Chapter 54
Riley
I wake to the sound of the front door slamming. I listen, instantly on edge, before remembering where I am. I’m safe. I hear Corrine saying something to Xavier as she approaches the bedroom door.
“You’re filthy Xavier,” she’s saying as she opens the door. Then she calls back “Get cleaned up before I go anywhere with you.” Then she turns and flashes me a mischievous grin.
“Having fun?” I ask. Just then the door pops back open and Xavier peeks his head in.
“There’s plenty of room for two in that bathroom. Just saying…” he spins and walks down the hall.
“Lord that guy is insatiable,” Corrine says. She’s shaking her head but there’s also a gleam in her eye. “Can I just tell you what we’ve been doing this morning?”
I cringe. I’ve been a little hesitant to hear about the sexual adventures these two have taken. In the first days since I got here, the talk of anything sexual made me feel sick. I couldn’t explain it to Corrine, other than saying that “ sex” had become shameful to me. Nate had used me in a way I couldn’t wrap my head around. Corrine has been helping me work through some of the things that came back to me as I started feeling better physically. Making sense of Nate’s erratic actions, which we equated to drugs and definitely a mental instability. But also, how I can move on from here.
“I think maybe this will help you,” Corrine says.
“Okay, but leave out the super detailed stuff. I don’t need to know that much about one of my bosses.” My own words take me by surprise. I’ve been unsure whether I could see myself returning to the office, given that everyone knows the ordeal I went through. That and the fact that Nate is on the loose still somewhere and could potentially show up at Bolt.
“So you are going back?” Corrine asks, smiling.
“I didn’t think I knew, until right now,” I say. “But yes. I worked my ass off to get there and I’ll be fucking damned if Nate ruins that for me too.”
“Excellent,” she says. “Okay so anyways. We were just having coffee together this morning at the apartment and Xavier mentioned something about control, like how he’s always having to be the one making decisions at work and in bed. And I was like ‘maybe you need to experience a little more flexibility.’” Corrine smiles then and settles herself further into the chair, pulling out water from her purse. I can tell this is gonna be quite the story.
“Xavier looked at me with this expression of curiosity and I knew what had to be done.”
“Oh lord.” That’s all I can say, waiting for the punchline.
“So I took him to my bedroom, and got my strap on.”
“Oh Jesus Corrine. Do I want to hear this?”
“Yes! Of course you do!” She laughs. “The long and short of it is that Xavier enjoyed being the one who was not in charge this morning.”
I can’t help it, I laugh out loud. My sister, ever the freak. “I wish I had your confidence,” I say. “Or I wish I did, before I went through all this.” I gesture to the bed, and the room. “I don’t feel like I’ll ever want to be naked with anyone ever again, let alone have someone else take control over my body.”
“You’ll get there babe. Baby steps,” she says. “How about we start with a shower today? Because I hate to say it but your hair looks like it needs some help.”
“Dick!” I shout at her, throwing one of the pillows from Sebastian’s bed in her face. It hits her water bottle, which spills over and starts dripping on the floor.
“Shit,” she says. “I’ll get it.”
“Corrine,” I say. “I’m not broken, let me get it. Since I’m the one who made you spill.” I laugh and get out of bed to grab a towel from the bathroom. I bend next to the bed to mop up the water, which has made its way under the bed. I’m shoving the towel under when I feel something. I drop my head to look under the bed and see a shiny silver box.
“Corrine, there’s something under the bed,” I say, already trying to refrain from my nosiness.
“Um, duh, we have to see what’s inside it,” she’s saying, already pushing me out of the way to slide the box out. We both stare eagerly at it and then at each other.
“What do you think is in it?” I ask.
“Here, I’ll save you from being the bad guy,” and with that she pops off the lid. I cover my mouth, not sure whether to laugh or shut the box once again. On top, there are handcuffs covered in a luxurious pink fur. Reminiscent of the pink furry dice I had hanging from my rearview mirror in highschool.
“Okay, so it’s a kink box.” Corrine says. “Let us explore.”
Pulling the handcuffs out, I see a plethora of sex related items. There’s lube, many kinds. One says just “cheeks,” on it, others are warming, one is all-natural. Jesus. Sebastian likes lube.
“Oh I love these things,” Corrine says, and pulls out a set of clamps that look rather savage. “Oh and look, there's your favorite color!” She’s pointing to the layer of vibrators we’ve now come to. There are pink, purple and black vibrators. One must be a butt plug .
“Oh my god. I can’t think about all this,” I say. I realize I’m blushing, and thinking about Sebastian using one of these vibrators on my clit. It feels… scary. But also, something else. It’s a feeling I wasn’t sure I could have again. Desire.
“Our boy knows how to keep things interesting,” Corrine says. She winks and shoves the box back under the bed. “I love that for you.”
We make small talk for the next few minutes, making a plan to get me out of the condo in the next few days. It’s time I started seeing someone to help me with some of the memories that keep coming up. But more than that, I want to get back to the office and help Sebastian find out more about Nate and Lockhart, and how we can get those fuckers back.
“Ready for round two gorgeous?” Xavier’s voice interrupts our conversation.
“Pervert,” I say, and smile at him playfully. I like that he and Corrine have something going on. I do worry a bit for both of them though. I know she can be a bit of a wildcard. And given what I know about Bolt, I assume Xavier isn’t a “one person” guy. I look at her and she smiles and hops up.
“See you tonight,” she says and walks out the door with Xavier. Maybe today I will make an effort to look more “together,” not for Sebastian, but for my own sake. I turn on the shower in his bathroom and step into the steam. I’m still imagining Sebastian with a vibrator in hand when I step under the hot water.