Enthrall Him (Enthrall Sessions Book 3) (46 page)

That afternoon, I’d attended an English class at Chrysalis, and then later I’d snuck into Cameron’s office.

I quickly scribbled a note on Chrysalis embossed paper that I’d found on his desk. I wanted him to know I still cared very much for him, and though I hadn’t quite proven myself a perfect submissive as yet, I promised to make him proud.  

It brought a sense of peace.

I left the note on his desk.

A book on the shelf caught my eye and I pulled it down. Cameron had the entire collection of Joseph Campbell’s works and had even gifted me one about goddesses here in this very house, when he’d kept me prisoner. All I could think of during that time was getting out of that dungeon he’d imprisoned me in. Now all I could think of was finding my way back into it.

“You’re still here?” said Cameron.

I dropped the book and stepped back, having not heard him enter and with no idea how long he’d been standing there.

“I left you a note.” I pointed to it.

He came closer.  

I handed it to him. “You can read it if you like.”

He peered down at the scribbled envelope addressed to him.

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t mean what I told you at your house.”

I do still love you
.

I stared up at him, into those dreamy chestnut eyes.

“How are things at home?” he asked.

“Fine. Hope’s still there. She’s staying a few more days before she goes back to New York.”

“Sounds like Richard’s getting some resolution?”

“Yes, both he and Hope have been talking a lot about Emily.”

“When someone leaves an indelible mark on our lives, this is how we honor them, by talking about them fondly.”

“I’ve gotten to know more about Emily,” I said. “I know I’d have liked her.”

“She’d have loved you too, Mia. Though had she not died…”

Why thank you, Captain Obvious.  

“Cameron.”

“Yes.”

Pressing my fingertips to my lips, I tried to find the words to tell him how much I missed him, couldn’t live without him.

“Well I really should be getting on,” he said.

“Yes.”

He gestured to the door.

“I miss you so much,” I blurted.

“Mia.” Cameron measured his words. “I’ve taken on a new submissive.”

Terror had me by the throat.

He glanced at his watch. “In fact she’s tied to a Saint Andrew’s Cross as we speak and awaiting my presence.”

“Same dungeon?” I asked faintly.

“Same.”

My lungs stopped working.

My mouth formed words but failed to speak them.

“It’s for the best,” he said softly.

“Well that’s good,” I said, nodding unconvincingly.

“So if you’ll excuse me.”

I picked up the book. “I’ll put this back.”

He looked tired and drawn, sad even.

“Have a lovely day,” I said.

“The day’s almost over, Mia.” He’d made it sound ominous.

He turned on his heels, and with his hands tucked into his pockets he headed out.

I hugged the book to my chest.

Halfway down the hallway, I realized I was still holding it. I couldn’t go back in there. So I’d return it tomorrow. Or maybe I’d just tell Richard I wasn’t going to do those classes ever again. There wasn’t really any point. Not really.

I stepped outside, but couldn’t see Leo’s car yet.

It was going to be painful to have to make small talk and suppress these tears, nudge away this grief gnawing at my insides. A scream built. Leaning against the wall, I fought this urge to retch.   

“Ms. Lauren?” a man’s voice called out.

I’d only been vaguely aware of that SUV parked against the curb. The short, burly looking guy came over. “Mia Lauren?”

“Yes.” I tried to look like I was fine.

He handed me an envelope. “You’ve been served.”

Jaw gaping and totally confused, I watched him climb back into his car. He drove away, his back tires leaving a spray of leaves.  

Unsure whether I should open it or not, I ran back inside and bumped right into Dominic.

A small miracle, considering he was an attorney and would know what I was meant to do with this and why I’d been given it. I still found Dominic intimidating. The first time I’d met him he’d been wearing a toga at one of Chrysalis’s parties. A perfect outfit for the man who ruled this place with an iron fist on Cameron’s behalf. Dominic oozed authority.

Though today he was overly cheerful and asking me about London, chatting away casually. He really did seem to like me.

I raised the envelope.

Dominic gave a knowing nod. “Ah, we thought you’d get one.”  

“What is it?”

“Dr. Cole has a trial pending. It’s a subpoena.”

“What for?”

“The Board of Psychiatry is undertaking a preliminary investigation into Dr. Cole’s practice. Depending on their findings, the trial may or may not progress to a formal trial with a jury.”

“Practice?”

“We think Lance Merrill’s behind it,” he said. “Or his wife. Please don’t worry about this Mia. We’ll go over what you should say. I’ll guide you through it.”

Cameron had just locked another sub away in his dungeon. Maybe caution should be his priority right now.

Dominic took a phone call and walked over to the reception for privacy.

I ripped open the envelope and read the subpoena. I was called to the trial as a witness and this nightmare was a week away. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and I found it hard to swallow.

Medicine was everything to Cameron, and one more personal attack was going to destroy him. That explained why he’d looked so sad.

Not sad, lost.

Maybe it was also the reason he was going to soothe his pain with a session. I couldn’t leave knowing he was going through this. We’d been through too much together. I needed to see him before I left. Surely he’d take a few minutes for me?

Getting past Dominic and heading into the lower chambers of Chrysalis was surprisingly easy.

The chill of the lowest chambers.

Deadly quiet.

I wondered what she’d be like. A blonde like me, or a brunette. She’d be pretty, I knew that. Smart too, and perhaps carrying the kind of pain I’d once had before Cameron saved me. Like I had to save him now.

Braving to witness her look of bliss, as well as Cameron’s devotion that would no doubt be worn on his face, I clutched the door handle.

I’d be saving myself a whole lot of pain if I just walked away and let him deal with this himself. He had Dominic after all. He had the girls. He had Richard.

A surge of emotions. Who was I to make a difference? Who was I to interrupt this intimate session?

Don’t do this to yourself.

My hand pressed against the door and I nudged it open.

In my mind’s eye I saw her naked, taller, slimmer, perfectly toned, her beauty so stunning she’d take a man’s breath away and steal his heart.

Her look of rapture…

The Saint Andrews Cross stood alone.

Silence hung so intense it felt unnatural.

In the center, lying on a long table, was Cameron, and he’d removed his shoes and thrown them across the room. His jacket was off, as was his tie, and his shirt collar fell open. His left hand fell over his eyes.

Tiptoeing towards him, my gaze swept the room, hoping not to catch a glimpse of the elusive sub in waiting. Or any sign she’d been here.

No one else was here.

Cameron shifted his hand and raised his head.

“I got a subpoena,” I whispered, defending myself for being here.  

He gave a nod and reached his hand out to me.

With an easy strength, he pulled me up and onto his chest, positioning me so that I lay along him. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck and breathed him in. Cameron clutched me tightly, holding me close, resting his cheek against my head.

We didn’t need words.

All we needed in this moment was each other.

CHAPTER 41

THAT KISS TO my head had been Cameron’s way of telling me I should go.

And that I didn’t belong here.

I’d slipped off him and left the room as quietly as I’d entered. My heart cracked in two at the thought he was hurting. It was heart-wrenching to see him like this. Half in a daze, I made my way back to his office.

Inside, I rummaged through his files and soon found what I was looking for. I jotted down Henry’s address on a post-it-note and shoved the file back in the cabinet. Then I headed on out without being seen.

Leo was waiting at the curb, ready to take me back to Enthrall.

As this Bel Air landscape faded from view, I let my imagination run off and imagined the kind of jobs the people did to be able to afford living in those sprawling mansions.

All thoughts led back to
him
.

My phone lit up and Bailey’s number flashed on the screen. We’d missed each other for a few days now and I couldn’t wait to hear her voice. She was my best friend, yet over the last few weeks I’d shouldered everything alone.

“Hello,” I said, sitting back.

“Hello, Mrs. Elusive,” she shot back.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“Me too. Are you doing okay? I’ve been worried about you.”

“I’m doing great.” I swallowed the lie. “How’s work?”

“Awesome. I just got promoted to charge nurse.”

“Bailey, that’s incredible. I knew it wouldn’t be long before you’d be running the place.”

“Hardly. Still, I get an extra dollar an hour. It all helps.”

“It sure does.”

“Oh my God, Mia, I almost forgot. How was London?”

“Pretty dreamy, actually.”

“Go on, girl. Spill.”

I told her about my trip abroad and Bailey listened intently, sometimes sensing there was more to what I was telling her and fishing for it. It was nice to catch up on all her news too.

“I have something to tell you.” She sang the words.

“What?”  

“Guess what? We’re engaged!”

“Oh Bailey, that’s incredible news. Please tell me I didn’t miss anything?”

“No listen, that’s why I’m calling. We’re going to Las Vegas this weekend and we want you to be there when we tell her parents. They’re meeting us there. We’re going on to spend New Year’s Eve with them in Santa Barbara so they can get to know me better. Only they don’t know that bit.” She chuckled nervously.

This happiness for her morphed into a hole in my stomach.

Was I really prepared to leave Hope and Jasmine alone in the house for an entire weekend with my boyfriend? A self-confessed nymphomaniac and his ex’s twin, who strolled around the house complaining of the humidity and to compensate wore only a thong and a tight fitting t-shirt.

“So Tara’s ready to come out to her mom then?” I asked.

The line went quiet and I knew why. Tara’s mother, a talented violinist, had emigrated from India after marrying her dad, who was a famous conductor. Mrs. Razor was Americanized but apparently still very conservative.

“Bailey?”

She took a deep breath in. “You know how her mom is. Tara’s frightened her family will disown her.”

“That won’t happen,” I said. “I’ll be there however you need me.”

“I knew you’d come through for me,” she said. “You are the most amazing friend ever.”

“I still have your Christmas present to give you.”

“I have yours in the back of my car.” She squealed with delight. “Let’s get drunk in Vegas.”

“It’s a date.”

We chatted some more and we might as well have never been apart.

Leo took me back to Enthrall.

After throwing my handbag in the coffee room, I headed on in to Richard’s office and found him typing away behind his desk. Jasmine was in his office, fast asleep on his long leather couch. That girl spent half her life sleeping and I put it down to the lack of calories she consumed to keep her model figure.

Standing before Richard’s desk, I came out with it, my voice a whisper, “Sir, this Friday...”

“Yes,” whispered Richard, his gaze finding mine, his hand still moving the mouse.

It was hard not to be distracted by the sleeping beauty on his couch. Jasmine rolled over, seemingly not caring that she was encroaching on Richard’s work time.  

“Well, Bailey has asked me to be with her when she and Tara come out to her parents. She’s engaged. Isn’t that great?”

“Great news,” he said. “Good for them.”