Master of My Mind BN (9 page)

Sweetheart?
I’m not your sweetheart... I’m the brat! Remember?

“I accidently locked myself out. I was on my way to get a
key from Sammie.”

“Mistress Sammie, you mean.”

“Yes, Sir.”
And, dammit, why was I
allowing
him
to correct me? He wasn’t my
Dom. He wasn’t my Mentor. He meant nothing to me, and I damn well didn’t matter
to him. A fact I needed to start hammering into my head then and there. “Have a
good night, Sir.” I replied in a curt and icy tone. Turning on my heel, I
marched to the bar.

I didn’t know what was worse, mooning over a playboy sadist
like a love-sick puppy or the expressions of sympathy of the members seated at
the bar.

“Hey, baby.” Sammie’s loving smile was like a balm. “I heard
you were here. I was going to pop in and check on you when I got a lull, but so
far, it’s been crazy busy.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine,” I lied.

Sammie studied my face before her lips turned down in a sad
smile. “No, you’re not. Not yet, but you will be. You’re a strong woman, and
you’ll get past this.”

I answered with a quick nod. “I need to ask a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Can I have the key to George’s room? I accidently locked
myself out.”

“Sure.” Sammie grinned as she reached up for the key.

A couple of the members seated at the bar issued hushed
sympathies. Thanking them, I reassured them that I was fine while trying not to
climb out of my skin. Sammie laid the key upon the polished mahogany surface
and I snatched it up, quickly.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, thank you, Mistress.
I’m going
to go to my room and go to bed.”

“If you need anything else, you just let me know, okay?”

Bristling, I wanted to scream. I’d been offered help for the
umpteenth time. I was sick to death of everyone treating me like I was a damn
invalid.

“Yes, Ma’am.
Thank you.” I forced a
smile before scurrying back toward the hallway.

Rounding the corner, I saw Tony standing next to his room,
digging into his pocket. Destiny was upright and slumped against his imposing
body. He turned his head and stared at me before sliding his key into the lock.

A cold sweat broke out over my forehead, and the walls
seemed to breathe as I tried to align the key with my own lock. The doorknob
began to blur. Behind my eyes silvery lights flashed within a smoky black haze.
My ears filled with a droning hum, muffling the noise coming from the dungeon.
My knees began to buckle as darkness swallowed me up.

A deep, masculine voice kept calling my name. There was
something cold and wet across my forehead. I opened my eyes and found I was in
bed, back in my room. Mika was seated on the edge of the bed next to me. Worry
lined his face.

“That a girl.” Mika smiled tightly.

“What are you doing here?” I swallowed, spying a crowd of
faces peering in through the open door behind his left shoulder.

“You passed out, pet. Have you eaten today? You promised me
this morning you’d eat after the funeral.”

Shit.
Busted
.
“I…Um.”
My stutter drew Mika’s infamous Dom glare. And he
leveled that damn intimidating thing at me with maximum effect. “After
everything that happened today, I never got around to it.”

“I see,” he replied with a disgruntled sigh.

“Dammit,
Leagh
,” Tony hissed.

Snapping my head to the left, I saw that Mr. Whip-That-Ass
himself was standing on the opposite side of the bed, near the nightstand.
Tony’s arms were crossed over his beefy chest. His dark eyes blazed in a
mixture of anger and concern. And strangely his face looked ashen and unusually
pale.

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to forget. Okay?”

Their displeasure was a double shot of guilt that burned
like cheap whiskey.

“Don’t start with the attitude, angel. I’ll make sure you
get a red ass, and this time you won’t like it.”

“What are you doing here anyway?” I snapped. “Don’t you have
a sub to take care of? I’m fine. You can leave.”

Tony’s jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed. “You don’t listen
worth a shit, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah.
I know. Proper
submissives
don’t…”

“
Leagh
,” Mika growled in warning.

I exhaled a heavy sigh then turned my attention back to
Mika. “I’m sorry, Sir. I had every intention of eating today. I swear.”

“Well, you’re going to now, little one,” Master Stephen
announced as he stepped up to the foot of my bed, wearing the requisite Dom
scowl.

What was it with
Doms
? Did they have to pass Intimidation 101 before they
could pick up a flogger? And just how many pissed off
Doms
were in here for crying out loud?
I glanced around.
Three.
Three against one.
The odds were definitely not in my
favor. Drake shouldered his way through the throng gathered at the mouth of my
door, his expression tense.
Four.
Great.
Now I was up
to four angry
Doms
. It was a banner night for me.

Sitting up, I glanced at the furious but concerned faces and
tossed my hands in the air.

“Fine.
I’ll eat! But somebody’s
going to have to give me a ride to a burger joint, because my car’s down the
street with an empty gas tank. Who’s got a pair of tennis shoes in a size five,
because my favorite Jimmy
Choos
are ruined from the
fucking rain? Oh! And I’ll need to bum a few bucks because Hayden and Sloane
have taken every goddamn cent I own.” My voice cracked as fat tears spilled
from my eyes. “And while you’re at it, can somebody please bring my Master
back, because I can’t do this anymore? I just can’t.”

Disgusted and utterly pathetic, I drew the blanket over my
face and sobbed.

Mika leaned in and pulled me to his chest as I silently
cursed myself for not being stronger.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Stephen announced. “I’m
going to run out and get the girl some food. If Carnation finishes comforting
Destiny before I get back, please let her know that I’ll return shortly.”

“Will do,” Tony replied. “Thank you for allowing your girl
to stay with Destiny.”

“I’m happy to help,” Stephen replied. “When I get back, I’ll
help you get
Leagh’s
car, too.”

Sobbing against Mika, I listened as Tony and Stephen
arranged their plans. A small part of me wanted to pull back and demand they
stay out of my life, but a bigger, more grateful part of me felt nothing but
relief. The bed dipped behind me as Tony’s rugged body covered me from behind.
His hot breath danced over the shell of my ear and I trembled at the tangled
rush of emotions crashing through me.

“
Shhh
.
It’s going to be alright,
Leagh
,” he whispered.
“We’ll get you through this.”

“Tony’s right, pet,” Mika soothed,
brushing a hand over my hair.
“You’ve had one hell of a bad day. But
it’s behind you now. We’re going to get you back on your feet. No matter how
long it takes.”

Long minutes passed before I was able to pull myself
together and stop the tears. Mika and Tony continued to hold and reassure me
while I felt like a hundred different ways of humiliated over my meltdown.

Only when Stephen returned with a fast food sack and a thick
chocolate shake did Tony and Mika ease back. Immediately missing Tony, I sucked
down my disappointment and sat up in bed, still unsure I could gag the burger
down. But with Tony, Mika, Drake, and Stephen watching me like a damn science
experiment, I managed to eat half of it, and thankfully, it was enough to
appease them.

The crowd outside the door had moved on, and one by one the
intimidating
Doms
left my room…all except Tony.

“Don’t do this to yourself again, young lady, or else,” Tony
lectured as he sat in the spot Mika had vacated.

I pursed my lips in a frown. “It’s not like I planned to
pass out. It’s been a bad day; that’s all.”

“Bad day or not, you’ll start taking care of yourself, or
I’ll cuff you to this bed and do it for you. Are we clear?”

“Yes, boss,” I huffed.

Tony bristled. “I have no idea how you’ve managed to go
through life without a blistered ass twenty-four, seven.”

I shrugged. “I guess nobody wanted to waste their energy.”

“Until now,” he quipped with a mischievous smirk as he
stood. “Get some rest. I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit. Stephen
and I are going to go rescue your car.”

Before he could step away, I reached out and clutched his
hand. “I know I’ve said this already, but thank you. I really do appreciate
what you’ve done for me.”

Tony’s expression softened as he leaned in low and pressed a
soft kiss to my cheek. “I’ve only just begun, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”

A loud knock on my door, accompanied by the sound of
giggles, woke me from my dreams. The clock on the nightstand displayed one, but
my sleep fogged brain wasn’t sure if it was morning or afternoon.

“Come on, sleepy head, open up. Pregnant woman needs to take
a load off out here.”

Julianna.
With a small grin, I flipped on the bedside lamp, jumped out of bed, and raced
to the door. When I pulled it open, not only was I met with her big, round baby
belly but Savannah and Trevor’s smiling faces as well. My brows furrowed in
confusion as I glanced at their arms brimmed with shopping bags.

“What is all this?” I asked as Julianna pushed past me,
dropped her packages on the floor, and climbed onto my bed. Stacking the
pillows against the headboard, she leaned back on them and stretched out her
legs.

“We went
shoppinnggg
,” Trevor sang
out with a laugh.

“For what?”
I asked, motioning both
him and Savannah in before closing the door behind them.

“For you.”
Savannah grinned. “After
you crashed out last night, Tony snatched your clothes and shoes, and gave Mika
the sizes who then called Julianna—”.

“Who called Savannah and me this morning, and voilà, you now
have clothes!” Trevor added gleefully.

“Tony came to my room last night?” I gasped.

“Yeah.
You didn’t see him?” Trevor
asked.

“Um, no.”

Glancing over at Julianna, I watched Savannah’s smile fade
as she stared at the pregnant woman. “Hey, are you alright? Do I need to get
Mika or something?”

“No!” Julianna barked, gripping the other woman’s wrist in
desperation. “It’s only Braxton-Hicks contractions. If you tell him they’ve
started up again, he’ll come down here and carry my ass back home. I needed
this. He’s been on me like a mother hen. By god, he gave me a day pass out of
prison. I’m not going let the Warden drag me back until I’m good and ready to
go…which might be never. Spending the day shopping with you guys was the first
productive thing I’ve done in weeks.”

Savannah and Trevor unloaded the packages along with the
ones Julianna had left on the floor before climbing onto the bed. We all sat
watching Julianna who’d tossed her head back, closed her eyes, and was gently
strumming her belly. She exhaled long, slow breaths in a steady rhythmic
pattern.

“Stop that!
I don’t know
nothin
’ about
birthin
’ no babies,
Miss Julianna,”
Trevor screeched, imitating Prissy from “Gone with the
Wind.” We all laughed as a goofy grin curled on his lips.

“How long have you been having the contractions?” I asked.

“A couple of weeks.
Mika’s about to
have a heart attack…
if
I don’t kill him
first. You have
no
idea how hard I had to
beg before he’d let me out of the house, even with Savannah and Trevor vowing
to watch over me.”

“Okay but if you need Mika and you’re not telling, I’ll be
the one who ends up with a red ass,” Savannah warned. “I learned my lesson
about helping you keep secrets from your Master, Julianna. The last time I
tried to help you hide the fact that you were
preg
—”

“You ended up finding your submission
and
your happily ever after, so don’t go there,
Vanna
,” Julianna countered with a grin. “I just need
to rest for a bit. If they don’t go away, one of you can race up to his office
and get the prison ward, okay?”

The buzzing sound of the hidden camera snagged my attention.
“Um, sis?”
I gulped and pointed toward bookcase. “I
think you’re already busted.”

Julianna’s eyes grew wide as she squinted at the shelves.
“For Pete’s sake, I’m fine, Master!” she called out toward the device in
exasperation.

“Ten, nine, eight,”

“Trevor, what are you doing?” Savannah asked, wrinkling her
brow at the grinning blonde man.

“Seven, six,” he continued as he started to laugh.

“Five, four,” I chimed in with a giggle, helping Trevor
count down the seconds until Mika stormed the room.

“
Awww
, shit,” Julianna groaned as
she struggled to sit up. Her gaze locked on the door and worry creased her
forehead. “
Leagh
, while I still have a chance to tell
you, I hope the clothes fit. If they don’t, Savannah and Trevor can help you
exchange them since I probably won’t see the light of day until this baby is
born. There’s a new cell phone in one of the bags. I added it to Mika’s
account. Don’t worry about the bill or any—”

Suddenly, the door burst open. Mika stood filling the frame
and a menacing growl bubbled from deep in his chest. I felt my eyes grow wide.
Julianna simply whined, sending him a pitiful pout before she stretched her
arms out to him.

“I know the drill, Master,” she mumbled.

“After this baby is born, I’m going to spend weeks…no,
months spanking your ass,” Mika fumed between clenched teeth.

“I know, I know. You tell me that every day.” An impish grin
replaced her dramatic pout. “Can I just say that I’m really looking forward to
it?”

“What makes you think I’ll let you enjoy it, precious?” Mika
snarled as he leaned low. Julianna looped her outstretched arms around his
shoulders, and threaded her fingers around his neck. Mika plucked her from the
bed and nestled her against his chest.

Julianna nuzzled his neck, trailing kisses up his throat and
over his jaw.
“Because you always do, Master.
And
because you love me so much.”

A slight smile tugged his lips as he shook his head.
“You naughty little minx.
If you don’t stop hiding the truth
from me, I’ll make sure you don’t enjoy them, my love.”

Julianna groaned. Mika turned his attention to the three of us
left sitting on the bed. I felt Savannah’s body tense.

“I hope you’re happy with the clothes,
Leagh
.”
Mika smiled then quickly sobered. “And next time you’re in a bind and don’t
contact me, I’ll let every Dom in the club redden your ass. Do I make myself
clear, little one?”

I swallowed tightly. Not for one second did I think Mika was
bluffing.
“Yes, Sir.
Crystal.”

“Good. Come to my office tomorrow. I want to discuss
something with you. By the way, I’ve asked Tony to keep an eye on you. I expect
you to give him the same respect you show me, understood?”

Tony?
He’d asked Tony?
Was Mika fucking insane? Anxiety crashed through me like a wrecking ball. I
wanted to beg him to let Sammie do it, or Drake. Hell, anyone but Tony. But
nobody argued with Mika.
Nobody.
His
club… his rules.
“Yes, Sir.
I promise.”

“Good girl. And you two,” Mika peered sternly between
Savannah and Trevor before giving a little wink. “Thank you for keeping an eye
on Julianna, who I’m taking home now. Enjoy the rest of your day, pets.”

“See you guys soon,” Julianna called out as he carted her
out the door.

“You hope,” Mika’s warning echoed in the hallway as the door
shut behind them.

“Oh my god, every time Mika puts on his badass Dom hat, he
scares the
beejeebies
out of me,” Savannah whispered.

“Oh, like your two Masters are total teddy bears?
Right!”
I giggled.

“Not on a good day.” A broad smile lit up her face, and her
pretty brown eyes sparkled with absolute love.

It felt good to laugh. I tried to keep my guilt at bay as
Trevor opened the numerous packages laying the clothes out on the foot of my
bed. I had no idea how I was going to repay Mika and Julianna but I would find
a way.

“It’s time to start modeling, sis.” Trevor beamed as he
pulled me from the bed and shoved a stack of clothes into my arms.

After an impromptu fashion show that lasted a solid hour, I
donned a pair of skinny jeans and a sinfully soft angora sweater. Slipping into
a pair of sexy Jimmy
Choo
ankle boots, I felt more
alive than I had in days.

“Now that you’re all dressed up and looking sexy, let’s go
grab a late lunch,” Trevor urged, tugging me toward the door.

It really didn’t take much coaxing before the three of us
piled into my car and headed to Maurizio’s. As we walked inside the restaurant,
memories of George stole my breath. A ball of anguish clogged my throat as I
blinked back tears.

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” Trevor whispered. Pain wracked his
face as he stared at me. “Let’s go to Los Pueblo instead.”

I shook my head and sucked in a ragged breath. “No. I want
to stay here.
Just no booths today, okay?”

I would be fine as long as we didn’t sit in one of the
secluded booths where George enjoyed doing all sorts of taboo things to me in
public. Of course no one could see, but it turned him on knowing we could be
discovered easily.

“Hey,” Scotty, the bartender/manager, called out with a wave
of his hand. “Take a seat anywhere.”

“Here’s a table,” Savannah announced as she rushed to set
her purse down on an empty four top.

“Perfect. Thank you.” I forced a smile. “Let’s have some
drinks.”

“It’s like three in the afternoon,” Savannah blinked as she
gaped at me.

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing,” I chuckled.

“Hell no!”
Trevor shot us both a
conspiritory
grin. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

“I don’t drink very much,” Savannah confessed. “Someone has
to stay sober to drive us back to Genesis.”

“No problem,” I assured. “I can drink like a sailor on
leave.”

Well, I usually could. Having skipped breakfast and lunch,
the four sweet, woody bottles of wine proved a bad call of judgment…Really bad.

Savannah suggested food might sober us up a bit, so we
ordered a couple of appetizers, most of which went uneaten. We were too busy
laughing and drinking and drinking even more.

“We need more wine,” Trevor announced. Standing he wobbled
to the bar for another bottle. When he returned, he was wearing a frown.

“
Whass
wrong?” Savannah slurred.

“Snotty…umm, I mean Scotty.” A fit of giggles had Trevor
nearly falling to the floor.

Tears leaked from Savannah’s eyes as well as my own. I
patted the chair next to me, and Trevor slunk down onto the seat, still
laughing hysterically I wrapped him in a hug.

“What did Snotty say?” I asked, then snorted and our
laughter grew thunderous once again.

“
This’is
the last bottle for us,”
Trevor pouted holding up the half empty carafe.

“
Slotty’s
a dirty rotten
sloundrel
,” Savannah sulked.

Trevor and I weaved to the bar and tried to wheedle shots of
vodka, but Scotty was adamant. Once our last bottle of wine was empty, our
beverage choices were limited to coffee, tea, or soda. He’d cut us off. It was
probably a good thing
too,
because the three of us
were so blasted we had to make trips to the bathroom using the buddy system.

Raising our glasses with the last of the wine, Savannah’s
cell phone rang, and rang, and rang. Carefully placing her wine glass on the
table, she pawed at her purse but couldn’t find the right compartment that held
the ringing device.

“
Awww
, just
fnuck
it,” she groused as she held her purse to her face and spoke loudly into the
leather bag. “Leave me
a massage…err,
I mean a message
at the beep.
Beep!”

Trevor and I howled. That’s about the time Scotty sauntered
up to our table.

“You three seem to be having a fine time this evening,” he
announced with an arch of his brow. “Whoever is driving, I’ll take your keys
now.”

“Are you a
donnannit
too?” I
asked. “You sure give orders like one.”

“No,
Leagh
, I’m not. But I am
curious. Do your Dominants know where the three of you are right now?” Scotty
asked with a suspicious glare.

His question hit me like a mac truck.

Looking at Trevor first, then Savannah, when Scotty’s gaze
landed on me, his face fell. “Oh shit,
Leagh
. I’m
sorry, baby. I didn’t mean…”

“Oh honey,
shhh
. No. No, don’t
cry,” Savannah commiserated as she plucked the napkin from her lap and wiped my
face.

I hadn’t even realized that tears streamed down my cheeks.

“
It’s
okay, Snotty. Just can you
call
Dadd
…Drake for us, please,” Trevor whispered as
he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and squeezed me tight.

I held the stiff cotton linen to my face and sobbed.
Scotty’s innocuous question knocked the foundation out from under me. And once
I’d turned on the water works, I couldn’t seem to find a way to shut them off.

Trevor and Savannah led me to the ladies room and set me on
a red velvet chaise. They held me as I bawled and bawled.

“I
juss
wanted to have a regular
day, you know?” I sniffed. “And poor
Slotty
, he’s
prolly
feeling like a hot plate of shit but
isss
not his fault.
Isss
really not.
Isss
mine.”

“
Noooo
.
Nobody’s fault, L,” Trevor soothed. “
Itss
not fair
that’s all. George loved you and you loved him. It’s
gonna
hurt for more than a day.”

“You’re doing real
good
,
Leagh
,” Savannah encouraged. “You’re a strong lady. You’re
gonna
—
hiccup
—
gonna
get through this. We’re all
gonna
h—
hiccup
—help.”