Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Asad
The end of the week and he was back at Stronghold, feeling…
strange. It had been a strange week. Work had been the same as ever, that hadn’t changed, but his nights definitely had.
His mom had called him on Wednesday “just to chat.” There was a cynical part of him that thought it was just because Cyrus and Anna were on their honeymoon and out of reach, but there was also the part of him that was surprised she’d called despite that.
After all, they’d just seen each other.
He’d had to make up a bunch of lies about Morgan when his mom had asked how things were going.
He couldn’t exactly say they broke up as soon as they got home, not without a lot of questions he didn’t feel like dealing with right now.
That and, for some reason, it felt disrespectful to break up with his fake girlfriend right after coming home from a family wedding.
So, he’d told her they’d both gotten right back to work, but things were good, which was mostly true.
They had gotten back to work. He knew because he’d seen Morgan every night that she was live on social media, as well as the recorded content she’d been putting up.
In fact, he hadn’t been able to sleep without watching her this week.
When she was live, he fell asleep to that, when she wasn’t, he turned on some recorded content and watched it until he passed out. The whole time, he hugged his pillow and tried not to think about the odd ache in his chest that persisted until he fell asleep.
“Hey, there! Welcome back,” Law said, waving Asad over to where he was sitting with Connor and Iris. Iris leaned against him, her smile brightening when she saw Asad. Q and Sam were nowhere to be seen, so either they weren’t there yet or were already scening.
“Nice to be back,” Asad said, looking around the club. Nothing had changed since he’d been gone, yet he felt… different. There was a sense of anticipation he felt that was disappointed when he took in everyone and didn’t see Morgan.
That’s who he really wanted to see. Which he didn’t realize until he was there and he didn’t see her. Was she even coming tonight? She was here almost every night on the weekends, usually before he arrived. He’d assumed she’d be here tonight.
So, either she wasn’t coming, she was running late, or she was off scening with someone else.
Which didn’t bother him. It couldn’t. Why would he care that she was scening with someone else? He didn’t. Not at all.
He sure as hell wasn’t going to ask where she was because he didn’t need to listen to another lecture on magic pussy. He knew that’s exactly what would happen if he indicated he wanted to see Morgan the weekend after spending a whole week with her.
“Are you all scening tonight?” he asked Law and Iris.
He didn’t know what he wanted to do. He hadn’t really come to Stronghold with a plan, he rarely did, but in the back of his head, he’d been thinking he would probably run into Morgan there.
Maybe do some of the things he’d been thinking about last week when they were in Pittsburgh and couldn’t because they’d been in a hotel room.
But he didn’t see Morgan.
It was probably best not to scene with her his first weekend back, anyway. Talk about giving all the ‘magic vagina’ believers ideas. He knew it wouldn’t mean anything, but Iris would probably read all kinds of things into it and tell the other subs, and then he’d have that to deal with.
“Morgan’s in the office with Patrick and Lexie,” Iris said slyly, confirming his suspicion that she would read something into it if he’d asked about Morgan.
Right. Relief that Morgan wasn’t scening with someone else flooded through him.
Okay, maybe there was something to the whole spending a week with a person and getting emotionally attached, but it was not because of magic pussy or because they’d had sex.
It had been everything else. He’d spent more time with Morgan, romantic-type time, than he had with any other woman in years.
It wasn’t the sex; it had been the hand holding, the small kisses, and the sleeping together and all that shit.
Taking a break from her this weekend and finding someone else to scene with would remind his brain that he was not attached to anyone, and it would also send a message to Iris and the other subs.
See? I can spend a whole week with a woman and not end up attached. It’s just sex.
Not that they knew he’d had sex with her, but something about the way Iris had jumped right into where Morgan currently was made him think she thought something had happened between him and Morgan. That or she was testing him either way.
“That’s nice,” he said mildly, as if he didn’t really care.
Which he didn’t. At least, not much. He did wonder what she was telling them, but only because he didn’t want to get in trouble.
He looked over at the Lounge area where the unattached submissives hung out, waiting for a Dom to approach them.
“I think I might find someone to scene with. It’s been a while, if you know what I mean, since certain rules were laid down about my behavior last week. ”
“You mean the Persian Excursion is open for business again?” Iris snickered, her shoulders relaxing, as though she was relieved he wasn’t concerned about Morgan.
Maybe that’s what she’d been fishing for—the down low on whether or not he’d followed the rules.
Well, as long as Morgan didn’t spill the beans, it wasn’t as if anyone would know. He would make sure of that.
“Hell, yeah.” He grinned at them and stretched. Connor shook his head but didn’t say anything, which was about par for the course.
“Have fun, then,” Law said, also shaking his head.
Giving them a little salute, Asad turned and headed into the Lounge area, smiling at all the submissives who perked up as soon as they saw him. It didn’t feel like a real smile, though. It felt fake.
Fake it ‘til you make it.
He was just off kilter because… well, he wasn’t sure why, but he was determined to get back in the saddle again.
Morgan
“We understand, and we’re sorry,” Lexie said contritely.
The pixie-sized sub glanced at Master Patrick, who ran his hand over his bald head, also looking contrite.
Well, as contrite as he ever did. He was also watching Morgan with sharp eyes, and she wasn’t entirely sure what he was seeing.
“I’m especially sorry that Master Brian and I didn’t communicate better about who was going to talk to you and that you got blindsided. ”
“Thank you,” Morgan said, pressing her hands together in her lap.
She wasn’t feeling panicked exactly, but facing the duo hadn’t been easy.
In fact, it had been one of the scariest things she’d done since leaving Master Richard.
They owned both Stronghold and Marquis. They could have been upset at her lack of gratitude.
They could have been mad that she was scolding them.
They could easily ban her access from kink activities, not just in the area but across the entire network of people they were connected to. Which were all across the country and some international clubs as well.
They didn’t because they were good people, who truly wanted to help her and meant it when they said they wanted her to grow, which was also terrifying in its own way. She felt as if she was stepping into a whole new world all over again, but this time, without anyone to lean on.
That wasn’t true, of course. If she needed someone, Master Patrick and Lexie would be there. Asad would be there. Naomi would be there. The friends she’d made would be there. Of course, there was a part of her afraid she was wrong, but she wanted to believe it. She was working on believing it.
So far, it was proving true.
“You’re doing great, Morgan,” Master Patrick said gently.
“I know this wasn’t easy, but I’m glad you came to talk to us.
” He smiled ruefully. “Sometimes, even with the best intentions, we make mistakes. I know I have in the past.” He shared a look with Lexie, and his sub smirked at him.
They had a total power exchange dynamic, but that didn’t stop Lexie from being a brat when she wanted to.
Something about the look they shared made Morgan feel like she was intruding on something private.
“Thank you for listening,” she replied, suddenly antsy. She needed… something to help her spend some of the excess energy that was riding her. A scene maybe?
Master Asad’s face flashed through her mind, but she didn’t even know if he would be at Stronghold tonight.
“Of course. My office is always open to you.” Master Patrick smiled at her. “Now, go back out on the floor and have some fun. I promise we won’t dictate who you scene with. I’m sorry you had to go without last week.”
Despite everyone’s support when she confronted them, she’d still kept it a secret that she and Master Asad had broken the ‘rule.’ It wasn’t entirely her secret, and she didn’t want to go back on what she’d told Asad she would do.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to lie. Just like Brian, Master Patrick and Lexie had assumed they’d followed the rules. She let them.
“Thank you. I do think I need a scene.”
Master Patrick nodded, as though she’d confirmed his thoughts. Which, since he thought she hadn’t had a scene the entire week she was with Master Asad, made sense. She felt bad deceiving him, but she was protecting Master Asad, and that felt good. It was a very strange dichotomy.
When she stepped out onto the main floor, she stopped feeling so good.
The first thing she saw was Master Asad, but he wasn’t at the bar.
He was in the Lounge area, talking to other submissives.
Cassidy, another submissive with a rough past, though she hadn’t needed quite the same kind of rescue as Morgan.
She’d been rescued by the Doms and subs of Stronghold when her abusive Dom had ignored her safeword during a scene at the club.
An odd flush of heat went through Morgan. It wasn’t arousal. Her fists clenched at her side, and she sucked in a deep breath as an unhappy feeling twisted her stomach.
She didn’t like seeing Master Asad talking to another submissive. She really didn’t want him scening with another sub. She wanted him scening with her.
Cassidy wasn’t even a masochist.
This must be what everyone had been worried about.
Taking a deep breath, Morgan tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. It was just an aberration. Once she got used to being back, she would be back to not caring who Master Asad—or anyone else—scened with. In the meantime, she needed a scene. That would help get her back on an even keel.
Considering her sudden rush of hurt and jealousy, it was probably better not to scene with Master Asad.
If everyone was right, it had been having sex with him while they were on a trip that had caused her emotions to change in the first place.
Therefore, having sex with someone else—or at least scening with someone else—should help put her back on an even keel.
Looking around, she didn’t see anyone she particularly felt like scening with.
And she didn’t want a particularly painful scene.
Not like she had wanted a few moments ago when she’d been thinking about Master Asad…
before seeing him talking to Cassidy. She was suddenly feeling a little tender, and she wanted something more… cuddly.
Taking a deep breath, she made a beeline across the room to Master Connor.
He wasn’t a sadist, but he was a very cuddly and comforting Dom.
It also made sense if she was struggling with some unexpected feelings for Master Asad, scening with someone who was his exact opposite might help, like a palate cleanser.
She’d scened with Master Connor in the past, and it hadn’t been very satisfying, but she thought it might be exactly what she needed right now.
Something different.
“Hello, Master Connor. Hello, Master Law. Hello, Iris.” She greeted each of them in turn.
Iris’ dark eyes widened, and she was looking at Morgan curiously as they all said hello back.
Despite being friends with some subs who didn’t particularly like Morgan, Iris had never been unfriendly. Right now, she looked very surprised.
Oh. Right. Submissives weren’t supposed to approach Doms for a scene. Morgan was one of the few exceptions to the rule, something she didn’t take advantage of often because she knew it was another way that set her apart from the other subs. They didn’t like her having the privilege.
But sometimes, she needed a scene, or she would try to hurt herself instead, so Mistress Julie had decreed when Morgan needed a scene, she could request one. She wasn’t the only submissive to have that exception, but they were few and far between.
Part of her wanted to run from Iris’ gaze, but she needed the scene too badly. She knew if she went home right now, it wouldn’t be good. There was too much energy, too much emotion bottled up inside her.
“Master Connor, can you scene with me?” The words came out in a rush as she avoided Iris’ gaze, focusing on the big master.
Amy had called him the teddy bear of the Dom world, and he kind of resembled a giant teddy bear.
He was one of the tallest, biggest Doms in the place, scary for those who didn’t know him, but a total gentle giant to those who did.
He blinked in surprise.
“Of course, if that’s what you need.”
“I do.” Some relief trickled through her, but she still felt like she was fizzing under her skin, emotions bubbling and demanding to be let out.
Master Connor carefully slid out of his seat, getting to his feet, which was head and shoulders above her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she let out some of her tension on a sigh. The heavy weight of his arm helped her feel a little more grounded.
“Okay, Morgan, whatever you need.” He appeared a little worried, but Law nodded at them. Morgan wasn’t sure what the problem was, but at least Law was giving them the go-ahead.
She didn’t look back at the Lounge as she and Master Connor headed down to the Dungeon, so she missed Master Asad’s head snapping up to watch her and Master Connor walk away, his dark eyes boring a hole into her back.