As she and Leigh headed down the hall towards the stairs she could hear the guys muttering behind her.
"There's a guy."
"There must be a guy."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"No, you?"
"She's been way too quiet lately."
"Maybe we should-"
Angel purposefully blocked them out of her hearing as she headed down the stairs.
******
The club was starting to fill up. Adam had gotten there pretty early because he wanted to make sure that he didn't miss Angel. Yesterday he'd come for a while as well but she'd never shown up; which he had expected, since Thursday was a much quieter night around the club, but he'd wanted to cover all his bases. He'd decided that Olivia was right, he'd been too hard on her. The fact that his mom had called this morning and chatted with him in her usual airy, breezy, but loving way drove home to him that he did sometimes still hold onto his resentment over the sudden way she'd left them. She'd been unhappy and she hadn't spoken up about it, not until the day that she'd left. It was a kind of living deception that made him incredibly sensitive to all deception.
Angel was the first woman he'd really been attracted to in more than just a 'let's do a scene' way in a long time. He'd really enjoyed talking with her at Chained too; add in his attraction and it was no wonder that he'd become a little bit obsessed with trying to figure her out. It had started with the mystery, but by the time they'd scened together he'd also found that there was something more.
He figured he owed it to himself, and to her, to at least scene with her again and see if the chemistry was still there or if it was just a byproduct of mystery, discovery and anger. That and, despite knowing that she'd presented herself as something she wasn't, he still hadn't been able to get her out of his head all week.
Patrick stalked in through the main door, past Will who was standing guard that evening, and immediately came over to where Adam was sitting.
"Bourbon shot," he barked at Lisa. She raised her eyebrow at him, tapped her fingers on the bar, and waited. Patrick growled. "Please."
"Don't piss off the Dommes," Adam said mildly.
"You'd think that eventually someone would worry about pissing off me," the big man grumbled. He looked as stressed as Adam had ever seen him. For the first time, in a long time, some stubble had actually dared make an appearance on his normally bald head. Patrick ran his hands over it, his head bowing for a moment before Lisa returned with the shot of bourbon.
Deciding the best policy was to remain silent, because pointing out the obvious - that ninety-nine percent of the people in the club were never going to risk pissing Patrick off - wasn't going to actually help right now.
"What does she see in that little twit anyway?" Patrick was staring at the small glass in front of him rather than drinking it. "If Jake knew I was letting her run around with a little bastard like that, he'd probably come back home and kick my ass."
"I think he'd probably realize that you can't control every aspect of Lexie's life," Adam said dryly. He studied Patrick's bleak expression. "Unless, of course, you made her your slave." Patrick didn't want a 24/7 total power exchange, but out of their group of friends he was the only one who wanted anything close to resembling a full time Master/slave relationship.
Instead of responding, Patrick picked up the shot of bourbon and studied it for a moment before lifting it to his lips and throwing his head back.
Nonchalantly, Adam let his gaze drift over to the lounge area, which was slowly filling up with the subs who wanted to play and didn't have a current partner. "You could always work out some of that tension. Plenty of subs available tonight."
"Is that what you're planning on doing?" Patrick asked, deflecting the issue back rather than acknowledging that he hadn't done a scene in the club since Lexie had started working there.
"I'm waiting for a particular sub."
"Oh really?" A little half-smile lifted Patrick's face. "Does this mean you're not going to be doing Introduction Scenes anymore?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
The only reason Liam, Justin and Chris were no longer doing Introduction Scenes was because they were in committed relationships. He wasn't anywhere near that with Angel. Wasn't even sure that it was what he wanted with her or whether she'd have anything to do with him after last week, and he wasn't going to shirk his responsibilities to the club unless it was for something that was definitely serious. Especially since that would leave Patrick shorthanded for the moment, although he knew that the owner was already looking at some Doms to take over some of the duties.
"Well, next week there isn't one because of that damn party Lexie talked me into throwing, and then Andrew said he'd cover your next session since you covered his, so after he and Olivia take their turns again it'll be about a month from now before you have one again. So let me know."
"Right."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the subtle dance between patrons of the Club. Ellie was in the Lounge again, Tom was watching her from the bar before he went over and propositioned Vicki for a scene. Although he glanced at Ellie to see her reaction, she wasn't even paying attention. His gaze hardened and then he looked away and smiled at Vicki.
One of the older couples in the club, Walter and Marianne came in. They were both in their sixties and had been married for over thirty years. While they weren't the only retirees who belonged to the club, and they weren't even the oldest, they were the longest running couple. They occasionally made use of one of the private rooms, which they kept private by drawing the shades over the windows, but mostly just seemed to enjoy being around people who indulged in the same kink that they did. Marianne saw Patrick and Adam and smiled and waved. Seeing his Mistress' attention, Walter peeked upwards and smiled at them as well before ducking his head back down as Marianne tugged on his leash. The stately gentleman - because that's what he was - trotted meekly along behind her.
That was what Adam and his friends were beginning to aspire to, he realized. The relationship, not meekly trotting behind some woman. Although he'd noticed that all three of his friends who were now in relationships had gotten... not softer exactly, but just more indulgent of their submissives than they had been in any of their shorter relationships. He supposed that was just a symptom of being in a relationship that you wanted to have a future.
Not all of them wanted a relationship yet, but the group dynamics were definitely shifting. Rick was actively looking, Jared was still trying to make things work with Marissa and even Olivia seemed a little wistful when she looked at the couples lately. Of course Patrick was resisting, but Adam was pretty sure that was because the woman he was most attracted to was definitely off-limits.
The only real holdout was Andrew, and Adam sometimes though that Andrew would be a holdout until the end of time. The crash and burn of his first and last relationship had left layers of emotional scars on the man. Somehow he'd managed to keep his sense of humor, but ever since, there was a darkness to him that had never lifted. During scenes he could be almost cruel, and while that left some of the submissives panting after him, so far none had ever managed to break through the wall that he'd put up around himself.
Patrick's elbow nudged into Adam's side and he looked up to see a large group of their friends walking past Will at the door, accompanied by Angel and another woman that he didn't recognize. She was drop dead gorgeous, with long flowing brown hair that swung freely down her back, slim, leggy, and big eyes that dominated her face. Yet he barely took a moment to appreciate her beauty and how intriguing she looked in her (comparatively) modest outfit before his eyes locked onto Angel.
She was wearing another one of those corsets that offered up her breasts, although the shirt she wore underneath it this time was much lower cut, showing a hint of cleavage. The corset was a deep violet, as was the shirt, worn with a black skirt and black high heels. The look of sultry innocence was completely absent from her attire, replace
d with an inviting sensuality that had his blood thrumming through his veins.
They were surrounded by Jessica, Justin, Chris, Olivia and Rick, apparently all having arrived at around the same time. When Justin and Olivia headed in their direction, Angel finally looked his way and their eyes caught... and held.
******
What good was being in the middle of a herd when the wolf singled you out?
Master Adam's eyes were practically drilling into hers and she yanked her own gaze away, looking down and then peeking back at him. His hard gaze hadn't wavered one iota. Was he still mad that she'd lied about being a Domme? He didn't look particularly happy to see her. Again. Although he didn't look pissed this time either.
And it apparently didn't matter to her body that he didn't look particularly pleased, her heart had started beating in triple time the moment she spotted him.
It seemed to take forever to get across the room to where he was sitting with Master Patrick, even though she was in the middle of a group that swirled and chattered around her. Being in the center of such a group was kind of fascinating because she noticed that Justin and Olivia immediately took point, leading them in the direction that they wanted to go, whereas Chris and Rick sort of hung behind, as if they were going to rope in any stragglers. It really did kind of feel like being in the middle of a herd.
When they got there Angel introduced Leigh to Master Patrick and Master Adam as everyone ordered their drinks, by which time Liam and Hilary had joined them as well and were chatting with Jessica and her boys. Mr. Serious But Not Yet Grouchy just listened and watched Angel as Master Patrick welcomed Leigh to the club and ensured that she'd read and signed the appropriate forms with Lexie when she'd come in. Master Adam looked over Leigh appreciatively for a few moments, but then his gaze returned to Angel.
She wasn't sure if she felt relieved about that or not. If he'd switched his interest from her to Leigh, it wouldn't be the first time a guy had done that. But it would have hurt a lot more than she liked to admit. Still, his unwavering focus on her was more than a little unnerving.
"So what do you think?" Hilary asked Leigh, coming up beside them, her pretty brown eyes sparkling. "Do you want to see the private rooms?" Liam had one hand on the small of her back although he had to stretch to do it, since he was currently talking with Justin and Olivia. Chris and Jessica had moved to the bar, having a whispered conversation with Andrew as Rick looked on without contributing. Angel though that Liam's desire for continuous contact with his girlfriend was incredibly sweet. In fact, in made her a little wistful.
Even though she was pretty sure that a Dom would claim it was only about control, it was obvious that he didn't like Hilary being too far away from him.
"Um... I'm not sure..." Leigh confessed, her eyes drifting up to some of the black and white photos behind the bar. The one directly in front of where they were sitting was of a woman kneeling facing the camera, her hands were behind her back but it was impossible to tell if she was bound, and a man standing beside her. The woman was completely naked, the man could only be seen from the waist down but he was obviously fully clothed since he was wearing a suit and the jacket could be seen in the photograph. His hand was cupped under her chin and she was looking up at him with such an expression of trust and desire that it was breathtaking. "I'm mostly here because I didn't want to keep Angel at home while I'm staying with her."
"Oh, are you from out of town?"
"No," Leigh grimaced, obviously not sure how much of her personal drama to thrown down in the middle of this group.
"Us girls have to band together in times of men being assholes," Angel said solemnly, throwing a supportive arm around Leigh's waist. Her friend gave her a relieved smile. Hilary nodded knowingly as Patrick and Adam gave each other a look.
"Cheers to that," Hilary said, holding out her glass. Angel and Leigh grinned and clinked theirs with hers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Master Adam roll his eyes.
He was starting to look grouchier but she didn't know why. After all, it wasn't like she'd done anything.
******
Trying to reign in his patience as Angel and Hilary started informing Leigh about the various rooms in the club, as well as pointing out some of the areas and more interesting aspects to the decor in the main room, Adam kept quiet while he debated with himself. Angel bringing her friend tonight had thrown a bit of a kink in his plans. After all, Leigh had come to Stronghold so that Angel could, but he couldn't imagine that Angel would ditch her friend to go actually participate in a scene.
Especially not since her friend was apparently having relationship trouble. That kind of thing broke girl-code. Not that he was an expert on girl-code, but there were some things that were universally understood.
Which left him in a bit of a quandary. Angel was unlikely to want to be separated from her friend while they were supporting each other, but he desperately wanted to have at least a few private moments with her. He'd like to apologize for the way her Introduction Scene ended. And if he couldn't scene with her tonight, he could at least plant the idea of doing a future scene together in her mind.
Jessica and Olivia drifted over to join in the girl talk, making it even harder for him to interject and ask for a moment with Angel alone. Who could break through all that giggling?
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chris and Andrew watching him with looks of amusement on their faces, as if they could sense his frustration and were enjoying it. They probably were, the assholes. Justin and Patrick were both watching over the entire group with a kind of benign eye, although Patrick's attention wasn't entirely focused on the group, but more on the club in general. And his gaze wandered to the door to the lobby every time it opened, as if he could see into there too. Olivia had positioned herself next to Leigh, although she was obviously keeping an eye on Angel as well.
Mother-henning, as usual. Now that Jessica and Hilary were safely taken care of, in the sense that they were Justin, Chris and Liam's to deal with, she was obviously turning her attention elsewhere.
And Liam, as usual, was behind Hilary, with his hand stretched out to keep contact with her. Rick stood beside him, his eyes flicking back and forth between Angel and Leigh. Adam had to keep himself from shifting closer to Angel. He had absolutely no reason or right to feel possessive over her. Even if he had told Rick that he was interested, to keep the other man from propositioning her.
"So you dominate men?" Leigh seemed rather fascinated by Olivia, which made Adam smirk a bit. She was obviously, to him, submissive. Even more so than Angel, because she automatically positioned herself to follow Angel's lead.
Unless of course Angel wasn't really submissive, in which case Leigh’s deferral to her would make a lot of sense.
Stop that.
His instincts said that Angel was and he needed to stop over thinking it. Just because she'd misled him the first time they'd met, that didn't mean she would again. At the time, she felt like she'd had reason to.
For some reason that wasn't entirely reassuring, but he pushed back his own issues.
"Usually men, sometimes women," Olivia said with a smile, giving Leigh a little wink. She blushed prettily, although it didn't seem to make her uncomfortable. "I do tend to prefer men though. Especially the ones that are more... challenging." Her smile was almost predatory and it made all of the men shift uncomfortably. None of them had a problem with a woman dominating a man, as long as the man enjoyed it, but by the same token, none of them could be completely comfortable with Olivia when she had that look in her eye. It was the same one she got right before she trussed a submissive up and tortured his cock and balls.
Adam didn't care if it made the sub hard, he couldn't watch without cringing. Or think about it without cringing. None of them could.
"But aren't they stronger than you?" Leigh's hand clapped to her mouth as she realized that in some ways, what she had just said could be construed as an insult. "Oh, I'm sorry... that's not really the point is
it?"
"No, it's not," Olivia said, giving her a reassuring smile. For all her fierceness when dealing with experienced submissives, especially naughty or bratty ones, Olivia could be incredibly gentle and patient with the newbs. "They submit because they want to. But yes, there are some that enjoy the sensation of being forced to submit. It's not something I've ever had a problem with." She said it without conceit, although Adam had seen some of the subs that she'd had to physically enforce her orders with.
They wanted it of course, although it was harder for a large, muscular male to play the brat and then be physically pushed into position. A lot of the men who wanted rougher play like that tended to be gay or bisexual and would look for another man to dominate them. There were a very, very few that wanted to challenge and then be slapped down by a woman and those were the ones that Olivia honestly preferred.
She didn't come to Liam's dojo often, because her workouts consisted of kickboxing and Krav Maga, although he'd also seen her take down more than one sub with one of the nerve holds that Liam had taught them. While nerve holds didn't work well in actual sparring or combat, because it was hard to find such a tiny space on a moving target, when a recalcitrant sub was standing still and waiting for retribution, it worked beautifully. It could also work well coming up behind someone and taking them by surprise, which is why anyone who was a Dungeon Monitor went over some of the basics with Liam before beginning their duties.
"You're not worried about..." Angel's voice trailed off as she looked worriedly at her friend. "I mean, you don't need to come to one of my classes for a refresher course do you?"
"Oh, no, of course not!" Leigh looked shocked at the very idea and Angel relaxed and smiled at her.
"Okay, good, just checking."
"What kind of class?" Jessica wanted to know.
Angel's cheeks darkened a bit in a blush. "Um, I teach women's self-defense classes."
Both she and Leigh looked a little uncomfortable and Adam suddenly realized that Angel must have worried that Leigh's "guy troubles" had become physical. He could have told her not to worry. From his reading of Leigh's interest in Olivia, he would say it was just a fascination that a new submissive had with someone who was obviously dominate and yet approachable. A lot of new subs went to Olivia with their questions, finding her less intimidating than the other Dommes and Doms roaming the club.
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