I toss the towel into the bin and take a deep, steadying breath. Then I look her in the eyes and tell her the truth. “I’m going to join.”
“What?” she shrieks. “Y-you,” she sputters, “you didn’t even want to come!”
Laughing, I lift my hands in surrender. “I know, I know. But now…” I shrug. “I don’t know, I think I’m interested, you know? Like I want to…I don’t know…”
“Expand your experiences?” she says with comically wide eyes.
Chuckling, I nod. “Yeah.”
Mo crosses her arms and leans back against the counter, staring at me as she shakes her head slowly. “I had no idea you were so secretly kinky.”
I level her with a pointed look. “You’re literally the only person who’s seen my bookshelf.”
“True, but…” Her eyes narrow. “Real life and fantasy don’t often cross.”
“And yet…” I motion to our surroundings. “Honestly, I never really thought about this kind of thing in real life. It was always separate, like a world only fictional characters got to participatein. The fact that it’s real…” I shake my head, biting down on my bottom lip to keep from grinning like a maniac.
The fact that men like Dominus exist has me floored. Butterflies dance drunkenly in my stomach. My cheeks heat as memories of the way he touched me flood my mind.
The way he spoke to me…
The way he knew what I needed even when I didn’t…
Mo’s lips purse as she watches me work through my thoughts, then she shrugs. “Okay, well, I’m like the total opposite…” She grimaces. “I don’t think this is for me.”
My eyes widen, then I lean in. “Did something happen?”
“No,God, I just… I don’t know, everyone’s in like leather and latex, and I haven’t found a single guy I’m attracted to. Half of them are old enough that if I called themDaddy, they might actually think I’m their long-lost daughter.”
I snort, then cover my mouth. “I’m sorry I left you out there to fend for yourself.” Slipping my hand into hers, I give it a gentle squeeze. “We can go.”
Her eyes narrow. “What about your serial killer?” She waves her free hand around her face. “Leatherman.”
Dominus.
Rolling my eyes, I open the bathroom door and tug her out into the hallway. We’re both holding our masks in our hands, so anyone could see us and recognize us, but honestly, I have my doubts that anyone we know would be at an event like this.
As anticipated, no one calls out our names or stops us on our way out the doors of the mansion. After a brief wait, our ride finally arrives at the gate, then makes the long ascent up the driveway. We leave without incident, though a lingering twinge of regret blooms in my chest as we begin the drive home.
I’ll miss my masked man’s performance, but it’s not like I’ll never see him again.
I know exactly where to find him.
Chapter Twelve
Sutton
It’s not until my alarm goes off for thethirdtime that I finally accept my fate, silencing the tinny calypso beat instead of snoozing it, and sitting up in bed to force myself awake. It’s Sunday morning, and while for many that means heading to church or brunch, or just having the gift of sleeping in, in my world it means the annual charity golf tournament for the Youth League of Greater Los Angeles.
Fun fact! I don’t actuallyplaygolf.
I could kick myself for signing up to participate, but it’s for a good cause, and I have to remember thatanyexposure is good exposure. Hart Strategic Management has yet to become a household name, so I have to take every opportunity for facetime with players and coaches, both former and current. You never know how a connection will be made, so connecting is the name of the game.
Which means even though I haven’t slept well, I get to drag my ass out of bed.
I tossed and turned all night, plagued by vivid dreams of masked men chasing me through unfamiliar homes, trapping me in bathrooms and bedrooms… and even a garden shed.Random.
They’re different every time, my masked men. From Dominus, with his black leather, full-face mask, to Ghostface fromScream, and cycling through a number of other masks my mind whips up—both real and completely imagined.
