We lapsed into silence for a minute, then Mom brought up Poe and Chad and the guard duty they would be doing.
“I can’t let Reign pay for that. It makes sense with you. The two of you are together. But it’s not fair that he gets stuckwith the bill for me. I need to speak with Iker and have him send me the bill. I make good money. I can afford to pay for myself.”
“Good luck with that, but I can tell you, neither Iker nor Reign will do it. And if you push, I’ll just do it when I’m off shift,” Poe’s voice stated from behind us.
As the minutes passed, Poe and Mom argued. It was actually fun to see her so energized and vocal. At home, she was a shadow of this. I was getting a good picture of the woman she’d been and could be. I didn’t want my parents to divorce, but it might be the best thing for both of them.
Later, when we left at nine o’clock, Poe and Chad reassured Mom that someone would be outside all night to make sure no one came back. I hugged her tight and kissed her cheek. Mom insisted on hugging all three of the men. I thought Poe might have enjoyed it a tad too much. Reign was the only one who got a kiss on the cheek. On the ride back to his place, we held hands.
“Sia, I don’t want you worrying yourself to death over your mom. She’ll be safe. As for this crap with Sam and the breach-of-contract claim, it’s not going anywhere. Even if he does get a judge to hear his case, he’ll never force his way into your life or be paid.”
“How can you promise that?”
“Because I have friends in places he can never imagine. And they’ll never let him get away with it.”
I mulled that over the rest of the way home.
Reign: Chapter 16
The rest of our week since moving Kathlyn, confronting Savar, and having that fucker Sam give Anastasia that stupid breach of contract had been stressful as hell. But we kept moving and didn’t let it consume us.
The following morning after Sam’s bomb, Carver reached out to me with the name and number of an attorney who specialized in family disputes and odd laws. Her name was Sophia Gunn. Anastasia and I spoke to her over the phone together. Ms. Gunn sounded sharp and on top of things. We agreed to meet later that day.
After meeting in person, Ms. Gunn insisted that we call her Sophia. She was a sharp, attractive, well-dressed woman who exuded a hard-ass aura when necessary. I was thrilled. That was the kind of lawyer I needed. Because we met before the forty-eight hours Sam gave Anastasia, Sophia was able to file suit against him before he filed against my woman.
There were other attempts by Savar, Arish, and even the sons-in-law, daughters, and daughter-in-law to reach Kathlyn. They started with phone calls, texts, and emails. When those didn’t work, they tried to get her to talk to them at the townhouse. However, when they arrived there, they were chased away by Iker’s people, whoever was on duty at the time.
Based on what Kathlyn said last night when we had her over to our place for dinner, their disregard of her wishes had pretty much decided her next moves. At least while we were inthe penthouse, we had no concerns about one of them disturbing us, so everyone relaxed.
I was proud to show my future mother-in-law around her daughter’s new home. Yeah, I was ready to put a ring on Anastasia’s finger. I loved that I could prove I was capable of taking care of her, even though she had every means to take care of herself. Kathlyn exclaimed about the place but lost it when she saw the roof, like her daughter had the first time. It was the primo space. We’d sat up there after dark and talked as we sipped wine. Kathlyn stayed the night rather than go home. It felt right.
Early this morning, both women had wanted to do some shopping, so Poe and I went with them. It was fun, and the women teased the crap out of us by dragging us into home goods stores, clothing boutiques, and more. When we were through, Kathlyn went back to the townhome. Poe went with her. He’d be relieved this evening.
Tonight, Anastasia and I were headed to Lustz again. It was time to expose her to more of the club and me. During all the upheaval this week, we’d been able to sit down, go through the contract we’d outlined, and sign an official one. I educated her more on how things should go when entering into a kink relationship and what not to do at a club like Lustz.
Anastasia was eager to be there again. Although it wasn’t long ago, Mikhail had approved her as a patroness. That was a change. And this time, she seemed prepared to figure out her outfit on her own. Like last time, I wouldn’t get to see it until we went. As for me, I was bringing my ropes. It had been way too long since I’d laid rope, and I was feeling scattered and insecure. Doing shibari centered and relaxed me, especially when I created my art with it. When I asked Anastasia if she’d allow me to do a simple pattern with her, she agreed. Yes, there was apprehension there. Who wouldn’t be when you’re about todo something you’ve never done? But the bigger emotion was excitement.
I’d booked the playroom set up for riggers and shibari enthusiasts. It would contain the suspension gear: suspension rings, strong anchor points, and locking aluminum carabiners, so I didn’t need to bring mine, although tonight I wouldn’t suspend her.
While we waited for nighttime, I introduced Anastasia to my ropes at home. I let her touch them and explained various aspects of their care. I enjoyed sharing the different aspects of shibari. It wasn’t just a matter of grabbing some rope and tying a person up. That approach will harm people, possibly even kill them. Hitch had been very methodical when he taught me the proper way to be a practitioner. In addition to discussing the ropes with Anastasia, I also coached her on safety.
First, I told her how I conditioned my ropes. Before using a rope for the first time, I conditioned it with oil and heat, then singed it to ensure it was smooth and safe. At the ends, I’d use heat-shrink tubing to prevent them from fraying. I showed her how to do it on a new one.
Then, I explained the different types of rope that can be used. The five main ones were hemp, jute, nylon, cotton, and posh. I preferred a mix because each created different sensations on the skin.
Hemp was a staple for me. Due to its rough texture, hemp creates friction-tightening knots that prevent them from sliding, thus holding better. There was nothing more frustrating than getting your partner rigged and tied the way you wanted, only for the knots to give and destroy the whole aesthetic. Hemp wasn’t elastic, so knots wouldn’t become impossibly tight when tension was applied. And finally, its width was thin, usually six millimeters in diameter, which made for visually pleasing knots.
Jute visually looked the same as hemp and provided the same benefits, but it was cheaper. The one con was that the fibers were rough and could become uncomfortable, less flexible, and thus harder to tie, resulting in bulkier knots. I had a few pieces of jute, but not many.
Cotton rope was cheap, light, softer than hemp, and really good for beginners because it took a lot of pressure or speed to cause rope burn. Plus, it softened after washing and was easy to dye in different colors. The color part was why I had a few pieces. But I used it with caution since it stretched under tension, and cotton doesn’t absorb oil, so when it dried, the rope felt coarse. The other con was that it got fuzzy and dirty, so I had to change it out often.
Nylon was very flexible, cheap, and smooth, and it took a lot of pressure and tension to cause rope burn. All I had to do to clean it was put it in the washer and let it air-dry. I could get it in many bright colors, but it was smoother and harder to hold knots.
Posh rope was last. It was cheaper than hemp and more durable than natural fibers, but it was stiffer, making knots harder to make and look nice.
I showed her the safety scissors in my kit. They were the same as the trauma shears used by EMTs. Those were there in case I had to cut her loose due to an emergency. Sometimes, one didn’t have time to undo knots.
My ropes were between seven and eight meters long, so I had plenty of length to work with. And I used jojoba oil to treat and maintain my jute ropes, and all were carried in a breathable bag. Plus, there were a few other things in there, such as a blindfold, a Wartenberg wheel, and a small basic crop.
