Mclean House mostly shone a light on my biggest act of cowardice. I didn’t need reminders.
“The guys ask about you sometimes,” Nate mentioned.
I’d made shit clear to them. I couldn’t be around that lifestyle anymore.
I did meet up with Kingsley and Penelope occasionally. But I was a coward with Pen. When we saw each other for coffee, I usually had one or two of the kids with me. The rest, I’d seen them once or twice. KC, Reese, Colt, Greer… I’d lost touch with Walker, and that was a damn shame. Maybe I could drive up to Boston and visit him sometime.
“I had lunch with Reid the other week,” I admitted. “He said if I ever wanna get back into kink, I’m welcome at Old Town.”
“Oh.”
I glanced at him. “It’d be weird if we were in the same community. Wouldn’t it?”
He turned pensive. “I don’t know. Perhaps in the beginning.”
I pulled from the cigar and blew the smoke skyward.
“But the only times we ran in the same circles were during some parties,” he reasoned. “I wouldn’t want you to stay away from your friends, Ash. I guess…what we could do is, you know, give each other space out there. Maybe when you’re there, I’ll stay home. I don’t know.”
As logical as that sounded, it was also stupid. We’d spent eighteen fucking years together, and now we couldn’t be in the same venue? Especially when we vacationed together and tried to eat dinner with our kids every damn day.
At the same time, I got it. Kink was supposed to be a private thing.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, standing up. “I want a beer and some of that smoked meat we picked up. Do you want any?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
It was time to put out my cigar anyway. I had no intention of saving it, so I put it out in the dirt. Then I pulled out my phone.
I’d been thinking about checking out the Mclean page since they’d launched the app, and now was a good time. I’d only lurk a little bit. While I had zero intention of returning, I did miss hanging out with my buddies.
I reactivated my account and came to a stop on my profile.
Married to @Rigger
That marriage had been reduced to a fucking technicality.
It had an expiration date too.
I clicked on Nate’s profile and felt a cold sweat wash over me. With dread and shock and hurt.
Rigger of @Aceyboy
Rigger of @KinbakuKid
Brother of @RopeNattie
“What the fuck,” I breathed.
Knowing that Nattie was just the Domme Nate ran the bondage group with, I ignored her and clicked on KinbakuKid. Who had listed himself as rope bunny of Rigger. A guy. Twenty-seven years old—oh, thank fuck. Exclusive with another Dom. Nate was only doing rope sessions with him. No deeper dynamic.
The next one, then.
Aceyboy.Who the fuck are you?
Pet of @Rigger
Twenty-five years old, over two hundred photos in his album, a couple of journal entries, and his profile text read?—
