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They shook their heads.

“Are you sure?”

“Pickles,” Andrew said. “I don’t want to be here. I’d rather spend time with you.”

“Same,” Ryan put his hand on her waist. “Please can we come home with you?”

“Do you have a car?” Annabel led them from the booth towards the front door.

“Used a taxi,” Andrew said as he handed over the tickets for his and Ryan’s coats. When Annabel’s came back, he held it for her. “Please don’t be angry.”

“Not angry with you,” Annabel touched his cheek.

Ryan and Andrew shrugged into their coats and followed her. They offered her their arms. She stopped and deliberately took off her mask. With the bit of lace dangling in her fingers, she took both their arms and walked down the steps with them.

Ryan and Andrew did the same with their masks.

Annabel led them out into a melee of photographers. The flashes lit up the night as people mumbled about Annabel with Andrew and Ryan. “Now that’s a statement,” Andrew leaned close to her.

“Damn straight,” Ryan grinned.

Her car pulled up and the driver got out. “Ma’am, you weren’t gone long.”

“I got what I came for,” Annabel said as she slid into the limo. Andrew and Ryan joined her.

Silence.

Since sliding into the limo, Annabel said nothing. She felt conflicted and nervous. She stepped out at her place and strode to the elevator. Andrew and Ryan exchanged long glances but neither said anything. They followed her to her apartment.

Once the door closed, she dropped her bag on the table by the door and tossed her coat on the chair. She strode to the large window overlooking the river and stood with her arms around herself.

Andrew picked up her coat and hung it up. He realized she was terribly upset. She never let her coat fall on a chair. They took off their jackets and hung them up.

“Annabel,” Ryan stood behind her.

She saw their images in the window. Dark pants, vests, no shirt, muscles showing through.

“Did you go there tonight to find a new Domme?” She turned to face them.

“We don’t need anyone else,” Andrew stood next to Ryan with his hands in his pockets. “We wanted a private room for the three of us. We had things we wanted to say.”

“This… this is all my fault,” Annabel closed her eyes. “I made plans for tonight. I had them all in place but I never said anything to you. I should have asked.”

“Why didn’t you,” Andrew asked.

A silent tear slipped down her cheek. “I should have been more honest with you.”

“Honest about what,” Ryan asked as he stepped close enough to wipe the tear from her cheek. “If we need to have a meeting,let’s sit down and talk things through. We should have on the night we all disagreed.”

“I overreacted,” Annabel took his hand. “Yes, let’s sit down.”

They followed her to the sofa. She sat and they sat on either side of her. Ryan asked, “Tell us why it upset you so much when we made plans.”

“I already had plans and wanted to surprise you,” Annabel said. “We got on the Club Wonderland and everything went wrong.”

“I thought you hated Valentine’s Day,” Andrew said. “We thought we needed to show you it wouldn’t be like it was with your exes.”

“What you said to me, was exactly what he said every time I didn’t want to go somewhere with him,” Annabel confessed.

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