“So don’t stifle the spark. Let it burn. What you get in return will be a lot sweeter than a conventional marriage. You don’t want that either, you just don’t know it yet. You’ll understand when you see the bigger picture.” Angelina tapped her fingers on the table. “You have to be strong enough to let her walk each one of her roads without getting blinded by what you shared last night.”
“I’m putting a lot of trust in you.” I sipped my whiskey and sighed again. “You’ve brought me this far and you’ve given me something special. I just hope you don’t ruin it before it has a chance to fully develop.”
“You’ll always be here first.” Angelina smiled and nodded. “That will mean something, no matter what.”
“Then there will be others?” I felt my jaw tense up.
“If she wants it. She’s not a fragile flower. She needs things that you can’t provide, but if you let me do what I know is best, she’ll have everything when she returns to you.” Angelina leaned forward and patted my knee. “I’ve brought you this far. Trust me to take you all the way to the eternal happiness you both need.”
“Okay.” I let out a long sigh and nodded. “I don’t like it, but I’m only here because of you.”
Once Angelina was gone, I had to fight against my very nature not to chase her down and tell her to call the whole thing off. I wanted to trust her, but the thought of my beautiful Harmony being in another man’s arms made my possessive nature flare. I wasn’t sure if Harmony would even agree to it. Part of me hoped she heard Angelina’s plan, told her to fuck off, and came running back to me. That worried me, though. If Angelina was right and I couldn’t give her everything she needed, then I was scared to build a life with that lingering in my thoughts. The night we shared would be the final page of an unclosed chapter that finally slammed shut. I hoped it didn’t end that easily after waiting so long to understand how much I wanted her.
Last night was too perfect for it to be last one we share together.
7
Harmony
I was nervous when the meeting with Angelina was set up. Gina wanted to have lunch and hear all about my date since I was rather vague when I we traded text messages the night before. Normally, I would have jumped at the opportunity, but I just wasn’t ready to talk about it. I felt like I was going to have to fight for what I wanted when I met with her. I drove to her hotel, which was a bit nicer than the one Nate was staying at. I walked into the lobby, prepared to go to war if necessary. I was thankful that Angelina brought us together, but there was no way I would let her tear us apart. Whatever sick and twisted game she was trying to play would have to end. The only ripple I wanted to chase was the one that took me back to Nate. We could figure out the rest on our own.
“Thank you for coming.” Angelina opened the door and took a step back.
“Thank you for meeting with me.” I returned the courtesy as I walked into her hotel room—which was actually a suite.
“Would you like a drink? I have coffee, tea, or something stronger if you’d prefer.” She motioned to the kitchen area which had a full mini-bar.
“Maybe just some water.” I nodded and took the glass when she poured it.
“So, let me guess.” She walked into the living room area and took a seat. “You had a wonderful night with Nate and you can’t imagine anything else but eternal happiness.”
“Well, it’s not exactly like that.” I took a seat across from her. “I just don’t understand how this is supposed to work exactly. I mean, who are you to determine what people want?”
“I’m not the one that determines it. I’m simply a guide.” She smiled and nodded. “I’m not your enemy. Nothing would make me happier than for you and Nate to have a wonderful life together.”
“Then why make it so difficult before we even get a chance to see where it is going?” I sipped my water and tilted my head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“When I was building a profile for Nate in order to help him find what was missing from his life, I also had to build one for you.” She picked up the tablet on the table in front of her and leaned back in the chair. “I needed to know if he was just hung up on a face from the past or if there was actual substance behind his feelings.”
“Did it tell you I was a one night stand?” I narrowed my eyes at her. “I assure you it was wrong if that’s what you landed on.”
“No. I believe in honesty with all of my clients and whether you like it or not, you are now my client.” She slid her finger across the tablet and started tapping the screen.
“I don’t want to be your client.” I scoffed at her and shook my head as I reached for my glass of water.
“Hear me out and I ask that you keep an open mind, because I’m about to lay some truth on you that might be tough for you to accept.” She looked up from her tablet. “You are living one hell of a lie.”
“Do what?” I nearly spit out my water before it was swallowed.
“You seem like such a sweet girl on the surface. So innocent. So nice.” Angelina chuckled. “Harmony Carmichael, or should I call you SubmissiveCindy21?”
“Holy shit.” I felt the color draining from my face and my head spun so fast I thought I was going to pass out.
“Ah yes, your secret online life. You like to be spanked, dominated, and you’re open to trying anything once.” Angelina turned her tablet towards me, showing me one of the profiles I had created on a Virtual Submission website.
“That—that’s private! Nobody knows about that! How the hell did you find it?” My heart kept beating, getting faster with every second.
“Perhaps you’d like a stronger drink than water?” Angelina put the tablet on the table near me. “What was it you were drinking at your sister’s wedding? A martini?”