room today. She didn’t have a clear view.
“Five minutes, or Ford will be on your ass about it anyway,” Adra said.
Cate gave up and laughed. This was a club full of people who were at least as headstrong as she was, and if she were being honest, the reasons she wanted to run from this conversation probably weren’t healthy ones. She had feeling no one would let her get away with it.
“Well, that’s the last thing I need, another lawyer on my ass,” she said. “ G’head .”
“I know your situation is more complicated than most,” Adra said, leading Cate to a little corner of comfortable chairs. “With the case and everything, I don’t pretend to know anything about how you should handle that. Not my wheelhousee="y wheel. But I can tell you this: whatever you have going on with Soren, whatever the arrangement—”
I have no idea what our arrangement is , Cate thought suddenly. She sat down, for once oblivious of her surroundings, the enormity of that thought taking up all her concentration. They hadn’t worked it out yet. She thought she knew the basic boundaries, but wow, that was kind of a big thing to be unclear about.
“No matter what the arrangement,” Adra continued, taking the opposite seat, “exclusive, no strings, whatever, a D/s relationship is still a relationship on steroids. You have to talk to each other. Cate, seriously, look at me. You have to.”
“That seems pretty obvious,” Cate said. “No offense.”
“Well, so is not leaving the toilet seat up, but look how often that happens.”
Cate looked at her.
“Sorry,” Adra said. “I’ve had my nephews staying with me until this week. That’s maybe why you haven’t seen me around. It was…” She shuddered. “I had no idea what little boys could do to a bathroom. None.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Ok, so talk to each other, check,” Cate said, realizing that she already had failed to do that, which was maybe one of the reasons why she was freaking out. “Easier said than done, but I assume that’s par for the course.”
“It can screw everything up if you don’t,” Adra said quietly. “You don’t want that.”
Cate studied the other woman. Saw the slight worry lines in her forehead, the concern in her eyes. Adra was all together too serious about this for it to just be friendly advice.
Cate had been so distracted, looking out of the corner of her eye for Soren, freaking out in general, getting embarrassed, that she hadn’t put two and two together until now. Ford had wanted Adra to talk to her because he was worried about the Jason situation. Because he was worried that Cate wasn’t telling anyone about the Jason situation. Because he was worried that Cate wasn’t telling Soren about the Jason situation.
She felt terrible, but it didn’t matter. Talking about it meant being that person in a way that maybe only Cate understood, but it didn’t matter—she couldn’t go back to that. It was like coming up against an immovable wall.
“Ford must realize,” Cate said. “Youmust realize, and Soren must realize, that total honesty is…not that simple. People aren’t that simple. There’s stuff I don’t even have figured out yet, you know? And if my whole problem is being afraid of …”
Cate let herself trail off. She sounded defensive. Weak.
“I get it, believe me,” Adra said, leaning back and looking back towards the bar area. “It’s not easy. I’m just saying, be aware, and try to figure it out as you go. You can talk to me. I want to tell you to trust your own instincts, but…”
“But what?”
“Well, maybe just don’t trust my instincts, and you’ll be fine,” Adra smiled.
“Ford?” Cate asked. It was a perfunctory question. Of course it was Ford. The look on Adra’s face whenever she caught sight of him made it clear that for Adra, it was always Ford. The man was sitting at the bar now, totally unaware of the woman who watched him with that sad
“Five minutes, or Ford will be on your ass about it anyway,” Adra said.
Cate gave up and laughed. This was a club full of people who were at least as headstrong as she was, and if she were being honest, the reasons she wanted to run from this conversation probably weren’t healthy ones. She had feeling no one would let her get away with it.
“Well, that’s the last thing I need, another lawyer on my ass,” she said. “ G’head .”
“I know your situation is more complicated than most,” Adra said, leading Cate to a little corner of comfortable chairs. “With the case and everything, I don’t pretend to know anything about how you should handle that. Not my wheelhousee="y wheel. But I can tell you this: whatever you have going on with Soren, whatever the arrangement—”
I have no idea what our arrangement is , Cate thought suddenly. She sat down, for once oblivious of her surroundings, the enormity of that thought taking up all her concentration. They hadn’t worked it out yet. She thought she knew the basic boundaries, but wow, that was kind of a big thing to be unclear about.
“No matter what the arrangement,” Adra continued, taking the opposite seat, “exclusive, no strings, whatever, a D/s relationship is still a relationship on steroids. You have to talk to each other. Cate, seriously, look at me. You have to.”
“That seems pretty obvious,” Cate said. “No offense.”
“Well, so is not leaving the toilet seat up, but look how often that happens.”
Cate looked at her.
“Sorry,” Adra said. “I’ve had my nephews staying with me until this week. That’s maybe why you haven’t seen me around. It was…” She shuddered. “I had no idea what little boys could do to a bathroom. None.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Not even a little bit.”
“Ok, so talk to each other, check,” Cate said, realizing that she already had failed to do that, which was maybe one of the reasons why she was freaking out. “Easier said than done, but I assume that’s par for the course.”
“It can screw everything up if you don’t,” Adra said quietly. “You don’t want that.”
Cate studied the other woman. Saw the slight worry lines in her forehead, the concern in her eyes. Adra was all together too serious about this for it to just be friendly advice.
Cate had been so distracted, looking out of the corner of her eye for Soren, freaking out in general, getting embarrassed, that she hadn’t put two and two together until now. Ford had wanted Adra to talk to her because he was worried about the Jason situation. Because he was worried that Cate wasn’t telling anyone about the Jason situation. Because he was worried that Cate wasn’t telling Soren about the Jason situation.
She felt terrible, but it didn’t matter. Talking about it meant being that person in a way that maybe only Cate understood, but it didn’t matter—she couldn’t go back to that. It was like coming up against an immovable wall.
“Ford must realize,” Cate said. “Youmust realize, and Soren must realize, that total honesty is…not that simple. People aren’t that simple. There’s stuff I don’t even have figured out yet, you know? And if my whole problem is being afraid of …”
Cate let herself trail off. She sounded defensive. Weak.
“I get it, believe me,” Adra said, leaning back and looking back towards the bar area. “It’s not easy. I’m just saying, be aware, and try to figure it out as you go. You can talk to me. I want to tell you to trust your own instincts, but…”
“But what?”
“Well, maybe just don’t trust my instincts, and you’ll be fine,” Adra smiled.
“Ford?” Cate asked. It was a perfunctory question. Of course it was Ford. The look on Adra’s face whenever she caught sight of him made it clear that for Adra, it was always Ford. The man was sitting at the bar now, totally unaware of the woman who watched him with that sad
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