Pieces of Stronghold

by Golden Angel

  Patrick's opinion was that a good dominant needed to know exactly what they were doing to their submissive, which included knowing how the implements they used felt from the other end. The Doms in front of her had already gone through several different kinds of paddles and floggers, crops, nipple clamps, nipple suckers, and a lot of bondage. Kincaid, who was bisexual and enjoyed topping both men and women, had also gone through a stint of cock and ball torture in the Locker Room, which had left the others cringing. Olivia had to hand it to him, he hadn't flinched, even though he'd jokingly pointed out that this was something Olivia couldn't actually experience herself. Fortunately for him, she was still quite skilled at it.

  "So what fresh torture do you have for us today?" asked Mitch, grinning. He reminded her a bit of Chris, despite his light blond hair and bright blue eyes; they had the same devil-may-care, joking personalities. So far, nothing Olivia had done had fazed him - well, other than the cock and ball torture, when he'd been protectively cupping his junk like the rest of them.

  "Chemical play and anal," Olivia said, knowing that her smile had become even crueler. Andrew liked to accuse her of being as big a sadist as him. He could be right.

  "What do you mean anal?" Roland's question was more of a demand, his expression one of offended pride.

  Maybe she was biased because of how he'd gotten into Lexie's face about the Christmas decorations, but Olivia had felt from the beginning that he was a trouble Dom. He didn't have a whole lot of respect for submissives, or for women in general as far as she could tell; despite the fact that he'd whined and complained his way through the paddlings, floggings, and everything else, it didn’t seem to occur to him that the submissives were able to take all of that and more. There was no interest in an exchange of power, he just wanted to be able to exert himself over another person; all he wanted in return was obedience. While there were submissives out there like that, they were few and far between. Most submissives still wanted to be treated as a human being, not a sex doll whose only purpose was to be beaten and fucked.

  Honestly, she'd been hoping from the beginning that he would finally give up and decide Stronghold wasn't for him. She doubted he'd succeed as a Dom anywhere, but if he was away from Stronghold, then at least she wouldn't feel the need to police him.

  "I'm going to let you each test the different oils that can be used and then we're going to move onto butt plugs, probes and vibrators," Olivia said, not bothering to hide the smug pleasure she got from revealing the lesson. All the men groaned, but Roland looked incensed.

  "You're not sticking anything up my ass."

  Olivia nodded in acceptance. "Fine. One of them can." She gestured at the other four Doms. "You're all going to need the practice anyway."

  "No one is sticking anything up my ass!" Roland practically shouted, his fists clenching at his side. Next to him, Zach, his one friend in the group (who wasn't Olivia's favorite but at least he wasn't as bad as Roland) shifted uncomfortably.

  "Roland," Zach said in a low voice, trying to get the other man's attention.

  "I'm not fucking gay!" Roland glared at her.

  "If you wanna put something in someone else's ass, you need to know how it feels in your own," Olivia said, her voice cold and calm, which just seemed to piss off Roland even more. Anticipation built up inside of her. Today might just be the day she was finally rid of him.

  "This is fucking stupid, I'm not doing it." Roland crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at her.

  Behind him, Kincaid was rolling his eyes, Zach shifted uncomfortably, Mitch was quietly snickering, and Brian, the quietest of the group, just looked on stoically.

  Olivia shrugged. "That's also your prerogative, but you won't be allowed to do anal in the club."

  "I'll fuck any subs' ass that I want. Who's going to stop me? You?" He sneered.

  "Me. Patrick. Any Dungeon Monitor that's around. It's called a violation of your contract and is grounds for kicking you out." She probably could have done a better job of hiding her satisfaction in saying that, but why bother?

  "Fuck this and fuck this place. Come on Zach." Roland started storming towards the door. Zach took one, stumbling step and then stopped, pausing to take in the expressions of everyone else. Despite his participation in the class, Olivia had Zach pegged more as a switch than a Dom. He was a bit of a people pleaser even though he was also capable of leading. Realizing that his friend hadn't followed him to the door, Roland turned around, one hand on the doorknob. "I said come on, Zach."

  Zach shook his head, taking a small step back. "I'm staying." Olivia's respect for him went up marginally at the simple, but firm, statement. This was the first time she'd really seen Zach stand up to Roland; he spent most of his time trying to placate the other man.

  The shock on Roland's face was quickly overtaken by a sneer. "Fine, fuck you too. You're all a bunch of bitches, letting this whore shove shit up your ass."

  Fluttering his eyelashes, with one hand on his heart, Mitch leaned towards a bemused Kincaid. "I'll be your bitch, if you're gentle with me."

  Snarling his disgust, Roland stomped out and slammed the door behind him.

  Brian gave Zach a supportive slap on the shoulder, as Kincaid pushed Mitch away from him, snorting laughter.

  "Alright children, get it together," Olivia said, amused. Other than Roland, they were a pretty good group of guys. Even Zach, and obviously the others were having a good influence on him. "I need a second."

  Pulling out her cell phone, which she was allowed to keep on her during lessons in case there was an emergency, she sent a quick text to Patrick and Jared, letting them know that Roland had left the class and to keep an eye out to make sure he left the building.

  Then, with a wide grin, she got back to teaching her class.

  Chapter 8 - Kate

  Taking a deep breath, Kate tugged her coat closer around her before opening her car door. She'd forgotten how freaking cold it could be in January in Maryland; especially after living in California for so long. Part of her loved it, another part of her was shrieking to go back to somewhere that winters felt like spring.

  Stronghold wasn't at all how she'd pictured it, and yet somehow it fit. The huge building was completely plain on the outside, totally utilitarian and somehow foreboding. Or maybe it just seemed foreboding to her, because she was going to be facing people she hadn't seen in years.

  She didn't think Patrick would just throw her out of the club, but she had no idea what his feelings towards her might be either. Even before she'd left Maryland for the West Coast, she'd severed contact with all of Andrew's friends. Of course, they'd been her friends at the time too, but they'd been his friends first and she'd wanted to make sure that no one felt the need to choose between them. Besides, she'd known Andrew would need the support of his friends... while she... she'd needed space and a break away from BDSM until she could get her head on straight.

  The center of her back itched, and she shifted her shoulders, starting to walk towards the building in short, quick strides. Her breath puffed out into the cold air, white and frosty.

  "Get your hands off me!"

  The furious woman's voice had Kate turning quickly. Across the lot, a man had a woman pushed up against the car. Granted, it was always hard to tell with people who were into BDSM, she knew that more than most people, but she felt the urge to go check it out, especially since there was no one else outside.

  "I said, get off me! Red!!! Get off of me!" The woman's voice was becoming more panicked. Kate's heart leapt in her chest as soon as she heard the safe word, and she started running towards them.

  "Hey!" Kate yelled, hoping to distract the asshole that was now holding both of the woman's wrists, obviously struggling with her and not in the fun, consensual way. "Back off her!"

  "Mind your own business," the guy yelled back. He wasn't bad looking, tall with brown hair and attractive features, but the pretty woman he had hold of was definitely not interested. "Get out of here blondie, we're ju
st playing rough."

  "RED!" The other woman screamed in his face, her cheeks streaked with tears, trying to kick him between the legs, but she couldn't get enough leverage or momentum because he had her pressed up against the car. "HELP!"

  Kate didn't even hesitate. The second she reached them, she grabbed the guy by the arm, trying to pull him away from the woman. If this was the kind of asshole Dom that belonged to Stronghold, then she was sorry she'd sent Sharon here. She'd figured Patrick would keep a safe club, but maybe she hadn't known him as well as she'd thought, or maybe he'd changed.

  "Fuck off, bitch!"

  She cried out as red-hot pain flared across her face, snapping her head back so fast she thought she felt her neck crack.

  "NO!" The woman yelled, and then the man howled. "NO!"

  Bent over, hand pressed to her cheek, Kate could see the man stumbling back, even through the tears blurring her eyes. The woman was suddenly beside her, arms around Kate's waist, but her attention was obviously on the man. Like she was protecting Kate. Which was appreciated, but also made Kate feel like an idiot... dammit, she'd come over here to help, and she was a masochist... one who seriously got off on pain and should be handling the throbbing in her cheek better.

  On the other hand, she'd never been hit so hard before, and definitely not in the face.

  "You stupid bitches... I'm a Dom, you can't tell me no!"

  "That is definitely not how it works," Kate ground out between her teeth as she straightened. Her cheekbone was on fire, and it ached all the way back to her temple, down to her jaw and up to her hairline. Even her nose ached a bit. He hadn't held back at all when he'd hit her.

  Distant shouting behind her let her know that they weren't alone anymore, and she sagged in relief. Then she wondered if she felt that way too soon; if the others coming out were anything like this guy, they were all in trouble.

  "Angel! Adam! Help!" The woman next to her clutched at Kate, obviously calling to her friends.

  Thank god.

  The man took off running, jumping into his car and pulling out of the parking lot with a squeal, by the time the woman's friends had reached them.

  "Leigh, are you okay? Oh my god, what happened?" Angel, Kate assumed, immediately looked her friend over and then turned her attention to Kate by the time she asked the second question. Reaching out, she cradled Kate's chin in her hands, peering at Kate's eyes.

  "That asshole practically jumped me when I got out of my car, talking about his rights as a Dom or something," Leigh said, her arm wrapped around Kate's shoulder. "He got me pinned against the car before I could do anything. If it wasn't for her, I don't know what he would have done, but he got her pretty good when she came over."

  "Oh you poor thing, come on, let's get you inside and get some ice on your face." Despite the bossiness of the curly haired Angel, the blonde man she was with didn't look like a submissive at all, and Kate was willing to guess that they were a couple and he was the Dom. The protective stance he'd taken up, his eyes scanning the parking lot for further threats, with one hand on Angel's back was all she needed to come to that conclusion.

  "I could always just press it against a car window," she mumbled as Angel and Leigh supported her from either side, guiding her towards the club's door. "It's cold enough out."

  They'd barely gotten halfway to the door when two more men came storming out. Kate recognized Patrick immediately. He was just the way she remembered him - big, imposing, and scary looking as hell with that scar going down his enraged expressing. He didn't seem to recognize her. Then again, she was bundled up in a winter coat, her hair tucked into her hat and half her face covered by her hand. She tried to skid to a halt as he neared them, but Angel and Leigh kept her moving.

  "Get her inside," Patrick ordered, not even glancing at her. Jared was right behind him. He hadn't changed much either, unless getting even bigger counted.

  Jared stopped Leigh for a moment, looking down at her with concern and then dropping a quick kiss on her forehead before following Patrick out into the parking lot to meet Adam. Wait... Adam... man she was getting slow. That was Adam. It had to be. She just hadn't recognized him under all that facial hair. It completely changed his jawline and, therefore, the shape of his face.

  Geez. She hadn't even gotten inside Stronghold yet, and she'd already run into three of Andrew's best friends. At least, they had been his best friends, and she assumed they still were, even if he had moved to New York. She couldn't decide if this was a good sign or a bad sign. After all, they’d been her friends too, before she’d severed contact.

  She also couldn't believe how much they'd changed. Oh, not physically other than Adam's face scruff, but there was a serious sense of power around each of them that had only been hinted at before. It made her want to cower away, the way any smart submissive would do when she knew she deserved a very harsh punishment.

  "Holy crap, holy crap..." A slender young man with blond hair came scampering around the desk, waving his hands in front of him. "Are you guys okay? Oh my god, I can't believe he did that, that asshole."

  "Call the bar," Angel snapped out like a drill sergeant. "We need ice."

  "You're such a bossy submissive," the receptionist complained as he did a 180 back towards the desk, confirming Kate's thoughts about Angel. "I don't know how Adam deals with you."

  "Lots of spankings," Leigh joked from Kate's other side. "Freddy, do you have an extra chair back there?"

  With the phone to his ear, Freddy pushed the chair out from behind the desk with his foot. Kate collapsed gratefully into it. Getting hit in the face, followed by the one, two, three hit of Patrick, Jared and Adam all right in a row... She didn't feel like she could breathe. Although, the emotional turmoil had almost made her forget how much her cheek hurt, until Angel gently touched Kate's hand, which was still pressed against it.

  "Hi, I'm Angel, nice to meet you."

  "Kate." She didn't elaborate. Angel would find out soon enough and... well, and then maybe she'd hate Kate.

  "Leigh. Thank you so much for coming to help, although I really wish you hadn't gotten hurt." Leigh winced as she looked at Kate's cheek. "Oh wow, it's already changing color... god that must hurt."

  "And not at all in the good way," Kate quipped. "No problem. That asshole isn't really a Dom here, is he?"

  "No, Roland had just been kicked out of the class," Freddy said, hanging up the phone. "Hi, I'm Freddy, and I'm so sorry you got hurt... geezus, that's going to be a serious black eye."

  "Freddy!" Leigh and Angel chorused, looking up to glare at him. Kate chuckled and winced, reaching up to take off her hat. Now that they were inside, she was wearing way too many layers.

  The door to the outside slammed open, and Patrick came barreling back in, followed closely by Jared and Adam. "He's gone," Patrick said, in his deep voice, tightly controlled. "Now, what- oh shit." His eyes went big, and he stopped moving so abruptly that Jared almost ran into him as he looked down at Kate.

  "What?" Jared looked over his shoulder, and a frowning Adam came around both of them. They stopped and stared, poleaxed.

  Kate smiled as best she could, considering her throbbing cheek and the situation. A bit sheepishly, she wiggled the fingers of her free hand at them. "Hi guys."

  Chapter 9 - Hilary and Liam

  Hilary slammed into Andrew's back as she followed him into the lobby. "Hey! What the-?"

  "Kathy?" Andrew's voice cut her off as Liam's hands grabbed her from behind and peeled her off Andrew's backside. The hollow note in Andrew's voice had her stiffening, as did the woman's name.

  She peeked around Andrew's side, easily evading Liam's fingers, which meant that the woman was probably exactly who Hilary thought she was. There could only be one person that would make all the big, bad Doms in the room react the way they were.

  Adam, Jared and Patrick were all standing in a little triangle a few feet away from Angel, Leigh, and a gorgeous blonde woman sitting in a chair. Not honey-blonde the way Hilar
y was; blonde blonde. So blonde her hair was almost white. Even more blonde because her skin looked tanned - not overly tan but a nice, even golden color that enhanced all that hair and those huge, heavily-lashed blue eyes. She looked like a goddess, an angel, or a movie star.

  Hilary almost hated her on sight, just for that, although even more because she immediately knew exactly who she was.

  "Drew?" The blonde bimbo stood, looking struck. "I thought you were in New York... what are you... what happened to you?"

  Confused, Hilary (and everyone else in the room) looked at the same place Kathy was looking: Andrew's stomach. Hilary wasn't sure what Kathy was talking about, because there wasn't anything on his stomach. Not even clothes; he was walking around in just his leather pants like he often did. Well, sometimes he threw on a vest.

  Blondie practically flew across the room. As she got closer, Hilary could see the puffiness of her right eye; her cheekbone was swelling and turning dark. It looked like it hurt. Some evil little part of Hilary almost took pleasure in that, as it was somehow karmic retribution for the emotional hurt that Kathy had put Andrew through.

  "Where's your squish?!" Blondie poked at Andrew's stomach and then tilted her head back, looking up at him almost forlornly. She looked almost mournful, her hand hovering over his rock hard stomach as if she was afraid to touch it again. “What happened to your squish?!”

  Seeing her hands on Andrew and the way he was frozen, Hilary started forward to do battle - there was no way she was leaving her friend undefended from his ex even if everyone else was - but Liam grabbed her and dragged her back again.

  "Who did this?" Andrew hissed, his voice tight with rage as he lifted the ice pack to blondie's cheek. Hilary felt like hissing herself. Okay, yes, the woman was hurt and Hilary didn’t like to see anyone in pain, but on the other hand, it was Andrew’s ex-girlfriend. The fact that he was already going into protective mode, that he seemed to have totally forgotten how much his ex had hurt him, just because she’d gotten hurt, made Hilary want to shake him. He didn’t need to be the one taking care of her! All it was going to do was get him hurt again! She opened her mouth, but Andrew was already talking again. "I'll fucking kill him."