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Of course, she thought as she stood patiently waiting for Master Liam to finish serving his customers, it could have backfired phenomenally. There could have been a brawl between the two Masters, and she didn't have a clue who would have won. Atticus was bigger and stronger than Jasper, but her Dominant had an edge of violence that wasn't quite contained when he was pushed past his limit.
God knew they were both goddamn scary when their tempers ignited.
She'd be forever grateful to Atticus for everything he'd done for her.
"Well, hey there, pretty girl. Got some color in your cheeks, I see." Liam wandered down to her, propping his elbow on the shiny wooden bar and winking at her. His grin was pleased, satisfied. "Saw your little floorshow up there," his chin jerked toward the stage. "You get that Dom of yours back where he belongs?"
Archie bit her lip to stop the squeal of excitement from escaping, but her nod was quick and happy. "Yes, Sir, he is. Thank you for all your help," she murmured, cursing herself as her mind flicked back to his hands between her legs.
"You're welcome, sweetie. It was my pleasure. Now, what can I get you?"
She relayed the order—one beer and one Pepsi—and then blanched as she realized she'd been the epitome of rude and neglected to ask the others already seated if they wanted anything from the bar. The conflict tugged at her, orders versus manners, until she rationalized it. If Jasper wanted her to serve everyone, he would have ordered it.
There was a wiggle to her hips when she accepted the drinks Liam set in front of her and hurried back to the pit. Just in case this entire evening was a dream, she didn't want to waste a single moment. As soon as she was back with Jasper, she offered him the drinks and waited until he'd taken them from her, setting them on the edge behind him. When her hands were free, she put them behind her back.
"Good girl," he told her, and made her world light up in a shower of fireworks. There was a slight hesitation before he clicked his fingers, but she responded to his non-verbal command by sinking to her knees beside him. Assumed her favorite place, leaning into his leg and resting her cheek on his thigh. Damn near purring as his fingers massaged her scalp gently as he spoke to their three companions.
Bodie lifted her head from Braun's shoulder and looked down at Anarchy, giving her a quick thumbs-up before she settled back. Anarchy took the cue and rubbed her face against Jasper's leg, curling her hand around his ankle just above his boot.
"So, what's with the needy little sub at the front desk?" Jasper asked with a touch of amusement in his tone. "I know I've been absent for a few weeks, but that's a major change to the system, Braun."
"Well, with you gone and Connie being busy with work and Alicia, Loki working his ass off, and Atticus dealing with his workload, the past few weeks have been tight on the staff side of things. Not enough Doms willing to cover the front desk and take monitor duty. I talked it over with several members and we decided that with the number of subs we have who struggle to make their membership fees, we could sort a few trustworthy ones out and let them earn their membership in exchange for desk duty, while the Doms take care of the monitoring shifts."
"Sounds fair. What's the deal with the boy. Jonah, is it? Pain slut, eager, refers to himself in the third person when he's either aroused or nervous. I've never seen him before, I don't think, but he just about orgasmed on the spot when I walked in."
Anarchy scowled. Jonah was a hit-and-miss attendee to Avalon, but whenever he was in the club, he always stalked Jasper's scenes. She'd seen him watching from the shadows before, much like she did. She wasn't surprised Jasper was oblivious to the young man; Jonah skulked in the darkness, and Jasper's focus was always on the sub under his control.
"He's fond of the flogger and the single-tail." Connie chimed in easily, sounding distracted. "Bisexual but tries to pass himself off as straight. Plays with Dommes if he can find one willing to spend time with him, but he's got his eye on a Dom or two. I believe he was in a dynamic with...shit, was it Tracy or Angela? Angela," she said with a little more conviction. "They broke up six months ago when Angela left for a new post in Dallas. The boy has been a shadow since, becoming more of a voyeur than an active participant."
"That sounds lonely." Bodie murmured so softly, Archie almost missed it.
"Yes, little one, my thoughts exactly. We'll keep an eye on him, see if we can nurture a match with another Dom." Braun's voice was pensive. "Anyway, I suppose it's within my best interests to know if the two of you are going to give me any problems over little miss here. Are you going to be civil or do I need to read you both the riot act before you rip apart my club in a display of testosterone-fueled jealousy?"
Atticus laughed. It was nice to hear, even if it was a bit sad around the edges. "You'll have no bother from my quarter, Braun. Little bit is beautiful, but she made her choice long before tonight. We're good together; she and Jasper will be better." His sigh was wistful and quiet. "Of course, if he fucks up again, I'll have no qualms about stealing her and staking my claim on that delightful body. Permanently this time."
Jasper's fingers dug into her scalp just hard enough to stir her pain sensors awake. "There won't be a second time, Atticus. You won't get another opportunity to fuck what's mine."
The silence from within the pit was telling. As conversations continued around the room, Anarchy kept her head down and prayed her failure with Atticus wasn't about to rear up and become the focal point of the discussion. She wasn't sure she'd live down the embarrassment of that night.
"What am I missing now?" Jasper demanded, threading his fingers under the taut strands of her hair tied back in the braid. Follicle by follicle, her scalp began to cry. He wasn't rough, wasn't yanking on her hair, but the pressure was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
As usual, her prayers didn't save her.
"Technically, I didn't get a first opportunity." Atticus chuckled when Archie dared to glare at him from beneath her lashes.
"Bullshit. I saw you," Jasper reminded him, a sharp edge of anger lacing his voice. "I heard—"
"I got one thrust in before little bit safeworded on me. That scene ended ten seconds after you walked away, Jasper."
And so her humiliation was complete. Ignoring the pull on her hair, Anarchy let her head fall forward and wished the ground would open up and devour her. How the hell did she defend her actions without coming across as some spineless little girl reneging on her consent?
Connie snorted derisively. "Can you honestly blame the poor girl? She was completely smitten with Jasper until he lopped her off at the knees and handed her still-bleeding carcass over to Atticus. Nine months in Avalon without a scene, without guidance from a Dominant, and from what I can gather, a few short and unfulfilling scenes with idiots in other clubs. Yet you," the Mistress's tone sharpened into a lethal blade, "decided that throwing her straight into a bondage scene with anal play and sensory deprivation alongside sex was a good idea. I'm not surprised she threw her safeword in your face, Atticus."
Oh God, could this get any worse? Archie dropped her head in her hands as the Domme made it very clear on whose side she stood. This shouldn't come down to who did what or where the blame fell. There wasno blame on either Jasper or Atticus—Jasper had done what he thought best, and so had Atticus. She'd failed them both when she chickened out of the scene.
"Is that true, Anarchy?" Her hair was released; she gripped Jasper's leg tighter when his hand closed around her neck instead. "Did you safeword with Master Atticus?"
Hesitating, she wondered what the consequences of her answer were going to be. No matter, she would take them. Whatever he decided was a suitable punishment, she would accept it. Losing him now when she finally had an opportunity to be with him? No, she wouldn't risk it.
