David made breakfast while I showered.
French toast with golden syrup—something I had never eaten before but it tasted delicious. Afterwards David cleaned the dishes and then told me to wait in the living room while he got dressed. Instead of listening, I explored.
For some reason I was drawn to the room that he had taken me to yesterday, the room with his knife collection. I held my breath as I turned the door handle, afraid that it might be locked, but the door opened without trouble.
I felt around the wall with my hand until I found the light switch.
It was strange that this was a room in the house that had no windows at all. The walls were painted a dark grey and the rest of the furniture—a big four-poster bed and another piece I couldn't identify—was made of dark oak. I stared at the blood red sating sheets covering the bed and then turned to face the knives.
The one he had used on my yesterday had been cleaned and placed back in it's place. My fingers shook as I reached out to trace the handle of the knife closest to me. The metal was cold and smooth to the touch. I looked over it and then looked at the drawers.
With a heart beating erratically in my chest I opened the first drawer.
The sight of the whip actually made me feel nauseas. I shivered and squeezed my eyes closed as the panic hit me. After a few seconds I opened my eyes and reached out. The whip felt cold against my skin and so familiar. It felt exactly the same as his.
Sweat coated my skin and bile rose in my throat. The room suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced by another room. Somewhere darker and colder. I could smell him. I could hear his laughter and the sound the whip made as it dragged on the floor whenever he circled me.
"I want to play, princess. Will you play with me?"
My body jerked. The sound of the whip connecting with skin filled my ears first before the pain penetrated. A cry fell from my lips. I stumbled backwards and turned, only to slam into a hard body.
My eyes snapped up.
"Sin?"
I pushed him away and hurried towards the bathroom but unfortunately didn't make it in time. David was by my side in an instant, holding my hair out of the way and keeping me up with an arm wrapped around my waist. Somehow I ended up laying on the couch with a blanket covering me. David cleaned up after me and then crouched in front of me.
"Feeling better?" I nodded. "What happened?"
I swallowed. "I remembered."
"Something that happened in your past?"
"Y-yeah."
He hesitated. "Did they knives trigger it?"
"No." My eyes darted over his shoulder. "T-the whip."
David blinked. He stared at me silently for what felt like hours before he moved. Standing, he disappeared from sight only to reappear again with a brown envelope. David crouched in front of me again. He reached out and stroke a finger across my cheekbone.
"This is why we need to talk first," he muttered. "I need to know what triggers you have and what you're willing to do and not. You'll be performing with me as soon as we've gone over everything."
"I'm sorry for not listening to you."
He smiled. "I need to get going but I'm going to drop you home first." He held up the envelope. "I want you to read as much of this as you can and make notes. Tomorrow morning, I'll meet you at the club at nine and then we can go over this."
Home. He was going to take me home, but I didn't want to go home. Only Lauren was at home. And Beth, but Lauren wouldn't do anything if Beth was around. It was the thought of what she would do when Beth wasn't around.
My lips parted but whatever I was about to say died down when David's eyes narrowed. I swallowed and slowly sat up. Pushing the blankets away I nodded and then stood to pull on my shoes. When I turned David was still standing by the couch, watching me.
I walked over to him and held my hand out. David hesitated for only a few seconds before he handed it over.
"I don't want you telling anybody about the club. Do you understand me?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Satisfaction flashed through his eyes. "Let's get going."
***
Of course I didn't give him my real address, mostly because I didn't know it and the other reason was that I didn't want him to know where I lived. I managed to find my way home while asking for directions. Seemed like almost the whole town knew who the Sanders were.
Getting in was a harder task. I didn't have a remote to open the gate so I climbed over it and almost ended up breaking my neck, but luckily my reflexes were a bit faster than what they used to be.
With the envelope pushed into the front of my pants and covered by my shirt, I entered the house. At first nothing looked out of the ordinary, but the moment I reached the living room, all hell broke lose.
"Sydney!" Lauren rushed forward with her arms stretched out in front of her.
I instantly flinched away from her touch. It was all a act—just like it always was. My eyes darted past her to the other people in the living room. Two police officers, Tyrone, Beth, and Damien.
"Where have you been?"
My eyes snapped back to Lauren's I gave her a small forced smile and shrugged. "With friends."
"With friends? You—"
"What friends?"
I looked at Tyrone. What the hell does he care? Why wasn't he at home entertaining Bella like he had yesterday? Without answering him, I turned and headed towards the stairs. Lauren was talking to the officers.
My brows dipped into a frown. Why had she called the police? I had only been gone for one night.
I entered my room and slammed the door closed. Walking over to the bed, I pulled the envelope out from underneath my shirt and pushed it under the pillows. Only just in time because the bedroom door was thrown open and slammed shut a second later. I didn't need to turn to find out who it was.
"Where the hell have you been?" Tyrone snarled. "You can't just go off and fucking disappear like that!"
"What do you care?"
I gasped when he gripped my arm and spun me around. His fingers gripped my chin and tilted my face backwards so I could look at him. I swallowed as I watched the emotions flash through his eyes as he studied the fading bruise.
"I care," he finally said. "I care."
A scoff fell from my lips before I could stop it. Pressing my hands against his chest, I pushed him away from me and turned towards the closet.
"I'm home. I'm fine. Leave."
"Sin—"
"I don't need you."
"Where have you been?"
"It's not your business."
Tyrone slammed a hand down on the closet door above my head before I could open it. I instantly tensed, but didn't move. There was nowhere to go, especially when he pressed his body along my back.
"It is my business," he hissed against my ear. "You're my business."
How could he say something he didn't mean? I swallowed the lump in my throat and squeezed my eyes closed. His scent surrounded me. His warm breath fanned my hear. It was all too much, having him so close to me, but not able to touch him and kiss him like I wanted to.
"I'm nobody's business," I croaked. "You made your choice and you better stick to it. I know when I'm being used. You—"
"I want nothing more than to be with you every second of the day, baby."
"Then what's stopping you?"
Tyrone stepped away from me instead of answering. It hurt more than his silence. Shaking my head, I opened my closet and removed some clean clothes. When I turned around, he stood a few feet away watching me.
"You know," I whispered. "I being with the three of you has been the most amazing time of my life. Being without you felt like I was back in hell, but seeing you with Bella as if nothing has ever happened between us, that's what hurts to most, Tyrone."
I blinked back the tears. Tyrone moved so suddenly that I couldn't stop him. One minute he was facing me and the next he was kissing me. The clothes dropped to the floor and my hands shot up to grip his shoulders as I melted against him. But as soon as it happened, it ended.
"Oh," Beth's loud exclamation had us jerking apart. "I'm s-sorry."
Dread filled me. Was she going to tell Lauren and Draven? Tyrone gripped my arm before I could go after her.
"I'll take care of it," he told me as he moved towards the door where he hesitated with his and on the handle. "I'll call you later. We need to talk."