Queen (Mistress & Master of Restraint) (103 page)

“The girls are in the bathroom,” he says shyly. “After what happened I don’t want to disturb them. I’ll fetch some more clothes and towels from my room and be right back. I won’t leave you for a second.”

Whitt sets me on my feet and makes sure I can stand. I turn the doorknob and fear what I’ll find on the other side.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The girls are huddled in the corner of my small bathroom- a mass of sobbing, hugging females. I don’t know if I can do this. My body is female, but my mind is very male. I cringe when it comes to upset ladies. I just want to give them anything they ask for to make the sound stop. It’s why my daughter is a mini-diva. I love all these girls, but I’m too stressed out to listen to the weeping.

I start with the closest. I tip Heidi’s chin up and look into her hazel eyes. She sniffles and closes her eyes. I pull a few washcloths off the shelf
and I press one into her hand.

“Blow,” I coax her and wait for her to obey. “Good girl,” I praise and it relaxes her.

Kristal is the next. She isn’t weeping. She’s furious as she holds Heidi and Kayla. If I didn’t already respect my Chica the look in her eyes would do it.

“I’m proud of you,” I try not to get choked up as I say the words, but my voice breaks. My fingers skim the shiner she’s wearing. “I hope you
punished the fucker,” I spit.

“I broke her arm. She got one hit in and I smashed her arm with a bottle of Jack,” her voice is filled with badassery. 

I smile and try not to laugh as I examine Kayla. Her pretty pink skin is flawless.

“How’d you manage to go unscathed,” I muse as
I run my hands along her body.

“Taser,” she answ
ers me and I bark out a laugh.

“Your husband’s one of my favorite people,” I tease.

Monica stares at me defiantly, but I know she’s not angry at me. I wipe blood off her face and notice it’s not hers. I arch a brow, and for the first time I see the male in the room.

“Toby?
I guess they pushed all the submissives into my bathroom,” I chuckle.

The blond cutie opens his mouth to speak and then shuts it. He’s always been frightened of me. I don’t understand why considering he loves the scary pain his Master delivers. Tobias is covered in blood too. I wip
e it away looking for a wound.

“It’s not ours,” Monica answers my unspoken question. “We took down a few people before Alex shoved us in here.” When she says Roman’s nickname her voice twists in anger. Ah! She’s pissed at Roman for ruining their fun.

I dampen two cloths and toss them in their laps. Toby washes his Master’s fiancée with great care and gentleness. She closes her eyes and sighs in pleasure.

A tiny gal is huddled between the wall and the shower stall. She’s our newest submissive. Cassie is a girl from my old neighborhood that I used to babysit for extra cash. She was sucked into the mentality of the neighborhood and finally found her way to Transcend after her husband nearly beat her to death. Roman recommended the kind of therapy that
only a dominant could provide.

“Cass, how are you doing, sweetie?” I pull her out of the corner and check her thoroughly. I smile at her reassu
ringly. She’s just frightened.

“I’m okay,” she mumbles.

I set her between Monica and Kristal. They look pissed off and fierce at the moment. Cassie is a real submissive and their attitudes will make her feel safe.

I sigh heavily and stand. I strip out of my bloody security t-shirt. I groan when I see my jeans- another pair of my favorites straight to the trashcan.

I want to cry as I gaze at the two women huddled together on the shower floor. The sisters are so tiny that neither weighs a hundred pounds and both are exactly five feet tall. In life Syn looks feral, but as she cradles her older sister in her arms she looks like a little girl.

I step inside and shut the door. My large body fills the space, but the girls are so small that we all fit. I crouch down and look into their faces. Two sets of sad blue eyes gaze up at me. Fate’s bottom lip quivers because she worried that I’m disappointed in her. Syn’s eyes may look sad, but she still
looks feral.

“They were still breathing, but just barely. They’ll have lifelong ailments,” I promise my sadist.

“The one that touched you down there,” my eyes flick to Fate’s privates. “He’ll never get another erection again. I crushed his balls in my fist until I felt them pop.”

Fate evilly smiles and I whisper, “That’s my Angel.”

I feel the back of Syn’s head looking for the spot that connected with the bar. The skin isn’t broken, but she has a huge goose egg.

“Change is coming,” I promise them both. “Fate will not step foot into Restraint until I’m satisfied. This goes for all the submissives. If their Masters want them here then they can’t leave the dungeon. I don’t even want them walking in the front doors. If we don’t have enough manpower to run the c
lub then I want it shut down.”

Syn nods the entire time I speak. She’s always quiet, but I see the wheels spinning in her mind. She’s coming up with a list of changes. No one cares for Fate’s safety as much as Syn. I’d kill for her, but Syn would die for her, and that is a huge distinction. 

My hands follow the path of my eyes as I take inventory of Fate’s body. She has a few bruises and scratches on her perfect breasts. The bite mark above her left nipple makes me growl.

“I saw his fingers touch you. Did he rape you?” I breathe the words so they don’t carry over the spray of the shower. This is private, and it’s up to Fate to tell the rest of our peo
ple if she wants them to know.

“I… no… he didn’t rape me,
” she stumbles over her words.

Fate is the perfect submissive because her only want in life is for me to be happy. I can’t trust her to tell me the truth right now. If the truth is rape, I won’t be happy, so she’ll lie. I tap her knee and she complies. Her body is mine so she won’t see it as a violation.

“Your thighs are tender,” it’s a statement, not a question, because her pale skin is scratched red and raw. A few fingertip bruises dimple her slender thighs.

I touch her gently and slide a finger inside her. Fate hasn’t had sex since Kristal’s punishment- almost four years ago. She’s very tight and shows no signs of discomfort.

“Good girl,” I murmur and press her thighs back together. “His fingers didn’t get inside either,” I sigh in relief.

Yelling gains my attention. “Are you going to be alright?” I look Fate in the eyes a
nd gage her emotional climate.

“I was so scared,” her voice quivers. “But you saved me as always. I knew you’d come, so I wasn’t too scared. I don’t want to go into the club again,” sh
e confesses in a strong voice.

“Done,” I decree.

“You better go out there,” Syn pushes when Whitt’s voice gets louder. “I’ll take care of everyone. Their Masters will be collecting them soon. You better calm Whitt down before that happens.”

I grab a towel. I have nothing to change into so I leave the bathroom naked.

“Never again,” Whitt screams at Marcus.

I lean against the bathroom door. Roman is opposite me, leaning on the door to the hallway. I can guarantee that every Master is waiting in the hall right this minute. Marcus is sitting crossed-legged on my sofa with a seething Wh
itt towering over him in fury.

“I’ve known all of them my entire life, Marcus. Fate… Jesus, I’ve known Fate since I was six-years-old. They are my responsibility. They live in my house. I eat breakfast with them and I saw a man try to rape her! This has gone too f
ar. Shut this shit hole down!”

Marc sighs heavily and closes his eyes. He rests his head on the back of the sofa as if his neck is too weak to support its weight. Marc’s reaction pisses Whitt off even more
.

“My wife almost killed a man. I don’t fucking blame her! I wanted to help. I’m making a decision for my entire family. I will not come back here until this is fixed. Kristal and Fate will not step foot in here. I’d love to say that Queen won’t either, but she can make her own decisions. But I will not be swayed. Those women won’t be back! You’re training my son, Marcus!”

I step forward the instant Whitt’s elbow goes back in preparation for a punch. I grab his upper-arm to still him.

“Don’t you fucking take his side,” he seethes at me. “I don’t give a shit, Regina. NO!”

“I agree with every word you just said. I just don’t want you to hit the man that you respect as a father. You’ll regret it. Look at his face, Daniel. He gets it. We need to calm down and find a solution.”

“How come you’re so agreeable all the sudden?”
Whitt growls at me in his dominant voice.
“Look in the bathroom and see if that doesn’t fizzle you out,” I sigh and run both hands through my wet hair.

“I’m
sorry, I’m being rude and inconsiderate. I just didn’t like seeing you crazed like that. I can’t get the image of you bent over that man as you tried to beat him to death. Your voice as you explained what rape feels like. Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Regina.”

He pulls me into a tight embrace and the fight dies out of me. I lose all coordination and he has to catch me. He sets me next to Marcus and helps me dress in a pair of sweats and a hoodie.

Marc doesn’t try to touch me. There’s some unspoken rule between them. If Whitt is acting as my husband then Marc isn’t my partner and vice versa. It’s how we’ve lived for the past two years. It’s not about sex because I’m not doing either one of them. It’s about support.

Dominant men think that supporting their female is the biggest indicator of male worth. I’d realized that I’d been emasculating them by refusing their help and not seeking their comfort and guidance when I needed it. I thought dealing with it alone made me strong. But they taught me that the strong know when to ask for help. Going it alone doesn’t make you stronger, it makes you an idiot. Marcus hasn’t learned this lesson yet, but he’s trying.

“May I?” Marcus asks politely and Whitt nods.

Before I can ask what, I’m encapsulated by Marc’s warm body. He wraps his arms around my back and his legs around my waist. Soft lips graze my neck and part. His breath flutters the small hairs at the nape of my neck and tickles.

I reach out and grab Whitt’s hand because I need both of them right now. A sob escapes my throat and I fall lax in their embrace.

“I’ll give you privacy,” Roman’s voice is thick with emotion.

“No,” I say softly from the crook of Marc’s neck. “We need to have a meeting and get this figured out.”

I pull out of their arms and sit opposite Marcus, and Whitt joins me. I can feel Whitt’s need to hold me but he doesn’t give in. A handful of us know about our connection, and the rest are in the dark and they’re going to stay there.

Katya is the first to come into the room. Must be the Zeitlers were notified about the latest riot, either that or Marcus knew it was time for a change.

Katya curls in her Master’s lap like a well-trained pet. I look away and refuse them eye contact, as is my way. Every time they touch I pull farther away from Marcus. He’s in my life because he won’t go away. I give in to temptation and allow him to hold me, and sometimes I’ll even embrace him back. But for some reason Katya is a deal breaker for me. During his declaration at the Brownstone he never mentioned the ‘misunderstanding’ surrounding Kat, because it was no misunderstanding. Their bond is obvious as adoration screams from the depths of Katya’s eyes when she gazes upon her Master’s face. His easy laugh when she does something h
e finds cute turns my stomach.

Marc’s declaration meant absolutely nothing. He described how one day he wanted to have a child with someone he loves. The newest rumor that surfaced about the Zeitlers is how he’s pressuring Katya for a child. I guess her womb is his too. He finally found someone to love and cherish, someone he was proud to tell the world about, someone he wants to combine his essence with and create a life- and that someone isn’t me.

Marc’s penetrating gaze makes me uncomfortable. He keeps willing me to look at him and I refuse. Whitt moves anxiously next to me because he senses my pain and he can’t do a damned thing about it.

Ugly, baggy jeans come into my line of sight as I stare at the floor. I quickly grab the layers of shirts that cover Dalton’s body and I yank him down between Whitt and me. Whitt’s growl of protest is cut off when a smooth boy hand accidentally makes contact with his. I smirk as I try to contain a silent giggle that bubbles up at the boys’ reactions to each other. Both guys stiffen for a moment before they fall lax from the relief of final
ly sitting next to each other.

Roman is last in the room because he was playing door keeper and he’s our newest Master- lowest man on the totem pole. He sits on the arm of the sofa next to me and his hand settles on my back. He and I share a look at how cute Whitt and Dalton are. We’ve been playing matchmaker with Kristal’s help for years. Last night Kristal finally got them together in a three-way. Whitt came to life and Dalton’s asshattery turned to bashfulness- it must be true love. Roman snorts and a giggle slips past my lips- it has a manic quality, but it’s a form of release.

“I have something to say,” my voice is gravelly and cracks near the end of the sentence.
I look around the room. Dexter stares at the bathroom door with a pained expression on his face. His two favorite people are in there and he’s worried.

“Syn’s in there with all the submissives. Everyone is accounted for- for the most part they’re just shook up. Dexter’s subs are pissed that they didn’t get to inflict more damage,” I chuckle and I’m surprised that Dexter doesn’t look prou
d- he looks even more worried.

“I get it better than anyone. We let them all down. It’s our responsibility to take care of them and we didn’t. Dexter, be happy that they’re smart enough to take care of themselves. Hey, Aaron,
” I call out to my co-manager.

He doesn’t look worried- pissed off is too mild of a word. “This won’t happen again,” he makes a promise he can’t keep. Aaron and I spend a lot of time together and we said we’d do a walk-out if they didn’t fix the problems.

“Your wife looks soft and pretty, but she works a mean Taser,” I chuckle. “Good thinking!”

Now Aaron looks proud, but it doesn’t soften the furious resolve that lines his handsome face.

“We have a problem.” I pin Ezra with my bitch-stare and he flinches.

I see Katya in my peripheral and it angers me. She looks scared and compassionate. I want to drag her by the arm and toss her in with the submissives. What gives her the right to wear that expression? She isn’t here. She goes to work and then goes home every night to her family. Sometimes she works from home even. Ezra, Cort, Marcus, and Kat never come here except for Saturday nights to play. I’m so glad that their family time is more important than mine. This is their fucking mess and we’re the ones with blood on our hands.

“I want to be tactful, but I’m not Whitt.” I talk to Ezra when I really want to look at all four Zeitlers in accusation.

“This is your club and you’re not in it. You leave us every night to fight in what constitutes as a warzone. I get it. You don’t want this life anymore because of the kids. Well, I have kids waiting for me at home that I haven’t seen in weeks. Why are your kids better than mine? I leave here at three a.m. bloodied and broken with my girls walking dead on their feet. I’m back here at eight a.m. every morning. I get nothing out of this. I’m only here to protect us from your bad decisions. I’m sure Aaron would love to sleep in a bed with his wife, not teach her how to defend herself. All of o
ur issues are your fault…”

“Regina,” Dexter’s outraged voice bellows in my tiny room.

“Shut the fuck up,” I bark at Dexter and he flinches. “I don’t give a shit. You show up at nine p.m. and patrol the club. You have to work,” I whine. “Well, I employ thousands of people so your little audits can just go fuck themselves. I want Restraint closed!”

A gasp, a heavy sigh, and a sharp intake of
breath echoes throughout the room. I ignore everyone with the last name Zeitler. Cortez Abernathy may be their spouse, but at least he does something and he doesn’t make a peep.

I put my head in my hands and breathe deeply through the panic and anger. Two hands rub soothing circles on my back, one small and one large. No one spe
aks while I contain my nature.

“I apologize,” I choke out because I’m not sorry. “I want Restraint closed because I can’t keep it running. No one can right now. We had ten bartenders. Kristal liked to manage the bar on the weekends because it was fun for her. She got to meet new people and interact with them. Do you know how many bartenders we have now?” I look around the room and everyone shakes their heads.

“None,” Aaron’s gravelly voice answers. He glares at the man that raised him and turns and growls at the man he used to hero-worship. Both are to blame for this predicament.

“None,” I reiterate. “Every day I hire new bartenders and they last an hour. Kristal, Fate, and Heidi run the bar six days a week. They have day jobs- important ones. Heidi is a nurse and a mother. Kristal is my accountant and Fate is a financial advisor, and my shareholders count on them to keep Empowerment running. The girls don’t get paid for their hard work at Restraint, and they sure as hell don’t get respected. Syn, Roman, and I try to protect them, but the bar is a hundred feet long and we can’t police it. We can’t have a repeat of tonight. We won’t. I promised Fate that she will never enter the club again. Kristal can make her own informed decision.” Whitt growls wildly at that. We’re her Masters, but I afford her freewill.

“How many security personnel do we employ?” I ask the room.

“Five,” Cort answers with a wince.
He isn’t around much, but he helps me with the muscle.

“Yes, we only have five. Roarke has been here from the beginning and he brought us Dane, Sam, Chris, and Brent. I have suggestions set into place but no one ever wants to hear them. Every morning I hire twenty guys and only ten shows up at night, and by closing we’re back to the original five. Repetition is a sign of insanity. I need to be with Ade right now since I’ve done the same thing every morning for almost two months. I suggest we close Restraint and get a real staff into place. We need to remodel the club to accommodate the large influx of people. I want the bar changed. I do the work and no one heeds my advice, so I’m done,” I declare.

I stare at Marcus, and ignore Katya’s green cat-eyes staring at me and her pink quivering lips, and the fact that Marcus is rubbing her back to comfort her. Oh… right… I guess I don’t ignore it. I like the woman, but she’s the only person on the planet that makes me feel jealousy, and that I don’t like.

“I…I-” Ezra stutters and Marcus continues where his son left off, “Have a solution that doesn’t involve closing the club. It wasn’t a solution I chose, mind you. Tomorrow evening we have a meeting set up with the BDSM Lifestyle Authority. Devlin Conrick will be joining us for the unforeseeable future.
Let’s see what he has to say.”

“
Who is this guy?” Dexter asks.

I don’t need Marcus to answer. The small hand on my back froze when the man’s name was mentioned. Dalton’s entire body strung wire-tight. His Daddy is coming to check up on him. I wonder if this means Marc’s daughter will come too…

Olivia.

I growl deep in my chest before I can stop myself and Marc gives me an inquisitive look. If Katya, the would-be mother of Marc’s children makes me see green- Olivia, the actual mother of Marc’s child makes me envision Christmas Restraint-style- green and red- jealousy and fury.

“Um…” Marc stammers as he tries to figure out what could’ve possibly put the murderous expression on my face. I look at Katya and she cringes. I evilly smile and lean back on the couch. Let her come… I want to meet her face-to-face.

“Devlin and I are brothers under the same master. He’ll help us all he can, but it will be uncomfortable. I’m not ready to give up on Restraint just yet.” He directs that comment at me.
“What will it take, Marc- a death? Will you see reason when it’s too late? I didn’t say forever, just until we got our shit together.”

I stand up and walk over to the bathroom. “Aren’t these people important enough?”
I open the door and fetch them all. I hand the submissives to their Masters: Tobias and Monica to Dexter, Kayla and Heidi to Aaron, and Cassie to Roman. Syn walks out but refuses to let go of her sister, as does Kristal.

“Fate’s going home with me tonight,” Syn demands and I nod.

As Syn tries to leave the room, Fate protests as Kristal’s hand slides from hers. “You go with them,” I tell Kris. My eyes never leave my ladies until they disappear down the hallway.

“Whitt, you have somewhere you need to be,” I say cryptically.

Niel was bartering again… with me this time. He wanted his sister with him at all times. The joint custody made this an issue. Ella was eager to spend half of her time at the family home, especially since Whitney and Prissy live there now. Governor Preston and his wife Kate live at the Executive Mansion and the girls didn’t want to leave Hillbrook behind.

The three days on-four days off schedule where all the children go from Whittenhower Estates to my house and back. I agreed because I wanted Ella to be with her family and bond with her grandmother, but there was one condition- Whitt makes the rotation with the kids. Dad never leaves Niel and Ella’s sides.

“Yes, familial obligations. Queen, may I have a word,” he points to the bathroom and I dutifully enter.

I keep my back to him while he closes the door and turns the tap on to cover our conversation. He hugs me from behind and I melt into his chest.
“I want to sleep with you tonight, but I don’t want to leave the kids alone with him.” His voice is rough from being torn in two directions.

“I’ll be fine,” I try to sound strong so that the decision is easier on him.

“The house will be empty. I hate you sleeping alone, even when Kris and Fate sleep there, but now they’re not.”

“Maybe I can get some
sleep for a change,” I tease.

“You don’t sleep well withou
t me. I’ve checked,” he sighs.

“I love my privacy,” I say sarcastically because he just admitted to watching me on the security feeds. I change the uncomfortable subject to something that makes him uncomfortable. “Did it feel nice
to have Dalton sit with you?”

Whitt’s ears turn bright pink and I chuckle. Watching them last night as Dalton struggled against Whitt tugging on his leash was the highlight of the past month. Dalton’s a switch and I was happy to figure it out. As they shared Kris for the first time, Whitt kept trying to look at Dalton and hold his hands. It was so freaking cute that I recorded it and watched it again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” his voice cracks from nervousness and I watch his pale skin flush. His hardness bites into my hip as I turn in the cage of his arms.

I palm his reaction and his knees weaken. “Admit it to me and I’ll let you kiss me for real,” I tease.

“Sex with you is different than any sex I have,” Whitt says shyly.

“I’m not worried. I just want you to be happy. I’m not pushing you away because I don’t want you. It’s so you’ll feel what it’
s really like.”

“It’s empty with Kris, and when the other girls touch me. It felt different with Dalton. The thrill of trying to get him to look at me was exciting. I haven’t cum so hard in my life,” he chuckles and blushes. He looks away from my eyes, worried that he offended me.

“I want that for you. I love you, Sunshine. I love making love to you. But you’re missing out on the animalistic passion of fucking out of pure lust. I saw the fire in your eyes and it made me so happy for you. Now kiss me before you go home to our children,” I demand.

I groan into his mouth as he kisses me as if our lives depended on it. My toes curl, and my fingers turn into claws as I dig into his scrumptious ass. My hips part so that I can press his bulging arousal against my aching flesh. It’s been too long since I’ve had him. I breathlessly gasp as he feeds from
my mouth with lips and teeth.

“I want you,” I moan against his mouth.

“I know,” he says without a lick of arrogance. “You let me kiss you like this when you wake up in the middle of the night, but you always fall asleep on me,” he laughs and kisses my nose.

He chuckles and pulls away, “Not until I fuck Dalton. Did you forget our lesson already? You’d think four years of marriage would teach you that I always keep
my word.”

“Touché.
Get the deed done. This girl is getting antsy. My pussy is quivering in anticipation,” I seductively laugh. “Don’t kiss Dalton like that for your first kiss. Go tender and slow. I wouldn’t want you to wreck the Emo kid.”

“Why don’t you just fuck him and get it over with?” Whitt is losing patience with my indecision.

“I could say the same to you,” I volley back.

“I’m working on it. Give me a week or two. One taste and I was addicted. His as
s is mine,” he vows. “Marcus…”

“You saw him with Kat,” I
mumble and pull from his arms.

“Ask him what’s going on. Quit letti
ng your imagination run wild.”

“It’s not just my imaginat
ion. You’ve heard the rumors.”

“We’ve started most of those rumors,” he laughs out of frustration. “Ava’s really good
at writing our articles.”