Freeing Her (Irresistibly Bound 4)

Eve gave her a sharp look. “Sit down. Tonight, you don’t work for me.”

Faith did as she was told. She stared at the dish before her while she waited for Eve to return. Arranged artfully on the plate was a tantalizing salmon dish that wouldn’t have looked out of place at an expensive restaurant. It must have taken Eve hours to prepare. The idea of Eve slaving away in a kitchen was so at odds with the image Faith had of her.

It was funny how, over time, that image had changed. The prim and proper woman Faith had met on the day of the job interview had been replaced by the woman who wore corsets and took pleasure in chaining Faith to the wall.

Eve returned with the wine and poured them each a glass, then sat down across from Faith. “Dinner is served.”

Faith took a bite of her salmon. It tasted as good as it looked. “This is incredible.”

“It’s an old family recipe, along with the salad,” Eve said. “But dessert is my own creation.”

Faith swallowed another mouthful. “What’s for dessert?”

“The most decadent chocolate cream pie you’ve ever tasted. But we’re going to save it for later. For afterward. ”

“After what?”

Eve sat back and narrowed her eyes at Faith. “You’re full of questions this evening, aren’t you? You’ll have to wait and see. Right now, your only job is to relax and eat your dinner.”

“You’re the boss.” A smile tugged at Faith’s lips. “Thanks for all this. With everything that’s been going on, I really needed it.”

Eve’s expression softened. “How’ve you been doing?”

“I’m okay. Honestly, more than anything else, I was upset with myself for being so upset. For not being able to let go of that old life. But maybe I don’t have to let go of it altogether. There was some good stuff with the bad, after all. It was nice, being part of a big family. And there was this automatic sense of community, of belonging. Everyone was generous and kind.” Faith sighed. “That was, as long as you did what was expected of you.”

“It sounds like a lot of pressure,” Eve said.

“It was. I was never very good at following the rules. There were just so many. Women weren’t even allowed to wear pants or cut their hair. I can’t even imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t left. I guess I’d be just like my little sister. Married with three kids, living a life of domesticity. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Faith added.

“Believe me, I’m with you there. I was never suited for that life either.”

“I’m just glad I have a choice now. That I have control over my own fate.” Faith took a long sip of her wine. Freedom sure tasted sweet.

As dinner wore on, evening turned to night, and Faith found herself opening up more and more about her old life. She didn’t usually talk about it much. Everything about her upbringing was so alien to most people. But Eve seemed to understand her in a way no one else did.

“It must have been difficult, leaving it all behind,” Eve said. “Giving up everything you knew. Adjusting to a new life.”

Faith nodded. “It was a big culture shock. I had to learn everything I thought I knew about the world all over again. It was hard, but not as hard as it could have been. Up until that point, for my life, I felt like the world I lived in didn’t make sense. It was only after I left home that I was finally able to understand myself. Don’t get me wrong, there was a long adjustment period. It took me months not to feel weird wearing jeans. And when I finally realized how much freedom I had, I went a little wild.”

She thought back to her high school and college days. They’d been filled with drinking, partying, and fooling around. “But all that experimentation and exploration helped me figure a lot out. About myself, about my sexuality. And when I did figure it all out, I didn’t have any negative feelings. It was a relief. It was like this whole world had opened up for me, one where I could be whatever I wanted to be, and love who I wanted to love, and experience all these things I never dreamed of. I eventually settled down, but there’s still plenty I haven’t figured out about myself.”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and you’re right,” Eve said. “Life is just a constant quest to find ourselves. I’ve been doing a lot of that over the past few years too.”

“I guess your world must have changed pretty drastically when you got divorced,” Faith said .

“It did, and in a good way. It forced me to find out who I really was. I had to wrap my head around my attraction to women too. It was always something I suspected about myself, but I never got to explore it until the separation.” Eve’s lips curved up slightly, her eyes fixing on Faith’s. “Since then, I’ve learned far more about myself and my tastes beyond just liking women.”

“You mean, like how much you like having women tied up on your bed, so to speak?” Eve had mentioned her first foray into the world of BDSM had been after her separation.

“Exactly. But you should know, although there were women before you, you’re the only one I’ve had bound up in my bed.”

Faith bit back a smile. “Didn’t you promise that you’d tie me up on your bed in person sometime?”

“I did. And I have every intention of keeping that promise.” Eve picked up her glass of wine. “Just as soon as we finish dinner.”

Chapter Twenty

A fter dinner, Eve led Faith to her bedroom. Once they were inside, Eve went over to the dresser and retrieved a small, familiar key. It was the key to the drawers underneath her bed.