Fuck. She was the asshole.
The tears that had been gathering in her eyes spilled over.
“Support now,” she choked out as she curled up, crying into her ice cream.
“Oh, honey…”
Arms wrapped around her from both sides, telling her it was all going to be okay, that Mitch had been a total asshole and fuck him, he’d lost the best thing he’d ever had. That only made Domi cry harder because she suspected that she had as well.
Mitch
Expecting to be castigated by the time he was done telling Olivia about how everything had gone down with Domi tonight and what an ass he’d been to her, it was still a relief to get it off his chest. What surprised him was when Olivia didn’t immediately tear into him. She was known for being super protective of the submissives, and while some of that had been extended to him, Kincaid, Zach, and Brian after they’d gone through Dom 101 with her, they knew where they ranked.
Tapping her fingers on the bar, she seemed to be gathering her thoughts.
“Your father is Gavin Craig?”
“Yes.” Mitch sighed. “I lived with my mom after they divorced and took her name. I didn’t want anything to do with him for a while after they separated. I hated how he kept stringing her along.”
Olivia’s fingers tapped on the bar, amping up Mitch’s anxiety every tap. He couldn’t even begin to guess what she was thinking. Probably about how big a stripe she was going to take off his back. When she began to speak again, it was in a matter-of-fact tone that got straight to the heart of everything.
“So, let me get this straight. You didn’t want to become your dad because your parents had an on-again, off-again relationship that was clearly painful for your mom, so you avoided relationships. You thought BDSM would be a magic bullet for that situation because of the relationships you saw around the club, and when you realized you had feelings for Domi, you decided to act on them.”
“Pretty much.” Man, that sounded stupid when she said it out loud. Didn’t it? It had made so much sense in his head. Or maybe he’d wanted Domi so badly, he’d let himself think it made sense. Raising his hand, he caught Shane’s eye, silently requesting another drink. The bartender nodded and moved to grab the necessary bottles.
“Tonight, you found out, not only were your parents kinky, but your dad owns a BDSM club, proving kink can’t necessarily save a relationship.”
“Yup.” A sick feeling churned in his stomach. He didn’t know what had gone wrong with his parents, but it didn’t really matter. Mitch refused to get stuck in their cycle. They loved each other but couldn’t let each other go.
He was going to be different. He’d let Domi go. Hell, she was already gone.
The thought was like a physical punch to the gut.
Fuck, that hurt.
Thankfully, Shane was right on time with the medicine to help push the pain away. More sweet and sour, though truthfully, it was getting harder to actually taste it. Just how Mitch wanted it.
“What do you think was your parents’ biggest issue?”
“Lack of communication.” Mitch snorted. That was easy. Which made even less sense how they could be kinky. BDSM required communication. People seemed to be better at it in the scene. “My dad isn’t much of a talker at the best of times, but anything emotional, he locks down tighter than Fort Knox.”
“Mmm… and would you say you communicated well with Domi this evening?”
He opened his mouth to say ‘of course’—he had told her what she needed to know, what he needed to get her away from him—but something in his brain pinged a warning. Maybe it was the way Olivia was looking at him expectantly or the alcohol lowering his own defensive barriers, but he suddenly wasn’t so sure.
They had talked. Domi hadn’t listened to him. He’d lashed out at her, pushing her away… and that was it.
That wasn’t communication. Not the way he’d been taught by Olivia.
“If you don’t want to be your dad, don’t be.” She patted his shoulder. “Now, let me get you a ride home. I see someone else in need of rescue.”
Turning, she gestured at someone in the dining room.
Squinting his eyes to get them to focus, Mitch was shocked when he saw Brian at a table with a bunch of other people. He was sitting between Morgan and another woman, Mitch didn’t recognize. Amy, the submissive Zach was always platonically scening with, was across from him. Her back was to Mitch, but he was pretty sure that was her, which meant that must be her fiancé with his arm along the back of her chair. Next to Amy was Carolyn, another submissive from the club, and another man.
“What’s going on over there?” he asked. Had Brian told him he had a date tonight? Mitch didn’t think so.
Olivia winced.
“Some kind of group date. I told Morgan not to go out on her own at first, though some of the company she chooses is still pretty terrible. Amy’s good, though, and she asked Brian to go with Tr—” Olivia coughed, cutting off whatever she’d been about to say. When she spoke again, there was a curious strain in her voice. “With Marissa, so she would have one of you there to watch over her.” Hmmm. ‘Marissa’ didn’t start with a ‘tr.’ Mitch wondered what Olivia had been able to call the woman. Not important right now, though.
“And Morgan needs to be rescued?” She looked as if she was smiling, and besides, she wasn’t the one standing up in response to Olivia’s summons.
“No, with Marissa as his date, Brian does. Trust me.” Olivia’s voice was dry. The woman next to Brian looked up and frowned at him as he stood. She was pretty, with pale skin, a thin face, and long hair, and when she looked where Brian pointed—at Mitch and Olivia—she got the oddest expression on her face before she turned away.
“Maybe he’s having a good time.” It was hard to tell with Brian since he usually had a smile on his face. He liked to keep people happy and take care of them. Which, now that Mitch thought of it, made him a good choice for an impromptu drive home.
“Doubtful.” Distaste dripped from Olivia’s voice, making Mitch more curious than ever, but he didn’t get a chance to ask before Brian reached them.
“You okay, buddy?” Brian asked, putting his hand on Mitch’s shoulder and pushing him slightly more upright. He hadn’t realized he was slumping.
“He’s totally trashed because he made a big mistake. Can you take him home? He has some serious thinking to do.” Olivia patted Mitch’s shoulder, hopping down from her seat, not waiting for Brian’s answer. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”
Giving them both a finger wave, she walked off.
“You don’t have to take me home, I can call a cab or something,” Mitch said. “Olivia thought you needed a rescue. I don’t think she likes your date.”
“Huh. Well, she doesn’t have to worry. I’m only here for Morgan. She wanted to try going on a date with a vanilla guy as practice. Next time, maybe I’ll see if Kincaid or Zach is available if she’s going with this same group of friends. Olivia might have been right about me needing a rescue.” Brian slid an arm around Mitch. “Now, let’s get you paid up. I can go back and ditch my ‘date’ and make sure Morgan’s okay to get home safely. Then we can head home, and on the way, you can tell me all about what Olivia thinks you fucked up.”