Page 150 of Masters of Control

“That was amazing.” It was the third time he’d said it, yet another burst of happiness flowed through her.

Sadly, it was accompanied by the tiniest bit of nervous tension. As much as she didn’t want to let Donaldson ruin her weekend or her time with Freddy, now that she’d worked off some of her nervous energy and the scene was over, her brain was refocusing on her life problems instead of the scene.

“It was,” she replied what she’d said the first two times he’d said it. Telling the truth was no hardship.

Watching Freddy writhe for her, having him at her mercy, giving him the pleasure he craved… No, fuck Donaldson. There was no way she was giving this up. They didn’t get to control her life outside the office, and there was nothing wrong with her and Freddy having a relationship. The Alexanders’ divorce was finalized, and she and Freddy weren’t working on any other cases against each other, so there was no reason they couldn’t date.

Yet her stomach wouldn’t settle.

“Is everything okay?”

Dammit. Her submissive was far too observant at times.

“Just worrying about Monday and work, but that’s really not what I want to think about.”

He ran his hand down her side, offering a bit of reassuring comfort.

“Want to go hang out with my friends? I’m sure there are plenty of distractions happening downstairs.”

Sure, she described herself as an introvert, but that offer sounded really appealing right now. Maybe because she wasn’t ready for the night to end. Tomorrow, she was going to have to think a lot more about work and her problems. Being at Stronghold was like being in a little bubble outside of time, and unlike Marquis, the whole club was dedicated to kink and kinky people. There was no chance she’d run into anyone from her firm here.

Freddy would know if anyone was a member and would have given her a heads up.

Just like the second floor of Marquis, this was a place where she could relax and be herself. Unlike Marquis, she could do it while hanging out at the bar.

“Yeah, let’s do that.” She felt his jolt of surprise but saw his pleasure as they got themselves together and headed downstairs. More than pleasure—pride. He was enjoying being seen with her.

Which was just about the cutest thing in the world. She took pleasure in his pleasure at being with her. Now that they weren’t so jazzed up and eager for their scene, she was feeling much calmer and much less overwhelmed by the many people he knew in the club.

“Uh oh,” Freddy murmured a few moments after they walked onto the main floor. She looked at him, but he wasn’t paying attention to her and didn’t seem to realize he was speaking out loud. He was looking at the dance floor.

“What’s wrong?” She squeezed Freddy’s hand, and he jumped.

“Oh, ah… well, club drama. Of course. You remember Rae, from earlier?” he asked, tilting his head toward where a number of people were dancing.

Rae was the pretty black girl with the long braids, with a few green braids threaded throughout the dark brown. Camille nodded as she spotted Rae dancing with a handsome Asian man. The two of them were moving well together, then the man bent his head to kiss her, one hand sliding up the back of her neck to hold her in place.

Beside Camille, Freddy winced.

“Okay, well that’s Master Damian.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing, exactly, but he’s a relationship kind of Dom, and Rae and Master Brian have been doing this kind of ‘will they, won’t they’ dance around each other. If she’s out on the dance floor with Master Damian…” Freddy’s voice trailed off, and he looked around as if trying to spot Master Brian.

“If she has a thing for Master Brian, why would she be interested in a different Dom?” Camille turned her head. She had been introduced to Master Brian but wasn’t sure she remembered which Dom he was.

“Because Master Brian is a Daddy Dom and Rae keeps insisting that’s not what she wants. I figured being around each other would eventually wear her down… Ah, crap. Yeah, there he goes.” Freddy sighed.

Following his gaze, Camille saw a dark-haired man leaving the club.

They were much too far away to go after him, but it looked like he had a friend right on his heels.

“Wow.” Camille shook her head. Right into it with the club drama, apparently. Since she wasn’t involved, she could feel some amusement, but it faded when she saw Freddy’s expression. He was the kind of guy who felt deeply and was protective of his friends. All of them. And he was a helper. His inability to fix things for Brian and Rae was probably going to bug him. She squeezed his hand, pulling him in close to her.

“You can’t make people’s decisions for them, you know.”

“I know, but the world would be so much easier if they let me.”