Page 180 of Masters of Control

Even though he knew her past, sometimes it still caught him off guard that totally normal things were foreign to her. What Morgan had been through… he wanted to go pound someone’s face in.

“So… you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, just say the word, and we’ll talk about something else, but do you mind me asking what happened to your former… Doms?” He cringed calling them that, but he didn’t know how else to refer to them. Calling them her former abusers seemed like it could be hurtful to her, and they definitely hadn’t been boyfriends or anything like that. “Do you know?”

“It’s fine. Master Patrick’s cousin Drew is part of some kind of security firm. They keep an eye on both of my old… men.” Either Morgan didn’t want to call them Doms either, or she was catering to Asad’s obvious distaste for doing so. “They both did some time in jail, but not much, and once they were out, Black Fox Elite started keeping an eye on them. Naomi reassured me they won’t be welcome back into the community no matter where they go, and they won’t be able to… to buy and sell another person ever again.”

Even though she said it was fine, her flat and emotionless tone told a different story. Asad squeezed her hand.

“I’m glad to hear that, although pretty pissed they didn’t get much jail time.”

“I was surprised they got any at all. It was my word against theirs, and… well, I wasn’t a very good witness, to be honest. I’m lucky Naomi and Drew were there for me. Mas— I mean, Richard was very wealthy and had donated a lot of money to the police. If it hadn’t been for Naomi and Drew, I’m not sure anything would have happened to him.”

Asad shook his head because he knew she was right. Money talked, and women who dared to have sex—especially kinky sex—tended to be looked at differently by people who weren’t part of the community. If this Richard had claimed it was all consensual “Fifty Shades” kind of stuff, penniless, unconnected Morgan would have likely been brushed off.

He’d heard of Black Fox Elite. Drew was definitely connected if he was working there, and Patrick was connected to a lot of the major players in the kink community across the U.S. and even internationally.

“I’m fine,” she said after another moment, and this time she squeezed Asad’s hand, as if she was trying to comfort him. “I’m just happy to be where I am and know they can’t hurt anyone else.”

Yeah, that was important.

At least the conversation had finally gotten his mind off of his filthy imaginings.

“So, when is Amy getting married?” That was a much safer topic, especially since Morgan was excited about being a bridesmaid.

She lit up.

“Next May. Her colors are going to be ivory, sage green, and gold. She’s letting us pick whatever dresses we want as long as they’re sage green.”

Which Morgan would look incredible in. Still holding her hand, Asad couldn’t help but smile as he listened to her happily chatter about the wedding plans. It seemed his reassurance had helped her relax and enjoy being excited about it. And she was damn cute when she was excited.

Chapter Six

Morgan

“Do I look alright?” Morgan came out of the bathroom and spun around as Asad looked up.

She’d changed from the sundress she’d been wearing for the car ride to a more fitted but more modest eggplant dress. The keyhole in her neckline was small, only a couple inches tall, so it didn’t show even a hint of cleavage. The skirt went down to about an inch above her knee and flared out just enough that it didn’t need a slit for her to walk.

Her friends had claimed it was a great ‘meet-the-parents’ dress. She looked like she was trying to impress, but it was still casual enough that everyone else could be wearing jeans, and she’d only seemed a little overdressed. They’d assured her that, especially in that scenario, overdressed would be fine and probably seen as a compliment.

Asad blinked, his eyes sliding over her body while she stood before him with her hands held out to her sides, fingers spread. Nerves rattled through her, but she managed to hold her position.

It didn’t hurt that he was giving her a lot to look at. Although he was wearing jeans, he was also in the process of putting on a crisp, white button-down shirt with long sleeves. Seeing what he was wearing did help her a little. She would look appropriately dressed next to him. He was doing the buttons, so the shirt hung open, showing off his muscled chest and stomach, which was a very nice distraction.

Her body stirred as the fact they were alone together in this hotel room hit home.

Since she’d had to go to the bathroom and touch up her makeup, it had just made sense to change in there, but now she kind of wished she’d put on her dress out in the main room. She’d missed a show. And missed giving him one.

That could have been fun.

On the other hand, she didn’t want to make them late for dinner with his family, so maybe this was for the best. She could give him a show when they got back and didn’t have any more plans for the evening.

Excitement thrummed through her.

Intellectually she’d known she was going to be alone with him for a week, and she’d been looking forward to it, but that didn’t compare to how it felt to realize they really were alone in each other’s company. No Doms looking over her shoulder and watching to make sure not one foot was stepped out of line.

No well-meaning friends hovering protectively, always watching.

She hadn’t realized how much their anxiousness had added to her own until this moment when no one was watching.