But Mia had gone to The Academy to learn how to be shared. She had explicitly wanted it. Had this been against Keane’s will?
‘I want a one-man woman,’ he continued. ‘None of this mucking around with other Doms. Well, except Maria. I like to see that kind of show.’
‘If I agreed,’ I said, ‘would you send me somewhere, to learn, well, the ropes? So to speak.’
‘This again,’ exclaimed Maria. ‘She has a thing about going to sub school. If only such a place existed.’
My skin prickled. Did Keane know something Maria didn’t? Perhaps he wouldn’t mention it in front of her.
‘You’ll learn everything you need from me,’ proclaimed Keane. ‘Trust me.’
I tried not to let the cynical smile loose on my face. Trust him? The man whose sharky ways were bringing the city to its knees? Not likely.
‘It’s certainly an interesting idea,’ I said, my mind working hard. ‘And I think it would be interesting for lots of other people new to this…lifestyle. Would you mind if I blogged about it?’
I held my breath.
‘I don’t hold with all this social media,’ he said, his voice a little lower and a lot more dangerous. ‘So no. I don’t want my life all over the internet. If you want to keep a personal diary, of course that’s up to you. But I’d ask you not to name names in it.’
Could this be the reason for Mia’s disappearance? Keane had found out about her blog and vetoed it in panic? It seemed highly likely. But she wasn’t with him now – surely she could resurrect it, to chronicle her new, more swinging, phase of life?
‘Oh, OK,’ I said.
‘Martin,’ said Maria sharply. ‘These plates are empty. Please take them out and get the main courses from the ovens, please.’
His leash swung over the table as he collected our plates, then left with them. Was he hungry? He hadn’t eaten a thing so far.
‘So, Ellie.’ Keane’s authoritative voice brought my attention right back to him. ‘Do we give this a go?’
‘Well, why not?’ I said, whilst a carousel of reasons why not swirled in my mind. ‘If it doesn’t work out, at least I might have learned something.’
‘Good girl,’ he said, smiling, and my stomach dropped a little. Something in those words, in that tone, really worked for me, just as it had when Tom said it. Was I really no more sophisticated than one of Pavlov’s dogs?
He reached across the table to take my hand. I thought he meant to shake on the deal, but instead he raised my fingers to his lips and kissed them, while Maria clapped with excitement.
‘Oh, how lovely,’ she enthused. ‘I do hope this is the start of something special for you both. Poor J has been desperate for the right girl to come along for such an age now.’
So Mia hadn’t pleased him? How strange that she’d given such glowing reports of their relationship in her blog. Perhaps she had been bowled over and failed to read the signs. Like me, with Tom.
‘I’ll get a contract drawn up,’ said Keane, and my heart nearly stopped.
‘A…contract?’
‘Yes. Legally witnessed by Maria and Martin here. I have a lawyer friend who’s done me a few.’
‘A contract?’ I repeated, still feeling as if I’d been tossed overboard into freezing water.
‘Don’t look so worried. Just a few clauses – non-disclosure, that kind of thing.’
‘Non-disclosure?’
‘For reasons that’ll become obvious once you know me better, I can’t have you going and running your mouth off about what we get up to together. It’s nothing. Private lives are private, I hope you agree.’
‘Of course.’
‘So the contract just puts that thought into writing.’
‘OK. So it doesn’t make me, like, your property, or anything like that?’