“Were you talking to me?”
“I’m warning you. Master Alec always returns to me.”
“And you are?” Emily asked evenly.
“Ashlynn. His submissive.”
Notasubmissive.His.
Emily didn’t believe her and opened her mouth to say something catty.
“Spinning your fairy tales again?” Another woman stepped out of the shadows—dark springy curls, high cheekbones, a no-nonsense stare aimed at Ashlynn. “For God’s sake. He’s told younomore times than you’ve had hot dinners.” She moved closer, putting herself between Emily and the blonde. “Take your delusions elsewhere before someone reports you. Me, for instance.”
“Alec is mine,” she spat. “No matter what you haters say.”
“It’s not what we say. It’s what Master Alec does. Everyone here knows he’s not interested. You just refuse to listen.”
“This isn’t any of your business, Gabriella.”
“It is when you’re lying through your teeth!”
“Is there a problem here, ladies?” Devil seemed to appear out of nowhere. His laser-sharp gaze locked on Ashlynn, the instigator, which said a lot.
“No problem, Master D,” she gushed. “I was just heading out for the night.”
She bowed her head respectfully then fled up the sidewalk.
“Em, thank god,” Julia said, rushing up—eyes red, lashes spiky with tears. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. We need to go. Now.”
Emily saw the strain in her face, the trembling of her lips. And she wasn’t the only one.
“Has something happened to upset you, Julia?” Devil asked.
She jumped, startled—clearly hadn’t seen him standing nearby. Dressed in all black, it wasn’t surprising.
“I... uh…” she stammered. “I’m not feeling well, sir.”
“Are you sure that’s it?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, nodding, but her quivering bottom lip didn’t convince anyone.
“What’s going on?” Alec asked as he returned.
“Julia needs to go, but we came with friends of hers by boat,” Emily explained. “I can’t run off and leave her. Can she ride with us? We live in the same building.”
“Certainly,” he replied, no hesitation. No annoyance. It saved her from an uncomfortable discussion on the way home. If he was disappointed with the missed opportunity, he did a good job disguising it.
Master Dev nodded his thanks and pretty much vanished as unexpectedly as he’d appeared.
Emily turned to Gabriella. “Thank you for rescuing me from her.”
“No worries. You handled Ashlynn like a pro. Good instincts. I’ve seen her reduce other subs to tears.”
“What’s this?” Alec asked, bristling with annoyance. “Did she say something to you?”
“Just the same old song and dance,” Gabriella answered for her. “She still thinks you’re her dom—even though no one else does. I saw her arrive tonight. When she saw you with someone else, I swear smoke came out of her ears. She stalked Emily all evening, waiting to pounce.”
“So, she lied?”
