Page 188 of Bound By Her

“I have to ask,” Loretta said, her tone gentler now. “Why these three?”

Adria stared at the chandelier, as if it held the answers.

“I’ve asked myself the same thing a thousand times.” She let out a slow breath. “The answer seems like it should be more complicated than it is.”

Loretta waited.

So, Adria told the truth.

“They—we—taught each other.” She exhaled, shaking her head. “No matter what happens, when they leave…I’ll be more whole, more myself, because of them.”

Loretta tilted her head. “We always grow with our subs.”

“Not like this.”

Loretta studied her for a long moment. Then, she set her tea down.

“Do you want my advice?”

“Please.”

Loretta’s lips curled, something knowing in her gaze. “See where it goes. Explore it. You still have time.”

It sounded so simple.

So why did it feel impossible?

Adria chewed her lip, looking away.

Loretta smirked. “Of course, there’s one minor detail you might not have considered.”

Adria met her eyes, wary.

“You’ll actually have to talk to them. Tell them how you feel.”

Adria flushed, smoothing out her skirt. “That shouldn’t be an issue. Talking is my specialty.”

Loretta laughed, the sound warm and knowing. “Maybe it will be easier to sell them.”

Adria rolled her eyes, but before she could retort, Loretta’s voice softened.

“And how are you supposed to sell them, Adria?”

The amusement gone now. The real question lay beneath it.

Adria’s hands curled into fists.

“How are you supposed to prepare them to service someone else?” Loretta’s voice dropped. “When the very idea makes you sick?”

Adria’s breath hitched.

She didn’t have an answer.

Loretta crossed her legs. “You were able to share them with Regan, correct?”

“Regan made the process easy, but I was right there the whole time.”

Regan pulled at Loretta’s pant leg.

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