Chapter Fourteen
Cheyenne stage whispered, “Oh, you called Quinn, didn’t you? You could have told me to go home without bringing in Quinlan. And Lars didn’t ask me to scene, he just assumed I was interested.”
The response Josh rewarded her with was a slight shake of the phone and a set of raised eyebrows.
“I’m not talking to him. I’m mad at him.” She immediately thought so very mature, Cheyenne. Way to go.
“Cheyenne, I can set it up for a little public discipline if you like.” The face and tone were sterner, if that was even possible.
“Fine,” she grumbled as she grabbed the phone petulantly, earning herself another thundercloud look.
“Hello?” Cheyenne answered in an exasperated tone, to which Master Josh gave her another hard warning look.
There was a moment of quiet on the other line before she heard what she recognized to be a pause of annoyance and some irritation from her soon to be husband, brought on, she was sure, by the call he received from his close friend.
That information most assuredly included his lovely lady arriving at The Sting without him.
She had taken another deep breath before she remembered her conversation earlier with Maggie. Pulling herself up and confident of her control of this outcome, she spoke with the authoritative tone she took with the IRS when speaking for her client.
“Hello, Quinn. And before you say anything, I have one word for you. Maggie.” Again, silence.
“What about Maggie?”
“What do you mean what about Maggie?” she hissed on the phone. “You called her Thursday and said you expected to be at the club this weekend. Why would you do that?”
She had Master Josh’s full attention now, as well. She heard the heavy sigh from both men almost simultaneously.
“It’s nothing. Forget it. It was just a conversation.”
“How did you get her number,” she hissed.
“I’m not going to talk about it with you.”
“Well, I can tell you it’s something you are going to talk about. Just when were you going to let me in on this secret conversation only the two of you shared?” She looked triumphantly towards Master Josh, only the look on his face told her others knew of this secret.
“Cheyenne now isn’t the time to go into it, but it was a secret because it was a surprise. A wedding present I wanted to give you. Will you let me keep it a secret?” He sounded hopeful.
“A secret because it’s a surprise?” Her authoritative voice was oozing away fast.
“Yes.”
“Oh. Well, what kind of surprise involves another woman?”
“Cheyenne, you have to trust me because I’m not going to say another word about it.”
“This isn’t over, but I can’t have this type of conversation in the middle of the club.”
“Thank you, a stór. Now, back to why this phone call was made in the first place.”
She knew it was probably too late to do any type of damage control on that subject.
She had defied Quinn’s expressed wishes, and that had never turned out well for her.
Then she almost blew his surprise because she was in the wrong place at the worst time.
She took an unsteady breath but said nothing else about the Maggie issue.
She wanted to trust him, believe it was a good surprise and not something sordid and devastating, so she did.
The alternative wasn’t to be considered.
There was no other tone like Quinn’s irritated calm, and it was unmistakable. Her voice shook with trepidation, not at all the exasperated woman she had been seconds ago. There was something else she heard in his voice. Was it amusement? It might be okay after all.
“Piscín, where are you?” Quinn asked in that calm but menacing voice that alerted her she needed to be very careful.
Her subconscious advised her conscious brain to listen, but the old Cheyenne was bubbling forth with a mind of its own.
That naughty Cheyenne popped out at the most inopportune times.
“Really, Quinn? We have already established where I am. Master Josh called you, so you not only know where I am but are thinking of how to punish me.”
Quinn laughed, “True. However, I’m already positive of how to punish you so I don’t have a lot of thought needed.”
“Fine, I’ll go home, okay? It’s been a rough night anyway. And for the record, Lars never asked me if I wanted to scene with him. We were talking then he was suddenly negotiating. Not good communication skills on that front. But he is an interesting man.”
“Cheyenne,” said Quinn sharply, “you need to listen with care and be respectful of Master Josh and me. Remember, I don’t often like to do a public scene, but I think this disobedience deserves it, don’t you?”
“What?” squealed Cheyenne as she blanched with apprehension. “Quinn, no, please, I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t realize he thought I was unaccompanied. I mean, he works with Andrew and Shane. It was a mistake.”
“One that would not have been made if you had minded me in the first place and not gone without my escort.”
“And whose fault is that?” Caution was thrown to the wind and was long gone.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing.”
“Cheyenne, you had no escort—”
“Wrong. I came with Richard and Ashley. They are right in front of me.”
Quinn continued, “And no collar, what was he supposed to think?”
“The collar, you keep it hidden and haven’t given me one to wear all the time, like...”
“Is that what this was all about? You think I don’t want to collar you permanently?
Cheyenne, we have discussed this. You were hesitant, and I agreed it needed to be when you didn’t have reservations.
We’ll talk about it when I get home in two days.
What you will do, and listen to me very carefully, beag amháin, because, little one, if you do as I say, without interpretation or commentary, the scene I’m setting up won’t be hard for you to handle.
If you keep talking, it could grow to monstrous proportions and span hours. ”
“Fine, fine,” she growled into the phone, and as she looked in Master Josh’s face, she curbed her tongue.
He was definitely looking like Quinn was sounding.
Her bottom clenched with fear and anticipation of punishment she didn’t want to think about, but it now seemed to consume her thoughts.
The sadist; this is what he wanted. He wanted her to be antsy about it.
She listened hard to Quinn’s next words and responded in her now very respectful tone.
“No, I’m not... Yes, I understand, Sir. Yes, Sir, I understand.
I will, Sir. Please, may I drive home now?
Yes, sir, I did, but I have to tell my friends I’m leaving.
But... I didn’t mean... I’m sorry, Sir. I will, Sir.
I love you too. But I don’t like you much right now. ”
Quinn’s laughter could be heard as she passed the phone back to Master Josh.
She stood waiting quietly and partially subdued, head partially down, staring at some point ahead of her.
She never accepted total defeat. She waited for Quinn to complete his conversation with Master Josh and wondered if Lars would get a tongue-lashing as well.
When he had finished speaking to Quinn, Master Josh put his arm around her and squeezed her tightly.
That was all it took for the anger Cheyenne had built up to disburse and for her to burst into tears as the subdued and chastised Cheyenne.
Master Josh brought her to the sofa and cuddled her while sending for her friends, who quickly took over.
He whispered something in Cheyenne’s ear before leaving.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but your Master Quinn is one of my best friends.
Even if he wasn’t, it’s my job to make sure subs are safe.
What type of friend, master, dom, would I be if I allowed his most precious possession to be handled by another man and possibly hurt in the process?
Now I understand this Sir seemed very nice but he’s new, and as such, I don’t know how he plays with anyone yet, which is why the extra eyes.
It was likely why he didn’t ask you if you wanted to play in a straightforward way. I will have a discussion with him.”
“I’m sorry. Thank you. Will you apologize to him for me?”
“Of course. As far as the phone call to Quinn, it was important that I take care of you, little sprite. Besides, you understood the rules: no playing without Quinn here with you. I know that Quinn had been clear as a bell about that. He was even more precise in saying you may not even come without him. You’re special and you’ve done a world of good in helping your Master Quinn to mellow out, but obedience is expected. ”
Then Master Josh’s stance and tone changed, and he was the dominant speaking to an errant young lady again.
“I’ll come back in a few moments when you’ve brought things under control and will escort you to your car. You’re to go home, and I won’t see you again until you’re accompanied by your Sir, understood?”
Cheyenne nodded her head, but remembered she should respond with words in the club.
“Yes, Sir.”
“We will get her to her car,” said Richard.
MASTER JOSH SET A PLAY monitor to keep watch while he went to find the errant Maggie.
She needed a spanking of the level a budding sadist might deliver to an eager masochist, and the new dominant with whom Cheyenne had caused the irritation was probably in the mood to administer that spanking.
Anyway, he needed to smooth some feathers and ruffle others.
He had a message from Quinn to deliver, and if Lars hadn’t found a play partner yet and Maggie was unacceptable, he would help him identify one that would suit.
He also needed to discuss perceptions of consent.
He would lay money on the fact that Cheyenne hadn’t given verbal consent which was an important deviation from policy.
Because he couldn’t prove it, a stern message to Lars would not go amiss.