Anchor Line

by Dawne Walters

  Conrad smiled. “I’ll do one better. Don’t go anywhere. I have to get something from the truck.” He turned around and headed straight for the stairs at the end of the hallway where the restrooms were. Running for all he was worth, he made it outside just in time to see Addie in her car, being driven by Jess and followed by Carl in his SUV leaving the parking lot.

  “FUCK!” he yelled. “MOTHER FUCKING BITCHES!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Making his way to the main entrance, Tammy looked confused when he didn’t enter through the hallway, but from the main entrance. “I need Richard. Now!” he almost yelled.

  Tammy picked up a phone and dialed. “Conrad needs to talk to you Sir…yes Sir, right away.” After hanging up, she hit the button for the private quarter’s elevator across next to the check-in desk, “Go on up.”

  Conrad made his way into the elevator and waited im-patiently as the doors closed and took him to the second level, dropping him off in a beautiful but small red velvet foyer with gilded framed paintings of naked women. He stepped off the elevator.

  “Ah, Conrad. You look pissed my man, what gives?” Richard walked toward him wearing only a pair of leather pants. He was leaner than Conrad, and had red hair and bright blue eyes. He and Richard had served together for five years before Richard lost his parents overseas to some freak accident, he collected millions of dollars and bought this building and created Messosotto.

  “Susan and Lisa knew that Carl’s sub was bringing a girl here and sidelined me into a scene.” Conrad was a bit calmer, but as he explained, he got more pissed.

  “Those two have been nothing but trouble.” Richard huffed. “If there was a risk that she was coming here, why did you scene with them?” He asked, trying to be the voice of reason.

  “First of all, I didn’t know there was ever a risk of her coming here, and secondly, I was thinking with my dick. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? I like Addie, I really do, but I can’t give her what she needs.” Conrad went to scrub his face with his hands and he could smell Susan and Lisa on his skin. So, he dropped them by his sides. “I can’t get away from them.”

  Richard noticed the action that Conrad was going to make and dropped his hands to his sides instead. He smirked. He scratched his head and laughed. “Conrad. Man, you are like a brother to me. You know I’ll do anything for you. But dude, you have to hang up this BS on how you can’t give a woman what she needs. You have to live life man. Tell me. How’d they find out that Jess was bringing Addie? I thought Jess didn’t like them?”

  “She doesn’t.” He sighed. “I threatened to get them kicked out if they didn’t tell me if they knew that Jess was bringing Addie here. Lisa said they found out through Caryn, who works in the same building as Jess and Addie. Caryn is the mutual connection.”

  “I hate that bitch too.” Richard spun on his heel, waiving at Conrad to follow him. The living room was not the palatial decor you would expect. It was painted a light tan, with white trim moldings. Simple dark brown curtains that had a thick, single white stripe at the top hung in several windows. There was a comfortable dark brown cloth pit group that sat in the middle of the room. On the walls hung several pictures of Soldiers in desert camouflage and vehicles and aircraft. On the wall to the right, of the foyer hung a rather large 60 inch TV.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Richard asked as he picked up his cell phone from the coffee table and a remote in his other hand turning off the TV, it switched to a few camera feeds that were set up.

  “Nah, I’m good. I have to get home and shower.” Conrad answered looking at his hands, not really wanting to touch anything he had with the smell of those two bitches on his hands.

  “In the bathroom over there is some lemon soap. I always put lemon juice in it.” Richard nodded to the door next to the pit group. “Takes the smell off your hands.” He smiled.

  Conrad practically ran to the bathroom and cranked the water on as hot as he could get it and pumped the soap into his hand and scrubbed up to his elbow, then his neck and face. Then rinsed and dried himself with the towel. Coming out of the bathroom he watched Richard dial.

  “Jack. Richard.” He pointed to Conrad and then to the TV, “I need you to round up three subs for me. Yes.” He paused. “Susan, Lisa and Caryn…oh did you? Why didn’t you intervene?” Richard looked at Conrad while Conrad was watching the screens. “I’ll wait on the line. I have been waiting for this day for a loooong time. Yep.” Richard then watched the TV as the three women were rounded up by three men and taken to the vestibule.

  “Strip ‘em.” Richard said with finality. Those were the only two words that he needed to say to ban anyone from his club for life.

  The two men watched as the women’s contracts were pulled out of the filing drawer by Tammy, and torn into little pieces, put into a bowl and burned. Susan was screaming from the look on her face. Lisa and Caryn just stood there in disbelief. Their wristbands were taken off and they were escorted out to their cars. As they drove away, the three Dungeon Masters came back into the vestibule.

  “Perfect.” Richard said smiling at Conrad now. “Thank you.” He hit the button on the phone and tossed it on the sofa table, then picked up the remote and changed it back to the Food Network. “It’s done my man.” He smiled. “Now get the fuck out of here and go get your woman.”

  Conrad shook Richard’s hand. “Thanks man. I owe you.” And then he took off like he was on fire.

  Now in the safety of her car, Addie let go of all pent up emotion and started to cry. Deep heaving sobs, tears rolling down her face. Jess reached over and grabbed her hand to try and give the little comfort that she could.

  “Addie I am so incredibly sorry.” Jess whispered squeezing her hand.

  “It’s not your fault Jess. Who knew that his first night out from the field he’d go to the Messo. But I should have known. And to actually claim that he texted me. Fucking liar, I’ll never trust him again.”

  “Honey you don’t mean that.”

  “Yes, yes I do mean that Jess.” Addie opened the glove box to look for tissue or napkins that she always shoved in there. Finding none she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and looked out of the window as Jess drove her home while Carl followed behind.

  Jess pulled Addie’s car into a parking spot and cut off the engine. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay at our house? Or I could stay here.” Jess offered.

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to go up and get a shower put my jammies on and drown in a vat of Caramel. But I’ll be okay, I’m gonna to bed.” Addie looked at Jess and forced a smile, then opened her car door getting out.

  Jess made sure she locked the car and walked to give Addie a hug and told her that if she needed anything to call. Addie walked up the stairs opened her apartment door and took a deep breath. Closing the door behind her she was sure to lock it and deadbolt it. Then she walked down the hallway passing the kitchen all the way to her bedroom where she walked straight into the closet turning on the light and stripped everything off except for the silver necklace that she had on. Taking the necklace off she walked toward the dresser and hung it on the necklace tree, and then hit the light switch for the bathroom and cranked the water to as hot as it would go.

  Standing under the spray of water she realized that she still had the red bracelet on from the Messo. Pulling it off and throwing it out of the shower, she took her Irish Spring soap and her loofah and scrubbed her skin until it was red, wanting to wash the whole experience away. Washing her face with her scrub and then her hair with her shampoo and conditioner, she just stood there and cried for a moment letting her self-pity takeover. Feeling better that she had cried it out, she turned off the water grabbed her towel and dried off, then braided her hair, turned off the bathroom light and went to get jammies from her dresser.

  Now dressed, she turned off the bedroom light and the closet light, grabbing the remote for the TV and slid under the covers. Upon seeing that ESPN was
still on her TV she quickly changed it to HGTV and grabbed the other pillow that didn’t smell like Conrad and tried to go to sleep. Sleep was not quick in coming unfortunately, but the banging on her door told her that Conrad was quick to follow. Refusing to get up and answer the door Addie pulled the covers over her head, yet the relentless banging would not stop. When the banging stopped her phone started ringing. That was when, she realized that she’d left her pocketbook on the counter in the kitchen where she normally left it. It was so automatic, she didn’t remember. Knowing who it was, she still didn’t bother getting up out of bed to answer it. When the third call started, the banging on the door started again as well.

  Realizing that Conrad would not leave until he talked to her, she threw the covers off of her and stormed down the hallway turning on the hallway light and answered the door. Seeing Conrad standing there at her door was like a punch to the gut. Knowing that she looked like she was crying, was another punch to the gut. It was then Addie realized that Conrad must have went home to change, because he was in a pair of jeans and a faded Steelers T-shirts. His hair looked wet and was standing up like he just tossed a towel though it.

  “We need to talk.” Conrad stated.

  “We have nothing to talk about. I saw all I needed to see and said all I needed to say to you.” And he replied.

  “I’m not leaving until you hear me the fuck out.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to listen to you, and there is nothing you can say to me that I need to hear. I saw you at the Messo with Susan and Lisa, you looked quite cozy. But what you didn’t realize that I saw you. I saw what you made them do to each other.” And it was then that Addie felt disgusted, because she had gotten aroused over what he’d made Susan and Lisa do to each other. “So please Conrad, just leave.”

  “I’m not leaving.” Conrad stated, putting a hand on the door.

  “Well then you’ll be sleeping on my front porch.”

  “I need to explain to you what happened tonight.”

  “I don’t need to hear your excuses.”

  “Please Addie.” Conrad whispered. “Please just hear me out, this one time. And if you still want me to go, I’ll go. I’ll leave you alone forever.”

  “That should be easy for you. Considering you constantly tell me that you can’t give me what I need.” She retorted snidely. But inside, Addie was torn. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to hear what Conrad had to say. But at the same time, she felt that he owed her an explanation. And she owed him the time to explain it. At least he had the decency to come over not smelling like Susan and Lisa. So she moved aside and let Conrad in. Closing the door, she locked it and walked to her pocketbook picking it up her phone that vibrated off the counter onto the floor and set it back on the counter.

  “Look at your phone Addie.” Conrad suggested. “Check your text messages. Did you even get my text message? The one that I told you I was home and wanted to know where you were. I was heading out. I wanted to hang out with you. And then Carl messaged and said that there was a party at the Messo for me leaving. I wanted to take you to the Messo. I didn’t hear from you so I ended up going alone.”

  Addie picked her phone up, swiping it and looking at her messages. Then she turned the screen around to show him that she didn’t get his message until almost ten o’clock. “Look Conrad, I didn’t get it until almost ten. And why would you ever take me to the Messo knowing that your big boobed, blonde bitches would be there.

  Conrad plopped on the sofa his hands immediately rubbing his eyes. “I don’t know Addie. I just know that I wanted you to be with me. If you didn’t want to go to the Messo, I’d have gone somewhere else with you.”

  “You really showed that you wanted to be with me by making Susan and Lisa lick each other in front of you.” Addie tossed her phone on the counter. “I wonder Conrad, did you sniff their panties and you made them wipe their mouths?”

  Conrad sighed, “I’m a Dom Addie. And what we do to our submissives, and how we react is simply for pleasure.”

  “So now they are your submissives? And sniffing their underwear gave you both mutual pleasure. Fanfuckingtastic.” Addie rolled her eyes.

  “Fuck no Addie.” Conrad was getting frustrated. “It was to show that they had pleased me with what they had done to each other. In a Dom sub world, for every action, there is a reaction. Just like you are submissive to me. Everything you gave me, I give back to you.”

  “Well I may be a submissive, and you may be a Dom.” Addy put her hands on her hips now and walked over to Conrad and stood in front of him and stopped. “But I am not your submissive and you are not my Dom.”

  “I would really love to change that Addie.” Conrad reached for her hands. “I can’t explain why I went to the Messo and why things with Susan and Lisa happened. All I know is, that I wanted to be with you, and I wanted to degrade Susan and Lisa. They have never been with women before. And when Susan said that she wanted to be with me I told her that she had to do something for me first.”

  “So you made them… Do that?”

  Conrad squeezed Addie’s hands, “Yes. I did. And I don’t regret one single damn minute of it. They hated it, I made them tell me afterward what they thought.”

  Addie fell to her knees in front of Conrad and rested her head on his leg. “I don’t understand why you just couldn’t wait for me. I don’t understand what your hang-up is for being a soldier and feeling like you can’t give somebody a relationship. I want to give you everything and you won’t take it.” Addie could feel the tears in her eyes and felt one slide down her nose and onto Konrad’s jeans.

  “My buddy Richard said the same thing to me tonight.” Conrad let one of Addie’s hands go and pulled the rubber band out of her hair and un-braided her hair. “He said that I needed to fix that about myself. But I just don’t know how.”

  “Who’s Richard?”

  Conrad sighed, “He’s the owner of the Messo. After you left I turned around and asked Susan and Lisa how they found out that you were going to be there tonight. They said that Caryn who works in your building is also a friend of Jess’. Caryn was the common denominator, and she let Susan and Lisa know. So after I ran down to see if you had left, because I wanted to stop you, I went back inside and asked to speak to Richard. He and I served together for many years until he came across some money from his parents that were involved in a freak accident overseas. He’s hated Susan and Lisa for a couple years now, and was really looking for a way to pull their membership. And you are that reason. I was so mad that they hurt you that I had to strike back. And the only way to do that was to pull their membership.”

  “They’ll be let back in after you leave.” Addie commented.

  “No.” Conrad shook his head, “No they won’t. They are on the permanent ban list. Their memberships were burned in front of them. It’s what happens when you go against the rules of the Messo.”

  Addie honestly didn’t know what to say. All that she knew is that she was drained. Lifting her head, she looked up at Conrad. “I just have to ask one question.” When Conrad nodded his head yes, Addie continued, “Did you touch them?”

  “No.” Conrad slowly shook his head. “Please believe me. The only thing I held was their hair in my hands. That was it I promise you.”

  Addie gave a tightlipped smile and pulled back from Conrad a little watching the worried look on his face as she moved. She was really in a tug-of-war on what to do. Should she let him stay, which would lead to sex? Or should she tell him to leave and that they would deal with this tomorrow. She also knew, that if she let him go there would be no sleep. For her… Or for him. So she decided to put them both out of their misery and stood up still holding one of his hands and looking into his hazel eyes.

  “Let’s go to bed,” she whispered.

  The relief that washed over Conrad’s face at those four words was indescribable. He got up still holding her hand and walked over to grab her phone by the bar, hitting the red button to tu
rn it off and setting it back. Then he grabbed his own phone out of his back pocket, turned it off and set it next to hers on the bar. He let go of her hand briefly just to double check the locks on the door and turned the hallway light off. Then he took her hand and led her to the bedroom. He motioned Addie to get into the bed as he pulled his T-shirt off, took his shoes and socks off followed by his jeans and slid into bed himself. Pulling the covers up, he pulled Addie toward him, wrapping his arms around her. With his face in her hair, he took a deep breath just to breathe her in, just to remind him that he was really here with her and that he would never let her go.

  “Tomorrow I want you to do something with me Addie.” He whispered.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’m was thinking of turning my leather cuff in to the Messo.”

  She turned around in his arms leaning up on one elbow. “I don’t want you to do that because of what happened tonight. I know that this is something that you need, this dominance about you… You need it, like air to breathe.”

  ‘But I realized tonight, that I needed you more. I was so pissed to know that you were there and I couldn’t touch you. That I hurt you, and that is something I never want to do again.” Conrad said looking into Addie’s eyes.

  “And what happens when you leave to Italy?”

  “I don’t know Addie, I don’t know. But as long as were together, no one comes between us.” Conrad leaned in and took Addie’s lips for sweet gentle kiss. And when he pulled back looking into her eyes he said, “Now go to sleep.”

  Addie turned around and Conrad took her into his arms pulling her tight. He knew the moment Addie had fallen asleep, her breathing turned even and deep. Everything that he had told her was true. He did want her, he wanted to dominate her, he just didn’t know how to make things work with her, to live with her. He had to figure out how to jump the hurdle of all the failed relationships he’d seen while he was in the Army. He didn’t want to be that statistic. Leaning back for a moment he grabbed the remote from the night table and changed the channel to ESPN and laid down on his pillow, breathing in the scent that was Addie until he fell asleep.