Page 15 of Interview with a Sadist
“You guys really think it’s that big of a deal?” I ask, shocked by how seriously they’re taking this.
“Absolutely,” Melissa says, with Andy nodding right behind her.
“That is, unless you’reokaywith going to a place like that,” Teagan adds, and all three of them stop to stare at me, awaiting my response.
There’s a part of me that wants to explain that I actually do have a tiny interest in this, but it’s for the story. I want to write a great article and inform people of what really goes on at The Black Collar. However, there’s an even bigger part of me that agrees with my friends and wants them to know I’m still on their side. Call it peer pressure, but these are my friends, and I don’t want them to think I’ve changed.
“No, of course not,” I say, looking at all three of them. “You guys are right. I’m sure Chase can find someone else to finish the story, because of course I’m not interested in anything like that. I can just pass over my notes to whoever he gives the assignment to.” Suddenly, all of their faces unclench, and I feel like I’ve made the right choice. “Yeah, I’ll just talk to Chase first thing in the morning so I don’t have to go to the club. I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.”
ChapterEleven
“Of course I’m not okay with it. What are you, out of your mind?”
Chase sits behind his desk with a scowl on his face that nearly makes me tremble. For reasons beyond me, I walked into his office this morning convinced that he’d be okay with me dropping the Black Collar story. I should’ve known better, but I let Melissa, Teagan, and Andy convince me that I should threaten to sue if I didn’t get my way. What the hell was I thinking? Well, now I’m in a hole I have to try to find my way out of.
“Did he do something inappropriate?” Chase asks, sitting back in his seat. He’s giving an interview today for a local news station, so he’s wearing a suit and tie, but it makes him look uncomfortable and stiff, adding to his already-intimidating look.
“No, he was actually really nice,” I admit, but I wince, because I know it doesn’t help my case.
“Okay, so then what’s the problem?”
How do I say that I let my friends talk me into this without saying it?
“It’s just … it’s a sex club, Chase,” I try to explain. Sweat beads on my forehead and my heart rate starts to climb from the nerves, but Chase is as steady as a rock.
“No, it’s a BDSM club, where sometimes people have sex. I think we’ve established that it’s not a brothel. You’re an investigative journalist, Bree—a good one at that. I’ve sent you into the goddamn trenches on previous assignments, chasing leads for stories that we didn’t even run. So, what’s so different about this one that you want to drop a story for the first time in your career?”
I let out a deep breath and look up at the ceiling, wondering why the answers to all of my questions aren’t up there. I know Chase has a point, and between listening to my friends and assessing the way talking to Nolan made me feel, I don’t even know what to say anymore. I’ve been all over the place since I walked out of the Black Collar, and there doesn’t seem to be any stable footing for me to walk on anywhere.
“What was wrong with him?” Chase asks again.
“Nothing.”
“Then talk to me. You’ve gotta give me something if you want me to consider this.” When I can’t put a sentence together that makes sense, Chase extends his hand over his desk. “Let me hear the audio.”
After a sigh, I pull out the recorder I used for the interview with Nolan and hand it to Chase, who places it on his desk and immediately presses play. We spend the next thirty minutes listening to the audio of my interview, and I’m catapulted back into his world of sex and kink by his baritone voice. Chase and I listen to Nolan’s story about the sex on his desk, and the two of us are enthralled for completely different reasons. Chase is stunned and entertained, while I’m … what am I? Disgusted? Entranced? Excited? I listen as Nolan talks in detail about using a riding crop to spank a nameless woman’s clit, and I find myself biting my lip. Does it gross me out? Do I think he’s a demented psycho I need to stay far away from? Or is this what it feels like to be turned on by something you don’t understand?
“Bree, you okay?” Chase asks, slicing through my thoughts and pulling me back into reality.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good, because there’s no way we’re dropping this story, and I’m not assigning it to anyone else.”
“What? Why not?” I snip.
Chase chuckles. “Did you hear this?” he asks, holding up my recorder as evidence. “While we obviously have to edit it way down because we don’t publish X-rated stories, everything he said was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat listening to that, and he has barely scratched the surface. Bree, this has the potential to be an amazing story. This could be humongous, and I’m not taking you off for obvious reasons.”
“What obvious reasons?” I blare, glaring at my boss.
“What, you can’t see it?”
“See what, Chase?”
“The man obviously wants to talk to you, Bree. This Nolan Carter guy does not like giving interviews, which is why this is his first one. Hell, I thought for sure he was gonna kill the whole thing before you ever even showed up, but instead of killing it, he wants to open up to you. He has gotten extremely personal, and even invited you to come back because he wants to talk to you. You’re chosen, and there’s no chance I’m going to send somebody else in there when Nolan obviously wants it to beyou.”
I pause, wondering if what Chase just uttered could possibly be true. Why on Earth would Nolan want to talk to me? I didn’t have anything nice to say about him, his club, or BDSM in general. So, why choose me to give this story to?
When I look up at Chase, he’s grinning as he holds the recorder out for me to take. “Have fun at the club tonight, Bree. Keep me updated.” Without another word, I take the recorder and walk out.
