Page 59 of Solanum

I chuckled at her celebration of not being needed. "I don't know if he does. Maybe?"

"You're surrounded by literal FBI Agents, Car. If none of them noticed, they have no business working in law enforcement analyzing behavior."

I groaned when she said the exact thing I didn't want her to say. "I know. I fucking know. Roderick said something to me about it awhile back…"

"Take that as a hint. If he noticed, smarter people have noticed." She spun around in her chair and I could see the expanse of an empty exam room at the hospital where she awaited her next case.

"I fucked this up again like the first time, didn't I?" The admission left me with a heavy heart.

"Sometimes the heart just wants what it wants. Who approached who?"

"She did. She always does." I tugged at some tangles in my hair. "She just…begs me. It's almost like it hurts her to spend time apart. Like physically hurts her as well as emotionally. I have no idea how she tolerated not fucking each other for a year. Well, maybe I do. Our friendship took a big hit."

"I remember you saying that. And I'm sure it does physically hurt her. She's…your sub and not being able to do that is painful."

"She's my sub and she doesn't even know what that means. Raven taught her nothing, just used her like she always does."

"Raven uses all the girls. And the men, to be fair, but they seem to like it."

"Yeah…" I smirked at the thought. "Marley plays with her sometimes, but she's different."

"Marley has a stronger ego. Submission for her is more of a choice than a need. She's definitely different."

"Yeah." I paused while my brain compared Nora to Marley. "Marley pops out of subspace and back to herself. Not in role."

"Right. She doesn't keep the role or the lifestyle. Part of me believes Nora would…"

"Maybe. Yeah. When are you going to find yourself a girl, Sami?" I smirked when I asked it, knowing her answer wouldn't satisfy either of us.

"When I find one that I cannot resist." Again, she spun in her chair. "Like your Nora. Someone who looks at me with pleading eyes, and whose sweetness leeches from her like a rich nectar I can't resist. She needs to be literal mango nectar in an endless goblet."

"Well, that is very fucking specific." I laughed hard at her metaphor. "Mango nectar, huh…"

"I'll find her someday." Sami grinned, wagging her brows at me. "I can wait. For now, I have my playthings…"

"All over the state, apparently."

"Let me tell you though, your playroom is hot." She bit her bottom lip then sucked it suggestively. "I'll be back around Seattle in about a month. Book me out some time."

"Consider it done." I laughed, shaking my head at her. "Does your pal Stella know about your affinity?"

"A little. Not really. I keep it to the circuit."

"I get it. Same, for the most part."

"Listen, Car. If circumstances were different, I would be encouraging you to slip a collar around your beautiful plaything and tuck her close to you, but I recognize the risks for both of you. Sorry you're having to deal," she said, in a rare moment of sincerity.

"Thanks, Sami." I smirked and propped my head on my hand when I turned on my side. "Later."

"Ciao."

I hung up with her and covered my face, groaning deeply as the weight of my predicament crumbled in on me. "You're a fucking idiot, Caroline… Fucking idiot."

My phone rang again, with the same video chat as before and I answered it without bothering to look. "Breaking my balls again?"

"What?" Nora's tiny voice chirped. "I mean I could if necessary…"

I laughed when her pretty face filled the screen. "Sorry. Just hung up with Samirah about twenty seconds ago and thought she called me back."

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