Page 4 of Edged

“I can’t help it.” Whenever she was out and about, she worried about running into someone who knew her when she was younger. Her home life hadn’t been the best.

“From what you told me, you did everything you could to get yourself out of that situation. Heck, you even took a bartending job at the club when both your parents were alcoholics.”

“Only because Max doesn’t allow alcohol. He understands at any event where he does allow alcohol, I can’t bartend.” And she wouldn’t. Not growing up with parents who cared more about their next drink than making sure their children were fed, clothed, and taken care of.

“Right. But tell me more about meeting Anthony. Did he recognize you?”

“I don’t think so.” Kaley thought back. Maybe there had been a flash of recognition, but it was gone in a second.

“Not unusual, you’ve only been at the club a few times when he’s there.”

“Are all the Doms so…overwhelming?”

Dani laughed. “Most are. Anthony can be particularly intense. Besides, his skill with words can create a great mind fuck. He’s the knife play expert.”

Kaley’s mouth dropped open. She knew about his skill at saying things that messed with a person’s head, but the knives? Her hand covered her abdomen. “Knives,” she whispered. A sliver of pain swept over her skin and disappeared in an instant.

“You’ve gone pale. Are you okay?”

She wanted to say yes but couldn’t. Memories nearly overwhelmed her until she was pulled back to the present when the waiter brought their food.

“I’m starving,” she said, trying to cover up her reaction. No one knew about that, not even Dani.

Dani kept her gaze on Kaley for a moment before looking at her food. “Let’s eat, but I want to know more.”

“What more is there to tell?” Kaley picked up her brisket sandwich.

“There’s always more.”

They finished eating, paid the check, and decided to go for a walk. “So, tell me more about you and Anthony,” Dani said.

“There’s nothing more. We chatted, I groomed Nugget and went on my way.”

“That blush on your cheeks tells me there was more to it.”

Kaley sighed. She wanted Dani’s advice, but that meant she had to tell her. There was no harm in that. “Anthony asked me to model for him.”

Dani squealed. “Are you going to do it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Come on, Dani. I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but I’m not model material.”

“Bull. You’ve got wonderful cheekbones, and your eyes sparkle when you let yourself be happy.”

Kaley tilted her head. “You make me sound like a beauty queen or something.”

“Quit being so hard on yourself.” Dani stopped in front of The Morgan Gallery. “Come on, let’s go in.” Before Kaley could say a word, Dani took her by the arm and pulled her into the gallery.

Kaley hadn’t been inside the gallery before. She almost laughed; the last time she’d been around art like this was a school field trip to the Seattle Art Museum when she was younger. She moved past the abstract paintings and…oh goodness.

This art was erotic, or did they call it fetish? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was it was explicit. She stared at the first painting of a menage with two men and a woman, whose face radiated her immense enjoyment.

The next painting was a man in a jock strap with a harness on. He looked hard and tough. In the next panel, a male hand caressed the woman’s lower back, and Kaley instantly noticed the softening of the subject’s features.

Her breath caught as she moved to the next painting. A female submissive tied to a spanking bench, her ass red, her Dom standing next to her with a flogger in one hand and the other hand resting on her back. The sheer love shining from the woman’s eyes made Kaley jealous.

---