The Darker Side of Pleasure by Eden Bradley Page A

Sushi to Dai For! You are my best friend!”
    “I thought I already was your best friend.” Jillian set the box on the heavy Indonesian wood coffee table, then went to the small kitchen in search of plates, which she found easily. Briana’s place had been her home-away-from-home since the two had met, especially whenever Cam was out of town.
    She returned to the living room laden with plates, napkins, and two pairs of black-lacquered chopsticks. She moved Van Gogh’s furry bulk off the couch and sat down to prepare their plates.
    “I got some yellowtail for you. And some California rolls.”
    “Mmm, my favorites!” Briana flipped her long, dark braid over her shoulder and grabbed for her plate.
    They chatted through dinner about work, mostly. After the meal they sat on the sofa, sipping the Chardonnay Jillian had found in Briana’s fridge.
    “So,” her friend started, “when are you going to tell me about this supernatural glow of yours?”
    Jillian laughed. “What?”
    “Oh, come on, Jillie. You’re lit up like a firefly, yet you sat here eating and gossiping about the gallery like everything was perfectly normal. Fess up, girl.”
    Jillian’s cheeks went warm. Was it really that obvious? She tried for a casual tone. “Like I said on the phone, things have been really great with Cam.”
    “It’s clearly not as simple as that, and I know you’re dying to tell. You’re a girl. We can’t go through anything, good or bad, without wanting to share it with our girlfriends. It’s genetic.”
    “This is…really personal.”
    “Ooh, even better!”
    “Have I ever told you you’re incorrigible?”
    “All the time. Now spill.”
    “Bri, I don’t know if I can talk about this.”
    “Okay, sorry. I’ll stop kidding around. I can see it’s more than that you guys have started having sex again.”
    “It’s a lot more. I don’t even know where to begin.” Jillian took a sip of her wine, letting it cool her suddenly dry throat. “You’re right, though. I do need to talk about it. And you’re definitely the only person, other than Cam, I can trust with this.”
    “You go ahead, honey. I’ll shut up and just listen.” Briana’s big hazel eyes sobered.
    Jillian chewed on her lip. “Well, have you ever done anything…a little kinky?”
    “Please. This is me. But, how kinky are we talking?”
    “Um…how about bondage?”
    “Really.” Briana’s generous mouth spread into a slow grin and her brows arched.
    Jillian’s cheeks fired. “Bri. Please.”
    “You just took me by surprise. But no, I’ve never tried bondage. Not that it hasn’t crossed my mind a time or two. But I think you need to do that with someone you really trust.”
    “Exactly. That’s what it’s all about for us. Rebuilding our trust.”
    “And how’s it going?”
    “Good, I think. I just feel so…so different. Like we’ve discovered each other again. We’re so much closer already. I feel like I can really count on Cam. Not that there was ever a time when I couldn’t. But things were really rough after…after the baby.”
    Briana reached out and put a hand on her arm. “I know, honey.”
    “The last year has been kind of a blur for me. I mean, I go to work every day, function pretty well, do my thing. I come home at night. I cook dinner. We watch a little television. But it’s all felt so empty. Even when we were sitting right next to each other, there was no cuddling. No handholding. And that was my fault. I pushed him away.” Tears stung her eyes, but it was good to talk about it, to get it out of her system.
    “Poor Cam. He’s been so patient with me. I thought he was nuts when he suggested this. But therapy was a disaster, and it got to the point where I knew we had to do something, or our marriage was going to be over. And I really love him, Bri. I couldn’t let that happen.”
    Briana made a comforting cooing sound.
    “So…there we were the other night. I was scared but excited, too. And when it all