasn’t as gentle as Rachel in understanding things from my perspective.
“Or what?” she raises her shoulders. “There’s an, or?”
“Yes, remember, I’m pretending to be you. So you’d say he’s getting married so respect it and move on, but… if he never knew how you felt and perhaps he felt the same way, how would he have known there was a chance?”
I would have completely erred on the side of caution and accept that that ship really had gone to the great beyond. But because she looks so cut up I thought I’d mention that. And… it seems to work.
“Thank you. That’s good advice, Giselle. It’s something to think about, although I think I may just have to see my dream guy get married to someone else. I may be ballsy but I don’t know if I can be that ballsy. How about we focus on you again? I’ll try to get over my grief.”
“Okay, let’s eat some of that chocolate we got last time.” I have a cupboard full of it. it was from my breakup with Kirk. Every time the girls came to the house, they brought chocolate. Every time.
“Okay, let’s do that. I’ll help you with your makeup,” she declares, standing up.
I guess I’m probably going to have to leave in a while. It’s six-thirty. To get to the club for eight, I’ll have to leave at seven-fifteen.
“Thank you.” I return the smile, still feeling crazy because I’m so excited to see Josh I can hardly contain myself.
I’m excited and nervous as hell.
What does he have planned for later?
I get the feeling it’s something that will shock me.
I was right.
I knew it had to be something to shock me more than he already h
ad, and more than I’d already shocked myself.
My mouth fell open when the guard ushering me to see Josh led me into the sex dungeon. Josh was waiting for me inside, talking it up with another man dressed in period wear. Period wear as in Victorian gothic style. He looks like a pirate with the black eyeliner around his eyes.
They’re sitting opposite each other.
Curious as that made me. What added to the shock was the woman next to him curled up on the floor in between his legs with a color around her neck.
The color has a lead on it and the man is holding the lead in one hand and stroking her head with his free hand.
Instantly I know what they are. She must be a sub and he’s her Dom.
My eyes went straight to them and I was so absorbed in looking at them that I didn’t fully look around the room.
It’s the sounds of sexual pleasure that catch my attention and make me look in the direction it comes from.
It’s coming from a woman with her arms attached to chains on the wall ahead of us. She cries out in pleasure as a man fucks her into the wall. Both are naked.
The room is brighter than the rest of the club and more like a gathering setting.