Page 14 of Dark Secret

“Is tomorrow too soon, pet?” I asked as we walked along, arms around each other.

“No, not at all. I don’t have anything planned. I’ll just need to head home this evening to pack some clothes.”

“I’ll drive you over.”

“Oh, sure, thanks.”

I really didn’t want to spend a moment without her that I didn’t have to. Which was another thing I wouldn’t examine right now.

Once we’d made it back to my apartment, I set up a private charter to take us down to the Big Easy, booked a bed and breakfast in the French Quarter, and arranged for a car to pick us up at the airport. After that I’d driven her to her place, and she’d made sure she had everything she might need.

I’d noticed that Stephanie never asked for money, and her home was filled with name brands and very expensive furniture. Whoever she was, when she wasn’t with me, it was someone with money. I knew when I met her at the bar that she came from money, though. The way she spoke and the way she held herself all screamed of private school.

The luggage she’d rolled out of her bedroom was also a luxury brand. It wasn’t a big deal; it just meant one thing was certain—she wasn’t after my money. In fact, it didn’t surprise me a bit to find out the money I’d given to her as part of our arrangement had all gone to local charities.

No, that would never have to be a concern.

Not that I had any, not really. She didn’t want to sign a contract, well that was her business. Other than that, Stephanie was sweet, beautiful, intelligent, and fun to be with. She had an infectious laugh that invited everyone around her to join in the fun. Her smile lit her beautiful face up and made her even prettier.

She was generous, kind, and, dare I say it, loving. I’d learned what that meant from my father and my adoptive parents. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known. The world had been a giant asshole to me.

After my adoptive parents took me in, they’d sent me to therapy and to a local private school. The kids there had been merciless to the white trash kid taken in by the rich people who had been duped into feeling sorry for him. For a long time, it had hurt me, but over time, and with the love of my new family, I’d got past most of it.

I’d come to expect little from the world but hurt, and I had arranged my life around that. This celebratory trip to New Orleans might be misguided, but either way, I’d get to spend some time with the woman in my life in a beautiful setting. It could be magical in New Orleans, and later that night, after she’d gone to bed, I’d made a phone call.

“Hello, Celia,” I said into the phone when a woman’s sultry voice came over the line.

“Oh, Dylan, you devil. It’s been a long time.” The older woman, ageless but with a mature voice that gave her age away, spoke into the phone with a purr.

“It has been, and I’m coming down tomorrow. Do you have anything going on at Pepper’s?”

“We do, indeed. What did you have in mind?”

“I have a, uh, friend.” I heard a soft chuckle of amusement. Celia knew I didn’t do relationships; she must be dying of curiosity with that little admission. “She’s a bit on the innocent side, but she wants to explore what the world has to offer. I thought of you and your place.”

Peppers was a secret sex club, exclusive to those in certain income brackets. People like me. It catered to requests, when made, and sometimes held special events.

“I think I can arrange something. Is she one of your usual types?” Celia purred down the line.

“Not at all. Something totally different. She wants to explore things like voyeurism, exhibitionism, and BDSM. The usual for your club usual, really.”

“I think I can put together something for tomorrow night, babe. Around nine pm good for you?”

“Sounds perfect. Thanks, Celia.” I smiled as I turned the phone off and headed to bed with Stephanie.

She was a warm, soft lump beneath the covers, and I’d pulled her body close to mine. I didn’t care if I woke her up or not. I was selfish for a moment, because I’d needed her to reassure me that I wasn’t insane. I’d exposed myself to so much since I’d met her. I’d relived memories that were better left buried and had questioned my own sanity. I still did, but she made me not care whether I was sane or not.

She made me not care if we were in a relationship or not, despite my protests. All that mattered was that she was there, and I didn’t have to ask her for anything. She gave me all I’d needed plus some. v

Emily

I’d always wanted to go to New Orleans, I’d thought as the plane touched down and we’d prepared to exit. Rather, I should say, I’d always wanted to go as something more than my brothers’ secretary or babysitter. I’d never had the chance to explore the place or to look around. I was always doing some task or taking care of the kids. I’d rarely left the grounds of our hotel in the city. The times I left it was to find a pharmacy for something the kids had needed, and I’d taken a cab.

I’d never been able to experience it properly, so to me this was my first visit. It was a place of fantasy for me, a place that movies and books promised was magic. I could now find out just how magical it really was. I’d read about it in dozens of books, looked up places online to visit, but there’d never been a chance to stroll the streets and explore.

Once, Jesse brought me back some cold beignets, and a couple of times I’d ordered the sweet confections through room service, along with a nice cup of café au lait for breakfast, but I’d never gone out and had a po’ boy sandwich, or anything like that. I’d never visited the graveyards that were famous the world over, or seen the countless sites that had made the city famous for hundreds of reasons.

This was a chance to get to do as much as a person could do in New Orleans in a short amount of time. I’d looked over at Dylan with excitement in my eyes and grinned. It wasn’t even nine am yet. The time went back an hour here, and that gave us extra time.