thought Olivia was the reasonable one of the Dominants.”
Gabi frowned. “This doesn’t sound like an I’m-bored-and-over-it breakup. Her rant sounds more like a you-hurt-me-and-I’m-furious one.”
“Hmm.” Valerie’s own breakup hadn’t been sudden. Despite her dislike of quarreling, she had at least let Barry know she was unhappy. He’d been surprised about the divorce, but it hadn’t come out of the blue. “She sounds as if something unexpected set her off.”
“B-but I’d never hurt her.” Natalia cried silently, tears streaking her face. “I wouldn’t. Couldn’t.”
It was perfectly clear she still loved the Domme.
“You deserve an explanation, at the very least.” Gabi tapped her finger on her leg. “I know all that authority is difficult to confront…”
“Not difficult for you, maybe.” Kim snorted. “The rest of us, yes.”
Gabi wrinkled her nose at her friend and continued, “The Mistress isn’t being fair.”
“But she won’t talk to me.”
The blunt statement silenced them all.
What could they do to get Natalia an answer? To get Olivia to speak to her?
Would Ghost know? He certainly had experience in this stuff. Although, relationship problems were probably not within his managerial duties. Still, Olivia was one of the club’s big shots. A Mistress. “You might…” Valerie bit her lip as she tried to think of the ramifications.
“Might what?” Gabi encouraged.
“Might tackle Olivia here at the club in front of the other Masters and Mistresses—especially Ghost.”
The three women stared wide-eyed at Valerie.
“Wait, no, I don’t mean physically tackle, right?” Valerie waved her hand in the air. “I mean verbally confront Olivia.”
The three were still staring at her.
“Bad idea, huh?”
“Actually, no. Although the vision of Natalia actually wrestling the Mistress to the ground was priceless.” Gabi grinned. “But verbally…yes. Do it in front of Master Z, too.”
Kim snorted a laugh. “God, yes. Seriously, do it. If she doesn’t talk to you right away, Master Z or Ghost will have a chat with her. I don’t know the Colonel very well, but something tells me he might be as meddlesome as Master Z.”
Natalia’s eyes were wide. “Are you all crazy?”
“No, not at all.” Kim tapped her chin, calculating. “When there’s a group of them at the bar—especially Ghost and Master Z—walk up and talk to her. Make your voice loud enough that others can hear. You won’t have to shout. The Masters are all nosy, I swear.”
“I…” Natalia’s brown eyes showed a hint of hope. “I might. Maybe. I’ll think about it. She’s not here right now, anyway.”
As Gabi turned the conversation to something mundane, Valerie heard a voice she’d been listening for. The raw, deep voice of Ghost.
“…how to add an extra kick to impact play? Certainly. Makes it more fun,” he was saying from the closest scene area.
She moved to her left, and yes, there he was, talking to a younger Dom who held a flogger. A female submissive was tied to a St. Andrew’s cross. After Ghost talked to her for a minute, the woman nodded.
Getting consent?
He motioned to the other Dom, who started flogging the woman in an unchanging pattern up and down her back and ass.
Then Ghost took the flogger and…Valerie’s eyes widened as the pattern disappeared. The flogging was still rhythmic, but the intensity varied, lighter here and there. A big whap on the ass sent the submissive up on her tiptoes. Harder, harder, and back to a light rhythm. Then he stopped and rubbed the reddened areas and scratched his fingers down her back. He resumed the flogging for a while, then sprayed her with something that made her scream.
Both Doms grinned.
Valerie swallowed hard, feeling the prickle of arousal deep inside. How could it be so sexy that he liked to hear someone scream?
Ghost picked up a cane, using it on the submissive’s thighs, her ass, and dear gods, ran sandpaper over the marks before starting again.
The bottom was moving, trying to escape even while making needy sounds.
“…him work, too,” Gabi was saying.
Valerie startled, realizing she’d totally lost track of where she was. “Um, what?”
Gabi grinned. “I love watching the Colonel work. He’s really good.”
“Definitely has a sadistic edge to his play, though,” Kim noted as Ghost lifted something resembling a tiny pizza cutter with spikes on the wheel.
When he started running it over the submissive’s back, her voice rose higher.
Valerie swallowed, appalled at what he was doing…and even more appalled at the way her own skin grew sensitive.
And dammit, she was definitely damp between the legs.
Smiling, Ghost clapped the Dom on the shoulder and turned.