Edna to be in danger a second time tonight when he was still so shaken by seeing a gun trained at her heart. He didn’t want to risk her safety, even to put away a man who
obviously couldn’t be allowed to remain in power if the accusations against him were true.
“I won’t get hurt, and you’ll be just a few feet away, right?”
“Right,” he said, the trust in her eyes making his stomach knot. She had faith that he would keep her safe. Now he had to make damn sure he earned it.
“Then I’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. “Now get out of here before I get nervous and change my mind.”
“You can still change your mind, you—”
“I won’t. I trust you. Otherwise I would have run when Cindy first pulled out that gun. But I just…knew that you wouldn’t let her hurt me. Is that crazy?”
“No, it’s not. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Not even myself.
He turned and disappeared into the east dressing room without another word, forcing himself to think about keeping Edna safe and nothing else. There would be time to mourn the loss of what could have been between them at a later date. But he knew now that he couldn’t allow his fantasies involving the woman to become a reality.
If they took care of business tonight, Edna would finally have the chance at a real life again. She’d made it clear she didn’t relish working on the wrong side of the tracks. She certainly wouldn’t want to start a relationship with a man who felt that a “kinky” lifestyle was the only one that worked for him.
Frank had had relationships that didn’t play by the Dom or sub rules, but they hadn’t fulfilled him in the same way. He craved that sexual charge too much to give it up, and he already cared for Edna too greatly to ask her to spend any more time engaging in a lifestyle that she resented. He would help her regain her life, and then he would remove himself from it. It was the best way he could show his regard for her, even if the thought of never seeing her again tore him up more than he would have believed possible.
Chapter Five
Edna gripped the whip in her hand and turned to face the door of the dressing room where the king would supposedly be making his appearance at any moment. She knew she should be scared out of her mind, but for some reason she wasn’t. Maybe it was simply that she trusted Frank to keep her safe, or maybe it was because she was still having a hard time believing that Robert planned to kidnap her and make her his love slave.
It was ludicrous. The guy who’d fought tooth and nail to be able to date and eventually marry her underage stepdaughter was actually in love with her and wanted to lock her up in a room and go at it? It was just plain weird, and she wouldn’t have bought it at all if Cindy hadn’t been so hysterical.
Her stepdaughter was good at many things, but acting certainly wasn’t one of them. Despite the fact that the entire kingdom bought her story of horrible abuse at her stepmother’s hands, Edna had always been able to see through her attempts at deception. No, Cindy genuinely believed what she was saying was the truth. Of course, she could be mistaken. She wasn’t the most stable kid and tended to jump to conclusions. But if Robert’s secret journal really existed, there wasn’t much chance of that.
God, she could go crazy thinking in circles! She just had to relax, sit tight for a few more minutes, and then she’d know who was really crazy, King Robert or his paranoid new queen.
“Shit,” she muttered, jumping at the quiet scrape of the outer door of the dressing room swinging open.
So much for relaxing.
She held her breath and tried to pretend that this was any other client, even as she struggled to catch the sound of a key in a locker or clothes being removed. Would the king risk getting dressed in the regulation loincloth or would he just walk in? On the one hand it made no sense for him to make himself vulnerable, but then maybe he had a
obviously couldn’t be allowed to remain in power if the accusations against him were true.
“I won’t get hurt, and you’ll be just a few feet away, right?”
“Right,” he said, the trust in her eyes making his stomach knot. She had faith that he would keep her safe. Now he had to make damn sure he earned it.
“Then I’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. “Now get out of here before I get nervous and change my mind.”
“You can still change your mind, you—”
“I won’t. I trust you. Otherwise I would have run when Cindy first pulled out that gun. But I just…knew that you wouldn’t let her hurt me. Is that crazy?”
“No, it’s not. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Not even myself.
He turned and disappeared into the east dressing room without another word, forcing himself to think about keeping Edna safe and nothing else. There would be time to mourn the loss of what could have been between them at a later date. But he knew now that he couldn’t allow his fantasies involving the woman to become a reality.
If they took care of business tonight, Edna would finally have the chance at a real life again. She’d made it clear she didn’t relish working on the wrong side of the tracks. She certainly wouldn’t want to start a relationship with a man who felt that a “kinky” lifestyle was the only one that worked for him.
Frank had had relationships that didn’t play by the Dom or sub rules, but they hadn’t fulfilled him in the same way. He craved that sexual charge too much to give it up, and he already cared for Edna too greatly to ask her to spend any more time engaging in a lifestyle that she resented. He would help her regain her life, and then he would remove himself from it. It was the best way he could show his regard for her, even if the thought of never seeing her again tore him up more than he would have believed possible.
Chapter Five
Edna gripped the whip in her hand and turned to face the door of the dressing room where the king would supposedly be making his appearance at any moment. She knew she should be scared out of her mind, but for some reason she wasn’t. Maybe it was simply that she trusted Frank to keep her safe, or maybe it was because she was still having a hard time believing that Robert planned to kidnap her and make her his love slave.
It was ludicrous. The guy who’d fought tooth and nail to be able to date and eventually marry her underage stepdaughter was actually in love with her and wanted to lock her up in a room and go at it? It was just plain weird, and she wouldn’t have bought it at all if Cindy hadn’t been so hysterical.
Her stepdaughter was good at many things, but acting certainly wasn’t one of them. Despite the fact that the entire kingdom bought her story of horrible abuse at her stepmother’s hands, Edna had always been able to see through her attempts at deception. No, Cindy genuinely believed what she was saying was the truth. Of course, she could be mistaken. She wasn’t the most stable kid and tended to jump to conclusions. But if Robert’s secret journal really existed, there wasn’t much chance of that.
God, she could go crazy thinking in circles! She just had to relax, sit tight for a few more minutes, and then she’d know who was really crazy, King Robert or his paranoid new queen.
“Shit,” she muttered, jumping at the quiet scrape of the outer door of the dressing room swinging open.
So much for relaxing.
She held her breath and tried to pretend that this was any other client, even as she struggled to catch the sound of a key in a locker or clothes being removed. Would the king risk getting dressed in the regulation loincloth or would he just walk in? On the one hand it made no sense for him to make himself vulnerable, but then maybe he had a
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