Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Trent

I spent an hour with Mira, helping her dress, wrapping her in warm blankets, supervising the application of arnica by Nanny J, and helping her to her room, where I plied her with water, fixed her warm tea, made her mac and cheese in the microwave—her comfort food of choice—and mostly, listened to her cry about how sorry she was, and how bad she felt about possibly getting Maureen in trouble.

I patiently explained to her that Maureen should have been paying closer attention, and that whether or not Maureen faced consequences, none of it was her fault, but my gut was twisted up inside too.

Finally, when she was all fed, hydrated and cried out, I waited while she showered and put on fresh pajamas and then tucked her into bed.

Then I went in search of Maureen.

She wasn't in her apartment, where I'd expected to find her. I knocked and called out her name repeatedly, with no response. She could, of course, be avoiding me, but I doubted that was the case. If I was in her shoes, I wouldn't want to be alone.

When I couldn't find her there, I checked Luna's suite on the submissives' floor, since I'd seen them leave the Dungeon together.

"Luna," I called out, rapping my knuckles against the wooden door. "Luna, it's Master Holland. I'm looking for Mistress Maureen. Is she with you?"

I was just about to walk away when the door creaked open. Luna answered, wearing a pair of black-and-pink-checked onesie pajamas, her colored hair held back with a skull- printed bandana, and some sort of green goo on her face.

I schooled my features, smothering a laugh. I was clearly interrupting her nighttime routine.

"The last time I saw Mistress Maureen, she was in Master Derek's office. She might still be there, she might not."

Shit. That wasn't the answer I'd been expecting. I'd already spoken to Master Derek, offering him my perspective on the situation while Mira was in the shower. It hadn't seemed like he was in any hurry to deal with it at the time. I'd assumed he'd at least wait until morning.

"Do you know what she was doing there?" I demanded, my voice coming out harsher than I'd intended.

Luna could handle her own though, and sent me a scathing look in return. "I told her it was a bad idea," she offered. "I told her to sleep on it, but she insisted."

Luna's words were like a punch to the gut as the realization hit me. Shit. She was going to do it again. She was running away from her problems, climbing out the proverbial window again. Jesus. Anger burned in me. First, because she'd learned nothing in the last three years and then there was the fact my second chance was climbing out the window with her.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I had to stop her, had to catch her before it was too late. "Thanks, Luna!" I cried, as I all but ran down the hall toward the elevator. When I found her, and I would, I was going to shake some damn sense into her.

A few excruciating minutes later, I burst past Erika and into Master Derek's office to find him and Maureen standing six feet apart, looking as if I'd just interrupted a very intense conversation.

"You can't accept her resignation!" I demanded.

Both of them turned to stare at me , cocking their heads to the side with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

"I'm not… resigning," Maureen said with a sigh.

I wished I could read her mind right then because I couldn't read her expression.

"No, she's definitely not," Master Derek agreed, then added, "thank goodness," as if it were an afterthought.

"Oh. Good, then. Sorry. Carry on. I'll just… uh… go." I hiked my thumb over my shoulder toward the door, but didn't actually move, as if I was still afraid that if I did, she'd disappear without a trace and I'd never see her again.

"I'll talk to you soon, Trent," Maureen said, just as Master Derek said "Well, actually…"

I wasn't sure what his "actually" was about, but the alarmed expression on Maureen's face told me she did as her attention jerked from me back to him. Her mouth fell open, and she blinked rapidly.

"Sir, I…" She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I'd rather it be you or… someone else."

Whatever she was talking about, it was a lie. I could tell by the way her neck flushed and the color crept up into her cheeks. By the way she sucked gently on her lower lip. By the way her panicked gaze darted between the two of us.

Derek shook his head. "I don't think it should be me, darlin'. And while there are other people I'd consider, my gut is telling me this is right."

Furrowing my brow, I cut in. "Would someone please tell me what is going on here?"

"Have a seat." Derek gestured to a chair opposite the one Maureen was standing near.

"Maureen?" I questioned, checking in with her. Whatever Derek was thinking, if Maureen wasn't on board, I wouldn't be either.

Her chest heaved with a sigh and annoyance, followed by resignation, flitted across her features. "It's fine. It's… he's probably right."

"Okay." I nodded, then looked back to Derek.

He inhaled deeply, with a firm nod then opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Maureen interjected.

"Trent, I want… would you please consider… would you… spank me?"

Unequivocally, without question, I knew the answer was yes, and that I wanted that more than anything. That it was basically a dream come true, no matter the reason. But, I would only say yes if it was what Maureen actually wanted. I needed to find out what was going on.

"You know I'd do just about anything you asked, Reenie, but why? Are you being forced?"

Derek blinked hard, obviously taken aback and Maureen rushed to reassure me.

"Oh god no! No!" She shook her head. "It was… my idea. To be punished, to be put in a place where I was the one with no control. To be reminded just how vulnerable that position is and how important it is for the Top to pay attention."

Her voice shook on the last two words, and I wondered if Master Derek had any idea just how big a deal her request was.

"Is this a contingency on being able to keep your job?" I asked sharply.

"No!" Maureen exclaimed then paused, her brows furrowing in uncertainty. "At least, I don't think so. That never came up. I came here intending to make this proposal."

We both turned to Master Derek, who cocked his head, then slowly shook it. "No, I don't think Mistress Maureen's job was ever on the line here. We hadn't quite figured out a fair solution yet when she came and proposed this one."

"Ah, okay." I turned back to Maureen. "Are you sure about this? And why me?"

"I am. And ah…." She shrugged and Derek took over.

"I thought it would be better handled by either a female Top or one of her colleagues rather than me, and you were my first choice. I don't want this to be an official action of Rawhide. While I think it's a fair solution and I'm more than happy to sign off on it, Mistress Maureen is not one of the submissives or Littles here. She's my employee, and I don't have any contract for disciplining her like this. I think it's best to keep it that way. Plus you were there, you witnessed everything and took care of Mira afterward."

"Understood." I turned my attention back to Maureen, once again bouncing between the two of them. "You're sure about this? Wouldn't you be more comfortable with a female Top?" I was concerned about this complicating the growing relationship between us. But… maybe it needed to be complicated. Because if one of us didn't change what we wanted, it couldn't go anywhere. Maybe we were just fucking around and this would be the wakeup call we needed. My final reminder that Maureen had no hidden submissive desires, and her final confirmation that she needed all the control. The thought broke my heart, but maybe it was for the best.

At least, we'd come a long way. This time, we'd be able to be friends afterward at least.

I think. I hope.

My throat went dry, like I'd just swallowed a mouthful of sawdust, but I pushed the agreement past my lips. "I'll do it. What are the terms?"

"Right. Good." Master Derek fumbled with his bolo tie. "Well, I think it should be done publicly, as the scene tonight was a public mistake, the retribution should also be I think."

I didn't have to look at Maureen to know she'd paled. To know she wasn't bargaining for that.

"No," I all but roared. "Absolutely not. I will not agree to that."

"Should I find someone else then?" Master Derek bristled.

"That's an even harder no." I leapt to my feet, and began to implore to his sensitive, reasonable nature. "Sir, I understand that the mistake was public, but that's not a reason that the punishment should also be. Maureen is an authority figure here. By displaying her… moment of weakness, her vulnerability, you'd be compromising her authority. The Dungeon is open to anyone. Her students and her colleagues alike. It's not a fair position to put her in."

Master Derek frowned deeply. "While I hear what you are saying, this is a BDSM-friendly establishment. We have plenty of people here, employees even, who are switches. I don't think anyone would think less of her for accepting a punishment for a mistake she made."

"Of course they wouldn't," I countered. "That's not the issue here. The issue is?—"

"I'm not a switch!" Maureen interjected before I could get a word in.

Reaching over, I placed a hand on her forearm in what I hoped would be a gesture of comfort—to let her know I had this.

"The issue is," I continued, "you're comparing apples and oranges. Maureen is not a switch, and with her mistake happening so publicly, there's no way there won't be whispers. And what's the point of making it public if you aren't going to make a big deal about it? But if you make a big deal of it, you compromise her position as one of authority over the students here."

Derek rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and I could tell he seemed to be seriously considering my words. "We can't… I mean we can't allow people to think we did nothing . That's not a good look for us."

"I agree." Maureen jumped into the conversation again, leaving me confused. "How about a public apology and we assure them that the matter has been dealt with privately?"

I let out a whoosh of breath. Her terms were agreeable. Master Derek seemed to think so too.

"Yes, I suppose that would work. Okay, you and Master Trent can handle this in private and you can offer a public apology tomorrow morning at breakfast."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you." Maureen looked relieved.

I still had questions.

"Do you have any expectations for this punishment?" I was willing to let this man negotiate a minimum number, or an implement of choice. I trusted him to be reasonable.

He surprised me by shaking his head. "I trust the two of you to negotiate this amongst yourselves." He looked away from me, and straight at Maureen. "The only thing I ask is that you do your level best to give up control and place yourself in the position of the submissive for the entirety of the scene."

Damn. He had her number. But I agreed. That was what she needed. Or maybe it was what I needed. Either way, Master Derek had spoken.