Page 55 of Dance for Me

Monsters guarding monsters.

To this day, Bodie didn’t know whether the girl had been left alive. No body matching her description was ever reported found, there’d never been a mention of her on the news as missing or dead, but knowing what her father was capable of and how close he was to Callahan Senior, Bodie had no foolish dreams of the girl surviving that night.

The only one left suffering was Bodie.

“I thought guys wanted virgins?” Here came the cocky attitude again, the walls drawing in to shield herself from memories and Connie’s wrath. “The whole ‘my penis is Christopher Columbus’ fantasy they have.”

Connie snorted out a laugh. “Jesus, where do you come up with this stuff? I don’t think any man I’ve ever known has fantasized about his cock emulating Christopher Columbus. And honestly? As much as they brag about what they’d do to a virgin, half of them would run a mile in the opposite direction if given one. Too much responsibility for them to handle—unless you end up with a fuckwit who doesn’t give a damn whether she has a good time or not. That isn’t Braun, Bodie. Trust me, you need to tell him.”

Bodie shook her head and hugged herself.

“Would you like me to? I can ask him to come in here, away from everyone else, and tell him in private. It won’t go any further than Braun, sweetheart. No one else needs to know; it’s not their business. But I’d be doing you both a disservice if I didn’t strongly advise you to tell him.”

Tell him, tell him, tell him.

Letting Connie do the deed was too easy.

Bodie knew she was too weak to do it herself.

So she took the easy way out, and hated herself for it.

“Do what you want. What you think is right. I don’t...I don’t care anymore.” She rubbed her mouth to conceal a shuddering inhale, then dropped her hand. “Are we done here? I’m tired and I want to go home.”

“I’ll go get Braun and your clothes. We’ll get you dressed and something to drink while I talk to him, then he can take you to his place and get you settled for the night.” Connie ran her hand over Bodie’s shoulder. “Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed, sweetheart. This is a rite of passage for everyone.”

Maybe, but right now, this wasn’t happening to everyone, it was happening to her. “I don’t want to be in here when you tell him. Just let me get dressed and I’ll go sit with Liam at the bar until...after. If he still wants to see me once he knows.”

“He’s not stupid enough to throw you away, Bodie. I’ll go speak with him now and get your clothes. I’m sure Liam will love having you with him for a few minutes; I know he’s missed you terribly the past few weeks. Will you be okay by yourself?”

By herself. Some time alone sounded like heaven.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.” Bodie flapped the blanket a bit. “Not like I can go far, right?”

“Good. Braun will scalp me if you vanish again. Sit down, take the weight off your feet and just rest, sweetheart. Tonight’s been a huge shock to your system, whether you realize it or not.” Connie walked to her shoes and slipped into them, instantly gaining several inches. Without a hitch in her stride, she did that floating thing to the door, gliding along effortlessly. “I won’t be long.”

A breath whooshed from her as soon as the door closed behind the Domme. Bodie thought they’d gone well over Braun’s allocated fifty minutes and, while she hadn’t thought much about the time, the conversation and internal struggle had taken its toll on her body. Muscles ached as though she’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champ, particularly in her neck and shoulders, and her chest felt bruised.

Could she put herself through this every week? An hour, if not more, of self-torture? Not to mention the burden of dumping all her family shit on someone else. She carried that burden because of what she’d done. Penance for not helping the girl who’d needed her so badly.

For telling the wrong people, then letting years of conditioning control her.

Somehow, offloading that guilt onto Connie seemed like cheating. Not just that, how was she supposed to explain how she’d bolted like a frightened rabbit without doing anything worthwhile to stop the girl’s demise?

How could she tell someone, who was fast becoming a friend, the kind of hell she’d lived through as a child, a teenager, and into adulthood? How she dreaded going home at night in case her parents had been there and ransacked her apartment or, worse, waited for her in the dark?

Sitting in silence wasn’t going to work, either. Connie’s skills were more than a match for Bodie’s bullheadedness. She wormed her way into Bodie’s brain and simply unlocked her secrets from the inside, waiting patiently for Bodie to voice them as though it was her idea to divulge.

She jumped when the door swung open and Connie strolled back into the office, clothes in her arms, but no sign of Braun. For a horrible moment, she considered the possibility the Domme had told him the dirty little secret out there among the Dominants and submissives, and that he no longer wanted anything to do with her.

Her heart was ready to shatter at the news.

“Here you go, sweetheart. I think your Dom is a bit confused but he’s promised to listen quietly and calmly. He’s giving you a few minutes to get changed before he comes in. Liam’s saving you a seat at the bar, and Braun’s added you onto his tab so just order what you like. Try not to hit the heavy stuff after a night like tonight. Liam makes fabulous margaritas.” Connie winked as she handed over the bundle of clothing.

A bottle of Macallan and a shot glass is all I need.

Bodie nearly snatched her clothes from the other woman, turning her back to her and hunching over to keep the blanket on her shoulders while she quickly rummaged through the material. “Where the hell is my underwear?”

Connie laughed. “Yeah, about that. Braun says don’t expect to see those panties or bra again anytime soon; they’re being held hostage until he tastes you again. He also said don’t fret about going commando—it’s something you’ll need to get used to.”

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