There she was, kneeling in front of my chair, her cheek on the black leather cushion.
I stood, silent, for a moment. Kneeling at my chair, she was beautiful. I had always imagined her in that position. So lovely. But—
How had she gotten into this room? I kept it locked for a reason. I hadn’t used it in years, not since Kerry. I had always meant to have it redecorated and converted into another spare bedroom. Damn. Why hadn’t I? Or why hadn’t I just told her about it? What must she have thought when she stumbled down here on her own?
But I was sure it had been locked, and I had the only key.
“Baby?” I said tentatively.
She lifted her head and twisted her neck to face me.
“What are you doing in here, sweetheart?”
“I…didn’t mean to be nosy or anything. But…Kerry stopped by.”
Kerry? “What was she doing here? She moved to California a couple years ago.”
“She said she was just in town for the evening and you still had a few things of hers. She just walked on down here, knew her way around and everything, had a key to open the door…” Melanie closed her eyes.
What had I done?
“Baby, I can explain all this.”
But could I? I hadn’t told her about this room. In truth, I just hadn’t thought of it. I’d never dreamed she’d see it without me being there to explain.
“You…don’t have to explain anything.”
I went to her, took her hand, pulled her to her feet, and then led her over to the bed and sat down. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, that you had to see this room this way. I didn’t realize Kerry still had a key. I’ll change the lock immediately.”
“I’ve been worried about you.” She cupped my cheek. “Where were you? Are you okay?”
I closed my eyes and inhaled. This room had been a complete surprise, and who knew what had gone through her mind? But her first concern was me.
Just one more reason I didn’t deserve this wonderful woman.
“I’m fine. It’s a long story and I’ll explain it later, but everything is all right. Right now, I need to know. Are you all right?”
She chewed on her lower lip. God, she was always so beautiful.
“Kerry was…very nice. Very pretty.”
“Yes, she is.” I wasn’t sure what I should say.
“She didn’t look like a submissive.”
“Most people in the lifestyle don’t go around town wearing their leathers.” I attempted a smile.
“Yes, I know that. She said you had parties here.”
“Yes. A few times, we had parties here. With others in the lifestyle.”
She nodded.
“Baby, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this? You told me about the club, and I understood. You said you had no desire to ever go back there, yet I find your own personal club in your home.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve actually been meaning to have this room redone for a while. There’s always so much going on around here, and I just haven’t had the chance to hire someone to get it done. I’m so sorry you had to find out about it this way. I would’ve shown you eventually.”