Chapter 14

14

Connor

"A family cookout?" Connor stared at Julie, trying to get a feeling for where her head was at. He hadn't realized they were quite there yet. Not that he objected to meeting her family on principle. It just seemed… fast. They hadn't even spent time with each other's friends yet. At least not together as a couple.

He was still nervous about doing that after dinner tonight.

Family seemed like the kind of thing that happened after a few months. Well, even more for his family since his parents lived hours away.

Julie sighed, tapping her fingers on the table as she fidgeted in her seat. He realized she was nervous, too. He didn't think he'd ever seen her fidget like this before. Normally, she was cool, calm, and collected.

"You don't have to say yes," she said quickly. "I… well, remember how I had to rush out on Saturday to get to my parents? I went over to help them out, but my mom had called my ex-husband to come help, too." She huffed in remembered frustration. "He showed up, and I immediately left because that's the boundary I set with my parents about him remaining in their lives, and my mom chased me out the door and reminded me that I haven't been seeing anyone since him. Which she apparently takes as a sign that we could still possibly end up back together."

"Uh-huh." Connor reached out and put his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb along her pulse to hopefully help calm her. He didn't feel jealous. She'd mentioned her ex, and right now, it was clear that she felt nothing but annoyance at her parents for still having the man in their lives. Connor couldn't imagine how he'd feel if his parents were still constantly in touch with any of his old girlfriends. He was pretty sure his mom was Facebook friends with his last serious girlfriend, but they weren't hanging out or anything.

"So, I immediately told her that I was seeing someone." Julie squeezed his hand, her expression turning sheepish. "Which… that's not how I planned on telling her. It just came out because I was so frustrated. And I'm sorry. You deserved a better way to be introduced to them."

"That's okay," he said immediately. It really was. Now he understood why she wanted him to come to the cookout. She needed him as a shield against her parents' expectations and also to prove that he was real.

"She called on Wednesday to invite you." Julie winced. "That's when I found out she'd basically told the whole family. My cousins have been texting me almost nonstop since, trying to find out more about you."

Connor snorted. "That's funny. I have nosy coworkers doing the same thing about you. At least our friends don't have to do that since they already know both of us."

"Small blessings." She gave him a crooked smile. "Anyway… I know it's short notice, and honestly, if you just don't want to come, that's fine, too."

"Do you want me there?" That was his only concern since it seemed like she was trying to talk him out of it.

She hesitated but squeezed his hand at the same time, which was confusing. A little bit of mixed messages.

"I do want you to meet my family, eventually. But I don't want to put a whole lot of pressure on us before we're ready. We just started seeing each other. But…" Her voice trailed off.

"But having me there would be helpful when it comes to your family." It didn't take a genius to finish the sentence, and he could tell she was struggling with the desire to have him there but also the desire not to push him into something he wasn't comfortable with.

He could go meet her family. Was it earlier than he'd ever met a girlfriend's family before? Sure. But hell, he was getting older. Things moved faster, right? Plus, she needed him.

Julie sighed.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to?—"

"I don't," he said, reassuring her. She was watching him intently, clearly trying to read his expression. He smiled at her, hoping she'd seen the sincerity in his gaze, hear it in his voice. It was no hardship, and he wanted to help. "I'm happy to meet your family."

"Right." She sighed. "I don't want you to think that I don't want you to meet them. I just also don't want you to feel forced to."

"I don't. I'll meet them to help, and also because I want to. If we keep seeing each other, it'll happen eventually, anyway. Why not sooner rather than later? If it makes you feel better, you can join me on one of my video calls with my parents sometime." That was the right thing to say. He could see her relax. Not all the way, but he'd take what he could get.

"That would be nice." The smile that now curved her lips looked much more genuine than the previous one.

Their server appeared at their table again, effectively halting the conversation.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked hopefully as she picked up their plates. "Would you like to see our dessert menu?" Julie and Connor glanced at each other.

"I think I'm good," Julie said slowly when he didn't speak right away.

"Me, too." He could always go for dessert, but he didn't need it. However, answering in the negative made his nerves rachet up a bit more. That meant they'd be heading to Stronghold next.

On the other hand, getting it over with would probably be better than prolonging the wait. He wasn't going to get less nervous.

"Just the check, then." Julie was the one directing the server, but Connor was already reaching for his wallet. He hoped she didn't think she was paying.

He wasn't sure what the rules were when it came to being a submissive and paying for dinner, but he was still a gentleman, and they were on a date. Was it odd to feel a bit of relief when she let him pay without a fight?

Julie

The tension inside of Connor was twisting tighter and tighter as they walked toward the door to Stronghold. Julie pressed her lips together. Maybe she was asking too much of him. Maybe this was too fast. And on the same night that she'd asked him to meet her family, too.

Which might be a mistake if they couldn't even go out with their friends together.

On the other hand, her family wouldn't know their dynamic, which she was pretty sure was his problem with going into Stronghold.

She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving forward, even though it was a bit of a stretch for her despite the heels she was wearing. As soon as he stopped, she shifted around to stand in front of him, her hand on his chest, head tilted back to look up into his face. The lights in the parking lot created odd shadows, making it harder to read his expression.

"We don't have to go in."

Taking a deep breath, he let it out, lifting his head to look past her at the front door of the building. Unlike Marquis, Stronghold was in the warehouse district, and that's exactly what it looked like from the outside. There wasn't much to see other than the front door and the long, featureless exterior walls. The club didn't have a sign because they didn't want to advertise what they were.

If you knew, you knew.

"I think I need to," he said after a moment, his shoulders hunching slightly. "If I chicken out now, it's going to be so much harder next time."

Julie nodded slowly.

Letting her hand drop, she moved back to his side, sliding her fingers through his. It was a little odd to feel like such a big man might need her protection when she was practically a third his size, but she felt protective. Connor was a giant teddy bear. Everyone had thought so, even when they'd thought he was a Dom.

Now, he was her teddy bear, and she wasn't going to let anyone hurt him.

Not that she thought anyone would. In her opinion, he was worked up over a completely imaginary situation. But if anyone did give him a hard time about not knowing that he was a submissive when he'd first started his kink journey, she was going to cut them the fuck down to size. Then she'd send Patrick after them. If there was anything left worth sending him after. Which there might not be when she was done with them.

Connor looked down at her, giving her a lopsided smile that looked a bit more like a grimace.

"It's not you, it's me," he quipped, making her laugh. Strangely, her laughter seemed to ease some of his tension. He took a deep breath as he straightened back up, squaring his shoulders. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Okay." She squeezed his hand and started moving again. He moved with her, tension slowly seeping back into his frame as they got closer to the door. By the time they reached it, he was nearly rigid, but he still reached out with his free hand to grab the door and open it for her.

As he did, Julie made a calculated risk assessment.

Dropping his hand, she pulled it back and gave him a hefty whack on the ass, hard enough to make her palm sting. He jumped, letting out a sharp cry of surprise, before staring down at her.

"Breathe," she ordered. He had taken a breath in so he could make that noise, but now she wanted him to keep breathing.

A small but real smile played on his lips as he stared down at her.

"Yes, Mistress."

Yup. It had settled him. That little spark of pain, the little shock, and the reminder of who was in charge. He didn't need to worry about what was going to happen when they got inside because she had it handled.

"Good boy. Let's go. And keep breathing."

They got their first greeting when they walked through the door. Traci and Shonda were behind the front desk, and the moment Julie and Connor walked in, they both squealed and clapped their hands excitedly.

"Connor! Connor!" They both came around the desk, arms open, skidding to a stop in front of them as though they weren't sure they could touch him. Laughing, Julie let go of his hand, giving them a nod, and they immediately surrounded him with their arms. She didn't know what was better—their enthusiastic greeting or the sheer confusion on his face.

She could tell he was trying to figure out if they were just happy to see him or if they were greeting him this way because they'd heard about him being a sub. It was easy for her to see it was the latter. They were welcoming him into the group.

"Um… hi?" He was hugging them back but sent a slightly helpless look at Julie.

"Told you there was nothing to be worried about." She smirked at him. Both Traci and Shonda looked at her, then back at him, frowns on their faces.

"You were worried?"

"About what?"

"I…" Connor hesitated.

"Ladies, we need to get inside," Julie said firmly, cutting off his answer. That was his business if he wanted to share. She probably shouldn't have said that in front of them, but she had wanted to point out that he was being warmly welcomed. He could share his worries later if he wanted.

Both of them instantly understood, leaning in to give Connor another hug. She wasn't surprised when they picked up on what Connor might be worried about, even without being given an answer.

"We're so happy for you, Connor," Shonda said warmly.

"Happy you're one of us!" Traci grinned up at him.

"Um… thanks?" He was still baffled, but he was smiling.

Gratitude welled in Julie. There was still the rest of the club to face, but she was pretty sure it was going to be easier for him to walk through the door now.

Though as they turned to face the stoic Master Jared standing outside the door between the lobby and the club, she felt Connor stiffen again.

"Mistress Julie," Jared said with a nod of acknowledgment as they approached. His dark gaze shifted. "Connor." His lips twitched. "Have a good night."

There was something in his voice that made her wonder…

The only way to find out for sure was to walk through the door.