“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “You know I want to annihilate Max. I just don’t want to hurt my best friend in the process. You don’t have to be Gollum and inadvertently cast yourself into Mount Doom in order for us to destroy the ring.”

“I have no fucking idea what that means, but I love you and I’m glad you care.”

She sighed heavily. “I wish we had proof he was a bastard so people could see him for what he is.”

“He’s a sociopath who gets off on making women feel powerless. And part of that is making sure they won’t speak up.”

“Well, you’re speaking up. You’re my shero. Do I need to go retrieve some movie star balls for you? Say the word and I’ll put them on a nice necklace. Tastefully mounted. Nothing too gaudy.”

I laughed even though I felt ready to cry. “No need to retrieve any balls, though I appreciate the offer and will always come to you first for my Trophy Testicle Necklace needs.”

“See that you do.” She hugged me and stood to leave. As she went to pull the door shut behind her, she hesitated to give me another searching look.

“I’m fine,” I said, and blew her a kiss. We both knew I was lying, but she closed the door and left me to sob in peace.

45

Elena

“Want a ride to work?” Ophelia appeared in the kitchen doorway just as I finished breakfast, jingling her keys.

“Sure thing.”

I immediately regretted accepting her offer. She drove like she did everything else…with no regard for rules or expectations. But we managed to make it to the dungeon in one piece.

The last time I’d stood at those doors, knowing I wouldn’t be back for a month, I’d thought this moment would feel like coming home, and in some ways it did. It was deeply familiar; the walk to the dressing room soothed me because I could see that nothing had really changed in a month. But it still didn’t feel quite right.

I greeted the women I hadn’t seen in weeks with hugs. I loved this place. Loved these bold, brilliant women like sisters. This was where I belonged, in a place of authenticity, not the carefully curated reality of Alex’s universe where public perception would always be an extra participant in my life.

I’d thought it would be a good idea to immediately start back at work after my contract with Alex ended. It hadn’t crossed my mind that I would be sitting here emotionally strung out, torn between hating Alex and still missing him. At least work would give me something to focus on.

I couldn’t have planned my first session back better if I’d tried. It was foot worship with one of my regulars, which meant I knew exactly what to expect and could literally just relax and be pampered for an hour. I might as well have been getting paid to go to the spa.