Page 39 of XOXO, Daddy
“Mmmhmm.” That’s all I could manage. “Goodnight, Nathan.” I turned and left the room as calmly and casually as I could. I only made it three steps down before I stopped short.
This was not the person I was.
Being little did not make me weak, or a victim. Not in the slightest.
Ignoring a safeword was aseriousoffense, especially in the kink community.
With renewed focus, I entered the main playing space at Aurora, my eyes zeroing in on the first neon vest I could find.
“Excuse me?” I asked, keeping my voice just loud enough to be heard over the loud, pulsating music.
“Hi, there! What can I help you with?” The woman asked, a bright smile on her face.
“I went to a room with a patron here and … things didn’t go well,” I explained. Immediately, her facial expression changed. The smile wiped from her face. Her eyes scanned the room for another Dungeon Monitor in the room.
“Come with me.” Taking my hand, she led me to a man who wore the same vest as her. Leaning in towards the man, she spoke to him for a moment before turning back to me. “Now, tell us what happened.”
In minutes, I had relayed to each of them what had happened, and the matter was being handled. I walked out of the club that night, proud of the submissive I had become. I wasn’t afraid to stand up for myself. True, I hadn’t felt safe enough to stand up to Nathan in the privacy of that room. But that didn’t mean I was about to be walked all over or abused.
As I drove back towards home, I was nothing but proud of myself.
Well, proud with a sore ass. But proud nonetheless.
As I drove my car through the streets of downtown Providence, elation turned to tears. As proud as I was, the only person I wanted to call was Adam.
But I couldn’t.
Not after what had happened.
So, I drove home alone. Back to my apartment. Alone.
Tomorrow, I would try to pick up my life again. Alone.
Chapter Nineteen
Work had turned out well,mostly because I didn’t see Alyssa once. I had completed all my work on time and had actually gotten ahead on next week’s list of tasks. Granted, I had kept my head down, the door shut, and my mind trainedoffof all things Adam and Alyssa. It had gone so well, I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner.
I had been wanting to try out Fleming’s ever since moving back, and tonight was as good a time as any to indulge.
I perused over the dessert menu slowly, trying to decide if I had room for anything after the incredible steak dinner I’d had, while enjoying the chic ambiance the restaurant offered. The glass of wine paired perfectly with a day’s work well done, and I was all set to have a peaceful evening to myself.
But fate had other plans, it would seem.
“Fancy seeing you here,” a familiar voice called, drawing my attention from my menu to the dark eyes of none other than one Adam Stone.
“Adam,” I breathed out in surprise.
“May I join you?” he asked, his hand perched on the back of the seat opposite me. Glancing around the room, I realized I didn’t have a valid reason to say no. If I were being honest withmyself, I missed his company. With a nod, I allowed him to take his seat.
After only a few moments of awkwardness, and an order of dessert and drinks for each of us, we settled into a surprisingly easy conversation. There was no talk of kink, of our relationship, or of what had happened. It was simple and easy.
I shifted in my seat, my stomach feeling overly full from the delicious food, and winced as the pain in my ass flared up again.
“Having trouble?” he asked with a smirk, his glass of scotch poised halfway to his lips.
“It’s nothing.” Immediately, I lowered my eyes to my plate, pushing the remnants of my dinner back and forth, avoiding his eye contact fastidiously.
“Okay, now I’m intrigued. What has you squirming over there?” He leaned forward, his elbows on the table, as he smiled at me.
