CHAPTER 14 #2
“This is what is known as a violet wand, a tool sweet Maeve marked as a maybe on her limit list,” Mistress Cameron explained after she had Maeve shackled to a set of irons on the wall.
Ransom stood by, taking his cues from Cameron, allowing the Mistress to run the scene.
“I get the feeling she’ll be moving this particular item to an absolutely, yes once we’re done here. ”
While I watched the scene set up, play out, my mind continued to drift to Jamie.
More accurately, how and when I would corner her once the evening was finished.
Jamie
“That was so much fun!” Maeve’s giddiness was contagious, trickling through the others, making them swoon. “I’m thinking Mistress Cameron’s right. I might just be a masochist.”
“Well, I’m jealous of Jamie,” Kelly said with a wide grin.
“Me?” I stared at her. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
“No, but you get to be with Master Chaos.” There was a dreamy look in her eyes. “I can’t wait to spend time with him.”
I forced a smile, hoping it looked more genuine than it felt.
While the girls alternated between swooning over the Masters and giving a recount of what had happened during tonight’s class, I hurriedly pulled on my jeans and my sweater.
I smiled when appropriate, leaving the oohing and ahhing to the others.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t enjoyed watching the scenes, learning about the various tools. I had.
However, I couldn’t get past the ache in my chest, knowing Edge and Cav had tossed me to the wolves.
Why I’d thought they were willing to take me as their submissive, I wasn’t sure.
Even after my crying jag last night and the constant reminder that they were only doing as I asked—no special treatment—I couldn’t come to terms with the idea that I’d spend the next four weeks being passed from one Master to another while they watched.
“What was it like to have two Masters?” Yazmin inquired.
I glanced over then, curious as to Maeve’s answer.
“Different.”
“Good different? Or bad different?” Kelly asked.
Maeve’s eyes lit up. “Definitely good. I’ve never thought about having two Masters.”
I felt a knot lodge in my throat as I slipped on my shoes. I’d thought about it. In fact, I’d almost had it.
“I’ll see you guys Thursday night,” Raine said softly as she moved toward the door.
“Good night!” Maeve called out. “God, I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep after that.”
“I’m heading out, too,” I said, not wanting to disappear without saying something. We were going to be together as a group for the next month. My goal was not to alienate the very women I would be hanging out with.
“See you Thursday,” Kelly and Maeve said at the same time.
With a tenuous smile, I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.
To my surprise, Cav was standing outside the locker room, evidently waiting for me. I didn’t stop walking, pretending I didn’t notice him.
“Jamie,” he said softly.
Or hear him.
My feet continued moving toward the stairs.
“Jamie,” he repeated firmly.
“Good night, Master Cav.” I offered a quick wave over my head.
A firm hand gripped my upper arm, halting my descent on the stairs. With no choice but to stop, I glared into that ridiculously handsome face.
“I need to go,” I said softly, the words sounding far too much like a plea.
His eyes shifted over to Edge’s office. The door was closed.
“We need to talk,” Cav stated.
“Who’s we?” I asked as Edge’s door opened and he stepped out with Jenny. His hand was on the small of her back as he guided her toward the locker room. She was smiling up at him, causing my gut to twist into a painful knot, bile racing into my throat.
Seeing him touching her like that, the same way he’d touched me the first night I was here…
I broke free from Cav’s grip and practically ran down the stairs, ignoring him when he called out to me. A sob broke free, but I managed to make it to my car without tears falling. Barely.
How could I have been so stupid?
I should’ve known this would happen. Except for our bowling date, Edge had kept me at arm’s length. I could only think this was why. He wasn’t intending for anything to happen between us because when it came down to it, I wasn’t a submissive.
As for Cav … well, I didn’t want to think he would do that to me, but I had picked up on how he took most of his cues from Edge.
They didn’t want me. I was just another toy for them to train.
Would they be taking Jenny out on a date now?
One at a time or both of them together? Would they pretend she was special, make her feel the way they’d made me feel?
Would they go back to Edge’s apartment, walk her through what it would be like if she were their submissive?
Would she sleep in Edge’s bed, securely snuggled between them?
The tears were pouring down my face as I headed home, hating myself for being so naive. I had fallen for it from the start, thought I meant something to them.
I berated myself for the entire drive back to my apartment, anger and embarrassment warring. I’d fallen for it. The only good thing was that I hadn’t allowed things to go further. At least I hadn’t been stupid enough to sleep with them.
A sob racked my entire body.
I’d wanted to. I had dreamed about it, fantasized, made it into some stupid romantic story.
It wasn’t romantic. Not even a little.
None of this was. Being a submissive, being passed between Masters. They looked at us like we were toys they could toss away when they were finished. Didn’t matter how we felt.
The second I stepped into my apartment, I stumbled to the sofa, then curled up and cried, letting it all out. That was all I knew to do. I had to get past this, move on.
I would text Edge tomorrow, let him know I didn’t want anything to do with his training. No way could I sit by and watch as he engaged with other submissives. He could save himself for Jenny, spend all his spare time with her. I didn’t care.
“I don’t,” I whimpered aloud, wishing like hell it was true.
I must’ve fallen asleep because I was woken by the sound of someone knocking on my front door. A little disoriented, I got to my feet and made my way to the door before I realized that it was midnight. I peered out the security hole, then frowned.
“Go away,” I called out.
“Open the door, Jamie,” Edge’s rough voice sounded from the other side.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Open the door,” he repeated.
“No.”
There was silence, and I thought for a second he’d left. I should’ve been elated, but instead, my chest ached more.
“Open the door, Jamie,” Edge stated, his voice deeper, lower than before. There was a hint of frustration in it.
Since my upstairs neighbor liked to call the office on me anytime I had friends over, I decided I had to face the music, send Edge on his way.
After unlatching the security chain and unlocking the deadbolt, I pulled the door open a crack.
I fully intended to talk to him through that minimal space, but clearly, he had other plans because Edge forced the door back and pushed his way inside.
Admittedly, I was a little disappointed when Cav wasn’t with him, but he didn’t give me time to think about it as he shifted me out of the way.
“What do you want?” I asked, glaring at him as he closed and locked the door.
“To talk,” Edge said simply.
“I have nothing to say to you,” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest in defiance.
I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I didn’t care.
They’d hurt me. My heart physically ached in my chest, and I didn’t want to get into this with him right now.
I didn’t feel strong enough to fight him, and the last thing I wanted was for Edge to see how much I wanted him, how much I needed him.
How much I loved him.
“Sit,” Edge ordered.
“No.”
Those electric-blue eyes narrowed on my face, and I could feel the energy coursing through him.
“What?” I snapped. “Did Jenny not do it for you? You needed another submissive tonight?”
Edge’s lips thinned. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I saw you with her,” I bit out. “You had her in your office. You looked quite cozy walking out. Your hand on her back, guiding her around. She was all smiles. Must’ve had a good time, huh?”
He stood straight, the tendons in his neck taut. His voice held a dangerous air when he spoke. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Miss Ward came to me to let me know she would be leaving the class. Indefinitely.”
That news had me sobering somewhat, but it didn’t completely diminish the hurt and the anger that swirled relentlessly through me.
“Now sit down, Jamie. We need to talk.”
“No.”
“Sit. Down,” he ordered, his eyes flashing with temper.
Clenching my hands into fists, I marched to the sofa and sat. I didn’t look at him, wishing he would just go away and leave me alone.
Edge walked around the coffee table, then pushed it back from the sofa, allowing more room as he sat on it directly in front of me.
I kept my focus on my bare feet. Right up until his finger curled beneath my chin, tilting it back until our eyes met. For long seconds, he stared back at me while I was mesmerized by his bright blue eyes. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen that color before.
Even as the anger and hurt churned, I couldn’t deny I wanted to get lost in those eyes. Just one more time.
“I owe you an explanation,” he finally said, his tone cooler than before.
It took a second for his words to register. In an effort to maintain my mad, I snarled, “Yes, you do.”
The corners of his eyes squinted, but they didn’t quite narrow. I could see his restraint. He didn’t appreciate my bratty attitude.
“Did you want to join the class?” he questioned.
“Yes.”
“Did you not tell us you didn’t want special treatment?”
I opened my mouth to answer, then snapped it closed.
Edge waited me out, holding my gaze.
“Yes, I did.”
“Have you received special treatment?”
“No.”
“Yet you’re still pissed.”