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Z ack sighed. He should have seen this coming. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dani,” he said as gently as he could.

She looked hurt and confused, and for a moment, Zack was tempted to reconsider.

“But… why not?” she whispered. “I thought things were good between us. That we had something more than just shared kink going for us. Like maybe there could be more…”

“I agree, Dani. I feel the same way, but… things are… difficult.”

She pulled out of his arms and frowned at him, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t like the sound of that. What does that even mean?” she asked, and he could hear the suspicion coloring her voice.

Damn it, this was not the way he wanted to have this conversation. He wasn’t ready. He hadn’t thought through the best way to tell her, so she’d fully understand; so he didn’t mess everything up.

But perhaps it was best to have everything out in the open. There was no way he could enter into a relationship without telling her.

He sighed and took a leap of faith.

“I’m married,” he told her, then winced.

It sounded dreadful. Too blunt. He knew he should have waited to have this conversation until he was ready.

Sometime when they weren’t both blissed out by sex and kink, and his brain was functioning on only half its blood flow because the rest had been expended by his cock.

“You’re married?” she repeated in a shocked whisper, the blood draining from her face and leaving her pale, despite her tanned complexion.

“But… but you’re getting divorced, right? You and your wife are finished, but the process isn’t yet complete… right?” She said it with a hint of desperation, like she was clutching at straws.

Zack grimaced, and Dani’s mouth fell open. “Not exactly,” he told her truthfully. “It’s complicated.”

“How complicated can it be, Zack?” She scooted away from him now, jumping off the couch and putting a distance between them that was more than just physical.

“You’re either married, or you’re done with the relationship and terminating it.

So just answer me honestly: Are you getting divorced any time soon? That’s all I need to know.”

“I…” Zack closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over his face. This was not going to plan - not that he’d had any plan. But he’d hoped for better than this. He could already feel everything spiraling out of control.

He climbed off the couch himself. He needed to be close to her. To feel the bond they shared.

“Dani…” He exhaled a breath and took her in his arms. She allowed it, but he hated the rigidity he could feel in her frame. But she’d asked him for the truth. How could he give her anything less? “No, I’m not, but…” He didn’t get any further.

“Then you’re nothing but a nasty, lying cheat.” She pushed him away from her so forcefully he stumbled backwards.

“Look, I know it sounds bad, but it’s not like that.

Please, let me explain,” he begged as she grabbed her belongings and headed for the door.

He didn’t want to leave things like this.

He needed to tell her the whole story. What the hell had possessed him to start this conversation here, in a theme room of a kink club, where they were surrounded by people, and the privacy ended just as soon as she walked through that door?

Dani shook her head, her eyes a little wild and showing a tell-tale sheen of tears behind her fury.

“Save it,” she shouted as she fumbled with the latch.

“I’m not interested. Just stay away from me, Zack.

I don’t do married men, and I can’t believe you’ve deceived me all this time.

I can’t believe you cheapened what we had by making me nothing more than a mistress to a cheater. ”

Zack closed his eyes in despair as the door slammed close behind her.

None of that had gone right. The words didn’t come out the way he wanted, and everything had been twisted.

This was why he’d always kept his distance. Was she right, though? Was he a cheat?

He didn’t think he was, then again, maybe he was biased.

But how the hell could he be faithful to a girl he’d been coerced into marrying when he was just fifteen years old?

Not even officially an adult. And his ‘bride’, and he used the term with caution, had been only twelve, and had looked a whole lot younger.

He’d met her for the first time that same dreadful day, for maybe fifteen minutes, and he hadn’t seen her since.

All because his father and her mother had signed some kind of contract and gave their consent for the underage marriage of their children.

And yes, it was legal!

Right here in the United States, it was legal. He’d had his lawyers check into it years ago, when the full significance of the deed had finally crashed down on him.

To this day, the USA had marriage laws which allowed children as young as twelve to be married with their parents’ permission. Younger, though that was rare.

Who knew!

And the contract was legally binding as well.

He’d checked that too, hoping it could be voided on the grounds that he hadn’t agreed.

But since he was a minor at the time, it seemed his father had all the rights.

Zack had to remain married to Emylyah Kincaid nee Baskov for eighteen years before he could seek an end to the charade.

And he still had another few years to wait.

Zack wondered if he should go after Dani and try to make her listen.

But truth be known, he was angry with her, too, for storming out without giving him the chance to explain.

For not having enough faith in him to realize the truth could be far more involved than the simple yes or no answer she had demanded.

If she couldn’t give him at least that much, then what was the point in prostrating himself for someone who didn’t want to listen?

Perhaps, despite her pretty words, she didn’t care enough to want to find out. He saw it all the time in his line of business; how people said they wanted something but changed their minds when it wasn’t as straight forward or as easy as they thought it would be.

But even if she did, what did he have to offer? It might be a technicality, but he was still a married man.

Dani was right in that much, at least.

Maybe it was better this way.

Better to just let things go and see if there were any pieces worth picking up when he was finally in a position to pursue her.

And if there weren’t, well, he guessed it would never have worked out in the first place, and maybe they’d just saved themselves a whole lot more heartache.

But there was at least one way he could keep tabs on her until he finally became a free man.

Picking up the phone, Zack looked up the number for Dani’s cousin, Luca Moreno, and dialed it.

“Moreno,” the disembodied voice on the other end of the phone introduced himself.

“Hello, Mr. Moreno, my name is Zack Kincaid. I’m a venture capitalist and investment broker, and your cousin, Daniella, was telling me about your new kink resort project. She says you’re looking for investors… I’d like to buy into it as a silent partner.”