Page 36 of Caged in Desire
I pause with my tzatziki-topped pita chip halfway to my mouth before placing it back down onto my plate.Alright, Kat, you’re fine. This is what all your training has been for. Whatever she’s about to throw at you, you can take it.I raise an eyebrow and gesture with my hand for her to continue.
“Henry has always been stoic and averse to having anyone in his space. He hasn’t spent much time at the estate in years. He’s never brought a woman around the family. Even at family gatherings, we can tell when he’s had his fill of social time and is ready to leave. What I’m trying to ask is…is my brother truly treating you well? Not that I think he wouldn’t, just, is he cold? Are you lonely? We can come around more, or you could come visit—” Margot says, interrupted by Sloane.
“You could babysit LJ any time!” she says brightly, before giving me the same soft, concerned look that Margot is.
Phew, this is a lot better than anything I thought they might have to say, maybe judgment about our age difference or concern for my family’s motives.
“You’re both so kind to be concerned, but truly, Henry and I are navigating things fairly well, I think, for our first month of living together,” I say, and Margot and Sloane share a slightly skeptical look. They still have old “routine” Henry in their minds, and I can’t blame them.
“We have breakfast and dinner together most days unless he has a meeting he can’t move. We swim together in the morning and do our crosswords together in the evenings. Oh! He took offwork when I got my period and watched reality TV with me all day. That was fun!” My smile at the memory fades when I see the looks on each of their faces. Mouths open, shock evident.
“What? Did I say somethingthatcrazy?” I ask.
“Yes!” both women yell in unison, causing the attention of the restaurant to briefly settle on us before the noise level buzzes back up to normal.
Margot glances at Sloane, then speaks first.
“It’s not that we aren’t happy to hear that, it’s just that we aresosurprised. We all kind of assumed it would take him much longer to open up to the idea of sharing a space with you and deviating from his routine,” she says.
Sloane nods. “I haven’t been around that long, but I know Henry has never missed a day of work. Even when LJ was born, he took meetings at the hospital. I think he was holding the baby for one call and said it was LJ’s ‘first ever million-dollar deal’ or something,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“Once when we were all home for Christmas, he couldn’t swim one morning because Jack threw up in the pool, and it had to be sanitized. He didn’t speak to Jack for a month,” Margot adds.
“Speaking of Jack!” Sloane exclaims as Margot blushes. “Why don’t you tell Kat and me all about your recent excursion to Rendezvous Too, hmm?”
Henry had mentioned to me that Margot and Jack had just taken a trip to New York, but he hadn’t given me any details.
“Oh, did you two go to check on the club?” I ask.
Sloane laughs and gestures at Margot to speak. “I haven’t even heard the full story, and I wantallthe details. I told you that you’d love it.”
Margot must see the confused look on my face and decides to take pity on me.
“Sloane once fucked Ledger in front of a crowd at Rendezvous, so she suggested I try it one day. Jack finally agreed, so we wentbefore I get too big to travel,” she says, draining her mocktail and taking Sloane’s out of her hand.
Trying to keep my face blank, I think desperately for something to say.
“That sounds amazing!” I say brightly.
“He fucked her while he held expansion talks with some of his closest business associates,” Sloane says, and Margot shrugs.
“I sat in his lap for around an hour while he fucked me and mostly ignored me.” She sighs. “It was amazing. I thought I’d be nervous with everyone watching, but I felt like a goddess. I think everyone in the room either wanted to be me or be Jack. I don’t think we’ll make a habit of it, by any means, but it was very special.”
I think about sitting on Henry’s lap while he languidly thrusts in and out of me, holding me like a cherished object. My vision morphs into him rutting into me, raw, then filling me up while all of his former submissives watch with envy. The satisfaction I feel even from my daydream is heady, and I wonder if Henry would ever feel proud enough to show me off in that way. Hearing Margot explain more about how proud Jack was to show everyone that she belonged to him sounds so intimate.
The words are out of my mouth before I can think twice.
“Do you know if Henry has ever, um, claimed someone like that? At one of the clubs, I mean,” I say quickly, before shoving a huge bite of food in my mouth so I can’t say anything else.
Sloane chuckles. “Oh no. Ledger told me that Henry never did anything like that in front of a crowd. His only public scenes were tame, with him staying fully dressed, thank God. You know the first time I ever saw him was during a scene at the club? He really didn’t come around much after that. I saw one of his submissives make the mistake of touching him at the bar at Rendezvous once. I could tell he was so mad. They immediatelyleft, and Ledger told me he ended the contract. Ow! What was that for?”
Margot is giving her a look that could kill, and Sloane realizes before giving me an apologetic cringe.
“I’m sorry, Kat. I didnotmean to bring up a sensitive topic. I can’t believe I…”
“It’s fine,” I say, giving her what I hope is a reassuring smile and ignoring the nausea building in my stomach. “I know about the…contracted women. And we’ve discussed it a bit. Our relationship is not following along the same lines. He enjoys when I touch him, for example, even if he won’t actually fuck me.”
The entire restaurant turns its attention to us again as Margot and Sloane have both dropped their glasses, which shatter on the tile floor. Before the server can finish cleaning things up, Ledger bursts through the door with LJ strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. His eyes scan the room before quickly zeroing in on Sloane, and he rushes to our back corner table.
