Changing Perspectives

by Jen Silver

  “I’m happy to stick with book-related research.”

  “Excellent. I don’t want you two getting into trouble with any sexy señors or señoritas over there.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep him on the straight and narrow.”

  “Somehow I don’t find that very reassuring. Anyway, good luck with your meetings.”

  With her worries about the outcome of the negotiations eased, Camila gathered her notes together and ventured out of the room to enjoy breakfast sitting in the sun.

  †

  Eric met her in the lobby of the hotel. He had already checked in and was counting on her to find a suitable venue for lunch.

  Camila led him down a narrow alleyway. “It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the food is excellent,” she reassured him.

  Once they were settled at their table with a bottle of Rioja from the Tempranillo region and had placed their orders for six tapas dishes, Eric moved into business mode.

  “So tell me about this Mendez character.”

  “What’s to say? He’s a misogynist pig. As soon as I told him my partner would be here for this afternoon’s meeting, he lightened up. And started talking about fashionable dress shops in the city that I might like to visit while I’m here. I think he expects you to take over completely while the little woman, moi, goes shopping. He even recommended his wife’s hairdresser to me.”

  “Okay. I think it’s best if we play along.”

  “I am not going shopping, or having my hair done.”

  Eric held his hands in the air in mock surrender. “No, no, I didn’t mean that. Do you think you could pretend we’re a couple? Let him think we’re more than business partners.”

  Camila smiled. “Yes, I think I could do that.” She sipped her wine. “Especially after a few glasses of this.”

  “You’re a cheap date. Carl would have held out for champagne.”

  “Maybe later. Once they’ve signed on the dotted line.”

  Eric held up his glass to toast her. “I like your thinking.”

  †

  Dani worked through the lunch period, sustained by the bacon sandwich and several more cups of coffee after Niki left. Penny came in with the VidScreen copy during the morning, and after tweaking it slightly, Dani asked Amanda to fax it through.

  By midafternoon she’d had enough but it was too early to go home. She was thinking of Camila when her phone rang and she snatched at it eagerly. Then slumped back in her chair when she heard who it was.

  “Hi, Carl.”

  “So the cats are away, do you want to play?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Eric’s hopped over to Madrid to help Camila out with her research, I mean, business. We could find out if Lisa’s free. If not, there’s always Freddie’s.”

  Dani felt a fluttering in her stomach. “I don’t know.” She had been to Freddie’s once before but didn’t feel comfortable in the mixed venue. Too much testosterone in the air.

  “Come on. You don’t want to be moping around at home all evening. They won’t be back until Friday.”

  “I can’t. I’ve got plans for tonight.”

  “So change them.”

  She decided the ache in her gut was from having skipped lunch. Carl would die laughing if she told him Debs was giving her a cooking lesson. Either that or he would think it was a euphemism for some weird sex act he’d not heard of.

  “Sorry, mate. I’m just not up for it right now.”

  “Okay. It was worth a try. Stay safe.”

  “You too.”

  She placed the receiver carefully back on its cradle. Stay safe had been their watchword for so many years. She wondered if he would call Lisa or go to the other club. Camila hadn’t called from Madrid. She must be experiencing problems if Eric had gone there on short notice. Dani put her head in her hands. She would give anything just to hear Camila’s voice right now.

  †

  “They’re really making us work for this, aren’t they?” Camila leaned into Eric to whisper in his ear.

  He turned to her with a sickly-sweet smile plastered on his face and said loudly, “Just another hour, sweetheart, then we can retire for the night.”

  Sergio clapped his hands together. “Bello! We leave now. Hasta mañana, amigos.”

  After a brief haggle about who would pay the bill, which Eric won, Sergio and his wife left the restaurant, and Camila breathed out, moving her chair slightly to give Eric his space back.

  “Well that was hard work. I’m not sure you’re paying me enough for this.”

  Eric laughed and poured the rest of the wine in the bottle into their glasses. “So, do you think they bought it?”

  “Sergio, yes. His missus, I’m not so sure. You looked like you were going to throw up when she said we would have beautiful children.”

  “Yes, unfortunately, my rudimentary understanding of Spanish caught that.”

  “What could be worse? Actually being married to me, or the idea of having children?” With the change in their relationship over the last few days, Camila had no qualms now about teasing her boss.

  “Oh, marriage to you, definitely.” He grinned. “Carl and I have talked about adopting. But adoption agencies won’t even look at us as prospective parents.”

  “Well you’ve had me fooled all this time. I’ve always thought that was your wife in the photo you keep on your desk.”

  “My sister. And, yes, that helps to promote a normal family image for clients.”

  “You actually have a sister.”

  “I guess I deserved that.” Eric gave her a wry smile. “Yes, she’s real. I don’t see her often. She married an investment banker and lives in New York.”

  They finished their wine. Eric paid the bill with his credit card but left a generous cash tip on the table for their waiter. Camila had caught him watching the young man whenever he approached and particularly when he walked away. She refrained from commenting.

  The evening air was cool enough to make an evening stroll a pleasurable experience. Eric took her arm to guide her down the street.

  “You can drop the act now.”

  “I know. But someone around here probably knows Sergio or some of his crew.”

  They turned left into a narrow passageway.

  “This isn’t the way to the hotel.”

  “No. It’s part of my evil plan to lead you astray.”

  “Really, I don’t think I can drink anything else.”

  “Trust me. You’ll enjoy this. I know Carl gave you a book, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some hands-on research.”

  †

  Camila’s eyes adjusted slowly to the dim lighting in the cellar. She was aware of Eric’s quickened breathing next to her. The doorman hadn’t hesitated to let them in; Camila suspected Eric had slipped money into his hand.

  Eric guided her to a bench by the wall. The combined smells of leather and sweating bodies permeated the air. She sat next to him and took in the room’s décor. At first glance it could have passed for a school gymnasium combined with a hospital birthing room. The sight of the leather-covered vaulting box reminded her of the PE classes she’d tried hard to avoid at school. The pull-up bars in the gym hadn’t had a naked man dangling from them though, his toes just touching the ground, his wrists firmly attached to the rings at either end of the pole. He was being whipped by another man dressed in leather from head to toe, including a face mask that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a horror film. Another man was laughing as he attached nipple clamps onto his partner. Two others were in a corner trying out various whips and flails. One of them swished a cane, and Camila knew she had to get out of there before she started hyperventilating.

  She touched Eric’s arm. “I don’t think I can stay.”

  He nodded and led her out again.

  †

  “I’m sorry. I just felt weird watching. Like some kind of pervy voyeur.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I should have warned you. I did thi
nk it was a mixed venue, but maybe they have separate ladies’ nights.”

  Camila took a sip of her brandy and gazed at the passers-by on the street. The city was just starting to come alive with late diners and buskers crowding the outdoor cafés.

  “Does Dani like being restrained?”

  “Yes.” Eric smiled at her. “Believe it or not, it enhances the whole experience. Complete submission. And it’s a rush for the dominant partner too. The absolute trust you’re given. You need a safe word that she can use if she wants you to stop, though.”

  Another sip of the brandy sent liquid fire straight to her belly. Camila saw Dani handcuffed to the bedposts, stretched out, naked…waiting. She turned to Eric, who was focused on her through the haze of smoke from his cigarette. “A safe word, huh?”

  He nodded and tried to wave some of the smoke in another direction.

  “I can do this.”

  “I know you can.”

  The warmth of the brandy spreading throughout her torso matched the heat now coursing through her pelvis, melting her core and with the imminent danger of a rush of molten lava spilling out between her thighs.

  “I think I need to go back to my room now.”

  The smirk on his face told her that he was only too aware of the images running riot through her thoughts.

  †

  “Honestly, Dani, it’s not rocket science. Have you never beaten an egg before?”

  “I’ve never wanted to. It’s not done anything to harm me.”

  “Now you’re just being silly.”

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to the pub?”

  Deborah put her hands on her hips and glared at her. “You’re not leaving this house until you’ve succeeded in making an omelette.”

  “Could be here for some time.”

  It really wasn’t that hard. Sitting back in her chair with a stomach full of the cheese and mushroom omelette she’d managed to produce with Deborah’s tuition, Dani felt a sense of accomplishment.

  “Shame Jan had to miss out on this fine meal.”

  “I think she said something like she would rather starve than eat something you cooked.”

  “The ungrateful little toerag. After all I’ve done for her.” Dani’s smile took the sting out of her words.

  “From what she’s told me, you’ve done a lot for her.” Deborah’s voice was serious.

  Dani fiddled with the fork on her plate. “I do what I can. Someone gave me a chance when I arrived in London, naïve, clueless, homeless. She’s a good kid.”

  “I hope you don’t mind. I put her in touch with a courier company in Kingston. She has an interview on Monday.”

  “That’s great. Tell her to let me know if she needs a written reference.”

  Deborah smiled at her. “Who would have guessed you’re such a big softie? What’s with all the leather gear? Some kind of armour?”

  “You could say that.” Dani hadn’t thought of it that way before, but in a way she could see it made sense.

  Jan returned after they had finished washing the dishes, with the reek of fish and chips clinging to her. Dani declined the offer of coffee as the looks exchanged by the other two women made her feel like the proverbial gooseberry.

  †

  When she got home, she pinned the recipe Deborah had printed out onto her refrigerator door with an MBE fridge magnet. Sometime before Camila’s return, she would go grocery shopping to acquire the ingredients so she could show off her new skill.

  Deborah had also given her a list of the kitchen equipment she needed. Dani had just located a heavy-duty skillet in the back of one of the cupboards when the phone rang. She banged her head in her haste to reach it. She quickly forgot the pain as Camila’s voice reached her.

  “How’s it going? Carl told me Eric had to fly out today.”

  “Fine, now. The client just needed to know there was a man in charge.”

  “Oh, that sucks. This is 1993, not the middle ages.”

  “Different culture, I guess. Anyway, I think we’re on track now. So what have you been doing? I tried to ring earlier before we went for dinner.”

  “I was with Debs. She’s teaching me to cook.”

  “Debs? Deborah Grant?”

  “Yes. Don’t sound so surprised. We get on really well.”

  “Not too well, I hope.”

  “No, not like that. And she’s got Jan to keep her company.”

  “Who’s Jan? Another girlfriend already?”

  “Jan does odd jobs for me. So I’m paying her to give Debs some protection in case Chris causes any trouble.”

  “Is that really necessary?”

  “I don’t know. But I kind of feel responsible for what happened.”

  “Why? Chris attacked you.”

  “I just want her to be safe. Chris seems a bit unstable, especially as she turned up at Redmond’s to confront you. Anyway, I shouldn’t think I will be paying for Jan’s services much longer. She and Debs seem to be attracted to each other.”

  There was silence at the other end of the line, and Dani wondered if Camila was upset. The next question caught her completely unawares.

  “Do you have any handcuffs?” Camila’s voice had taken on a huskier tone.

  “Um, yes.”

  “Good. I’ll see you on Friday. Oh, and our safe word is T-shirts.” The line went dead, leaving Dani wondering if she could possibly have misheard.

  She put the receiver down and licked her lips. Kitchen implements forgotten, she ran upstairs to locate the cuffs. They were tucked away in the back of her bedroom closet. She took them out and walked across the hall to the guest room and laid them down carefully next to the box holding the canes. The next two days and nights were going to be the longest of her life.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Thursday evening, Dani persuaded Penny to accompany her to a bar. It was nine o’clock and early for the serious punters, so Penny had agreed, but only because Astrid was working a late shift and wouldn’t be home until midnight.

  After Penny called it a night and went home at eleven thirty, Dani carried on to the club. She really only wanted to stave off the longing she was feeling for Camila. However, a few minutes in the room and she knew she didn’t want to be there. She was moving towards the door when she heard her name, and turned to find Lisa right behind her.

  “Hey, stranger. I hear you’re hooked up now.”

  Dani swallowed, “Yeah, well….”

  “I thought we had something.”

  “We did, I guess.”

  “So, where is she, this wonder woman?”

  “Working.”

  Lisa ran an exploratory hand over Dani’s butt and squeezed a cheek. “I could give you what you need.”

  Dani’s mouth had gone dry. She shifted uncomfortably. “I know you could. But it’s not what I want.”

  Lisa backed off and shook her head sadly. “That’s too bad. When you’re back in circulation, give me a ring.”

  Dani stumbled out of the door needing to walk to clear her head. It was a beautiful night, and the sight of Hammersmith Bridge when she reached it cheered her. Each step she took on the Upper Mall felt lighter. The pubs were all closed; not even a dog walker in sight. She had just opened her front door when the phone rang.

  “Dani!” Camila’s tone sounded irritated.

  “Hey, great to hear from you. It’s late, though.”

  “I know. I’ve tried calling a few times. Where have you been?”

  “Walking along the river.”

  “And?”

  “Went for a drink after work.” Dani leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

  “It’s late for a drink.”

  This was it. She wanted this woman so badly. But she couldn’t lie to her. Their relationship had to be built on trust. Her next words could either make or break the foundation of their fledgling partnership.

  She took a deep breath. “If you really want to know, I went to a club.” Silence. “And I
saw Lisa.” The silence on the other end seemed to deepen. “But, you know what, I blew her off. Because, Camila, the only touch I want now is yours.”

  Camila found her voice and asked her, huskily, “Will you be home tomorrow evening?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re wrapping things up here in the morning. I’ll see you later, and, Dani…?”

  “Yes?”

  “You better be ready for me.” The line went dead, signalling Camila’s complete control once more.

  Dani stood in her hallway, holding the phone and feeling weak at the knees. How could Camila do this to her with just a few words? A few weeks earlier she wouldn’t have believed she would be feeling this way about one woman. A woman who could turn her insides to jelly with a look and a light touch.

  Sleep was out of the question now. She walked through the house to open the doors onto the patio. The river was moving swiftly on the tide’s turn. She leaned against the doorjamb and took in several deep breaths. The wait would be long, but she knew now it would be worth it.

  †

  Camila settled back into her seat on the plane. When the steward asked what she wanted to drink, she told him gin and tonic. “Make it a double.”

  Eric glanced up from his newspaper. “What’s that for? Dutch courage?”

  “Of course not. Just relaxing from one of the toughest, and longest, contract negotiations ever. Who does Sergio Mendez think he is, Bill fucking Gates?”

  “Well, it’s done now.” Eric accepted his own drink from the steward, a whisky and a soda. “Anyway, you’re avoiding the subject.”

  “What subject?” Camila knew what he was referring to but studiously continued to mix her drink, making sure it contained more gin than tonic.

  “I could tell you what I’m going to do with Carl as soon as I get in the door, if that would help.”