A warm blanket of hope wrapped Shawna's heart as she slept off the effects of her Friday night out with Tracey. Hope that she could still salvage what she had with Darren, hope that he would forgive her for her actions, hope that she could find that happiness she only had with him.
Her hope sprang from those two beautiful words in Darren's messages: ex-wife.
A fog hung over Shawna's brain when she stepped back into the real world. A fog full of hammers mixed with Christmas morning.
"He's not married, Chester" she croaked at the sleeping cat by her feet. "That email I told you about; the one from his wife? That's his ex-wife!"
Chester lifted his furry head and contemplated her rambling for a moment before putting his head back down.
She grabbed her phone and read Darren's messages again. The earliest messages from that blackest of Mondays told a story about an ex-wife bent on ruining his life, refusing to let go of him and move on with her own life.
The lengths she had gone through to make him miserable were right out of the crazy ex-wife handbook. Threats of going back to court, made up violations of their divorce conditions, near constant demands for more money, and a dogged determination to interfere with his life as he tried to move forward.
She'd been over the texts numerous times already. Even through the haze of too much alcohol, she got the message that made her heart soar. Darren was hers again.
Hopefully.
She hadn't been a very good submissive, but if he would let her, she would make it up to him tenfold.
Her thumbs prepared to type her heart to him when her phone buzzed in her hand.
Oh shit! Tracey!
Shawna where are you? Are you ok? I'm calling the cops if you don't answer me. This is all my fault. I never should have left your side. Call me as soon as you get this.
A warm ray of sunshine touched her heart. Despite the age difference, Tracey cared about her. She smiled as she typed back.
Good morning. I'm fine and I'm at home. Thank you so much for your concern. That was a crazy night.
Oh thank god!! I saw you getting in a cab with that guy. I was yelling at you, but you didn't hear me. I thought you were in a freezer somewhere. What happened with that guy?
Shawna ran over the events of last night with Vance. She rolled her eyes and burst out laughing.
I'll tell you about it later. I have to get my arse moving or I'll sleep the whole day away. Thanks for coming out with me last night and checking in on me.
You better tell me all about it after desserting me like that, bitch! Lol. I'll talk to you later. Muah
She swung her feet over the end of the bed to get up and caught a whiff of herself. She smelled like gym socks and failed sex and her legs were so tired they almost refused to hold her up.
I'm not as young as I used to be, she thought as she made her way to the bathroom. My god do I need a shower.
The warm water cascaded over her body, washing away the film of a night pressed against sweaty strangers and spilled drinks. Flashes of the dance floor came and went, and poor Vance passed through her mind for a moment or two as well.
It was all sort of dream-like. Nothing about it seemed real to her. It was real of course, the evidence of that washed down the drain as she idled over it all. Still, it all felt sort of detached from her and she turned her mind to Darren.
What am I going to say to him? Will he forgive me? I never even gave him a chance to explain. I have to make this up to him. I can start right now.
She grabbed her razor and got to work.
Twenty minutes later, cleaned shaved and dressed, she knew what she had to do. She picked up her phone and called Darren. Her heart raced in her chest, trying to burst free and make a run for it.
"Shawna? Thank god," Darren answered.
His voice swirled up a huge pot of emotion in her. She had no idea how much she missed it.
"Hello, Darren," she said, her voice trembling just a little bit. "How are you?"
"So much better now that I hear your voice," he said. "Are you ok? I heard your grandmother passed away. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, um, about that," she replied. "Thank you, but my grandmother is alive and well. I lied to get the time off."
Darren was quiet for a moment. "I think I know why and I understand," he said finally. "Shawna, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for all of this. I never wanted you to get hurt, and I feel terrible."
Shawna's eyes blurred as the tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry I didn't even ask you about it. That was so horrible of me. I panicked, and my heart was so broken, I didn't know what else to do."
"Please, you have nothing to apologize for," Darren replied. "I'm sure that was quite a shock. I don't blame you for reacting the way you did. I don't know how my ex found out about us, but I should have warned you about her."
"What's her problem?" Shawna asked, wiping the tears away and regaining her composure.
"There's too many to explain over the phone," Darren sighed. "It'd take all day."
"I'm free all day if you are," she said.
"Really?" He replied, genuine surprise ringing in his voice. "I don't blame you if you want to run for the hills. A crazy ex wife is a good reason."
"I can be over in fifteen minutes," she assured him.
"I'll be waiting for you," he replied. "Anxiously."
"Darren?"
"Yes, Shawna?"
"What would you like me to wear, Sir?"
Silence.
Then, "A long jacket and a smile. Bring a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt for later."
"Yes, Sir," she said already trembling.
Shawna flew around her apartment gathering the necessities for what she hoped was a great night and a great morning at Darren's house. She found the new jeans she bought with the white shirt but never wore and a snug black t shirt and stuffed them in a bag. She filled Chester's food and water dishes to the brim, much to his delight.
She rifled throug her closet like a maniac until she found her long black jacket and a pair of strappy three inch heels to wear with it. She stripped off every stitch of clothing she had on and slipped her jacket on with her pulse racing. She fumbled the shoes on and fought the straps into submission.
She felt so gloriously naughty as she stepped out the door in nothing but her freshly groomed birthday suit and thin black jacket. To serve Darren again made her pussy tingle and her nipples harden under the slippery material of her jacket. She was never going to disappoint him again.
Tonight, she was giving herself to Darren one hundred percent. No hesitation, no more going slow. She knew enough of what she would have to do to know she wanted nothing more than to please him. This is where she belonged.
Her heart was in her throat when she rang Darren's doorbell. A slight breeze ruffled her jacket swirled up her legs. She'd never been quite this exposed before and it was intoxicating.
Darren opened the door and she caught her breath. He was wearing the blue shirt she loved on him, the one she had borrowed the last time she was here, and he looked magnificent in it. His cologne wrapped her up in him, the very air she needed to live coming from him like a gift.
He didn't say a word. He reached both hands out to her face and drew her into him, locking his lips onto hers in a kiss born of desperation and longing. Shawna melted into him, her arms wrapping around him, holding him as close to her as she could hold him.
Holding the kiss, he carefully backed through his door, drawing her with him, and kicked the door closed. She could feel his body reacting to her touch and pride swelled inside her.
Finally, Darren broke the kiss, and looked at her. "Hello, gorgeous," he whispered. "I've missed you."
Shawna's heart over flowed down her face as she smiled through her emotions. "Hi. I missed you, too."
"Come in," he said, escorting her into the living room.
"Should I take off my coat?" She asked.
"In a minute," Darren said. "First, we should talk about all this business and get that out of the way." He motioned to the couch. "Sit, please."
"Darren, I don't want to talk about any of that," Shawna pleaded. "It was terrible, and I reacted badly, but all I want now is to be with you. To be yours again. To go wherever this will take us."
Darren's smile crossed two time zones. "I'm so happy to hear that," he said. "And we'll get back to your training in a few minutes." He sat down beside her and took her hands in his. "I want to say first that l'm sorry about all this. You didn't deserve to be attacked like that. Her anger is not your burden to bear. I should have warned you about her, and I didn't. Please forgive me."
"I really don't remember a time when that would have come up," Shawna replied. "Everyone knows you don't talk about exes on the first date. I didn't tell you about mine either because that's just not what people do."
"You're right," Darren said. "She's not your typical ex."
"I don't think there's such a thing as a typical ex," Shawna said. "They're all different and sometimes, they're nuts. It's not your fault."
"I can't imagine how that made you feel," Darren continued. "And for the record, there hasn't been a long line of sluts, and I would gladly get rid of her for you." He smiled and kissed her again, softer this time, but still touching her soul with his lips. "Honesty is important to me in a relationship, so I wanted to make sure you knew that."
"It was quite a shock," she replied.
Vance's pearly white teeth and spray on tan strolled into her mind just then. She tried to stuff him back down into the haze, but he persisted.
Dammit! He just said honesty is important to him. How can I hide this from him?
Easy. You keep your fool mouth shut and don't say anything. He'll never know if you don't tell him.
