Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86322 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86322 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
By the time I reached Corbin at the stage, the alarm rattled so loud in my head that I couldn’t see straight. I thought back to the alarm that sent me running in the first place—a mere whisper compared to the vibrating clang against my skull.
“You okay?” Corbin asked.
My stomach churned.
Fuck.
I was going to vomit.
I had to get out of there.
“I-I can’t do this. I’m so sorry.” I barely heard myself over the chaos tearing my insides apart. “I can’t do this.”
“Hey, man. It’s okay,” he said, his voice full of concern and questions I couldn’t answer because I was already turning back, practically running away.
I made it to the dimly lit hallway and sucked down a lungful of air.
“You dumb fuck.”
The soft insult jerked my attention across the hall, finding Rose leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and face pulled into a disgusted scowl.
“Shit. Rose,” I said breathlessly. “I didn’t see yo—”
“Shut up, you fucking idiot.”
My head jerked back, her insult hitting me like a physical blow out of nowhere.
Corbin appeared behind me, saving me from figuring out how to respond. “Dude, are you okay?” he asked, looking around. “Where’s Aspen?”
“She’s gone,” Rose answered, her tone cold and condescending. “I had my driver meet her out back and take her wherever she needed to go.”
I cringed, imagining the state Rose found her in. It had to be bad if she offered Aspen an escape, and it caused Rose to look at me like I was less than the scum on her shoe. Taking in her anger, I had to assume she’d heard at least part of my argument with Aspen while Corbin remained inside.
“Why?” Corbin asked, oblivious.
“You’re both fucking idiots.” With a disgusted sigh and a roll of her eyes, she stood from the wall. “Come with me.”
We looked at each other before listening to the petite woman storming down the hall and followed.
“Rose,” Corbin said once we closed the door to the office. “What about your demonstration?”
She whirled around and glared my way, ignoring Corbin and his question. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“What?” I said in sync with Corbin.
She stared me down, muscles clenching as if preparing to fight. I knew Rose and Aspen grew closer over the past few months, but I hadn’t expected such a rabid defense of Aspen getting her feelings hurt.
“This is my club—my legacy that I fought for. You, more than anyone, know what that means.”
Between the week of drowning myself in work, the complete abomination of tonight, and the persistent clanging in my head, I couldn’t keep up.
“Baby, what are you talking about?” Corbin asked, struggling to follow as much as I was. He moved toward her, but she held up her hand, stopping him without looking away from me.
“I’m talking about him being a dumbass and getting into an argument—and not a quiet one—”
“We were quiet,” I leaped to defend myself, slowly catching on.
“Not quiet enough. Not quiet enough to keep people from hearing a dominant disrespecting his submissive.”
My mouth opened and closed, stumbling over the accusation. “I didn’t.”
“You did. You didn’t offer her the respect of having a conversation privately—without the pressure of time and outside opinion—about limitations.” She stepped closer. “You didn’t respect her safe word.”
Her words cleaved through my argument, leaving behind a deafening silence. Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow, extending the burn of shame and embarrassment.
“Lucian…” Corbin said slowly, examining me as if he’d never seen me before.
I didn’t like the way the shame pierced my heart. I didn’t like the embarrassment either, but I could dismiss that emotion more easily. I held up my hand to him. “Don’t.”
“No, you don’t,” Rose said. “You’re in my club. Whatever you decide to do and how you play is up to you, but you do it within the rules of The Berkshire. You want to change your agreement with your submissive that allowed you to fuck around with other women—that’s up to you. But do it privately. Especially when I have VIPs sitting around the corner.”
Fuck.
I’d been ready to deflect an argument about Aspen, but I knew better than to fuck with business. “Rose…” I implored. For what? I wasn’t sure, but I was spiraling and looking for anything to anchor me—even the woman spinning me faster.
“And don’t even get me started on whatever the hell is going on with you two personally, because I’m sure you did more than ignore your submissive’s safe word. You disrespected your fiancée.”
“You don’t know the first thing about our relationship,” I defended.
“Lucian…” She glared at me, her look saying I was more stupid than she originally thought. “Your best friend is my fiancé, and I’m not fucking stupid.”
I cut an accusing stare at Corbin and glowered, knowing he had to have said something to clue her in to my agreement with Aspen.