Page 60 of James

As they left the police station, Laura worried about Jake. “What if he comes back before we get the restraining order? They said we might not get it until Monday. What if they reject the order? I had to argue really hard the last time and I had a fresh cut and bruise on my forehead, as well as pictures from the ER. And he’s charming. You’d never know it, but when he’s talking to other people, he can be so convincing. What if he gets someone to lie for him, to put the blame on us? Do we need a lawyer?”

“All right, take a deep breath,” James said reassuringly. “I may not know much about restraining orders myself, but I know someone who does. Do you remember Henry’s slave from the club?”

“How could I forget?”

“His name is Lincoln Andrews, and he is one of Kansas City’s most prominent criminal attorneys. If he can’t help, he can find us someone who can.”

“Isn’t it odd a lawyer who argues cases in court all the time would be not just submissive, but a slave?” Laura asked.

“Why is that any stranger than you being submissive, honey? You’re independent, you hold down a responsible job in a software company, you’re nobody’s doormat, but you’re submissive.”

Laura thought for a few minutes. “I guess I see what you mean. It’s nice to give up control sometimes and let someone else be in charge. But Lincoln is a slave, isn’t he? Doesn’t that mean his Master is in charge all the time?”

“Not at all. As in our relationship, everything is negotiable up front and subject to renegotiation from time to time. I would guess their relationship allows Lincoln to pursue his career without interference from Henry. A Master/slave relationship is not necessarily 24/7. The set-up can easily allow for work time, for instance, to fall outside of the relationship.”

“Okay, can you take me home now? I need to change before I pick up the kids. We’re going to the zoo this afternoon.”

“I think we may need to put those plans on hold. It’s already noon, we have to get you moved into the condo and I need to call Lincoln.”

All her unsettled anxieties came together to panic in a new direction. “What do you mean, move me into the condo? We haven’t even discussed living together and you talk like it’s a done deal!”

“Until things are settled with Jake, you’re staying with me, and I’ll be with you outside of work as much as possible,” James announced. “Pack at least a week’s worth of clothing and we’ll take it back to the condo and then we’ll see where we stand.”

“This is hardly necessary, James.”.

“I think it is. Jake could have hurt you gravely last night. If he scared me, and he did, I know he scared you.”His voice softened and he stopped her before she could get into the car to give her a brief hug. “I know you were having bad dreams last night, don’t try to deny it. Also, this way, he won’t know where you’re living, which will make it harder for him to find you if he decides to do something stupid. And since brains doesn’t seem to be his forte, he might.”

Thinking of those dark days between her leaving Jake and Jake signing the divorce papers, Laura capitulated. “All right, I’ll stay with you, but just until this mess is settled.”

As he drove her home, Laura called Suzie to see if they could postpone the zoo trip. Fortunately, Suzie had not made plans for herself that day and they rescheduled the trip for Sunday.

While Laura was packing, James called Lincoln, “Hey, man, can you do Laura and me a favor? We need help getting a restraining order. Laura’s ex-husband turned up last night and it got kind of ugly. The detectives told us we might be able to get it done today. Is that possible? She had one when they split up, but it’s expired now.”

“Can you get one?” Lincoln echoed. “Yes, easily. Basically, you fill out some forms and tell the victims’ advocate why a restraining order is necessary.”

“Yes, we’ve done that part.”

“Then the real question is, can you get one today, and that’s going to be rough. They’re going to have to hunt up a judge and most of the ones I know don’t like working on the weekends unless it’s an emergency. I’ll see if I can call in a favor, but you understand that will still be a temporary order. It’ll still work, assuming he's the kind of guy who will let a piece of paper keep him in line, andhonestly, if he does violate a temp order, that’ll make getting the real one a breeze. Usually, the big problem is finding the guy to serve him, because the order isn’t finalized until he’s had a chance to appear in court and contest it.”

“Well, he tried to file assault charges on me, so I’m guessing they know where he is.”

“Sounds like you’ve done what you can, and all that’s left is to wait. I’ll try to find you a judge. Hang in there, buddy.”

Laura had been listening to James rather than packing. When he ended the call, she said, “I’m not comfortable imposing on you like this. I like my independence.”

“I want you with me. What’s so hard about that? We click. I care about you, and I think you care about me. You’re my sub. It’s my responsibility to take care of you. Everything has been going so well between us. Is there something you haven’t told me?”

“I’m sorry, James. I do care about you, but I’m afraid of losing myself in you. It’s hard for me to trust so deeply after my relationship with Jake. I know you’re not him, but here he is, back again. It brings up a lot of stuff for me. I suppose it does make sense to stay with you until this is settled. Jake didn’t take the restraining order well the last time, so I doubt he will this time, either.”

James went on alert. “What does ‘didn’t take it well’ mean?”

“Jake showed up right after he was served with the papers for the hearing. Luckily, Dad was there and that put him off enough that I could call the police, and he ran before they got there.”

“Believe it or not, that’s great news. There’s a record out there somewhere of him violating an order.”

“They never called it that as far as I know,” Laura said uncertainly. “But maybe they talked to him. He never came up to the house again, but I’d see him driving by sometimes, or lurking in the parking lot outside the office. My tires were slashed once and there were other things, stupid things, like my garbage cans being knocked over every time I put them out for pick-up. Nasty words spray painted on my car, but you know, it’s not like he signed his work, so I had no proof any of it was him. At the hearing, he lied about everything, even got one of the doctors to confirm that I’d admitted to falling down the stairs, which… I did tell them that at first, so it did look like I was lying. I was so afraid I wouldn’t get the order at all, but I did, and the judge told me to get some cameras put up around the house. So things quieted down after that, but he was still nasty with the divorce. I finally agreed to pay off his debts just so he’d sign the papers and leave me alone. And he did. If I’d seen him even once after that… but I didn’t, and I let the order lapse. If I hadn’t done that,” she said bitterly. “If I hadn’t been so stupid and naïve, he’d be in jail right now just for talking to me at the theater.”

“That’s enough,” James said firmly. “You are not stupid and you are not naïve, and if I ever hear that come out of your mouth again, you won’t like the consequences. Do you still have the documentation from before?”

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