Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Ian was talking to a D/s couple when several things happened almost at once behind him.
First, he heard a female cry out in pain, but it wasn’t a typical cry he heard throughout the club regularly.
A second later, he heard Angie scream his name and others shout.
In the mere seconds it took him to turn around and locate the problem, Angie was gone from his side.
Panic seized him as he ran to where a crowd had gathered near the submissive waiting area.
Pushing his way through, he took in the sight before him.
Marco, in his Dungeon Master gold vest, had some guy face down on the floor, his eyes glaring with anger.
One arm was yanked up the man’s back in a hold he couldn’t get out of, even though he was yelling and trying his best to shake the DM loose.
Angie and Mistress China knelt on the floor, comforting Shelby, who had tears coming from her shocked eyes and was holding a trembling hand to her face.
From the look on Mistress China’s face, the guy being detained was lucky Marco had gotten to him first. The diminutive Asian-American woman took great pleasure in giving pain to submissives, and at the moment, she looked ready to unleash her fury.
Ian didn’t recognize the man but spotted the yellow band on the guy’s wrist, indicating he was the guest of a member, just as Master Parker pushed through the crowd.
Parker Christiansen was a longtime member whose construction company had done most of the renovations throughout the compound and was a well-liked and respected Dom.
Right then, though, he looked confused and pissed as he addressed the guy Marco had pinned.
“What the fuck, Dave? What the hell did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything. Now get this fucking gorilla off me. I’m going to sue if he doesn’t get off me.” Whoever Dave was, he was the complete opposite of Parker. Whereas Parker was a confident Dom, this guy came off as a whiny jackass.
Marco growled but wouldn’t let the man up. Instead, he glowered at Parker and Ian. “This asshole backhanded Shelby. I had people in my way and couldn’t get here fast enough to stop him.”
Ian was pissed, but Parker was beyond livid. He glanced at the crying submissive, and it appeared he would explode. His jaw clenched. “He’s my brother. Let him up, Marco.”
Marco stared at Parker and then at Ian. Tiny and several other security guards had pushed the crowd back to give the Doms some room.
Ian stood with his arms crossed and studied Parker’s face.
What he saw had him nodding once to Marco, who released Dave and got to his feet after giving the guy a final shove in the back.
As Dave stood, he was stupid enough to say, “What’s the big deal? Everyone slaps women around here, and I get in trouble for what y'all are doing.”
Dave brushed himself off, and Parker took a step closer to him, his voice low and barely controlled. “You okay?”
Not seeing the fury on Parker’s face, the guy grinned. “Yeah, Park, I’m fine.”
“Good.” The Dom nodded once, then punched his brother in the face, knocking the bastard out. Without giving the prone man another glance, Parker hurried over to Shelby and crouched in front of her. “I’m so sorry, Shelby. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left him alone.”
He helped her stand, but Mistress China and Angie stayed by her side for support. Parker gently pulled Shelby’s hand from her cheek and growled, “I’m going to kill him,” when he saw the red and swollen area, which was starting to bruise.
She grabbed his forearm, her eyes wide. “No, don’t, Sir. I should have grabbed Master Marco or one of the other DMs. He was trying to negotiate with me. I saw his guest wristband and knew he wasn’t allowed to play, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. When I tried to walk away, he hit me.”
Parker drew the sub into his arms and held her briefly while everyone else looked on. Ian cocked his head at Tiny, who began breaking up the crowd with the other guards. The head Dom then spoke to Parker. “Let’s take this to the office. What do you want us to do with him?”
Parker didn’t answer Ian right away, obviously too worried about Shelby. “Go to the ladies’ lounge and put some ice on your cheek. When I’m done with Ian and my asshole brother, I’ll take you home.”
The man’s lack of using Ian’s Master title in front of a sub told the Head Dom how shaken the other man was.
“You… you don’t have to do that, I can drive myself.” Shelby’s face flushed, and she wouldn’t look at Parker. She seemed almost shy about being in the Dom’s arms, and Ian found it interesting since the pretty sub was such an outgoing person.
“I need to do this, Shelby, please. I need to make sure you’re okay and get home safe. This is not negotiable.” He tipped her chin up with his fingers and made her look at him. “Please.”
She bit her lip but nodded her consent. Mistress China wrapped her arm around the sub’s shoulder and eased her from Parker’s arms. Despite being sadistic sometimes, the Domme tended to be a mother hen to the submissives. “I’ll take care of her. We’ll be in the lounge when you’re ready.”
Parker nodded his thanks to her while Ian spoke to Angie. “I’m sorry, but I have to take care of this. Please go with them and wait for me in the lounge. I’ll be a few minutes.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He was surprised at the fierce look she threw at the still-unconscious Dave.
He almost expected her to kick the guy as she followed the other two women.
Marco also went with them after asking another DM to cover his station.
Ian could see his teammate was upset for not being able to stop the assault before it happened.
He could be a big marshmallow when it came to the submissives and was the one they tended to go to if they needed someone to talk to or some comfort.
Ian asked one of the nearby waitresses to bring an icepack to Shelby before turning to Parker, who still seemed like he wanted to commit familial homicide.
The other Dom handed his keys to Tiny and asked him to not-so-gently throw his brother in the backseat of his truck so he could drive him back to the guy’s motel.
He then faced Ian with an expression of regret. “Let’s get this over with.”
A few minutes later, Parker was pacing behind the closed door of Mitch’s office as Ian sat against the front of the desk and watched him.
“Fuck! I’m so sorry, Ian. I was only gone two minutes to take a fucking piss.
I told him not to move from where we were sitting.
He fucking knew he wasn’t allowed to play or approach any subs.
“The only reason I brought him here is that he called me a few weeks ago and said he wanted to see the place while he was in town on business. Said he and his wife were thinking about joining a club in Boston. I knew I shouldn’t have brought him here.
He doesn’t understand the lifestyle the way I do.
I know he’s cheated on his wife before, but I didn’t think he was stupid enough to try something here. Fuck! I’m going to kill him.”
Ian let him rant for another minute before the irate man finally took a deep breath and glanced at him. “I broke the rules. Do what you have to do.” He plopped down into one of the chairs and hung his head in defeat.
Ian felt sympathy for the Dom. On top of being a nice guy, he was also one of the club’s Dungeon Masters, and the last thing he wanted was for someone to be hurt because of his actions, especially a submissive.
But the rules had to be enforced. “I’m sorry I have to do this, but you know you’re not supposed to leave a guest alone for this exact reason.
You should have asked a DM or guard to watch him for the time you needed to leave him alone. ”
The other man nodded but didn’t say anything.
“I have to suspend your play privileges for the next twelve weeks. During that time, you’ll take three DM shifts per week. I’ll check the schedule and coordinate the dates and times with you tomorrow. Your guest privileges will also be suspended for two years.”
Parker snorted. “Don’t worry. I think this is the last time I’ll bring anyone here whether they’re in the lifestyle or not.
” He ran his hand down his face as he stood again.
“I’ll be back for Shelby in a few minutes.
Dave’s motel is about five minutes from here.
I’ll dump him into his room and come back.
I'd call one if I thought a cab would pick up the unconscious asshole. But since Shelby’s being cared for by China and Marco, I’ll get rid of him first.”
Ian nodded and followed him out of the office.
Parker continued to the lobby at the main double doors while Ian took the door and stairs leading into the women’s locker room.
He found the three women and Marco sitting in the lounging area, with Shelby sitting on the Dom’s lap as he cradled her, murmuring into her ear.
When she spotted Ian, she jumped up and latched onto his arm with a pleading expression. “Master Ian! Please don’t discipline Master Parker. It wasn’t his fault. I don’t want him to get into trouble. Please don’t kick him out of the club. It’s all my fault. I should’ve walked away sooner.”
Marco and Mistress China both growled at her inappropriate guilt, and Ian grabbed the near-hysterical submissive by her shoulders and guided her to sit in an empty chair. This wasn’t like her—Ian had never seen the bubbly submissive upset before. “Calm down, Shelby.”
His order was given in a commanding tone, instantly quieting the woman as he intended. “Master Parker knows he broke the rules, and there are consequences for what happened. None of which were your fault, and I don’t want to hear those words out of your mouth again. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir. But—”