CHAPTER SIX
Sophie
Late Friday afternoon, Liz strolls in for her evening shift. “Hey, Lia.”
“Hey,” I greet her back.
“Good day?”
I shrug. “It’s been quiet.”
“Hopefully, it stays that way, and I can get paid to do nothing except stare at whoever is on duty tonight. Let’s hope it’s Logan,” she adds with a wink.
Smiling, I shake my head. I’m not surprised by her comment. Liz loves to flirt with everybody, well except for Cooper, but I think that’s because she’s afraid of Kayla. Logan Knight is definitely attractive but he also happens to be very much in love with his wife, Anna, who is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
“Hey, girls,” Cooper greets us as he walks in.
“Hi,” we both reply in unison.
“Lia, I was just at the gym and ran into Kolan,” he says, making every muscle in my body tense. “I hear you’re taking lessons from him.”
I nod, worried he’s upset that I didn’t do the course like he suggested, but his easy smile instantly has me relaxing.
“Glad to hear. He’s definitely a guy you want to have in your corner.” Before I can think too much about his response, he continues on to his office. “Have a good weekend, I’ll see you Monday.”
“Bye,” I say quietly, giving a small wave to his retreating back.
I stumble slightly, caught off guard when Liz grabs my arm and spins me around to face her. “You’re taking self-defense lessons from Kolan Slade?”
I nod, wondering why her eyes are bugged out of her head.
“The Kolan Slade?”
“Umm yes?” I voice it as more of a question, unsure of what she means by that.
“You lucky bitch. Tell me, what is he like? Is he as intense as he looks? Do you think the rumors are true?”
“Rumors?”
“Lia, focus!” she orders, snapping her fingers in my face. “You do know who Kolan Slade is, right?”
“He works at the gym?” I guess, still unsure where this is all coming from.
“Oh man, you don’t know.” She shakes her head, disappointed. “He’s not just some guy who works at the gym. He’s the heavyweight champion in the EFC, or was before he retired a few months back after being accused of rape.”
“What?” I squeak, swearing I misheard her.
“Yep, by some chick at the club.”
“Club?” I repeat, dumbfounded.
She nods, an almost gleeful smile lifting her lips as she leans in closer to me. “Yeah. Annihilation. It’s a BDSM club. I’ve heard he’s their best customer, and apparently, he can fuck for hours.”
I gape at her, wanting to ask what BDSM means but don’t want to sound as clueless as I am. Getting my wits about me, I shake my head. “No. No way. Kolan did not rape someone.”
I may not know him well, but the man I’ve spent every night with this week does not have that kind of evil inside of him. Yes, he’s intense. Yes, he is intimidating. But he’s also kind. He’s given up his free time to teach me how to defend myself and hasn’t asked for anything in return.
“Oh no, he didn’t,” Liz rushes to say. “He was accused of it but eventually cleared of all charges. Turns out someone set him up. It tarnished his reputation though. I think that’s why he left the EFC, but even with the allegations not being true, he definitely has a side no one knew about. Being a member of Annihilation proves that. The things I’ve heard he does to a girl in one of those rooms.” She shakes her head. “I’m telling you, hours and hours of pure pleasure with that man.”
I feel my face flame, still having no idea what Annihilation is. I also can’t deny the yucky feeling I get in my tummy as I think about him doing anything to a girl. Which is ridiculous.
“I don’t know anything about that,” I tell her honestly. “I’ve only met with him a few times, but I can say he’s very nice. He’s really gone out of his way for me.”
“Damn, you’re so lucky,” she says with a hint of envy in her tone. “What I wouldn’t give to be alone with that guy for an hour, or rather hours, and see if he’s as intense as the rumors say. In the ring he’s lethal, so it didn’t surprise me to hear he’s hardcore in the bedroom.”
Now, I’m even more intrigued by the dark, mysterious man who has been occupying my thoughts lately.
When I arrive home, I pour myself a cup of my usual evening brewed tea then look him up on my iPad to see what I can find out. I’m not disappointed. There is a wealth of information on him. First, there are pictures of him in the ring, and Liz is right, he looks lethal.
Powerful.
Something I already knew about him, but these pictures show so much more. There are also a lot of articles about the rape accusation. My heart hurts to know someone was cruel enough to set him up like that. There’s even a picture of the girl who accused him. Just the sight of her leaves a bad taste in my mouth. She looks as fake as her bleached blonde hair and big boobs splashing out of her too tiny top. A small level of satisfaction fills me when I read that she’s been sentenced to prison for her involvement.
Scrolling down, I tense when I see the word Annihilation. I’m not able to find out much about the club itself, so I click on the word BDSM that’s highlighted, and what shows up has my eyes bulging out of my head.
“Oh my god.”
It’s like a hidden underworld. Graphic photos of people minimally covered in leather, being tied up and gagged, has a shiver working down my spine. All sorts of objects that look more like weapons are used, but the person on the receiving end seems to be enjoying it.
It looks an awful lot like a kinky horror movie.
Feeling my stomach churn, I click out of the pictures and read some articles that explain exactly what BDSM is. Bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism. A type of sexual practice.
Control is talked about a lot and seems to be the main purpose behind it, yet so is pain. It doesn’t completely shock me to know Kolan could be a part of something like this. He does have that sort of dark, commanding presence about him. However, the thought of him inflicting pain on a woman in any setting surprises me.
There are a few different articles from psychologists saying the lifestyle is normal and healthy. It makes me wonder where they got their degree, because what I see here looks far from normal and scares the living daylights out of me.
Why would anyone want to inflict pain? Or better yet, why would someone want to be hurt?
None of it makes sense and it leaves me even more conflicted about the man who has invaded my every waking thought. A man who has been teaching me more than self-defense.
He’s been teaching me how to survive.