Chapter 32
We don’t,in the end, storm Chess’ office but only because he sees us coming on the CCTV system I installed and opens the door for us.
Chess motions us into three, black-leather-upholstered guest chairs pulled up in front of his desk before he sits down in his huge wing-back chair. Tessa, in a full black leather puppy mask and mitts over her house submissive basque, kneels at his feet. He holds her leash loosely in his lap.
“Logan, you know I like to mull things over. Is this about something other than your emergency motion?”
“No,” I admit. “But I don’t think it can wait.”
“I disagree,” Chess says, tapping the handle of Tessa’s leash against his thigh. “I think we need a cool approach to this. I’ve already said too much during an unguarded moment to Emmett. We all need to step back and think before we do anything unwise.”
Tessa yips softly, lifting her paws to her chest. Chess reaches out and strokes the smooth top of her puppy mask.
“Yes, my sweet puppy, I told him if he ever made you uncomfortable again I’d unman him after I ripped his eyes out. It was unnecessary. I regret it now. I’m not charging into another confrontation with him like ... well, a bull.” Chess nods his dark head at Bull.
I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from jumping in. Theo mentioned that Chess had a talk with Emmett after he and a guest scared Tessa. Theo did not mention anything about ripping out eyes.
Theo clears his throat. “That’s quite a talk you had.”
Chess rolls his eyes at Theo. “I said I regret it. I listened to everything you said to me the other day, Theo. I expressed my own concerns about Emmett and his guest. I don’t see the need to call an emergency management committee meeting. I think there are ways to deal with this that don’t involve a full-scale confrontation which might just allow certain factions within the club a podium at which to air their grievances.”
Chess looks pointedly at me.
“You mean Ten and his cabal,” I say.
“I mean everyone who is resistant to change. Logan, we voted Sante and Rachel out less than three months ago. Is this the reputation you want to build? Anyone who crosses you gets thrown out of the club? I don’t relish a full-scale rebellion and that’s exactly what we’ll have if you’re behind ousting two more members so soon.”
I take a deep breath and settle myself. This is the moment when I could threaten to replace him with Maude. That’s still my Plan B. But I understand what he’s saying about coming in like the Grim Reaper. Maybe he has a better idea.
“What do you suggest?” I ask.
“That you let me sleep on it! Give me five damn minutes to come up with a solution that doesn’t involve threatening bodily harm again. I’m as angry as you are, Logan,” he says, tapping Tessa’s leash on the glass top of his desk. “You haven’t lived with shame for weeks because of the actions of a man you consider a brother toward a submissive you hold in the highest regard. You didn’t see your own submissive’s face, stiff with shock and fear, after those two mongrels abused her. I am raging inside. Don’t you ever think I’m not. But I am a dominant of Blunts. I am in control of my emotions and actions. I won’t let Emmett or Drew or their guests provoke another ill-considered response out of me. So let me mull it over and get back to you. Do me a little courtesy. Have I ever ignored you?”
“No,” I admit.
“Why would I start with something this important?”
“I didn’t know if you appreciated its importance,” I say, feeling like a school-kid who has just been yelled at for failing to turn in his homework. In fact, I’m fairly sure that my third-year teacher at Heysham St. Peter’s, Mr. Dillon, wore the same expression Chess is now wearing when I tried the “dog ate my homework” excuse.
Chess leans forward in his chair and stares me down. “I appreciate its importance.”
Theo stands and digs his fingers into my shoulder. “That’s all we came to say. Time to go.”
“Theo, you’re not even on the committee,” Chess points out.
“I’m rethinking that,” Theo says. “But it’s a conversation for another day.”
“Oh, please, let’s have it today,” Chess says. “Logan seems eager to bring all possible management committee business to a head in the same moment. Are you volunteering for a position? Master of Fur is still open.”
Theo releases my shoulder only to dig his thumb into my ribs. “You owe me for this,” he mutters at me. At normal volume, he says, “Yes, I’m volunteering.”
“Excellent,” Chess says. “Welcome to hell. I can’t imagine anyone will object, given your standing in the club and how long the position’s been open. I’ll forward you our bylaws and management committee handbook, all two hundred pages of it, which you’ll need to be familiar with before the emergency meeting. Happy reading.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Theo mutters. To Chess, he says, “Great. I’ll look forward to that.”
“I’ll copy you in on my response to Logan’s emergency motion then, shall I? I’ll consider it jointly submitted by the Master of Training and the new Master of Fur. Congratulations on your collaboration, gentlemen.”
Theo pushes me toward the door. “Sounds good.”
Since I can read how Chess’ mood has shifted just as well as Theo can, I grab Bull and drag him with me. Theo closes the office door behind us as I hear Chess say, “Up on my desk, my puppy. You need a little grooming.”
The three of us, big, brave dominants, stand in the hallway looking at each other.
“He was about to blow a gasket, wasn’t he?” I ask Theo.
“Yeah. I’ve only seen him do it twice but I don’t need a repeat. He gets more and more caustic until he flays the skin off you. But if it’s any consolation, his near melt-down’s a good indication of how deeply he’s feeling. What’s the thing about his shame? The brother and the submissive he holds in the highest regard?”
I glance at Bull, who grimaces. All of the management committee have seen the CCTV footage of Ten’s confrontation with Brenna in the hallway after she tried to resign from the club, although the committee’s divided over what to do about it. There’s no audio because when I first designed the system we all agreed that what we’d be hearing in the hallway were muffled screams from the dungeons and it wasn’t desirable to have recordings of that. But after Chess saw the CCTV of the confrontation, he changed his mind. I upgraded all the CCTV in the club in September.
Despite the lack of audio, it’s perfectly clear from the body language in the recording what’s happening. Brenna’s facing a camera when she uses her safe word and every Dom in this club knows what the word “red” looks like on a submissive’s lips.
“Show him,” Bull says.
I pull out my phone and load up the recording of the confrontation, which I have saved on my phone as well as in the club archives, just in case. I hand my phone to Theo who watches it in silence, his lips tightening.
“How long after this did those Neo-Nazi assholes attack her?” Theo asks.
“A few days.”
Theo hands the phone back to me, shaking his head. “Is Ten on probation? There hasn’t been a whisper about any punishment through the club, although I can see why you’d keep this within the committee since they weren’t in scene.”
“No,” I respond.
Theo’s eyes narrow. “Why not?”
“Because DirtyGurl doesn’t want to pursue it and the committee is divided on how to deal with it if she ever does. As you’ve said, they weren’t in scene. However, most of us believe a submissive’s safe word must be honored no matter what the setting.”
“I’m fucking pursuing it,” Theo says.
“Talk to Maude first,” Bull grunts.
“Why?” Theo asks.
“Because you’re not the only one who wants to pursue it,” I say. “Maude has strong views about Ten’s stability and how it needs to be handled. She’s maneuvered him into voluntarily going to therapy with that new girl, Krissy. But trust me, no one is ignoring it.”
Theo’s shoulders drop an inch. “Okay. Look, I work in a bureaucracy. I get that things have to be handled in a certain way and the wheels grind slow. But between this and what’s going on with Emmett and Drew, it looks like the committee’s lost sight of the duty we owe our subs to keep them safe and respect their limits. At least that’s the way it looks to me as an outsider.”
“That’s the way it looks from the inside, too,” I assure him.
“I know I’m going to regret joining the committee in about a hundred different ways but for now, I’m on side. Whatever you need. What do we do? What happens next?” Theo asks.
I glance at Chess’s closed office door. “For now, we wait. We line up support. We talk to the house subs and make sure none of them have agreed to scenes with Emmett and Drew.”
Theo nods. “I’ll take A through M. You take the rest.”
I clap him on the shoulder. In the wake of his assholism over Rick and Bren, I’d forgotten what it was like to have his support. Theo takes charge and gets shit done.
“Agreed. I’m going down to the Nursery to check on my little girl who should be napping now?—”
Theo snorts. “We all know she isn’t.”
“Right. Give me a half-hour. If you want to do this together, we could meet up in the small conference room on the ground floor.”
“Actually, I’ll come with you. Amy said she was going to nap, too. I’m curious as to what that means with her. I think we should make the calls together. Better to be on the same page.”
“Need me for this?” Bull asks.
“No, I think we’re good—” I say, just happy we’re in a good place again.
“Need, no,” Theo interjects. “But you’ve been my friend and brother Dom for a quarter of my fucking life, Bull. I hate hearing that you have a reason to doubt Logan. If you don’t need to be anywhere, stick with us this afternoon. Be our conscience.”
Bull smiles. “I can do that. Lemme arrange a couple of things. I’ll meet you in the small conference room in a half-hour.” He jogs off toward the stairwell beside the lifts at the far end of the hallway.
“He’s going to show us up by taking the stairs, isn’t he?” Theo mutters to me.
“Yup.”
“Asshole. I’m surrounded by assholes. I’m still taking the elevator. Come on.”
Down three levels, Theo follows me into the Nursery. It’s surprisingly quiet. Maybe not surprisingly, when I see Bravo, Warrin, and Faolan sitting in the storytime corner with Yummy, Aggie, and Matty on their laps. Bravo’s reading from a book called “The Bumblebear,” which I’m pretty sure Emmy got for Cynnie. Emmy herself isn’t asleep—no surprise—but she is curled up in a sleeping bag on the floor beside Sammi. Olivia’s on a mat between them with a few of her sensory toys scattered around. Unlike Emmy, my daughter’s completely sparked out, spread like a little starfish.
Emily’s gleaming eyes meet mine when I walk through the door. She doesn’t close them and pretend to sleep because my baby girl doesn’t lie to her daddy. She puts a gentle hand on Livvy’s tummy and smiles at me.
I return her smile. I love seeing my two girls together.
“Ulp,” says a soft voice from my right.
“Uh-huh, this doesn’t look like napping,” Theo says, peering over the edge of the “pirate ship” at where Amy and Hunter are sitting, putting together a Lego pirate ship that’s a miniature of the ship they’re sitting in.
“Lego,” Amy whispers, as though that’s an all-encompassing excuse.
“If you’d said you wanted to come up to the Nursery and play Lego after the swim, that would have been fine. But you told me you were coming up to nap.”
Amy’s pretty face screws into an expression that’s one part remorse and three parts defiance. “Everyone else said they were coming up to nap, so I thought I might nap but then Hunt showed me where the Lego were?—”
“Don’t throw me under the bus, babe-girl,” Hunter objects. “You asked me where the Lego were.”
Amy shoots a filthy glare at the house submissive.
“You should have told me you were considering a nap or playing with Lego,” Theo says firmly. “We could have discussed the importance of napping after the day you’ve had, walking all over the Aquarium and swimming, so you wouldn’t be too tired to scene tonight. Since you avoided having that conversation with me, I’d like you to come to the Blue Harem room for fifteen minutes. I’m going to give you a warm bottom and an orgasm and see if that helps you nap.”
Theo reaches over the rail of the pirate ship, offering his hand to Amy. She stares at him with wide eyes, her rosy mouth hanging open, before she scrambles to her feet and takes his hand.
“Good girl,” he praises her, before leading her out of the Nursery.
Chuckling, I make my way over to Emily. Beside her, Sammi is asleep, curled tightly around a huge purple teddy bear. When I sit down on the floor at her feet, Emily starts to sit up but I wave her back down. I find one of her feet through the sleeping bag, draw it into my lap, and start rubbing her little toes.
Emily collapses into a puddle. She pulls the top of the bag around her face and cuddles into it, the way she does with one of the throw blankets she keeps on our bed.
“Daddy,” she whispers.
“Shh, baby. Daddy’s helping you relax enough to have a nap. Everything’s okay.”
“Did you lay siege to Master Chess’ office until he let you in?” she asks sleepily.
“We didn’t need to. We had a talk. I’ll wait to hear from him until tomorrow. You’ve done enough to help Daddy today, my little wonder. I’m very proud of you. Would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? Just you, me, and Livvy. I saw a place I’d like to try when I was at Rockefeller Center. Steak and seafood. They have a private dining room that I’ll get so you’re not worried if Livvy starts to fuss.”
“Oh, yes, please, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” I switch feet. Emily groans softly. “Let that thought carry you off to bowbies, little girl.”
She closes her eyes. Her thumb sneaks into her mouth. Before Bravo even finishes the new book he’s started reading, “Princess Jack and the Very Hungry Dragon,” Emily’s asleep. I sit and watch my girls for a minute.
This is everything I’d hoped for. This moment. My girls happy and peaceful in the place that’s meant so much to me over the years. Surrounded by friends who understand my little’s needs. Surrounded by love and acceptance.
How the fuck could anyone threaten this? How could I let anyone threaten this?
I lift my eyes from Emily and meet Bravo’s. He’s watching me even while he continues to read. When he takes in my expression, he hands the book to Faolan, shifts Yummy so she’s leaning against Warrin, and rises.
I follow him out into the hallway.
“Mission?” he rumbles.
“Protect the submissives. Eliminate the Wolfpack.”
“Want me to call in Henry?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Names. Social security numbers would be helpful.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I say.
“So there’s no confusion later, do you want them gone or gone-gone?”
How far am I willing to go? I know who Bravo and Henry are. Who Myles is, for that matter, if I call him in on this. I’ve never ordered a hit on anyone. I’ve never gone further than what I’ve been willing to do with my own two hands. I’ve killed in the service of my country. Was that a better reason, a higher cause, than the one I have right now?
“For now, gone. If I change my mind later and it’s gone-gone, can you make it look like an accident?”
Bravo tips his head to the side. “Rather discuss that when it comes to it.”
I understand his reticence.
“I’ll get you the info today.”
“Gimme an hour and I’ll get Henry here and we can talk logistics. I’ll have her bring a burner for you.”
“Thank you. I know I’m not active service like you two are but I want in. I’d never ask anyone to do what I’m not willing to do myself.”
“Noted,” Bravo says. “Hen and me are a unit. We work with each other a lot. I’m not sure if bringing in someone else would fuck that up but I won’t cut you out.”
“Deal. I’m going downstairs to make some calls. I want the house submissives on alert. Tell Emmy when she wakes up that I’m in the small conference room where we hold committee meetings. She’ll know where to find me.”
Bravo nods. “Don’t second guess yourself, Logan. If it’s gotten to the point where you feel the need to pull me in, you’re doing the right thing. I know you haven’t been a daddy for long but your instincts are solid. If they’re screaming ‘danger,’ then there is fucking danger. You don’t wait around for the danger to stick its head out of the foxhole. You hunt it the fuck down.”
I take a deep breath and steady myself. He’s right. I’ve been in combat. I know when it’s time to go on the offensive. Now’s the time.
“Thanks, mate.”
He nods again and turns back into the Nursery.
I head downstairs, passing Austin at the reception desk. I stop and hold out my arms to him.
Frowning, he comes around the desk and gives me the hug I’m asking for. He may not need it. He may feel safe wearing Dana’s collar. But I need it.
“I haven’t apologized to you, Austin but I’m sorry I pulled back from the club. It won’t happen again.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, sir,” he responds, patting my back. “And I know you’re back to stay. I know you’ll protect us and the club. You don’t need to say anything to me or my Mistress. We’re behind you a hundred percent.”
“Thank you, Austin. I’ll do everything I can to be deserving of your faith.”
He pats me again. “Sir, you already are. Go get ‘em.”
I squeeze him before I release him.