But my lover isn’t bothered by the emergency situation.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asks, taking my hands in his own to inspect the chafing at my wrists. “Does it hurt a lot?”
I shake my head.
“I’m fine, but that was Harlow wasn’t it?”
Brent becomes businesslike.
“Yes,” he says, grabbing his clothes. “Come on, get dressed, sweetheart. Let’s go talk to her.”
My face goes hot, and in fact, my whole body is probably blushing.
“Do you think I can ever look her in the face again?!” I ask. “I’m too embarrassed.”
But Brent stays calm.
“It’s going to be fine, Jane. She’s my daughter and your best friend, and while I know this makes for a tangled situation, we knew it was coming. Now, the day is here.”
Tears spring to my eyes.
“But not like this! She just saw me tied up with your dick in my ass!”
Brent’s face is grim and he stops tying his shoe for a moment to look me in the eye.
“Dodging the situation is not an option, sweetheart. She’s my daughter and I have to look her in the face again. I hope you’ll join us downstairs when you’re ready.” He heads to the door and my heart plummets. My bottom lip dances up and down.
“Brent?”
He turns around.
“Yeah, sweetie?”
“What if I can’t?” my voice cracks and a tear runs down my cheek. I knew we had to tell Harlow sometime, but this is beyond the pale. I feel like I’m going to vomit from stress.
Brent’s expression relaxes, and he comes over to hug me. His big strong arms hold me tightly and he quietly breathes into my hair.
“Jane, we’re going to fix this. We will get through all of this together. You hear me? But first, we have to try. If you don’t try, you won’t succeed for sure. So come downstairs when you’re ready, okay?”
“Okay,” I sniffle.
He kisses me and says, “It’s going to be okay, baby.”
I sniffle again, turning tear-stained eyes to him.
“Promise?”
“I promise, Jane. Everything will be okay,” he smiles. “Now come on,” he says, patting my big butt fondly again. “Up and at ‘em.”
I take a big breath, and smile tremulously. “Okay, but untie me first.”
His brow furrows and he points to the bed where the lacings are loose. “You are untied, sweetheart.”
“No, not that,” I spin. “The back. I’ll never get out of this alone.”
“Oh! Right.” Quickly, Brent undoes the back of the outfit, and then says, “Okay, I have to get down there. You good?”
“Yes, I think so,” I say in a small voice. He winks at me reassuringly.
“See you in the living room.”
After he’s gone, I crumple onto the bed. I sob as I think about the situation. How could this have happened? Did my best friend just catch me having dirty anal sex with her dad? While I was tied up, no less?
But I sit up and swipe at the tears in my eyes. How does the saying go? This too, shall pass. I know I want to be with Brent, and that’s what matters. Despite what Harlow may say, we will make it through this sticky situation.13Brent* * *“I know you’re upset, Harlow, but I need you to calm down. This isn’t good for the baby,” I advise my pregnant daughter.
Harlow won’t look at me although two spots of bright pink decorate her cheeks.
“I am waiting for Jane before speaking. Oh there she is. Get out of your ropes okay, Kinky Boots?”
Jane’s face flames with total embarrassment.
“Harlow, listen, I know that was weird, but you have to understand –”
“Quiet. Both of you.” Harlow calmly sits on a stool and with a serene expression, her hands folded over her slightly distended belly. “This is your life. Not mine. It’s not my place to tell either of you what to do, seeing that you’re adults. Plus, I shouldn’t have barged in on my own, but when you don’t answer my phone calls, Dad, I start panicking because every mental image of my father having a heart attack makes me freak out.”
I smile at my silly girl.
“I’m fine, Harlow. Good as new.”
“Apparently,” she smirks. “The point is that I need some boundaries and you need a medic alert bracelet to keep me calm.”
“I’m in my forties, sweetheart,” I drawl. “Hardly old enough for an emergency bracelet.”
Harlow shoots us a silly grin.
“You’re in your late forties, Daddy, and you’re a ball of stress from working all hours, traveling all the time, and oh my god, you’ve been blowing me off to see Jane, haven’t you?”
I smile and share a knowing glance with the curvy girl.
“Maybe.”
My daughter laughs and says, “Well, that is so much better than working yourself into an early grave!”
Jane giggles a bit too now, relaxing finally.
“Brent might be going to the grave if he keeps going at me hard in the sack –”
Harlow puts her hand up.