Page 127 of Masters of Secrets

“Sit,” Mistress Julie ordered, and his knees buckled. Thankfully, someone had actually placed one of the high-top chairs behind him, so he didn’t have far to go. He heaved in a breath as she rubbed slow circles on his back, trying to get himself under control.

Crying in public had not been on his agenda today.

“Sorry, Connor, are you okay?” That was Iris, her voice a little tremulous, as if she was afraid she’d done something wrong. He couldn’t bring himself to look up yet, but he nodded, moving one of his hands away from his face so he could give her a thumbs-up, which made her giggle.

“I don’t think he was expecting that kind of welcome,” Mistress Julie said, her voice low and soothing against his rattling nerves.

“Aw, but… of course we wanted to welcome him. He’s done so much for… all of us.” That was Emery, a non-binary submissive who he’d done aftercare for several times. Connor nearly choked again. He hadn’t done anything he wasn’t supposed to as a Dom.

Of course, he’d wanted to take care of them. That’s what Doms did. And subs took care of their Doms. Everyone was supposed to take care of everyone.

But not everyone does, whispered a little voice in his head.

And he knew that was true, too.

He still didn’t think he’d done anything out of the ordinary, though. At least his fears about being rejected by everyone were assuaged. There had been no mistaking the genuine welcome, the sincerity in their happiness that he was now one of them. It wasn’t something he could explain away. It wasn’t something he could deny. And he didn’t know what to do with it.

So, it all came leaking out his fucking eyeballs.

He was so damn happy.

“We just wanted him to know we’re happy he figured out what he wants,” Iris said earnestly. She sounded so worried that she’d done something wrong, Connor couldn’t take it anymore. He lifted his head, opening his arms as he did so, and Iris rushed in for a hug.

Behind her, Law was standing there—his hand in the air from where it had been on her shoulder. He grinned at Connor, and his own eyes looked suspiciously watery, so at least Connor wasn’t the only one. Beside him, Emery looked worried, and Connor waved at them, too, so they could come in for a hug.

Which started a hug stampede.

“Hey! Ack!” Mistress Julie protested as she was inadvertently caught up in the middle of the hug, too. She started laughing. “Okay, subbies, back up again!”

“Cuddle puddle!” Angel, one of the submissives, sang out the words as she threw herself into the mix, drowning out Mistress Julie’s order. Squeals met her announcement, and everyone squeezed in tight, making Mistress Julie groan again. She was laughing too hard to say anything, though.

“Okay, everyone, back up. Let them breathe,” Law barked out the order, managing to make himself heard over all the squeals. This time, everyone actually dispersed, giving them some real space. Connor took in a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Mistress Julie asked, softly enough that probably only he, Iris, and Morgan could hear it since they were still right beside him.

“Great.” He choked on the word, trying to get it out. He really was. He was just a little emotional. Taking a deep breath, he wrestled his emotions back under control, surreptitiously wiping his eyes and looking up to see what was going on.

The subbies had all returned to the Lounge, though some of them had spread out to the rest of the bar, especially if they had a partner. Or partners. Off to the side, Angel was arguing with her husband, Master Adam, about something. Probably the fact that she’d ignored Mistress Julie’s order and started the second big squeeze. Though Connor thought she probably hadn’t heard it, he wasn’t surprised Master Adam had. He also wasn’t surprised when, a moment later, Master Adam flipped her over his shoulder and carried her off toward the stairs to the Dungeon.

He had to shake his head when she started tapping out a beat on his leather-covered ass like it was a bongo drum set. That subbie liked to push her limits and get into trouble. Even the answering sharp swat to her own ass didn’t stop her.

Amy sent him a thumbs-up when he looked her way, followed by several other subbies who did the same. Freddy and the other male subs were hanging out off to the side, and they all grinned and waved when he looked their way. Even Luke, who Connor had never really sat down to have a conversation with.

He felt like he’d just been welcomed into a special club.

“Well, we didn’t mean to make you cry,” Iris said a little mournfully as Law came up beside her, slinging his arm around her shoulders. “We just wanted you to know… you know.”

“I know.” He was thankful she didn’t actually try to explain because he might have started tearing up again. There had already been more than enough of that tonight. Connor liked to think he was evolved enough not to think there was anything wrong with showing emotion or crying, but that didn’t mean he liked doing it when everyone was watching him.

“It was very appreciated,” Mistress Julie said, rubbing his back. “Now… how about we go over to the bar and get a drink.”

That sounded good to him.

Julie

There was a constant revolving door of people stopping to speak to Connor while they were at the bar. Not just the submissives, but the Doms as well. Most of them just stopping to say hi, giving a show of support with their greeting before moving on. As the evening went on, Connor got more and more relaxed. It did make conversation with him difficult, so she was glad they’d gone on a date before coming here.

Several of the Dommes stopped by to talk to her, too, casting curious glances at Connor. She didn’t blame them for their curiosity, but she couldn’t help but bristle a little. Apparently, she was feeling a little territorial, even though she had no reason to think he was interested in anyone but her.