Sophie:
It's growing on me. Claudia and I saw some of the dungeon equipment, and it got me… intrigued.
Aiden:
Oh, there’s so much more to show you, little one.
Her cheeks flamed at the thought as the passenger door opened, and Claudia slid in, dumping her purse on the floorboards. “Okay, spill. Don’t you dare leave out a single detail. I’ve been vibrating with suspense since your text.”
Sophie laughed, the sound a little breathless. “It was… intense.”
“Intense doesn’t cover the black-and-blue marks I saw you trying to hide under your makeup this morning,” Claudia said, her eyes narrowing with concern. “Did they cross a line?”
“No, God, no,” Sophie said quickly, shaking her head. “It wasn’t like that. It was all consensual. It was… precise. Controlled.” She struggled for the words. “It was everything, all at once. Pain and pleasure, and then Aiden… he was right there. He was the anchor.”
Claudia’s expression softened. “And the other one? Mister Tall, Dark and Broody?”
Sophie bit her lip, a flush creeping up her neck. “Zack. He was… relentless. A force. But at the end, he wasn't. He was just there. Putting me back together. They both were.”
She told her everything. About the flogger, the spreader bar, the way Aiden had taken her silence as his duty. She glossed over the most intimate moments, her cheeks burning, but the arc of it, the emotional whiplash of it all, she laid bare.
Claudia listened, her expression shifting from concern to intrigue, then to a slow, knowing smile. “Holy shit, Sophie. You didn’t just fall down a rabbit hole. You built the whole damn wonderland.”
“It’s a lot,” Sophie whispered, staring out at the street. “I don’t know how to… be. With both of them. They’re so different. Aiden is warmth and safety. Zack is this beautiful, terrifying cliff face you want to throw yourself off of.”
“Maybe you don’t have to choose,” Claudia said, nudging her foot. “Maybe the point is to have both. The safety netandthe thrill of the fall.” She paused, then grinned. “So, on a scale from ‘vanilla bean’ to ‘fifty shades of what the actual fuck,’ where do we land?”
Sophie let out a real laugh this time, the tension in her shoulders easing. “We’re somewhere past the what the actual fuck, and currently enjoying the complimentary aftercare basket.”
“Okay, that’s actually sweet in a deeply twisted way. I approve.” Claudia buckled her seatbelt. “Now, drive. I needcarbs and more sordid details before I go back to my life of inventory and Wes’ meticulous bookkeeping.”
Sophie put the car in drive, a small, private smile on her face as she pulled away from the curb. She was still sorting through the emotional wreckage, but for the first time, it didn't feel like wreckage. It felt like a foundation.
Just as she was navigating a tricky turn, her phone buzzed in the center console, the screen lighting up with her brother’s name. With a sigh, she tapped the screen to accept the call, putting it on speaker.
Gage’s face, all cheekbones and a crooked grin, filled the screen. “Hey butt face!”
“Is that any way to talk to your favorite sister?” Sophie shot back, the familiar banter a comfortable balm.
“So you want the favorite title out of default? Damn Soph. You must really be down bad.”
“Oh, hush your mouth, Gage. You’ve missed three phone dates.”
“It sounds like you’re driving, so don’t give me shit about our rules.”
“I’m paying attention to the road and not your ugly mug,” Sophie retorted, glancing at Claudia, who was trying, and failing, to smother a laugh. “So give me the rundown.”
“Rundown on what? Your tragic love life? Please. I’m calling with actual news. I’m coming home.”
Sophie’s foot eased off the accelerator. “You’re what? When? Your semester isn’t supposed to be up for another four months.”
“Graduated early,”Gage said, puffing out his chest.“Walked last week. Finished my thesis. Professor was blown away. Said it was groundbreaking.”
Claudia leaned toward the phone, her voice laced with mock drama. “Groundbreaking, huh? Did you finally solve the mystery of why all the single socks disappear in the laundry?”
Gage’s grin faltered for a second.“Who is that? Sophie, are you abducting strangers again? I told you, that’s a misdemeanor.”
“It's just Claudia, you goon,” Sophie said, a real warmth spreading through her chest. “My friend. Mysanefriend.”
