Decadent Master. Tawny Taylor

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СКАЧАТЬ but I didn’t know how to bring it up. Especially with how you’ve been feeling lately. But I can’t sit here and pretend any longer.”

      “Pretend what? That you’re my friend?”

      “No, I’ll always be your friend, at least if you want me to be.” Kristy glanced away, staring down at her hands.

      What did that mean? “Oh for Chrissakes! What’s wrong?”

      “It’s not really that something’s wrong. It’s just that…well, in the last year or so I’ve come to the realization that…I’m…gay.”

      Huh? “You’re what?”

      Kristy nodded. “I am attracted to women. Sexually.”

      “I can’t believe this. Are you sure?”

      Kristy gave her a mean-eyed glare. “Yes, of course I’m sure.”

      “But you were married. To a man. For years. You have had sex with men. Lots of men—”

      Kristy smacked her shoulder. “Hey, not that many!”

      “And you’re like…in your thirties. How could you be gay all of a sudden?” When Kristy didn’t offer up an answer to that question, Wynne asked, “What is going on? First John decides he’s gay and now you? Why is everyone turning homosexual on me? Let me see that book you were reading….” Wynne snatched the novel off her supposedly gay friend’s lap. The cover boasted a typical romance nekkid man titty. The title: The Barbarian. “See? You’re not gay. You’re reading a romance novel….” She flipped the book over and read the blurb. “What is this? It’s about two guys? You’re reading a gay romance?”

      Kristy grabbed her book and dropped it into her enormous purse. “I knew you’d have a hard time with this. Listen, we can talk about my choice in reading material later. This is important. I’m trying to tell you that I have been homosexual—or rather, bisexual—for a long time. I just didn’t want to accept it.”

      “I don’t want to accept it either. I mean, we live together. We’ve slept together. In the same bed. Before your bedroom set was delivered.”

      “Yeah, I know.”

      Wynne felt the color draining from her face. “Did you…get aroused?”

      “No,” her friend answered sheepishly. “We’re friends. That’s all.”

      “But you’re gay.”

      “Yes.”

      “You like women.”

      “Yes.”

      “And you needed to tell me this now? Today?” Wynne folded a napkin and dragged it under her bottom eyelashes, removing a black smudge of molten eye makeup.

      “I know the timing sucks, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I’m dating someone. Things are getting serious between us. You were going to figure it out. I mean, how do I explain why I’m taking a woman into my bedroom?”

      Wynne glanced at Kristy for a split second then turned to stare out her window. She just couldn’t look her friend in the eye right now. She was confused. Overwhelmed. “I don’t understand this.”

      “There’s more.”

      “I don’t think I can handle more right now.”

      “I’m sorry, I really am. But I need to get this last bit off my chest, and then you can take me home and…think about stuff, scream, cry, whatever. Okay?”

      “God, how bad is this going to be?”

      “I’ve been to the bondage club your therapist recommended. In fact, I’m a member of Twilight. Although everyone there knows me as Mistress Raven. I, uh, wear a wig.”

      Mistress Raven?

      That was it. Wynne’s life had just moved from hellacious to bizarre. What was going to happen next? Were aliens going to abduct her? Was the world going to be struck by a giant meteor? Was her father going to call her after twenty-some years and tell her he loved her?

      “Do you think I’m a sex addict?” Kristy asked.

      God, Wynne wanted to just crawl in a hole now. “No. Like I said, I was just upset—”

      “Do you think I’m sick because I like to dominate men and women? Play bondage games?”

      “No, of course not. We’ve known each other since we were in diapers. I know you’re not sick.”

      “Good. Now that we’ve settled that, I’m going to ask you a favor.” Kristy gave her a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile, which made Wynne’s insides twist into a knot. “As your best friend. Come with me to the club. One time. Do it for me.”

      “Kristy, I can’t. I just…ohmygod. This is a lot to take in all at once.” Wynne dropped her head, resting her forehead against the steering wheel.

      “Sure it is. We’ll talk more about it later. After you’ve had some time to recover.” Kristy patted Wynne’s knee, just like she had a million times before. But this time Wynne’s body stiffened. Seeming to sense Wynne’s reaction, Kristy lifted her hand. “I’m not going to stop nagging you until you agree to go….”

      “But—”

      “You won’t have to do anything. Just watch, talk to some people….”

      “Kristy, I can’t—”

      “…and we can make up some kind of story to tell people so you’re not embarrassed.”

      “That’s not the problem. I mean, it is, sort of—”

      “It’s for your own good. I think your therapist is right.”

      Dammit, she was going to lose this battle of wills, like she always did. When necessary, Kristy could be a real bulldog. The girl was also an accomplished manipulator.

      “You’re going to make me beg, aren’t you?” Kristy gave a martyred sigh. “You don’t love me anymore.”

      Dammit, if only she didn’t love her lesbian-bondage-mistress-manipulating best friend so freaking much. Wynne rocked her head to the side, sending Kristy some sad eyes. “Stop. Please.”

      “I’m not going to stop until you agree to go. Just once. For me. I want you to get past this, and I need you to understand me, too. Until you do, things are going to be weird between us. You know that, right?”

      So much for the sad eyes. Wynne inhaled. Exhaled. She’d needed that oxygen. Her head felt a little clearer. “Fine, fine. But give me a while to prepare. A month or two.”

      “A week.”

      “Two weeks.”

      “Done.”

      Oh God.

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