Epilogue
Morgan
Looking around Stronghold, Morgan wondered if she could escape the current conversation or if that would cause more drama.
She was so tired of hearing Noelle complain that Freddy hadn’t taken her complaint of bullying seriously.
It didn’t help that Carolyn was egging her on, though everyone else seemed to have grown tired of it.
“I’m never going to get taken seriously, not when everyone in charge is friends with Iris or Law,” Noelle huffed, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring across the room at the woman in question.
Personally, Morgan thought Noelle would be a lot happier if she stopped focusing so much on Iris, but no one was asking her, and she’d learned she wasn’t supposed to offer an opinion unless it was requested.
It didn’t seem to stop other people from offering opinions, but there were rules around when and how it was okay to do so, and she didn’t think she understood them well enough to try.
“You should complain directly to Patrick,” Carolyn said, a gleam in her eyes. “Get it on record.”
Something about Noelle had brought out a side of her that Morgan hadn’t seen before.
She didn’t like it very much but didn’t know what to do.
Carolyn was her friend, and that was supposed to mean something, right?
She supposed Noelle was her friend now, too, but she was never sure whether she liked Noelle, but since they were all friends with each other, that was another thing she wasn’t supposed to say.
“They don’t have records like that here. It’s not a police station.” Amy shook her head.
Morgan tilted her head, trying to figure out why it was okay for Amy to disagree in this instance, but it wouldn’t be okay for her to tell Noelle to focus on herself instead of Iris.
Or maybe it would be okay?
But if it wasn’t, she could risk her friendships.
Better to stay quiet.
“If they did, I’d never be allowed in,” Marissa joked.
“Olivia would have a file on me this thick.” She held her hands out in front of her, about a foot apart.
“Actually, she wouldn’t be here, either, if I was allowed to file reports on her.
Just let it go. They aren’t going to kick you out.
If they were going to, they would have already done so. ”
“But she’s making it so I can’t scene with some of the Doms,” Noelle complained, her gaze darting over to the table where Iris was standing.
“Do you want to scene with one of her friends?” Morgan asked. That seemed like a safe question, and from the way Noelle kept looking over there, she was starting to wonder if Noelle had a crush on one of them.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say no to any of them,” Noelle said with a smirk.
“Especially Connor. He looks like the kind of guy who could throw me around the room, if you know what I mean. But no, I just don’t think I should be shut out of things because Iris is trying to get back at me.
It’s not fair. I’m not going to be bullied into leaving Stronghold. ”
Amy and Marissa exchanged a glance, which Morgan saw but didn’t completely understand.
People did that sometimes. They looked at each other and knew what the other one was thinking.
She was never part of those glances and was okay with that.
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to figure out what they were trying to say, anyway.
Navigating relationships on her own was hard.
Worth it, though.
She still remembered when she’d be at play parties with Master Richard and see other subs interacting but wouldn’t be allowed to join them.
Of course, they might not have liked her.
Master Richard had always told her that he was protecting her from their jealousy.
She had still been envious, seeing them talking and laughing together. Wanting to be a part of their world.
Now she was and was going to be grateful for it and not risk losing it.
“Master Asad is pretty hot, too,” Noelle continued, looking meaningfully at Morgan. This time, she knew what that look meant. Noelle kept offering to take Morgan’s place as Master Asad’s fake date since she’d told her friends that Lexie had asked her if she’d be interested.
“He is.”
If Noelle had a thing for him, she would have turned Lexie down, but it seemed Noelle just wanted any of Master Law’s friends.
Morgan didn’t understand why. There were plenty of other Doms willing to scene with her, and it only made sense that his closest friends wouldn’t.
Not while there was still an issue between her and Iris, and there definitely was.
“I’m supposed to talk to him tonight about being his wedding date. Well, I guess Lexie and Master Patrick will be doing most of the talking, but they wanted to tell him tonight.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take your place? You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. It can be hard faking a relationship for someone’s family.” Noelle’s expression had changed to earnestness.
“You’ve faked a relationship for someone’s family before?” Carolyn asked. Her attention had wandered while Noelle and Morgan had been talking, but it snapped back with laser focus.
“Well, not exactly… but I’m a good actress.”
“I want to do it.” Morgan glanced over her shoulder to where Master Brian was talking to some submissives.
As always when they were in the club, he seemed completely attuned to her.
His gaze lifted to meet hers. He tilted his head, raising his eyebrows.
When she’d asked him, he’d told her that meant he was wondering if she needed him.
She smiled and shook her head, turning back to her friends before her smile faded.
“I need to show Brian and the other Doms that I’m okay on my own. I don’t need them hovering over me all the time.”
It was starting to make her wonder if she really was okay.
She was starting to feel stifled. Not in the same way her parents had made her feel, exactly, but…
it was bringing up some old emotions. Mistress Julie thought it was a good idea, and since she was a Domme, as well as being Morgan’s therapist, she put a lot of weight on Mistress Julie’s opinion.
“Just know that I’m here for you if you change your mind.” Noelle reached out and took Morgan’s hand, giving it a brief squeeze before letting it drop.
Morgan smiled at her. Despite her faults, Noelle could be very generous and sweet.
She could probably use a few sessions with Mistress Julie to help her get over her insecurities around Iris, but Morgan wasn’t brave enough to make that suggestion, either.
Besides, if Mistress Julie didn’t want to treat her because she was friends with Master Law, that would only make things with Noelle even worse.
“Oooh, here comes Master Patrick,” Amy said, and immediately all of them sat up. The man had that effect.
A lot of the Doms did, though Morgan had noticed that she and Amy were more likely to have that reaction, whereas Carolyn and Noelle rarely jumped to attention.
Marissa fell somewhere in between. But everyone was on their best behavior for Master Patrick, and not just because he owned the club.
He just had the kind of presence that demanded attention—and respect.
“Hello, ladies.” He smiled, white teeth flashing against dark skin, his gaze glancing over all of them before settling on Morgan. “Morgan, do you have a minute?”
“Yes, Master Patrick.” She stood, resisting the urge to put her arms behind her back in the position she’d been taught to use when on her feet before a Dom. That wasn’t necessary here, and it would make both Master Patrick and Lexie uncomfortable.
“Great, come with me, please.”
She looked over at the table where Master Asad had been talking to his friends, but he wasn’t there anymore, and she realized Master Patrick was leading her to his office. Apparently, he didn’t want to have the discussion with an audience, which made sense.
The gossip at Stronghold and Marquis ran rampant most days.
A little bubble of excitement ran through her.
She was going to be leaving Maryland and all the people at Stronghold for the first time since she’d been rescued.
And with a Dom who knew her limits and boundaries…
Maybe they’d even be able to go to the Outlands.
She knew the wedding was in Pittsburgh, and she would love to visit another club.
Best of all, she was going somewhere no one had any preconceived notions of her.
She couldn’t wait.
Asad
“So you’re clear on the rules, right?” Lexie asked as they waited for Patrick to return with Morgan.
Asad did his best not to scowl at her. It was becoming a little insulting how little they thought he was paying attention. Though he supposed that was partly his own fault.
He might be a bit of a manwhore, and he absolutely did not want the responsibility of a submissive, but he wasn’t a total jerk.
He didn’t want to lead Morgan on or damage her.
He just needed a date for his brother’s wedding, so his mom wouldn’t try to set him up with every woman there, and…
okay, if he was going to be completely honest, he didn’t want to go solo because he didn’t want to be alone.
He loved his family, but spending time with them was hard.
“Rule Number One, no fucking the gorgeous submissive. Rule Number Two, no fucking the gorgeous submissive. Rule Number Three—”
“As long as you follow it, you don’t need to repeat it a bunch of times,” Lexie said with a threatening scowl. “Don’t make me regret suggesting Morgan as your date.”
“It’ll be fine. All of you are far too protective of her. How is she ever going to grow if everyone keeps swathing her in bubble wrap?”
Lexie sighed.
“This is why I’m worried but also think you might be the perfect person for her to go with.” She shook her head. “You might think we’re a little too protective, but I think you’re a little too cavalier. You need to take care of her.”
The words made him start to sweat, hitting a little too close to home as he heard his mom’s voice in his head.
You need to take care of him. His brother was fine now.
He was in remission, all grown up, and getting married.
What Lexie was asking of him and what his parents had asked of him were two wildly different things.
All he had to do was take care of a perfectly healthy, if emotionally vulnerable, grown submissive for a week.
He could handle that.
Probably.
Though he would have liked to have gone with someone with a little more confidence in themselves and without all the emotional baggage, he had to admit Morgan was otherwise perfect.
She was gorgeous, smart, funny, and not at all needy.
Some subs tried to manipulate extra aftercare out of him, but Morgan never had.
She didn’t want a boyfriend, probably because her last one had been an abusive tool, and that worked for Asad.
He could deal with a little emotional baggage since she worked well in every other respect.
That she didn’t want a boyfriend and definitely wouldn’t be trying to use this as an excuse to get close to him were the biggest points in her favor.
The door opened and Asad sat up straighter in his chair as Patrick escorted Morgan in. She looked nervous yet excited as she gave him a little wave.
“Okay,” Patrick said from where he was by the door. “You two are going to talk about what you need from each other. You can change your mind at any time. You have the use of my office for as long as you want.”
“Wait, we aren’t staying?” Lexie pouted.
“Come here, Pixie. Let them have their privacy. They need to work this out for themselves.” Patrick shot Asad a warning look over Morgan’s head.
Asad gave him a thumbs-up, which made Morgan glance over her shoulder, and Patrick’s expression immediately shifted back to a smile.
“Unless you want us to stay, Morgan?”
“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “I want to do this for myself.”
Lexie sighed but got to her feet and met Patrick at the door. He gave her a swift swat on the ass to get her moving past him, then shot Asad another warning look.
Asad was starting to feel like a Bond villain or something. If they didn’t trust him, why were they sending Morgan with him?
Nah, they trusted him or else they wouldn’t have chosen her to go with him. But Patrick was a control freak, so he had to do what he could to put his stamp all over the situation. Asad could live with that. He was surrounded by control freaks at the clubs and was a bit of one himself.
“So, I’m going to be your fake girlfriend?” Morgan asked, sounding excited.
She was pretty darn cute when she got like this.
Asad flashed her a grin.
“Looks like it.”