Well, he'd certainly changed her life for the better, though the complex man often confused her.
As the three ate together, with Della joining them only after Pam insisted, Della asked, "So, what are you two planning for the day? Or is it best I not ask, so I can plead ignorance if interrogated?"
Krista laughed and Pam smiled. "I'm not sure. Krista what did you want to do?"
"Go on a discovery expedition. This mansion is a treasure-trove of secret hiding places and underground passageways, and I'm intent on discovering at least some of them."
"Fine, but Mr. Peterson insisted you are not to go swimming under any circumstances today, Pam, and I hope you'll listen to him this time."
Pam blushed at the admonishment. "I will."
"Why can't you go swimming?" Krista asked, after she'd swallowed her bite of waffle drenched in strawberry syrup.
"I'll tell you later," Pam murmured, preferring not to discuss yesterday's activities before Della.
"Yeah? Well, I'll hold you to that, missy," Krista warned with a waggle of her eyebrows.
Once breakfast was finished, Pam attempted to help with the cleanup, but the housekeeper wouldn't hear of it. "No, lass. This is what Mr. Peterson pays me for. I wouldn't be doin' my job if I let you assist me. It's bad enough I sit at the table with you, but you'd shame me if anyone ever caught you cleanin' up with me."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now, off with you two, but try to stay out of trouble if you can."
"Right," Krista agreed with a giggle as she grabbed Pam's arm and escorted her down the hall. "Let's start off by exploring the towers. I'd like to see what Rob did with them while I do my best to convince you to venture into the red zone." She wiggled her fingers and made ghostly sounds as if the room resided in another zone entirely.
Pam chuckled at her friend's antics but wasn't sure she wanted to explore a room Rob didn't think she was ready for yet. He'd read her correctly, this far, so she suspected he knew what he was talking about.
"How about instead of going through the towers, I challenge you to another round of miniature golf?"
"Sure. That's fine. So, tell me, O Great Secret Keeper," Krista urged leaning in even closer to Pam. "Why can't you go swimming today?"
"Because Rob treated me to a spa day, yesterday."
"Well, that's cool, but I still don't see the connection," Krista admitted as they entered the world of tiny babbling brooks and undersized windmills.
Pam raised one eyebrow and gazed back at her friend. "He ordered the full treatment."
"I imagine he would. Rob isn't the type to do things halfway."
"Have you ever been to Ladies First?
Krista's eyes widened. "Um, no. That place is prohibitively expensive. Is that where he sent you?"
"Yes. So, since you enjoy discovering things so much, let's see if you can put the puzzle together yourself." Pam ticked off the points with her fingers. "Ladies First, full service spa, a treatment which makes your skin sensitive to chlorine."
Krista puzzled over that for a moment before her eyes grew even wider. "You got a Brazilian?"
"That I did, as well as my legs and underarms."
"Wow. I've made several appointments to do that, not at Ladies First, of course, but I always chickened out at the last minute. Did it sting a lot?"
"Well, it wasn't what I'd call fun, but they do sugaring, which they say is much gentler than regular waxing, so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
Frowning, Krista punched Pam lightly on the arm. "You had that done yesterday, and you didn't tell me? Instead we spent time talking about Chatty Kathy. Where are your priorities, girl?"
Though Krista's punch didn't hurt, Pam glowered at her as she rubbed her arm. "My priorities are exactly where they should be."
"Hmm. I might disagree with you on that. So, why did you do it? Did he insist?"
"Of course not. He even took pains to assure me he didn't consider waxing a requirement at all, though he admitted it was his preference."
"Oh. Enough said about that, I think. Are you glad you got it done?"
"I guess so. Rob is adamant a healing balm is applied at least twice a day until my skin is less irritated, and it's a little embarrassing."
"Wait. You're saying he applies this salve himself?"
Pam nodded. "It's more of a cream than an ointment. I wanted to do myself, but he claimed the treatment as one of his privileges as the boss, quote, unquote."
Krista grew uncharacteristically silent then rushed over to pick out a club and a ball. "Let's go once through, then discuss our plans for the afternoon."
"What's wrong?" Pam asked, worried she said or done something that hurt her friend's feelings.
"Nothing." When Pam didn't move, Krista's shoulders slumped slightly. "I know you love Rob, and he's hot for you, too. But, I did a lot of thinking about what you guys are doing, and as much as he wants to take care of and help you, I'm not sure how this will end, or if it's even going to end. You and Rob may get married, and then—"
"What?"
"I'm saying if, not when, but if you do tie the knot, you'll be the boss's wife, and our relationship will change."
"Why?"
"I'm an executive admin in Rob's company. Wives of CEOs are not friends with executive admins. They're friends with the wives of other CEOs."
"But I don't know any of them. I don't travel in their circles."
"Exactly my point. You don't, but you will need to. I don't think Rob will forbid you from seeing me, and I will be attending his staff parties, but he's going to make sure you're too busy with other things to spend as much time with me as you do now.
"You've been together, what, a little over a week? Things are moving at an incredibly fast pace for you right now, so he's doing what he can to make things easier by surrounding you with people you know and like. Once your legs are steadier, he's going to want to widen your horizon. Expose you to the sort of world you'd be living with him, and that won't include me. I'm also not sure what the future will be like if you come back to work as his admin again."
"You don't think it could go back to the way it was?"
"Do you?"
"I don't see any reason why it wouldn't."
"I have two words for you, my friend. Pillow talk. If you and Rob become intimate, and I don't doubt that you will, he's going to discuss things with you that he's not going to want you repeating. There will be a wall of silence between us that neither of us will be able to climb or break because of our relationship with your boss, and that makes me sad."
"Krista, Rob rarely discusses business with me. I don't see why that would change."
"Well, I do. You're going to want to become an integral part of his life by helping him, which means easing his burden by serving as a sounding board. He trusts you, and he admires your inner strength. Even if he doesn't want to involve you, he will eventually tap into your personal insights by asking for your opinion. He'll have to, because if he doesn't, you'll feel left out and excluded, which will make you unhappy. And, from the way you've become his chief concern, making you unhappy is something Rob wants to avoid at all costs. Either way, this may be our last play date together, so we should make the best of it."
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
As Pam considered Krista's words, she realized her friend was probably right. Things would change if she and Rob became more romantically involved, and they were pretty involved as it was.
Grabbing a club, Pam lined up her shot to go over the bridge, past the grazing cows, and through the windmill into the hole. "Are you serious about wanting to see what's behind the red door?" she asked, tapping the ball and watching as it traversed the course she'd set.
"Nice putt," Krista complimented. "I've been curious about that room for several years, primarily because Rob is so secretive about it. I suspect it's a playroom of sorts, and if so, I doubt I'll want to stay long."
"What's a playroom?"
Krista shrugged
as she aligned her ball to take the same route as Pam's. "It's a room similar to a private dungeon filled with assorted BDSM equipment." Krista hit the ball a little too hard, so instead of going up and over the bridge, it flew into the babbling brook. "Shit," she murmured, fishing the white dimpled sphere out of the stream then setting it up to try again. They'd decided to play for fun, not points, so they were ignoring the posted rules of the game and making up penalties for missed shots as they went along.
"I believe that makes the third lunch you owe me."
"Yeah, but who's counting?"
"I am, of course. So, not to appear a total rube, but what's BDSM equipment?"
Krista squatted down to carefully line up her shot. "Whips, paddles, floggers, spanking benches. Stuff like that."
Pam's eyes widened. "You think Rob keeps a room full of whips he uses to spank women?"
"Given his predilections, that would be my guess." Krista's putt made it through the windmill this time, so she gave a little excited cheer, then turned to gaze at Pam. "We can't be sure, though, unless we check it out."
Pam considered the ramifications of going someplace where she'd learn a secret about Rob that she wasn't sure either of them wanted her to know. "But, why would he want such a room?"
"You're the one he spanks, Pam. You'd probably be able to answer that question better than I would."
Chewing on her lower lip, Pam stared at Krista. "Where did you say they kept the spare keys?"
* * *
Getting the key was relatively easy, but Pam struggled with second thoughts about entering when they stood before the red leather padded door decorated with golden studs. "It's a most unusual door," she remarked. "A little scary looking."
"I think that's the point. It's meant to make you nervous to enter."
"If that's the case, it succeeded. Admirably. Can Della see us, do you think?"
"I don't think Rob would want cameras or microphones anywhere near here, so I doubt it. But we don't need to do this, Pam. You're required to live with the guy. I only work for him. Once we see what's behind this door, we can't unsee it."
"I know. That's part of what's making me question the wisdom of doing this. What if I learn he's been covering a secret penchant for sadism? I'm not sure I could handle that."
"Well, don't ask me for advice. You both understand how I feel about this arrangement you two have. But from the few things I've seen Rob do, I don't think he's a sadist. And, I think you'd already know if he got pleasure out of hurting you."
"He doesn't shirk from causing me pain, but I never got the impression he enjoyed it. It's more like he's giving me something he believes I need, but it won't be pleasant for either of us."
"So, what do you want to do? Go in, or walk away?"
"I guess, if he's got a playroom, I should probably get a better understanding of the sort of things he keeps in it."
"It's a go then, right?"
"Yeah. Go ahead. Open the door."
Krista lifted the key latch and unlocked the door. The heavy portal swung wide on well-oiled hinges as the two women stood holding hands to give each other courage. Absent of any visible windows the chamber was eerily dark with a muted glow from recessed ceiling lights providing the only illumination for the room.
"Do you think he leaves the lights on all the time?" Pam asked, focusing on the most innocuous thing first.
Recovering first, Krista commented, "No. That's not like Rob. He's probably got everything triggered to turn on when the door is opened. You've got to admit the subdued lighting makes a statement."
"Yeah. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
Krista chuckled. "Actually, his set up is pretty tame as playrooms go, and it's much too reserved to ever be called a dungeon." She gave Pam's hand a tug and pulled her inside.
The dominant feature of the room was a queen-sized four poster bed covered with a red crushed velvet bedspread. It might have seemed merely a little decadent, if it hadn't been for the fur lined leather cuffs attached by shiny steel cables to each post. Above the bed, mounted on the ceiling, was a mirror large enough to cover the bed's entire surface. Hanging on the wall, facing the bed, hung a huge flat screen TV with what appeared to be a DVD player sitting on a long, black chest beneath it.
Intrepid Krista discovered a panel near the door that contained a myriad number of dials switches and buttons. "Ooh, he certainly didn't spare any expense on the electronics." Releasing Pam's hand, she pushed, clicked and turned with merry abandon as a slew of lights came on in varying strengths from strategically placed spotlights to a warm, glow that could be adjusted to the desired ambiance; various curtains hung around the room opened and closed, revealing several more mirrors, as low, seductive music slithered from hidden speakers. "Cool," Krista remarked with a nod as she returned everything to its original setting and stepped farther into the room.
For furniture, the chamber had a tall ebony dresser with lots of drawers, a wardrobe-like mahogany chest with two ornate doors decorated with bas-relief figures carved in various erotic poses, a black leather bench with metal rings positioned in what must be strategic places, and a large, imposing, dark wood desk with a flat computer screen on top and a high-backed executive chair set behind it. The chair was positioned to face the bed. Beside the flat-screened monitor lay a closed binder.
"Hmm. He chose not to get a cross," Krista remarked as she ran her fingers along the plush, crinkly bedspread.
"A what?"
Krista stared at her. "Saint Andrew's cross. It's used to stretch out a submissive so she's helpless and vulnerable while the dominant does whatever he wants to her."
"Okay, that sounds scary. Have you been in a lot of playrooms?"
"Similar, yes, though every dominant has his own preferences. In the early days, I allowed an experienced trainer to bind me to a cross and flog me. He was teaching Eric how to use a flogger properly to provide a sharp tingle that was as erotic as it was painful. Eric was clearly a sadist, but he could be really sweet, so it took me a while to understand that despite the 'loving' kisses and 'reassuring' words he wanted me to suffer. In the beginning, I might have even had fun in a room like this, until my beloved boyfriend totally lost it. Today, you couldn't pay me to lie on that bench or be cuffed to a bed."
"Did Eric put you in cuffs?"
"Among other things, yeah. Though I suspect Rob keeps a lot of the same equipment, it appears he prefers subtlety over shock value, which is why he stores most of his toys out of sight. Not knowing what the dominant will do next is part of the allure."
"Toys?" Pam asked with a gulp. "I understand it's called a playroom, but what sort of toys would he keep in here?"
Krista smiled back at Pam. "Before you go any further with Rob, I'd suggest you do a little research on BDSM." She pointed to the large standing mahogany wardrobe in the corner then continued to indicate what she talked about with her index finger. "That erotic monstrosity probably holds all of his whips, crops, floggers and the like, as well as the ropes or chains that can be attached to the decorative, but practical, iron rings hanging from the headboard, posts, and ceiling as well as that spanking bench over there. That black chest of drawers most likely holds his assortment of butt plugs and nipple clamps along with a collection of vibrators, eggs, ball gags, and extra bondage equipment." Krista shuddered with a private memory, so Pam focused on something normal by walking over to the desk and turning the ringed binder around so it faced her.
"What's odd is it doesn't look like anything's been used in here."
"Why? What do you mean?"
"It's too—pristine." Krista walked over to the ebony dresser and pulled out a drawer. "Just as I thought. Everything is still sealed in its original wrapper." She gazed at Pam. "He's never used this stuff."
Frowning, Pam tapped the binder. "What's in this do you think?"
"Who knows? Perhaps it's a compilation of erotic photographs taken of submissive women wrapped up in a variety of Shibari rope positions."
> Pam snorted softly as she turned to glance back at her friend. "You do realize you're speaking an entirely different language to me, don't you?"
When Krista shrugged, Pam gazed down at the open binder and gasped as she frantically flipped through the pages.
"Ooh. Is it that good? Let me see."
Pam slammed the book shut and twirled around so her back sheltered the notebook from Krista's view. "No. Don't."
"What is it, Pam? All the color just left your face. Are you feeling faint?" When Pam didn't answer, Krista grabbed her hand. "Come on, why don't you sit down for a bit?"
Although Pam shook her head, she let Krista lead her over to the large armchair behind the desk and dropped down as her trembling legs gave out beneath her.
"Those pictures really got to you, didn't they? I never should have brought you here. You're not ready to accept all this. There's a door next to the wardrobe. It probably leads to a bathroom. Knowing Rob, he keeps it stocked. I'll see if I can get you a cool cloth and some water."
Pam tried to swallow, but the lump in her throat wouldn't let her. Closing her eyes, she struggled to still her shaking. Accepting the glass of water Krista handed her, she took several large swallows and, after a moment said, "I need to get out of here."
"Sure. No problem. We'll leave as soon as you're a little steadier. Why don't you try lying down for a bit?"
"No. I don't mean this room, I mean this house. I'll want to pack a few things then depart right away. Do you think you could take me to my apartment? My clothes are all gone, but the furniture should still be there, I hope."
"Pam, I'll do whatever you need, but don't overreact. Just because Rob likes looking at pictures of naked ladies in erotic positions doesn't mean he's a pervert."
Pam met Krista's gaze. "There's nothing sexy about the photos in that book, Krista. They are demeaning."
"I understand what you're saying, but men see sex and desire differently than women. Pornography turns them on. Yeah, the poses can be considered debasing for females if you view the models as victims, but if they're seen as seductive and desirable creatures, the pictures can be erotic."
Lessons in Love Page 30