“The fuck does that mean?” Surely I was misunderstanding her.
“I’m trying out monogamy.” She fiddled with the buttons on the radio like she hadn’t just said something ludicrously out of character.
“Do you want me to crash the car? Don’t say crazy shit like that while I’m driving.”
She grinned to herself, but didn’t explain any further.
I asked, “Monogamy as in no subs? Total monogamy? I don’t understand.”
She glanced significantly at Asha, so I shut my mouth, sitting there stunned. I was going to need to inform Alex that his best friend either had a magical penis or could control minds.
Task accomplished, I had just enough time to drop the gown off before heading to meet Victoria.
I found her already sitting at a table in the corner of the small French restaurant she’d suggested. She was wearing a loose-fitting sweater and a pair of leggings with Converse, and I was struck by hownormalshe looked. I realized it was the first time we’d ever seen each other outside of the dungeon or a fetish event, despite being a constant fixture in each other’s lives for five years.
I expected to make small talk for a few minutes, but I should have known better. As soon as the waiter left the table, she said, “Let’s skip the bullshit. Why did you want to meet so badly it couldn’t wait until you could come back to work?”
I took a deep breath. “How did you know it was time to retire?”
She cocked her head. “You have to be shitting me, Elena. Do you know the hell I’ve been through with your clients this month? Do you have any concept of how many people want to book a session with you right now? And you want to have a discussion with me about quitting?”
“I’m not saying I’m ready to quit. Just humor me. How did you know it was time?”
She exhaled sharply. “It stopped being worth it and I started to resent my clients. I went from loving it, thriving off my sessions, to feeling like I was selling pieces of my soul for far cheaper than what they were worth. I stopped getting anything but money out of it and I could earn that with far less energy and more comfortable shoes.”
I nodded, trying to remember what work had been like when she retired. She hadn’t given me any indication of what she was going through, but that was hardly surprising.
“Here’s the thing,” she said, looking at me levelly. “Because I’d inherited the dungeon from Lady Carolyn, I had an avenue to retire without completely giving up what I loved about this world. What would you be giving it up for? You walk away now at the height of your career and do what? Cash your check and go live in a cottage in the woods somewhere? I don’t see it. You’d go stir-crazy. You’ve got a better understanding of people than anyone I’ve ever known and it’s what makes you such an incredible domme. Don’t throw that away because you’re all up in your feelings over some guy.”
This conversation was giving me whiplash. She’d never been that complimentary once in all the time I’d known her.
The waiter came back to the table with drinks and took our orders.
When he’d left, I asked, “How did it go with our royal friend, Mickey Mouse, by the way?”
“It’s not until Friday.”
“But you’re still doing it?”
“Why are we talking about this?” she snapped.
Suddenly, a conspiracy theory that was simply too wild invaded my brain and I couldn’t shake it. Was there something more between them?
I’d been reading too much romance.
We ate our meal while discussing everything that had been happening at the dungeon in my absence.
“Did you hear Reaper is doing a reality TV show?” she asked.
“No way? With whom?”
“Instagram. They’re apparently starting to do shows now and he’s going to be their splashy first reality show. I’m sure it’ll be a dumpster fire.”
“Is it going to be them following him around chronicling his life as a male escort?”
It was a relief to finally be in a place where I could think of Reaper without it hurting.
She shook her head. “From what I understand, it’s more likeThe Bachelor, but kinky. Which to be honest, sounds like my catnip. But I can’t watch Reaper hooking up with a bunch of women on camera. He’s like my annoying little dickhead brother. It’s too foul.”
