Page 19

A t the mention of the creep who’d assaulted her months ago, I tensed up immediately. It was good news that he’d been convicted. From the testimonies I’d heard about when following the case, he stood to earn a lengthy sentence. A small part of me wanted to be happy, and for Brynn – I was, but one thought kept repeating over and over in my mind.

Murder can carry a death sentence, and I deserve nothing less.

A slight tremor raced over me, but Brynn was still in such disbelief that she didn’t notice it. Regaining my composure, I glanced down at my watch. It was late enough in the evening which meant she would leave soon. As I briefly appraised her state, she still seemed somewhat dazed over the news. I didn’t want her to drive. I didn’t want her to be alone.

Both could be true, and they were. Clearing my throat, I looked back down at the time, then over to her. “The news is something to celebrate. Will you stay put for a few minutes for me?”

Brynn nodded, but didn’t verbally respond. I disappeared back into my office to grab my own cell phone. This time of night, especially during this season, would make it hard to find a table. It was a good thing that I had connections in the city, even if I rarely ever used them.

My first thought was to go to Spondi, but I was aware the chef and owner both knew my parents. The last thing I needed was for either to place a call to my mother. If she knew I was out on a date with a woman, she would start back on her pursuit to play matchmaker. I did not plan to either marry or give her grandchildren, so I’d need to find someplace else.

As I quickly wracked my mind, I remembered a place that a few of the Dominants at Lotus had gone to about a year ago. It was also a Greek restaurant which catered to Stavros, Alexander, and me. The owner had stayed at our table for quite a while regaling us with tales of his upbringing in Athens. Stavros and I had grown up in the capital of Greece, while Alexander had grown up in Corfu. After he’d finished talking to us, he’d given us each his business card. I’d never used it, much like the others often given to me.

Opening up one of my drawers, I saw what had to be at least fifty business cards lying in the shallow space. I moved them around until I caught the one I was in search of. I picked up my cell phone, then called the number he’d scribbled on the back which was to his private cell phone.

It rang a few times, then a gruffly accented voice came through the line. “Josef here.”

“Kalispera, Josef. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I was in your restaurant with some friends a while back. My name’s Adrian Ben-”

“Oh, yes. I remember you. Mr. Benedict was it?”

“Yes. That’s me.” It was a relief that I didn’t have to rehash that previous encounter.

“What can I do for you, son?”

I leaned back in my chair. “Apologies in advance for the late notice, but I’m calling to see if I could get reservations for two this evening.”

The man chuckled. “I’d told my Daphne all about you and your friends. I’m not at the restaurant this evening, but we always save a table or two for those we consider friends. I’ll give her a ring to let her know to get one of them set for you. What time do you plan to arrive?”

“As soon as possible. I’m leaving the office, but BT is just a few blocks away.”

“Everything will be ready for you, Mr. Benedict. Just give them your name up front.”

“Thank you so much,” I told him before disconnecting the line.

My eyes fell back on the ugly tree Brynn had left on my desk. The next time I got her naked, she needed to get a damn good spanking. Tonight was about celebration and not punishment. Remembering that she was waiting at her desk for me, I powered down my computer and grabbed my briefcase and cell phone before leaving my office.

Brynn was at her desk, but she’d already gotten her things together. At the sound of my approaching footsteps, she looked over at me, then her eyes widened at the sight of my briefcase.

“You’re leaving early tonight,” she mused.

“Yes, and we’re leaving together. I just hope you didn’t have a big lunch earlier.”

I suspected most of it was spent in the lobby which looked like something from my nightmares. It was a Christmas monstrosity from the doorway to the elevators, and on both sides. She smiled at me, and shook her head. “I actually ate very little today.”

“Then it’s time to remedy that, Brynn. Let’s go!”

She got up, then looked over at me. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” I said while giving her a slight wink.

We left the office area, then took the elevator downstairs. Once out of them, I noticed how the gifts from earlier had multiplied since even this morning. “For fuck’s sake,” I mumbled under my breath as I maneuvered us both through the maze of presents.

Brynn smirked, but otherwise said nothing. In the garage, I told her to ride with me, and she offered no argument about it. After she slid into the passenger side, I got behind the wheel. I could tell that she wanted to ask me where we were going, and I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t as if I had ever done this sort of thing before.

I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, focus on that. Instead, we rode in silence the few blocks to the Michelin-starred restaurant which served all the food from my youth. Not sure whether she had ever had Greek food, or even liked it, I started to second guess my decision. By acknowledging my concern, I would only feed into the truth which was that I was breaking yet another rule with her. They’d been agreed to and put into place to protect everyone at Lotus, but I was spitting on them now.

We finally arrived at our destination which helped me stay in the present. Over the course of the next several minutes, we were greeted and led to our table. It was in the corner which worked well for me. I made sure that she was strategically placed to look at the guests while I only had a view of her and the weathered bricks behind her.

Wine was poured, but I opted for a glass of iced water instead. Brynn didn’t follow my lead and as I watched her bring the red liquid to her mouth, I tried to focus in on her lush lips, but all I could see was the red from other visions, and this one was of Aria as she’d laid lifeless on that wet dock. She’d been bludgeoned to death, and blood had been dripping from the corner of her lip as I held my sister in my arms and prayed for her to come back to me.

The glass of water nearly slipped from my hand, but I caught it in time. Quickly putting it down, I busied myself by picking up the menu. She picked up her own, and while I knew what I was having already, I watched as she tried to mouth certain words in Greek.

“Thankfully for you, the English translations are underneath the name,” I pointed out.

“Was I butchering those words that badly?” She asked.

“Absolutely. What dishes interest you?”

Brynn looked back down at the menu, then placed her finger over the lobster pasta dish. “That’s astakos,” I said making sure to clearly enunciate. “It’s the Greek word for lobster, and here it is the Homarus Gammarus which basically is European lobster.”

“That does sound good. I think that’s what I want,” she said just as our waiter returned to get our order.

“She’ll take the astakos, and I’ll have the lemon chicken.”

“Hey,” she said as soon as the man left. “Why is yours in English?”

I laughed at her question, and realized that it was a genuine one, and not the polite kind I gave others during meetings or other interactions. “There’s an entire other page with most of those dishes in English. You picked well, though. It should be a delicious dish.”

She let out a relieved sigh which made me smile. Despite my easy-going nature at the moment, there was something beneath the surface clawing to get out. Some would refer to theirs as a beast, but mine was something much worse. My demons were unlike anyone else’s that I’d met over the years. They also needed to stay hidden, especially when with Brynn.

She began to make small talk, most of it being one sided as she expressed her happiness that the trial was over and Randall would be out of her life soon. I knew she had no interactions with him, but he did consume some of her thoughts.

A misplaced sense of jealousy struck me as I wanted her to think of no one and nothing beside me. It was then that I realized I basically did that with her. For no one else would I have ever hired them to work at Benedict Technologies, especially as closely with me as she did. I would’ve also never taken her out on a date, despite the reasoning, yet here I was. While I should’ve been running for the hills, I was actually laughing and talking with her instead.

Our food came and we were much quieter as we ate. Brynn really enjoyed her pasta, but I think she ended up liking my lemon chicken more since she had eaten almost half of it. I finished off the remainder of her dish, then declined dessert when offered the menu and settled the check.

“Dinner was delicious,” she told me as we walked out of the restaurant.

Once at the car, I spun her around and pinned her between me and it. My mouth came down on hers, and she melded herself to me. Brynn was a natural submissive even though I had doubts about in the beginning. She’d proven me wrong. I wanted to deepen the kiss, but I pulled away.

“Come home with me,” I more told her than asked.

“Yes,” she murmured against my mouth before giving me a quick peck. “I am actually a bit cold right now, so let’s go.”

“I know many ways to warm you up,” I told her as I stepped back so she could get into the car.

I followed, and we were soon on our way. About halfway to my place, I noticed a tree lot with what looked like a solitary tree out there. What caught my attention more than it’s pitiful shape was the man huddled next to it with a blanket wrapped around him.

As with everything else this evening, I reacted without thinking. Abruptly pulling over to the curb, I stopped in front of the lot. The old man perked up slightly, and I held my finger up in warning to Brynn. “You stay put,” I told her before getting out of the car.

I walked over to the man, then glanced at the tree. It was not nearly as obnoxious as most people had. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the damned thing on my desk, only it was about four feet taller and had a few more branches.

“How much for this?” I asked him.

The man seemed to be in disbelief at first, and not waiting for him to answer, I pulled out my wallet, then handed him a few bills. “Will this do?” He shook his head vehemently, then smiled revealing two broken teeth in the front. I then looked back over at my sportscar. “How do you suppose I get this home?”

“Rope,” the man said as he still revealed his toothy smile. “I’ll help you.”

A few minutes later, it was tied down on top of my car. As Brynn excitedly talked about decorating it, all I could think about were the scratches the damn thing was likely leaving on the paint. I let her go on because she was so damned happy. I realized it made me feel good to make her smile.

“Where do we go for decorations?” I asked her, and cringed as she almost squealed with glee.