Page 144 of Masters of Control

Freddy sighed.

A deep chuckle came from Jared, who was standing next to the door between the lobby and the club.

“Fair warning, Freddy, the gang’s all here tonight,” he said when he looked over at him. “It’s a packed crowd.”

“Then how did we get a room?” he muttered, though he had noticed the parking lot seemed particularly full.

“Adam and I gave it up for you,” Angel answered. Tonight, she was in full fetwear with one of her signature keyhole corsets that showcased her cleavage. The deep purple hue looked gorgeous next to her creamy skin and the brown curls that brushed her shoulders. “May you use it in good health.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, touched beyond belief. Angel and Adam’s baby had just turned two, and he knew that getting out to the club could be hard for them. He’d even babysat baby Melody a time or two to make things easier on them. Angel’s parents were usually on call, but when they weren’t, Freddy had offered to be a go-to.

“I know we didn’t, but we’re very grateful for all the times you’ve given us a night off from parenting so we could do some coupling, and we wanted to give back to you.” She grinned at him as Camille squeezed his hand and shot him a significant look.

Right. He was supposed to be getting better about letting people do things for him, especially his friends. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and did not argue with her.

“Thank you.”

Lexie nudged Angel in the side, both of them beaming even brighter at Mistress Camille.

“See, I told you she was a good influence on him,” she whispered.

Freddy didn’t bother to point out that they could hear her. She knew and was doing it deliberately. He rolled his eyes while Mistress Camille laughed.

“You have me at a disadvantage,” she said. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

With a resigned sigh for extra dramatic effect, Freddy made the introductions. Then he introduced Mistress Camille to Master Jared on the way into the club. Once they were inside, it took them nearly half an hour to reach the bar so he could introduce her to Master Andrew and Kate, who were both working behind the bar.

Despite the crush of people and her preference for being an introvert, Mistress Camille handled herself with calm assurance. He still felt a little bad. He hadn’t even realized how many friends he’d made, all who were thrilled to meet Mistress Camille because she was with him.

It made him feel warm and fuzzy and slightly embarrassed.

“Wow, you really have a lot of friends,” she said when they finally made it through the crowd and managed to snag a bar table to themselves. Despite everyone being nosy, they were also understanding of him and Mistress Camille wanting some privacy. It didn’t hurt that they stayed at the bar area where the Dominants tended to congregate, rather than in the Lounge, the area with a bunch of low chairs and loveseats and comfortable carpet, where the unattached submissives hung out.

“Sometimes, I forget how many,” he admitted.

“What about that group over there? I noticed you waved, but they didn’t come over.” She tilted her head in the direction so as not to draw too much attention, and Freddy smiled, though it wasn’t quite as genuine as before.

“That is a mixed group. I’m friends with about half of them and civil with the other half.” Morgan was seated between Sam and Amy, chatting with Noelle, Caroline, and Marissa. He’d introduced Q, Sam’s boyfriend, to Camille on their way through the bar area, but he was hanging out with his friends, including Master Law and Iris, and Iris and Noelle did not get along. “Are you sure you want to hear about the drama?”

Eyes alight with wickedness, Mistress Camille leaned forward, resting her forearms on the bar table. Her breasts pressed against her arms, deepening her cleavage.

“Absolutely. Spill the tea.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Freddy

“So, Noelle and Iris were roommates until Noelle broke the lease without telling her. Then Noelle showed up at Marquis for the submissives class, claiming her and Iris’ friendship ended because of kink. That she wants to learn about it and maybe renew their friendship.”

“Right.”

“And Iris is with Master Law, who is friends with Q, who is dating Sam, but Sam became friends with Noelle before she started dating Q.”

“Yup.”

“And now Sam and Noelle are hanging out with Marissa, who is the ex of the bouncer at the door.”

“Who is now engaged to Angel’s best friend, yes. And Angel used to live with Q.”