She should have known that Deke would ask for advice. He seemed to talk a lot more these days.
He had changed. He was more open, more willing to consider things he would have blown off before. He was ready for a real relationship.
Was she?
“Your guy?” Jane had drifted back to them. “Is he a Dom? I noticed you didn’t have a collar. I thought you might be a single sub, which I was totally going to ask you about. I’ve never played without a Dom. I was going to ask you if it’s awesome.”
Oh, that didn’t sound good for Nolan.
Up ahead, Kayla seemed to have been cornered by another member of the club. She was talking to a man, which had freed Jane up to join them.
MaeBe didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, my Dom and I are having a wee battle about the collar, and I’ll probably get a spanking tonight. It’s nothing we can’t deal with. Master Kyle is thoughtful in many ways, but every now and then we disagree on how to handle things. I want a piece of jewelry as a collar. Something like yours. I love that necklace. It’s beautiful.”
Maddie had recognized it from Van Cleef and Arpels. It was a classic piece.
Jane’s hand went to her throat, fingers brushing the pendant there. “I had Nol…Master Nolan buy it for me. You should tell your Master you want one. Or Cartier makes lovely chokers.”
“Oh, my Master is not…well, he’s not a billionaire,” MaeBe replied. “He’s kind of a blue-collar guy. But that doesn’t mean I’m wearing a dog collar. I don’t care where he found it. It’s a dog collar. I know fet wear better than he does. Guys. Especially Doms. They all wear leather pants and a vest and that’s all they need, while we have to have a whole wardrobe.”
“He didn’t buy you a collar?” Jane asked, and for a second her lips curled up. She seemed to realize she was being rude, and a concerned look came over her face. “The way a man treats you is very telling, MaeBe. You should find out if he treats all his girlfriends this way or if it’s just you.”
Okay. She needed to get this train moving. “They’re a new couple. Why don’t we go into the touch room? It’s interesting. It’s being used tonight for a sub who enjoys being the center of attention—good and bad.”
MaeBe’s smile had been faltering, but she seemed to take the lifeline Maddie had thrown. “Yeah. I saw them setting it all up earlier and it looks like fun. I’ll let Kayla know we’re heading that way.”
As MaeBe went to talk to Kayla, Jane leaned in. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize that was a problem between them. I’m putting my foot in my mouth.”
Maddie waved her off. “Not at all. Everyone talks here. It’s okay. MaeBe and Master Kyle are just starting to explore their relationship. It’s awkward in the beginning. Tell me. How did you meet your Dom?”
“At work, of course.”
“Really? Is there something I should know?” After all, Jane reorganized corporations and trimmed off the fat—which was usually workers who made decent money. She was pretty sure Deke thought Nolan was going to try to cheat her out of her stock. Would firing her work?
Jane laughed. “I’m not working at Byrne Corp. Nolan owns a lot of companies, and I advised him on the organization of a couple of them. We talked and went out and then decided we were compatible. He’s a very smart man. Let’s go and see this touch space of yours. So this woman likes to be touched?”
She got the feeling that she was missing something, but MaeBe was back.
“He’s actually a male identifying submissive,” MaeBe explained. “Kayla’s handling a problem in one of the locker rooms. She’ll be right with us. We can watch the scene until she joins us again. It looks like the club’s starting to fill up.”
MaeBe was right. There were definitely more people in the club, and some of the scenes were starting up around her. This was why Deke had insisted she spend time at Sanctum. She wasn’t freaked out by the fact that two subs were getting their asses whipped by a woman in a leather catsuit ten feet away from her.
She would like going to a club and relaxing and enjoying the freedom she could find here. No one cared that those two people liked the crack of a whip across their bare butts. People watched and cheered them on. It was nice, when she thought about it.
She followed MaeBe and Jane toward the touch room and tried not to gawk at the guy who’d played Dart on TV. He didn’t play a superhero anymore, but damn that man still looked good. He had a gorgeous sub sitting on his lap as they relaxed in one of the lounge areas.
Her future was totally uncertain, and all that mattered was how she was going to deal with Deke.
And didn’t that tell her something? She wasn’t worried about her career. She was worried about whether or not she could trust Deke to stay with her this time.
Could she trust this Deke? It felt like pushing him away would be nothing more than punishment. Punishment to him for leaving her all those years ago. Punishment for her because she’d been stupid enough to think he could love her.
Or she could recognize that she loved him and that was all that mattered. She could take the risk every person in love ever had to take.
She realized MaeBe and Jane had stopped outside a room soft blue light spilled from.
Jane was running a hand over her left thigh, rubbing the elaborate tattoo there. Maddie had noticed it earlier. It was impossible not to see, but she hadn’t asked about it. It appeared that MaeBe had.
“I got it last year, right after my very bad breakup.” She traced the top of the tattoo.
It was a knife, the hilt pointed toward her hip, as though she could reach down and grab it if she needed. The dagger was beautifully done, ending in a sharp point that seemed to drip blood. The drops formed a pretty rose that wrapped around an ornate K. It was a lovely piece of art that also seemed a bit ominous to Maddie. She didn’t think the rose was protecting the K.
“It’s a great piece of work,” MaeBe said, studying the tat.
“Thanks. I’m going to add to it as I start the healing process,” Jane explained. “I thought I would add the initials of the people who help me get closure. I’m going to put them right on the dagger. So I don’t forget.”
MaeBe gave her a bright smile. “That’s an amazing way to remember the people who help you.”
“Yes, I think I’ll keep those people with me for the rest of my life,” Jane vowed before turning to the entryway. “What are the rules for this scene?”
Maddie was ready for the night to be over. She wanted to see Deke and talk about how they could mesh their lives together. She wasn’t sure what would happen after Saturday, but she knew she would have to leave Byrne Corp. She couldn’t stay. It would be far too uncomfortable.
Austin wasn’t that far from Dallas. Lawless had told her to call him if she ever needed a job.
“No talking inside the room,” MaeBe explained. “The sub is tied up and blindfolded. He enjoys the sense of anticipation that comes with not knowing who’s touching him or whether that touch will be gentle or sharp. There’s a table of impact toys. Any of them can be used. He has a safe word and he’ll use it. The woman in the back is his Domme. She’s simply there to watch over him.”