“Stage name?” I flipped my gaze between Vic and Cassidy, then to JP.
“I work at Triple X,” he said, moving even closer until he could kneel right in front of me. The scent of his cologne filled my nose, and even though it smelled really nice, I didn’t like it. I preferred JP’s. “I’m a dancer there.”
“Why are you here?” I asked him rather than Vic this time.
“Because Vic told me you were having a bad sub drop and he thought I could help.” He reached forward, and I didn’t stop him as he cupped my cheek. His hand was warm but not as soft as I’d imagined. They were definitely the hands of someone who worked because small callouses brushed my skin. “You see, I’m a sub too, honey bear, and I’ve been through what you’re going through right now.”
“You have?” It took a moment to take in his clothing. His black leather pants looked way too tight and left nothing for the imagination, but it was his sparkly shirt that caught my attention—silver fabric that glimmered as much, if not more, than the glitter on his face. His nipples poked through the thin material, and the shirt was sleeveless, giving me a view of strong, muscled arms. He definitely didn’tlooklike a sub, but what did I know? The one time I went to Triple X, my focus had been on JP and the impending meeting with Vic, not on anyone else.
“I have.” He stroked a pink fingernail over my jaw and used his thumb to pull at my bottom lip, and as weird as it was, I didn’t mind. I should have worried about what he might have had on his fingers, but I couldn’t work up the energy. “Not every sub goes through it, but some do. My first drop was the worst. After that, I knew what I needed.”
“What did you need?” I stared into his gray eyes, the color of angry storm clouds before they opened up and dropped buckets of rain.
“My Dom’s care. It’s hard sometimes, letting your Dom take care of you when you’re so… not right. It’s easier to be angry at them. Itishis fault you’re feeling this way, right, honey bear? He gave you the best high you’ve ever felt and now you’re feeling crappy?” He slid his finger over my chin, but I knocked it away from me.
“No, that’s not true.” I glared at him; the sudden urge to protect JP against him had me fighting pissed-off. “Daddy would never hurt me. He cares about me.”
His smiled turned knowing. “Of course he does, but all the neurotransmitters in your brain don’t know that right now. We’re here because that great serotonin took a big hike after it was in here”—he tapped his own head—“for a long time.”
We stared at each other for several moments before Vic came into focus. He’d moved up closer so he was kneeling beside Cassidy.
“Maxie, did JP explain to you what a sub drop is?” he asked.
“It’s when we do a scene that’s really intense and my adrenaline is high and the only way to go is back down.”
He nodded, placing a hand on Cassidy’s shoulder. “Yes, exactly. A human’s body regulates its hormones so they mostly stay level, but when your happy hormones go really high, your brain doesn’t think you need any more, so when those same hormones come crashing down, your brain doesn’t give you the ones you need.”
“I was angry before,” I whispered, guilt becoming a solid lump in my chest. “I yelled at Daddy. I didn’t mean to do that.”
Vic reached toward me carefully, and I let him place his hand on my shoulder, much like I had let Cassidy touch me. “I know, but JP understands. This happens sometimes. It’s no one’s fault. I’ve seen alotof sub drops, and I’ve seen Dom drops, too.”
“How long will it last?” I was afraid of the answer. I’d been enjoying this with JP and I didn’t want to ruin it.
Cassidy popped his lips. “Everyone is different, honey bear. My very first one lasted a week. Drops after that lasted twenty-four hours to forty-eight.”
“What you need right now is for your Dom to take care of you.” Vic stroked my cheekbone and tapped the tip of my nose as he lowered his voice. “And right now, JPneedsto take care of you. He’s hurting because he wants to help but can’t. As a Daddy, he wants to support and protect you. Daddies are so annoying that way.” His joke fell flat, but I forced as much of a smile as I could.
I peered over their shoulders at JP, who leaned against the doorframe of the room, his face fallen with a mixture of exhaustion and sadness. “I want him to.”
“Good boy.” Vic smiled, and I straightened under his praise, but he wasn’t the one I wanted it to come from. I wanted my Daddy and was beginning to feel embarrassed that so many people were here because I’d yelled. “I want to have a talk with JP, okay? You stay here and chat with Sugar for a little while. He knows exactly what you’re going through and talking to another sub can help. Right now, your Daddy needs me to talk some sense into him.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” My eyes widened, but Vic shushed me.
“Nothing’s wrong, Maxie. Your Daddy is blaming himself right now, and we need to have a Dom-to-Dom conversation.”
I leaned forward and whispered, “Can you tell him I don’t blame him? The fire wouldn’t have hurt me, and I know he was only in the other room. I’m sorry I yelled at him. I just… couldn’t control it.”
He patted me on the head like I was a dog. “I know. Stay here.”
Vic rose, and I watched him go. He grabbed JP by the elbow, and even though it looked like JP didn’t want to go, he followed Vic out of the room with a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure I was all right. I raised my hand to let him know it was okay.
Cassidy shifted so he sat on his ass, and like JP had done before, he folded his legs beneath him, although I didn’t know how with those pants he wore. “Have you been to Triple X?”
“Once. I met Vic. I didn’t like it very much.” I winced at how rude I sounded. “I’m not good with… messiness, and with a lot of people in one place, it’s a given.”
He tapped his lips before he nodded. “I get that, but you should come with your Daddy one night. I dance from Thursday to Monday nights.”
“What kind of dance?” I leaned into the warmth of the blanket, and while I still felt numb and sad—and now tired—I realized I liked knowing another sub. Vic was a Dom like JP, but this sweet man was another sub, like me.
