Page 237 of Masters of Pleasure
Douchebag Don seemed to rally a little, his chin lifting in belligerent defiance.
“Fine.Cassidy, come here.”He snapped his fingers.
Snapped.His.Fingers.
Iris clamped her hand around Cassidy’s shoulder.No fucking way was she letting the woman go off with him.She didn’t care what the Doms had to say about it.
Thankfully, they weren’t having any of it, either.Master Jared had already shifted his body, so he was between Cassidy and Douchebag Don.
“Cassidy is going to stay here for a chat with me,” Master Patrick said.He paused, turning to look at her.She shivered against Iris, and Iris and Rae squeezed her a little tighter.Master Patrick’s gaze softened, as did his voice.“Unless there’s something at his house you need to retrieve?We can send someone with him.”
“N-No…” For the first time since she’d cried ‘red,’ Cassidy seemed to have found her voice, shaky but present.Her hand found Iris’ and squeezed, hanging on for dear life.“There’s nothing there, and I don’t want to go with him.”
“You—”
Iris peeked around Master Jared to see Douchebag cut off as Master Kincaid’s hand landed on his shoulder in a very different grip than Iris’ and Rae’s on Cassidy.Douchebag’s face was turning red again.
“Trust me, you want to leave her alone.”Master Jared’s voice was colder than Iris had ever heard it.“Do not contact her again… or you will regret it.”
“Let’s go,” Kincaid said, pushing Douchebag toward the exit, keeping a firm grip on his shoulder.
The man glanced back but didn’t say anything else.His jaw seemed to have locked into place.Apparently, he’d finally decided to show some sense and keep his mouth shut.Too little, too late, but Iris didn’t mind that he’d talked himself into a corner.
She hadn’t even had to say anything.He’d obviously thought he had the right to do whatever he wanted, and neither she nor anyone else should have stopped him.Fucking dickweed.He was an abuser, pure and simple, hiding under the banner of kink and thinking that made him safe.
Iris had heard about it, though this was her first time encountering it.Guys like him were why Andrew had insisted she come to Stronghold, even though it was uncomfortable as siblings belonging to the same kink club.He’d been worried she’d encounter an asshole like this.
Even here at Stronghold, a few slipped through now and then.
Cassidy kept her head down as the door closed behind Douchebag and Kincaid, her long, dark hair falling to either side of her head to keep her face hidden.As soon as the door shut, she sighed with relief.
Master Patrick picked up the phone on his desk and pushed a button.
“Lexie, I need you back here, please.”He hung up as soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for her to reply.“Cassidy, please have a seat.Law, Iris, Rae… thank you all so much for helping her out.Iris, I know I told you not to interfere… in this case, I will eat my words and say you weren’t wrong.Lexie and I will take it from here.Oh, and if you see Morgan, can you send her in here?”
The abrupt dismissal chafed, but Cassidy was the priority, and as Lexie came bursting in the door, Iris nodded.She got it.Patrick telling her she wasn’t wrong to interfere meant more than he could know.
“What’s going on?”Lexie asked, hurrying over to the desk.Clearly, she’d figured out something was wrong—it wasn’t often Patrick was abrupt when talking with her.That he had been so short on the phone had been a major sign something big was up.Plus, she’d been at the front desk when Kincaid escorted Douchebag from the building.
“Come on, ladies,” Law said, gesturing to Rae and Iris.Cassidy had already moved away from them and sat down, clutching the blanket around her, head still down.As much as Iris wanted to stay, it didn’t seem as though Cassidy cared if she did.When she looked at Law, she didn’t argue.
There was an odd expression on his face, and his jaw was clenched, similar to how Douchebag’s had been.Now that Cassidy was in good hands, Iris should find out what was going on to make him look that way.Coming in to find her in the middle of an altercation with a Dom was definitely not how she’d wanted him to first see her tonight.
She knew he wouldn’t blame her, Douchebag was clearly at fault, but Law looked as if he was struggling with someone.
So, while Rae grumbled as they were led out of Patrick’s office—Iris was pretty sure she heard her say something about Morgan—Iris didn’t argue.She was curious why Patrick wanted Morgan there, but she was more worried about whatever was going on with Law.
Law
Going back to the bar wasn’t the best move for Law’s current state, but on the other hand, it was the only move unless he was going to go out the front door on the heels of the asshole.Not something he wanted to do.Besides, he still needed to talk to Iris and find Morgan if he could.
He knew why Patrick wanted Morgan’s presence while talking to Cassidy and inwardly agreed she’d likely be able to help a great deal.
What he really wanted to do was get the fuck out of Stronghold until he could get control of himself again.
Thankfully, Morgan was sitting in the Lounge area with some of her friends.Keeping Iris’ hand in his, he pulled her over to send Morgan to Patrick’s office.Rae was already moving toward where Domi and the others still were, a bit of a flounce in her step.
“Excuse me, ladies.Morgan, Patrick needs you in his office...please.”Law knew his voice was brusque, sharper than he wanted it to be, but he couldn’t soften it anymore.He felt as though he was holding onto himself by his fingernails, and they were going to break at any moment.He didn’t know what would happen then but doubted it would be good.
