“House rules?” I asked.
“The Ranch has strict protocols. Safe word violations are grounds for immediate expulsion. No second chances.” Reese shook her head. “Those guys are done here.”
“Who was the guy with Master Derek and Aiden?” I asked Reese.
“Oh, that was our chief of security and Brooke’s Daddy, Lawson,” she said.
“He sure meant business,” I muttered.
“They all do when one of us submissives aren’t honored,” she said.
We sat in tense silence for a few minutes before Derek returned with Aiden. They approached Iris, who looked small and scared.
Derek said something to her and she stood with Dr. Crosby. As if on cue, Scarlett came rushing through the door, snow in her hair. She immediately pulled Iris into a fierce hug.
They guided Iris toward the exit, and I watched them disappear into the snow. Sampson stood. “I should go find Aiden. Cami, text me later?”
“I will.”
Majesty returned moments later, his expression dark and closed off. He slid into the booth, and without thinking, I climbed into his lap, needing to be close to him. His arms came around me immediately, and I felt some of the tension leave his body.
Reese moved back to Arlo when he returned, and we were alone again.
Julie appeared. “Ready to order, Cami?”
“Yes… french toast with fruit on top and powdered sugar, really cheesy eggs, and chicken sausage please. And milk.”
“Got it. And Majesty, your food got cold. Want me to heat it up?”
“Please.”
She disappeared, and I settled more comfortably in Majesty’s lap, my head against his shoulder.
“What happened out there?” I asked quietly.
“They’re gone. Derek kicked them off the property. They have one hour to pack and leave.” His voice was hard. “They tried to argue. Said Iris was exaggerating.”
“Whoa…”
Majesty took a deep breath. “Derek has a zero-tolerance policy. Safe word violations void every agreement, every contract. They’re blacklisted from every reputable establishment in the community.”
“Good,” I said fiercely. “They should be.”
“Yeah.” He was quiet for a moment. “Are you okay? I know Iris is your friend.”
“I’m worried about her. But she has Scarlett and Dr. Crosby. She’ll be okay.”
Julie brought our food, and I slid off Majesty’s lap to sit beside him. His pancakes looked incredible, loaded with chocolate chips and swimming in syrup. But he didn’t touch them. Just sat there, staring at his plate, his coffee cup in his hand.
“Hey,” I said softly, putting my hand on his arm. “Talk to me. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about how easy it would be to fuck this up. To push too hard or not hard enough. To miss a signal, to ignore a safe word without meaning to.” He looked at me, and I saw genuine fear in his eyes. “What if I hurt you like that?”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.” I turned his face toward me. “Because you care enough to be scared. Because you’re sitting here worrying about it instead of dismissing it. Those men didn’t care. You do. That’s the difference.”
