by Brooke, T
“You had us scared to death, honey.” Scarlett hugged her tight before letting her go.
“How are you feeling now, Carla?” Sylvia squatted alongside the young woman, smiling reassuringly at her.
“Um, I’m sorry, who are you?” Carla wanted to know, she had no idea who the lady next to her was, and wasn’t about to talk to her until she did.
“My name is Sylvia, I’m a friend of Daniel and Scarlett; I’m also a psychiatrist.” She smiled again, wanting to put Carla at ease. “Don’t worry, I’m just here to help; Daniel thought I might be of some assistance when he saw how upset you were by what happened.”
Groaning softly Carla sat up. “Look, I’m sorry for the inconvenience, I just freaked out. Seriously, I’m fine now,” she said, seeing the skeptical look on Sylvia’s face.
“You’ve been catatonic for the past two hours, my dear,” Sylvia said gently. “I don’t think you’re fine, not yet.”
Carla couldn’t believe she had been out of it for that long, it only felt like a few minutes since she entered the condo and collapsed to the floor. Her face burned with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, Scarlett, I just lost it.” She was mortified at having Daniel and a stranger as witnesses to her meltdown, especially since, given the look on her friend’s face, it had been bad.
“Don’t you dare worry about anything, honey,” Scarlett told her, continuing to hold her friend’s hand. “I’m just sorry I ever introduced you to him.” She felt like shit; as far as she was concerned everything that had happened to Carla was her fault, if she hadn’t taken her friend to that party she would never have met Jason, and everything would still be alright with her.
“Scarlett, stop, this isn’t your fault.” Pulling her friend into an embrace Carla held her tight. “I just freaked out, I’m fine, honestly.” Her heart may have been broken, but no one had ever died from a broken heart, had they?
“Listen, Carla, my name is Sylvia Lawrence.” She pulled a card from her purse. “As I told you, I am a psychiatrist. If you need to talk about this, or about anything, anything at all, just call me, okay? Any time of the day or night, it doesn’t matter.” She wasn’t entirely convinced that the young woman before her was actually okay, but she did seem improved and Sylvia felt it would be okay to leave her with her friends.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sylvia.” Carla was tremendously embarrassed by everything; she couldn’t believe she had caused such a scene that her friend’s boyfriend had felt it necessary to call a psychiatrist. In her opinion people should be able to work things out for themselves, or with their friends, they shouldn’t need to speak to a stranger about their problems. “You won’t report this or anything will you?” As pissed off as she was she didn’t really want to get Jason in trouble.
“I have to admit, Carla, I am in a very tough position here. Daniel has told me that you agreed to spend ten nights with Jason, nights which you knew would contain a sexual element.”
Carla nodded, reluctant to discuss those ten nights with the psychiatrist.
“See that would make it difficult to do anything if I were to report what happened; I know from experience, both as a psychiatrist and a submissive, that when it comes to people involved in the lifestyle, the police are reluctant to get involved.” It was a reluctance that Sylvia was very much at odds with. “On the other hand, Jason’s appalling decision tonight, when he was very much aware that you are inexperienced, both in the lifestyle and in sexual matters in general, could result in tremendous emotional and psychological damage to you. Damage that we are not yet able to assess the extent of.”
“I really have to take at least part of the blame,” Carla said, she felt a little better knowing the lady before her was part of the lifestyle as well, at least it meant she wasn’t likely to judge anything she said negatively. “I agreed to spend the ten nights with Jason without finding out more about what I was getting into.
“Besides, I think it was a first for him as well as for me.”
“No, Carla.” Daniel shook his head from where he was leaning against the kitchen island. “He’s done it before. It’s always been with people experienced in the lifestyle though.”
“The truth is, whether it was his first time doing it or not, he knew what he was doing,” Sylvia said firmly. “While what he did may not be illegal, in the strictest sense, it certainly wasn’t a well thought out act.
“I have known Jason for fifteen years now, and I have never seen him act so irresponsibly.” She was dumbfounded that he had allowed things to get so out of control. Jason Portland was known in their community as a leader, and the person a Dominant could turn to for help and advice.
“I just wasn’t ready.” Carla found herself fighting back tears again. “Maybe if he’d waited a while before doing it I would have been ready, it wouldn’t have been such a shock to me.” Her voice wavered as she spoke.
“I don’t want you internalizing this, Carla, Jason is much more to blame than you could ever be; he knew what he was doing.” Sylvia was truly worried about the long lasting effects of the training Jason had subjected her to. “It doesn’t matter if you might have been ready for what he wanted to do in time, the fact remains that you weren’t ready for it, and as much experience as he has in the lifestyle it is impossible that he didn’t know that.
“I have a small group that meets twice a week to demonstrate the basics of our lifestyle, and to discuss any problems or questions that the members might have. I’d like you to come and sit in.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure I want to think about this lifestyle again.” She knew that for the rest of her life, when she thought about BDSM, or indeed anything to do with the culture, she would think about Jason, and being constantly reminded of him was not going to help her forget, either him or the things he had done to her.
“I think you should at least consider the classes, Carla,” Sylvia told her. “Even if you decide you do not wish to continue with this lifestyle I think it will help you heal. It may also show you a side of the life that Jason has not yet demonstrated.” Seeing that she wasn’t convinced she continued. “Please, Carla, if nothing else it would help me sleep better at night.”
Carla wasn’t sure why she nodded, but the thought of the psychiatrist having come to take care of her in the early hours of the morning meant a lot to her. “I’ll check out a class, okay?”
“Wonderful, and if you need me before then, just call me. As I said, I am available any time of the day or night.” She pulled a second card from her purse and handed it to Carla. “The next class is in two days, at six p.m. Just follow the direction on the back of the card.” Standing up she gave quick goodbyes to Daniel and Scarlett before leaving them.
“Carla, I’d like you and Scarlett to come stay at my place tonight. We were on our way there when we stopped in to pick up a change of clothes for Scarlett.” Daniel hoped that she would accept his offer. He didn’t entirely trust Jason to stay away, despite his threats to involve the police.
“I think that’s a really good idea, Carla,” Scarlett said. “Jason could come by, and I just don’t think you’re ready to deal with him yet.” They’d both kept quiet as much as possible while Sylvia was there, out of respect for the professional, but Scarlett was really worried that Jason wouldn’t be able to stay away from Carla for long. As angry as she was with him at that moment, she knew in his own strange way Jason cared for her friend.
“I think maybe you’re right and we should get out of here.” The last thing she wanted to do just then was deal with Jason, she was too drained, physically and emotionally, for that. All she wanted to do was get some sleep.
“Don’t even worry about packing anything,” Daniel told her as she pushed herself to her feet and slowly made her way towards her bedroom. “I’ll send one of my people out to grab some fresh clothes for both of you.” His cell phone rang as he ushered the two girls out of the condo ahead of them but he ignored it, he knew it was Jason, and he had no intention of talking
to him just then.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Without an alarm to wake her Carla slept until late; she didn’t realize how late until she finally woke and rolled over to see that the alarm clock displayed a little after five.
She was shocked. She knew she had been tired when she crawled between the sheets of the bed at Daniel’s place, which she hadn’t done until almost dawn, but she hadn’t thought she would sleep for so long.
Reluctantly she threw back the covers and got out of the wonderfully soft four poster bed Daniel had showed her to. Standing up she looked around the room, seeing it properly for the first time; she hadn’t really paid attention to it when she arrived in the early hours.
The room was elegant, in an understated fashion, a contrast to Jason’s house, which was a display of wealth. The walls were a neutral cream, set off by soft pale beige carpeting, that felt wonderful under her feet, and matching drapes at the window.
Several bags just inside the door of the bedroom caught her eye as she continued to look around, the clothes Daniel had promised to have collected she realized. Crossing to them she picked the first one up and carried it over to the bed, where she dumped the contents out.
Designer labels stared up at her from every outfit, reminding her of Jason and the money he had spent on her, buying her affection. Thinking of Jason brought tears to her eyes and angrily she dashed them away before digging through the clothes on the bed for something he hadn’t bought. Everything from the first bag had come from him, and she shoved them all aside, trying not to think about how long she would have needed to work at her job to earn enough to buy even one of the outfits.
She had better luck with the second bag, finding an old pair of sweatpants and a sports bra, the kind of thing she normally wore to the gym. Grabbing up the clothes Carla made her way into the bathroom, stopping the moment she walked through door, stunned.
The bathroom was amazing, like nothing she’d ever seen before, and she could only stare at it in wonder from the doorway. The bathtub was huge, more than big enough to hold four people at once, without them being cramped. There was also a shower cubicle in the corner of the room that looked as though it could hold three without them bumping into one another while they cleaned themselves.
Aside from the bath and the shower there was two sinks; why the room needed two sinks Carla couldn’t fathom, and a toilet. Every bit of plumbing she could see was silver, or at least silver-plated, she wasn’t sure which.
All of that was stunning, but it was the sight of a large flat screen television on the wall above the sinks, across from the bath, and a laptop on a small table next to it, that amazed her the most. Why anyone would want a television in their bathroom, let alone a laptop, she couldn’t fathom.
Perhaps there was such a thing as too much money for one’s own good, she thought as she stepped into the shower, gasping as the shower heads came out from all sides, surrounding her.
Carla showered quickly, though not before investigating the dozens of differently marked fragrances, soaps and shampoos in the huge egg shaped dispenser that sat in the corner of the stall. Definitely overboard, she thought with a small grin, though she did have fun trying out a few of them.
Idly she wondered what Jason would have thought of it, his bathroom was almost exclusively a male preserve. Thinking about Jason prompted a stab of pain in her heart and she hurriedly pushed him from her mind as she finished cleaning herself.
Stepping from the shower she took the towel from the rail and briskly dried herself off, determinedly thinking of anything but the man who had caused her so much heartache.
Foremost in her thoughts, aside from Jason, was work. Despite the money Jason had deposited in her account she needed to find herself a new job, and the longer she put off beginning the search the harder it was going to be to get started. Baby steps, she reminded herself, just take it one step at a time and she would manage.
Pulling on her clothes Carla threw the wet towel into the laundry basket and returned to the bedroom to find some footwear and, she hoped, her toothbrush and hairbrush so she could make herself a little more presentable. She found what she was looking for in the third bag Daniel’s man had brought. There was an assortment of footwear in the bag but she settled for running shoes that went with her sweatpants, and after pushing her feet into them she returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth and sort out the tangle of hair on her head.
Once she had tamed her hair, and made herself feel as presentable as she thought she was likely to get just then, Carla left the suite and went in search of her friend. She couldn’t help but compare Daniel’s house to Jason’s as she made her way through it, and hated herself for once again thinking of Jason, when all she wanted to do was forget him.
It was with relief that she heard Scarlett’s voice, and she quickly followed it until she found her friend in the kitchen. Walking through the door she got a bigger shock than she had when she entered the bathroom upstairs. Daniel was wearing an apron that read ‘World’s Best Chef’ with a cartoon character beneath it. She couldn’t help herself, she burst out laughing.
“Something funny?” Daniel asked sternly, looking around at Carla, who was leaning against the doorframe as she laughed and giggled.
“Sorry,” Carla apologized hurriedly, worried she had offended him. “I didn’t mean to laugh.” She did her best to stop and be serious but she couldn’t manage it; just when she thought she had the laughter under control a fresh peal burst from her. “I’m really sorry, I can’t help it,” she gasped out between laughs, “it’s the apron.”
“Is there something wrong with my apron? I happen to like it; it was a gift from my mother.” He tried his best to look offended by her laugher but couldn’t quite manage it; a smile creased his face and broadened as he too began laughing. Soon enough Scarlett joined in the laughter as well.
It felt so normal to Carla, to be standing around laughing, that she began to feel a little better. This was the type of relationship she wanted, she thought to herself, one that was relaxed and fun and not filled with intensity.
Daniel obviously didn’t have a problem dropping the sex stuff and being a normal person outside of the bedroom, and he was certainly able to laugh at himself. She couldn’t imagine Jason ever laughing at himself. Carla’s laughter cut off abruptly as Jason filled her mind again.
Scarlett gave Daniel a knowing look before turning back to Carla. “Come grab a seat, honey, Daniel is making his famous Mushroom Ravioli; you don’t want to miss it.” She was determined to make her friend smile, if it was at all possible; she wasn’t going to let her drown in thoughts of Jason and everything that had happened.
“It sounds wonderful, but I’m not sure I could eat a bite.” Despite the lovely aromas wafting her way from the cooker Carla found she didn’t have an appetite.
“Okay,” Daniel said, “but if you don’t eat, my heart will be completely shattered and Scarlett will have to baby me all night to make me feel better.” He winked to let her know he was only joking.
“Alright, can’t have you making Scarlett do all that work.” Shaking her head Carla laughed again. She hadn’t known Daniel for long but he seemed like a really nice guy, and she was happy that Scarlett had found him.
“Thanks, hon, you have no idea how whiny he can be when he doesn’t get his way.” Scarlett grinned as Daniel started toward her with his spatula raised and ran round to the other side of the island bar away from him.
“Be glad my mushrooms might overcook or I’d take this spatula to that sexy little ass, missy.” Shaking his head he chuckled. “Seriously, Carla, do you see what I have to put up?”
“I think you guys make the cutest couple.” Carla hadn’t meant to say what she was thinking aloud and she flushed when she realized she had.
“Don’t tell him that, his ego is already huge, I’m not sure I’ll be able to deal with him if it gets any bigger.” Scarlett grinned, sticking her tongue out.
“Scarlett, baby,
you do know that I’m going to make you pay for every smartass comment later tonight, right?” He lifted an eyebrow, trying to look stern, but the apron and its cartoon character detracted significantly from the image he was trying to present.
“Um, you might want to take off the apron before you make threats like that.” Carla giggled, joining in the teasing, feeling strangely comfortable with Scarlett’s boyfriend.
“Two of you now,” rolling his eyes Daniel turned back to the stove, “there’s no way I can ever win.” With an exaggerated sigh he focused on his cooking before chuckling deeply.
“I’m going to show Carla the garden while you finish up, Mr. Chef of the Year.” Scarlett walked over and raised herself up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“I’ll be done in about twenty minutes, babe, you girls enjoy your walk.” He winked and slid on a pair of oven mitts, causing both of them to laugh again. Waving the spatula threateningly he warned them off with a smirk.
Scarlett linked her arm in Carla’s and led her toward the back door. They walked down a surprisingly long flight of concrete steps and over to a set of cushioned concrete benches that overlooked a huge fire pit. “I figured you might need some girl time,” she said sitting down and motioning for her friend to join her.
“I’m going to be fine, Scarlett, really I am, it’s just going to take some getting used to.” Carla knew what her friend meant by girl time but she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened, it was too soon, she just wanted to push it all from her mind, at least for the time being.
“I’m not so sure. I know you, Carla, you’ll analyze this to death, just like you do everything else, and I don’t want you torturing yourself, trying to work out what you could have done differently. This wasn’t your fault, okay?” She knew her best friend better than anyone else, and knew it would be just like her to come up with some way in which everything that had happened was her fault, rather than Jason’s.