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“I know, but it’s hard. He said things that made me question my lifestyle choices. For just a minute he made me feel like a whore asking to be raped. I fought like hell to get that out of my mind years ago when he raped me. It pisses me off that he got into my head again, so I need your help. I don’t want him to have that power over me.
“I’m also pissed at Theresa. I don’t understand how anyone could be with someone like Kaden, let alone do everything she did to help him. I feel dumb for not recognizing her. I hate that my alarm bells didn’t go off stronger when I ran into them both in random places. Kyle turned out to be Kaden. He was right in front of my fucking face and I didn’t recognize him. There is so much about all of this that I hate, and I need for it not to control me. I need to take that power away from them.”
“You know I’ll help you, baby. Just tell me what you need and I’m so there. I promise. If we need to leave the kink out of things for a while or hell, forever, we will. If you need to just be friends for a while, we can do that. It will be hell not touching you, but I’m here for you. Anything you need.” She let him talk, but she was shaking her head. When he finally took a breath, she interrupted him.
“Actually, I need the opposite.”
“Opposite? What do you mean?”
“I think if I’m ever going to escape the hold Kaden has on my thoughts, the power he’s still clinging to even from the grave, I need... how do I say this?” She suddenly felt shy and awkward as she always did when she talked about the things she needed. She blew out a puff of air and continued. “I need to surrender power to someone else.”
Understanding spread across Bradley’s face, and Darci felt relief that she had gotten it out.
“I think I understand what you’re saying, baby, but I’m going to ask you to spell it out for me.”
Just then the waiter came back with their food.
When he left, Bradley waited for Darci to speak, keeping his steady gaze locked on her. When she didn’t speak, he said, “talk to me, pet.”
She looked down at her plate of food and fiddled nervously with the cloth napkin.
“Eyes up here, baby girl.”
She lifted her head to look at him and whispered, “I’m saying I want be yours again.” Her voice got stronger as she continued speaking. “We explored our kinks, and I was submissive, but I want to make a more serious commitment.”
He smiled kindly at her. “Oh, baby girl. I love you so much. I want to take everything you’re offering, and I want to give you so much more.”
“I can’t promise not to freak out sometimes. He’s still in my head.”
He gripped her hand. “I’ll be there for the freak outs, for the nightmares, for everything.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I’m sorry I left,” she said with a sad voice. “He wouldn’t have been able to grab me if I hadn’t freaked out and fired everyone but Peter.”
“That’s in the past. I hate that he got you, but we might have never caught him if he hadn’t. Now finish your breakfast so I can take you home.”
Before she realized what she was doing, her tongue was out of her mouth. She decided to blame it on the pain medication she was still taking.
“You’re lucky we’re in a public place, pet. I was going to make you come for me a few times when we get home but perhaps it’s a spanking you’re after.”
She shook her head vigorously.
He scooped up a forkful of her pancakes and lifted it to her mouth. “Is it up to you, pet?” he asked as he waited for her to swallow the bite. She shook her head and lifted her coffee to her lips.
“Excuse me?”
A grin spread across her face. “No, Sir. It’s not up to me.”
He chuckled. “Good girl. Now finish your food and let’s go home.”
43
DARCI stood in front of the mirror in the restroom at club Exposure. It was a day she had dreamed of for weeks and it was finally here. Bradley was going to put his collar around her neck. She had no idea what the collar looked like; she just knew he had picked it out himself because it reminded him of her. Like the first time they came here together, Darci wore a simple black dress and nothing else. The dress would come off during the ceremony. It was an open play night at Exposure so the crowd would be large. After the ceremony, play would commence as usual. As she was touching up her lipstick, Michael poked his head in the door.
“Hey, sweetheart. Things are just about ready out here. How are you doing?
She smiled warmly at him in the mirror. “I’m wonderful. This day couldn’t get any better.”
“I think you might find that it can get a little bit better,” he said with a wink. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
