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“Any plans for the weekend?”
It took her a moment to realize Beth had been talking to her. “Um, I don’t know yet.”
“Drew and I are thinking about driving to Chicago after we close on Saturday. He’s never been.”
Grace grinned. Even talking to Beth had become easier over the last month. “It’s been years since I’ve been to Chicago. I’m sure it’s changed.”
Beth threw a dirty towel into the laundry bin and removed her apron. “I haven’t been there in about five years myself, but he surprised me last week with tickets to a show.” Her eyes lit up as they both grabbed purses and walked to the back door. “I’m excited about getting away more than anything. Just the two of us. Alone in Chicago.”
As happy as Grace was for her boss, she couldn’t shake the sadness she felt. But it was slightly different this time. Before when she’d listened or watched the obvious signs of another couple in love, she’d felt such a pang of loss for her husband that it was almost debilitating. Grace still felt the loss to an extent, but she also felt a longing as well. She missed that feeling. Maybe that meant she really was ready.
She was on her way home when her phone rang. Since she was driving, she let it go to voice mail. It could only be one of three people. Her sister. Her mother. Or Alexander, which was most likely. They were the only three people to ever call her besides Beth, and considering Grace had seen her less than ten minutes ago, it was highly unlikely it was her.
Once she made her way into the house and took off her coat—the weather had finally begun to turn two days ago—Grace checked her phone. She’d been right. It had been Alexander. She’d call him back, but not before she took a shower. Even with the fresh shirt, Grace could still feel the remnants of soup on her.
Twenty-five minutes later, Grace headed downstairs in her robe to heat up dinner. As her food was warming in the microwave, she called Alexander back.
“I was starting to get worried.” His obvious concern made her feel bad for not returning his call as soon as she’d gotten home.
“Sorry. I was driving home when you called and I really needed to take a shower. I was a bit clumsy today and managed to spill a full ladle of soup on myself.” She still couldn’t believe she’d done that.
“Did you burn yourself?”
“No, but my shirt didn’t fare so well. Beth had a spare in her car that she let me borrow.” Speaking of which, Grace made a note to get Beth’s shirt washed this weekend so she could return it to her on Tuesday. She’d do it tonight, but there wasn’t time before she needed to be at Serpent’s Kiss and she didn’t want to be late.
“Maybe you should have stayed home and rested.” She knew he was referring to her not feeling well the night before, which only made her feel worse since it had been a lie.
“It wasn’t that. I was just distracted and not paying attention to what I was doing.” The microwave beeped, letting her know her food was ready. Grace tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she retrieved her dinner. She took extra special care not to spill anything on her way to the table. Taking another shower before getting ready would only put her in a crunch for time.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked, and she knew he must have heard the microwave.
“The rest of the chicken soup you brought over.” She paused before taking another bite. “Thank you again. You didn’t have to.”
“That’s what friends are for, right?”
They talked until she was finished eating her soup, making plans to go out to dinner the following week. Twice, he said, in order to make up for her canceling on him on Thursday.
By the time she trekked back upstairs to get ready, she was feeling more relaxed. That was until she went to her closet and pulled out her outfit for the evening. Katrina had said there wasn’t really a dress code, but Grace had been in the lifestyle long enough to know what was expected and what wasn’t. Especially if the goal was for her to find a new Dom.
The black corset showed off her curves, as did the tight black skirt she was wearing. Grace chose a black thong to go with the outfit. She wasn’t planning to play with anyone tonight, but she still needed to look the part. That was the whole point of going, right?
Her anxiety increased as she drove toward downtown St. Louis, and skyrocketed when she pulled into the small parking lot alongside the club.
Sitting alone in her car, engine off, she tried to give herself a pep talk. Grace had never searched for a Dom before. She and Kurt had discovered the lifestyle together. It had been fun and revealing. They’d learned so much about each other.
Was she ready for that with someone else?
Grace turned to look at herself in the rearview mirror. “You can do this,” she muttered to herself.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Grace got out of the car. She clutched her coat tighter to her body as she hurried across the parking lot— or hurried as much as she could in heels. The wind had kicked up, blowing from the north. It was going to be a chilly night.
She stepped into the small foyer, out of the wind, and removed the membership card Katrina had given Grace from the small purse she’d brought with her. With shaky hands she swiped the card. There was a soft clicking noise, letting her know the door was unlocked. She turned the knob and stepped inside.
The room she walked into was exactly as she remembered it with one exception. Tonight there was a woman sitting in the alcove at the far end of the room. She looked up when she heard Grace enter.
“Are you Grace?” she asked.
Grace nodded.
