Bedrock (13 page)

So it was a pleasure to see Scott and Addison getting along so
well. William watched him laugh at something Addie had said and wondered if
there was anything about her that wasn’t absolutely perfect. Addison Greyer had
made him happier than he’d ever been. And it seemed that she had that effect on
others, too. William said a silent prayer of gratitude, knowing that he
couldn’t let this one slip away. He promised himself he would do whatever it
took. He would bury his past. Put it behind him. He would finally learn how to
love and be loved in return because this one was a keeper. Just then, Addie
looked up, caught his eye, and winked at him. He smiled unable to take his eyes
off of her, unable to focus on anything but how beautiful she was. And for the
first time in his life, William Hartman understood what it felt like to be in
love.

Thirteen

Addie returned home from Italy, anxious to see her
boys. Having never been away from them, she hadn’t realized it possible to miss
them
that
much.

The day after Addie returned, she spent the entire day watching
them swim and run and play and chase Max in their backyard. It was a gorgeous
day, the kind that made all your worries suddenly seem insignificant. She
wanted to stop time, to bottle it up and make her boys stay this way forever
with their moppy heads and little boy smells.

The following morning, Addie returned to work, wishing she’d
taken another day or two off. Unfortunately, her inbox was overflowing, and she
needed to get a ton of proposals out. Even still, she planned on leaving the
office early to catch up on lost time with the kids.

Patrick had called last night, and Addie could swear that she
heard something in his voice that sounded uneasy. She knew it would be hard
having him so far away, but she hadn’t really thought it would be
this
hard.
The reality that she couldn’t just call him up to tell him something funny or
troubling that happened throughout her day was finally starting to sink in. And
although Addie was still angry with Patrick for accepting the assignment in
China, she missed him terribly and hated to admit that she was beginning to
understand his decision on some level. Patrick loved his work. It was who he
was. As much as Addie was beginning to love her job, she couldn’t help but feel
a sense of compassion towards him for wanting to provide for his family by
climbing the corporate ladder.

Addie opened her office door to find three vases full of purple
orchids sitting on her desk. She smiled, opening the card.

Dear Addison,

Thank you for giving my life color. I hope each time you look
at these you’ll think of me and the three beautiful days we spent together in
Italy.

I miss you.

Yours,

William

Addie wondered what William was thinking, sending her flowers at
the office.
Again
. Anyone could’ve read the card. And there would
certainly be a lot of questions each time one of her colleagues entered her
office.
Damn him.
She had to figure something out and fast.

Trying to take her mind off of the situation, Addie got right to
work. She typed up a few proposals and then started on the 312 emails sitting
in her inbox. Only one of them grabbed her attention and held it.

From: William B. Hartman

Date: 6/25/2012

To: Addison Greyer

Subject: I Miss You

Dearest Addison,

I hope you like the flowers.

Words can’t describe how much I miss waking up next to you in
the morning.

Your presence gives my life new meaning. And your absence
leaves a noticeable void. Tell me, “What is a man to do?”

I need to see you before it all goes further downhill. ;)

A car will be waiting outside the lobby at noon. Go outside and
get in it. I’ll be waiting.

See you soon.

Kisses,

William

Addie sighed glancing at the clock. Eleven forty-five. Crap.
Didn’t he know that the rest of the world actually had to work for a living?

Admittedly, she’d dressed up in short little red dress and spent
extra time on hair and makeup just in case she might run into William. So why
then was she so surprised? Annoyed and anxious, Addie had to admit that she
wanted to see William too. She did as she was told, and at twelve o’clock sharp
hopped in the car that drove her to William’s place.

Addie had second thoughts as she rode the elevator up.
What
was she doing here?

William opened the door, wearing faded blue jeans and a crisp
white button-down shirt.
Casual. Especially for him.

Addie grinned as he moved to the side and ushered her in.
“Working today?”

“Always.” William said as he bent down, kissing her on the cheek.

Addie glanced around the place, noticing how different it felt
from her own home. How quiet and lonely it seemed.

“So you got me here. Now what?”

“Oh, so it’s like that now?”

William used his body to push her up against the wall in the
foyer. He kissed her nose and brushed a strand of hair away from her eye. “This
dress is uh . . . wow, but I’m afraid it’s going to have to come off,” William
said, running his hands slowly down her curves.

Addie ran her fingers through his hair, curling a strand around
her finger, tugging gently. “You think so, do you?”

William unzipped her dress, and Addie watched it fall to the
floor. She knew what she’d come here for. Since there was no turning back now,
she slowly pushed William to the floor and straddled him, slowly moving up and
down.

William sighed, whispering in her ear. “I need you, Addison.”

Finishing in unison, they both sank to the floor. William put his
arm beneath her head and turned towards his fingers tracing the outline of her
face. “God you’re beautiful.”

Finally after a while, Addie said, “I don’t know what it was I
came here for, but I guess that’ll do.”

“I’m glad you came.” The corners of his lips tilted slightly.

“I’m glad I came, too.” Addie smiled.

“That’s my girl.” William lingered over the words, understanding
the double meaning behind Addie’s words.

“I shall come again.” Addie smirked, pulling her dress up.

William stared. “That’s my job.”

Addie shook her head, catching her reflection in the mirror. She
couldn’t help but notice that the girl staring back at her looked happy.
Carefree.

“Stay a while. You hungry?”

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I gotta get back to work.”

William faked a frowned. “Seriously? You’re just going to use me
and run?”

“For now. Yes.”

“If you say so, I’ll have lunch sent to your office. It’ll be
waiting when you get back.” William said, opening the door.

Addie kissed him briefly, trying to avoid the range of emotions
she was feeling. Trying and failing to keep the situation light. “Thank you,
William.”

William pulled her in and held her face in place while he kissed
her the way he wanted. “No. Thank you.” He finally said, releasing her.

Addie returned to her office to find Sondra waiting for
her.
Shit.

Sondra stood as Addie entered. She looked . . . terrible . . . unlike
herself.

Great. I’m getting fired.

Sondra motioned towards a chair. “Take a seat, Mrs. Greyer.”

Addie did as she was told.

Sondra took a deep breath. “I was expecting to see you in my
office this morning.”

“I know and I’m sorry. There is just so much work I needed to
catch up on.”

Sondra eyed Addie up and down in a way that told her she wasn’t
fooling anyone. “Yeah. It seems that way.”

Addie glanced around her office; looking for a way out of the
hole she’d just dug herself into. “What can I do for you, Sondra?”

Sondra picked up a stack of papers from Addie’s desk and fanned
herself. “Have you made a decision on my offer? Do you have an answer for me?”

“I . . . Uh . . . Yes. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I so
appreciate you thinking of me, but—”

“I’m pregnant, Addison, exactly eight weeks along and, if you
can’t tell, sicker than I’ve ever been in my life.”

Addie tried to keep her face neutral. “Wow. Congratulations.”

“Let me finish. I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and I
have built an extensive and exclusive list of clientele. Clearly, I cannot
continue to see my clients throughout this pregnancy. The real kicker is that I
never expected to be able to have children, Addison. Never. They said it was
impossible after everything that happened. And to tell you the truth, I’ve
never really cared to be a mother. But now that it’s happened, well, I’ve given
it a lot of thought, and I figure, what the hell, I might as well embrace it.”

“Having a child is a big deal. And . . . yeah, you’re probably
right. Your profession and babies don’t exactly mix very well.” Addie’s smirk
quickly disappeared. “What about the father? Will he be involved?”

“No. He won’t. But we’ll be fine.”

“I see.”

“Addison, I’m just going to cut to the chase. Dungeon Seven is my
life, and I cannot just step out of it without losing my clients. They’re used
to a certain level of service. I’ve given this a lot of thought. Yes, there are
other Dommes out there that I could farm them out to, but I just don’t feel
comfortable doing it. I want someone whom I know and trust and who is
specifically trained by me. With the proper amount of training, I know that
you’d be perfect. So what is it? Is it the money? Because—”

“Ok. I’ll do it.” Her mind wandered to her own children, and,
somehow, the words suddenly slipped out. She stared out at the skyline mulling
them over in her mind once more. Addie sighed. She wasn’t sure, why but it just
felt right. It was time to stand on her own two feet. She glanced back at
Sondra who looked relieved. “But I expect a signing bonus.”

Sondra stood and walked towards the door, smiling. “You got it.
I’ll have my assistant get everything in place and get your household fully
staffed. Your training begins tomorrow at five a.m. sharp.”

Addie grimaced. “Five a.m.?”

“Yeah. We need to whip your ass into shape. Literally. This line
of work is incredibly physical.”

Addie smiled, hoping she hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of
her life.

Addie woke to her phone ringing at four a.m. It was her
new chef asking to be let in.
Jesus, what had her life become.

Over breakfast, she was informed that she was only to eat what
the chef, an older man named Alexander, who as it turned out was Russian,
prepared. Addie was instructed that he must approve all food. She was on a
strict diet and only allowed to consume a limited number of calories in order
to stay within the regimen Alexander prepared.

But if Addie thought Alexander was a ball buster, she couldn’t
have been less prepared for the trainer who showed up promptly at four
forty-five a.m. Andre was brutal. No holds barred. He wore Addie out in the
first five minutes yet insisted she complete the entire hour-long training
session. It was pure hell. Addison hated the man in the first ten minutes.
What
had she gotten herself into?

Addie showered and was surprised to find the boys happily
chatting with Alexander when she came back downstairs and Nanny Kelsey already
there.

“Hey, Mrs. Greyer, I LOVE my new schedule. I can’t tell you how
much this will help towards my student loans, not to mention I just really love
your kids.”

Addie smiled, kissing each of the boys. “Thanks, Kelsey. I know a
trio of boys who feel the same way about you.”

Addie sat watching them eat as Kelsey packed lunches.
Maybe
this was a good thing after all.
It would give her back to them. Instead of
trying to do everything herself, as a single mom, now she had a team in place.

After she saw the boys off to school, Addie was picked up by a
car service and driven downtown to the warehouse district where Dungeon Seven
was located. Seven as it was called was in an unassuming building that could’ve
easily passed as an inconspicuous medical office. The entrance was freshly
decorated and bright, complete with a cheerful receptionist.

“You must be Addison.”

“Yes.”

“I’m Liselle.”

The girl rose from behind the desk and ushered Addie towards a
door to on her right. “Ms. Sheehan asked that you to step into this room and
dress in the clothing hanging there on the rack. She’ll greet you momentarily.”

Addie watched as Liselle closed the door behind her. Touching the
outfit hanging before her, she couldn’t help but laugh.
Seriously?
She
ran her fingers over the leather
catsui
t.
It looked like something straight out of Hollywood.

Addie scowled, struggling to pull the tight leather over her
body. Already sore from Andre’s crazy intense workout, the task wasn’t easy.
But once it was finally on, it fit like a glove, and was surprisingly
comfortable. Addie eyed herself in the full-length mirror, pleased with what
she saw.
What a long way she had come. What a long way still to go.
She
slipped the six-inch heels on that had been left for her and checked the mirror
again. The woman in the mirror staring back looked fierce. The girl in the
mirror made Addie realize that she had transformed. She was suddenly light
years away from the woman she had been just a few short months ago. Satisfied,
she picked up the client profile and studied it, testing herself to make sure
she’d memorized every last detail.