Page 233 of Masters of Pleasure
“I’m glad everyone got the memo,” Domi said mock-seriously as Iris walked up, gesturing at Iris’ outfit.Looking at all of them, Iris had to laugh.She’d decided to forego the usual clubwear and stay comfortable in a purple negligee.
Apparently, she hadn’t been alone feeling that way.Avery, Domi, and Rae were all also wearing lingerie rather than corsets, PVC, or leather.
“I guess everyone wanted to feel comfortable?”she asked teasingly.Even though they were in lingerie, they looked completely different.Iris had opted for sheer purple with lace, whereas Domi was wearing a black all-lace teddy.Rae was wearing a soft pink baby doll with a furry hem and bra, while Avery was in red silk with embroidery.
“Nick’s not here, so why stuff myself into a corset?”Avery grinned.“Besides, he’ll be tired when he gets home.This will be much easier for him to work with than trying to get me out of a corset.”
“Rae didn’t feel like dressing up, so I got lazy, too,” Domi said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.Rae snorted, tossing her long braids over her shoulder.
“I wanted to do something different.”Her gaze skittered across the room, and Iris had to work not to turn around to wherever Rae was looking, but she would bet Morgan, Master Brian, or both were over there.Poor Rae.Though maybe this was a good thing if it brought Rae to a tipping point, and she finally made a move or got over Brian.
“Where’s Mitch?”Iris asked, settling herself on a barstool.
“Bathroom,” Domi answered, lifting her drink to her lips for a sip.“What time is Master Law supposed to be arriving?”
“In about half an hour.”Iris grinned.“So, we have some time to hang out.”
“Perfect.”Rae elbowed her.“Now that we’re all here, update us on the roommate situation.”
Groaning, she gave them the rundown of everything Noelle had said, only pausing to order some water when the server came by.Rae listened expressionlessly while Domi and Avery nodded several times.
“It’s possible I’m reading way too much into it,” she finished up.“I mean, I could be taking it the wrong way.It sounds a lot worse than it is when I say it out loud.”
“Actually, if anything, I’m pretty sure you’re downplaying how bad it is,” Rae said, glancing at the other two.“Look, we weren’t sure if we should say anything because you two have been friends for a long time and live together, but a few of the things she said about you when you were out of the room were kinda fucked up.”
Blinking in surprise, Iris turned to look at Domi and Avery, who nodded in confirmation.The expression on Avery’s face was one of pure sympathy, while Domi’s lips were pressed together in disapproval.The disapproval wasn’t directed at Rae, which meant it was for whatever Noelle had said.
“Like what?”
“She made a ‘joke’ about how needy you are,” Rae said bluntly.“And how you think you’re so much better than everyone.It was all ‘joking,’ which was why we weren’t sure we should say anything, but it didn’t feel like she was actually joking.”
“More like she was waiting for us to agree,” Domi muttered.
“Oh.I mean… that’s just how she is.”Though it hurt to hear Noelle had been saying things like that.“She doesn’t realize how she sounds.”
“I think she does, hun,” Avery said, reaching over to take Iris’ hand.“She’s like the epitome of a mean girl.She does it in a way that makes it hard for anyone to say anything, so she can hide behind it being ‘just a joke,’ but that doesn’t make what she says okay.”
“Just… think about how she’s making you feel.We don’t want to mess with your friendship, but we don’t like seeing her mess with your head.”Domi nodded firmly before looking past Iris and rolling her eyes.“I was wondering what was taking Mitch so long.”
Twisting in her seat, Iris looked over her shoulder.Mitch had stopped to talk to Brian and Morgan, confirming her guess about who Rae had been looking for.
“Anybody want to take a walkabout?”Rae asked as Mitch and Brian both lifted their heads, as though they sensed the eyes on them, and looked over at their table.
“Sure,” Iris said, glancing at the clock.Her brother and Kate hadn’t come in, so it would be safe.“I have about fifteen minutes before Law gets here.”
“I’ll hang out here with Domi.”Avery smiled as Domi relaxed.Clearly, she’d wanted to wait for Mitch to return but didn’t want to make Rae interact with Brian when she didn’t want to.“You two stay out of trouble.”
Rae and Iris snorted in unison.
“What kind of trouble could we possibly get into here?”Rae asked as she got up from her seat.Iris nodded.
“We’ll be back soon.”Iris linked her arm with Rae, and they headed for the Dungeon.Taking a look around the Dungeon was nothing new since it had been her homework for a month.Even if her Watch Dom wasn’t here to keep an eye on her, it wasn’t as if she needed it anymore.
Law
If it wasn’t for Iris’ plans to be at Stronghold tonight, Law wouldn’t go.He wasn’t in the right headspace.At least she wouldn’t expect to scene tonight.She just wanted to hang out with her friends and him, and he could do that.
He was hoping that seeing her would ease some of the unsettled feelings that had been niggling at him since talking to his mom earlier in the afternoon.Going with the flow had sounded like a possibility, but now he was feeling in over his head.His mom’s excitement hearing he had a girlfriend—her word, not his—had felt like moving into even deeper waters.
