Rich Tapestry by Ashe Barker

Author:Ashe Barker [Barker, Ashe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Erotic Romance Fiction
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Published: 2014-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

We walk in silence through the corridors and down the staircase toward the ground floor. We cross the foyer toward the cloakroom, and Dan nods politely to Gerald, still hovering and eying me suspiciously. I produce a small ticket from the back pocket of my jeans and slide it across the counter to the receptionist-come-attendant in charge of personal possessions. Freya explained before we came here that handbags and cameras are not allowed inside the club, for reasons to do with security as well as convenience. In fairness, it would be hard to keep track of belongings while strapped naked to the dungeon wall.

My coat and bag appear on the counter—I thank the attendant and turn to Dan. Not sure what the protocol is here, I offer him my hand.

“Thank you. For an…enjoyable…evening. Sir.”

He regards my outstretched hand disparagingly. “Now, Summer, I thought we’d got past all that.” He smiles as he places his palms on my cheeks and kisses me.

I’m angry with him, resentful and confused by my own feelings. Still I respond, opening my lips to accept his tongue at the same time as I reach up to run my fingers through his damp hair. He insisted I use the hairdryer while he got dressed, so mine is more or less back to its usual state, though considerably less restrained. I’m not entirely sure when he dislodged my tight ponytail, though I do recall he had to keep lifting my hair from my face while I was on the bench, so it must have been before that.

Christ, some things that happened to me this evening are etched vividly on my memory—never to be forgotten, every detail sharp and clear—and other parts are a total blur.

Dan lifts his head, breaking the kiss. “My pleasure. Any time.” He turns, calls out to Gerald, “Would you arrange a taxi for Miss Jones please? Charge it to my account.”

“Of course, sir.” The doorman pulls his phone from his pocket and hits a key. Obviously there’s a taxi firm on speed dial.

“You don’t need to do that. I can pay for my own ride home. It’s miles back to Kendal.”

He tilts his head. “Kendal? We’re neighbors then. Nearly. I live in Keswick, but I work near Ulverston.”

Nearer than he thinks. Ulverston is close to Barrow. I could run into Dan Riche in the street, in the supermarket. In the increasingly cool climate of fading lust and mounting embarrassment, multiplied by the humiliation of having been repeatedly turned down when I offered him sex, I find that prospect less than appealing. Distinctly unattractive, in fact.

It could get even worse. What if Freya and her formidable Nicholas Hardisty do manage to get some sort of thing going—their display in the dungeon certainly suggests that is not beyond the bounds of possibility. Our orbits might collide more in the future. Nicholas and Dan are friends, or at least that’s the impression I had. I start to panic, wondering how to make sure this dangerous, disconcerting man never gets his hands on my body again.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.