let me help you. It’s the least I can do since I’ve failed to get you to tell me what’s wrong.”
Tears pricked Lisa’s eyes again as she braced on his shoulders and lifted her feet one at a time. For over a year now she’d entrusted her body to Master Wade and a few others, seeking answers to a blurry past, and now, evasion from a personal threat. The small orgasmic pops she’d managed under their tutelage were the first and only bouts of pleasure she’d reaped from any sexual encounter. Granted, she could only boast of two affairs before seeking membership to the club, but neither her fondness for those men nor the sex had been enough to thaw the ice that formed whenever they touched her.
I can’t tell you what I’m not sure about. Lisa stepped away from Master Wade as he dropped his hands. “I’m sorry. If I knew, I would tell you.” She looked around the large, converted warehouse at the people she’d come to know well enough to bare herself in front of, but still refrained from forming close friendships, determined to keep this part of her life secret. Most of their faces reflected the contentment and pleasure she wanted more than anything else except her safety. As much as she would miss this place, and those who understood why she came here, maybe it would be best if she stayed away for a while. Although, if whoever was targeting her made good on his threats, she wouldn’t survive long enough to miss anything.
“I’ll try harder next time, if you still want to scene with me,” she told him.
“Of course.” Taking her arm, he steered her toward the entrance. “But do yourself a favor and invest in some honest soul-searching before you return. You have to be honest with yourself before you can be totally open with any Dom. You’re always welcome here, Lisa.”
Master Wade kissed her, a soft brush of his lips that left her aching for the hard, masterful possession she knew he preferred. As she walked out the door he held open for her, she vowed not to return until she could earn his time and respect again. She wound her way through the packed parking lot toward the yellow Volkswagen she’d scrimped and saved for, slid behind the wheel and flipped on the AC. Early spring was still cool in most places, but in Arizona the temperatures were already soaring into the nineties. Before pulling onto the highway, she checked her phone, releasing her held breath when she saw no new texts or messages from the stranger intent on causing her grief. Even after she changed her number twice, he managed to find her.
His persistence scared the hell out of her.
Lisa shuddered, recalling a vague memory of the heavy weight and foul breath of another man the last time she experienced this kind of fear. The terror that man and her stalker instilled was different from the heart-wrenching uncertainty she could still remember from the night police had awoken her and taken her to a stranger’s house, saying only that her mother wasn’t coming home. It had taken weeks of counseling before she’d understood the finality of the car accident that had taken her mother’s life as she’d driven home from work. Lisa had only been in that first foster home one week before being uprooted again and delivered into the hands of that now faceless man.
As always, whenever that foggy memory made an unwelcome return, a wave of anxiety caused her heartbeat to speed up, and her mind automatically pulled up a clearer image of smokey gray eyes filled with concern. Unlike the man who had frightened her that night, his face, voice, and comforting hold were easy to recall. Even now, all these years later, he was her go-to guy when she needed a good memory to divert her from her troubles. Knowing there was someone out there who had once found her worth saving always helped calm her rioting thoughts.
Approaching the city limits, Lisa attempted to apply the brakes, her heart jumping to her throat as the pedal went to the floor without slowing the car. Gripping the wheel, she tried again to no avail and turned nauseous. He’s done threatening. Her palms turned sweaty from her struggle with the wheel, and she racked her brain for options. Shaking inside and out, she spotted a flat grassy area up ahead, praying she survived the sudden jolt as she