Leah's Seduction: 5 (Gianni and Leah - Leah's Seduction) by Emily Jane Trent Page B

expression turned dark. “Things I refused to do.”
    Leah asked, with trepidation, “What sort of things?”
    “Let’s just say that I see pain as a way to intensify pleasure, not as a goal of its own. But some like the pain. Even prefer it. Ava was like that.” He paused. “Not at first, but later. It was gradual, and I didn’t put a stop to it soon enough.”
    “Did you ever hurt her?”
    Gianni’s jaw tensed. “No, I didn’t. No matter how much she begged.” He drew in a sharp breath. “At least not physically. But she cried, telling me how much she loved me.” He didn’t say anything for a moment.
    “I tried to explain that, as she ventured deeper into submission, emotions would constantly change,” Gianni said. “Much of the emotion is caused by the dominant, and he can naturally become the object of affection. It can be very confusing for a woman.
    “The depth of the power exchange can become tangled with all the emotions of any sexual affair. Riding that emotional rollercoaster can be hard.” He looked at Leah. “A feeling of dependency is to be expected, and has to be handled with care.”
    Leah knew it was bad, even before he said it.
    “Do you want me to stop?” he said. “It gets worse. You don’t need to know all this.”
    Her stomach knotted, but Leah held firm. “I do need to know. Tell me, Gianni.”
    For a moment, he looked down at the table as if deciding how to tell her. “There is no easy way to say this.”
    Leah waited.
    “I was the one who found her,” Gianni said. “She was in the playroom.” His eyes grew moist. “At first I thought she was asleep, naked on the satin sheets. When I got closer I saw that she was ghostly pale. I felt for a pulse, but it was barely there.”
    Leah felt dizzy.
    “I rushed her to the hospital as quickly as I could. I happened to notice the empty pill bottle, and took it with me so the doctor would know what she had taken.” He looked into Leah’s eyes. “It was awful.”
    “I can’t imagine.” Leah wrapped her arms around her waist.
    “Panic didn’t set in until they wheeled her back to emergency. Then I collapsed in the waiting room, with nothing to do but wait.”
    “Did she die?”
    “Almost.” Gianni stood up and began to pace the few steps across the kitchen. “I got there just in time. A few more minutes and it might have been too late. When I found her, there was an envelope beside her. I’d stuffed it in my pocket. When I knew she was going to be okay, I opened it and read the note.”
    “What did it say?”
    “It was in her handwriting. It said: I can’t live without you .”
    A chill ran down Leah’s spine.
    “Ava tried to take her own life…because of me .”
    “Did you suspect she might do something like that?”
    He shook his head. “No. But thinking back, I should have seen it coming. She became more emotional the longer we were together. And when I broke it off, Ava was hysterical.”
    Gianni stopped pacing. “I thought she would get over it. But I was responsible. I failed her. She was the submissive. I should have taken care of her…but I didn’t.”
    “You couldn’t have known she was so emotionally fragile.”
    “I tried to tell myself that, but it didn’t help.” Gianni sat back down. “I should have been more alert to the changes. I should have seen it.” He looked at her. “I know intense scenes produce strong emotions that are tough to deal with. Cutting her off like that…it was too sudden.”
    “What happened to her?”
    “Ava was in the hospital overnight, then went to stay with a friend. I paid for her treatment. There was no lasting physical issue. But emotionally, I don’t know. I covered the cost for months of therapy.” Gianni seemed to calm a little. “And I gave her a sum of money…to make her life easier.”
    “How is she now?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “When is the last time you spoke to her?”
    “Months…it was months before I met you.”
    Leah moved to the