Bound by Love's Gravity (13 page)

Three days after moving into her new apartment, Sarah stood smack in the middle of The Edge with Ansley and Kylia by her side. Adrenaline zipped through her veins as she stared around the elegant room wide-eyed, wondering what in the world she’d ever done to deserve a trip to this magical place. “So this is what I’ve been missing?” she breathed.
Holy moly.

People from all walks of life mingled around Sarah. Surprisingly, she recognized several of the Doms and subs from town—doctors, lawyers, teachers, business owners, constructions workers. She even saw a couple of her new neighbors from her apartment building.
Wow. Who would’ve thought?

And oh boy, the people she didn’t know were fierce and fascinating—women in collars, a few of them on leashes, and men wearing everything from jeans to suits to leathers. The clothing spectrum was completely covered. Although, some people were not entirely dressed. There were as many scantily clad bodies as covered ones. Yet no one was entirely bared. And no one seemed the least bit interested in what anyone else was wearing or what they were doing. They were just talking, laughing, and having a good old time.

Strangely, Sarah felt a sense of coming home assail her, and it wasn’t just because of the people. Her surroundings warmed her, wrapping her up as though she’d been cocooned by an old blanket, which was surprising considering the lounge’s upscale décor.

What should have been pretentious in the space was not. The designer had done a perfect job of balancing old-world style and hints of modernity. Dark hardwood floors were offset by walls painted in a deep, rich red with a burgundy sheen. Luxurious furniture the color of vintage wine appeared as comfortable as it was fashionable. The lighting was lowered just enough to darken the space intimately, and the music was set low, soft enough to permit comfortable conversation but voluminous enough to ooze sensuality, to breathe seduction. And a traditional rug was situated on the floor, precisely engulfing a large portion of the room. But Sarah didn’t mind its dominance because she imagined sinking her bare feet into the thick carpet and wiggling her toes.

A giggle erupted from Sarah’s chest.
Only I would want to test out the carpet in a BDSM club.
“This is awesome,” she blurted out. When Sarah realized what she’d said, blood suffused her face.
Jumping vanilla beans. I didn’t just say that out loud. Did I? How freaking embarrassing.

“Aw look,” Ansley exclaimed excitedly, butting Kylia’s shoulder with her own. “She’s blushing already. We haven’t even taken her to the dungeon yet.”

Kylia sniffed. “
We
aren’t going to, either. I would prefer to keep my head attached to my shoulders. Thank you very much.”

“You’re such a spoilsport.” Ansley frowned then sighed in distinct disappointment. “I guess it wasn’t a part of our deal anyway.”

Suspicion suddenly seeped into Sarah’s veins. Something wasn’t right. “Deal? What deal?” she asked anxiously, whipping her head from one blonde to the other, sending them both the evilest eye she could muster. And that wasn’t saying much. She couldn’t scare a fuzzy bunny if she tried.

Ansley smiled, her pretty face brimming with unconcealed self-satisfaction. “The one we made with Sebastian to get you in here.”

Sarah felt nauseous. “Deke and Adam didn’t invite me here for drinks, did they?”

Ansley’s grin widened as she shook her head. “Nope.”

Dread filled Sarah. “You tricked me?”

Ansley nodded. “Yep. We had to get you here somehow, and you wouldn’t have come if we’d told you what was really going on. So I might have stretched the truth—a lot—when I called you earlier.”

Oh H-E Double Hockey Sticks. Deke and Adam are going to kill me.

“Why don’t you tell her
all
about your little game, Ansley,” Kylia urged, choking on a laugh. “I’m sure she is going to love your ingenuity.”

“Yeah,” Sarah croaked. “Why don’t you tell me what is going on and why I’m here.”
So I know why my butt is in the frying pan when the guys find out where I am.

Ansley shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”

Sarah wanted to be the judge of that conclusion. “Come on, Ansley. You know you want to tell me.”

Sighing with an overly dramatic flair, Ansley tugged Sarah toward one of the few open chairs then shoved her in it. “You might as well get comfortable,” she said before plopping down on its arm. “Come on, KK. You, too.”

Sauntering around to the opposite side, Kylia leaned her hip against the other arm. “I’m here. Okay?”

Not answering her, Ansley said, “Hmmm. Where to begin?” She furrowed her eyebrow as her lips turned down. Then finally, a
Eureka!
expression crossed her face. “I got it! We’ll start at the beginning.”

Despite her nervousness, Sarah had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. Ansley was a nut. She loved that about her. The other woman’s innate craziness had helped her through many of her roughest days.

“Do go on,” Kylia suggested. “We’re not getting any younger here.”

Ansley rolled her eyes. “After you decided to move to Kinky, I started thinking.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “You should be proud. That doesn’t happen much.”

“Ansley,” Kylia said. Sarah heard the warning in her tone. Hopefully, Ansley did, too.

“Yeah, yeah, KK. I got off track—as usual.” She huffed. “
Anyway,
I realized that we’ve all been going about this the wrong way.”

Sarah closed her eyes. This was going to be bad, very, very bad. She could feel it in her bones. “What way?”

A smile spread across Ansley’s face. “You love Deke and Adam. Right?”

Sarah nodded.

“Deke and Adam love you. Right?”

Confused as to where this was going, Sarah replied. “I think so. Maybe? I don’t know for sure.”

To Sarah’s shock, Kylia gave an out-of-character snort. “Don’t be silly. The Bosses love you.”

Clearing her throat noticeably, Ansley asked, “Deke and Adam love each other. Right?”

Sarah still had no clue where this line of questioning was going, but she had to find out.
She has a point…somewhere. I just have to keep playing along.
She nodded. “Yes.”

“Divide and conquer,” Ansley announced with a self-satisfied smile as though those three words should explain it all.

It didn’t. “Huh?” Sarah asked, dumbfounded.

Kylia shifted then stood. “It’s her screwy way of saying that she is breaking you all apart then putting you back together—Humpty Dumpty style.”

“But this time it’ll work,” Ansley insisted. “The Edge has plenty of bondage tape lying around.” She winked. “Trust me. I know.”

Sarah fought the urge to elbow Ansley. She won, too. “I’m still confused. Can someone explain this to me in a way that I’ll understand?”

“I’ll let you do that, KK. She hasn’t learned my special language yet.”

Sarah didn’t believe she would ever understand Ansley’s special language. She was all over the place, all the time, when she talked.
Silly flibbertigibbet.

In evident exasperation, Kylia shook her head. “Deke gave you up. Adam gave Deke up. You gave them both up. Now, you’re all separated. Love will pull you back together.”

“Wait. What?” Sarah asked. She was starting to feel like an idiot. “The three of us being apart isn’t going to fix a thing. It’s a freaking disaster.”

And that was an understatement.
Since Adam had told her about his fight with Deke, Sarah had been driving herself crazy with worry for herself and for both of them. She’d barely eaten. And sleep had been out of the question. That was why she’d been so thrilled when Ansley had called and said that Deke and Adam had made up and wanted her to join them for drinks then dinner. She’d thought there was a chance for them after all, even if it was only a small one. But no, it had all been a
stupid prank that would likely land her in hot water.

“It’s not a disaster,” Kylia disagreed.

Ansley, however, said nothing. She wasn’t paying them any attention as she crossed her long legs seductively then shot a sex-laced look toward a man across the room, a drop-dead gorgeous man who looked an awful lot like Adam.
Declan.
She turned her gaze toward the man next to him, sticking her tongue out childishly. The second stranger scowled back at her. He appeared to have a huge stick up his bottom, but he also bore a resemblance to Ansley.
Lucian.

“Lucian is visiting,” Ansley explained. Not that she needed to share that tidbit. Kylia’s furious glare had said it all.

“I’m going to ignore that,” Kylia snapped haughtily. “We need to discuss more important things anyway.”

Ansley shrugged. “Whatever, babe. You should have them put a ring on it, like that Beyoncé song you hate so much.” With a wink, she hummed the melody beautifully. “Or in your case, lock a collar on it.”

Sarah choked when she saw Kylia’s plum-colored, fury-filled face.
Oh boy.
Smelling trouble, she scrambled to change the subject before a cat fight broke out. “Um. You never explained the whole divide and conquer stuff.”

“Stuff?” Ansley scoffed. “It’s a brilliant plan. The three of you have some weird cosmic thing going on. It’s like you can’t keep away from each other.”

Sarah laughed. That was an insane conclusion for her friend to have drawn. Before a couple of years ago, she hadn’t known Adam and Deke had avoided her like she had some vicious disease.

Ansley pursed her pretty lips. “Think about it. As a child, you were with Deke. From what I hear, you two were close—well, as close as Deke lets people. We’ve all heard the stories about his doting on a tiny scrap of a girl with perpetually bruised knees and big gray eyes. Then he went off to college where he met Adam. They fell in love and all that gooey crap. Years later, you meet Adam. After that famously embarrassing meeting, you two were as thick as thieves while Deke and Adam were partners. It’s simple math really.”

Sarah’s face heated. No one was ever going to let her live down the story of how she’d met Adam. They’d been at the rehearsal dinner for mutual friends when he’d approached the group she’d been standing in. He’d started to introduce himself, but she’d blurted out that he was beautiful—before he could even utter his name. Instantly, she’d paled and begun to hyperventilate. While she’d been dying from mortification, Adam had been his charming, suave self. He’d reassured her and been kind about her faux pas, which had ended up irritating her. And the next thing she’d known she was fussing at him for being so nice and telling him it would be easier if he were a jerk. Then things had gone from bad to worse. He’d finally introduced himself as Adam, and she’d realized he was Deke’s Adam. Once she’d grasped that the man who’d turned her world upside down belonged to the man she’d spent her life loving from afar, she’d run away. And she hadn’t stopped until Adam had cornered her several weeks later.

“Oh, really?” Kylia inquired with a grin that made her look sinister. “If I remember correctly, you failed all your high school math classes. Isn’t that right?” Her eyes twinkled. “And who tutored you in college? I think that was me.”

Ansley sniffed. “You know what I mean.”

Surprisingly, Sarah did. She’d not really thought about it before now. But the truth of it was the three of them had always been linked in some way—Deke and Sarah had a connection until Adam came along. Then Adam had connected with Deke, leaving Sarah behind. Finally, Adam had connected with her. They’d just not all connected at the same time.
Simple math.

Sarah giggled. “I’m starting to think like you, Ansley.”

“Smart girl.”

Kylia shuddered. “Don’t go over to the dark side. Their cookies are poisoned.”

With that, Ansley and Kylia’s bantering truly started, and Sarah sat back for the show. Then something hit her. “Wait! What does math have to do with me being in here without permission?”

Ansley grinned. “I have it on the highest authority that Adam and Deke are making up as we speak.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Bada bing, bada boom.”

“The highest authority?” Kylia scoffed. “Deke told you. Adam told me. Then we told each other. That’s not the highest authority.”

Ansley stuck her tongue out at Kylia. “Yes, it is. Deke and Adam are the highest authorities.”

“Whatever,” Kylia retorted. “It doesn’t matter. They’re working things out. That’s all that counts.”

Sarah had to agree. She didn’t give a crap who told who what. The important thing was Deke and Adam hadn’t given up on each other. They hadn’t given up on their relationship.
And if they worked things out…I might still have a chance with them.

Suddenly, Sarah felt like doing the Snoopy dance. But she refrained—barely. Instead, she prompted Ansley to go on with her strange explanation about math, sneaking into the club, and the two men making up. “And…”

Kylia answered Sarah for Ansley. “We want to make sure that you aren’t left out of the equation this time.”

Sarah’s heart fell, as did her eyes. “I don’t want to be an unwelcome addition.”

“Ha.” Ansley ruffled Sarah hair like a kid sister. “They won’t leave you out this time. But you know how men are. They are slow on the uptake when it comes to the women in their lives. Me, Kylia, and some of the Doms are just helping them along a little, especially Deke. He’s going to go ape-shit crazy when we’re done with today’s little adventure. It’s going to be fabulous.”