The tears were pouring down my face as I headed home, hating myself for being so naive. I had fallen for it from the start, thought I meant something to them.
I berated myself for the entire drive back to my apartment, anger and embarrassment warring. I’d fallen for it. The only good thing was that I hadn’t allowed things to go further. At least I hadn’t been stupid enough to sleep with them.
A sob racked my entire body.
I’d wanted to. I had dreamed about it, fantasized, made it into some stupid romantic story.
It wasn’t romantic. Not even a little.
None of this was. Being a submissive, being passed between Masters. They looked at us like we were toys they could toss away when they were finished. Didn’t matter how we felt.
The second I stepped into my apartment, I stumbled to the sofa, then curled up and cried, letting it all out. That was all I knew to do. I had to get past this, move on.
I would text Edge tomorrow, let him know I didn’t want anything to do with his training. No way could I sit by and watch as he engaged with other submissives. He could save himself for Jenny, spend all his spare time with her. I didn’t care.
“I don’t,” I whimpered aloud, wishing like hell it was true.
I must’ve fallen asleep because I was woken by the sound of someone knocking on my front door. A little disoriented, I got to my feet and made my way to the door before I realized that it was midnight. I peered out the security hole, then frowned.
“Go away,” I called out.
“Open the door, Jamie,” Edge’s rough voice sounded from the other side.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Open the door,” he repeated.
“No.”
There was silence and I thought for a second he’d left. I should’ve been elated, but instead, my chest ached more.
“Open the door, Jamie,” Edge stated, his voice deeper, lower than before. There was a hint of frustration in it.
Since my upstairs neighbor liked to call the office on me anytime I had friends over, I decided I had to face the music, send Edge on his way.
After unlatching the security chain and unlocking the deadbolt, I pulled the door open a crack. I fully intended to talk to him through that minimal space, but clearly, he had other plans because Edge forced the door back and pushed his way inside. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when Cav wasn’t with him, but he didn’t give me time to think about it as he shifted me out of the way.
“What do you want?” I asked, glaring at him as he closed and locked the door.
“To talk,” Edge said simply.
“I have nothing to say to you,” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance.
I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I didn’t care. They’d hurt me. My heart physically ached in my chest and I didn’t want to get into this with him right now. I didn’t feel strong enough to fight him, and the last thing I wanted was for Edge to see how much I wanted him, how much I needed him.
How much I loved him.
“Sit,” Edge ordered.
“No.”
Those electric-blue eyes narrowed on my face and I could feel the energy coursing through him.
“What?” I snapped. “Did Jenny not do it for you? You needed another submissive tonight?”
Edge’s lips thinned. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I saw you with her,” I bit out. “You had her in your office. You looked quite cozy walking out. Your hand on her back, guiding her around. She was all smiles. Must’ve had a good time, huh?”
He stood straight, the tendons in his neck taut. His voice held a dangerous air when he spoke. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Miss Ward came to me to let me know she would be leaving the class. Indefinitely.”
That news had me sobering somewhat, but it didn’t completely diminish the hurt and the anger that swirled relentlessly through me.
“Now sit down, Jamie. We need to talk.”
“No.”
“Sit. Down,” he ordered, his eyes flashing with temper.
Clenching my hands into fists, I marched to the sofa and sat. I didn’t look at him, wishing he would just go away and leave me alone.
Edge walked around the coffee table, then pushed it back from the sofa, allowing more room as he sat on it directly in front of me.
I kept my focus on my bare feet. Right up until his finger curled beneath my chin, tilting it back until our eyes met. For long seconds, he stared back at me while I was mesmerized by his bright blue eyes. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen that color before.
Even as the anger and hurt churned, I couldn’t deny I wanted to get lost in those eyes. Just one more time.
“I owe you an explanation,” he finally said, his tone cooler than before.
It took a second for his words to register. In an effort to maintain my mad, I snarled, “Yes, you do.”
The corners of his eyes squinted but they didn’t quite narrow. I could see his restraint. He didn’t appreciate my bratty attitude.
“Did you want to join the class?” he questioned.
“Yes.”
“Did you not tell us you didn’t want special treatment?”
I opened my mouth to answer, then snapped it closed.
Edge waited me out, holding my gaze.
“Yes, I did.”
“Have you received special treatment?”
“No.”
“Yet you’re still pissed.”
I shook my head. “Not pissed.” I swallowed hard, let my eyes drop from his. “Hurt.”
“Look at me, sweetness.”
“I’m not your sweetness,” I hissed. “Not anymore.”
“Look at me, baby.”
My eyes shot to his instantly, as though that one endearment was all my stupid heart needed to hear.
“I’ve hurt you,” he said, as though he accepted it.
“Yes.”
“What did I do?”
I thought about the pain I’d felt when I walked into the training room Tuesday, knowing that neither of them was going to be my trainer. That familiar ache ricocheted in my chest, stealing my breath. I refused to cry again. I would not allow him to have that much of me. He didn’t deserve it as far as I was concerned.
“You gave me away.”
He sighed. “I did not.”
I held his gaze. “You did.” I twisted my fingers. “How do you think it makes me feel to know you can just pass me over to another man? Like it doesn’t even bother you?”
“It does bother me.”
“If it did, you wouldn’t’ve done it.”
“As far as I’m concerned, Jamie, you belong to me.”
My heart skipped a beat at the dominance behind that statement. Still, I wasn’t ready to cave. “You gave me to Master Chaos.”
“Not true,” he countered. “I didn’t give you to anyone. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.” He swallowed. “You mean something to me, Jamie.”
“Funny way of showing it,” I muttered.
This time when Edge gripped my chin, he wasn’t as gentle. He didn’t hurt me, but he damn sure got my attention. I glared at him, surprised daggers weren’t shooting from my eyes.
Neither of us gave for several seconds. I fought the urge to look at his mouth, battled back thoughts of him kissing me the way he had before.
“You want it your way?” he ground out.
I didn’t answer, not quite sure what he was getting at.
“Do you want me to prove myself to you?”
“Yes, damn it,” I barked. “Yes, I do.”
“Fine.” His hand dropped. “If that’s what you want, that’s what you’ll get.”
He released me, got to his feet, stared down at me.
“What?” I had no idea what just happened. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ll see you in class on Saturday, Miss Lautner. Come prepared.” He started for the door. “Oh, and I didn’t
add you to the rotation tomorrow. It’ll give you time to figure out if this is really what you want.”
I watched as he walked out the door, instructing me to lock it behind him. I stared for the longest time, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.
I was still wondering, even when I fell asleep an hour later.
CAV
Friday, November 9, 2018
WHEN I ARRIVED AT DICHOTOMY ON FRIDAY night, I knew something had happened. Not only because Edge had insisted the Masters meet prior to the class, but also because he hadn’t been at the Chatter offices that day. When I had texted him, he’d told me we would discuss tonight. When I had texted Jamie, she told me she needed some time to think.
That was when I got the sneaking suspicion something had happened between them.
I walked into the training room to find Edge pacing the floor. I was the first to arrive for this impromptu meeting, which I took as a good sign.
“Hey, what’s up?”
He stopped suddenly, his eyes slamming into me as though he hadn’t expected me to be there.
“I went to see Jamie last night,” he informed me, stepping closer.
So it would appear my suspicions were accurate. “And…?”
“And I’m making a change to the class.”
I stared at him, let it all sink in.
“Did you hear me?” he asked.
“I did.” I pushed my hands into my pockets. “And what change would that be?”
“You’ll see.”
I grabbed his arm when he started to turn away. “I think I deserve to know now. If it pertains to Jamie…” I studied his face momentarily. “I have a right to know.”
Edge’s gaze bounced to where my hand was on his arm, then up to my face once again. “I’m realigning the Masters and the students.”
I released him. “How so?”
He motioned toward a sheet of paper on the table. I gave him one more visual assessment, then walked over, picked it up. Not caring about the rest of the class, I zeroed in on Jamie’s structure for the next four weeks. When it hit me, I looked back at him. “You’re putting her with the two of us?”
He was pacing once again. “Yes.”
“But you don’t take on students.”
“Things change.”
Yeah. In a big way, obviously. “How are you gonna explain this to the Masters?”
“Explain what?” Ransom asked when he stepped into the room.
“Good, you’re here.” Edge turned away from me. “There’s been a change to the class.”
Ransom’s gaze darted to mine, then back to Edge. “A change?” He sounded skeptical.
Before Edge could answer, the rest of the group sauntered in. Evidently the tension could be felt because they all focused on Edge.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” he said quickly. “I need to announce a change to this training session. Effective immediately.”
“What’s the change?”
“Everything, apparently,” Ransom muttered and moved to stand beside Jane.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Jane demanded, her intense gaze pinned on Edge.
“I’m going to lay this out very clearly,” Edge began, crossing his arms over his chest and widening his legs in that stance that said he was in no mood for shit. “Cav and I have recently taken a submissive.”
Well, hell. No sugarcoating that at all.
“A submissive who happens to be in this class,” Edge explained.
“Miss Lautner,” Chaos noted.
“Correct.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Jane chuckled. “It’s about damn time.”
“So why’s she here?” Liam asked, his accent thick.
“I believe it’s imperative she take this training class. And while I don’t make a habit of allowing submissives to map out the course of my actions, Jamie’s an exception.” His face was somber. “While I thought I was giving her an opportunity to explore this lifestyle with various Dominants, I’ve realized my error.” He glanced from one face to another. “I don’t feel it necessary to explain my reasons for my actions, but I will if you feel I need to do so.”
“I think it’s relatively straightforward,” one of the newcomers said.
I glanced over to see Ian and Isaac Stokes standing side by side. They were identical twins who’d become Masters at the club in recent months. Since they hadn’t been here during the early part of the week, I could only assume they were part of Edge’s changes.
“It is,” Edge agreed. “Some of you know Ian and Isaac. They’ll be joining the trainers of this class. Along with Eden, Charles, and Talon. I’ve decided to place Jane in the rotation, as well, and brought on Landon and Langston for the panel. They’ll oversee the course, and from this point forward, you’ll be paired up with another Master for the training and remain with that partner throughout. The assignments still require you to have interaction with two submissives per week.”
I stared at Edge, completely shocked by this turn of events. Granted, it was his training class, he could do whatever the hell he wanted to with it, but this was huge. From the beginning, he’d pretty much stuck to the same plan, aside from expanding the number of days the submissives would be here.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
“Yeah,” Ransom said with a smirk. “What does Zeke think about this?”
Edge didn’t respond, but I caught the finger he shot Ransom under his arm.
“I have a question,” Talon stated, his deep, booming voice echoing in the room. “Since you’ve allowed your submissive to dictate your course of action, how will you handle her?”
Edge’s gaze caught mine. “Cav and I will be subjecting her to all the assignments. Rather than simply having one of the submissives perform the action, she’ll be required to do so as well.”
“Does she know this?” Jane asked.
“Not as of yet,” Edge told her. “However, she’ll learn of the change at the same time as the other students. Tomorrow night. If she chooses not to perform the tasks, she’ll be removed from the class and Cav will return to the panel.”
“Personally,” Mistress D said, “I’m rather interested in seeing how this plays out. I won’t deny the class has gotten a little stale. I like the idea of doubling up on the submissives.”
“We agree,” Langston added as he stepped into the room. “I’ll be the first to tell you, it’s gonna be a learning experience for you as well. Taking on a single submissive between two Dominants isn’t as easy as you’d think.”
“I prefer two submissives,” Jane said with a smirk. “But I’m willing to see where this goes.”
“If anyone has any objections, come speak to me. You’ll find the new alignment on the desk. The submissives will be joining us tomorrow at eight. If you’ll excuse me…” Edge looked to me. “Can I talk to you in my office?”
I didn’t respond, but followed him out of the training room, across the floor to his office. Once inside, he closed the door.
“I’m sorry to spring this on you like this.”
“Yeah?” I wasn’t buying it. “I get the feelin’ it wouldn’t matter if I objected.”
He turned to face me. “Do you?”
“I don’t know yet. The idea of putting her on display…” Truth was, I wasn’t sure I was on board with any of this. Using her as an example didn’t sit well.
Edge put his hands on his hips. “When I stopped by to talk to Jamie, she wasn’t having it. I pushed just hard enough to get her to admit she was hurt by my actions.” He sighed. “What the fuck was I supposed to do?”
I took a step forward, hesitated, then decided what the hell. I moved in close, close enough to feel the warmth of his body, which I’d missed the past few days. “I’d’ve done the same thing, I’m sure.”
To my surprise, Edge didn’t move away. His hands shifted from his hips to mine. His voice lowered. “I feel out of control, Cav. Between you and her … I don’t know which way is
up.”
I couldn’t resist, so I leaned in and kissed him, cupping the back of his neck. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him like this. “We’ll get through it.”
Edge shook his head, took one step back, but didn’t break his grip on my hips. “What if she decides not to do it?”
I didn’t want to think about that, but I knew it had to be said. “Then we’ll deal with it.”
And though I said the words aloud, I knew deep down that Jamie was exactly what we needed. In a submissive capacity or not. Hell, she was the one who brought me and Edge closer. I didn’t believe in coincidence, but I did believe that things happened for a reason. Jamie was put in our path because she was meant to be there. As were we.
“Let’s get through tomorrow’s session,” I told him. “See how it goes.”
We separated and Edge thrust his hand through his hair.
In an effort to lighten the mood, I changed the subject. “So what prompted you to bring Talon on board? You know he’s looking for something very specific, right?”
“I do.” Edge perched on the edge of his desk, crossed his arms.
“You know he’s got four slaves at home?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Yep. I knew that. Didn’t know you did, though.”
For those who thought Zeke Lautner was ruthless, they hadn’t met Talon. For fuck’s sake, the guy didn’t even have a first or last name. He was simply Talon.
“Do you think one of these submissives is right for him?”
“No. Not at all.” Edge grinned. “But I think Ian and Isaac might get a run for their money with one, maybe two of them, too.”
“Two?” That sounded interesting.
Edge grinned, his face far more relaxed now.
“Those two scare me,” I teased. Similar to Talon, they were looking for a full-time Master/slave relationship. I’d heard they were looking for two slaves to share between them, but I wasn’t even sure how that worked.
“Me, too.” There was a spark in Edge’s eyes that said he wasn’t exactly kidding.
“Well, I say we get this show on the road.”
“I put an outfit in Jamie’s locker,” Edge noted. “For tomorrow night.”
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