“Because I’m working.”
“You’re not going to give me anything here, are you? I’m fully capable and willing to torture you to get the answers I want. You realize that, yes?”
“The situation with my ex-wife and my daughter is...let’s call it my sore spot. A sore spot and a long story.”
Nora growled in frustration. Usually only Søren could inspire such aggravation on her part. She started to open her mouth to give him some verbal abuse, but felt something vibrating in her jacket pocket. Pulling out her phone, she handed it to Lance.
“Answer that for me. It’s the boss.”
Lance answered and had a brief conversation, which Nora heard only one side of. A “Yes” followed by a clipped “Understood.”
He handed the phone back to her and sighed.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Your next appointment’s been canceled. Your client is trapped on the tarmac in Toronto. He wants to reschedule for Monday.”
“Isn’t that a happy coincidence?” Nora said, pulling over to park by a café. “Sounds like we have plenty of time now for a long story.”
They ordered coffee and sat at table in the corner of the café by the windows. Nora kept her coat on. A woman in a black leather bustier got more attention than she’d prefer right now.
“So what’s the story with you and the kid?” She blew on her coffee as she studied Lance over the brim.
“Can I ask why you want to know?” Lance took a sip of the coffee, apparently not bothered by its temperature. Masochists. Such show-offs.
“I like you. I want to know everything about you, especially the stuff you don’t want me to know.”
“There might be a good reason I don’t want you to know.”
Nora didn’t back down. “I’m not asking to meet her and audition for the role of wicked stepmother. I just want to know about her, about you and her.”
“The situation...it’s not something I’m particularly proud of.”
“Don’t care. You think you’re the only person at this table with a past? You realize you’re talking to a Dominatrix here, right?”
“Right. Good point.”
“So tell me about Maya.”
Lance took a deep breath.
“I can’t start with Maya. I have to start with her mother, Amber. I was on a short leave eight years ago in Vermont and met this beautiful woman. Smart, sexy...love and lust at first sight. One of those whirlwind courtship things. We kept in touch after I shipped out, we got married on my very next leave. I shipped out again right after the honeymoon. Amber told me a month later I was going to be a father.”
“Happy news?”
“Very happy. I had a new wife I thought I was in love with and a new baby on the way. Magic. But a few months later I had metal in my back and it’s no more Navy, no more career. So I go home, and we start living together for the first time since we got married. She has Maya, I have surgeries. Once she’s healed up from the delivery, and I’m healed up from the IED, I think, ‘Great, we can start having sex again.’ But apparently that was not to be.”
Nora narrowed her eyes at him.
“Why not?”
“Amber threw herself into motherhood. I don’t know what happened but being a mom changed her. There were good changes. She adored our daughter and gave her everything, all her love and attention and affection. But it was a bad change, too.”
“Because she gave your daughter all her love and attention and affection?”
“Right. Breasts were for breast-feeding only. Her body had given birth to our daughter so Amber didn’t consider herself a sexual being anymore. I talked to some guys who have children and they say this is normal, give her a year. So I gave her a year. Then two years. I ask if we can go to couple’s therapy. She says I’m obsessed with sex and it’s my issue, not hers. I say that I think a married couple not having any sort of sex for two entire years is not normal. She accuses me of being an insensitive sex-obsessed pervert. I start to realize that we made a huge mistake getting married so quickly. We barely knew each other. Looking back I don’t even know why she married me. The uniform? The prestige of being an officer’s wife? Maybe she just wanted to be a mom and thought I’d make a good sperm donor.”
“I wouldn’t mind having your DNA inside me,” Nora said, trying to make him smile. It worked but only for a second.
“Amber never expected she’d have to deal with an injured homebound husband. I never expected to be an injured homebound husband. And God knows I never expected my wife to lose all interest in sex after having a baby.”
“This sounds like a recipe for disaster,” Nora said, feeling nothing but sympathy for Lance. She couldn’t wrap her mind or any other part of her body around the concept of not being interested in sex. And she knew lots of women with children in the kink scene who had libidos to match her own.
“It was. I didn’t want a divorce. I thought eventually Amber would go to a doctor, go to a therapist. Something. I tried flowers and compliments and cuddling. Everything. Nothing worked. She simply decided she would never have sex again. But Maya was, is the light of my life. Amber threw herself into motherhood so I threw myself into fatherhood. Pretty soon Maya was the only reason Amber and I were together. We didn’t even speak unless it was about our daughter. I had to have an outlet, though. I have a strong sex drive and was going nuts in that house.”
“You had an affair?”
“No. Unless you consider porn an affair.”
“Depends on how much porn we’re talking about.”
“A lot,” he said without hesitation. “I moved into the guest room-slash-office, found S&M porn, and just got lost in it. I didn’t think about Amber caring. She didn’t want to have sex with me. Why would she care I watched internet porn? But when she used the computer one day and found some of the stuff, she went off the deep end.”
“I would think she’d prefer porn to you sleeping around.”
Lance shrugged. “Me, too. Seemed harmless. She didn’t think so. She kicked me out of the house—the house I’d paid for—filed for divorce, and sought full custody of Maya. The judge allowed the porn into evidence. I lost custody.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Nora put her empty coffee cup down so hard a tiny piece chipped off the bottom. “For porn? You weren’t cheating, you weren’t abusing anyone.”
“If it had been normal vanilla porn, I might have at least gotten visitation. Amber’s lawyer argued I was a porn addict who had abusive, violent, anti-women proclivities.”
“What? Because it was kinky?”
“The sites I visited were all BDSM-related. I only watched the male submissive-women Dominant stuff, but that didn’t factor in. That I’d visited websites that had videos of women being whipped and play-raped killed my defense. No one even cared I’d never watched that stuff. Guilt by association.”
“Son of a bitch...”
Nora knew she shouldn’t be surprised. The world didn’t understand anything about their community, their culture. Søren was one scandal away from excommunication. That he played only with consenting adult partners wouldn’t even factor into the equation. That Lance had zero desire to hurt any woman on earth didn’t factor into the equation, either. “Do you ever get to see her?”
Lance nodded. “We get to talk on the phone once a week. Twice a year I get to see her. Amber lets me see her for a couple hours on Maya’s birthday and on Christmas Eve. I don’t get to take her anywhere. Amber hovers the entire time watching us. I brought her some cookies my mom had made the last time I saw her at Christmas. They had nuts in them so she refused to eat them. I didn’t know she hated nuts. What kind of father doesn’t know his daughter hates nuts in her cookies?”
Lance finished his coffee and sat the cup down far more gently than Nora h
ad.
“I was thinking about this while I was in the kitchen with the judge’s wife. Your first client today was a family court judge. I lost custody of my daughter in family court because of kinky porn. And there’s a judge who sees a Dominatrix once a week. Funny, right?”
“Hilarious,” she said entirely without mirth.
“I can’t be mad.” Lance sat back in his chair. “It’s my own fault. I thought I was an honorable man. I’m the kind of man who believes that a woman should feel safer if there’s a man in the room, not scared that he might try something with her. The only fistfights I’ve ever gotten into have been because some asshole tried something with a woman at a bar and someone needed to stand up for her. I think men exist on this earth to protect women and children. That’s what we’re here for. We make money to protect women and children from the elements by putting a roof over their heads and food on the table. We’re supposed to be physically strong so we can stand up for a woman or a child who’s in danger. We walk women to their cars at night and don’t turn our backs until we see the cars start. That’s what men should be. And we should never ever lay a hand on a woman or a child for any reason other than protection or affection. That was always my code, and I fucked it up.”
“How?” Nora could barely speak over the knot in her throat. “By watching some kinky porn instead of having an affair?”
“By letting my daughter down. I should have put her needs over my own.”
“No. That’s not how it works. Your sexuality is none of your kid’s business. It’s not your parents’ business. It’s not the court’s business. And when your wife cuts you off for no reason, it stopped being her business. I would have killed to have had a father like you, someone who would protect me and defend me and respect me and my mom. You’re kinky. So what? You can still be an amazing dad. Saying you can’t be a good father because of your sexuality is like saying gay men or lesbians can’t be good parents. That’s absurd.”
“Absurd or not, that’s how the courts ruled. And until I can afford a killer attorney, that’s how it will be. Unless you have a better idea?”
Nora couldn’t answer. The only ideas she had involved beating the shit out of Lance’s ex-wife and the attorney who dragged Lance’s private fantasies into the courtroom.
“It’s not right,” Nora said. “It’s not fair.”
“It is what it is.” Lance raised his hands. “I haven’t given up. I’m just regrouping before the next fight.”
They finished their coffee and returned to her car.
“So who’s up next?” Lance asked.
“He’s the CFO of some big computer company. Pineapple, Crabapple, something fruity. I can’t remember the name.”
“He’s kinky?”
“No, he’s not actually. Not really. He’s a chronic pain sufferer.”
“And he sees a Dominatrix? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Submitting to pain causes the body to release endorphins and other natural pain-fighting hormones. I see several guys who medicinal floggings.”
Lance waited outside the door as Nora gave the billionaire businessman the holistic flogging of his dreams. She poured her anger and frustration at the injustice of Lance’s situation out onto her client. She left the client a thousand dollars poorer but that did nothing to help Nora’s mood.
Lance escorted her to the car and they headed back to Connecticut. Usually she spent her weekends playing at Kingsley’s townhouse. The most interesting kinksters of the city passed through his house on a regular basis. They’d drink, they’d talk, they’d play. One time Kingsley and Søren had even gotten into something of a Dominants’ duel as they put their flogging and whipping skills to the test. A little alcohol plus a lot of male ego plus far too many beautiful women watching and applauding had made for one hell of an entertaining evening. But she knew the atmosphere at Kingsley’s would be subdued while everyone waited for news about Mistress Natasha and the man who had attacked her. So much injustice in the world, so much suffering. On days like this Nora almost wished she could have been one of those vanilla types she usually so disdained. A nice husband, a house in the country, maybe some cats and dogs. She could write and go for long walks, maybe do volunteer work. She knew she’d be bored out of her mind after a week with a life like that. But every now and then she did see the appeal of a life lived outside the Underground.
They reached her house and Lance escorted her all the way to the door.
“You want to come in?” she asked. “I won’t jump you. I promise we can just eat dinner and talk.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I can’t remember the last time I wanted someone as much as I want you. We both might forget to behave ourselves.”
Nora leaned back against her front door.
“There are other jobs, you know, even if you lose this one,” she said.
“This one pays better than anything I could get right now that isn’t a desk job.”
“Money troubles?”
“No. I’m just saving up to buy a really good lawyer and go another round with my ex-wife.”
“I’d like to go a round with her. I have a vicious right cross I’d like her to meet.”
“No violence against women,” he said, wagging his finger at her. “Not even ex-wives. But I would pay good money to see you walk up to her and tell her we had sex.”
“Oh, I’d tell her. I’d tell her how good in bed you are and how she doesn’t even know what she’s missing. And that she can have fun being frigid while I’m riding her ex-husband’s amazing cock every night of my life...”
“Got a tape recorder on you? I’d like you to say that again. Just for me, though. And maybe my voice mail message.”
Nora reached out and grabbed Lance by his jacket lapels.
“Please...” she said, pulling him a couple inches closer. “Stay with me tonight. King won’t know.”
“But I’ll know. I made him a promise I would protect you without letting anything get in the way of that. And anyway, once they catch that bastard, I won’t be on guard duty anymore. We can pick up where we left off.”
“Promise?” She raised her hand to his handsome face, stroked the stubble on his chin.
“On my honor as a seaman,” he said, kissing the back of her hand.
She tore herself away from him and went inside her house. She didn’t make it much farther than the front door, however. Once she’d closed it behind her, she waited. It took almost two whole minutes before she heard Lance’s boots heading down her front porch steps. Nice to know he was as reluctant to leave her as she was reluctant to let him go.
Finally she heard the engine starting and Lance driving away. With a heavy heart Nora looked around her house and found its emptiness almost unbearable. No, not almost. Entirely unbearable. She needed something, someone, safety and comfort, and distraction. She needed an amazing distraction. She ran up to her bedroom and changed from her fetish-wear into more normal clothes—a plain black skirt, black sweater, stockings and low-heeled black boots. She threw on her coat and headed out again, knowing her destination before even admitting it to herself.
Forty minutes later she arrived, parking her car where no one would see it and its telltale SAY OUCH vanity plate.
She prayed he would be home and her prayer was answered. She knocked and he opened the door, greeting her with only a raised eyebrow and not a word.
She didn’t bother with a greeting, either. She merely stepped past him and walked into his house like she owned the place.
If she couldn’t have Lance, she’d have the one and only man who she wanted more than him tonight.
Søren.
* * * * *
“I worship at the altar of Tiffany Reisz! Whip smart, sexy as hell—The Original Sinners series knocked me to my knees.”
> —New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James
Catch all the provocative tales in The Last Good Knight serial:
The Last Good Knight Part I: Scars and Stripes
The Last Good Knight Part II: Sore Spots
The Last Good Knight Part III: The Games Destiny Plays
The Last Good Knight Part IV: Fit to Be Tied
The Last Good Knight Part V: The Last Good Night
Also, don’t miss The Saint (July 2014) in the steamy Original Sinners series. Available to order now in ebook format!
Still can’t get enough Tiffany Reisz? Then be sure to catch all the titles in the Original Sinners series:
The Siren
The Angel
The Prince
The Mistress Files (Novella)
The Mistress
The Saint (July 2014)
The King (December 2014)
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ISBN-13: 9781459256255
THE LAST GOOD KNIGHT PART II: SORE SPOTS
Copyright © 2014 by Tiffany Reisz
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
The Last Good Knight Part II: Sore Spots (The Original Sinners) Page 3