Page 36 of Whispers in the Dark

We walked for the better part of ninety minutes, only stopping when both of us began to move slower. I was hot, sweaty, and the body parts that had been sore to begin with were even worse. A long tub soak in Epson salts was in order or I wouldn’t be able to move come Monday morning.

My phone buzzed just as I fully entered the house, but I ignored it momentarily while I filled up food and water bowls for Lug Nut. Stripping off my clothes in the laundry area, I left them on top of the washer and padded naked toward my bedroom. My eyebrows raised when I saw the text was from Adrian. The tone of the message amused me. He assured me I didn’t need to reply over the weekend but wanted to remind me of the early morning call we had with investors on Monday. Deciding to test waters a bit, I typed a reply:

I appreciate the reminder, Sir. Rest assured, I have multiple alarms set to make sure I am there to support you. On a different topic, I’m making beef stew for dinner this evening and I always have to make too much since it’s in my slow cooker. I would very much enjoy it if you joined me for dinner about seven.

I left it at that, not bothering to wait for either a decline or complete silence. A hot bath was calling my name and I was definitely going to answer that.

The day passed by and I kept myself busy, not only starting the stew in the slow cooker, but also working on my Japanese online class for several hours. There was a test coming up soon and I wanted to get a good grade. I took a couple of breaks, making sure I played games with the dog. I also fell asleep on the couch with him lying across my thighs.

Sometime later, it was time for me to think about what else I was going to have along with my stew. “I think cornbread and a nice salad, what do you think?” I asked the dog. With a tilt of his head, a tail wag, and his big meatball grin, he agreed.

I already had some vegetables in the stew, so the salad could stay fairly simple. I did make my dressing from scratch, though, as well as the cornbread. Rarely did I use a mix or pre-made meal option, preferring instead to use what I had at home and put things together to create something delicious. Blair and I had cooked and baked together a lot growing up. It was one way we supported each other. It was also a way to escape our mother since she never set foot inside the kitchen. I liked to think my sister was with me in the kitchen every time I put ingredients on the counter.

The aromas of dinner reminded me of other nights spent eating stew, but now that I was an adult, I could drink wine with it. Selecting one of my favored reds, I opened the bottle to let it breathe a bit, then went to set the table. Just because I was single didn’t mean I shouldn’t eat in style.

I saw a notification from my front door camera and when I opened the app, my eyebrows rose. Apparently, I would have a dinner guest after all. I went ahead and set another place at the table, grinning because it was taking him so long to actually knock. When he finally did, Lug Nut trotted over to the door and sat.

“Be nice, baby. What am I saying? You are always nice. Just keep smiling so you make a good impression.”

I opened the door, nearly snorting when Adrian’s eyes dropped to the dog.

“He’s fairly harmless,” I said. Dark, wary eyes drifted up to mine.

“Fairly?”

“Just don’t be a dick,” I replied, stepping aside to let him come in.

“I’m in trouble then,” he said.

The energy coming off of him was a bit…nervous? Anxious? In any case, he seemed to be out of his element. Part of it made sense since this was my house and not his, but I was still the same person.

“Lug Nut would love a nice pat,” I told him. At the sound of his name, his tail went thumpthumpthump on the floor, but that was the only movement he made. With a shake of his head, Adrian gave the dog a good scratch behind the ears.

“You’ve made a friend,” I said. “Would you like wine? I was just about ready to start dinner.”

“Wine works unless you have beer.”

“I actually do have beer, and it’s a darker one that will pair well with the stew. You can go ahead and have a seat at the table. I’ll bring everything out.”

He glanced toward the table. “How did you know I would come?”

“I didn’t,” I said honestly. “But hope springs eternal.”

He made something along the lines of a rusty chuckle before taking a seat. Lug Nut padded over to flop down next to Adrian’s chair and I was instantly struck by how homey this was. It would be very easy to get used to this.

25.Adrian

Ihad taken Brynn up on her invitation which was very unusual for me. I always, and I meant always, controlled when and where I would see a submissive. It was always only at Lotus, and...

I paused my own train of thoughts because I had done nothing but break every rule I’d ever set for myself since receiving news that someone had broken into Brynn’s place months ago. From there, I had obviously not only revealed my actual identity, but had hired her on to work at BT.

Never would I have ever considered doing this before for anyone, and I still had no answer as to why I did with her each time I questioned myself. And, it was a lot. I liked her. That much was certain, although I had liked other women, too. Granted, it had only been when at Lotus, but affection was affection.

I shook my head at the realization that I was just trying to justify, or maybe the better term was rationalize things between us. For weeks, I’d been more centered than usual even despite a slight dry spell. Brynn was a calming influence in my life which could go either way when I truly thought about it. Deciding tojust let things go tonight, I smiled at her when she set the beer down in front of me.

“Is this brand okay?” She asked me.

I nodded brusquely. “The beer is fine.”

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