Page 169 of Enthrall Shadows
Dex rubbed against me with affection.
“Hey, buddy.” I caressed his head.
“I gave him a snack,” said the young woman.
“Thank you.” I headed for the door with Dex trotting beside me, glad to be escaping.
I’d sealed this break-up by doing it here, at her place of work. A cruel mistake.
One I’d have to reconcile later.
Walking away before the emotions I was feeling overwhelmed me was the best way to avoid pain.
I’d flown too dangerously close to this sensual world.
My sharp breaths echoed in the dark chamber as I rested a hand on the St. Andrew’s Cross to steady myself.
I just need a second.
Snapping my hands up, I covered my breasts like Henry was still here. For the first time in forever I felt vulnerable, naked and exposed.
Quickly reaching for my bra, I put it back on.
I’d served in this profession for over a decade. This was the first time I had ever doubted myself.
From the beginning, my intuition had warned me that nothing good could come from having a crush on Henry.
Yet I’d allowedthisto happen.
The St. Andrew’s Cross haunted my vision. What had I been thinking, tying him to it—even with silk binds.
Insanity.
I’d struggled to fight for something that was already a lost cause. Henry would never date a dominatrix. For me to have believed he could was crazy.
Yesterday, when we’d made love at his home, I hadn’t known it would be the last time we’d ever be intimate.
My legs grew shaky at that thought, and I sank to the stone floor, sucking back tears. Kneeling, I clutched my stomach as I rode out this uncertainty, my body reacting viscerally. For a moment there, he’d felt like The One.
I felt someone touch my shoulder. Startled, I glanced back to see Richard. I hadn’t even heard him enter the chamber.
“Come sit down.” Richard helped me up and led me over to a high-backed chair.
He sat on the ottoman next to me, resting his hand on my leg.
“Has he gone?” I asked.
“He’s gone,” said Richard. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Henry looked surprised when he learned you were here,” said Richard softly. “Did you tell him you’d left Chrysalis?”
Embarrassed, I stayed quiet.
He took a few seconds to process that information. “I get it.”
“Not because of him. I’d already spoken with Cameron about working at his clinic.”
