Friends with Benefits (Club Risqué Book 5)

Chapter 21

Christian was unexpectedly nervous when he walked into Club Risqué that evening and he was finding the uncommon sensation rather irritating. He had never been so invested in the possible outcome of a decision based within the lifestyle.

In fact, since Bianca, he had made it a point not to become invested.

BDSM was simply a release mechanism. He had discovered it during a period in his life where everything had been out of control—his father”s health, his mother”s anxiety and, later, her intense clinginess, the decisions of the company’s board of directors and how their whims might dictate the course of his own life.

The company might have belonged to his father, but the board would decide who would take his father”s place during his illness and after his death. Of course, no one had been as invested in that outcome as Christian had been, but his youth and relative inexperience had counted against him at the time.

BDSM had given him a much-needed perception of control where previously there had been none.

Trinity - he had to remind himself to think of her as that now - had been an absolute godsend. He hadn”t fully appreciated it at the time, but she had subtly wooed and indulged everyone with her easy-going charm and genuine interest, and they had warmed to her, which in turn meant they’d warmed to him.

Things had almost gone horribly wrong when he’d introduced Bianca as his escort, and later his wife.

She had mostly been bored and uninterested and it had shown. Furthermore, where his colleagues and business acquaintances had adored Trinity, they had disliked Bianca intensely and made sure Christian knew it.

Instead of the subtle schmoozing Trinity had achieved with grace and aplomb, Bianca had flirted with those men who oozed wealth, even in front of their wives and girlfriends, which had caused inevitable friction. And she had dismissed those whom she didn”t feel matched her standards. Something she didn”t always get right.

She had once haughtily brushed off the CEO of one of the biggest conglomerates Christian wanted to do business with, insulting the man by treating him as if he were one of the wait staff.

Not only had it not been good for business, but It was one more thing to cause dissent between them.

Bianca became infuriated, and that made her behaviour all the more unacceptable as she became malicious and vindictive towards the wives who had spurned her, insulting their outfits, or making snide remarks about their weight.

Eventually, he had stopped taking her, instead being accompanied by a work colleague, a practice that continued to this day. He was only stuck this time since he was on a protracted trip and it hadn”t made sense to drag someone away from work for an extended period just for the sake of a couple of events. He had planned to go alone, if necessary.

Christian couldn”t help hoping Trinity would decide to honour their contract. There would undoubtedly be a lot of his business associates who would be overjoyed to become reacquainted with her.

Taking a deep breath, Christian headed for Trinity”s office to face the music, slightly unsure of what sort of a reception he”d get.