Surreal (Divine Trilogy #3) (7 page)

The entire time the men waited neither one spoke. For that, Jayden was grateful. If he’d had to listen to any more vitriol ooze from Dominick’s lips, he might have done something regrettable. Something physical and damaging.

He’d always had a soft spot for those less fortunate. He could see that now, but there was more than that. Jayden did what he could by donating to local organizations, and even encouraged his employees to donate their time at soup kitchens, orphanages, or any other charitable programs in the Metroplex. One of the many perks of working for Masterson Metalworks was being granted up to five days off each year, with pay, for volunteering.

Yet as Jayden stood there reflecting, it became clear to him that he also had a knack for getting involved with souls who needed more than basic material care. In opening his heart to love, he’d also allowed his sights to widen. With a jolt of acute clarity, he realized he’d never been the cold, emotionless bastard he’d once thought he was. The powerful Jayden Masterson was a mere man.
Go figure
.

With Micah, he’d helped transition him from the boys’ home. Catherine had been on her way to healing, and he’d just made it a smoother trip. Now there was Natalie. They all shared a commonality. A part of them was, or had been, broken inside. And Jayden had wanted to fix them all, feeling responsible for them in one way or another. Even Samantha had become part of his unique flock, not because she’d had some deep-seated issue or tragic past, but because he’d grown to care for her in his time with her.

Unlike the others, though, Natalie had never flashed on his radar as being the submissive type, so this whole scenario confounded him.

The first time he’d seen her had been outside Dungeons & Dreams. It had been a scorcher of an afternoon, and she’d been hiding under the awning by the front door, out of the sun. Not expecting anyone when he’d exited after a board meeting, he’d almost tripped over her where she sat with her back against the wall. She’d been thin—too thin—and her eyes dull. Seeing her cracked lips, Jayden had insisted she come inside for some water and air-conditioning.

Once Natalie had a chance to rehydrate, the obvious widening of her eyes while she looked around had disclosed how unaware of the Lifestyle she was. An innocent.

Angelique had been there, too, and in chatting with the young woman, they’d learned she was on her own and trying to make ends meet. He’d felt bad there were no internships he could offer her with his company. If she’d graduated high school, then he could have pulled some strings. However, without a diploma, she didn’t meet the basic requirements for any of the positions.

That had been when Angelique stepped in. It was rare that she flaunted her ownership of the club, but she did that day, insisting she’d been about to place an ad for a bartender. If Natalie was willing to work hard, both at the club and on getting her GED, Angelique would let her have the job. Satisfied, Jayden had not found it necessary to include the girl in his small herd, and had moved on.

But now, almost two years later, he had to take that responsibility back, because this was all his fault. Intentional or not, he had been the one to bring Natalie into his world. Her path had crossed Dominick’s thanks to him.
Just once, would it have killed him to not be the nice guy?
Before his thoughts could veer off into a full-blown self-berating, there was a knock at the door.

Jayden followed Dominick’s beady eyes and looked over at the door when it opened. In marched five of the people who made up the seven-member board of directors—Landon Michaels, Shawn Carpenter, Warren Smith, Angelique Hendrix, and their newest member, Sheila McCray.

Sheila was a stunning brunette with green eyes rivaled by none but Erin’s—in his book, anyway. She could’ve been a doppleganger for that actress in
Grease 2
and
Catwoman
. The Domme had moved to the States from England a few months back to take over Events and Promotions for the club. She wasn’t new to D&D, though. Sheila had visited the club with regularity over the years whenever she happened to be stateside.

Greetings were exchanged while inquisitive glances lingered on Poles. Holly Ellison hadn’t arrived yet, and Jayden was anxious to begin. He wasn’t alone, judging by the rising level of voices in the room. Everyone wanted to know why they’d been summoned and what was going on.

“Bloody hell, would you lot shut the fuck up.” Sheila’s commanding tone silenced the room.

All eyes turned to Jayden then, full of expectation and impatience. His polo and sport coat felt too warm all of a sudden.

“That’s one way to call the meeting to order,” he joked. “Once Holly arrives, we can start. You were able to reach her, weren’t you, Angelique?”

“She was the first one I called. I’m surprised she’s not here yet, to be honest.”

Because Dominick had drawn blood, even if just a little, Jayden wasn’t comfortable proceeding without his friend’s input—as a doctor and a Domme.

“Thank you all for coming so fast and with no questions asked. If you’ll bear with me, I’ll explain all of this soon.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Holly.

*~*~*

“Alright, sweetie. That’s all I can do here. I want you to come see me next week to get a blood panel and start your OB file—”

“I can’t. I don’t have any insurance, ma’am,” Natalie cut in, and Holly’s face pulled tight with disapproval.

Erin gave Natalie’s hand a gentle squeeze and rubbed her back. Holly’d had the girl change back into a robe to facilitate the exam, and now Natalie held it closed, clutching it in a tight fist against her chest.

“We’ll sort out the logistics later. Your health—your
baby’s
health—are more important. Right now, I need to get upstairs and join the rest of the board. I’m going out on a limb and saying that Jayden called this meeting over you. I’m going to need to share with them what you’ve told me. Are you okay with that?”

For a few seconds Natalie just stared back, then her head moved up and down.

“You need to think about whether you want to press charges. The tissue damage around your anus alone is enough to bring Dominick up on rape.”

A single tear slipped free, moving across Natalie’s cheek in a slow, jerky path. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, Erin would’ve laughed when Holly’s phone came to life with Depeche Mode’s
Master & Servant
. The busted look on the woman’s face while she ran to her discarded purse was comical.

“Hello, Jay. No . . . Yes, I’m here in the building . . . room twelve. Jayden, I think you need to come down here before I head up. We need to talk. Okay, see you in a minute.”

Erin stared at Holly in shock. “What’s going on?”

Holly came closer and took Erin’s hand in hers. “Things are about to get really crazy around here, Erin. Can you do me a favor?”

She nodded.

“Until Jayden tells you otherwise, I need Catherine here. Keep your mouth shut, and let Jayden and me do the talking. You keeping your emotions in check is imperative right now.”

This time it was Natalie squeezing her hand in comfort when Erin’s body tensed at Holly’s words. Erin looked down and the younger woman smiled back up at her.

“Together?”

Erin smiled. “Yes, Natalie. We’ll face this together.”

“Hello, ladies. How is everyone doing?”

At the sound of his voice, Erin’s heart leapt in her chest, and she spun around to hurry over to him. His arms enfolded her, drawing her in close while she inhaled his spicy scent. At once she calmed, all her muscles relaxing. She’d not realized how tight her body had been wound. With a hint of satisfaction, she noticed it wasn’t just her who relaxed when they embraced. His lips were warm on her forehead, but they had to keep it brief, so he soon moved back.

“Holly,” Jayden greeted her with a nod. “Why are you down here? Everybody’s waiting upstairs.”

Dr. Ellison tucked a strand of her jet-black hair behind her ear and crossed her arms. “I came here first because Catherine called me. We have a situation—”

Erin shrank back a tad when his eyes cut over to her.

“No shit, Holly. You think I’m not aware of that? Erin and I were on our way out of town for Christ’s sake, and instead we’re here having to deal with this clusterfuck.”

“Jayden!” Erin snapped. There was no reason for him to yell at Holly, and it made her uncomfortable to the point of reacting. Even so, the moment it was out of her mouth, she felt awful.

Both Jayden and Holly had requested she keep herself in check by letting her submissive side take the reins, and she hadn’t. She’d barked at her Master, and that was uncalled for. Catherine dropped to her knees and bowed her head. “Please forgive your girl, Master. Emotions are high, and she overstepped herself.”

Her lover knelt down, squatting in front of her. His hand was warm on her cheek when he cupped it, signaling for her to look up at him.

“Do you have whiplash yet, sweet girl?”

Did she ever, and wasn’t it just like him to pick up on that.
“Aye.”

He took her hand and stood, drawing her upward. “Nothing about today is any kind of normal, so I’m going to let that slide. This time. However, Catherine, if you ever raise your voice to me like that in a defined setting, you will find yourself on my whipping bench. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal, Master. This girl would never . . .” She trailed off, horrified at the thought of acting out in such a way again.

“I know.” After gracing her lips with a brush of his own, Jayden addressed the three ladies: “Now, who wants to talk?”

“I will. All of this is happening because of me. It’s only right, I guess.”

Jayden nodded. “I’m listening, Natalie.” He grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and placed it near where she sat. With a snap of his fingers, Catherine was instructed to kneel beside him.

Holly took his girl’s spot next to Natalie while Catherine came and positioned herself at his right, laying her head on his thigh.

Petting his jewel’s soft hair was like a balm for his frazzled nerves while Natalie’s nervous voice filled the room. Jayden sat there in disbelief, attempting to wrap his head around everything the bartender had shared. He couldn’t continue to sit there saying nothing, so he decided to start where he was most comfortable. “Do you want to be a submissive, Natalie?”

“I don’t think so, sir. Not, well, not if this is what’s involved.” She waved her hand around to indicate the atmosphere in general.

A small part of him died inside, knowing that what she was taking away from this situation was the impression that his beloved Lifestyle was violent, instead of seeing its beauty. It was an awful shame, but he couldn’t force her to accept it, either. He supposed it was one thing for her to have watched from a distance, behind the safety of the bar, and a whole other to be taken into one of the rooms to be shackled and beaten. In particular, by someone as careless and slimy as Dominick.

What made this whole thing such a mindfuck for him was the pregnancy. Poles had wooed the girl, hiding his real intentions so that he could get her to let down her guard, which she had done in her desperation to be loved by someone, anyone.

He shook his head and sighed. “To be honest, Natalie, this isn’t what’s involved. Dominick took advantage of you, and I am so sorry.”

“But don’t think it’s your fault, sweetie,” Holly interjected. “This is all on him, and he will be dealt with accordingly.”

“I just wanted to tell him about the baby. I thought he would be happy and want to help . . .”

“So you did call him here, then?” Jayden hedged, his head shooting up at her comment.

“Yes,” Natalie whispered. “But just because he hasn’t been to my place. I didn’t want him to see how small it was, how little I have. We’ve always met here and then gone back to his apartment in his car.”

“Ouch, Master.” Next to him, Catherine whimpered.

Looking down, he realized his hand had gone from petting her head to closing over a fistful of her crimson hair. “Shit. Sorry, Catherine.” Not wanting to hurt her by accident again, Jayden stood and moved away. “We need to get this show underway. Holly, do you agree that the board needs to deal with Poles now, today?”

She nodded.

“What I’m not getting,” he paused, tipping his head to the side in an inquisitive fashion, “is how you were able to get inside. The door was locked when we arrived, and only board members have keys.”

“Shit.” While Natalie attempted to keep her voice down, they all heard her.

“What aren’t you telling us, Natalie?”

“I’m sorry—I promised . . . I can’t tell . . .”

Was she kidding him with this?
The one thing that kept him from slamming his fist against the nearest flat surface was the voice of reason—in the form of Holly.

“Upstairs first. Everyone is here, giving up their Saturday without complaint, so have the decency to move this to a central location. Let everyone get the facts at the same time, so a plan of action can be shaped.”

“Fine. Ladies, let’s go upstairs.”

Holly led the trek to the conference room, followed by Natalie, while Jayden clutched Erin’s hand in his bringing up the rear. Needing to assess how his jewel was holding up, he hoped for a fast resolution so that he could get her somewhere alone.

Moments later, all hell broke loose.

“Thank you all for coming,” Holly greeted the room when their small group entered.

“Whatever she’s told you is a fucking lie!”

Jayden yanked Erin behind him when Dominick started yelling, and Sheila jumped into action. In the blink of an eye, she’d crossed the room and had his chin and jaw in her tight grip so that he resembled a surprised fish.

“I’ll not be having any more of that bollocks passing your lips, boy,” the Domme hissed.

“Ow, hat urts . . .”

“I don’t give a flying fuck, quite frankly. Several pieces of this mystery just lined up, and you, my dear boy, I’d bet are at the center.”

“Fk o, ch!” Poles began thrashing in an attempt to free his face from Sheila’s hand, but it was no good. She had him, and it was obvious to everyone in the room that she was getting off on it.

“Excuse me?”

“I think,” Jayden offered, “what Mr. Eloquence is attempting to say is along the lines of ‘Fuck you, bitch,’ which would be a shame. Such rudeness is not attractive.”

The full swell of Sheila’s bosom, exposed by the low-cut sweater dress she wore, flushed with color. To put it simply, her look when she stared down at Dominick was one of hunger.

Mistress Sheila was known to have a thing for putting arrogant little boys in their place. Dominick would be right up her alley on a normal day, but what about today?

“No, no, it’s not attractive at all. However, it is intriguing.”

Her words, followed by a resounding slap, pulled Jayden’s focus back. Poles was staring at Sheila with a shocked look. Nausea, triggered by disgust, rolled Jayden’s stomach at the sight of Dominick thrusting his hips up toward Sheila. The man was an idiot.

And a pig.

“That can wait for now, though. By the time this meeting is over, I want information until I know the ins and outs of a duck’s arsehole,” declared Sheila, ignoring the boy’s perverted antics.

Next to Jayden, Catherine giggled. He had to squeeze her hand to shush her, and himself.
It was an interesting choice of words
, he thought while suppressing a smile.

Much to Jayden’s surprise, the next hour was quite smooth. Sheila stayed near Dominick and pinched or smacked him anytime he got rude or mouthy. It only took a couple of times before he adopted a petulant pout. However, he stopped being a pest and let everyone speak in their turn.

Jayden began by explaining how and why he and Catherine had come to the club. Catherine took up the tale from there, detailing what she’d heard and then seen when entering the room.

Sheila had questioned Catherine’s loyalty as a submissive at that point, wanting to know what kind of sub would walk into any kind of scene uninvited. It had been unnecessary to react, though, since every other board member ended up speaking over each other in support of his jewel. He hoped his girl was hearing their words, but more importantly, understanding what they meant—that she was respected. With the Domme’s apology, they’d moved on.

The next part was the hardest. Natalie, with Holly and Catherine’s help, disclosed her situation. When the bartender stood and dropped her robe, there was a collective gasp at the sight of the fresh wounds.

“To be clear,” Sheila’s nails were digging into Dominick’s shoulder while she spoke, “this girl is not a part of our Lifestyle, just an employee of the club?”

Natalie was nodding but silent, so Catherine verbalized. “Aye, Miss.”

Landon spoke up next. “Is the pregnancy confirmed?”

“With a physical by me and a blood test from the clinic she went to, yes,” Holly responded and laid the letter on the table for them to see.

When the matter of the baby came up, Poles became non-compliant once again. “She’s a slut,” he blurted out, rising from his chair faster than Sheila had been prepared for. “The lying whore can’t prove if the thing is mine or one of the other fuck buddies she has.”

Natalie’s head snapped up, and though tears ran down her face and her body was visibly shaking, her voice was loud and clear. “I don’t sleep around, Nick. There has been one other man in my life, and that was two years ago. This baby is yours.”

Shawn stood and pushed his seat back. Moving with confidence, he put himself between Dominick and Natalie to help corral the man back to his chair with Sheila’s help.

“Get your fag hand off me,” Poles growled when Shawn’s palm touched his shoulder.

Shawn laughed him off and kept urging him back.

Landon, ever the mediator, also jumped in after sharing a look with Jayden. They were both concerned about Dominick’s stability with the women in the room. “Why don’t you sit back down and keep your opinions to yourself, Mr. Poles. Let’s take this down a notch.”

Jayden stood back while the fact-finding continued, waiting to see how long it took before they were left with the same conclusion he’d reached.
How had Natalie gotten into the building?
One-by-one, the questions were asked and answered. After a while, Jayden realized that Warren wasn’t saying anything. He stood silent in the shadows behind Dominick’s chair, almost in an attempt to disappear. For a man his size, that wasn’t an easy feat.
Curious
.

The more Jayden concentrated on Warren, the more he noticed how odd the bouncer was acting—eyes darting over the room, the continual wiping of his brow with the back of his sleeve, general fidgeting.

“Why are we all here, again, Jayden?” Shawn asked.

“I can answer that one, Shawn.” Angelique held a manila packet in her hand, which Jayden recognized. It was the same as the one that had brought Erin and him there that morning. “One Dominick Poles, having reached his maximum allowable guest vouchers, has applied for official membership within Dungeons & Dreams. Further, he wants the full package—to be deemed a suitable Dominant and introduced into the local community as such.”

Shawn’s barking laughter echoed around the room before he quieted down. “You aren’t kidding?”

Angelique’s lips were pursed tight. “No, Mr. Carpenter. I’m not kidding.”

“Oh.”

“Jayden, you requested that we go ahead and do his review now, today, correct?” She’d turned her attention to the meeting’s organizer. “Because I don’t know about anyone else, but right now I have a bigger concern than whether this boy has the right to act as a Dom. Like who the fuck let him into
my
club after hours, for instance, and what are we going to do for Natalie.”

Jayden smiled and pivoted to stare straight at Warren. “I’ve been wondering the same thing, Angelique.”

“Damn it all to hell, it was me,” Warren announced while throwing his meaty arms up in the air. “Natalie had mentioned she was a bit tight on money this month and wasn’t sure she could pay her electric bill on time. I didn’t have the cash to loan her, but I thought if her power did get shut off, then she needed some place with heating to go, and I gave her a spare key.”

“Goddammit, Warren! What were you thinking? I could lose my business license over this if the girl wants to push the issue. She was raped on my property, for crying out loud.” Angelique was gathering steam.

“Oh, ma’am, I wouldn’t do that to you, not ever. You’ve been so good to me. I can’t say enough how sorry I am for all of this—”

“Shut your mouth, child. Yes, part of the blame is on you for associating with and inviting this man into your life, but I won’t let you take all the credit for this mess. It was lax of me not to educate you better about the environment you were working in.”

“I do believe you’ve just hit the nail on the head, Angelique.” Sheila drew all eyes to her once again.

“What do ya mean?” Landon appeared the calmest in the room, reclining in his chair and crossing his long legs in front of him while he took notes of the proceedings. Dr. Michaels was in his element.

“I mean this, Landon. Dominick, what education or training have you had in BDSM?” In a move that was disconcerting to Jayden, Sheila slithered behind the boy and pressed her breasts against the back of his head while teasing her nails through Poles’ unnaturally colored hair.

“Um . . . enough. I have Internet.”

Catherine spluttered next to Jayden, and Sheila began laughing. It started as a slow, amused chuckle that built while the older woman tossed her wavy hair back to allow the laughter to rumble out of her unimpeded.

Sheila’s green eyes were full of mischief. Her fingers curled into a fist, and she yanked his head back to look down on him. “Oh, my dear boy. Won’t you be fun?”

Jayden’s curiosity was piqued. “What are you thinking, Sheila?”

Turning a brilliant smile on him, she crooned, “What’s the foundation of training for some of the best Dominants, my friend?”

He felt like a right dunce. Something tickled in the back of his head. He knew he should understand where she was going with this, but it eluded him until Catherine coughed and nudged him with her elbow. When it clicked, he started grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Are you sure you’ve got the time this one will take?” Checking in his peripheral vision, Jayden was pleased to see Dominick’s eyes following their dialogue, sweat beading on his brow.

“I’m confident I can make it work. My other boy is ready to graduate to having a playmate. Once we take care of this blue fuzz, Nicki here will do quite fine.” Sheila leaned in and licked Dominick’s cheek, long and slow.

Dominick jerked away from her touch, eyes wide and, perhaps, scared. “Get off! The fuck you going on about, lady?” Forgetting his hair was in her grip, all he accomplished was getting it pulled—and putting a bigger smile on the Domme’s face.

Jayden had to admit that he was enjoying the show.

“Wait a minute.” Holly held up her hand. “Sheila, back off for a sec. Have you forgotten that we’ve had a girl forced into anal sex here, as in without her consent? Don’t go off half-cocked making dungeon plans just yet. Natalie has the right to press charges.”