Mastering Lexie (Stronghold Book 4)

by Golden Angel

  Unfortunately, his best plan was to wait until tomorrow before he did anything. It was going to be a long fucking night.

  Chapter 11

  Two calls that went unanswered and three text messages was Patrick's limit. He'd asked Lexie to call him back and, by the last text message, demanded that she do so, to no avail. Not one single fucking response. He'd called Olivia, who had reassured him that Lexie was alive and well, which was the only reason he hadn't shown up at her front door to beat some sense into her bratty, little ass. Well, that and because he hadn't had a chance to talk to Jake yet.

  When he'd gotten home last night, he'd had an email back from Jake, saying that he'd be able to Skype on Sunday. Two days. Patrick could wait two days. It would also give him enough time to try and figure out exactly what he was going to say to Jake.

  Knowing that Lexie was still pissed at him was making him restless. He'd barely been able to concentrate on anything all day, even though he'd tried to distract himself by running through the membership applications and assigning Introduction scenes. Usually that took his entire attention, but today he'd found himself staring off into space more than once. He'd had to re-read more than one application.

  The hours until her shift had ticked by far too slowly. He'd had to turn off the security camera feed from the Lobby to keep himself from watching to see if she'd come in to talk to him beforehand. Or just show up early. So when he finally flicked it back on, and saw Shondra sitting behind the desk instead, his temper came roaring to life.

  One of the few true switches in the club, Shondra still jumped when he slammed open the office door and came stomping into the Lobby. Standing by the entrance to the club, Will regarded him warily, and Patrick tried to reign in his anger. It wasn't Shondra's fault that Lexie wasn't there.

  "Where's Lexie?" he asked, as calmly as he could. Not quite calmly enough, going by the way Shondra eased her rolling chair a little farther away from him. She blinked, her expression unsettled.

  "Ah... she told me she quit and asked if I could cover her shift for tonight." Although she was an eager submissive, Shondra could wield a whip as mean as any of the Dommes; he'd never heard her sound quite so uncertain before. Her usual confidence seemed to have deserted her as she wavered under his glare. Dammit, he had to get control of himself. If Shondra was leery of him, he could only imagine how one of his more submissive workers would react.

  Growling, Patrick turned and stormed back into his office, feeling like a thundercloud. He just wished he had a few lightning bolts to throw, help him work off some steam.

  Fuck!

  So much for Olivia's theories about Lexie calming down. On the other hand, if this was some kind of power play on her part, he couldn't buy into it. That just wasn't who he was. He wanted to talk to her, to explain and work things out, but he'd tried to reach out to her already today. For all her talk about how she was all grown up now, she was behaving like a child. Did she really expect him to chase after her, begging for a chance to talk? If she'd picked up the phone, or even just called him back, he would have apologized for his bad reaction last night. He'd thought her reactions had been influenced by sub-drop, but now he wasn't so sure.

  Maybe this was a part of Lexie that he hadn't seen before - Lexie in a relationship, manipulating things to get the response that she wanted. If Lexie thought that their relationship was a game, she was going to find out that she'd made a mistake, because he wasn't playing. Although part of him wanted to go to her apartment right now and force her to listen to him, that wasn't the kind of relationship he wanted to be in. Period. He'd kept her at bay all these years, waiting for her to grow up, waiting to see if she was submissive, waiting to see if they could work together as more than friends. He wasn't one of her little pushover boyfriends, although he'd let her push and prod him into more than one decision that he'd been reluctant to make, more than any other woman in his life.

  But if she wanted a relationship with him, he wasn't going to do it like this.

  Misery, frustration, anger, all welled up inside of him. Maybe he'd let her push him too soon. Maybe he should have waited longer. Let her play with some of the other Doms in the club and discover her passions and needs on her own, rather than wanting to have her all to himself. But he hadn't been able to stand the idea of someone else touching her, and so he'd taken over. Let her direct their relationship. Which was how she usually was with her boyfriends, but he’d always put his foot down with her. Mostly. As much as he could within the bounds of friendship.

  Now she was pushing again, acting out to get the response from him that she wanted, rather than meeting him halfway and talking things through. He couldn't be in a relationship like that. But thinking through that logically didn't stop it from hurting like fuck.

  ******

  Hunkered down in front of her television, wearing her pajamas and watching Supernatural reruns, wasn't exactly how Lexie had planned to spend tonight. Scowling, she scooped up another handful of popcorn. The movie-theater butter kind that was so drenched in fat and salt that she could feel her arteries shrinking. It would probably drive Patrick nuts if he could see her right now.

  She'd gone to work at the doctor's office today, even though she hadn't felt like it, because anything was better than sitting around the apartment moping. Besides, it had given her an excuse to ignore his calls and texts. She didn't know if she was doing it to punish him, or because she was ashamed of how she'd behaved last night, but either way she really didn't want to talk to him right now. She was too busy wallowing in her own steaming pile of shitty misery.

  Yeah, she'd sub-dropped last night. She'd realized that this morning when she'd woken up and realized just how out of whack her emotions had been. Both Patrick and Olivia had been right, which rankled. At the time, her swings had felt completely valid. Now, she just wanted to groan and bury her face in a couch cushion whenever she thought about everything that had happened.

  She was still pissed though, even though she understood that Patrick hadn't been trying to invalidate her feelings by saying that she was experiencing sub-drop. That hadn't been the only thing that ticked her off.

  The kiss had been perfect, glorious even, and then he'd gone and ruined it. That pissed her off. As did his assertion that he had to ask Jake for permission to date her. In the stark light of day, she'd realized that she was being a bit unreasonable about that, because of course Patrick cared what Jake thought and it wasn't a competition over whom he felt more for... but at the same time, she couldn't help but think that if there was a competition, she would lose. Like, seriously... what if Jake said it made him too uncomfortable? Did that mean that Patrick would just shunt his own feelings for her to the side, without even taking into consideration what she wanted? Why did Jake's feelings about their relationship take priority, when he wouldn't be the one in the relationship?!

  It was enough to make her want to pound her fist into the arm of her little couch, but the last time she'd done that she'd spilled popcorn everywhere. The little yellow and white puffs were still decorating her carpet, because if she hadn't been able to pick them up without leaning, she hadn't bothered. She'd kept her apartment spotless, even though Patrick hadn't been over since the night he'd come to see if she'd unpacked. There was a love seat now, which she was sitting on, and she'd even put some of her pictures up on the walls (finally). It had taken her less than twenty-four hours to make it messy again, and she'd gotten a certain savage satisfaction in doing so.

  Part of her couldn't help but fantasize about how awesome it would be if Patrick showed up on her doorstep, irate and ready to punish her for ignoring his phone calls and texts, and then included some more punishment for her messy abode. Of course, another part of her felt like she'd still be pissed if he did that, but only until he declared that she was his, no matter what Jake might want. It was a silly fantasy, maybe, but it made her feel all yearning and warm inside, which helped battle the misery and the resentment.

  She couldn't hel
p but perk up and listen hopefully whenever she heard footsteps in the hall. Which was kind of silly. He'd be at the club right now. Shondra had taken her shift because Lexie hadn't wanted to go in tonight and act like everything was normal. She knew that she'd told Leigh that's what she would do, if things didn't work out between her and Patrick, but she needed today to get herself under control. If nothing else, her fantasies told her that she was still hooked on him, and he'd probably find it all too easy to talk her back into training, without promising anything more. Like giving her scraps from the table and expecting her to remain satisfied with that.

  Grr. She shoved another handful of buttery, melty, salty popcorn in her mouth. It wasn't at all what she was craving, but it was what she was getting tonight. Her nipples were still sore from yesterday, and they'd been a steady reminder throughout the day of the intense scene and connection she and Patrick had had last night. Which meant that her mind had trouble going anywhere else.

  Dammit.

  Her phone buzzed and her heart leapt - and then sank again as she realized it wasn't his ringtone, it was Leigh's. Sighing, she tried to force herself into a more cheerful frame of mind for answering the phone. As awesome as girls' nights were, right now she just wanted some alone time. If they thought she needed cheering up, they'd descend en masse. Olivia and Jessica had already been bugging her throughout the day, and Maria had texted once as well, but she'd been firm in her answer that she was fine, and that she already had plans for tonight. They didn't need to know exactly what those plans were.

  The only reason she was picking up the phone now was in case Leigh needed her.

  "Hey hun, what's up?" Good, that was normal sounding and her tone was appropriately cheerful. At least, she didn't sound as bad as she felt.

  "Hey! I was just calling to see what you're up to tonight. I'm going to a party with a bunch of Mike's friends - Pretty Boy, not my Michael," Leigh said, sounding excited. "I was wondering if you might want to come and join us? Adam and Angel were gonna come but he got called into Stronghold for something, and I don't know how long she's going to want to stay without him. He was kind of grumpy about not being able to go with her, I thought he might feel better if there were more of us there."

  That was Leigh all over, trying to make sure everyone was happy and comfortable. Lexie bet it was killing Adam that Angel was going to a party without him.

  "Do you know what Adam got called in for?" she asked, curious. She tried to tell herself that it was just natural curiosity and not because she was hoping to find something out about Patrick.

  "Nope, just that someone needed him to come in to take over their shift," she said. Ah, disappointing. One of the Dungeon Monitors must have called out sick or something. "So, do you wanna go?"

  "Not really, no offense," Lexie said, trying to sound more apologetic than she felt. "I'm in need of some me time."

  "Is everything okay?" The genuine concern and ignorance in Leigh's voice made it clear that, even if gossip was doing the rounds, it hadn't reached her yet. Which was nice to know. Lexie kind of hated the idea that everyone had already heard about her meltdown last night.

  "It will be. I'm just not feeling up to going out tonight."

  "Do you want company?"

  "No," Lexie said, hoping that she didn't sound too abrupt. "Thanks though. Go to your party and have fun. Flirt with some guys for me."

  Leigh giggled, a little hesitantly. "Maybe... I'm thinking about doing something like that."

  "Good for you." She tried to sound as supportive as possible, because Leigh really did deserve to have some fun. It was nice to hear her sounding so positive about going to the party. "Call me tomorrow and tell me all about it, okay?"

  "Sounds good. Have a good night, hun, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

  Hanging up the phone, Lexie couldn't help but wonder if part of her motivation for staying in was the vain hope that Patrick might end up on her doorstep sometime tonight. Although, she supposed that if she was feeling particularly vindictive about his rejection and reasoning, the better move would be to go out and have a fantastic time tonight and never know if he showed up or not. But she just wasn't feeling up for it. Plus, if he did come by... she didn't want to be out dancing and chatting with other people.

  She wanted to be here.

  ******

  Patrick was every bit as miserable as Lexie could have wished, but, unlike her, he had company for his misery.

  "I told you this was a bad idea," Andrew said, his voice sounding foggy and kind of far away. Probably because his ass was firmly planted on Patrick's back. "He never gets this drunk."

  "I'm not the one who brought the tequila." That was Jared's deep voice, sounding simultaneously amused and a bit resigned.

  "Patrick." Something sharp poked his temple. "Patrick, look at me." Olivia's no-nonsense tones pierced the muzziness in his head and he tried to focus his eyes on her. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, the wildness tamed, which seemed wrong. He liked it better when it was down. Laughter rang out around him. "Well thank you, sweetheart, I had no idea you liked my hair so much. Are you ready to get up now?"

  He groaned. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

  "Get this fat ass off me and I’ll get up."

  "Ha, that's pure muscle squashing you down, asshole," Andrew said as he got up, watching Patrick rather warily. "Are you ready to admit you're drunk and you shouldn't be driving?"

  "I must be drunk, or you wouldn't have been able to get the drop on me," Patrick grumbled as he pushed himself up to standing. He swayed slightly, the room spinning before it snapped back into focus.

  "Back to the couch," Olivia ordered, pointing like the little general that she was. Definitely drunk, because Patrick didn't even feel like ignoring her. It was just easier to let her have her way right now.

  "Thanks for all the help," Andrew said to Jared, who was still sitting in the comfortable armchair that he'd occupied since arriving. The bigger man just grinned.

  "Are you saying you needed help? Couldn't take down one drunken dumbass on your own?"

  Andrew flipped him off, flopping down next to Patrick on the couch while Olivia took the other armchair. The small living room of his condo felt a little crowded with all of them in there. He'd never felt the need for a whole lot of space, but with three big guys and Olivia, it did seem kind of confining. Or maybe that was just because he wanted to get out of it so bad, to go fix things with Lexie. They weren't letting him. The fuckers.

  He and Andrew took up nearly the entire couch, although one slim subbie could have fit in between them. For a moment he considered the idea of asking them to bring her to him. Nah. That was something he should handle on his own.

  "I was just worried about hurting him," Andrew retorted. "There's not really enough space in here for a full on tackle, it would have been easier with an assist."

  "Don't be such a pussy," Patrick said with a snort.

  "Don't say pussy like it's a bad thing," Olivia said, with a glare. "My pussy can stretch to fit a baby and then push it out. Your dick doesn't have shit on that."

  "Still need the balls to get the baby," Andrew put his hand up for a high five, but Patrick ignored him. Fucker could get himself into trouble, Patrick wasn’t going to join him.

  "I've got the biggest balls," Olivia said, sipping from the rocks glass she was holding. Patrick realized he had no idea what she was drinking. Better not be his good scotch.

  "I've never seen them before,” Andrew said, snorting his derision.

  "Right here, fucker," she said, gesturing at her boobs. "They had to be put on my chest to avoid chafing."

  Jared and Patrick burst out laughing as Andrew groaned. "There's something seriously wrong with you."

  "There's something wrong with all of you, why are you here?" asked Patrick, making a pained face.

  "Because you called Adam to keep an eye on Stronghold tonight, and he called us, figuring you shouldn't be alone," Olivia said cheerfully, standing back up. "No
w stop whining and I'll get you a beer."

  Andrew leaned over as she walked towards the kitchen, whispering loudly. "I'll give you $10 to call her beer wench."

  "Not worth it," Patrick muttered. He'd have to be a hell of a lot drunker than he was to do something that stupid. Not that he was wasted... not exactly anyway. But he knew he was a bit of a lightweight once he got past two beers. The taste of tequila in his mouth reminded him that he'd gone way the fuck beyond that point. He didn't like being drunk, didn't like the loss of control, so he rarely drank more than two beers or one glass of scotch at any given time. Enough to get him lightly buzzed, basically.

  "I heard that," Olivia said over her shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.

  "I should be more scared, but I'm not," said Andrew, taking a sip of his own beer.

  "That's because you have no survival instinct," Jared said, patronizingly. "If you did, you wouldn't say stupid shit all the time."

  "This coming from the man who barely talks at all."

  "I talk when I have something to say."

  "Unlike Andrew, who talks just to hear the sound of his own voice," Olivia said, obviously amused, as she came back into the room. She handed the beer to Patrick before reclaiming her seat.

  "Well it is a very nice voice." Andrew chuckled at his own joke, making Olivia shake her head.

  Patrick just groaned and leaned back against the couch. The beer in his hand was making his skin cold, but he didn't really feel all that inclined to drink it. How much tequila had he had? He remembered at least three shots. Fuck but he was going to be feeling it tomorrow.

  "Don't worry," Olivia said, reaching out to pat his hand. "I won't let you overindulge. I know there's no way you'll stay home from Stronghold two days in a row."