Abby 2: Abigail

Chapter 12

Madeleine sat at her desk on Sunday evening. Her office's rich velvet drapes and mahogany furniture made it look more like a Victorian parlor than a BDSM club, save for the erotic artwork around the room.

She took a sip of whiskey, enjoying the burn. Madeleine had always been more of a wine connoisseur, but lately, the smoky flavor and bite of fine whiskey had become her solace. She had been sitting there for almost an hour, planning out the next weekend's party, when a commotion outside her door interrupted her thoughts.

"Is she in there?"

The door flew open, and a well-dressed man in his early fifties barged in, followed close behind by Tim. The burly head of security seemed uncharacteristically unsure of what to do next.

"I'm sahrry, Ma'am, I'll take care o' dis," he said finally.

Madeleine held up her hand. "It's alright, Tim. Thank you."

He paused for a second, then nodded and backed out of the room, closing the door. She studied the man left standing there, unflustered by the intrusion, as she took another slow draw of whiskey before finally speaking.

"Eden." Her tone betrayed none of her emotions as the click of her manicured nails met the wooden desk, punctuating the air between them like a metronome.

"Always a pleasure, Madeleine," he said through a tin veil of sarcasm.

"Is it?"

Madeleine's eyebrow arched, her lips curving into a smile. She sat her glass down, folding her hands in her lap and calmly leaning back in her seat. "Have you returned because you missed our last little... chat?"

"Cut the crap, Madeline. Tristan und Isolde? Really?"

"I take it Abby enjoyed my gift then?"

"You bitch! You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew she would take me, and you know damn well what that opera means to me. What it meant to us."

Madeline remained composed. "Eden, my dear. If you are going to be that sentimental about your past, maybe you should consider whether you ought to be dating anyone right now."

"Fuck you, Madeleine. I love her, and I won't let you poison our relationship. I don't care how much you want to keep her to yourself."

Madeleine's voice was laced with amusement. "Keep her to myself? I'm not sure where you got that idea. My only interest is her well-being and not seeing her tied down to someone with your... history. As I recall, you are fond of walking out on relationships."

Eden's anger boiled over, his fists clenching. "Are you kidding? You're still holding a grudge over something that happened years ago? I left you because you didn't give a damn about what I wanted!"

"That's a lie, and you know it. You tried to cage me, and when you couldn't, you walked."

"I wanted a life together, but all you cared about was getting me to submit. You were so consumed with being in control that you couldn't just be happy with what we had. And now you're trying to push her away from me!"

His anger was palpable, but Madeline remained composed. "Oh, please. Abby has free will, and she is figuring out what she wants in life. She's not some weak little girl you can control, either."

Eden's words echoed through the room. "I don't want to control her! I want to give her the kind of life I wanted to give you."

"You were never satisfied with me."

Eden shook his head, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. "Who is lying now?"

Madeline's gaze hardened, her voice rising to meet his. "I loved you, Eden. I would have given anything to be with you. All I had asked in return was to be able to explore who I was. Together with you. But you couldn't handle that. You were afraid of letting go, of not being in charge for once."