Black Forever (Obsidian 4)

“All those nights that Calloway has been at Ruin, he’s been with me. He takes me in his playroom and spanks me, whips me, and does many more unspeakable things—because you won’t give it to him. I’m his sub. I’ve been his sub for a very long time. Just thought you should know.” She nodded to the envelope. “All the proof you need.” She gave me another threatening glare before she stormed out of my office, shaking her ass like a model on the runway.

I wanted to scream.

Her confession immediately sent me into a spiral of panic. Calloway had been acting strange because he was sneaking around behind my back. When I couldn’t give him what he needed, he went to someone else.

How could he do this to me?

I eyed the envelope sitting on the table then ripped the seal open, needing to see the proof that was sitting inside.

But then I stopped myself.

Calloway would never do that to me. He was loyal to me, devoted to me. He told me he loved me and showed it every single day. Maybe we had our problems, but he would never hurt me like that.

I gripped the envelope by the edges but didn’t open it. I didn’t need to see what was inside. It had to be Photoshopped images that she threw together. None of the contents had any basis in reality.

I knew Calloway.

And I trusted him.

I left my office with the envelope tucked under my arm and headed to his office on the other side of the building. This time, I took his request seriously and walked right inside without checking in with his assistant.

She stared at me with surprise but didn’t dare try to stop me.

Calloway was on the phone when I walked inside. “Of course, Greg.” He listened to him over the line as his eyes locked to mine. When he saw the concern on my face, he finished up the call. “Greg, I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you on Tuesday, alright? Talk to you then.” He placed the phone on the base. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He rose to a stand and came around the desk, buttoning the front of his suit on instinct.

I held up the envelope. “One of your old subs stopped by my office just now.”

Calloway’s concern immediately melted away. He stiffened at the subject and released a quiet sigh. He eyed the envelope but didn’t take it. Like he’d done over the past few weeks, he became unreadable once more.

“She told me you’ve been sneaking off with her at Ruin, that she’s your sub because I can’t give you what you need. Then she handed me this for proof.” I shook the envelope.

Calloway placed his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the floor.

“What a psychopath. I didn’t realize she was still obsessed with you.”

Calloway slowly raised his head and looked at me, his eyebrows slightly raised.

“She barged into my office like she owned the damn place. And she expects me to believe this bullshit?” I wanted to throw the envelope against the damn well. Better yet, I wanted to light it on fire and watch it burn to ash. That woman had a lot of nerve trying to come between Calloway and me. It would take a lot more than a filthy lie to get me to think twice.

His face suddenly softened in a way it never had before. His eyes crinkled in the corners, and he swallowed hard. He placed his hand underneath his chin and rubbed the scruff along his jaw. His eyes closed like he suddenly needed a moment to recuperate. It wasn’t clear if he was touched by what I said or repulsed.

“What?” I asked, unable to read him the way I used to.

He returned his hand to his pocket and opened his eyes again, this time meeting my gaze head on. “Rome…she wasn’t lying. Everything she said is true.” He swallowed hard again, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.

I heard what he said, but I couldn’t conceive of it. It was a fact, a confession, but it still didn’t sink into my brain. “What…?” There was no way this really happened. There was no way Calloway would sneak around behind my back. There was no way he would touch another woman. “I…what?” I immediately stepped back because I suddenly wasn’t getting enough air. I needed to breathe. Otherwise, I would collapse.

A slight look of remorse was in his eyes, but the rest of his body remained strong. “She has been my sub for a few months. When I go to Ruin, I hit her. I strike her with my belt or hit her with my whip. I give her a command, and she obeys. She does what I ask, gives me the control. She gives me what I need…”