by Cassie Ryan
The sound of something repeatedly hitting flesh echoed down the hallway. From the distinctive thud, it wasn’t a flogger, which made him fear for the worst possible scenarios.
“You deserve every mark this leaves, bitch! No fucking sub tells me what to do.”
The angry words echoed down the hallway, and Dex put on another burst of speed as urgency stampeded through his body.
When he came closer, he had to blink against the sudden brightness that illuminated the play area. He skidded to a stop and absorbed every detail before he registered the rage burning through him. He would analyze details later. Now, he let instinct kick in.
A few steps, and he reached the son of a bitch. Dex ripped the Dom, Frank, away from the whimpering sub.
He used a wrist lock to make Frank drop the Lexan, a hard plastic cane, he’d been about to hit the woman with again. Frank howled, rage darkening his face. His body shook with either anger or pure adrenaline as he rounded on Dex, who had at least six inches on him in height and a good fifty pounds of muscle. Frank’s curses and threats flowed past Dex without much recognition. He would remember them later, but for now, he had to concentrate on the situation at hand.
He blocked a swing headed toward his face and took Frank down to the carpeted floor with a little more force than necessary. He pinned him in a way that would leave bruises and cause pain, but not anywhere near the amount Frank had inflicted on the shivering submissive tied too tightly to the St. Andrew’s Cross.
Dex’s skin chilled as he recognized Min, her back, ass, and thighs covered with harsh red marks that were already bruising in angry purple splotches. He tightened his hold on the man, but still allowed the vermin to draw small gasps of air. Which was more than he deserved.
Dex knew Frank was most likely riding an endorphin high, but there was never a reason to mistreat a sub.
Ever.
Min had subbed for Dex on a number of occasions, so he knew her preferences well. She’d had a hard limit about canes for as long as he had known her. He’d noted the ball gag immediately—another of her hard limits—which explained why Dex hadn’t heard screaming or cursing.
A red ribbon lay on the floor to the side of the St. Andrew’s Cross, where Min had obviously dropped it to signal a stop to all play. When a gag of any type was employed in a scene in Club Desire, a ribbon or scarf was mandatory so the sub could drop it in lieu of saying his or her safe word.
The sound of Min’s whimpers and Frank’s struggles, guttural protests, and labored breathing were loud as Dex waited for Jake to arrive.
The rush of his own blood, as it stormed through his veins in time with his anger, screamed inside his head.
He fought against the burning in his stomach and the adrenaline surging through him telling him to snap the man’s neck, or crush his windpipe. He shook his head and blew out a long breath. That was the rage talking, and he wouldn’t let it control him.
As an FBI agent, he had sworn to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land, and that precluded killing or even seriously maiming the man struggling in his hold, no matter what Frank had done.
Dex would turn him over to the authorities, take care of Min, and give in to a slight bit of his thirst for revenge by letting Frank’s crimes be known. The fetish community didn’t treat kindly those who abused submissives, and they tended to take care of their own.
Frank would likely spend some time in jail for this. Convicts often decided abusive offenders needed to be victimized in a similar way, and the hardened felons enjoyed being the ones to carry out that karma on the new prisoners.
A bit vindictive, Dex admitted, but better than his damaging or killing the man right here. He squeezed just a bit harder. The pain-filled squeak that followed was especially satisfying.
“Dex.” Brent’s gently spoken word reached through the haze of emotions and brought Dex back to sanity better than any cold bucket of water tossed over him would.
“We’ve got him.” Brent laid his hand on Dex’s shoulder. “Take care of Min.”
Dex glanced behind him to see Brent, Jake, and an off-duty Phoenix PD officer named Doonan. Dex slowly released Frank and allowed him to struggle to his feet before totally relinquishing his hold.
Frank bolted down the hallway, but Dex knew the others could take care of him. The three men behind him ran after the dickless wonder, who continued to curse and yell. Within seconds there was a hard thump and a howl, accompanied by scuffling noises and grunts that sounded like they were caused by pain. Dex tried not to enjoy what he heard, but found he couldn’t be that charitable.
He turned to see Min, naked and shivering, tied tightly to the St. Andrew’s Cross, her wrists and ankles red and bruised, as well as the rest of her. Seeing her this way was like taking a knife to the gut. He clenched his fists against the urge to join the others.
He stepped closer to Min and noticed how she flinched and whimpered, the ball gag in her mouth making few other sounds possible. He didn’t know if she could even hear him at this point, but he would try to reach her. Her body shook, and she hung limp against her bonds. Shock had already set in.
“Min, it’s Master Dex. It’s all right. You’re safe now.” As gently as he could, he wrapped his arms around her, trying to avoid the red, swollen stripes on her back and shoulders. Her whimpers slowed and her head lolled.
Min had been more than a sub to Dex over the last few years. She had become a good friend. There were no romantic feelings beyond that on either side, but he cared for her.
It tore at his heart to see her this way.
She enjoyed playing with a wide variety of Doms, so he wasn’t surprised she’d agreed to play with a new one. He had tried to counsel her to wait and see their styles of play before she partnered with any of them, but Min had a mind of her own, and advice often flew past her without making any type of impression.
An accusing internal voice screamed inside his head that she probably relied on the fact that all new Doms had been fully vetted and trained.
Damn it! Frank had been fully vetted and trained. They must have missed something. Anger and powerlessness churned through him and he pushed them away, forcing himself back into a calm, analytical mindset that would help him make sense of this.
Min had unrestricted use of Basement 4, so that explained how Frank had gotten down here with her. Those with access could bring guests who already had full dungeon rights to the main floor and Basement 2. However, it didn’t shed any light on why Frank had ignored her hard limits, or the fact that she’d dropped the ribbon, indicating she wanted him to stop.
Min definitely liked harder play than most subs he knew, but even she had limits.
Her whimpers stopped, and she unfurled her fingers, which she’d been clenching in tight fists.
Dex slowly released her, still careful of the harsh marks. He gently unbuckled the ball gag, trying not to take too much of her dark red hair with it in the process. Frank had fastened it without making sure the strands weren’t caught.
As soon as he removed the ball from her mouth, she let out a huge rush of air that turned into soft sobs. “Master Dex. Thank God. I’m sorry. I know…”
She trailed off as he rubbed his fingers over her scalp, something he knew she found soothing from their time in aftercare together. A tiny sliver of relief slid through him that she was talking and aware. That didn’t mean there would be no lasting emotional toll, but nonetheless, he was happy to hear it.
“Min. It’s okay. Don’t try to talk yet. I’m here. We’ll get you taken care of, and I swear he will never touch you again.”
A large shudder ran through her. She would start to feel cold as the adrenaline ebbed. He needed to hurry. He had to find a blanket and get her looked over by the medical staff, just in case she was seriously injured.
The bruises didn’t seem much worse than Min had willingly taken with floggers or paddles in the past. But the cane would have hurt much more, and done more deep tissue damage. The skin at her
wrists and ankles might need some extra care.
“I’m going to undo the rest of the bonds so we can get you out of here. I’ll try to be gentle, but this may hurt…and not in a good way.”
A soft laugh broke through Min’s sobs, as he’d hoped. She loved riding the razor-thin line between pleasure and pain, but she’d always done it with Doms who wouldn’t push her too far…at least until today. She often joked that pain was a part of life, so if possible, she made it all the good kind.
Within minutes, Brent was back with a rolling stretcher and a few of Club Desire’s medical staff. They were mostly former emergency room doctors and nurses who appreciated the well-paying and normally easy and boring job that also gave them rights to use the dungeon floor after their sub or Dom training was complete.
This was the worst incident that had happened inside Club Desire since it had opened. Although Dex had heard about worse at other clubs.
This was why Brent had insisted there be surveillance in nearly every area of the club.
It grated on Dex that something he could have missed had allowed this to happen.
He cursed inwardly as guilt ate at him. He hadn’t done this to Min, but he had ordered Frank’s background check and done some of his training.
Since Dex had been a high-level FBI analyst for several years before completing the training to become a field agent, he had reliable connections who should have unearthed things above and beyond any normal background checks.
Frank had appeared to be a good Dom, with nothing on his record to give any indication he would cross the line like this. In fact, his last dungeon had given him a glowing recommendation.
Dex would be talking to them very soon. If Frank had tortured Min, how many other women had fallen victim to the man?
He shook his head and turned his attention back to Min.
As the medical staff took over, he was nudged aside, but he continued to hold her hand as they gently lifted her and laid her facedown onto the stretcher. “Dex.” Her voice was much too soft for the woman he knew.
He leaned close to her face so he could hear her better. “I’m here.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand harder. “I should’ve listened to you. I’m sorry.”
He stroked a hand over her cheek and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Don’t worry about anything right now. I probably have to go answer some questions for the PPD, but I’ll be up to check on you soon.”
She forced a small smile, but it ended when she winced as the gurney started to move. Dex waited until the last second to let go of her hand. Even if this had happened to a stranger, his anger would have burned just as bright. No Dom should take advantage of a submissive the way Frank had. There was never any excuse.
Dex straightened and blew out a few deep breaths, hoping to regain his equilibrium before he spoke to the police. Not that he had done anything out of line, but he always liked to go into any situation clear headed and in control of himself.
Movement from down the hallway caught his attention, and he raised his head to see Brent stepping into the bright circle of light given off by the play area.
“You got to her in time.”
Something in Brent’s voice made Dex’s blood run cold. “In time?”
“Jake saw the caning and the ball gag on the monitors and knows they are on Min’s hard limits list. He watched to see if she had agreed to go beyond them. When she dropped the ribbon, and the caning only became more violent, that’s when he sent us both the alert and headed straight here. When I stepped out of the elevator, Jake met me to give me a quick rundown. God knows what could’ve happened if Frank hadn’t been stopped.”
Brent’s jaw clenched, and anger radiated from him in a nearly visible aura.
Dex understood perfectly, since he felt much the same. Even though Min was being taken care of, and Frank was in custody, adrenaline surged every time the image of Frank with the Lexan cane replayed inside his mind. “I suppose PPD wants to talk to me.”
Brent nodded. “Most likely, but Doonan saw it all on the monitors. He was in the lobby waiting to speak to me about membership when Jake noticed Frank and Min, so Jake pulled him into the security booth while he contacted us.”
Dex had known Doonan since they were both at Arizona State. They had joined the BDSM scene at about the same time, although Dex had gotten much more involved and made Dom long before the other man.
Brent cleared his throat. “Doonan can catch up with you later if he needs you. Normally I would tell you to go blow off some steam in the dojo, but after the workout you did earlier, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to put your body through that again. Catch up with me later if you’re ready to talk about either what caused that bruising workout or what just happened with Min.”
“Thanks.” Dex slapped Brent on the shoulder. “I appreciate it. I’ll be fine.”
Brent shook his head. “I know you far better than that. It’s already eating at you.”
Dex blew out a breath. He should have known hiding anything from Brent was a long shot.
Brent met his gaze for a long moment. “Why don’t you come up to my office. I was just meeting with a friend of yours when the text from Jake came in.”
“Who’s up there?”
Brent smiled. “Just come on up. It might distract you from obsessing over Min for a while.”
Dex sighed. From experience, he knew better than to try to press Brent. His friend wouldn’t tell him until he was ready. And since Dex had no idea where he would go next if he didn’t go with Brent, he nodded and followed his friend to the elevator.
But he knew that even this distraction wouldn’t keep him from dwelling on what had just happened.
Min has always been stubborn, and needed a strong Dom to make sure she didn’t go too far during scenes. The fact that she had dropped the red ribbon signaling a halt to play told him how far beyond her limits Frank had pushed her.
Min didn’t just enjoy pain, she thrived on it. Craved it, in fact. He’d never met another sub like her. Most subs enjoyed the edge of pleasure just before it turned into pain.
To Min, pleasure was pain.
That was one of the main reasons he had taken her on as a sub as soon as she’d completed submissive training. They had spent extra time exploring, to determine her soft and hard limits. He knew how easy it would be for her to get into a situation where pain was no longer pleasurable for her.
She needed careful handling by a strong, knowledgeable Dom.
Caning topped the out-of-bounds list for Min. He wondered whether Frank had talked her into trying it or had done it without her permission. The use of the ball gag, which was also outside Min’s limits, suggested the latter. It had surprised him that gags ended up on Min’s list, but she said they always made her feel helpless and like she was going to suffocate. That had been enough for Dex to move all gags off the table as a possibility with her.
“If you grind your teeth any harder, you’re going to crack your molars.” Brent glanced at Dex, his face an unreadable mask. “And you know how much you hate the dentist.”
Brent’s words made Dex stop and forcibly relax his jaw. He didn’t have many phobias, but going to the dentist was definitely one, thanks to an evil dentist he’d seen when he was a kid. Brent never tired of teasing him about his unreasonable fear, and Dex couldn’t blame him, especially since Dex had never told Brent the real story behind it.
Brent cleared his throat, turning to face Dex as the elevator continued to move. “Stop beating yourself up. It’s not your fault. You did everything you could to vet Frank. I know how thorough you are with background checks, and you and I shared his training.”
“Don’t blame myself. Yeah, you know that’s not going to stop.” Dex huffed out a dark laugh. “Don’t tell me you’re not doing the same damn thing. I know you, Brent Weston. This place is in your blood; it’s your child. You gave it life, and if anything bad happens inside its walls, it cuts into you like a physical
wound.”
Brent’s stiff shrug was all the answer he received.
Dex glanced at the floor numbers sliding by before the elevator came to a gentle stop. Now that his attention was back on his current puzzle, he had only a quick moment to wonder who waited for him in Brent’s office.
Chapter 22
The sound of the elevator doors opening pulled Kate’s gaze from the security monitor, even though Dex had disappeared from the screen several minutes ago.
She turned, and as soon as she saw him, it felt like all the air was sucked from the room, making it hard to draw breath.
He was still the same amazingly sexy man who had left his scent on her sheets the night before last. But now it would always be imprinted on her mind how tender he had been with his sub, and the murderous expression on his face when he had pulled the Dom away from her.
Sandra stepped past her and was immediately swept into an ardent embrace by her husband. “How is Min?” Sandra’s voice broke, and the tears Kate knew she had held in as they’d watched the scene play out slid down her pale cheeks.
Brent kissed the top of his wife’s head and held her more tightly. “Physically, she’ll heal. I think emotionally might take a while longer.” He stroked her back gently. “I’m going to talk to her about calling in a counselor for her to speak with.”
Kate was surprised Brent would think to do that. Yes, it was his club, but she couldn’t imagine Ed Ralston ever doing something so altruistic, even to make himself and The Dungeon look better. It just wouldn’t enter his mind.
Warmth filled her at what she saw here. These people truly cared. Not just about Club Desire, but about their members.
The awareness of Dex in the room drew her nerves tight and left a heavy weight sitting in her stomach. She resisted the urge to meet his gaze for as long as she could.
She wasn’t being childish over how he had left; she just didn’t know how to face him and maintain any kind of composure. Especially after she’d seen how gentle he had been with Min.
