some reason the idea that Lance had children never occurred to her.
“I do,” he said, and said nothing else. “Are you ready?”
“My next appointment’s about half an hour away. We should head out.”
“Take cookies,” Mrs. B. said. “Lord knows we don’t need to eat all of them.”
No one had to tell Nora twice to take cookies with her. With a brown bag full of chocolate chip cookies, they left the judge’s house and returned to her car.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a kid?” Nora asked once they were back in her car.
“Does it matter?”
“I think it matters.”
“Well, let’s see. We talked for all of five minutes last night before going to your dungeon and none of that conversation included you saying, ‘By the way, do you have any children?’”
“Fine. By the way, do you have any children?” she asked as she headed toward East 76th Street.
“I do. One daughter, age six.”
“What’s her name?”
“Maya.”
“Where is she?”
“With her mother.”
“Why isn’t she with you?”
“Because I’m working.”
“You’re not going to give me anything here, are you? I’m fully capable and willing to torture you to get the answers I want. You realize that, yes?”
“The situation with my ex-wife and my daughter is...let’s call it my sore spot. A sore spot and a long story.”
Nora growled in frustration. Usually only Søren could inspire such aggravation on her part. She started to open her mouth to give him some verbal abuse, but felt something vibrating in her jacket pocket. Pulling out her phone, she handed it to Lance.
“Answer that for me. It’s the boss.”
Lance answered and had a brief conversation, which Nora heard only one side of. A “Yes” followed by a clipped “Understood.”
He handed the phone back to her and sighed.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Your next appointment’s been canceled. Your client is trapped on the tarmac in Toronto. He wants to reschedule for Monday.”
“Isn’t that a happy coincidence?” Nora said, pulling over to park by a café. “Sounds like we have plenty of time now for a long story.”
They ordered coffee and sat at table in the corner of the café by the windows. Nora kept her coat on. A woman in a black leather bustier got more attention than she’d prefer right now.
“So what’s the story with you and the kid?” She blew on her coffee as she studied Lance over the brim.
“Can I ask why you want to know?” Lance took a sip of the coffee, apparently not bothered by its temperature. Masochists. Such show-offs.
“I like you. I want to know everything about you, especially the stuff you don’t want me to know.”
“There might be a good reason I don’t want you to know.”
Nora didn’t back down. “I’m not asking to meet her and audition for the role of wicked stepmother. I just want to know about her, about you and her.”
“The situation...it’s not something I’m particularly proud of.”
“Don’t care. You think you’re the only person at this table with a past? You realize you’re talking to a Dominatrix here, right?”
“Right. Good point.”
“So tell me about Maya.”
Lance took a deep breath.
“I can’t start with Maya. I have to start with her mother, Amber. I was on a short leave eight years ago in Vermont and met this beautiful woman. Smart, sexy...love and lust at first sight. One of those whirlwind courtship things. We kept in touch after I shipped out, we got married on my very next leave. I shipped out again right after the honeymoon. Amber told me a month later I was going to be a father.”
“Happy news?”
“Very happy. I had a new wife I thought I was in love with and a new baby on the way. Magic. But a few months later I had metal in my back and it’s no more Navy, no more career. So I go home, and we start living together for the first time since we got married. She has Maya, I have surgeries. Once she’s healed up from the delivery, and I’m
“I do,” he said, and said nothing else. “Are you ready?”
“My next appointment’s about half an hour away. We should head out.”
“Take cookies,” Mrs. B. said. “Lord knows we don’t need to eat all of them.”
No one had to tell Nora twice to take cookies with her. With a brown bag full of chocolate chip cookies, they left the judge’s house and returned to her car.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a kid?” Nora asked once they were back in her car.
“Does it matter?”
“I think it matters.”
“Well, let’s see. We talked for all of five minutes last night before going to your dungeon and none of that conversation included you saying, ‘By the way, do you have any children?’”
“Fine. By the way, do you have any children?” she asked as she headed toward East 76th Street.
“I do. One daughter, age six.”
“What’s her name?”
“Maya.”
“Where is she?”
“With her mother.”
“Why isn’t she with you?”
“Because I’m working.”
“You’re not going to give me anything here, are you? I’m fully capable and willing to torture you to get the answers I want. You realize that, yes?”
“The situation with my ex-wife and my daughter is...let’s call it my sore spot. A sore spot and a long story.”
Nora growled in frustration. Usually only Søren could inspire such aggravation on her part. She started to open her mouth to give him some verbal abuse, but felt something vibrating in her jacket pocket. Pulling out her phone, she handed it to Lance.
“Answer that for me. It’s the boss.”
Lance answered and had a brief conversation, which Nora heard only one side of. A “Yes” followed by a clipped “Understood.”
He handed the phone back to her and sighed.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Your next appointment’s been canceled. Your client is trapped on the tarmac in Toronto. He wants to reschedule for Monday.”
“Isn’t that a happy coincidence?” Nora said, pulling over to park by a café. “Sounds like we have plenty of time now for a long story.”
They ordered coffee and sat at table in the corner of the café by the windows. Nora kept her coat on. A woman in a black leather bustier got more attention than she’d prefer right now.
“So what’s the story with you and the kid?” She blew on her coffee as she studied Lance over the brim.
“Can I ask why you want to know?” Lance took a sip of the coffee, apparently not bothered by its temperature. Masochists. Such show-offs.
“I like you. I want to know everything about you, especially the stuff you don’t want me to know.”
“There might be a good reason I don’t want you to know.”
Nora didn’t back down. “I’m not asking to meet her and audition for the role of wicked stepmother. I just want to know about her, about you and her.”
“The situation...it’s not something I’m particularly proud of.”
“Don’t care. You think you’re the only person at this table with a past? You realize you’re talking to a Dominatrix here, right?”
“Right. Good point.”
“So tell me about Maya.”
Lance took a deep breath.
“I can’t start with Maya. I have to start with her mother, Amber. I was on a short leave eight years ago in Vermont and met this beautiful woman. Smart, sexy...love and lust at first sight. One of those whirlwind courtship things. We kept in touch after I shipped out, we got married on my very next leave. I shipped out again right after the honeymoon. Amber told me a month later I was going to be a father.”
“Happy news?”
“Very happy. I had a new wife I thought I was in love with and a new baby on the way. Magic. But a few months later I had metal in my back and it’s no more Navy, no more career. So I go home, and we start living together for the first time since we got married. She has Maya, I have surgeries. Once she’s healed up from the delivery, and I’m
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