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“Connie?” Atticus asked gently as he folded his arms over his massive chest.
“I love you guys, all of you. But right now, I can't submit the way Thane demands and worry about what you're thinking. I'm nervous about doing this, whether I cando this, and I don't need a mountain of paranoia to climb as well.” She slipped her hand into Thane's, took a breath when he gripped her fingers. “You started this, Master Atticus. I'm asking you to step back and let me finish it.”
Jungle-green eyes locked on her face, unreadable for a long moment. As anxiety grew in her core, they lost their dark edge, and he rubbed his hand over his beard. A sign he wasn't as upset as his craggy features indicated, thank God. If Atticus started a brawl, the other Masters would join in, and Thane would likely be broken in a few unfortunate places. “Well, when a sub asks so nicely, who am I to deny her? Looks like the group spanking is cancelled, guys.”
Connie jolted as her friends groaned in synchronized disappointment. They were going to spankher? All of them? She had no recollection of granting anyone permission to spank her, then yanked her own chain to bring her thoughts back into alignment. She didn't have a say in who spanked her or did anythingto her—those decisions fell to Thane from now on.
Maybe they should have talked about that.
“Oh no, she's not getting away with it that easily,” Jasper stated, shaking his head. “Sorry, Con, but you have shit to pay penance for. Crashing your car in a bush, buying far too much alcohol, drinkingtoo much fucking whisky,” he counted them off on his fingers. “Dragging all of us out into the great beyond looking for you, making us so damn worried that Atticus had to send a drone up. Hoursof hunting through the desert. Anything else?” he asked the others, displaying six fingers.
“Not telling us about the migraines,” Braun growled, his jaw tightening. “Or where you keep your pain meds in case of an emergency.”
“I second that one,” Atticus added. “Jasper, add two fingers for that.”
Dutifully, the sadist popped up an additional two digits, taking the total to eight. “Thane's going to have fun with this. Anyone want to round things up to ten?” Pale blue eyes brightened with anticipation. “I have the perfect toy for you to play with, Thane. Doesn't require a lot of force behind a swing to leave a lasting reminder of why a sub should behave, and it hugs a curvy ass in all the right places. Makes naughty little girls sing like canaries, and yours has such a sweet voice.”
Apparently, the Masters were already at ease with her new status. They weren't having too much trouble treating her like a submissive, even if she was struggling to remember she couldn't fire back snappy retorts without consequences. She discovered she was inching away from Jasper, acknowledging his dominance.
Thane tugged her back beside him. “Mine, gentlemen. She's all mine,” he said with a satisfied edge to his voice. “Connie will be suitably reprimanded for her actions last night, and I won't need a whip to make her sing. She'll think twice before scaring the shit out of us again.” He checked his watch, a wicked grin curving his lips. “Oh, look at the time. A good thing we came early, sugar. You've got just enough time to go strip in the locker room. Don't forget to bring your clothes with you.”
Say yes and do what he's told you. The agreement dictated you would try and be the best sub you could be. You promised him you'd obey his orders as long as they didn't cross the lines you laid out, and this doesn't. Skirts fairly close, but doesn't cross them.
Doesn't cross them, Connie told herself. Thane had proposed that the Masters didn't fall under the heading of In Public. They were aware of the situation, of her predicament, and therefore they slipped under the line in the form of In Private. She'd argued that public meant anyone who wasn't Thane, but had been effortlessly shut down.
It was okay, she just shouldn't look at anything but the floor. The floor couldn't judge her. The floor was neutral.
Thane and Atticus had seen her naked, so that was no big deal. Atticus was in possession of intimate knowledge of how she looked when she orgasmed, what she sounded like when she fell apart. She'd seen Braun and Jasper in their weakest moments, helped them through the worst times. What was physical nakedness compared to exposing the emotions that hurt someone most?
Connie wet her dry lips. She focused her attention on everyone's feet, starting with her own. Scuffed, battered sneakers that were so comfy, she couldn't bring herself to part with them. Heavy shitkickers on Thane's feet, on Atticus's. Big men with big feet. Shiny black dress shoes to go with Braun's smart pants, brown loafers for Loki. Liam had worn his best black and red sneakers for the occasion.
“Whatever you wish, Master Thane.”
It was harder than she thought to let go of his hand. He'd become her crutch, and losing the warmth, the support, unsettled her. But she made herself step back, back again, then turn and walk away. Cradling the hand he'd held between her breasts, she headed into the locker room. The moment the door swung closed behind her, she bent over and breathed deep.
If tonight was the beginning of something new, she had to embrace experiencing everything Thane could give her. Of course, she’d rather be the one doing the teaching, but the past ten days had proven she couldn’t have everything she wanted.
Not anymore.
***
Chapter Seven
As soon as his dumbstruck sub rounded the corner and disappeared into the locker rooms, Thane braced for the verbal attack from the Masters. He'd seen their faces, the carefully disguised emotions they'd been concealing from their friend. They were concerned, understandably. Loki and Liam seemed fairly content with the situation, maybe because it meant they wouldn't be getting their balls busted by Connie if she suddenly shrugged off her submissive cloak and morphed into the Domme.
Braun, Jasper, and Atticus, however, were more…violent. Thane was aware that two of them had submissives of their own, but he supposed when a woman—who was more like a sister than just a member of the club—entered into a new and unchartered kink district with a relative stranger, it was bound to raise some hackles, and some concerns.
He spread his arms wide. “You've got five minutes, tops, to get your opinions out. She's going to take a minute, maybe two, to get herself under control, and it won't take her long to undress. Add in a few extra minutes for procrastination, and time's running short to murder me.”
Three intense gazes pinned him on the spot. Dark blue, ice blue, and diabolical green.
“Murder you?” Jasper hissed through his teeth. “Brother, I could kiss you.”
“Poisoned lip balm?” Thane asked suspiciously.
Atticus laughed and stepped forward to slap him on the shoulder. Luckily, the giant pulled the blow slightly, knocking Thane’s breath for a beat rather than dislocating his joint. “With J, anything's possible. Long story for another day,” he added when Jasper rolled his eyes. “The homicide blueprints are locked in Braun's safe. Every last detail plotted perfectly, down to where we'll scatter your body parts if you hurt our girl. Until then, you're part of the family, Thane.”
He managed a tentative smile. “I, uh, don't have intentions of hurting her, just so you know. Truth is a woman like Connie is more likely to rip my heart out without noticing. Being a career guy for twenty-odd years didn’t leave me with a lot of room for a serious relationship. Connie can change that, which gives her a lot of power.”
