Rewriting the Rules

by Morganna Williams

  “You aren’t past it, baby girl, but I intend to make sure you can put it behind you,” he told her in a tone she knew meant it was happening for her own good. Why did people always have to be doing things for your own good?

  This was how Ding Dongs and HoHos ended up rationed out sparingly. Straight up fascism! She should protest!

  Except the last really loud Ding Dong and HoHo revolution she’d attempted had not ended well at all… she sighed. It was difficult to hold a sit-in when she couldn’t sit.

  Though this situation wasn’t about Ding Dongs and HoHos at all, it was about dealing with a man who had made her feel completely worthless and the other doms and submissives who had seen her utter humiliation at his hand.

  True, Gabriel, Marcus, and Simone had tried to help her… she was able to see that now and also understood if she’d shared everything Aiden had said and done they would have protected her and things might have turned out differently.

  Closing her eyes, Aurora took a deep breath and looked back up at Donovan.

  He’d obviously been watching the thoughts flit across her face the whole time. “Reached any groundbreaking decisions?”

  She twisted her lips and gave him a narrowed-eyed stare.

  Donovan simply kissed her again. “You know I’ll keep you safe… you trust me, remember?”

  “I do,” she said softly as her lips quirked into a very small smile.

  “I will never let anyone hurt you again,” he assured her.

  Aurora sighed, giving into the inevitable as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know that too.”

  “Good, then it should be no problem that Gabriel has saved a spot for us tonight to do a scene on the main stage,” Donovan told her casually.

  “The main stage! Are you completely insane?” Aurora yelled as she sat straight up in bed, pulling out of his arms.

  “Excuse me?” he asked with a raised brow.

  She smirked. “Are you completely insane, sir?”

  “Better,” Donovan said with a grin. “Not at all, baby girl. This is going to be a beautiful scene. You won’t even know anyone is there besides you and me.”

  Fat chance of that… but she would give her man, her dom the opportunity to heal this old hurt. Sometimes she thought he needed to feel like he fixed it more than it needed to be fixed. The reality was she did trust Donovan completely; he would never cause her harm physically or emotionally, so she was going to go with his instincts even though it made knots form in her stomach to think about.

  * * *

  The day flew by and before she knew it they were parking outside The Club; the name of it sounded so generic it was almost hard to believe it was a popular BDSM club. It was not widely advertised and you had to have a referral to get in the door, unless of course your name was Donovan.

  Apparently all he had to do was call. Aurora found this tidbit rather interesting but was too nervous to ask much about how he’d swung it. She would file it away and ask tomorrow after they were home safe and sound.

  They’d gotten there early, it was only six and the club didn’t open officially until eight. Donovan had simply said, “The owners would like to talk to you.”

  Master Gabriel opened the door with a wide smile. “Welcome to The Club,” he said as he shook Donovan’s hand. “May I hug your sub?”

  “Of course,” Donovan said.

  Gabriel wrapped her in a tight embrace. “It’s so good to see you again, Aurora. I was worried about you. Especially after Glory told me how much your writing had changed in the last few years.”

  Aurora blinked. “Glory?”

  “My wife,” he said with another grin. “A lot changes in five years, kiddo.” Gabriel led them past the front desk and into the lounge area of the club. “Glory is in here. Marcus should be down any minute and Simone is around somewhere.”

  “Is this Aurora Kane?” a lovely, very pregnant redheaded woman exclaimed, jumping up from her place on the couch and waddling over, almost tripping over the rug at her feet when her heel got snagged in it.

  Gabriel moved swiftly, righting his wife and glaring down at her shoes. “Morning Glory, how many times are we going to have this discussion?”

  The pretty redhead made a face at her irate dom. “Seriously? I’m fat and clunky… you would make me wear ugly shoes on top of that?”

  “You are not fat!” Master Gabriel exclaimed, leaning down to gently remove the shoes from her feet. “Say that again and I will edge you every night for a week.”

  Glory looked horrified at the threat. “That’s a terrible thing to say! You know how horny I’ve been this trimester! Don’t you dare, you big clit tease!”

  Aurora snorted, unable to hold her laugh completely at bay. She liked this woman!

  Gabriel gave a long-suffering sigh as he gave them a look that said ‘see what I go through’ before turning back to his wife and submissive. “Then don’t wear those death traps.”

  Glory made a humpfing sound and crossed her arms over her more than ample chest. “Death traps indeed. They’re called shoes!”

  “Shoes for other people are death traps for you! You’re an accident waiting to happen and you know it. Don’t push me on this, young lady, you’re walking for two!” Gabriel reminded her.

  The woman sighed, obviously giving in to her protective husband. “Yes, Master. I hear and obey.”

  Gabriel laughed then kissed her deeply. “If only it was that easy.”

  Glory rolled her eyes then turned, now barefoot, to face Aurora. “Now where were we? I’m so excited to meet the Aurora Kane, New York Times bestselling author! I’ve read all your books!”

  Aurora flushed with pleasure as she returned Glory’s exuberant hug. “I’m happy to meet you too, Glory.”

  “I’m a writer too,” Glory whispered conspiratorially. “I haven’t made the New York Times list yet but I have hit USA Today’s list.”

  “What’s your pen name?” Aurora asked interestedly as the two sat down on the couch to chat.

  “Eva Grey,” Glory said with an impish grin.

  * * *

  Gabriel turned to Donovan. “Now that they’re occupied I want to hear more about what happened with Aiden and Aurora.”

  Donovan nodded as they walked away from their women and sat down at the bar. Donovan told Gabriel everything Aurora had told him as well as the things he’d gleaned from her blog.

  Gabe sighed. “I’ve been concerned about the way Aiden treats his subs for a long time, but none of them have ever made a complaint. I know I don’t like the way he talks to them and the way he seems to use them so selfishly. I’ve never seen a man that referred to himself as a daddy dom treat a submissive the way he does.”

  Donovan blinked, a little shocked. “Aiden considers himself a daddy? He told Aurora she was worthless as a sub and that no dom would ever want her; he killed her confidence as a submissive.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “What an asshole. I remember when Aurora started coming here, she was one of the most natural submissives I’d ever met. Sweet as pie but also had an adorable tart side.”

  “That’s my girl,” Donovan said with a grin.

  “I wish I’d been paying more attention at the time. I would never have allowed Aiden to treat her that way… I was distracted by what was going on in my own life. I owe it to Aurora to do everything I can to help you get her past the damage that was done to her in my club,” he told Donovan earnestly.

  Donovan shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. There will always be doms that are selfish pricks, just like every other demographic in society.”

  Gabe nodded. “True enough. Let me show you around and get you familiar with the main stage before you do your scene.”

  * * *

  Neither noticed both the women had gone silent in an effort to hear their conversation. Glory looked at Aurora with a shake of her head as Gabe led Donovan away. “Aiden is a complete and utter asshat.”

  Aurora nodded before saying quietly, �
��I am beginning to see the truth in that statement.”

  Glory placed a hand over hers and looked at her very seriously. “Please tell me you don’t still put any merit in anything that man had to say to you.”

  Aurora sighed. “I’m slowly letting it go; it has been hard. I let him make me feel completely hopeless… like no one would ever want me for keeps.”

  “Donovan seems to want to keep you,” Glory said with a sly grin.

  Aurora brightened. “Yes, he does and he is worth ten of Aiden on his worst day.”

  Glory looked around as if she was making sure they were completely alone. “I can tell we’re going to be friends so I’m going to let you in on what I’m working on for Marcus and Simone.”

  Aurora leaned in when Glory’s voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “I remember Marcus and Simone.”

  “Simone, Marcus, and Gabriel have been friends since college. Simone has been in love with Marcus all these years. She told me she heard Marcus and Gabriel talking to a friend that wanted to ask her out and Marcus told the man he couldn’t handle Simone unless he wanted to be her bitch. She decided to become a domme because Marcus was the only dom she would ever submit to and he obviously didn’t want her. Marcus is in love with Simone too but she won’t give him a chance. Although he did spank her last year when she helped me sneak into the club in a beaver costume… we were both drunk, which is a huge no-no here,” Glory said in a rush.

  “That sounds like a rather complicated relationship,” Aurora said as she processed the information. “Why were you dressed as a beaver?”

  Glory waved a hand in the air. “Oh… Gabriel had given me an ultimatum and I put on beaver ears, teeth, and a paddle-tail butt plug to let him know I wanted everything he was offering. I just needed a little Dutch courage, which neither he or Marcus appreciated at the time. So anyway, I’ve come up with a plan to get Marcus and Simone together.”

  “You have?” Aurora asked, wanting to explore the beaver situation a little further but Glory had moved on and was obviously eager to share her plans with someone. She seemed to move from thought to thought very rapidly and Aurora needed to stay up with her so she didn’t get lost.

  Glory looked around again. “Yes… if you see Gabe, give me a quick signal. He said I wasn’t to interfere, but our best friends are hurting and something must be done.”

  “Hurting?” Aurora asked.

  “Yes. You should see the way they stare at each other when they think no one is looking. The looks he gives her could start a forest fire and she has such longing in her gaze it hurts my heart,” Glory said, shaking her head sadly with her hand on her chest.

  “So what’s your plan?” Aurora asked.

  “Our big charity auction is next month and every year a few single submissives go up on the block. It’s all in fun, they spend a weekend subbing with a dom and it’s a good money maker. I was thinking I would talk Simone into going up on the block as a submissive; I’m certain if she does Marcus will bid on her and then they will be together for the weekend and realize how much they love each other!” Glory finished with relish.

  “Ummmm… how do you get a domme to enter the auction as a submissive?” Aurora asked.

  “I haven’t quite worked that out yet. I’m still in the planning stages though. It will work! I know it!” Glory grinned, obviously undeterred by the domme factor.

  “Good luck,” Aurora said with a smile of her own. It was hard not to get caught up in Glory’s enthusiasm and she was certain Glory would accomplish her goal. Whether or not she was able to do it without any unpleasant ramifications from Gabriel was another story. Aurora had a feeling Master Gabriel was well able to keep up with his wife’s thought process and knew exactly how to handle her.

  By the time the club opened for business an hour later, Glory and Aurora were fast friends. Simone sauntered over to chat with Glory and Aurora when she arrived.

  When Marcus walked into the room Aurora got to see firsthand what Glory had been talking about. Simone’s eyes followed the man everywhere he went as long as he was in her line of sight. Except of course when Marcus looked toward their group and Simone studiously stared at her nails. His eyes looked hungry as he watched Simone. Just a few minutes of observation and Aurora was convinced Glory was on the right track.

  She enjoyed watching the way the various subs and doms interacted with each other. It reminded her that what had happened to her with Aiden was not the norm. These people were all respectful of each other.

  Donovan and Master Gabriel had long since returned to join in a long conversation with Marcus and a few other doms. After an admonishment to stay put with Glory, the group had gravitated over to the play area away from the subs. She wondered what they were discussing so seriously but knew he’d come fetch her when it was time.

  Butterflies fluttered in her tummy at the thought of doing a public scene but she knew Donovan would keep her safe and he was using it as a tool to tear down the last of her walls and free her of the specter of Aiden.

  Her mind wandered as Glory and Simone discussed the nursery Gabe and Glory were fixing up for their bundle of joy.

  “The prodigal sub returns.” Aurora stiffened as she recognized the growly, yet nasally voice behind her.

  She turned to face him. “Aiden.” Seeing him again was a shock; he was a lot smaller than she remembered. To her Aiden had been bigger than life, a powerful, dominant force, but she realized the man standing before her could only be a few inches taller than her own 5′4″. He was also not nearly as attractive as she’d thought.

  Aurora suddenly smiled as it occurred to her that she felt absolutely nothing. All of her worry about seeing Aiden again was for naught; Donovan had already exorcised this man from her heart and mind.

  Aiden had no hold on her at all.

  “Before I attempt to train you again, I need to know if you’ve learned to behave any better,” Aiden asked her snidely.

  Aurora blinked, only having heard part of what he said, lost in thoughts of Donovan with what she was sure was a stupid grin on her face. “What?”

  He gave a long-suffering sigh. “You never did listen for shit.”

  “Thankfully, that is not your worry,” she said diplomatically.

  “If I take you on again it will be.” He studied her critically. “I’m not sure you’re any more worth the effort than you were last time. You’ve gained weight.”

  How had she ever given what this man thought any credence at all? “Yes, I have gained a bit of weight but I’m not unhappy with it.”

  “I don’t care for fat subs. You’ll have to go on a diet,” Aiden said stonily.

  “No… no, I won’t,” Aurora said firmly.

  “I beg your pardon? Did you just sass me, little girl?” he asked incredulously.

  “Good grief, telling you no is not the same as sassing you, Aiden,” she explained patiently. He really was an idiot.

  “You will address me as sir and it is not permissible for you to tell your dom no,” Aiden barked at her, clearly starting to get upset.

  “You can’t talk to her that way!” Glory yelled, finally tuning in to the conversation and getting outraged on behalf of her new friend.

  “It’s okay, Glory, I can handle him,” Aurora said.

  “Excuse me? You can handle me? Handle me? I’m going to paddle your little ass blue!” he said, grabbing her by the arm.

  “Take your hands off of me!” she cried, trying to twist from his grasp. Unfortunately, even a smallish man like this one was stronger than her and he was angry.

  “You don’t fucking tell me what to do, little girl!” Aiden said. “You’ll change your tune soon enough.”

  Aurora dug her heels in as he started dragging her away from her table with the other subs.

  Glory sprang up and grabbed his arm. “Let her go, asshole!”

  Aiden shook his arm to get free from Glory without even looking at her, causing her to lose her balance. She would have fallen had Master G
abriel not shown up in time to catch her.

  “Let me go, you are not my dom!” Aurora screamed up at him, still trying to wrestle free of him.

  “I’m going to give you a free lesson in manners just the same,” he announced loudly.

  “No, you are not.” Donovan’s voice came from behind him in cool measured tones. “Take your hand off my submissive immediately.”

  Aiden turned in shock, pulling Aurora around with him. “Your submissive?”

  “Yes, my submissive, remove your hand from her person, please,” Donovan said in a calm tone belied by the fire in his eyes.

  “You don’t tell me what to do! I am a dom,” Aiden said belligerently.

  “He does when you are manhandling his submissive,” Master Gabriel interjected a little less calmly. “You nearly knocked my pregnant submissive to the floor.”

  “She was interfering in dom business. I was going to discipline this mouthy submissive as is my right as a dominant of this club,” Aiden said arrogantly.

  “Number one, no submissive is your business when she belongs to another dom. I may be new to this club but that’s a fairly standard rule everywhere and generally there is a specific protocol in place regarding discipline to protect unattached submissives from assholes like you. Number two, when it comes to my submissive, who by the way you still have your hand on, I do tell you when and how high,” Donovan said, leaning down to look the smaller man in the eye as he grabbed the wrist holding on to Aurora and squeezed until Aiden let her go.

  “Now see here!” Aiden yelled as Donovan pulled Aurora around behind him.

  “No, you see here, do not ever put your hands on Aurora again. She belongs to me and I will not have her sullied by your touch,” Donovan said coldly.

  “She was rude and sassy! Aurora never mentioned being owned. I demand satisfaction,” Aiden said loud enough that the entire club could probably hear.

  Aurora flushed; just what she needed, to be the center of attention again in an unpleasant way. So much for chasing away all her demons; these people would be glad to see the back of her, again.