DESIRE (18+)

Chapter 1

ISABELLE
"Oh my fucking god come hold my hair back," My roommate Mia yelled. I groaned before getting out of bed and quickly making my way to the bathroom. Mia was sitting in the floor in front of the toilet with her head in her hands. I pulled her hair from her face and put it into a ponytail. She had tight curls in her hair naturally, and even in the bathroom at 6am with her throwing up, I can't help but smile at her gorgeous hair. I'm jealous if i'm honest, my hair tends to be pretty damn straight, it refuses to hold curls even with my expensive ass hair curler.
Mia groans as she throws up again, I rub her back and get her a wet wash cloth. We were out late last night at a new club that opened on South Main. It was known for joining one of very few clubs that were part of the BDSM scene around us. It had been fun going out with Mia, but I never really found anyone I was particularly interested in.
It's hard for me to find a partner I felt comfortable sharing my illness with. I've been diagnosed with POTS syndrome for nearly three years now, I'm pretty good at managing it as much as I can, despite the fact that there is very little research into things to relieve POTS symptoms.
BDSM clubs felt more comfortable to me than normal clubs, because they tended to be more open and inclusive...in more ways than one. I am a proud bisexual woman, and I want a partner who can reciprocate the pride I feel in my identity. Both my sexuality and my disability have scared of plenty of potential partners, but at the end of the day, I won't change any part of my identity just to fit into someone's expectations. This might sound cheesy, but I like to be up front and honest, and if that makes people uncomfortable, so be it.
Once Mia was done throwing up, I made my way to the kitchen and poured each of us a bowl of cereal. I cut up a banana to put into mine, and grabbed the salt jar from the counter, sprinkling it over top of my meal. I usually made a smoothie too, but the alcohol isn't  sitting well with me either, and i'm hoping to avoid throwing up like Mia.
After breakfast I went back to my room and picked out my outfit, selecting a pair of flared jeans and a colorful top, finishing with all my jewelry I usually wore, and a pair of pink lollipop earrings. I grabbed my bag and keys before walking out the door, and getting into my Dodge Charger which is covered in bumper stickers.
On my way to work I stopped at my local coffee  shop and ordered an Iced Dirty Chai. Once I had it I continued on my way until I pulled into the parking lot of my work. I've been an HR manager  at Pierce and Woodson Law Firm since I graduated college with a major in Business and Humanities. I love my job because it makes me feel like I'm really doing something good. I walk in and wave to Maeve the legal secretary. She's probably the person I'm closest with at my job, because we like a lot of the same things. She's really sweet once you get to know her, but she's a little rough around the edges. Aren't we all?
When I arrived in my office I found a stack of papers waiting for me and I got to work right away. After an hour, I received a call from Maeve, telling me I needed to go speak to one of our managing partners, Asher Whitman. I gathered my things and made my way to his office, not particularly worried. I know I haven't done anything wrong, it was probably an issue report he needed. I knocked on his door and waited until I heard his voice, "Come in?"
I opened the door and smiled, giving him a little wave. He smiled tightly, "Sit down."
I sat.
"It has come to my attention that one of the Lawyers that works here feels uncomfortable working with me after learning about my...recreational activities." He said, looking at his hands nervously.
I paused, "Can you elaborate on these activities?" I asked doing my best to keep my voice even despite my curiosity.
He cleared his throat, "She found my social media, one post of mine shows me at a...private location." He replied cryptically.
I smiled gently, leaning forward a bit, "Sir, I understand your hesitation, but to help you I really need to know where you were," I explained.
He shifted uncomfortably, "I was at a BDSM club. It wasn't an explicit picture, the logo was just in the background and she noticed it." He explained to me with a sigh.
I nodded, "Well what you do on your free time is certainly your business, so it's really not her concern so long as you're not...pursuing any kind of inappropriate relationship," I told him with a kind smile, trying to break the tension.
He nodded. "Absolutely not, nothing like that...just a hesitation on her part I believe."
I assured him it wouldn't be an issue, and returned to my office to finish my work day, but as I sat alone in my office, I couldn't help but imagine Asher at a club, relaxed and sipping a drink, perhaps wearing a suit like the one he wore today, it fit him perfectly and showed off his undeniably strong arms.
By the time I went home I was sufficiently distracted, but I was determined to rid Asher from my mind, and focus on more important things.