Page 17 of Exquisite Temptation

My mouth drops open. Is she serious? For God’s sake, how can she be so flippant about this? "I'd have noticed if something was missing. Do you think we should call the police?"

"With all the unsolved murders and increases in violent crime, I don't think my missing panties are going to be high on their priority list. And, anyway, what am I going to say? ‘Officer, I can't find my sexy lace panties. Do you know if there are any panty thieves stalking our neighborhood?’" She releases a quick, high-pitched, humorless laugh.

Go slap some sense into her, my inner bitch demands. She has a crazy ex who is more than capable of sending someone to finish the job he didn't.

"But it's not only your panties, now your sweater is missing. What if someone is stalking you? It could be a patient or their relative. What if Nathan's sent someone?" I insist, twisting my face into a scowl because I care too much for her, and I can’t bear the thought of something bad happening to her again at the hands of that psychopath.

"You are right, Heids. I promise I'll go to the police. Katie will be here any minute, so I need to go get dressed." Nodding, I wheel around and go back to my room to change into sweatpants.

Just as I'm about to park my ass on the couch, Allie and Katie stroll in with two bottles of prosecco. Katie grins at me, and I pull her into a hug. I dash to the kitchen to get glasses, and when I come back we sprawl on the couch, fill our glasses, and order pizzas. I play "Daddy" by Sakima. The upbeat, catchy tune lifts my mood instantly. Let’s get the party started.

Katie tilts her body towards Allie, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "How was Tokyo? I'm so jelly. I wish Dan would whisk me off to Japan." She twirls the champagne glass between her fingers.

Blush explodes on Allie’s face.She must be remembering the plane sex,I chuckle inwardly. These two are like rabbits in spring.You can live vicariously through your best friends because, as things are right now, you will be ninety years old and still waiting for Christopher to collar you. All good things come to those who wait, my inner submissive chips in. I shake my head to dispel my inner monologue as it’s not helping me.

Reclining on the large cushions, I sip on my drink and observe Allie squirming in her seat while recounting her trip to Japan. As her bestie, I know talking about personal stuff is super uncomfortable for her. Katie squeals and claps her hands excitedly, firing questions like there is no tomorrow. I can’t decide if she is completely oblivious to Allie’s apparent discomfort or if she is pushing her purposefully to come out of her comfort zone. Either way, it is entertaining to watch their dynamic.

The doorbell goes off, announcing the pizza’s arrival, so I hoist myself up and dash to open the door. The delicious smell of veggie pizza assaults my senses, making my stomach growl, and reminding me I haven’t eaten since breakfast. We tuck into the pizza with gusto, demolishing everything in minutes.

"Um, Heidi. Damn, girl, the scene with Christopher last Saturday was Scotch bonnet hot." Katie licks her finger and points it in my direction. "What I want to know is, where did you two disappear to after the scene?"

Allie gawks at me in wide-eyed, open-mouthed surprise. I have been so busy this week, I haven’t had the time to catch up with her. Heat blossoms on my face as I remember Christopher telling me that a sizable crowd gathered and, as he said, "watched our scene from a respectable distance." I had no idea Katie was one of the people in said crowd. She must have been on a break when Christopher and I played. I have no body image issues as I feel comfortable in my skin, nevertheless, it doesn’t mean I don't get embarrassed laying naked and being finger fucked in front of other people.

I cover Allie’s hand with mine. "Sorry, babe. I was going to tell you, but I don't really know what's happening myself."

"I'm not upset, Heids. I have a feeling if anyone could smash through his impenetrable walls, it would be you. Surely, you've noticed the way he glares at other Doms when they approach you."

I exhale, flopping back on the cushions. "When I'm at the club, we gravitate towards each other like magnets. I have never experienced this kind of chemistry with anyone before. Anyway, it turns out he's an amateur photographer. He invited me to his place to show me his old vintage camera collection, which has been in his family for generations. There was no touching or kissing."

Stop lying to your friends. Technically, he didn’t invite you, he ushered you into his car and took you to his house while you were high as a kite on endorphins and adrenaline. Isn’t that an abduction?I give myself a mental slap to stop my unhelpful inner commentary.

"Oh, my God, girls! Do you realize how big this is? Since his wife died, he hasn't played more than once with the same submissive, let alone invited one to his house. We need to celebrate." Katie refills our glasses and hands them to us.

Well, it wasn’t twice unless you count him spanking my ass beet red on my birthday. And he never invited me, he told me we were going to his house.

Raising her glass, Allie cheers, "May Christopher have the courage to open his heart again and let love in."

"May he put a collar on you as a sign of his love," Katie chimes in.

Giggling, I add, "To true love, new beginnings, and mind-blowing sex."

"Hear! Hear!" Allie and Katie exclaim in unison.

As with any of our girls’ nights in, we let our hair down, drinking, chatting, and dancing the night away.

A blinding headache shoots through my temples, and my stomach revolts, churning and turning upside down as I roll out of bed. Holy moly, how much did we drink? Big chunks of my memory are missing. Taking a deep breath, I get up again and drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth and relieve my poor bladder. After I'm done, I shuffle to the living room in search of liquid gold.

"Oh, my God, I'm dying! I need coffee, now," I shriek, making Allie wince with pain.

She massages her temples, groaning, "Please lower your voice. My head is killing me, Heids." I move closer, giving her a quick hug.

"Sorry, babe. It looks like we had a hell of a girls' night in. I can't remember much after the second bottle of prosecco," I whisper.

"I woke up with the mother of all hangovers, and I have no memory of what happened, either. Maybe we should call Katie to check if she is okay."

Picking up her phone, Allie calls Katie. I lower myself on the sofa, taking the opportunity to check my emails while they chat. My brows hit my hairline when I see notifications for some of last night’s purchases. A DNA test kit. An assortment of toys. Dear Lord, someone needs to alert my bank so they can block my account and stop my drunk ass from going on impulsive online shopping sprees. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Allie throw her phone on the couch, looking like someone has drowned her kittens. Checking my other emails can wait. Tilting my head, I give her a quizzical look.

"Katie is hungover, but fine. Let's clean up this mess. Then we can have some coffee and toast, even though the thought of eating anything turns my stomach into knots."

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