Addie studied the man briefly. Carl was tall and thin. A black man who looked to be in his 60s, he had a weathered but friendly face, and Addie decided that he seemed trustworthy enough.
They made their way into the elevator, where she noticed Carl press a button marked “P.” As the elevator climbed, she also noti
ced that everyone with the exception of Carl was unwilling to look her in the eye. That was it. Addie had had enough. She broke the silence. “Well, you’re certainly a friendly bunch.”
The men nodded, looking her in the eye for the first time. The shorter one even smiled a little.
The elevator door opened to a large foyer. Addie’s breath caught at the sight of William standing there in his dark pressed jeans and white t-shirt. He look younger dressed like this. Still, each time she laid eyes on him, he somehow managed to look better than before, if that was even possible. The men who had accompanied her suddenly made themselves scarce, leaving Addie wondering where they went off to.
“Welcome to my home.” William smiled as though trying to gauge her reaction.
Addie scanned the palatial high-rise apartment. It was notably gorgeous with its exposed stone, luxurious oversized leather sofas, and antique, yet homey, feel. “Your home! What the fuck am I doing at your house? I thought you said we were meeting at an undisclosed location, and you bring me to your goddamned house?! Is this some sort of joke to you, William?”
“Addison, I’m sorry. I . . . This . . . My attorneys managed to stop the sale of the tape. Though to be honest, we’re not sure for how long. It may be only temporarily.”
Addie walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, trying to put as much space between the two of them as possible. She was certain if he got close enough she’d hit him. She cut him off, lowering her voice. “This is my life we’re talking about. I have a husband and children—a family—people who count on me. And I let them down. Majorly.”
William sat on the oversized couch in the middle of the room. “I know.”
Addie was quiet for a long time as she stared out across the city. It was an overcast day, and she could see cars and people far below—each of them going about his day, most of them living ordinary, uncomplicated lives, while stories above, her world fell apart.
William broke the silence. “Look, my security team is one of the best in the world. They wouldn’t have brought you here if they thought you might be seen. This is what they do, Addison. They’re experts. And it’s my fault that I decided to break the rules and go into the office that day. Alone. The day we met never should have happened. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been selfish. I decided that day that I just wanted to be a normal person, to see what it’s like to be free of all of this. And look what happened. I caused this. But I don’t regret it, Addison, because I met you. I just needed to bring you here to talk to you—to tell you in person how I feel. I wanted you to see that I’m a real person and I care about you more than I’ve ever cared about anyone.”
“You don’t even know me, William.”
William stood and walked over to the window where Addie was standing. “Maybe not. But you haven’t exactly given me a chance. I do know that what we had that day in the elevator was more than just sex. I know that I can’t stop thinking about you. Every time I look at you, I’m surprised that I never want to stop. Tell me you don’t feel it, Addison. Tell me you don’t think of me, too. Just say the words and you can walk out of here and pretend this whole thing never happened.”
As he spoke, Addie saw something in William’s eyes that she recognized. There was loneliness, a longing she knew all too well. But she saw something else, too: Sadness. Hunger. Passion. And that, she couldn’t resist.
Right then and there Addie planned all the ways in which she would kiss him. But the rest, well, the rest came as a pleasant surprise.
Nine
Once Addie fed and bathed the boys and had finally gotten them off to bed, she sat down with a glass of wine and Sondra’s envelope—anything to keep her mind off of what had transpired that afternoon.
Unable to keep the images from replaying over and over in her mind, she downed her glass, poured another, and tore into the envelope. The first page was a letter:
Dear Addison,
What I am about to propose will likely shock the hell out of you. Before you continue any further, I want you to promise to keep an open mind and give some careful consideration to what I am asking of you. If I didn’t think that my offer was a plausible solution to your situation, I would not be offering. I take what I am about to tell you very seriously. This is my life.
In addition to my work at the agency, I own the most prestigious private dungeon in the state of Texas where I work as Head Mistress. Mistress and Dominatrix are two words used to describe a dominant female who performs the art of domination and discipline and fantasy role-play. This profession is not illegal and has nothing to do with prostitution.
Sex of any kind is prohibited, and the Mistresses I employ are fully clothed at all times. A good Dominatrix or Mistress is intelligent, articulate, quick-witted, creative, and good at improvisation—all qualities I see within you, Addison.
Professional dominatrices take pride in their psychological insight into their client’s “needs” and fetishes as well as their technical ability to perform complex BDSM practices, and other forms of bondage, suspension, torture role-play, and corporal punishment, as well as other such practices, which require a high degree of knowledge and competency to safely oversee.
Due to unforeseen medical complications, I would like to offer you the role as Head Mistress for a twelve-week term. During this period, in addition to your regular work and salary at The Carlisle Agency, you would be responsible for working ten hours maximum per week at a rate of $15,000/week, completing sessions with my most exclusive clientele. At the end of the term, you will have earned $180,000. This is on top of your regular earnings.
There will be extensive training, which shall take place over the course of two weeks, beginning next Friday. During this training period and throughout the duration of your twelve-week term, you and your family will be provided with any and all staffing services The Carlisle Agency provides. This includes, but is not limited to round-the-clock car service, a personal chef, twenty-four-hour concierge, a personal assistant, live in nanny, and daily maid service.
Included in this envelope is a Mistress Handbook. Please read over the handbook and training materials before making your decision. Again, Addison, I sincerely urge you to give this matter serious consideration, especially given your current predicament. It’s no secret that you are having an affair. What happens when the video tape is released? Can you properly support your children in the aftermath of a likely divorce, one in which you are the at-fault party?
I have no doubt that you are perfect for this role, Addison. In fact, I have handpicked you from a group of many, most of them already trained, highly experienced Dom’s.
I look forward to discussing this with you further.
See you tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp.