“If you insist. Call me back when you have a time.”
I hung up and dialed Lara. Luckily, she wasn’t in court and answered on the second ring.
“Drake,” she said, and I heard papers flipping in the background. “What’s up? Everything all right?”
“The police want me to go to the station and go over my statement,” I said with a sigh.
“When?”
“This afternoon,” I said and checked my calendar. Of course, it was empty. I hadn’t planned on doing anything but stay home with Kate and Sophia for the next month.
“It’s your lucky day. I’m free from 3:30 until the end of the day.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go there for 4:00. Then we can go for a drink afterwards.”
“Sounds good. Will you pick me up?”
“Yes. See you at 3:30.”
“And Drake?” she said, her voice sounding firm. “Don’t worry. You had nothing to do with this. There’s no evidence that you were involved in any way. This is routine.”
“I know,” I said. “You’d think they would have cleared me by now.”
“They will. I’m certain of it. Maybe even today, after they talk with you.”
“I hope so,” I said and exhaled at the thought of being cleared once and for all. “I don’t want anything to worry Kate. She’s still a bit delicate because of everything she’s be through. I want her to stay as relaxed as possible.”
“Me, too. I’m glad she finally came clean about her depression.”
“I think she’s better now. It was temporary, due to the trauma.”
She said nothing for a moment and then spoke once more. “If she has PTSD, this could be a longer-term thing.”
“I know,” I said, remembering my training in psychiatry and psychology. “I’m on top of it.”
“Good,” Lara said. “I’m extraordinarily fond of Kate. She’s such a sweet loving person. I hate to see her suffering.”
“I’m doing everything in my power to make her happy.”
“I know you are,” she replied. “I knew you two were perfect for each other the day I met her at the café. Just your type.”
“Exactly my type.”
With that, we ended the call and I returned to the living room. I clicked on the television, keeping the sound muted, so I could check the headlines. There was nothing on Derek’s murder, so I went upstairs to the bedroom where Kate and Sophie were napping. I set my watch so that I didn’t oversleep and crept in beside Kate where she dozed, Sophie asleep beside her. Luckily, I didn’t wake her. Instead, my body gradually warmed as I lay spooned against hers.
As I lay against her, I thought about the whole situation. Part of me kicked myself mentally for becoming involved in BDSM in the first place. I knew it was a risk when I met with Lara that first time and we talked about me training to be a Dominant. She told me as much, advising me to keep that part of my life completely and utterly separate from my public persona.
“Don’t ever become involved with anyone from the hospital,” was her first bit of advice. “Even when things are consensual, people change. They change their mind about kink and what’s acceptable. If you become involved with a colleague, you run the risk of losing reputation if they ever turn on you or betray your privacy.”
How I wish I had been more careful. It was a total coincidence that Sunita was involved in the lifestyle and that we met at a dungeon party where there were no masks. She was already involved in the lifestyle, but was looking for a partner at the time I became involved with her. I was a new Dominant, still learning, and she was a willing participant, but she wanted more pain than I was willing to give. I could happily administer a spanking for punishment if needed, to reinforce the submissive’s sense of submission – which is what they desired after all. However, I could not go into inflicting real pain for pain’s sake. I was into pleasure and control. I liked the way women looked when tied up and helpless before me, allowing me – wanting me to do what I would with their bodies and mostly give them intense pleasure.
Sunita and I did not work out, but she felt cheated
and held a grudge. A grudge that almost caused me to lose Kate. It was likely Sunita who fed information to Lisa about me, and the media, sharing the video she made of us. How much I regretted allowing her to make a damn video! Live and learn… When I made my photo albums of my submissives, I made sure to hide my own face so that I couldn’t be easily identified. There was nothing particular about my body that could be used to identify me so I felt secure. The only people identifiable in the photos were the submissives themselves and they wanted the images.
Finally, I gave up thinking about everything, and beating myself up, and tried to count my blessings instead of all the negatives. I had Kate. I had Sophie. I still had my license to practice medicine. I was still a top surgeon in my field. My services would be in demand once all this cleared up.
Soon, I began to relax. It was a good thing, because I was stressed about the case, and the fallout for my reputation. I yawned and pulled Kate closer, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.