Bedrock (9 page)

“Addison, I’m sorry. I . . . This . . . My attorneys managed to
stop the sale of the tape. Though to be honest, we’re not sure for how long. It
may be only temporarily.”

Addie walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, trying to put
as much space between the two of them as possible. She was certain if he got
close enough she’d hit him. She cut him off, lowering her voice. “This is my
life we’re talking about. I have a husband and children—a family—people who
count on me. And I let them down. Majorly.”

William sat on the oversized couch in the middle of the room. “I
know.”

Addie was quiet for a long time as she stared out across the
city. It was an overcast day, and she could see cars and people far below—each
of them going about his day, most of them living ordinary, uncomplicated lives,
while stories above, her world fell apart.

William broke the silence. “Look, my security team is one of the
best in the world. They wouldn’t have brought you here if they thought you
might be seen. This is what they do, Addison. They’re experts. And it’s my
fault that I decided to break the rules and go into the office that day. Alone.
The day we met never should have happened. It wouldn’t have happened if I
hadn’t been selfish. I decided that day that I just wanted to be a normal
person, to see what it’s like to be free of all of this. And look what
happened. I caused
this
. But I don’t regret it, Addison, because I met
you. I just needed to bring you here to talk to you—to tell you in person how I
feel. I wanted you to see that I’m a real person and I care about you more than
I’ve ever cared about anyone.”

“You don’t even know me, William.”

William stood and walked over to the window where Addie was
standing. “Maybe not. But you haven’t exactly given me a chance. I do know that
what we had that day in the elevator was more than just sex. I know that I
can’t stop thinking about you. Every time I look at you, I’m surprised that I
never want to stop. Tell me you don’t feel it, Addison. Tell me you don’t think
of me, too. Just say the words and you can walk out of here and pretend this
whole thing never happened.”

As he spoke, Addie saw something in William’s eyes that she
recognized. There was loneliness, a longing she knew all too well. But she saw
something else, too: Sadness. Hunger. Passion. And that, she couldn’t resist.

Right then and there Addie planned all the ways in which she
would kiss him. But the rest, well, the rest came as a pleasant surprise.

Nine

Once Addie fed and bathed the boys and had finally
gotten them off to bed, she sat down with a glass of wine and Sondra’s
envelope—anything to keep her mind off of what had transpired that afternoon.

Unable to keep the images from replaying over and over in her
mind, she downed her glass, poured another, and tore into the envelope. The
first page was a letter:

Dear Addison,

What I am about to propose will likely shock the hell out of
you. Before you continue any further, I want you to promise to keep an open
mind and give some careful consideration to what I am asking of you. If I
didn’t think that my offer was a plausible solution to your situation, I would
not be offering. I take what I am about to tell you very seriously. This is my
life.

In addition to my work at the agency, I own the most
prestigious private dungeon in the state of Texas where I work as Head
Mistress.
Mistress
and Dominatrix are two words used to describe a dominant female who performs
the art of domination and discipline and fantasy role-play. This profession is
not illegal and has nothing to do with prostitution.

Sex of any kind is prohibited, and the Mistresses I employ are
fully clothed at all times. A good Dominatrix or Mistress is intelligent,
articulate, quick-witted, creative, and good at improvisation—all qualities I
see within you, Addison.

Professional dominatrices take pride in their psychological
insight into their client’s “needs” and fetishes as well as their technical
ability to perform complex BDSM practices, and other forms of bondage,
suspension, torture role-play, and corporal punishment, as well as other such
practices, which require a high degree of knowledge and competency to safely
oversee.

Due to unforeseen medical complications, I would like to offer
you the role as Head Mistress for a twelve-week term. During this period, in
addition to your regular work and salary at The Carlisle Agency, you would be
responsible for working ten hours maximum per week at a rate of $15,000/week,
completing sessions with my most exclusive clientele. At the end of the term,
you will have earned $180,000. This is on top of your regular earnings.

There will be extensive training, which shall take place over
the course of two weeks, beginning next Friday. During this training period and
throughout the duration of your twelve-week term, you and your family will be
provided with any and all staffing services The Carlisle Agency provides. This
includes, but is not limited to round-the-clock car service, a personal chef, twenty-four-hour
concierge, a personal assistant, live in nanny, and daily maid service.

Included in this envelope is a Mistress Handbook. Please read
over the handbook and training materials before making your decision. Again,
Addison, I sincerely urge you to give this matter serious consideration,
especially given your current predicament. It’s no secret that you are having
an affair. What happens when the video tape is released? Can you properly
support your children in the aftermath of a likely divorce, one in which you
are the at-fault party?

I have no doubt that you are perfect for this role, Addison. In
fact, I have handpicked you from a group of many, most of them already trained,
highly experienced Dom’s.

I look forward to discussing this with you further.

See you tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp.

Sincerely,

Sondra

What the fuck?
God, she had already made so many mistakes,
just that day alone, and now there was
this
.
Sure, Addie had
consumed nearly a half a bottle of wine, but she certainly didn’t see that one
coming. “
Not a chance in hell
,” Addie told herself, as she lay tossing
and turning, pondering her future and the freedom an additional $180,000 could
give her.

The following morning was gray and misty, the kind of
day that nearly convinced you to pull the covers up and stay in bed. Addie
considered calling in a mental health day. Overwhelmed and frazzled, she just
needed quiet. Perhaps tomorrow. Today she needed to talk with Sondra and put
this whole thing to bed and get it behind her.

The boys had been excessively whiny and clingy since Patrick left—not
that Addie hadn’t expected it. Still it had been harder than she could’ve
imagined. With the thirteen-hour time difference between Beijing and Austin,
neither she nor the kids had heard from Patrick all that much, and it was
taking its toll. On one hand, Addie missed him like crazy. They’d never been
apart this long. But on the other, she was angry and resentful. Her mind
flip-flopping back and forth within this array of feelings was hard to
reconcile.

Once Addie got the boys off to school, she headed into the
office, her thoughts drifting to William. It was already bustling by the time
she entered the lobby. Word about the agency seemed to be spreading, and they
were busier than ever. Requests for placement were coming in so fast that they
would likely need to hire someone to help Addie within the next month or so.

Before heading to Sondra’s office, Addie checked herself in the
mirror, barely recognizing the reflection starting back at her. Wearing a navy,
sleek, wool crepe J Crew dress that had been impeccably tailored to fit, she
saw that it flattered her in all the right places. She felt elegant,
sophisticated. A far cry from the person she was just a few short months ago.

Addie’s phone buzzed, startling her. Picking it up, she noticed a
new email from William. She smiled, unable to stop herself. Addie noticed the
butterflies flutter in her stomach and hated herself for having them.

From: William B. Hartman

Date: 6/17/12

To: Addison Greyer

Subject: Grazie Per Ieri

Dearest Addison,

I can’t seem to get you off of my mind.

I’ve thought of you a lot today. 817 times to be exact.

I need help.

Call me.

Baci Tutto,

William

Addie immediately opened up Google and typed “
Grazie Per Ieri
and
Baci Tutto.
” Thank you for yesterday. And kisses all over. In
Italian.
Her heart skipped a beat.

From: Addison Greyer

Date: 6/17/12

To: William B. Hartman

Subject: English Translation

Dear Mr. Hartman,

You may not be aware of this, but I am not Italian.

And just so you know, in English,
Baci Tutto
translates
as “time to put your guard up.”

Sincerely,

Addison

P.S. 817 times? Don’t you have a corporation to run? Better get
to it.

Addie hit send and glanced at the clock. Seven fifty-nine a.m.
Shit.

Hightailing it to Sondra’s office, she knocked once before
letting herself in.

Sondra didn’t look up from computer. “Morning, Mrs. Greyer.”

Addie sat down in the chair across from Sondra’s desk and folded
her hands in her lap. She took a deep breath.
Better get it over with.

Sondra finally looked up, the look on her face offering nothing.

Addie sat up straighter. “I appreciate the offer, Sondra. I
really do. But I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”

“I must say, Mrs. Greyer, that I am disappointed, but not
surprised.”

Addie frowned, but stayed quiet. Oh, shit. Here we go. She’s
going to let me have it.

What Sondra said next nearly knocked her over. “I’m not going to
talk you into this. I am only going to say that you have a very bad habit of
underestimating yourself. In turn, you allow everyone else to do the same. You
let people walk all over you. Treat you however they like. So they do. Addie,
your marriage is crumbling. Your husband does what he pleases. He left the
country with little regard to the effect that it would have on you, much less
your children, and you stand by and watch it happen. You need to stop being a
doormat and take charge of your life.”

Addie’s mouth went dry.
What could she say?
That she was
surprised that Sondra had such keen observation? That she had her pegged? It
was one thing that Addie thought these things herself, that she knew it all
deep down. But to hear someone else say it, to have someone who was practically
a stranger verbalize these things out loud, shook her to her core.

“Aren’t you going to tell me I’m mistaken?”

Addie didn’t speak.

“Have I ever told you that I was once married too, Addison?”

Addie shook her head.
Really?

Sondra continued, her voice low. “We were high-school
sweethearts. We married young, straight out of college. He was the love of my
life. Two years into our marriage, I came home one day to find him loading
suitcases in his trunk. I thought maybe he had another business trip that maybe
he’d forgotten to tell me about. He was leaving me, Addison. Turns out, he had
fallen in love with his secretary. I hadn’t a clue that he was having an
affair. A week or so after he left, I found myself staring at two lines on a
pregnancy test. We were going to have a baby, but he wasn’t coming back. Said
he had moved on with his life and that I should too. I was in shock.
Devastated. Two weeks later, I moved my stuff into a tiny apartment because it
was all I was going to be able to afford with a baby as a single mom. As I sat
in that tiny apartment, surveying my new life, finally feeling hopeful, I began
bleeding profusely. In the ambulance, on the way to the hospital, I nearly bled
out. I almost died, Addison. I lost the baby and was told that I’d never be
able to have children. While I lay there in that hospital bed for two weeks recovering,
he never visited or even called. Not once.”

“I’m sorry. Sondra.” Addie said, hot tears stinging her cheeks.

“Don’t be. I learned a valuable lesson then, Addison. I was never
going to put myself in that position again. I see a little bit of myself in you.
I ended up broke, alone, and scared. I don’t want to see what happened to me
happen to you.”

Addison stared at her hands. “I am . . . W
e
are fine.”

“Just think about it a little more, ok? Give it a few days.”

Addie stood to go.

“Ok,” she said without looking back.

Ten

Sondra Sheehan was the sort of woman who didn’t take no
for an answer. Being petite, she learned early in life that she’d have to make
up what she lacked in size with straight-up bravado. With a short red bob and
deep green eyes, Sondra was elegant and high class. Always well put together,
not a single hair out of place, she liked order and carried herself in a way
that let everyone know the high standards she’d set for them without her ever
having to utter the words. Yet, for someone always in control, she found
herself completely taken aback by her current predicament.

Addison Greyer had to take her up on her offer. She just had to.
There was just no way around it. Time was running out for Sondra, knowing that
she’d have to make a decision soon. Having Addison fill in for her as Head
Mistress was a brilliant idea, one that had come to Sondra almost completely by
accident. Sure, Sondra had a lengthy list of women that she could have chosen
for the role, but she wanted Addison. You see, Sondra was smart, extremely
savvy, and knew deep down that none of these women quite fit the bill. First of
all, she didn’t trust any of them to handle her business and her clients in the
same manner that she would. But mostly, it was the fact that Sondra didn’t
trust that they wouldn’t steal her business right out from under her. These
women were ruthless, which was, for the most part, a necessity in the business
they were in. On the other hand, Sondra understood that this also disqualified
them from being true leaders. A leader needed to be firm, but vulnerable. Smart,
but willing to learn. Assertive, yet open.

Though she would never let on, from the moment she met Addie, Sondra
liked her, which was a rare thing because Sondra liked very few people. There
was something about Addie though. Sondra saw her as an underdog: The least
likely to win, yes, but also as someone who had a fighting spirit that if one
only looked for hard enough he would find. Sondra saw herself in Addie. She
knew that, like herself with the right mentor, Addison could become a winner.

The situation in the elevator only added to the mystery.
Admittedly, without this piece of the puzzle, Sondra never would’ve considered
taking on such a daunting task in her current situation. Getting Mrs. Greyer
into fighting shape was really more than she wanted to take on, and had she not
found out about Addison's impromptu affair with William Hartman, she never
would’ve considered it. It was her star client who informed her of the
videotape. A high-profile attorney thrilled yet shameful about selling it, he
brought the information to her in a session. It was easy putting two and two
together once Mr. Hartman called her about hiring Addison. If Sondra hadn’t
known better, she’d have thought it a purely brilliant maneuver for Mrs. Greyer
to land herself a job this way. Admittedly, she was disappointed when she
learned this wasn’t exactly how it’d all played out.

While it didn’t exactly surprise her that Addie hadn’t said yes
to her offer right away, she was perplexed. Why hadn’t she asked about her
medical condition and the reason Sondra needed to step out? The fact that she
hadn’t asked had only reconfirmed what Sondra knew to be true: Mrs. Greyer was
perfect for the role. She respected privacy, yet she had an openness about her
that made you want to tell her the truth. Any Mistress, especially Head
Mistress, had to have this quality, and it was a rarity. It was upon this
realization that Sondra realized what she had to do to get Addison to accept
the offer. Then and there, she’d decided it was time to tell her the truth.

Addison’s day was filled with wall-to-wall meetings,
which she was grateful for because it kept her mind focused on work and off of
the shit storm that seemed to be surrounding her at the moment.

Penny, her mother-in-law, had been breathing down her neck ever
since Patrick had announced he was taking the promotion. She’d already called
three times this morning, and Penny was the last thing Addie needed or wanted
to deal with right then.

Thankfully, her first two meetings had been successful. She’d
closed two deals and was on her way to close the third when Patrick called.

“Hello.”

“Hey there. How are you?” Patrick said, sounding upbeat.

“I’m good—just running between meetings. How are you?”

Addie checked her watch, calculating what time it had to be now
in China.

“Tired. But good. Things are going better than expected. Listen,
this is really premature, but there has been some talk about extending the
project, and I was wondering what you’d think about living here—in China.”

The shit storm didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Addie
sighed. “I don’t know, Patrick.”

Silence.

“Well, give it some thought, ok? Give the boys a hug and tell
them I miss them.”

“Will do.” Addie said flatly.

“Addison, I miss you. I know you’re angry, but it doesn’t have to
be this way, you know.”

Addie stared at the clear blue sky, contemplating what to say.

“I know,” Addie finally muttered, knowing it was all she could
offer.

Addie closed on the third deal and headed back to the
office to quickly wrap things up for the day before it was time to pick up the
boys. Opening up her email to send a few contracts, she smiled.

From: William B. Hartman

Date: 6/18/12

To: Addison Greyer

Subject: Speaking in Italian

Dear Mrs. Greyer,

Never underestimate the investigative tools at my disposal. I
am fully aware that you are not Italian. :)

That said, I was testing the waters to see if you may enjoy
speaking Italian.

I have to travel to Capri on business, and I want you to come
with me. Bring the boys if you’d like. They’ll love it.

I’ve arranged it with your boss.

We leave in two days.

Il Vostro,

William

P.S. I can’t wait to see the beaches of Capri reflected in your
eyes.

Seriously.
I’ve made arrangements with your boss.
Who does
this man think he is? Addie stood and paced the length of her office. Certainly
he didn’t think it was just that easy. That she could jet off to Italy, just
like that. But what pissed her off the most was how much she wished she could.
How badly she
wanted
to go. Addie grabbed her purse and headed out, first
calling Penny to ask her to pick up the boys. She hated to do it, knowing and
dreading the trouble it would bring. But she needed to clear her mind. She
needed to see William.

Penny Greyer received the call to pick up her grandsons
without a second to spare, which was, of course, something her daughter-in-law
would pull. Addison liked putting her on the spot, making her jump through
hoops. So thank goodness, Penny had Rosie, or God knows what she would’ve done.
Penny knew it was just a matter of time after her son left that Addison would
crumble. There was no way a girl of her means could survive alone, the way
Penny had all those years. Her daughter-in-law just didn’t have what it takes
to put her husband or her children first—which is why she had tried everything
in her power to dissuade Patrick from marrying that girl. She begged him to
quit seeing her, knowing she only wanted her son for his family’s money. She
even tried setting him up with a few girls more like herself a few times, but
this girl already had a hold on him. Besides the fact that she’d given Penny
beautiful grandbabies, although thankfully they got most of their looks and
smarts from their father’s side, there was nothing blatantly obvious that Penny
could see that was especially wonderful about her. She was merely average—certainly,
nothing special. What Patrick saw in her, she’d never know.

But he missed his children; he loved them so. She knew this
because, although he’d never said it directly, he called her and he was
worried. While he made her promise to be nice to his wife, he had called her
nonetheless, asking her to check on the kids. Penny had certainly tried, that
was for sure. Of course, their mother enjoyed keeping her away from her
grandchildren. So as you can imagine, it shocked Penny when Addison called her
asking for a favor. Really threw her for a loop. And this was how she knew that
Addison was up to something. Penny even told her husband as much.

“We know Patrick took that promotion in China just to get away
from her, to get as far away as he could. But he misses his children, Clark. He
called me, worried, asking me to check in on the kids. It’s just a matter of
time before she loses it. I just know it. She doesn’t have what it takes. You
know she’s not good enough for him. And she’s certainly not good enough to raise
those precious babies. Clark, we’ve got to do something.”

“What is it that you want to do, Penny?”

Penny smiled. “I’m thinking on it. Trust
me.”

She would do something, anything, and quick. That woman was a
terrible example for her precious, innocent grandchildren. At least her son had
a choice in the matter. Her grandchildren never did. But that was about to
change. Penny guaranteed it. Her daughter-in-law was up to something, and
knowing her, it was no good. Penny was determined to find out what it was. No
one messed with her family and got away with it. In the end, she’d show her.