After two days of calling with no response, I was lost and despondent. Eventually, I tracked down her roommate, Isabella, but she didn’t know where she had gone. The city was an absolute mess at this point, so it was actually a kind of relief that she didn’t go back there. God forbid if Sandra got caught up in one of these riots, I’d never forgive myself.
With no other resources, I asked the Davies Brothers for help. They were, of course, furious that Sandra wasn’t there. That was an interesting change. With all the stuff that was going on, they were equally worried she might get hurt roaming around.
“Jack,” lectured William. “When are you going to stop this foolishness? Sandra is a good woman. If you blow it with her…”
“But I didn’t. When Kitty showed up, how could I control that?”
“By not getting involved with women like Kitty in the first place,” said Dan, finally speaking up. “I’m sure you had fun with these women, but what kind of character do they have, Jack? Think about that.”
“I guess you’re right,” I sighed. “C’mon, guys, cut me some slack. I’m sure I’m not the only man to be led astray.”
“I had some fun in my day,” Dan admitted. “But that’s all over, and it’s for the best. It’s high time you grew up, Jack.”
“I swear, I will make this up to her,” I promised. “You’ve got to find her for me. I need to talk to her.”
“Okay, we’ll make some calls,” William said. “We have plenty of connections in the NYPD, but they have their hands full right now.”
“What about that private firm?” asked Dan. “I’m sure they’re not very busy.”
“Good point. I wouldn’t mind throwing them some work,” William acknowledged. “We’ll get back to you when we know something, Jack.”
Chapter Twenty – Jack
The next day, I got drunk in the house alone. This was something I’ve never done. At some point, I staggered up to the playroom and had a look around. Why did I ever build this thing? What was I thinking?
Guess it was trendy and cool. The women seemed to like it. It was funny how a little spanking and light bondage made the regular sex seem spectacular. For me, it became a crutch. Maybe I had taken it too far and let it warp me.
Suddenly, I found myself knocking over all the equipment. The restraints, even the ones in the walls, I started to tear out with my bare hands. I got out all the sex tapes and destroyed them one by one. I didn’t want a single trace of them left.
I found myself sitting on the floor in the mess. Why had I let myself go this far? I thought I was just having fun, but really I was damaging my soul. The lifestyle was an escape for me. To avoid relationships, I dove into kink and subverted myself. And I had allowed it to go on so long, I couldn’t function in a healthy relationship anymore.
Here I was, finally faced with someone I could love, and I just fell to pieces. I needed to rebuild myself. The old Jack had to go.
Passing out in the mess, I awoke with a mild hangover and a new purpose. I went downstairs, brewed a cup of black coffee. After drinking it, I went right to work. I removed everything that was connected with other women or kink. It was all tainted.
And I didn’t just throw the bags of garbage on the curb, I had a service come and remove all the bags. It was all gone now. The only thing left in the playroom was a lot of space and a lot of empty drawers.
Just for good measure, I cleaned the house as well. I felt like with each room I cleaned, it was new and pure. In the course of moving a few pieces of furniture, I stumbled upon some lost panties that probably weren’t Sandra’s. There were a few other things as well, including a nipple clamp. I put them all in a trash bag, put them in my car, and drove them to the dump.
After a few days, I felt I had purged the house of all the previous “bad spirits” of my past. I had the maids come in and do a deep clean just to be sure. Now the house was sparkling. My hope was, I had cleaned out my own head, body, and soul. That I could be just as sparkling for Sandra.
That’s when William called.
“We found her,” he said. “She’s been staying at Jake’s. I have the number, but I don’t think she’ll talk to you.”
“Thanks, William,” I said. “I owe you.”
“If you weren’t such a good lawyer, I wouldn’t even bother,” he said. “But honestly, good luck. I hope you win her back.”