Something shifted in Jake’s facade because he reset his chair and lowered himself into it. Bryce and Tyler followed suit. The three men challenged each other with their puffed-out chests and hard-locked glares.
We needed distraction.
“So, exactly how long have the two of you been seeing each other?”
The flush of color creeping into Tyler’s face had me curious. Within the span of days, I’d had both these men under my whip.
“We’re not going to talk about their relationship, Kate.” Jake’s brusque tone rolled right past me, but not before another shiver rippled down my spine.
I ignored him with a dismissive flick of my eyes and leaned forward, propping my elbows on the table. I cupped my chin in my hands and gave Tyler my sweetest smile. “If you’re with Bryce, why was I doing a scene with you and a piercing scene with Bryce?”
Tyler swallowed and looked away.
Bryce’s chin fell to his chest. “He’s afraid to give me everything I desire. I need pain.”
I understood that. We both needed pain to find release. Yeah, Bryce and I had the same wires firing in our brains. Crossed-fucked-up-ness. Only Bryce got to scratch his itch. Mine I kept at a distance. And now Tyler knew a little bit more about what Bryce got out of his scenes.
A waiter arrived. I pointed to the men. “Are you two playing tonight?”
They glanced at each other, a glimmer in their eyes.
I ordered for the table. “Two waters. I want a glass of wine. Jake?”
Jake’s mouth firmed into a line. “Bring four waters.”
“I’m having a drink.” Alcohol insulated me in a way. He couldn’t touch me if the liquid passed my lips.
“You’re having water. No alcohol tonight.” The look on his face spoke volumes. One, he was in control of what I was drinking. Two, he wasn’t backing down. Finally some qualities I could admire. He’d earned a point in my mental scorecard.
“Fine.” I spoke to the waiter. “Four waters.”
Bryce looked to me, his head ducking. “So you’re not upset?”
I raised a hand. “Of course not.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I thought…”
“You thought wrong. I hope I was able to show Tyler some of what you need.”
Tyler’s face flushed. “It was intense, that’s for sure.” He turned warm eyes on Bryce and placed a hand on the man’s forearm. “I understand now why you need what you need.” A gulp told me Tyler still had some issues to overcome. “But I don’t know if I could do to you what Mistress Kate did last night.”
Bryce leaned against Tyler’s shoulder. “I don’t usually go that deep. Mistress Kate and I have played before. She knows what I need, and I needed…” He smiled as he looked at me and sighed. “I just needed more.”
It appeared we had both been desperate last night. “I can teach you, and they have great classes here to help you to—”
Jake thumped his hand on the table, his deep voice interrupting. “You were out of your fucking mind last night.” He shot an accusatory finger at Bryce and me. “Both of you were operating outside of what was safe. Master Kevin called that scene for good reason. She failed to keep you safe, and because of that there are consequences.”
Kevin had mentioned as much.
My jaw clenched, and I steeled myself to play this through. While Jake’s statement may or may not have been true, I still didn’t think I’d been out of control.
And speaking of Kevin, he also joined in on our conversation. Fights weren’t tolerated at Stripes. I was more surprised the ever-present Dungeon Monitors hadn’t come to investigate. Maybe they were hesitant to interrupt an altercation with one of the club owners and had sent Kevin.
“What’s the problem? Heard there was a scuffle.” A lean man, what Kevin lacked in muscles he more than made up for in the hard intelligence behind his eyes. Piercings marked his face, odd for a man training to be a plastic surgeon, and he had a few interesting tattoos. I was pretty sure he shaved his head as part of his look, rather than a loss of hair. In a word, Kevin’s harsh appearance was beautiful.
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Grab a chair. You’re going to need it.”
Bryce’s finger jabbed at the papers on the table. “You can’t do this. You can’t punish Mistress Kate for what happened. I never filed a complaint.”
Jake shook his head. “That’s not how it works. Dungeon Monitors can censure anyone if they notice unsafe behaviors. In this case, Master Kevin and I were both witness to it. The Board met earlier today, and that is their decision.”
My gut lurched. “What decision, exactly?”
“Because you placed the safety of a submissive in jeopardy, if you desire to remain a member, you must consent to training.”
My gaze bounced between Jake and Kevin, finally landing on Jake, where his serious stare made my blood run cold. Holy hell. “What kind of training?”
Kevin crossed his arms. “It was discussed at length. The Board feels you need to experience the role of a submissive…so that you can understand the amount of trust they place into a dominant’s hands.”
Not only could I write a book about men, but I could write a book about how easy it was for a dominant to take advantage of a submissive, willing or not. I didn’t need this training, but I wasn’t willing to divulge why that might be. No one knew the Mistress of Pain used to be a slave.
“I’m to train as a submissive?”
That was exactly what Jake wanted. He was steamrolling me. First, he showed up at the precinct, and now the Board at Stripes was censuring me? I didn’t believe in coincidences. This whole thing took on a new level of stink.
“I wasn’t even allowed to speak on my behalf, and—”
“And I didn’t get a chance to defend her!” Bryce clenched the paperwork with its damning justice, crumpling the paper.
Kevin’s voice held firm. “It wasn’t necessary to have you speak. We had the video evidence to review.”
“You mean you and Jake? A committee of two?” I pressed my palms against the table. “I challenge the fairness of that decision.”
Kevin shook his head. “Not Jake and I.” He pulled up a chair and sat. His voice softened. “It wasn’t like that. The entire board met.”
Mandy was on that board. Had she voted against me? Two days back at Stripes and already I was being censured.
“And who’s supposed to train me?” Stupid question with Jake sitting across from me. The set of his jaw and that he let Kevin carry the conversation told me everything I needed to know.
“Jake will oversee your training,” said Kevin.
Tyler’s low rumble indicated his thoughts were the same on the matter. “The man who benefits from the decision voted on it? That doesn’t sound right.” He folded his arms across his chest, mimicking my posture, only he did it to display strength, while I used it to defend.
“I didn’t vote.” Jake’s gaze settled on me with an intensity I felt in my bones, like he was trying to tell me something important. “I was with Kate. The Board voted this morning without me. But even if I had been present, I would’ve recused myself.”
“I can refuse.” My voice came out a cracked whisper. But I wouldn’t refuse. Deep down, I wanted this. I just didn’t want it to happen so publicly.
Jake’s eyes widened. He bit his upper lip and glanced at the tabletop. “You always have that choice. Of course, if you do, your membership status will be revoked.”
“Mistress Kate,” whispered Bryce. “Please, I’m so sorry. If I had known this would’ve happened, I never would’ve asked…”
Tyler leaned forward, cupped my hand in his. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “Don’t be.” Turning to Kevin, I asked, “Doesn’t it state in the bylaws you’re required to inform me of any actions regarding my membership status so that I might be present?”
“It does,” he said, “but your membership was not in question, nor has it been revoked. We only put a retraining require
ment on your membership status. Train under Master Jake.”
“For how long?” This could go on forever if I didn’t force a stop date.
Palpitations fluttered in my chest. The reality of the situation closed in on me. Always a step ahead, Jake made a formidable opponent. He’d outmaneuvered me the entire day.
I needed an escape clause. He made a promise on the message he left on my phone—for the duration of the case. That’s as long as this charade would last. Did this Stripes’ mandate trump his promise? Could I trust him at all?
Jake reached across the table for my hand, but I jerked it away from his grasp, stung by his betrayal, by Kevin’s, by Stripes’ board members, and this hidden vote.
He breathed out, frustration edging his words. “I would have told you at the police station, but you ran off.” His hand jerked forward again and captured mine. “Nothing has changed.”
Except everything had.
My censure would percolate to the far reaches of the club membership. I’d be shamed into nonexistence as a Domme. My reputation destroyed by the Board’s simple proclamation.
It didn’t matter that this was exactly what I needed for Elizabeth’s case. It didn’t matter I wanted to pursue something with Jake. What mattered was the Board had taken away my free choice. I wouldn’t be able to recover from this, regardless of what happened between Jake and me.
“You won’t be forced to do anything against your will,” said Jake. The low, sultry tones of his voice threaded through my thoughts, taking away the edge of panic. “The whole point of the training is to show you the submissive viewpoint, and how the actions of a dominant impact a sub. Nothing changes.” His fingers rubbed at the skin over the back of my hand. “You still have the same choices…the same choice I mentioned last night.” His steel-blue eyes locked hard on mine.
I pulled on my hand, but he refused to let go.
Kevin’s and Jake’s gazes locked, shifted to Tyler and Bryce, then returned to me, a silent plea on their faces. I understood this would establish a cover for my case. What better way for me to realistically become submissive in the public eye? The only problem was it came at the expense of destroying a piece of my personal identity.
“You didn’t answer my question. How long?”
Kevin pressed his long, skilled surgeon’s finger on the table. “Kate, this goes on for a minimum of three months. Master Jake decides if there needs to be more.”
I flinched at the stripping of my title. It had begun.
“That’s not reasonable.” A hard pull, and I freed myself from Jake’s grip.
Jake leaned back. “It all depends on how cooperative you are with the training.”
Bryce stood. “I’m lodging a formal complaint.” He leveled a finger at Jake and swept it toward Kevin. “I get that the two of you own this place, but that doesn’t mean you can bully Mistress Kate.”
Tyler pressed his hands to his knees and joined Bryce. “Concur. And if you have the Board wrapped around your finger, we’ll take it to a common vote.” A jerk of his chin in my direction told me he was ready to fight on my behalf. “Until you’ve served under her, you have no idea what she can do. And I’ve talked with Bryce about that scene. Mistress Kate didn’t violate him or his limits. You’re out of line, censuring her like this.” He put a hand on Bryce’s shoulder. “This isn’t over.”
“Mistress Kate,” said Bryce as Tyler led him away, “don’t worry; we’ll fix this. We’ll fight for you.”
The corner of my lip quirked up. The theory of unintended consequences was in full play. Kevin and Jake underestimated the protectiveness of the submissive male. A throaty chuckle bubbled up in my chest, momentarily suppressing the swarm of butterflies in my belly. I let my laughter out, feeling vindicated by Bryce’s protectiveness toward me.
After Bryce and Tyler left, Kevin turned to Jake. “Those two are going to stir up trouble.”
“I’ll talk to Bryce,” said Jake.
“You’re fucking bastards.” I picked up the papers. “This is total bullshit, and both of you know it.” I turned my attention to Jake, accusation dripping from my tongue. I waved the papers in his face. “If you wanted to use this as an excuse for this case, then you should have come to me first.”
Kevin shook his head. “You don’t understand. It had nothing to do with your case. Like everything in Stripes, your whole scene with Bryce was recorded.” He pointed to Jake and then back to himself. “We didn’t report you. Your Dungeon Monitor did that. We tried to stop him, telling him we’d already addressed the issue, but he elevated his concerns to the Board. It was out of our hands after that. Tyler might not realize it, but Jake and I don’t have that much power. The Board wanted to yank your membership and kick you out. I did everything I could to keep that from happening. This is the compromise they agreed to.”
“Yank my membership?” It was the only thing in my life fully paid. A lifetime membership at Stripes. They couldn’t take that from me. “Then why didn’t they?”
“Because I wouldn’t allow it, and Mandy refused. She was your one advocate in there.” Again he pointed to Jake. “Pairing you with Jake was her idea. I thought it would work great with your case, so I backed up her idea.”
A scowl filled Jake’s face, but he remained silent.
Kevin continued. “You and Bryce have…certain reputations in the club that may make people uncomfortable, but otherwise neither of you are unsafe. This time the Board thought you crossed safety lines.” He spread out his hands on the table. “And what was I to say about that? Especially since they had me on video stopping your scene?”
Jake drummed the table with his fingers. “What did you expect Kevin to do? You should be thanking him for steering the vote in a direction that fit our needs.”
“Our needs? My needs? Or your needs?”
He deserved the attack. He made the perfect target, but he didn’t take the bait. Didn’t react at all. I hated the calmness he exuded. Good quality in a Dom. He earned himself another point.
“That’s enough, Kate.” His tone silenced my protest. “This is exactly what you need. How it came about is irrelevant. You need a convincing reason to become a submissive player. This solves that problem, and it’s believable.”
“Believable? You’re strong-arming me into this.”
He shook his head. “Look at it objectively. The whole club is going to know about this by the end of the night. They’ll know you’ll be submitting to me. They also know you’ll be pissed, but they know you’ll do it. One, because you won’t jeopardize your membership. And two, because you’re known for your adherence to safe, sane, and consensual practices. Everyone knows you have a Dungeon Monitor in all your scenes. They’ll admire you even more for having the humility to accept you were at fault.”
“It’s contrived.” And exactly what I wanted, but I couldn’t give in to his dominance. Not yet. We were still establishing our power dynamic.
He pressed his hand flat on the table. “Enough!” He hadn’t shouted, but I jumped. “Regardless of what you want or don’t want, you’re going to do this because it’s the right thing to do. You’re not ready to admit it, but you know what happened with Bryce was wrong.”
Of course, he was right. I wasn’t going to admit anything to him, and I had pushed the line with Bryce.
“You’ve ruined me here. You realize that?”
“I disagree,” said Jake.
Kevin shook his head. “Jake’s right. If they see you complying with the Board’s decision, it sends a message about how serious you are about safety.” His eyes brightened with an idea. “We’ll make it formal. Have a ceremony—”
Hell no. “No ceremony.” No way was I going before the entirety of the Stripes’ membership and bow before Jake. If he earned it—and that was a big if—I’d kneel at his feet in private.
Kevin leaned forward. “A ceremony is a symbol—”
“Not happening.” I leaned toward him and invaded his personal space until he bac
ked away. Going head-to-head with Kevin probably wasn’t going to work. He’d likely dig in his heels. I prepared for a fight.
Jake shuffled the sheaf of papers and organized them into a neat stack. “We’re not having a ceremony. I won’t do that to Kate.”
Kevin’s mouth hung open. “Why not? It’s perfect.”
“Because. Kate’s right. This affects her status as a Mistress. I’m not taking that away from her.” He pointed to the paper with my limits on it. “Now, if you don’t mind, before all this chaos started, Kate and I were in the middle of something. I’d like to get back to it before I lose any more of our evening.”
A sharp, stinging sensation stabbed through my chest. He still wanted to discuss a scene.
My choice? The Board’s choice? Jake’s demand? I no longer controlled whether I’d submit. If I was going to do this, I needed to be 100 percent in control.
Kevin inclined his chin. “I’ll leave you and your submissive to it, then.”
My heart rate redoubled with the adrenaline flooding my system. My chest constricted. The beat of the music rushed away down a long black tunnel as my vision constricted into a tiny spot of singular focus.
Kevin stood and left us, disappearing back into the dimness of the club, leaving Jake and me very much alone.
Jake pointed to my neglected limits list. “Now, about this bondage limit…”
The suffocating sound of giving up my freedom sucked the air from my lungs.
Just breathe. Be strong and breathe.
With a slow blink, I forced myself to meet his eyes. “You can do whatever you want, but I will not be bound.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kate
Jake placed a warm hand over my forearm. The touch soothed me. Stilled the nervous beating of my heart. Now that it was just the two of us, the world narrowed to a sliver of focus.
A Dom and his submissive.
A role I hadn’t played in a very long time.
“You need to trust me.” The softness of his eyes belied a strength I’d eventually have to face.
Command (Changing Roles Book 1) Page 19