Alicia wanted to dramatically throw herself across the seat. Not only was Danica still employing an ex-hookup, but she was parading her new girlfriend in front of her, too! This woman was shameless.I feel sorry for that lady now. Were those daggers in the flight attendant’s eyes mere jealousy, or did she feel sorry for Alicia, too?“Oh, she told you all that marriage drivel? She told me that, too. Have fun cleaning up her leftovers when she’s done with you. Your best hope is to get her to buy you more stuff now, like I wish I had done!”
The drive into downtown Chicago wasn’t as fun as Alicia thought it would be. Didn’t help that the windows were again sodark that she started to wonder if these people didn’t want to be reminded of the world beyond them. This made the twenty-minute drive into the city center feel a lot longer than the flight.
Alicia barely registered when the limo pulled up along a curb and the driver opened Danica’s door. “We have arrived, ma’am,” the chauffeur announced, the bodyguard already on the sidewalk and checking the entrance to the hotel. “The valet awaits.”
Danica stepped out and extended her hand to Alicia. Sometimes she was cold, and sometimes she was a perfect lady.
Sometimes, the places she took her were too unreal.
Alicia knew they would stay in a fancy, swank-as-hell hotel. That was a given. She wouldn’t be surprised at this point to find out Danica had her own apartment in downtown Chicago, although, as it turned out, she did not. She did have first dibs on a condo in a hotel.A condo in a hotel!Not any hotel, either. A world-famous name right on Michigan Avenue, which Alicia quickly discovered was a big deal.I can smell the water from here. That’s what she thought as Danica took her hand and led her into the lobby, where no fewer than five finely dressed employees began their ass-kissing as they rushed to check her in and shorten the time it took her to reach the three-bedroom condo at the top of the forty-story building.
“This isn’t a hotel room,” Alicia said, stepping into the foyer of a condo that probably cost more than her life. “This is ridiculous, that’s what it is.”
Ms. Clayborn dragged her luggage into the spacious living room and then to a secluded bedroom in the far corner of the condo. The bodyguard did a sweep of the place before motioning for his boss and her main squeeze to enter the master suite on the other far end. Alicia lingered in front of the living room window, catching a glimpse of Lake Michigan while Danicaushered her into the abode she would call home for the next few days.
“Wow,” she uttered, gobsmacked at the fantastic view outside. A sliding glass door opened to a patio lining the width of the master bedroom. Half-wall glass, wrought-iron fencing, and a gilded ceiling safely enclosed the space furnished with antique lounge pieces. It almost made Alicia miss the gorgeous bedroom behind her. Bedrooms were a dime a dozen, though. Even the million-dollar ones. Views like this, though? A view of a giant lake reaching for the horizon? That lasted forever.
Speaking of forever, where was her phone? She had to take a picture for Candice!
“I have a few minutes,” Danica said, sitting at a table a few feet away from Alicia. “We need to discuss something.”
Alicia pulled herself away from the window and sat down. She wasn’t familiar with the geography around there, so it was probably embarrassing to ask,“Is that a mountain I see over there, or clouds playing with my head? Can I see boats on the water? Is there a view of the city skyline somewhere else here? How about in Ms. Clayborn’s room?”
“What is it?” she asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No… why would you assume that?”
“Because you sound like one of my bosses summoning me into his office to fire me.” Alicia snorted. “Funny, that. Happened a few weeks ago. Guess where I was working.”
Danica slid her arms across the table, hands folding next to a glass centerpiece. “You’re not in any kind of trouble. It disturbs me that you would assume so easily.”
“Well, in the real world, when people say we need to discuss something, it’s usually not good… but I get that’s how you talk.”
Danica gazed at her for more than a few seconds. Her pensive silence was filled with the kind of self-reflection Alicia neverassociated with people this rich and powerful. “I apologize. I’ll mind my vocabulary around you.”
“I didn’t say that…” Alicia liked her vocabulary. She actually felt like she got to use her worthless English degree around Danica. “I’ll do better to not automatically assume the worst around you.”
“Anyway,” Danica segued, pulling out a leather binder from one of her work bags. It was simply labeled“Ms. Colbert Matters”and“Classified.”Ooh. Classified Ms. Colbert.How sexy.“Do forgive me, but we really must discuss what will happen this week.”
“What’s gonna happen?”
She flipped open the binder and pulled out the first piece of paper. “I partially explained this when I invited you, but I think we must discuss it more in depth now.” Danica pointed to the first headline. “It’s regarding the role you will play while you are here.”
“My role.” She picked up the paper.The Matter of Ms. Colbert, Submissive In Training.“Uh… huh…”
“I’ve never hidden from you my true inclinations, Alicia.” The woman could stay so serious while talking about kinky shit. “I didn’t open up that club for nothing but fun, or because I saw a need in my society and decided to fill it. While it has been a huge success, financially, it’s been an even bigger success personally. I’ve been happy to see it succeed, both as a business owner and as a woman of the persuasion.”
Alicia wanted to cut to the chase. “You mean the BDSM persuasion.”
“Yes. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?” Was that a hint of hope in her voice?
“I don’t have a problem with the BDSM lifestyle existing, no.” Alicia wouldn’t have been able to work at that place if she had.“I’ve told you. I’ve never done anything like that before. I’m not even sure I’m into it.”
“You seemed perfectly into it before.”
“Except that was basic stuff, right?”
“Indeed.” Danica pulled out more papers. “This week, when I am not participating in business, I will be training you in the submissive lifestyle. Starting tonight.”
