Page 21 of Good Girl

13

Cadence

Vin’s pager goes off, waking me up. I don’t know how long I’ve slept for but judging from the heavy drag of exhaustion trying to pull me back under I suspect it’s not long enough. I sit up and bang my head, collapsing back onto the bed. I remember where I am as I rub the slight ache out of my forehead.

“You have to go to work?” I mumble yawning wide.

“Yeah, baby.” I can tell by his voice that he’s already up and moving. He’s used to the drill. When he’s on call and something comes in he has to be out the door in about two minutes. He flips the light on in the bathroom, opens the toilet lid and empties his bladder while I watch from the cage.

I don’t say anything. His job is serious and I know better than to get in his way while he’s preparing. Vin is a fireman and though he loves the work, he also has to steel himself for the bad times. Calls in the middle of the night are never good. They usually mean an actual fire where all the guys are called in, instead of another kind of emergency.

He grabs a pair of jeans from a shelf in the washroom and drags them over his legs. His T-shirt goes on next and then he’s striding back toward me. He unlocks the cage and steps back, allowing me to crawl out. Though his manner is brusque, his hands are gentle as he helps me to my feet. I sway against him and he steadies me before lifting me up and setting me on the bed.

“There’s food in the bottom shelf of the cabinet. We’ll have a real meal when I get back home.” He drops a quick, hard kiss on my lips and steps back. “Love you, Cadence.”

I can feel a catch in my throat as he turns and walks away. “Love you too, Vin. Stay safe.”

The door at the top of the stairs opens and closes and I can hear the lock engage. I crawl back into the bed once he’s gone and snuggle into the warm spot he’s left behind. I lift the heavy quilt and press it against my face inhaling his scent. I’m worried about him, but Vin knows his job. Has been doing it for years. He’ll make smart decisions, keep himself safe. Come home to me.

I drift back into sleep, feeling safe and warm, knowing that Vin is out there keeping others safe and warm too. His protective instincts are one of the things that first drew me to him. He’s an incredibly kind person, even if he has a sadistic streak. Sometimes I wonder if it’s the lack of control in his profession that makes him crave control in play and sex. His need to shape the environment around him. To give his submissive orders, knowing that she will obey. That she won’t be harmed while under his protection.

I’m sound asleep when he returns. I smell the smoke before I feel the dip of the bed as he crawls in next to me. He was definitely called out to a fire. “Cadence,” he mumbles, pressing his face against my neck. He’s out before I can even respond. I wrap one arm over his shoulder and wiggle the other under his neck, holding him tight against my chest, cradling him to me, protecting him while he sleeps off the aftermath of a fire.

I’m no longer tired so I simply lay quietly holding him, watching his face as he sleeps deeply. Then I realize I can see him. There’s light flooding in from upstairs. In his exhaustion he left the door wide open. I gasp into his ear as the implication hits me. Then I freeze, thinking about all the possibilities.

What do I want to do? Do I flee my cage, at the same time running from the things that Vin is offering me? He hasn’t hurt me. On the contrary, he’s given me more than I thought possible. Introducing me to types of play I would never have been brave enough to engage in if he hadn’t pushed me.

But what about my life? My job? Is it time to go back to reality? To forge a life outside of my Master, who’s offering me his entire existence. At the small price of my complete submission.

I bite my lip and slowly, gently, pull my arms away from him, careful not to make any sudden movements and risk waking him. I slide off the bed, enjoying all of the twinges my body offers up to me. Vin used me hard and I love each and every sensation. I earned these bruises and I’m proud of them. They’re a mark of my submission and resilience.

I walk naked toward the stairs, glancing back once I reach the bottom. Guilt eats at me as I watch him sleep, a tiny frown puckering his eyebrows. As though he knows I’m leaving him and silently disapproving.

I drag myself up the stairs, though I know I’m leaving my heart behind. At the top I touch the doorknob, briefly consider slamming it shut and engaging the lock. But I don’t. It’s time to go back to reality. To take care of real life. Perhaps if Vin hadn’t had to take that call we would still be down there, together, playing, fighting, fucking. But for now, it’s time to move on. Face the days ahead. Whatever they might look like.

I take the final step out of the dungeon and into the bright sunny day.

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