Sure, that could’ve been because he was now immersed in a new business venture and this was where he thrived. He had goals and objectives and he worked well when those parameters were outlined.
But there was something else.
And I knew it had everything to do with me and Clarissa.
“So, no, I didn’t offer up your services. I mentioned what you did for a living. Coincidentally, they were already looking to venture down this path. While not everyone’s in the market for your services, they are.”
“I agree,” she said, her voice soft. “Of all businesses, they could use my help.”
He smiled. “This job and everything they’re offering … that’s about you. I’ve kept my nose out of it because you don’t need my help, Clarissa. You shine all on your own. Don’t think for a second that this has anything to do with me.” His eyes cut to me briefly before returning to her. “And just so you both know, I go where you go. I don’t care where that is or for what reason. This is where I belong.” He motioned toward the room. “Not in this apartment, not in this building. Not even in this city.” He reached for her hands again. “I belong here with the two of you. And that’s the only place I intend to be. Everything else in my life is now secondary.”
Okay, I could admit, my chest felt a little tight and there were some emotions I wasn’t used to feeling stirring somewhere deep. I hadn’t expected Master to say that. I was used to him being a lone wolf, everyone else revolving around his orbit. To have him say those things, it was—
“I love you both,” Master announced.
And now it was hard to breathe.
Clarissa sobbed suddenly, then threw her arms around him. “I love you, too,” she mumbled into his neck.
I sat there, slightly bewildered, more than a little shocked by this revelation.
Not disappointed by any means, but honestly, I had never expected to hear those words from him. Sure, I might’ve fantasized that one day it would come up—perhaps I would admit it or even Clarissa—and Master would reciprocate in some way. But for him to throw that out there all on his own…?
“I won’t push you, Clarissa,” Master continued. “I want you to do what’s best for you. And I’ll be right there by your side. Whatever you need.”
When she turned to me, I froze.
“I love you, too. Both of you. That’s all I need.” Clarissa’s arms came around my neck and I stared at Master. I knew he could see the emotion on my face because I was never good at hiding anything. Not from him.
Suddenly, Clarissa jumped up from between us. I rocked back into the couch while Master caught himself on the coffee table.
“Where are you going?” he asked as he got to his feet.
“I’ve got a call to make,” she said quickly. “I’ve got a job to accept. And friends to call. And I need to tell my mom. She’ll want to come visit. She’ll want to eat Giordano’s pizza because you’re right, Troy. There’s nothing like it.”
With that, she darted down the hall to the bedroom.
I stared after her, dumbfounded. As though I’d been leveled by a tornado. It wasn’t until Master took a seat beside me, his big body blocking my view, that I focused on him.
“I love you,” he said softly, his hand reaching up and twining in my hair. “That’s what this has been about. Not Domination or submission. Not about being in control. That was what my life was about before you came into it. Before I realized I didn’t have to do it alone. Whether you know it or not, you’ve taught me some valuable lessons these past few years.”
My heart was in my throat.
“I wouldn’t know what to do without you, Troy. And not just because you handle my schedule and make my phone calls and do the shit work I don’t want to do.”
I laughed because it was true.
“It’s because I love you.” He smiled. “Now, it’s your turn to say something.”
Another rough laugh came out. I couldn’t find any words. They were stuck under the heart lodged in my throat.
Master’s hand tightened in my hair and a soft groan escaped.
“I love you, too,” I whispered harshly. “And I really fucking love when you do that.”
His smile was everything.
THIRTY-ONE
Clarissa
LATER THAT EVENING, I LEARNED that walking on a cloud from the events of the day didn’t allow for the nerves to do quite as much damage as they probably would have had I not been so caught up in everything else going on.
After calling Landon directly and accepting the position, the first person I had called was my mother. Just like before, she was thrilled for me. Said she was eager to come up to check out Chi-town. And yes, that sounded extremely weird coming out of her mouth.
From there, I called my dad. He wasn’t quite as excited as my mother, but I could tell he was happy for me. I texted my stepdads just to keep them in the loop. And last but not least, I had called Mercedes. Although she’d squealed in delight—not normal for her—I got the feeling she was preoccupied with something else.
Once all the calls were done, I’d pulled a pillow over my face and let out a squeal of my own. This was really happening. Hence the cloud I’d been bouncing along on all day.
However, as we walked into Dichotomy, those irritating suckers known by most as nerves were taking over, attacking my insides, making me feel queasy. I hadn’t been to the club since the night everything fell apart and it freaked me out.
“Relax, sunshine,” Trent warned. “We’re here to play. Not to put on a show. No need to be nervous.”
So much for hoping Trent didn’t notice.
I shook out my hands and took a deep breath.
Relax. Breathe.
Much easier said than done.
Rather than bring us here decked out in fetish wear, Trent had allowed Troy and me to keep on our regular clothes. There three of us had gone to dinner—with a slew of bodyguards—then come directly to the club. Thankfully I hadn’t gone overboard on the bread, because there was definitely a churn going on in the pit of my stomach.
Once we were inside, I paused beside Trent and Troy, taking a good look around. The Chicago version of Dichotomy looked a lot like the Dallas version. Although, it had a homier feel. Maybe because I was seeing it from a different perspective, I wasn’t sure.
I was surprised to see we weren’t the first ones here, either. In fact, the place was packed. Dozens of people were milling about, all congregating on the main floor.
It kind of made sense because tonight was different from other nights. Being that the club was doing its first official lock-in, the doors were closing at nine and wouldn’t open until six tomorrow morning. No one would be able to come in or leave unless it was a medical emergency. It appeared everyone wanted to ensure they were inside before they risked being left out of the festivities.
I couldn’t blame them. Tonight was going to be interesting.
Personally, I was in a different mindset. Unlike any other time I’d been in a club, tonight wasn’t about proving myself or my ability to be a perfect submissive. Tonight was about taking care of my Dom and my Dom taking care of me. Admittedly, it helped that Trent was consistently reminding me of that. I needed to hear it. While I wanted to please him in every way possible, I didn’t trust myself not to fall back on old habits. Not because they were a security for me. Simply because it was easy.
I was no longer looking for easy.
After Trent introduced us to a few people, he turned to me and Troy. “When you’re ready, you can go into the changing rooms. You’ll find your outfits for tonight in your lockers.”
Trent passed over a key, first to me, then one to Troy.
He turned back to me and cupped my face. “The only thing I ask is that once you’ve changed and come out of the dressing room, I want you to remember I’m in charge at that point. I know your limits, sunshine. You can expect me to take care of you in every way possible, even if I do push your boundaries. Is that understood?”
&n
bsp; I felt slightly light-headed. This was the part I looked forward to. “Yes, Master. I trust you.”
“If you need some time to get into the right mindset, feel free to go to the submissive lounge or the bar. I’m not in any rush. The dungeon and the playrooms won’t officially open until the doors close and everyone’s inside.”
“Maybe I’ll get some water,” I told him. I definitely needed a few minutes to acclimate myself.
“I’ll go with you,” Troy said, moving up next to me and taking my hand.
Trent nodded. “I’m going to make my rounds, but I’ll come find you in a bit.”
With my hand in his, Troy led me to the bar. There were two submissives—one male, one female, both wearing red studded collars—taking orders and handing out drinks. I opted for water, which saved some time.
“Is it just me, or are you far more relaxed than I am?” I asked Troy when we found a spot in the submissive lounge. One of the black leather love seats was unoccupied, along with a couple of chairs facing it.
He chuckled. “I’m just better at hiding it.”
As I got comfortable, soaking up Troy’s warmth beside me, I saw Luci and Addison walk into the submissive lounge. Their eyes were scanning the area as though they were looking for someone. As soon as they spotted us, I had to assume we were the intended target, because Luci’s eyes widened.
Her smile was brilliant, making her even prettier than she usually was.
She grabbed Addison’s arm and pointed our way. Before she could make it very far, Dale intercepted them. His eyes flew over to us and then there were three heading in our direction.
“Did we do something wrong?” I whispered under my breath. “They’re making a beeline for us.”
“Who?”
“You’re here,” Luci said, moving around to sit on the chair that was perpendicular to the small love seat Troy and I were on.
“Hey,” Addison greeted as she took the other seat across from us while Dale perched on the arm of Luci’s chair.
“Why do you say it like it’s a surprise?” Troy asked, his attention now on Luci.
“Who me? No. I wasn’t surprised. Just … uh … glad to see you.”
Something was up with her. Granted, I didn’t know her all that well, but she wasn’t always this antsy. She was prone to being tongue-tied around Trent, but other than that, she was relatively cool, laid-back. That wasn’t the case now.
“Who came up with the theme?” Troy asked, nodding toward a banner that hung over the bar. LOVE IS IN THE AIR was written in red block letters across it.
“I think it was Zeke,” Addison said, deadpan.
That had me laughing.
“Seriously?” Dale asked.
“No,” she said with a smile. “I’m not sure who came up with it but it’s kinda corny if you ask me.”
She had a point.
“So, what happens during a lock-in?” Luci questioned, glancing back and forth between all of us.
“First time at one,” I admitted, my gaze straying to Addison.
Of the five of us, Addison and Dale were likely the two with the most experience. I knew they had both been in the lifestyle before they came to work at Chatter.
“Honestly, I’ve never even heard of a club doing this,” Addison admitted as she relaxed. “When I asked Mr. Parker, he didn’t care to elaborate.”
I’d heard Addison referring to Justin and Ben as Mr. Parker and Mr. Snowden, respectively, so I took that to mean she referred to them that way at all times.
“Hello, boys and girls,” a deep voice sounded, drawing my attention to Troy’s other side.
I smiled up at Case and Braxton.
“Hey. Y’all made it,” Luci said.
Both men frowned. “Of course we made it. Why wouldn’t we?”
Luci shrugged, her gaze shooting to the floor.
I laughed. “Okay, what’s up, Luci? You’re acting awfully suspicious right now.”
She shook her head, but I noticed a sheepish grin, one that I’d seen on her Masters’ faces a time or two. “Nothing. I swear it.”
Dale laughed, but he got to his feet. “Come on,” he told her. “You’re horrible at keeping a secret. The last thing we need is for you to go blurting it out.”
Before I could ask what they were talking about, Dale was dragging Luci out of the lounge.
Case and Braxton took their places.
I’d noticed that no one had changed out of their street clothes yet. Aside from the fact there was absolutely no alcohol being served in the place, this could’ve been any old bar in any old city.
Someone let out an ear-piercing whistle.
“All submissives, except for those on duty! I need your attention.”
I noticed there was no request in that statement and it only took a second to tie the voice back to Zeke.
I sat up straighter, trying to peer over the heads of the other submissives sitting around us. I finally located the giant Sadist standing in the center of the main floor.
“It’s time for all submissives to go get changed. Make your way to the changing rooms. For those Masters and Mistresses who have been asked to assist, proceed to your posts.”
I glanced over at Troy. “What’s going on?”
He shrugged. “No clue. I didn’t know this was going to be a formal process.”
Neither did I.
Zeke whistled again. “Don’t make me tell you again, subs! Get your asses into those changing rooms!”
Yeah. Okay.
Evidently, it was time to go get changed.
Trent
“ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?” Greg asked as we remained at the bar while the others herded the submissives toward the dressing rooms.
It could only be described as organized chaos. Questions were being launched by both Doms and submissives, no one quite knowing what was going on.
“More than ready,” I told my friend.
Landon and Langston walked over and they were both laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Greg asked.
Langton shook his head. “We just learned Dale took Luci out of the lounge a little while ago. It looks as though our little sub’s lookin’ for some punishment tonight.”
My eyes widened as I realized what that meant.
“Oh, no,” Landon added quickly. “She didn’t say anything. But he didn’t want to risk it, so he yanked her out of there.”
I sighed, relief swarming me.
It had taken quite a bit of work to get tonight in order, and the last thing I wanted was for someone to reveal my plan before I could put it in motion. As it was, only a few of my closest friends knew what was about to take place here tonight, and I needed to keep it that way for a little while longer.
“How long do you think it’ll take for a bunch of submissives to get changed?” Zeke asked, his tone hard like usual. “Think I should go move things along?”
Greg laughed. “No. I think you should sit your big ass down before you scare them all out of here.”
Zeke’s grin was wicked. “The doors are locked. They’re stuck with me for the time being.”
I was sure a few of the submissives would be trembling with eagerness once they realized how true that was. I knew of two for sure.
Justin and Ben joined us and I took that to mean Ben wasn’t in submissive mode tonight.
“They’re all doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” Justin informed me. “Jane is overseeing the females and Ransom volunteered to keep an eye on the males.”
Aside from the five men standing beside me, Jane and Ransom were the only other two who had any idea what I had planned for tonight. In fact, they’d helped to pull it all together and I was forever grateful to them for that.
“Are you nervous?” Zeke asked. The glint in his eyes said he hoped that I was.
“Not even a little.” Honestly, I’d thought I would be nervous. Ever since I put this plan in motion earlier in the week, I’d expected some sort of meltdown. It ne
ver came and the closer to tonight that we got, for some reason, I started to relax even more.
“So, I hear Clarissa accepted the job,” Greg said, his attention on Landon and Langston.
“She did.” Landon’s face showed his approval. “In fact, she’s agreed to come on board immediately. And I’ve asked Jane to help her conduct interviews for the staff she’s going to need.”
“Probably ought to get her floor set up first, huh?” Greg said with a chuckle.
“Workin’ on it. In the meantime, she’ll office on Justin’s floor,” Langston said.
Before they could get too deep into shop talk, McKenna Murphy strolled up with her husband, Tag, at her side. I got to my feet, offering McKenna a hug and Tag a handshake before taking my seat once more.
“This is quite impressive,” McKenna said with a smile. “I had no idea you’d have this big of a turnout.”
“People like him,” Zeke said, his big thumb pointing in my direction. “Although I don’t know why.”
“We’ve got a full house here,” I told them. “Most of the invitations were accepted right away.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” she noted. “I hear only good things about your clubs.”
Zeke stood tall and cleared his throat. “All right, so I want to make sure we’re all clear here.” Zeke looked at me. “You’ve agreed to allow her to do an audio recording, correct?”
“Yes. Audio only.”
He glanced at McKenna. “And you’ve agreed to surrender the recorder once that’s done. I’ll return it to you when you leave.”
I knew McKenna and Tag would be staying all night, and since she wanted to ensure she had accurate details for her story, I had agreed to allow an audio recorder in.
“Absolutely,” the pretty redhead told him. “You’re even welcome to stand by me until it’s over.”
“No need,” he said, although I noticed the concern in his eyes. Zeke was a stickler for privacy and having even part of tonight’s festivities recorded was against my rules.
However, since it was about me and no one else, I figured I had the right to make that decision.
Their Famous Dominant Page 53