Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

DRAKE

D on’t fuck it up. Don’t fuck it up. Don’t fuck it up.

That was the mantra on repeat in my head through the rest of my shift.

A big, scary, textbook Dom I was not.

Don’t get me wrong, though, I could be.

Just like I did know that Doms aren’t all big and scary and are allowed to be people, and not just rule-making, ass-paddling machines. I’m all about breaking stereotypes and calling out conforming bullshit when I see it.

Usually.

But, I wasn’t acting like myself at the moment. I knew I wasn’t. I could see it happening, was cringing over it, even, but I still couldn’t stop it.

That was what Luna did to me. She tied me all up in knots. She made me afraid of my own shadow because I was so sure I was going to trip over my tongue and say something dumb to scare her off again.

Like that time last week when I told her I was in love with her. That I wanted a relationship. That I considered her my end game.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

This wasn’t just some chick I’d been dating non-exclusively for a while that I’d mistakenly assumed had the same wants and needs as I did. I hadn’t just miscalculated.

This was my best friend of many years. I knew exactly how she felt about commitment. I knew exactly how gun-shy she was.

But still, I’d thought… I don’t know what I’d thought. That I was special? That what we had was different? That our close bond and friendship would somehow mean she wouldn’t just drop me like a hot potato and run screaming away like she would have with anyone else?

I’d been wrong. So, so, grossly, horrifically wrong.

She had run. Immediately. Her jaw had dropped, her face had gone white. She’d stared at me silently for what felt like hours. And then she’d stuttered, “I can’t do this right now” and just… bolted.

She’d avoided me ever since.

Ghosted, really.

She wouldn’t answer calls, ignored texts, didn’t even like the funny peacock meme I’d sent her.

She didn’t sit with me at lunch. Wouldn’t wave at me if she saw me coming to work in the morning when she was making her way to campus for the classes she needed for her psych degree. Hell, when she saw me in the hallway, she stared at the floor and did an abrupt about-face so she wouldn’t walk anywhere near me.

It had been the worst week and a half of my life.

Which was why I absolutely could not fuck this up. Under any circumstances.

I had to play it cool. Had to ignore my true feelings and concentrate on being cool. Because I was pretty sure that somehow I’d survive not ending up with Luna.

I was absolutely certain I would not survive not having her in my life.

I had to get my friend back. If it was the last thing I did.

Somehow I made it through the end of my shift, made it through handing off the reins to Jaben.

And then instead of hightailing it out of the Dungeon and home for a beer and a hot shower the way I usually would, I went over to the bar and sat down to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Just when I’d started to inwardly curse her out for standing me up, and myself out for being such a gullible goon for thinking she’d be here, just when I was about to storm off to her suite and pound on the door, then stomp in and throw her over my knee and spank her perfect ass until she would listen to reason, I looked at the clock.

And reminded myself that Luna was always late. Never to work, and never to class, but to everything else.

It felt like I’d been waiting forever, but that was because I’d been wishing for this moment all week. In reality, since my shift ended, I’d only been sitting here for eleven minutes. In Luna’s world, that was the same as being on time.

With a sigh, I went ahead and ordered myself a beer, and her a glass of Moscato. I considered it a “good faith” gesture.

As soon as the drinks showed up, so did she.

I heard her before I saw her. In typical Luna social butterfly fashion, she called out to everyone as she made her way to me.

“Hey, Jenna, looking good!”

“Oh wow, I love your top!”

“Oh my god. That collar is stunning. It looks amazing on you. Slay, Queen.”

I didn’t even need to look to know that those last two comments had been made to complete strangers.

But I did look. Not to see who she’d called out to, but to see her.

And when I did, my jaw dropped. My stomach knotted. My face flushed. And I knew that there was absolutely no way in hell I was going to be able to play it cool.

Luna knew me better than anyone. That meant she knew exactly what my buttons were and how to push them. And she was currently dressed like she was cosplaying from the pages of my all-time-favorite erotic romance novel.

That naughty minx.

Her pink hair, usually worn in a bun, a high ponytail or a bob, depending on the occasion, was in pigtails. Luna never wore pigtails. She knew I loved them, but she always laughed and said that pigtails were for Littles and while she loved them dearly, she wouldn’t want to be mistaken for one.

It wasn’t just the pigtails, either. Her normally dark-painted lips were a saucy, bright pink. They matched the shade her hair was when it was freshly dyed.

Her eye makeup was different too. Bright and light, highlighting the pale blue of her eyes instead of trying to disguise it.

And her outfit. She’d left the Dungeon in a mesh top and pink thong. I’d expected, after a session like the one she’d just endured, that she’d show up in her comfort clothes—a ratty concert tee, and a pair of fleece sweatpants, with nothing underneath. Maybe even one of her looser gothic-style dresses if she wanted to be fancy.

But she wasn’t in either of those things. She wasn’t in anything I’d seen her in before.

I was pretty sure the outfit she was wearing wasn’t even hers.

That realization made me choke back a smug smile as she approached. If it wasn’t hers, that meant she’d put in extra effort tonight, just to meet me for a drink. Just because she wanted to get to me.

And if that was the case… it meant that no matter how hard she was trying to act otherwise, she really did care. And this self-imposed break she was forcing on us both was getting to her too.

That fact was like a balm to my soul as she sank down into the padded stool beside me.

Play it cool. Play it cool. Play it cool.

I wrapped both hands around the beer bottle in front of me, and barely glanced up as I pushed the wine glass in front of her.

I let her stew on my actions for a few moments before I glanced up, lifted my brows ever so slightly and said “nice dress” gesturing to the barely there number that had me fighting every urge to readjust my suddenly hard-as-a-rock cock beneath the fabric of the thick black jeans I wore when guarding the Dungeon.

Was it ridiculously immature game playing? Was I doing it just to get to her?

Absolutely.

As my gran always used to say, what was good for the goose was good for the gander.

Luna huffed a little, then when I looked up at her, picked up her wine glass and drained it.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were narrowed into slits. And honestly, I thought she might bolt again.

I sighed. It was time to be done playing games. At least these ones.

Taking a moment to let my eyes roam over every inch of her I could see at the moment, I made no secret of my appreciation this time, and smiled coyly.

“You look nice. Is that new?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Oh this old thing? It’s been sitting in the back of my closet for ages.”

My ass. I knew without a doubt that wasn’t true. Before I could call her on it, she called herself out.

“Alright, fine. I borrowed it from Mia. C’mon, you know I wouldn’t have anything like this.”

I nodded. “I do know that. I never insinuated you did. That was all you.”

“Oh. Right.” Luna had the good grace to look at least mildly chagrined.

She looked down at her empty glass, frowned, and fumbled with the stem. “Um… how are you?” Her voice came out forced sounding. Forced and fake. Like she was being strung up by her fingernails and made to chit-chat with a stranger.

Taking a moment’s pity on her, I waved over the bartender and motioned for Jenna to fill up Luna’s glass and bring me another beer.

When she did, I smiled, thanked her, and turned my attention back to Luna, who already had her wine glass to her lips but was taking much smaller sips this time.

I sipped my beer, placed it back on the table in front of me, popped the top off the new one and sighed as I angled my stool toward my best friend and caught her knees between mine.

“Now let’s both cut the crap. We know we need to talk. So let’s talk.”

Luna swallowed, then shrugged. “Okay, fine. Talk, then.”

She was, apparently, not in fact, done playing games.

That irritated me. To no end. Even though it was just… Luna being Luna. She was the perfect prim-and-proper submissive to everyone else. With me, she always felt comfortable letting her brat flag fly. It had always made me feel a little bit special that I got to see a side of her that no one else did.

I supposed I should be taking comfort in the fact that that was still true.

Instead, I was just annoyed.

For once, I wanted the sweet, submissive, friendly Luna that everyone else got. Or at least for her to just be serious for a minute. For her to let her guard down and talk to me.

And yet, she seemed determined not to.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “I’ve already said what I needed to say. You’re the one who panicked and ghosted.”

It was only half true. I still had a lot I wanted to say. But I wanted her to say something. To explain, to apologize. To tell me she overreacted and she felt the same.

The last one was wishful thinking and I knew it.

Luna scoffed. “God, Drake, you’re so dramatic. You can be such a girl sometimes. I didn’t ghost you.”

I ignored the stab of annoyance that hit me when she called me a girl. I didn’t point out how misogynistic it was of her to say that. I just stared at her and waited.

She said nothing, just played with the stem of her wine glass, twirling it between her fingers.

“What else would you call it when you refuse to respond to any of my texts or calls? When you avoid me in the hallways?”

Luna shrugged. “I just… I needed a break. I needed to think.”

“Fine. You had a break. You thought. Now, talk.” I wasn’t about to let her play coy or get away with anything. I usually let Luna get away with a lot, but I wasn’t in the mood tonight.

“Drake…” she finally said, her eyes imploring me to just let it go. “Can’t we just… go back to normal?”

I wanted that. I did. But not at the cost of sweeping what had happened under the rug. Normal for Luna meant me ignoring my true feelings. Ignoring the fact that I was head over heels in love with her. Settling for a friend and a fuckbuddy. I’d done it for years.

I didn’t want to settle anymore. If I couldn’t have forever with Luna, I deserved to have it with someone who wanted me, who appreciated me.

I couldn’t picture it with anyone who wasn’t her yet, but maybe eventually I’d get there.

“Luna.” I gave her my sternest look, the one I used when we played together as Dom and sub. “We aren’t just ignoring this. You said we could talk. You came down here knowing that’s what I wanted.”

Luna slipped off the bar stool and stepped closer to me, still between my legs, until her belly was pressed against the bulge in my pants. “We can talk,” she purred, “but are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes.”

I put my hands on her shoulders, intending to gently push her back, creating space between us, but she reached down and grabbed my cock through the fabric of my pants. She ran her other hand up my torso, letting it come to a rest on my left pec.

“Talking is overrated,” she whispered in her most sultry voice, the one she knew I loved.

Dammit.

This wasn’t going to work. There were too many people around for a private conversation. Too much security and too many well-meaning Doms for me to even raise my voice. The best I could do to get her to stop would be to throw her over my knee and spank her until she was willing to listen. With her already sore ass, it shouldn’t take too long.

But I still wasn’t going to do it here. And I knew it wasn’t the way I wanted this encounter to go down. I’d give her one more chance before I resorted to more drastic measures.

“Luna,” I growled, “knock it off.”

She did not, in fact, knock it off. Instead, she upped the ante, shimmying so that the skirt of her skintight dress rode up to the crest of her ass, exposing the fact that, as I’d suspected, she was not wearing any panties.

Anywhere else, she’d get kicked out for indecent exposure. Here at the Ranch, nobody even noticed.

Nobody but me. I glanced down to see her pussy glistening with arousal.

She was freshly shaved.

Fuck.

“Fine. You want to play that game? Let’s play.” I slid off the barstool, bent at the waist, and hoisted her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

She squealed, and started hollering, her tiny fists pounding against my back as I stalked through the bar, then the Dungeon.

“Drake! Stop! Put me down this instant, you big oaf!” The way she was hollering and carrying on, if we were anywhere else, I’d have gotten the cops called on me in a hot minute.

But we weren’t anywhere else. We were at the Ranch where bratty subs and Littles being thrown over shoulders and carted away screaming was a common occurrence. Unless she called “Red” nobody would pay any mind.

I made my way out of the Dungeon and to the main floor. To the elevator bank. Up to the third level where Luna shared a suite with other submissives who worked on the Ranch.

Never piss off the man who has a spare key to your place. I’d never used it, and if she wasn’t with me, I never would out of respect for her suitemates.

But she was with me, and I knew better than to ask her to open it or to attempt to make it to my apartment the way she was flailing and carrying on. Slipping my wallet from my pocket, I flashed the key card and when it beeped to indicate it had unlocked, I unceremoniously shoved the door open, stormed through the small living area.

Mia and Yasmin, two of her suitemates, stared at me with wide eyes, but said nothing as I walked to her bedroom door and pushed it open as well.

Luna still shrieked and hollered, but not enough to get anyone to intervene on her behalf. When I closed the bedroom door behind us and set her down on her feet, she glared at me, and stuck out her hand, palm up.

“I want my key back, please.”

I’d seen that coming. But I held on to it, sliding it back into my wallet, and sliding my wallet into my back pants pocket. “Gladly. After we’re done here,” I told her, knowing she was unlikely to still ask for it after we were done.

And then, just as easily as I had in the bar, I scooped her into my arms. This time, instead of throwing her over my shoulder, I sat down on the edge of her bed and upended her over my knee.

She immediately started squealing and yelling, protesting with all she was worth, but she didn’t say the one word that would actually stop me.

So I didn’t stop. I ignored her fussing and swung a leg over the top of hers, trapping her in place.

“Drake!” she yelled, bucking up.

“You brought this on yourself,” I told her. “I just wanted to talk.”

“Talking is overrated,” she grumbled.

I grinned. “Let’s see if you still feel that way when we’re done here.” Grabbing the hem of her dress, which was still at the center of her ass, I yanked up, over her body and head, pulling it off her, leaving her naked.

She grumbled more but didn’t protest. It seemed like she sort of liked being manhandled a bit.

That worked for me.

Smothering a grin, I admired her lithe form, the swell of her breasts, her lean waist, the luscious globes I planned to paint cherry red very, very soon… I’d seen it all a hundred times, but that didn’t make it any less tantalizing.

But as gorgeous and alluring as she was, I wasn’t here to gaze upon her sex. I was a man on a mission, and that mission was to make Luna stop fucking around and talk to me.

Without a word, I brought my hand down across the center of her ass, hitting both cheeks at once. She reared up as if surprised. What had she thought was going to happen?

“Drake!” she growled.

I ignored her and kept on spanking. Again and again my hand fell. Occasionally Luna would squirm under my hold, or growl my name again, but for the most part, she didn’t put up much of a fight, despite being paddled only two hours prior.

Her lack of protest was unsurprising. Luna was a Grade-A spanko, through and through.

And stubborn. Stubborn as hell, and currently, apparently, willing to do anything that wasn’t talking to me.

I couldn’t and wouldn’t have it.

When her entire backside was tinted a nice deep shade of pink, I paused, running my hand across the heated skin. God, I loved spanking this woman. Or maybe I just loved her.

“Are you ready to cut the crap and start talking?” I demanded.

“Nothing to say,” Luna answered smartly.

I saw red. Literally went from zero to enraged in two seconds flat. And as much as I might want to, I knew I couldn’t spank her like this.

Fuck. Swallowing hard, I pushed back the urge to yell, and the even stronger one to spank her silly. I took endless amounts of deep breaths and gritted my teeth.

“I guess you’ll need more convincing,” I finally said. When the moment of rage had passed, I raised my hand, and cursed the fact that I didn’t have an implement handy. My gaze danced around the room and landed on a solid wooden hairbrush on Luna’s nightstand. Leaning slightly, I grabbed it, and inspected it. The weight of it was solid, I knew it would pack a punch.

Testing my anger level, I decided that I was appropriately annoyed but no longer seeing red and allowed myself to continue.

This time, I raised the brush into the air, not just my hand.

And when it landed across Luna’s left ass cheek with a delicious thud, and she screamed, rearing back to glare at me over her shoulder, I couldn’t help but grin.

“Decided it was time to call in backup,” I explained, waving her hairbrush in the air where she could see it.

“It’s not gonna work,” she snapped.

“Oh, I think it will,” I countered, raising the brush again.