Turning my full attention to Zeke, I nodded.
“It’s taken care of.”
“How?”
“Trust me when I tell you, you don’t want the details.”
Actually, I did. “Tell me.”
He shook his head. “Just know that it’s over. He’ll likely be too busy trying to rebuild the pathetic life of his to even think about another woman, much less a submissive. That is, when he gets out of jail.”
I knew Zeke, and I also knew he wouldn’t share the details if he didn’t want to. Pushing him would only piss him off. Except I wanted to know what had happened to Josh Tudor. I needed to know that he would never do to another woman what he’d done to Addison.
“Just tell me you didn’t do anything illegal,” I stated.
“I personally didn’t do anything illegal.”
Great. That could mean a million different things. More than likely, he’d hired someone to do something illegal. Or maybe he’d tipped someone off. Shit. With Zeke, there was no telling. Unfortunately, for now, I would have to be content with knowing that the situation had been addressed.
“So, how is Addison, anyway?” he asked.
I felt Ben’s eyes on me, but I didn’t look his way. “She’s fine.”
“I saw her and Ben at the club the other night.”
That did have me turning to look at Ben. He didn’t so much as shift a muscle. I glanced back at Zeke.
“He takes her to work,” I told him.
Zeke grinned, then leaned around me and winked at Ben. “Oh, there was definitely some work going on.”
Again, I turned to look at Ben.
No reaction.
I had specifically asked him how things went at the club. His response had been, “Nothing out of the ordinary.”
So, I took it to mean that nothing had happened. Period.
There was a slow boil in my veins as anger simmered to the surface. Ben had lied to me. He had fucking lied to me.
I pinned him with a hard stare, but he still didn’t move.
He was punishing me, I realized. This was his way of paying me back for abruptly leaving.
Son of a bitch.
I sighed, then signaled the waiter for another drink.
*
BEN
When we were finally finished with dinner, I managed to excuse myself to head back to my apartment. Addison had texted me a few minutes ago to let me know that she had gotten home safely after having dinner with Luci and Dale.
I needed to see her.
Honestly, I couldn’t shake this feeling I had. It was a mixture of anger and frustration, along with a good dose of wanting and desire.
I was pissed that Mr. Parker had pulled the stunt he had. It had taken me asking Addison what happened on Monday afternoon to realize he had disappeared because he didn’t want to face the shit that was going on at home.
And by shit, I meant the emotions that had been triggered from the situation we found ourselves in. I couldn’t explain any of it, nor was I trying to, but this thing with Addison had morphed into something even bigger than I’d anticipated. Evidently, Mr. Parker had realized it as well, but he’d pulled the same shit and run rather than sticking around to see it through.
It wasn’t the first time, probably wouldn’t be the last, but it angered me all the same. In the past, when it had only affected me, I’d let it go, choosing not to confront him about it. It was a vicious circle we found ourselves in, but now that it had the potential to hurt Addison, I knew I couldn’t sit back and let him continue.
So, this time, I’d tried a different tactic. On Tuesday night, when I took Addison to the club, I had scened with her after her shift was over. A little wax play had been just what we both needed. And while I’d intended for it to remain fairly innocent, I had ended up fucking her in front of the entire club.
For lack of a better explanation, I had claimed her.
And I wasn’t sorry, either.
Nor was I sorry that I had deliberately lied to Mr. Parker when he had called on Wednesday to ask me how things went at the club.
I had lied to him.
Out-and-out fucking lied.
And he now knew it, but still he hadn’t bothered to confront me.
For the first time in the nine years we’d been together, I didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for how I’d handled the situation. Turnabout was fair play and all that bullshit.
*
Rather than go to my apartment, I went to Addison’s instead. The door was locked, but I had a key, so I let myself in. From the kitchen, I heard the sound of the shower running, so I ventured that direction.
“Precious?” I called out, not wanting to scare her.
“In here,” she answered, her voice echoing off the tiled walls.
I stepped into the bathroom to see her entire body covered in soap as she lathered herself with that puff thing I had bought for her. Without thinking, I started to undress, needing this woman to take my mind off everything else that was going on.
