Page 16 of After Dark
Arlo doubted it would keep kinky folks out of a sex club, but he understood why Frederick was concerned.
“As delightful as it is to examine my questionable personal life,” Frederick said coolly, as if he could read Arlo’s mind—which wouldn’t be all that surprising, really, “I think yours is a little more interesting at the moment. Because unless my eyes are deceiving me, or you had a clone made, that very much looks like Josette kneeling there with your handprints all over her ass.”
Arlo picked his drink back up and tossed it back. “Your powers of observation are unparalleled.”
Frederick continued. “The duplicitous, dishonest Josette who abandoned you without a word, in case that slipped your mind.”
“She came back without a word, too,” Arlo said. “Communication is clearly something that will need addressing.”
He could see the questions on his friend’s face. But it was more than that. Frederick studied Josette from afar, and Arlo could see the muscle in his jaw tense. “How can you possibly trust her again?” Frederick asked quietly.
“I don’t know that I can,” Arlo replied.
It was true, but that didn’t make it any easier to say.
Frederick looked at him. “Do I need to ask if you know what you’re doing?”
“I can’t answer that.” Arlo shrugged. “I wish that I could.”
Frederick turned that entirely too incisive gaze of his on Arlo. Arlo then had a moment of surprising sympathy for all the wayward submissives who had come under Frederick’s gimlet eye in the past. To say nothing of the shiny new one currently trembling all over herself on her knees.
“Very well then,” Frederick said after a moment. He finished off his drink and set it down. “Let’s see where we end up tonight.”
And the way he smiled then reminded Arlo of nothing so much as a wolf.
They walked back down the length of the great room and Arlo studied the two women who waited for them as they drew near. Iris was clearly fighting her nerves with every second. She couldn’t stay still, but it was also clear that she was trying.
Though Arlo wasn’t sure Frederick gave any points for effort.
Josette, meanwhile, looked perfectly at her ease, kneeling there with all her usual grace and elegance. There was no tension in her body. Her breathing was calm, measured. There was even what looked like a small smile on her face. It was tempting to believe that she’d simply… come back to herself. That the past eighteen months had been some kind of fever dream or mental break and now she’d come back to her senses.
He knew, too clearly, that this was simply what hewantedto believe. What heneededto believe, maybe.
But that didn’t make it true.
And as he thought that, he also knew that he hadn’t been as blindsided as, perhaps, he’d allowed himself to think he’d been. By her actually, physicallyleavinghim at staying gone, yes—but Arlo had been fully aware that there were fault lines and impassable walls between them.
It was only that he thought they’d been working on those. Together.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of deep pride that even after all this time away, she could please him so well.
“You have been fidgeting the entire time,” Frederick told Iris as he stepped in front of her. He lifted up the girl’s chin with two fingers. “I told you there were punishments for disobedience, did I not?”
“You did, but —”
She stopped in a hurry. And with a small squeak. Arlo could only imagine the look on his friend’s face.
“You do not speak,” Frederick told her. “Unless it is to utter your safe word. Do you understand?”
Arlo could hear the way the girl’s breathing feathered out, ragged and uneven. Yet despite that, she was smart enough to simply nod. Only then did Frederick turn his attention to Josette.
Josette, who wisely kept her eyes downcast.
“What a surprise to see who’s crawled back home after all this time.” Frederick said. “I’m not sure it’s a pleasant one.” He walked over to Josette, tilted her face up, and when she still didn’t look at him, he snapped, “Eyes on me, please.”
Arlo saw the way Josette’s muscles stiffened, but she obeyed.
Good girl,he thought.
