The Master
Page 64
“Yes, they have a very sensual and ethereal quality to them.”
They looked them over for a few more minutes, and then Cole indicated they should move on.
The sitting area was well designed with couches and love seats arranged in a way that allowed multiple groups to have conversational areas. At the moment, most guests were doing just that. But the night was early. They’d start drifting to the play areas as the evening wore on.
Cole was also impressed with the number of men walking around with Monitor T-shirts. He’d heard Abby had almost been assaulted in this club before DeVaan bought it. Hopefully nothing similar would happen again.
Nathaniel stood when they approached, but Abby was kneeling on the floor and didn’t move. Or at least she didn’t move until Nathaniel brushed her shoulder and whispered, “Feel free to talk to our friends. I know you wanted to speak to Sasha. If Master Johnson is okay with that?”
Cole nodded. “Yes, of course. Sasha, if you would like to sit with Abby at that free love seat nearby, go ahead. Nathaniel and I will be here.”
Abby stood to her feet with a smile and motioned Sasha to follow her. They’d barely sat down before they were talking with their heads together.
“She’s talked about nothing but Sasha all day. She’s been anxious to hear how she’s doing.” Nathaniel gave him a pointed look. “I would have thought you would have checked in with me by now. That was part of the agreement.”
“I knew you’d be here tonight, but I’m sorry to have caused Abby stress.”
The two women were completely wrapped up in their conversation.
“Since we’re both here now, let’s have a seat so you can tell me how it’s going.” They wandered over to an open couch nearby.
“It’s going really well. She has a teachable spirit, rarely repeats a mistake, and she’s getting her spunk back.”
Nathaniel watched the two women. “She does look really good. Not as thin and she has a peace about her.” He turned his inquisitive stare to Cole. “How are you doing?”
“Me? I’m great.”
“Will Ms. Blake be extending her time at your house?”
It was as if the air was suddenly sucked out of the room. “What? No. I’m not. We’re not. It’s. Aw, bloody hell. No.”
Nathaniel crossed his arms and leaned back with a smug grin on his face. “Like that, is it?”
“I’m too much for her.”
“Yet we just agreed she’s looking and doing well.”
Cole shook his head. “It’s too soon for both of us. Besides, that wasn’t the plan.”
“Funny, I’m learning in my old age that the best plan isn’t necessarily the one you first decided on.”
It wasn’t that Cole hadn’t thought about asking Sasha for more, he just feared doing so wouldn’t be in the best interest of either of them. The last thing he needed after the ending of an eight-year relationship was to jump into another. Sure it had been over nine months, but didn’t he need to be by himself for a while? To be something other than Kate’s Master?
And Sasha? Who knew how long it’d be before she was ready for something serious. To ask that of her at this point in her journey would be selfish. She needed to experience other Doms, see that there were other men out there she could trust.
But the very thought of her with another man made him want to slam his fist into something.
He was saved from admitting as much by the arrival of a tall blond woman. She looked mildly shocked at seeing Nathaniel, but then her expression changed and she looked around the room. A large smile covered her face when she saw Abby.
Nathaniel had noticed the newcomer, too, and coughed loudly. At the sound, Abby’s head shot up.
“Meagan?” she asked.
“Abby,” the blonde said, moving to stand near the women. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
As Abby and Sasha moved to make room for her to sit with them, Cole turned back to Nathaniel.
“Who is that?”
“That, my friend, is a time bomb waiting to go off.” He waved at a man walking toward them. “And here comes the match.”
• • •
“Trouble, two o’clock,” Abby said to the blond woman she’d just introduced to Sasha as her boss.
Sasha looked in that direction and saw a man making a beeline for their love seat. He wasn’t familiar to her. He was nearly as tall as Nathaniel and had wavy brown hair in desperate need of a cut.
“Damn.” Meagan just saw him, too. “I’d hoped to have a few minutes peace.”
“Normally, I’d help you, but I can’t talk to Doms in a club without Nathaniel’s approval and he just shook his head.”
Sasha glanced at Cole. “Same here,” she said at his mouthed “no.”
“No problem,” Meagan said. “I can handle this.”
“Who is it?” Sasha asked Abby in a whisper.
“Luke DeVaan. The new club owner. He has a history with Meagan. I just don’t know what.”
“Meagan, sweetheart.” Luke was all smiles standing before the tall blonde. “I thought you made it very clear you weren’t coming to opening night. Thought you said you were busy?”
“Shut it, Luke.”
“I see by your bracelet that you’re here as a submissive tonight. Might want to rethink the way you’re addressing me.”
“My humblest apologies, oh, Lord and Master.”
“There you go. Can you say it again without the sarcasm?”
“Probably not.”
“That’s okay. I’ll be patient.” He looked toward Nathaniel and Cole, then at Abby and Sasha. “Here with friends?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m meeting someone. A man. A Dom.”
“And he’s not here yet? Unworthy of you, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to real Doms.”
“Master V is a real Dom.”
It wasn’t Sasha’s imagination that Abby stiffened at Meagan’s words.
“Master V?” Luke tilted his head. “Why does that name sound familiar? Oh yes, he did try to get in tonight. He was asked to leave. He’s not welcome here.”
Meagan shot Luke a glance that would have had a lesser man on his knees. Keeping her eyes on him, she reached into her purse and took out her cell phone. She frowned at the display.
They looked them over for a few more minutes, and then Cole indicated they should move on.
The sitting area was well designed with couches and love seats arranged in a way that allowed multiple groups to have conversational areas. At the moment, most guests were doing just that. But the night was early. They’d start drifting to the play areas as the evening wore on.
Cole was also impressed with the number of men walking around with Monitor T-shirts. He’d heard Abby had almost been assaulted in this club before DeVaan bought it. Hopefully nothing similar would happen again.
Nathaniel stood when they approached, but Abby was kneeling on the floor and didn’t move. Or at least she didn’t move until Nathaniel brushed her shoulder and whispered, “Feel free to talk to our friends. I know you wanted to speak to Sasha. If Master Johnson is okay with that?”
Cole nodded. “Yes, of course. Sasha, if you would like to sit with Abby at that free love seat nearby, go ahead. Nathaniel and I will be here.”
Abby stood to her feet with a smile and motioned Sasha to follow her. They’d barely sat down before they were talking with their heads together.
“She’s talked about nothing but Sasha all day. She’s been anxious to hear how she’s doing.” Nathaniel gave him a pointed look. “I would have thought you would have checked in with me by now. That was part of the agreement.”
“I knew you’d be here tonight, but I’m sorry to have caused Abby stress.”
The two women were completely wrapped up in their conversation.
“Since we’re both here now, let’s have a seat so you can tell me how it’s going.” They wandered over to an open couch nearby.
“It’s going really well. She has a teachable spirit, rarely repeats a mistake, and she’s getting her spunk back.”
Nathaniel watched the two women. “She does look really good. Not as thin and she has a peace about her.” He turned his inquisitive stare to Cole. “How are you doing?”
“Me? I’m great.”
“Will Ms. Blake be extending her time at your house?”
It was as if the air was suddenly sucked out of the room. “What? No. I’m not. We’re not. It’s. Aw, bloody hell. No.”
Nathaniel crossed his arms and leaned back with a smug grin on his face. “Like that, is it?”
“I’m too much for her.”
“Yet we just agreed she’s looking and doing well.”
Cole shook his head. “It’s too soon for both of us. Besides, that wasn’t the plan.”
“Funny, I’m learning in my old age that the best plan isn’t necessarily the one you first decided on.”
It wasn’t that Cole hadn’t thought about asking Sasha for more, he just feared doing so wouldn’t be in the best interest of either of them. The last thing he needed after the ending of an eight-year relationship was to jump into another. Sure it had been over nine months, but didn’t he need to be by himself for a while? To be something other than Kate’s Master?
And Sasha? Who knew how long it’d be before she was ready for something serious. To ask that of her at this point in her journey would be selfish. She needed to experience other Doms, see that there were other men out there she could trust.
But the very thought of her with another man made him want to slam his fist into something.
He was saved from admitting as much by the arrival of a tall blond woman. She looked mildly shocked at seeing Nathaniel, but then her expression changed and she looked around the room. A large smile covered her face when she saw Abby.
Nathaniel had noticed the newcomer, too, and coughed loudly. At the sound, Abby’s head shot up.
“Meagan?” she asked.
“Abby,” the blonde said, moving to stand near the women. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
As Abby and Sasha moved to make room for her to sit with them, Cole turned back to Nathaniel.
“Who is that?”
“That, my friend, is a time bomb waiting to go off.” He waved at a man walking toward them. “And here comes the match.”
• • •
“Trouble, two o’clock,” Abby said to the blond woman she’d just introduced to Sasha as her boss.
Sasha looked in that direction and saw a man making a beeline for their love seat. He wasn’t familiar to her. He was nearly as tall as Nathaniel and had wavy brown hair in desperate need of a cut.
“Damn.” Meagan just saw him, too. “I’d hoped to have a few minutes peace.”
“Normally, I’d help you, but I can’t talk to Doms in a club without Nathaniel’s approval and he just shook his head.”
Sasha glanced at Cole. “Same here,” she said at his mouthed “no.”
“No problem,” Meagan said. “I can handle this.”
“Who is it?” Sasha asked Abby in a whisper.
“Luke DeVaan. The new club owner. He has a history with Meagan. I just don’t know what.”
“Meagan, sweetheart.” Luke was all smiles standing before the tall blonde. “I thought you made it very clear you weren’t coming to opening night. Thought you said you were busy?”
“Shut it, Luke.”
“I see by your bracelet that you’re here as a submissive tonight. Might want to rethink the way you’re addressing me.”
“My humblest apologies, oh, Lord and Master.”
“There you go. Can you say it again without the sarcasm?”
“Probably not.”
“That’s okay. I’ll be patient.” He looked toward Nathaniel and Cole, then at Abby and Sasha. “Here with friends?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m meeting someone. A man. A Dom.”
“And he’s not here yet? Unworthy of you, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to real Doms.”
“Master V is a real Dom.”
It wasn’t Sasha’s imagination that Abby stiffened at Meagan’s words.
“Master V?” Luke tilted his head. “Why does that name sound familiar? Oh yes, he did try to get in tonight. He was asked to leave. He’s not welcome here.”
Meagan shot Luke a glance that would have had a lesser man on his knees. Keeping her eyes on him, she reached into her purse and took out her cell phone. She frowned at the display.
