Free Perfect Submission by Roxy Sloane Page B

overwhelmed as she
hugs them all in turn.
    “Let’s get some champagne,” Ash announces.
“To toast your freedom.”
    Justine shudders. “I can’t imagine being
locked up like that. I don’t know what I’d do.”
    “Let’s not talk about it,” I say quickly,
worried.
    But Isabelle just smiles. “It’s OK. I made
it through, that’s the important thing. And now I have the rest of
my life to enjoy.”
    We all get champagne and appetizers, and
soon everyone’s having a great time. I love to see Isabelle like
this: her face lit up with happiness as she chats with the other
women. I remember the snooty ice queen I first met, so used to
locking all her feelings inside. Now, there’s nothing detached
about her. Her emotions are written all over her face. She looks
joyful and free.
    “To Isabelle,” I raise my glass in a toast.
“And the future.”
    “To Isabelle,” everyone choruses.
    She beams. “And I want to toast you guys,
too. Your friendship means everything to me. You all stepped up to
help me through this in different ways. You finding the lawyer,
Justine, and you giving me advice and support,” she says, nodding
to Olivia and Keely. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
    Her eyes meet mine. ‘Thank you’ she mouths
silently, and I know her gratitude is to me too.
    But I’m the lucky one. This woman has opened
my heart, and my life. She wasn’t the only one who was closed off.
Before her, I was so focused on keeping total control in my life
that I sacrificed the discovery of new relationships. I thought my
life at the Underground was something to keep hidden, not to
celebrate.
    I didn’t think I could ever find someone who
would satisfy my need for domination—and give me the respect and
love of a real partner, too.
    But Isabelle is different. She’s opened my
eyes to a pleasure that doesn’t have to be kept locked away in a
secret room. She fulfills my every desire, and shows me so much
more, too. She’s everything to me.
    I clear my throat, about to say something,
when a hush falls over the table.
    “Well, well, well.” A familiar sneering
voice comes from behind me. “Look who’s enjoying her final moments
of freedom.”
    Brent.
    I see red.
    For weeks now, I’ve been holding back my
anger, not wanting to make things worse for Isabelle. He has a
power over her, a reason to keep my rage in check. But no more.
    In one motion, I push back my chair, spin
around, and smash him across the jaw in a hard left hook.
    Another diner shrieks.
    I stalk toward him and drag him up. Brent
howls in pain, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
    I want to wipe that cruel smirk off his face
forever, and make sure he can never harm Isabelle again. I’ve never
hated anyone like this. I feel rage pumping through me, drowning
out the yells and noise – everything except one voice.
    Hers.
    “Cam.”
    It cuts through my fury, the soft sound of
her voice.
    “Cam, that’s enough.”
    I reel back, panting. Brent slumps to the
floor in a mess. He splutters, spitting out a mouthful of
blood.
    Rage still burns in me. No amount of pain
could ever be enough for the damage he’s tried to do.
    Isabelle steps around me, and slowly
approaches Brent’s pathetic body. “Listen to me very carefully,”
she begins, her voice clear and calm. The whole restaurant is
hushed, watching us all, but Isabelle doesn’t cringe or flinch away
from the attention. She stands over him, tall and regal.
    Beautiful.
    “You’re finished, Brent. Done. You have no
money, no trust fund, and no friends in this town anymore. I
stopped Cam today, but only because you’re not worth the trouble of
an assault charge. If you ever so much as look at me again, I won’t
hold him back. We will end you.”
    Isabelle towers over him, her words icy
clear.
    “Don’t ever set foot near me again. If you
see me on the street, walk the other way. In fact, get the hell out
of New York, and don’t ever come back.”
    “Agreed.” Keely