Page 24 of A Lesson In Beginning

Another few breaths and I felt more at ease, more myself.

“Alright?” I realized a moment too late that he was asking me a question. I stammered, then quickly closed my lips and simply nodded. His firm grip had not moved from my body, and I found myself pulling away, that insolent and untrustworthy blush heating my cheeks as I turned away from him. He allowed me my moment of recovery without question or inquisition, and I was eternally grateful for it.

I gripped the edge of the counter, using it to regain some balance, and closed my eyes. I continued taking slow breaths as Joel had shown me, and closed my eyes for a moment, shaking my head to clear the suffocating sense of fear and panic. A few moments later, I had regained some semblance of control. I stood up straight and took one final cleansing breath to settle myself.

“Ready to dive into work?” That commanding tone had receded, giving way to the playful tenor of his voice that I had only just started to become familiar with.

“Yes, indeed.” I turned back to him with a forced smile, settling into the work that was listed as tonight’s duties. We toiled in silence for nearly an hour and a half, people bustling in and out of the kitchen to seek the tasty treats we had prepared. It was a busy night, keeping me on my toes with merely the restocking of treats and edible delights we had previously prepared.

Finally, the club-goers seemed to be satiated, or at least the first wave of them, giving me time to pull ingredients for tonight’s baking. I had noticed Joel had assigned me the baking duties for every shift I had that week. I refused to read into the situation. I barely knew the man; it was a simple matter of his observation of my baking expertise.

Just as I sat the flour on the counter, I felt his hand brush against my forearm, pulling my attention.

“Before you begin baking, why don’t we both take a quick break?” It felt like a question, but I knew somehow that it wasn’t. It was an order.

“Certainly, Joel.” I gave him a half-hearted smile, placing the flour back in the cabinet before making my way to the small table where I had seen both him and Trixie sit for breaks.

“Not this time. Come with me.” He gestured for me to follow, and while I felt like the table would easily suffice for our break time, I complied without dispute. He led me from the kitchen, walking me towards the stairs and then up them, but we did not stop at the offices as we had done on my first night here at The Temple.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we turned and continued up another set of stairs above where the offices lay.

He turned to me, giving me that smirk that flipped my stomach round and round, and held his hand out to help me up.

“You’ll see.”

As we reached the last of the stairs, he opened the door that had a sign on it indicating we were at the rooftop level of the building. Expecting flat concrete and perhaps a few industrial looking items, I was shocked to step into what seemed to be a small garden paradise. With beautiful landscaping stretching over the flat expanse and tables and chairs situated this way and that, it was quite the sight to behold.

“Joel.” His name was a mere breath on my lips as I took in the beauty of the space. “Is this a part of The Temple?”

“Yes, and no.” He explained as he led me to a small table, pulling a chair out for me in the middle of the rooftop garden. “It is not for the guests, but for the employees.”

“Why would employees need this?”

“It was Talia’s idea, to my recollection. She wanted a place for employees to relax, away from all the noise and crowds. A moment of peace, I believe she called it.” I had a desperate desire to kick my shoes off and let my toes sink into the grass below my feet.

“It’s quite beautiful. A thoughtful gesture. It’s surprising, to say the least.” I breathed deeply, letting the scent of nature overwhelm me.

“Why does it surprise you?” Glancing over to see his curious expression, I shied away from his gaze.

“I suppose it’s just a surprise they would consider such a thing.” I shrugged lightly, my toes wiggling within my shoes as I staved off my errant desire for the feel of grass beneath my toes.

“I think the Temple family would surprise you. They are unlike any I’ve ever met. Though I think I could say the same for you.” He smirked lightly, and I flushed under his attention. I brushed an errant strand of hair behind my ear, annoyed by the feeling of it tickling my face as the wind picked up slightly. “So, how long has it been?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I understand your question.” He had caught me off guard. My mind whirled for a moment, trying to determine if I had missed something he had said.

“How long has it been since you got away from your abuser?” There was a knowing about his tone, something in the very fiber of his voice that spoke of an understanding, though for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what he was on about.

“My abuser? I’m sorry, I wasn’t abused.” I laughed lightly, feeling uncomfortable under such an assumption.

“You weren’t?” He posed it as a question, but that look in his eyes, the lilt in his voice, even the very arch of his brow told me he wasn’t asking, but more that he was pressing me for honesty.

“I surely don’t know what you mean.” Even I could hear the lie in the very stuttering of my mumbled words.

“I’m not here to pressure you into telling me things you don’t wish to, Adah. I only mean to say that you’re safe here. I saw the way you froze when Trixie’s Dom came into the room.”

“I was just surprised, that’s all.” I shrugged his interpretation of the situation off.

“That wasn’t surprise, Adah. It was fight or flight, or — in your case — freeze.”

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