Page 26 of Learning to Trust

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on with you and Andrew? It sounds like more than neighborly friendliness?”

If only she knew. “We get along well and have been hanging out together.”

Janice studied me for a moment before deciding to leave things alone. I grabbed the laptop bag I had yet to have a chance to unpack. Janice picked up hers and the purse, and we left the building without saying a word to anyone.

Finally, everything was going right in my life.

***

AlleyMax, the exclusive restaurant Janice had chosen a block from our now ex-work building, was quiet which was to be expected since it was only 11 AM on a Monday morning.

We were shown to a table by a young male server who wore a name tag advising us his name was Riley, and after we sat, he offered us each a menu. I declined the drinks list, requesting mineral water for both my sister and me. Although not a teetotaller, it was too early in the day for me to be drinking alcohol in any form and Janice never touched the stuff.

The server left us to get our drinks, giving us time to make a selection of what we wanted to eat. When he returned, my sister ordered the chicken breast in white sauce while I ordered the filet mignon. Both came with fries, which I loved and would have to work off in my home gym.

Riley retrieved the menus and left to deliver our order to the kitchen. Janice and I took a mouthful of water and set the glasses back on the table.

“Do you have any idea where you’ll be situating your advertising business?” I asked.

My sister blushed, there was no doubt in my mind she was feeling awkward about keeping me in the dark. “Steve and I have almost closed on a 3,100 square feet space on the fifth floor of a building near Penn Station. It’s fifteen minutes from home via the subway so I won’t have to worry about driving in the city.”

Janice hated driving in Manhattan, but Dad had insisted we did so our vehicles were available in an emergency. I had no fucking idea what emergency an electronics company could have but we obeyed.

“Does the building have parking for employees?”

“Yes. We’ve paid for four spaces so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue unless the business becomes huge and I need more staff. I’m speaking with two possible employees at the moment—a young man for reception and another to program and maintain our computers. They have both said they would prefer to use the subway because our building is directly across the road from one of the exits from Penn. I have two more possible employees in mind who have been advertising executives for some time.”

“I thought you and Steve were only in the talking phase? You were going to cut and run and leave me with the mess?”

Janice gathered my hands in hers. “I would have never done that to you. We were going to take you to dinner this weekend and tell you everything. It will take around three months for the space to be fitted out and I was hoping to convince you before then that you didn’t owe Dad your loyalty and you should follow your own dream. You could have given him three months’ notice at the same time as me and we could have left together. I guess Dad brought it forward a few months.” We both laughed. “When Dad called after speaking with you to say you’d quit, it was perfect. Why didn’t you say something?”

"I'm sorry I didn't give you a heads-up, but I did intend to take you to lunch and tell you today. You knew I was unhappy and was being pulled in a dozen different directions. My opinions were dismissed by people who have no idea about the world of electronics, and decisions were constantly overturned. Tristan was no support. When I tried to talk to him about my feelings, and said I wanted to go out on my own, he said to think of the money I was making, stop being so ungrateful and grow the fuck up and stop whining. Splitting with him and meeting Andrew was the best thing to happen to me and after thinking about my life over the past week, I made the decision to make my dream happen."

Riley placed our meals on the table and we both started eating while we continued our conversation.

“Tell me what’s going on between you and Andrew, and don’t say nothing. I know you well enough to see he is more than a neighbor. You have a peace about you I have not seen in years.”

I lowered my eyes to the plate and chewed slowly on a mouthful of steak, avoiding my sister’s question.

“David?”

Sighing, I set down my knife and fork and raised my eyes. “What do you know about BDSM?”

Janice raised an eyebrow. “You know my friends Karena and Abatha who have a little girl the same age as Lisa?”

I nodded.

"They have been into the lifestyle for years. They tried to talk Steve and me into giving it a try, and we did speak to them about it, but in the end, we decided it wasn't for us. Why do you ask?"

“You met Andrew’s friends last week.”

“Yes. Steve and I thought they a great bunch of guys.”

“Apart from Leon who is a sub, they are Doms.”

"I think I know where this is going. Be careful, honey. You're just coming out of a long-term relationship and your feelings are all over the place. Give yourself time before you rush into anything. I'm not saying I have an issue with BDSM if it's all consensual, I just want you to be sure."

“I am sure, and I asked Andrew to be my Dom.”