Bedrock (16 page)

“Look at you. You’re a mess. I’ve never seen you like this,
William. You’re clearly in love with this girl. Unlike the others, from what
little I know of her, I can see why. So, I wanted to check her out, see if she
was worth the trouble. That’s how I found this.”

William stood and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows,
looking down at the hustle and bustle of the Vegas strip. “What is it you
expect me to do with it? She made her decision.”

“Based on a lie.”

“I don’t want that lie to be the reason she chooses otherwise,
Carl. Don’t you see? If she doesn’t love me, showing her this isn’t going to
change that. And if it did, it’d be for all the wrong reasons.”

Carl remained neutral. “So you’re not going to tell her, sir?

William stayed quiet for a long time, so long that Carl thought
maybe he hadn’t heard him. Finally, he spoke so quietly, his voice barely
audible. “I can’t hurt her like that. Clearly she was doing the same thing, so
who is to say she doesn’t already know? It’s quite possible she’s even ok with
it.” William knew better, even before the words were out.

“Do you want me to do some more digging, sir? Find out?”

“No. Let it be.”

Carl stood. “Of course.”

William turned from the window and looked Carl in the eye. “Oh,
and Carl? Make sure that her name is never mentioned again. Understood?”

Carl nodded and shut the door behind him, certain that tonight’s events
would be worse than any other.

Fifteen

Addie was rushing out the door when her cell phone
rang. She dropped everything she was holding and searched to find where the
ringing was coming from, finally finding it in her pocket. Of course, it was
Sondra. Who else would cause so much trouble?

“Morning Sondra.”

“My God, who in their right mind sounds so chipper this early?”

Addie paused. “Still not feeling any better, huh?”

“No. But listen, I have a client I need you to see. This
evening.”

Perfect. She had some frustration. It wouldn’t hurt to get out.
“Ok.”

“I was going to take this one myself, but this parasite that
resides inside me isn’t allowing me to stray too far from the nearest toilet
bowl. They tell me it’s a baby, but I’m not so sure.”

“All right.” Addie replied matter of factly, downing the last of
her coffee.

“Here’s the thing. I need you to listen to me very carefully. And
do exactly as I say. Do you understand?” Sondra said, her tone harsh.

Addie sighed. “Uh huh.”

“This is serious, Addison. This one’s important. You must stay in
character and in charge at all times. No matter what. Do you understand? You
have to promise me, because if you mess this one up, it’s all over.”

Addie rolled her eyes. So dramatic. Just get on with it already.
“I understand.”

“Good. I’ll check in with you before the session. I had Liselle
pull his client profile. It’s sitting on my desk. I also had her send for an
outfit for you. This client prefers that a mask is worn. It’s the number-one
rule, ok?”

Addie checked the window. Her driver was waiting. She had to go.
“Great. Anything else I should know?”

“Just do as I say, ok? Stick to the rules. No matter what
happens. That’s the most important thing.”

“Will do.”

That woman is so uptight.
Addie hung up the phone and flung
it in her purse.
How in the world is she going to handle a kid?

When Addie got to the office, she called Liselle and asked her to
courier the client’s profile over so that she’d have plenty of time to read it
beforehand. Plus, she wanted to go home and have dinner with the boys, so she’d
need to get it done over lunch.

Liselle sounded annoyed. “I can’t.”

“Why not? You’ve sent stuff over before.” Addie asked, not hiding
the irritation in her voice.

“Because this one is classified.”

Addie raised her voice. “Aren’t they all?”

“Yes. But this one’s particularly so.” Liselle replied, sounding
amused.

Addie threw her hands up. “Fine. I’ll come over and get it
myself.”

“The file can’t be removed from this office. As I said, it’s
classified.”

Addie slammed the phone down. “Wonderful.”

Addie slumped down in her chair and rubbed her temples. She
hadn’t realized she was this tense. She closed her eyes, and, instantly, her
thoughts turned to William. She wondered what he was doing right now, if maybe
he was thinking of her too. She sat up and quickly typed the first part of his
name in Google Search but stopped herself.
Let sleeping dogs lie.

The rest of the morning flew by as Addie rushed from meeting to
meeting. Over lunch, she headed over to Seven. She entered through the waiting
room—a no-no, but since she was irritated, she didn’t care—noting that it was
full of men, most of them in suits.
How ironic that when the rest of the
world was eating lunch . . .

Addie sat down at Sondra’s desk and removed her salad from her
bag. She picked up the file with Mr. X written across the top directly above a
CLASSIFIED stamp.
Mr. X, huh.
She opened it, curiously flipping through
when her phone rang. Addie picked up. It was her assistant informing her that
she had a meeting pop up. It was an appointment they’d desperately been trying
to get. A client they had been trying to secure for weeks.
She had to take
it
. And it started in forty-five minutes across town.
Shit.
Addie
looked at the file. She flipped to the back and quickly read over Mr. X’s
preferences. He was seeking corporal punishment using whips but mostly
preferred the use of hands combined with choking and was to be told he was
worthless and would never amount to anything. A certain musical selection must
be on repeat throughout the session. Mr. X’s sole focus was on the B&D
aspect of BSDM. He wanted bondage and discipline. So long as no marks were left
above the neck.
Perfect. She would be able to get out some of her
frustration after all.

Addie peeked at the time. She had to go. She gathered her things
and left the file lying on the desk. Glancing back, she told herself she knew
all she needed to know.
Beat the shit out of him, while wearing a mask, and
they were good.

Later that evening, Addie arrived back at Seven to find the
outfit that was left for her. Black slacks, a crisp, short sleeve white button-down
shirt, both with Banana Republic tags on them. Lying next to the clothes was a
pair of shiny black peep toe Christian Louboutin pumps.
Huh.
This
ensemble could’ve come from her own closet. This was slightly different from
her other clients, who preferred latex and leather. Attached to the shoes was a
note.
Put your hair in a bun. And put the mask on, all the way.
Addie
held the mask up to her face. It went all the way around her head.
Strange.

Suddenly, her phone rang, startling her. It was Sondra who went
over the rules. And then over them again. She must have said everything six
times at the very least.
Don’t break character. Stick to the routine. Don’t
speak to him. No matter what don’t speak. Press play on the iPad in the corner.
The music was to play on repeat the entire session.

“This session is dangerous, Addison. You must promise me that
you’ll follow my instructions down to the letter.”

Addie grimaced. “Dangerous? H
ow
? Am I in physical danger,
Sondra?”

Sondra chuckled. “Let’s just say this one is tough to break . . .
mentally. Keep your guard up, ok?”

Addie studied herself in the mirror. She looked healthy—thin yet
strong. Andre was changing her body for the better. “Ok. I got it. DON’T MESS
THIS UP.”

Sondra sighed, sounding exasperated. “Just promise me you’ll keep
your head in the game and stay smart.”

Addie slipped the mask on.
It was hard to breathe in this damn
thing.

“Promise.” She replied, though it was muffled.

Addie froze dead in her tracks as she opened the door
to the dimly lit room. She gasped as her breath caught. Her throat tightened
and her mouth went dry. William looked up as a confused expression crossed his
face. She had the mask on. He couldn’t see her face. Suddenly, Sondra’s words
echoed in her mind. Keep it together no matter what.

Addie walked over to the iPad in the corner and glanced at the
display. Pettersson’s Symphony No. Seven was set on repeat. Pressing play, she
slowly walked back towards William, who was sitting in a chair in the center of
the room. Standing in front of him, she placed the collar around his neck, a
little tighter than she probably should have. He kept his gaze glued to the
floor.

Addie stepped back, taking him in. He was beautiful like a work
of art the way he sat in the chair with his chiseled body. But he was broken,
his face twisted. Pained. She’d seen that look enough times now to know a
broken man when she saw one. How was it possible that this man was the same
William she knew? So many emotions ran through her mind.
What in the hell
was he doing here? And why had Sondra put her in this position?

Suddenly, Addie became enraged. She’d had it with Sondra, with
William, with Patrick, with everyone. She allowed her emotions to spill out.
Anger poured out of her. The blow that struck William across the face hit him
with such force that spit flew from his mouth. Her hand hurt but she barely
felt the pain. She was numb. Addie lifted his head up by pulling his hair and
struck him again and again. She let go of his hair. William let his head fall
as tears seeped from the corners of his eyes. Addie slapped him over and over
again. All the while he hung his head. She gave it everything she had, allowing
the feelings she’d pent up inside over the last few months, maybe her whole
life, come to the surface, fueling her rage.

When she’d had enough, depleted and panting, she turned and
walked to the desk in the back of the room. Tears stung her cheeks, staining
the inside of her mask as she took out a note card and scribbled her message.
You’re
not even worth a full session. You’re not worth anything, much less my time. Get
out.

Walking back to William, she carefully removed the collar.
Bending down, Addie studied his face. Unable to help herself, she kissed his
cheek where it was still wet with the tears that had fallen. William flinched
and visibly recoiled. The mask didn’t allow her skin to touch his. Needing to
feel him, she trailed her fingers down his face, the lines already etched in
her memory. Addie placed the note in his hand, curled his fingers around it,
then turned and left the room.

Back in Sondra’s office, she collapsed, sobbing until there was
nothing left. Addie stayed there for a long while her mind ran over all of the
ways she should have seen this coming. It had only been a matter of time before
she’d end up broken, too.

Finally, when there were no more tears left to cry, she pulled
herself together. She gathered her things, went to Sondra’s desk, picked up the
file, and stuffed it in her bag.
CLASSIFIED, my ass.

Addie couldn’t get home fast enough. She needed to hold
her boys—to tell them how much she loved them, how much she wanted them, and
how proud she was of them. Addie knew she was a good mother, and yet she still
wondered if it was enough—
if she was enough
. Did she tell them she loved
them often enough? Were they going to end up like her clients? Like her?
Feeling unlovable and unworthy, never quite good enough, remedying their pain
by attaching themselves to all the wrong things, anything to fill the void.

She wouldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let that happen.

Addie’s phone lit up. Again. Sondra had called at least five
dozen times since she’d left Seven.
Fuck Sondra.

Once home, she relieved Kelsey, telling her to go home even
though she was staying with them for the time being. Addie needed to be alone.

Later, after she’d showered, she tiptoed into Connor’s room and
sat on the edge of his bed. Addie watched the rise and fall of his chest as he
slept and inhaled his little boy scent. He was growing up so fast yet still
trapped somewhere between a little and a big kid. Some days he tried on the big
kid outfit for size. While others he was still content in his little kid
uniform. He wore them both well, although neither quite fit, one still too big,
the other too small. Addie stayed there, watching him sleep. She studied his
face and breathed in his innocence. Silent tears fell as she remembered the
times she’d cried herself to sleep at his age because no one had cared enough
to comfort her. She cried for the little girl and what a shame it was that no
one had ever loved her this much.

Addie awoke later in the darkness, shaking. You’re ok, she told
herself.
It was just a bad dream.
She sat up, trying to shake it off. In
the dream, she was naked, chained, and locked in a cage. She was battered and
bruised. Thinking about the dream rattled her. It was just a nightmare, she
told herself again as she went downstairs and put on some hot tea. Still shaken
and unable to sleep, Addie removed William’s client folder from her bag, curled
up on the couch, and began reading.

Due to the nature of work and celebrity in which this client is
involved, he will be referred to only as Mr. X in all correspondence.

Over the course of seven years, from five to twelve years of
age, Mr. X was brutally tortured and abused daily at the hands of his
stepfather. The abuse was ritualistic in nature, taking place each day as his
stepfather arrived home from the office. Mr. X was expected to be waiting at the
door holding a scotch, made to perfection, just the way his stepfather liked
it: chilled with two ice cubes. The scotch had to reach a certain level on the
glass. No more, no less. After his stepfather tossed his drink back, he
instructed William to put on Pettersson’s Symphony No. Seven and remove his
clothes. He beat him for the duration of the piece. When the music ended,
although sometimes he ordered that it be played again, the stepfather would
tell Mr. X that “he knew the little bastard was just using him for money,
mooching off of him” and that “he was so worthless his own father didn’t even
want him.” He instructed Mr. X to repeat the same sentence seven times over: He
would never be as successful as his stepfather was because he was a worthless
piece of shit.