“I’m aware. Carry on.”
“On the boat I contemplated killing myself. Throwing myself overboard rather than be at the mercy of Daren. Anyway, I didn’t, and the trip on the boat wasn’t half as terrifying as it should have been. Daren Robinson was a f**king monster, but he wasn’t mean. He hit me when I irritated him or tried to get away, and he made sure that I knew he was doing a job with me. What he did to me wasn’t personal. He never really attempted to rape me. There was a moment where it looked like he would, but then he stopped and nothing came of it.
Prue paused to take a sip of water.
“Move onto Henry,” Priscilla said.
“That was hard. I was locked in a room for the longest time. I don’t know why they kept me so long. I know they struck a deal with James, but then they put me up for sale. I think I was becoming a nuisance, or maybe I was a risk to them in some way. They wouldn’t have let me go. I memorised the way they looked.”
“Why would you do that?”
“When I got away I was determined to make the bastards pay. They hadn’t raped me, and the worst they did was hit me and beat me. But there were women who could have, and probably did have, far worse than what was done to me.”
Priscilla made some notes.
Not bothering to wait for her to finish, Prue continued talking to her. “I wasn’t deeply affected by what happened. But I couldn’t stand to have the door closed to any room. Being locked away finally did me in.”
They spoke some more over her recovery and spending time with her sister.
“I want to move on to James.”
Prue tensed at his name. She’d been afraid of talking about him. Taking another sip of water, she looked past the woman’s shoulder. “What do you want to know?”
“He’s much older than you, and he was dating your sister, right?”
“Yes, he dated Veronica. Nothing ever came of it, and they didn’t even sleep together.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’d never lie to me.” Prue looked down at where she was scratching the label off the water bottle. “What I say to you stays here, right?” she asked.
“Yes, Prue.”
“James is part of a select group of men. This is going to sound crazy, but bear with me. He’s possessive towards a woman. He needs to be in control and pretty much be part of her life to the point where it could drive the woman crazy. When I met him I didn’t know that side of him. He’s also a Dom. Do you know what the word means?” she asked.
“I’m aware of BDSM and what James is.”
“I knew what he needed, and I’d dabbled in the lifestyle before I went back into his life.” Prue struggled to find the right words. “Other women may find his possessive, dominating, and sometimes irritating attitude, hard to deal with. I love that side of him. He never asked me for permission. James took what he wanted without abuse or pain. He showed me by his power how he felt.”
“You’re talking about his actions as if they’re in the past tense,” Priscilla said.
“They are in the past tense. James is different. He treats me differently, and I find him difficult to deal with.”
“In what way?”
Prue rolled her eyes thinking of the best example. “Okay, the best example recently, James and I were in the park. We were walking, and I said something crazy to him. He pressed me against a tree. For the smallest of seconds I thought he was back. The man I’d fallen in love with. The James before I was taken would have made me come against the tree. This James holds back. I hate that he holds back with me. Maybe I’m crazy and I should like this kinder and more reserved James. I don’t. I feel in love with the man who gave me a cross as his token. The same man who f**ked me across his desk while he should have been working.” She laughed. “The man who forced his friend to fire me so he could hire me.”
Tears fell from her eyes as understanding swept over her. “You see, Mrs Charles. I’ve not got an issue with everything that happened with Henry. I got over it, but James did as I asked and stayed away from me. The old James would never stay away from me, and I don’t know how to bring him back to me. I can’t get over the change inside James, and I think it’s tearing us apart.”
Chapter Twenty-One
James sipped his coffee while signing contracts for alcohol and food to be sold at his club. During office hours he could take the few hours of peace where he didn’t worry about Prudence’s health or safety.
The bill for Priscilla Charles sat on his desk. He’d paid the woman for the past six sessions. Each session lasted two hours, and she took a large sum of money. He’d seen an improvement inside his woman. She smiled more and conversed with him, but there was still something off about her. Prue wasn’t the same. At least he didn’t think so.
They never spoke of her time with Henry or the weeks after that time.
He signed several pay checks then moved stuff around in his desk to locate another bill needing his attention.
A knock at his office door distracted him.
“Come in,” he said.
The person standing in the open doorway surprised him. “Priscilla.”
“Hello, James.” She closed the door then walked farther into the room.
“What can I do for you?” he asked. She was supposed to be there for Prudence, not for him.
“I needed to speak to you with regards to Prue and you.”
“I don’t need therapy.” He grabbed the contract he was looking for.
“No, you don’t need therapy, and neither does Prue. Not really. She’s dealt with the situation with Henry and Daren remarkably well. For a twenty-five year old woman she’s compartmentalized the whole episode. From what I’ve learned I think it’s down to her family’s upbringing.”
“What are you trying to say, Priscilla? Get the words out because you’re boring me,” he said.
“I’m not here as Prue’s therapist. I’ve spoken to her a great deal over the last few weeks, and what I think she needs is unprofessional for me to say. I’m not talking to you about her case or anything about that. I’m here for you both.”
“You’re breaking your code of ethics,” James said. He folded his arms leaning back in his chair. Priscilla looked uncomfortable as she took a seat across from him. Her concern for Prue charmed him.
“What do you think my woman needs?” he asked.