Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Asad
It felt like every single eye was on him when he came out of Patrick’s office.
Gritting his teeth, he pretended to ignore it, heading over to the bar area with his friends while the rest of the Doms scattered.
Patrick and Lexie had stayed in the office, but everyone else had come back out into the main room with them.
“Come on,” Q murmured, tilting his head and leading the way over to a table where Iris, Domi, and Rae were waiting. All three of them perked up at the sight of the Doms, like they knew the answers to all their questions were coming.
Asad sighed inwardly. He wasn’t sure he wanted the third degree from them as well. It might be unavoidable, though. At the very least, they were going to want to know everything that was going on.
As soon as he reached the table, all the questions tumbled out.
“What happened?”
“What’s going on with you and Morgan?”
“Are you in trouble?”
“Are the Mistresses going to punish you?”
“Seriously?” he asked Rae, who had shot the final question at him. “You think they bring in the Dominatrixes to handle naughty Doms or something?”
“It’s not the worst idea,” Connor said, sliding into his own seat next to Rae.
She shrugged at Asad. She was looking a little… off. A little sad, maybe.
“No, thank you,” Asad replied dryly. “And no, I’m not in trouble, and no one is punishing me. The other Masters wanted to talk a little about me and Morgan now that we’re dating.”
“You are?” Domi looked as shocked as the other two subs, but that didn’t stop her from asking. Oddly, Rae looked a bit cheerier at the news than she had before or at least less sad. “Like, you’re dating-dating?”
“Yes.”
“Exclusively?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God. She magic vaginaed you!” Domi pointed at him as she squealed loudly enough that if everyone around them hadn’t already been listening to their conversation, they probably would be now.
“That is not a thing!”
All three subs exchanged a look that made it clear they not only thought it was a thing, they also thought it had happened to him. Asad groaned and looked around, trying to find some kind of escape from this ridiculousness.
“What happened to Law?”
The other Dom had been right behind them, and he needed some more Domly backup.
“Talking to Mistress Julie,” Iris said easily, nodding in the direction behind Asad.
He turned to look and saw Law frowning, his arms crossed over his chest, while Mistress Julie was shaking her head at him.
“She got a delivery of chocolate-covered strawberries at the office today, and Law is freaking out again. He’s been waiting all day to talk to her. ”
Connor rolled his eyes while Rae and Domi giggled.
None of them seemed disturbed by the secret admirer who kept sending gifts to Mistress Julie at Marquis, but it was driving Law up the wall not to know who was sending them.
Asad was also unbothered but not as entertained by Law’s reactions as the subs were.
Not that it mattered. Just past Law and Julie, the door to the women’s locker room opened, and Morgan’s friends started coming out, followed by Morgan herself.
She looked up, and from across the entire room, their eyes met.
It was something out of a cheesy movie, yet it made his heart beat a little faster.
Just keep it up, and you’ll be fine.
Mistress Julie’s advice echoed in his head.
If this was last week and he was with his family, and Morgan had just come out of the bathroom at the end of the night, what would he do? He’d take her back to the hotel room and have sex. Okay, barring that, he would go over to her and see what she wanted to do.
That seemed like a solid plan.
“In case I don’t come back, have a good night, everyone,” he said, peeling away from the table before any of them could protest, ask him anymore questions, or make references to magic genitalia again. Several shouted goodbyes followed him as he made his way over to Morgan.
Passing by him, Sam pointed two fingers at her eyes and then both of those fingers at him, letting him know that she was keeping her eye on him.
Inwardly, he sighed. It was probably going to be a bit before everyone trusted him with Morgan.
At least his friends had had his back, even if they were a little uncertain.
Both Carolyn and Marissa smiled at him as they passed, turning away from where Sam was headed to go into the Lounge area rather than following her to the bar table.
Noelle followed them, but instead of a smile, she gave him a hard glare, which he ignored.
Of all their opinions, he cared about hers the least. Maybe because he knew Morgan did, too. Whatever problem Noelle had with him was not his concern.
He looked right over her to Morgan, who was smiling up at him, though she looked a little nervous.
“Hey, Red,” he said, smiling as he reached for her. Her shoulders relaxed, her hand sliding into his, fingers curling around each other. “Wanna get out of here?”
He had no desire to be here with everyone watching them.
“Yes, Sir.” She leaned into him, looking at him as though he was the only person in the room. “Together?”
“Hell, yeah. My place?” Because Brian would be at hers.
Morgan nodded.
Asad wanted some privacy. He wanted to be able to talk to her without worrying about interruptions.
And… well, he wanted some goddamn sleep, which he was pretty sure would be best with her in his bed, either in his arms or wrapped around him like the big spoon she seemed to enjoy being.
The position didn’t matter as long as she was with him.
“Yes, please, Sir.”
Ignoring everyone else, Asad whisked her away into the night. On their way out, the submissive behind the desk gave him a narrow-eyed look as she handed Morgan’s purse over. As soon as they’d turned around to leave, he could hear her picking up the phone. The gossip train was already at work.
Morgan
She was going home with Asad. To his home. As his real girlfriend. Well, his date. Was she his girlfriend? Maybe it was too soon to put that kind of label on things. But they had agreed to date and be exclusive, and that was close enough that she felt like a girlfriend.
She was his girlfriend. She felt giddy. Similar to how she’d felt when Jason had first started paying attention to her but different.
She was no longer a teenager who didn’t understand what was happening.
She was an adult who chose to be here, with the full knowledge of relationships and sex and all that.
And while the Doms of Stronghold might take on a father figure role with her sometimes, especially Brian, none of them were like her actual father. Thankfully.
They knew exactly what was going on with her and Asad, and they’d stepped back and let her make her own decision about it.
Which made her feel giddy. And really good.
“Do you have your car here?” Asad asked as they walked out to the parking lot, pausing when they reached the curb.
“No, Brian drove us.”
“Okay.” He squeezed her hand. “We can go to my place, and I can give you a ride home later tonight or tomorrow morning. We’ll play it by ear.”
She nodded. Whatever he wanted to do was fine with her. Was that okay? Or should she know what she wanted to do?
Before she could decide, her phone rang with Freddy’s ringtone.
Somehow, she wasn’t surprised. In fact, it almost felt like she’d been waiting for that to happen.
He was always protective of her, as he was with all the submissives, and he was also a friend.
She wouldn’t be surprised if Trish at the front desk had been calling him over at Marquis where he was working tonight as soon as she’d seen Morgan and Asad leaving together.
“I need to get this, it’s Freddy,” she said apologetically. Asad just chuckled and nodded, opening the car door for her as she picked up the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, gorgeous, just wanted to check in and see what’s going on.” Freddy’s tone was warm, but he spoke briskly. Probably because he wasn’t supposed to be taking personal calls, especially since Mistress Olivia was here at Stronghold right now, which meant he was in charge at Marquis.
“I’m going home with Master Asad. We’re dating now.” She glanced over at Asad as he sat down in the car, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. She wasn’t sure what he found funny, but seeing his happiness made her smile.
“O-kay… I thought nothing happened between you two last week?” His voice lifted in question.
Morgan hesitated because she hadn’t actually said that. He’d assumed like everyone else, yet she wasn’t sure if she should keep trying to lie or if she should tell the truth. When she didn’t answer immediately, Freddy sighed.
“I see. You tell him he’d better be good to you, or he’s going to have to answer to me.”
“You’d have to get in line, Freddy,” Asad said, not bothering to pretend he couldn’t hear the conversation. “I’m pretty sure it will be out the door.” He didn’t sound bothered by the fact.
“I’ll be the first in it, and there won’t be anything left for anyone else!” Freddy’s voice was raised to make sure Asad could hear him. Morgan pulled the phone away from her ear, wincing.
“Or everyone could accept that I can make my own decisions, regardless of how they turn out.” She glared at the phone, even though Freddy couldn’t see her.
“Maybe she’ll break my heart. Did you ever think of that, Freddy?” Asad asked before Freddy could respond. “Yet no one’s threatening her.”
There was a long moment of silence. Morgan frowned at him. She certainly didn’t plan on breaking his heart. Then again, she supposed no one ever did. Asad winked at her. Ah. He was giving Freddy a hard time.
Freddy sighed again.
“You both make very good points. Take care of each other, okay? Your friends will be there for you. But seriously, Asad, the Persian Excursion better be closed.”
“Well, not closed so much as going private… exclusively available to one special rider.” Asad chuckled, coming to a stop at a red light. He didn’t let go of Morgan’s thigh. Instead, he reached over with the hand that had been on the wheel to pluck the phone out of hers. “Say goodnight, Freddy.”
“Goodnight, Freddy,” Morgan echoed.
“Good night, you two. Morgan, we’ll talk later? Maybe at lunch tomorrow?”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
Asad shook his head as she hung up the phone.
“It’s a good thing I know that you’re both subs and that Freddy is dedicated to Mistress Camille, or I’d be worried about you making a date right in front of me,” he teased.
“I’m pretty sure it’s the dates you don’t know about that are the problem in that scenario,” Morgan replied. After all, if he knew about them, then they weren’t really dates. If she was hiding them, that would be the problem.
“Okay, well, don’t do any of those, for sure.” He glanced at her in the darkness, the passing streetlights revealing a pensive expression on his face before he had to refocus on the road. “I really want to give this a real go. Like dating exclusively. I want us to be like we were in Pittsburgh.”
Morgan covered his hand on her thigh with her own, giving it a little squeeze.
“That’s what I want, too.”
“Good.” He flipped his hand around, so it was no longer palm against her thigh, lacing her fingers through his. “Just so long as we’re on the same page.”