Mastering the Virgin Box Set Five: A BDSM Ménage Erotic Romance novel Chapter 14

And between us, we wait, eating take-out food and drinking endless coffee.

The news that Charlotte is alive and free has revived Elizabeth. And since she seems able to sleep at last, I’ve banished her to bed, simply keeping the door open a little in case she calls.

And if I’m honest, it has given me my life back too.

How could I have lived with that kind of knowledge, that degree of guilt?

But as to James and Michael….

James seems to be coping the better of the two. I'd expected it would be the other way around. He leans back in his seat, hands clasped behind his head.

“Try not to worry,” I say. “She’s resourceful, and braver than, I think, any of us realised.”

But as his face swings my way, James doesn’t looked stressed, more thoughtful. “Actually, I'm not worrying now. She’s on the move. She’s functioning, and she seems to be thinking clearly. I am frustrated at having to wait, not being able to help.”

“What are you thinking about then?”

Is he blushing?

Yes, he is….

“Something that's actually none of my business….” He shrugs, trying to brush away the conversation.

As though we have anything better to do than talk….

“Being?”

Still he hesitates.

“Come on, James. Spit it out. We’re friends, aren’t we? And are we ever going to be in a tighter situation together than this?”

He rolls eyes. “Alright, since you insist. I was wondering…. Given your situation, why you decided to enter a contract with the hotel cleaner? Beth's a beauty, but you could have taken your pick.”

For a moment, my blood boils.

No wonder he hesitated….

He holds up a hand. “Forget I asked.”

Still, I suppose it’s natural to wonder….

Then I calm down again, seeing the funny side of the question.

I chuckle. “Yes, you're right. It really is none of your business, but in fact, I have also wondered about something that is none of my business.”

Now James looks intrigued. His head tilts. “Go on?”

“How did you and Michael meet? The two of you seem unlikely friends.”

He flashes brows, scratching an ear. “Okay, fair enough. I'll tell you mine. You tell me yours. Michael and I met at the clubs….”

For a moment, I don’t understand, then, “The clubs? You mean the kind of club where I saw the three of you?”

He rubs his nose. “Yes, those sorts of clubs. We brushed by each other a few times, then one evening we ended up scening together. Afterwards, we went for a drink and discovered that we got on well outside the clubs too. We hit it off immediately. I became involved in his business....”

He did?

“You did? At his sports centre?”

“That’s right. I put up the money for Michael to expand. He paid me back early...”

“That's the kind of business partner we all like.”

“Absolutely.... Anyway, that was… um… eight years back now. We’ve been good friends ever since. Come on, your turn. Spill the beans….”

“Oh, Lord, where do I begin? Yes, you're right. I could take my pick, and I did. And every single time, I landed myself with some money-grubbing gold-digger. The last one, Adele, was a vindictive bitch to boot. It wasn’t going anywhere, but I was trying to find a way to make it happen. So, in a final effort to have a relationship that worked for me, I arranged to see her.”