Unbound (The Braille Club #2) (17 page)

Chapter 32

The Braille Club, London, One Year On: Guy waited; the altered suit felt different as he sat surrounded by darkness, his breathing rapid and uneven. The bell indicating the Patron’s arrival had his mind in free fall. The touch when it came was light, making him tense as the Stoicum Restraints were slipped on. Already he hated the loss of control—the sensation pushed him out of his comfort zone. He rarely participated as an Assignee. The touch on his shoulder made him shiver; it indicated the start of this new and darker experience.

London 2014

Guy

Guy was shaken when Anna left. He sat there trying to calm his emotions. Rage, disappointment, love, and longing competed against each other. They say the first cut is the deepest—well, he thought bitterly, they were right. The wound that had healed slowly over the last two years suddenly burst open. There was only one way to stop the bleeding.

Guy must cauterise his feelings for Anna once and for all if he was to have any chance of recovering. He moved his hand over his heart and winced at the tenderness of his flesh. His pain, her pleasure…there was no place for love amongst that. He was sitting listening to a Braille playlist when Bruno Mars’ song, “Grenade,” suddenly epitomised his relationship with Anna, the lyrics striking an uneasy chord. As he listened to the melody, his heart ached, the lyrics almost poignant in their accuracy.

Yeah, that was Anna. She was killing him. The pain she delivered came in many forms but it always found its intended target; his pitiful heart. He was still physically and emotionally bruised, but the worse of it, after everything she had done, he still wanted her and he despised his weakness.

He had hardly left the Braille Club since their encounter. On tenterhooks, he was unable to stop himself checking the booking system for her name, while justifying his behavior as work orientated. The only thing he found was disappointment.

He had been in constant email contact with Ford, and his designs were both exciting and innovative. A new and exciting development was further engineering collaboration. He immediately started the vetting process, and it had gone smoothly. He hoped to meet the new engineer soon.

Benedict also seemed preoccupied, and Siena had been sorely missed over the last few days with no explanation for her absence; this sometimes irritated Guy. He had wondered at first if it was wise working with a couple but found the job completely absorbing. He had been drawn into their world, his involvement getting deeper as each unique day concluded. His heartache over Anna mercifully receded as bit by intoxicating bit, he succumbed to the running of Harrison’s and the Braille Club.

He had found his respect and regard for the intensely private couple growing with each passing day. When he’d received that frantic call from Benedict, all his training kicked in. It had been a shock when he had arrived at the hospital. He had never heard nor seen him behave irrationally. Together they had got to Siena in time, although it had been close…too close.

There was an even stronger bond between them now, their loyalty to each other forged forever on that day. He still felt uneasy, his instincts telling him it wasn’t over yet, which was silly because Nick Waters was behind bars where he belonged. He’d been sorry that he’d only suffered a broken hand and leg but had heard they had both healed poorly…such a comfort.

Guy had his ways of monitoring Nick Waters; he would only become a threat when he was released. He had ensured he would know when his parole was approved because he wasn’t stupid; he knew it wasn’t over. Men like him didn’t give up easily. So they must be ready. Benedict had made his rental property as safe as he could while his new home was renovated. It had a temporary safe room, CCTV and alarm, but Guy knew he still worried over his family’s safety.

A further meeting had been arranged due to new developments in the club. There was a strange tension in the room as they sat around the conference table, each of them distant and silent. Ford was still to arrive and Guy noticed Benedict frowning at his empty chair. Siena seemed pensive as she fidgeted with the minutes of their last meeting.

Ford arrived, his face subdued, adding to the already sombre atmosphere. “Sorry to be late,” he said distractedly, taking his seat. “Guy, as I intimated, I have enlisted the help of a friend of mine, a top engineer willing to give their time and expertise in the evenings.”

Benedict’s face didn’t change but his eyes appraised Ford coolly. “I’m afraid he would have to be security vetted and confidentiality agreements signed before we could proceed.”

“It’s a she, her name is Esme MacDonald. I believe Guy has the rest of that under control?” said Ford uncertainly.

Guy had the grace to look uncomfortable. “Benedict, I’ve been remiss in sending you the details. My apologies,” he said, flustered.

This had never happened before and he realised Anna was the root cause. Clearing his throat, he rapidly tapped on his laptop. “Ford sent an email saying he had someone in mind to help him with our design plans. I asked him to give me their details. I did a check and gave him the okay to sign the confidentiality contracts.”

“I see,” said Benedict.

Guy held his ground. “Ford has got all the consents from her and I think she will be an invaluable addition to the team.”

Siena looked pleased. “That sounds fantastic, Ford; it will give another female perspective.”

“Don’t forget we will be working with Niven,” said Guy. “Will Esme be willing to participate in our zone session, Ford?”

“Yes, but they need to be scheduled after work hours,” he replied, his tone strangely flat.

“Guy?” said Siena quizzically.

He looked up from his laptop. “That won’t be a problem; the zones are free until midnight.”

“Excellent, that means our sessions are balanced now, we have three sets of couples,” said Siena, smiling. She was ignoring the tension emanating from Benedict—this was his end of the bargain, she had done hers.

“Siena, what is the feedback regarding the scent?” asked Guy.

Benedict brought up how easily he identified Siena because of her perfume. They agreed this issue must be addressed. Siena took time with a professional who mixed the citrus and spice notes she loved until the balance was right. They had fifty samples of Caligo made up and distributed to their Braille members and the response had been very favourable. Encouraged, Siena ordered scented candles and diffusers to use throughout Caligo and again the feedback had been good.

“Funny you should ask, I was going to mention that. No negative comments to date, quite the opposite. Early signs indicate we are on to a winner,” Siena enthused.

“Good, we’ll continue to monitor feedback before we make a final commitment to the formula,” said Benedict.

Siena had been absent these last few days due to organising their wedding. Benedict had been quite insistent that a venue was booked. It had been so time consuming and she was glad to be back doing what she enjoyed best.

“Ford, when will the prototypes be ready to use?” she asked.

“Hard to say for sure but probably within the week,” he replied.

“Can we schedule a zone session, Guy?” Siena enquired.

“Give me five minutes to access the booking system and I’ll tell you,” he replied. He turned to his laptop and typed. “Okay, I’ve put a provisional booking in the system.”

There were murmurs of approval.

“I will need to contact Niven and Esme; does 7:30 p.m. suit everyone?” asked Guy.

There was a general nodding of heads.

“Okay, let’s take a break while I confirm this and reconvene in twenty minutes.”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll just stay and catch up on some work,” said Ford.

The others nodded as they left the room quickly.

***

Ford

Ford had an avalanche of work but couldn’t get Esme out of his mind. He kept seeing her crumpled face and her tears of distress but it was her words that tore at his heart.

“I’m an orphan now, I’ve got no one,” she’d sobbed.

He wanted to go with her to the care home, but she refused, telling him she needed to see her mother alone. He offered to wait up for her, but again she refused.

They’d stood awkwardly in the hotel foyer as she waited for a taxi, nether knowing what to say. Ford hugged her and said to call if she needed anything; she nodded, then disappeared inside the cab. That had been two weeks ago now.

He’d been disappointed she’d not contacted him with the funeral arrangements, and told her so. Her email had been dismissive, saying he hadn’t known her mother and therefore it seemed inappropriate. She finished by saying it had been a very small, private affair. Although hurt, he replied he’d wanted to attend to support her because he thought they were friends, and that’s what friends did for each other. His phone rang and his heart leapt to see Esme’s name on the screen. Her voice had been strained as she apologised. He hadn’t dared mention the Braille Club but was relieved when she told him she was still interested and had been working on some ideas. Their conversation was stilted, and when Esme said she had to go, he didn’t argue.

Ford was totally adrift, not knowing if her feelings for him were because of the games they played, or something more. He’d flown back to break things off with Monique. Wanting to be completely honest, he told her their relationship was over…but hoped they could still be friends. She had been distraught, and he’d felt like a total shit. Losing all composure, she begged him to stay. He had never felt so wretched as he gently shook his head. He’d flown back to London the next day, went to the first pub he found, and got blind drunk.

The next day was no better nor the next, especially as Monique kept calling, leaving messages for him to reconsider, her tear-filled voice broken and desperate. Depressed, he struggled to focus. If not for the project he might have succumbed to her pleading. However, it absorbed him—he lost hours messing about with the Braille chair and key. He’d almost filled a full pad as he formulated his initial ideas and had lots to discuss with Guy, Benedict, and Siena. Monique faded into the background although his heart still ached from hurting her. She had done nothing wrong and guilt sat heavily on his shoulders but he couldn’t change the way he felt. It was over between them.

The door opening disturbed his thoughts as Guy re-entered the room. Ford had not even looked at his laptop and now guiltily clicked into his emails. Siena and Benedict came in next and they all looked expectantly at Guy.

“Okay, both Niven and Esme are on board, we will meet as discussed,” said Guy. “Ford, do you want to bring us up to date with your progress?”

“My focus has been the chair. I took all your observations into account, including the height issues. We want something that moves, allowing the…” Ford searched for the word he was looking for.

“Patron,” supplied Siena.

“Ah yes, patron,” said Ford, the word new to him. “The patron must be able to assess the…”

“Assignee,” supplied Siena.

“Yes. To do that the chair must be at a certain height, have the ability to recline, and be coordinated by a simple remote control. It will be used to increase vibration frequency, chair positioning, and regulate the central pulse. Here are some of my provisional drawings.”

The group pored over the information.

“This is good, Ford, exactly what we need,” said Siena excitedly.

“I will collaborate with Guy on the sensory suit. Esme has a few surprises, but the thing I think is essential is the suit must connect to the chair.”

“Is that possible?” asked Benedict.

“We’ll make it possible,” said Ford.

“What are these surprises?” Siena asked curiously.

“I’ll let Esme explain,” said Ford, smiling.

“I’m intrigued,” said Siena, delighted.

***

Benedict

Benedict had remained silent for most of the meeting, pre-occupied, his mind on recent and future events. Amsterdam had been a re-connection for them both after all the trauma of their affair, Siena’s attack, and Nick Waters’ trial. Their passion had been subdued as a result, only reigniting over the last few months.

When he had finally made love with Siena in their hotel room, it had been explosive and heady because he knew she would soon be his wife. They couldn’t get enough and had rediscovered every inch of each other’s bodies. Pushing boundaries in terms of heightened pleasures, they had missed dinner, awakening ravenous the next morning.

He was worried that Siena would be tired as they sat eating breakfast, and yet he could not take his eyes from her mouth; it had given him exquisite pleasure. She noticed him watching and smiled. His body jerked as her foot pushed against him intimately under the table.

He leaned over and whispered, “I need to be inside you.” Five minutes later he was.