“He’s not a teenager anymore,” Nora said, her voice soft and hollow. “He turned twenty on September 9th. Did you know I’d already decided on his birthday present?”
“No, I didn’t,” Zach said, his voice flush with sympathy.
“I was going to surprise him with a trip to the Virgin Islands. Just me and him. I planned on teasing him that while we were there, we could change the island’s name.”
Zach laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“You said he moved on,” Nora said, suddenly remembering Zach’s words.
“Nora, let’s not talk about this.”
“What did you mean, ‘Glad to hear both you and Wesley have moved on’?” Nora demanded, putting her dangerously good memory to use.
“You’re sleeping with a teenager tonight. Yes? Or was that a joke? I can never tell with you,” Zach teased awkwardly.
“I am. I’m training a new submissive. The training will be rather thorough,” she said, matching false levity with false levity.
“Well,” Zach began and paused. And in that pause Nora’s stomach clenched into a knot so tight it formed a tiny diamond that shone bright with agony. “Wesley has a girlfriend. She’s a little older than he.”
Nora swallowed.
“Who is she?” Nora asked, trying not to let the sorrow and anger she felt with unreasonable force seep into her voice.
“I believe he said her name is Bridget. She’s his father’s secretary, apparently.”
“Bridget?” Nora repeated, snorting a little in disgust. “Sounds like a high-functioning moron. I’ve yet to meet a woman named Bridget who could read.”
“This isn’t some latent jealousy talking, is it?” Zach asked. Nora heard something in the background, the sound of a woman’s voice. She heard the soft sound of a mattress sighing and knew Zach’s wife, Grace, had gotten back into bed with him.
“No,” Nora said. “Of course not. Are they sleeping together?”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him that. Have you considered answering the phone the next time he calls?”
Nora nodded and then remembered she and Zach were on the phone.
“I’ll think about it. Søren wants me to. He thinks I need to make peace with my past.”
“Then I’ll say something I never thought I’d ever say in my life—I agree with Søren.”
Nora gave a little rueful laugh.
“Here, Grace wants to speak with you,” Zach said and she heard him whisper something and pass the phone.
“Nora? Are you all right?” came Grace’s lilting Welsh-accented voice over the line.
“I’m fabulous. I was just flirting with your husband while you were out of the room.”
“I don’t blame you. He’s looking quite nice tonight. I can’t tell you what he’s wearing because he’s not wearing anything,” Grace teased and Nora smiled finally, a real genuine smile.
“You’re torturing me, Grace,” Nora said, impressed. She still couldn’t believe how cool Grace was with her continued friendship with Zach. The ocean between them probably helped. “I think you might be a sadist. I approve of this.”
“I really do want to meet this mysterious priest of yours.”
“We’ll have a foursome next time you and Zach come to the States.”
“Capital idea,” Grace said before bidding her good-night. Nora hung up and dropped the phone back into her bag. For a long time she stared around her room, stared without seeing anything.
Wesley…a girlfriend? An older woman? His father’s secretary?
Wait, Nora thought. From what Wesley told her, his father worked as a trainer on a horse farm. Horse trainers had secretaries? And gorgeous young men who could have any girl they wanted dated older women for one reason only—sex.
Nora heard a knock on her door. She turned her head and saw Griffin standing in her doorway wearing nothing but well-fitting dark gray boxer briefs.
“I’m going to go check on Mick, okay?” Griffin said. Nora vaguely remembered ordering Michael to stay in his room all day as a punishment for doing absolutely nothing wrong since arriving at Griffin’s. He needed to make some mistakes or she wouldn’t have an excuse to punish him.
“Fine,” Nora said as she rose off the bed.
“And then I’m going to tie him up and f**k him,” Griffin said, apparently deciding to press his luck.
“Fine,” Nora said again as she wandered around the room.
“Groovy.” Griffin started to leave but she stopped him when she remembered something.
“Yes, mistress?” he asked, smiling.
“This house. This place was a horse farm once, right?”
“Yeah,” Griffin said. “When my grandfather was younger, they raised Thoroughbreds here. I sold all the horses when I got the place. Horse racing can be pretty gruesome.”
“The horse trainers, did they have secretaries?”
Griffin furrowed his handsome brow at her.
“No. Not that I know of. Just my grandfather, but he owned the place.”
Nora nodded and Griffin left her doorway. She saw him heading toward the nursery wing. Shaking her head, she tried to dislodge the dark thoughts that fluttered around her mind like angry bats. She couldn’t dwell on Wesley right now. She had Michael to think of. Of course Wesley had a girlfriend now. Tall and handsome, smart and sweet, Wesley was a catch. What had she expected him to do? She had kicked him out of her house and given herself—heart, body and soul—back to Søren. Did she think Wesley would just sit around waiting for her to come back to him for the rest of his life?
“No, I didn’t,” Zach said, his voice flush with sympathy.
“I was going to surprise him with a trip to the Virgin Islands. Just me and him. I planned on teasing him that while we were there, we could change the island’s name.”
Zach laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“You said he moved on,” Nora said, suddenly remembering Zach’s words.
“Nora, let’s not talk about this.”
“What did you mean, ‘Glad to hear both you and Wesley have moved on’?” Nora demanded, putting her dangerously good memory to use.
“You’re sleeping with a teenager tonight. Yes? Or was that a joke? I can never tell with you,” Zach teased awkwardly.
“I am. I’m training a new submissive. The training will be rather thorough,” she said, matching false levity with false levity.
“Well,” Zach began and paused. And in that pause Nora’s stomach clenched into a knot so tight it formed a tiny diamond that shone bright with agony. “Wesley has a girlfriend. She’s a little older than he.”
Nora swallowed.
“Who is she?” Nora asked, trying not to let the sorrow and anger she felt with unreasonable force seep into her voice.
“I believe he said her name is Bridget. She’s his father’s secretary, apparently.”
“Bridget?” Nora repeated, snorting a little in disgust. “Sounds like a high-functioning moron. I’ve yet to meet a woman named Bridget who could read.”
“This isn’t some latent jealousy talking, is it?” Zach asked. Nora heard something in the background, the sound of a woman’s voice. She heard the soft sound of a mattress sighing and knew Zach’s wife, Grace, had gotten back into bed with him.
“No,” Nora said. “Of course not. Are they sleeping together?”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him that. Have you considered answering the phone the next time he calls?”
Nora nodded and then remembered she and Zach were on the phone.
“I’ll think about it. Søren wants me to. He thinks I need to make peace with my past.”
“Then I’ll say something I never thought I’d ever say in my life—I agree with Søren.”
Nora gave a little rueful laugh.
“Here, Grace wants to speak with you,” Zach said and she heard him whisper something and pass the phone.
“Nora? Are you all right?” came Grace’s lilting Welsh-accented voice over the line.
“I’m fabulous. I was just flirting with your husband while you were out of the room.”
“I don’t blame you. He’s looking quite nice tonight. I can’t tell you what he’s wearing because he’s not wearing anything,” Grace teased and Nora smiled finally, a real genuine smile.
“You’re torturing me, Grace,” Nora said, impressed. She still couldn’t believe how cool Grace was with her continued friendship with Zach. The ocean between them probably helped. “I think you might be a sadist. I approve of this.”
“I really do want to meet this mysterious priest of yours.”
“We’ll have a foursome next time you and Zach come to the States.”
“Capital idea,” Grace said before bidding her good-night. Nora hung up and dropped the phone back into her bag. For a long time she stared around her room, stared without seeing anything.
Wesley…a girlfriend? An older woman? His father’s secretary?
Wait, Nora thought. From what Wesley told her, his father worked as a trainer on a horse farm. Horse trainers had secretaries? And gorgeous young men who could have any girl they wanted dated older women for one reason only—sex.
Nora heard a knock on her door. She turned her head and saw Griffin standing in her doorway wearing nothing but well-fitting dark gray boxer briefs.
“I’m going to go check on Mick, okay?” Griffin said. Nora vaguely remembered ordering Michael to stay in his room all day as a punishment for doing absolutely nothing wrong since arriving at Griffin’s. He needed to make some mistakes or she wouldn’t have an excuse to punish him.
“Fine,” Nora said as she rose off the bed.
“And then I’m going to tie him up and f**k him,” Griffin said, apparently deciding to press his luck.
“Fine,” Nora said again as she wandered around the room.
“Groovy.” Griffin started to leave but she stopped him when she remembered something.
“Yes, mistress?” he asked, smiling.
“This house. This place was a horse farm once, right?”
“Yeah,” Griffin said. “When my grandfather was younger, they raised Thoroughbreds here. I sold all the horses when I got the place. Horse racing can be pretty gruesome.”
“The horse trainers, did they have secretaries?”
Griffin furrowed his handsome brow at her.
“No. Not that I know of. Just my grandfather, but he owned the place.”
Nora nodded and Griffin left her doorway. She saw him heading toward the nursery wing. Shaking her head, she tried to dislodge the dark thoughts that fluttered around her mind like angry bats. She couldn’t dwell on Wesley right now. She had Michael to think of. Of course Wesley had a girlfriend now. Tall and handsome, smart and sweet, Wesley was a catch. What had she expected him to do? She had kicked him out of her house and given herself—heart, body and soul—back to Søren. Did she think Wesley would just sit around waiting for her to come back to him for the rest of his life?
