Sinful Angel

Chapter 20: Luke

I finished up my demonstration of how to safely and properly use a whip on someone, and motioned for the members of my audience to find a practice whip and a dummy.

"I'll be going around to observe, so just do your best. If you have questions, feel free to ask."

I watched listlessly as they did as instructed, starting off shy and reserved with the whips. All the newbies did, which was encouraging. You wanted to see someone approach whipping with caution, even if it was just on a dummy. I walked around the room, giving out pointers as needed, but mostly just kept to myself.

This was how I'd been for the last couple months. Quiet, depressed, and alone. I hadn't been able to do any one-on-one sessions since Madison came back into my life, but even when I'd been with her my classes were usually engaging and fun for me. Funny how getting your heart trampled on can change things.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and noticed Tasha coming into the room. Her and Cin usually never attended classes they weren't teaching, and I knew something was going on. I saw another instructor I'd talked to a couple times, Jared, follow in behind her and I quickened my pace over to them.

"Is everything alright?"

"I need you for a little Luke, there's an emergency. Jared can take over for you here."

I nodded, not even questioning her. I gathered the class's attention and introduced Jared, saying that he was going to go around and help while I stepped out for a moment. Leaving my whip on the hook by the door, I hurried after Tasha who had already started down the hall.

"Tasha, what is it? Is Cin okay?"

"Yeah she's fine. Okay, in here Luke," she said, motioning to a cracked door. "I'll be back in a little, but you'll know what to do."

Before I could ask her anything- like why she wasn't telling me anything and why she seemed so suspicious- she ran off down the hall. Still having no idea what was happening, I pushed the door open and looked around to see Madison kneeling in the middle of the room. I stopped in my tracks, heart in my throat. She was fully dressed, and not technically in the correct position since she was full on facing me, but even to just see her had my hopes soaring.

This doesn't mean anything, so control yourself, my mind whispered to me. Tamping the hope down, I stepped fully into the room and shut the door before walking over to the seat near her and sitting, arms folded across my chest.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you here again," I snidely said. I hated my tone, but the hurt she'd left me in was still pretty fresh.

To her credit, she blushed and looked away with embarrassment before clearing her throat. "Yes, well, I'm here about that actually."

"Well then, please. Explain."

She unfolded a piece of paper I didn't notice she'd been holding, and looked at me. "I didn't want to love you again." She held out the piece of paper, and I took it.

I gazed over Madison's handwriting on the paper and stiffened in my chair, my heart aching even more with the pain those words caused.

Pros: Comfortable with him. Trust is already there. He knows what he's doing. So far we seem to fit pretty well. He cares about ME, not just my body. Can't get any more awkward between us.

Cons: Could fall in love all over again. Never really stopped loving him. Don't want my heart broken by him again.

"I made that after you offered to train me. I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision and I figured that if I was able to keep you at a distance, then neither of us would get hurt."